Fruitful Lessons Upon the Passion Burial Resurrection Ascension, passion · Commentary 5
Doctrine and fruite.
CHriſt promiſeth his Diſciples (that is, ſuch as beleeue on him) that he will giuegive them whatſoeuer they make peticion for, or deſire: yea, if they louelove him. For faith without louelove, is dead, & hath no ſtrength. Where there is faith in man, there followeth louelove. Many of vsus ſay: Wee beleeue in Chriſt, and we louelove him, yet we keepe not his commaundements. Such men ought well to note the wordes that Chriſt heere ſpeaketh:He that loueth worketh. Who ſo loueth me, keepeth my commaundements. The Diſciples thought, that they loued Chriſt right, becauſe they were ſorie for his departing: but Chriſt teacheth vsus, that louelove conſiſteth in the keeping of his commaundements. If we will declare our louelove towardes GOD, it muſt not be done onelyonly with word and tongue, but with keeping of his precepts.Pſal. 34. The eies of the Lord behold the righteous, and his eares conſider their prayers. God will not, that we (whome hee through his grace hath admitted for his own children, and purified through faith) ſhould goe idle. Faith, which God giueth vsus in our heart, ſtandeth not idle: wee hauehave for this purpoſe receyued it, euen to keep his commandements. Now is it his commaundement,Gods commandement that wee denie and mortifie our ſelues, hate and deſpiſe the worlde, take vp our croſſe vppon vsus, and followe him, ſtoutly and manfully confeſſing and acknowledging him before the wicked worlde: louing one another, as hee hath loued vsus: innocently and godly leading our liues, whereby we may daily receiue the more giftes at his hande. For if wee keepe not his grace that hee giueth vsus: if wee do not continually and daily reforme our ſelues, and with all diligence faſhion our liues after his life: it is but right that we looſe againe what wee hauehave receiued.
And if anie man ſaith, it were vnpoſſible for man to keepe Gods commaundementes, (as it is true indeed) yet vntounto vsus that beleeue in Chriſt,All things poſſible to beleeuers. are all things poſſible: not in our ſelues, but in Chriſt our head. If we abide in him through faith, then hard and vnpoſſible things are light and poſſible vntounto vsus: for in him that ſtrengtheneth vsus, we may do all thinges. And if wee louelove God, then for his ſake that is beloued, wee may doe and ſuffer all thinges:LoueLove ouercommeth all things. for there is nothing but louelove ouercommeth it. Our Lorde Ieſus Chriſt fulfilleth the commaundements and will of his heauenly Father. So farre as wee now are his members incorporated with him, and abiding in him as our head through faith, our daily exerciſe, feruentnes, and diligence ſhall bee, in vndertaking to perfourme and keepe his commaundementes. And if wee, out of a true beleefe, doe applie ſuch diligence, to keepe his preceptes, then m… it be perceiued, that we louelove God.
And if that after ſuch diligence in keeping Gods commandements, there be ought lacking (as we ſhal euer heere want ſome thing) wee muſt crie vntounto our heauenly Father, and pray. O Father, forgiue vsus our debts and treſpaſſes. And then hauehave wee with him a faithfull mediatour, euen Ieſus Chriſt the righteous, who maketh interceſſion for vsus, and taketh our faults vponupon himſelfe: & what wee are not not able, that fulfilleth he for vsus. Thus is it his firſt, & higheſt cōmaundement, which he earneſtly requireth of vsus,Faith, LoueLove, keeping of the cōmandements. that wee beleue in him. Where the ſame faith is right, it brings with it louelove, which keepeth al the commandements. Now when we begin to breake our mindes off from earthie worldly thinges, and to ſet them vponupon godlie heauenly things, which Chriſt calleth vsus vntounto. Then take we in hande to bee obedient vntounto God the Father, after the example and patterne of Chriſt: for he loued vsus firſt. If wee now alſo louelove him, and practiſe our ſelues in his louelove, then ſhall hee helpe vsus to keepe his commaundements.
And to the intent that we may be able to put our truſt in him, to louelove him, and to obſerue his precepts, hee promiſeth vsus his holy ſpirite, to worke all ſuch things in vsus.
Hee comforteth alſo his Diſciples and all his elect in this world: as if he would ſay: Be not yee afraide neither ſorrowfull, by reaſon of my departing. Albeit I now die, and goe corporally from you vntounto the Father, yet will I alwaies hauehave a fatherly louelove, faithfulneſſe and care for you: neither will I leaue you friendles, as thoſe that are vtterly deſtitute of al helpe and conſolation. I will pray vntounto the Father, ſo that hee ſhall ſende you another to ſuccour and comfort you. While I hauehave been with you my ſelfe, I hauehave inſtructed and taught you in all thinges that were neceſſary for your welfare. VntoUnto all ſuch workes as are acceptable vntounto my father, hauehave I exhorted you: vntounto all good thinges hauehave I moued you: from all euill hauehave I defended you: in all trouble and aduerſitie hauehave I comforted you. I hauehave beene your teacher, your exhorter, your atturney, your aduocate, & mediatour, ſo that ye hauehave lacked nothing, neither hath any man hurt you. Seeing now I hauehave hitherto neuer failed you, I wil alſo from henceforth not forſake you, but pray vntounto my Father, who ſhall ſende vntounto you the holy Ghoſt. The ſame ſhall perfectly bring to your remembrance, and be your teacher in al that I hauehave ſhewed you: hee ſhall exhort and admoniſh you, aide, ſuccour, and comfort you,The office of Gods ſpirite. ſo that yee ſhall not be without conſolation. He ſhall be your tutour and defender, neither ſhall he be with you onelyonly for a time, as I hauehave beene, but euen in your heartes ſhall he dwell with you, and neuer depart from you.
Of this helper, comforter, teacher, and tutor, ſhall yee alſo hauehave neede: for great trouble and perſecution ſhall the world moue againſt you.Comfort & ſtrength in aduerſitie. To ouercom the ſame, is your fleſh too feeble: therefore will I ſend you downe from heauen a power, whereby in all aduerſitie ye may be able to ſtand faſt, and to hauehave the victorie.
O the vnſpeakeable louelove of our Lord Ieſu Chriſt, who taketh ſuch diligent care for vsus, and endueth vsus with ſo excellent a gift: namely, his owne holy ſpirite. With what modeſtie and ſoberneſſe, with how pure and honeſt behauiour ought wee to walke, ſeeing that God hath into our hartes giuen his holy ſpirite, who vtterly abhorreth and loatheth all vice, and all filthines of ſinne? Great diligence ought we therfore to applie, in keeping cleane and vndefiled our bodies and ſoules, which God through his holy ſpirite hath purified, and conſecrated to bee his owne dwelling place and temple: leaſt we expell the chaſt ſpirite of God. For in no froward ſoule abideth hee, neither dwelleth hee in that bodie which maketh it ſelfe ſlaue and thrall vntounto ſin. The eares of our minde ought we to open, and to harken whereof this ſpirite admoniſheth vsus, and what doctrine hee in our Sauiours words doth teach vsus, and his motion ought we to followe. Afraid ought we not to be: he that is in vsus, is ſtronger than all our enemies.
This ſpirite hath Chriſt by his prayer and merites obtained of his Father: for hee prayed with weeping and teares, and was heard for his worthines ſake.
He is called alſo the ſpirite of trueth, becauſe hee proceedeth of the truth, teacheth the trueth, and maketh vsus true: we are elſe of our owne nature altogether lyers, inconſtant, vntrue, and diſſembling hypocrites: and whatſoeuer the world ſpeaketh, & doth, it is nothing but vanitie and lyes. Bleſſed therefore are they vntounto whom God giueth the high gift of his trueth.
The world, that is to ſay, fleſhly men and children of the world, receiue not this ſpirite, for they deſpiſe the word of Chriſt, and laugh it to ſcorne. Therefore God ſheweth not himſelfe vntounto them, for they louelove him not: which thing they declare, in that they refuſe his word. But who ſo receiueth his word, ſheweth thereby, that he loueth Chriſt and God: him wil God louelove againe, and open himſelfe euer more and more vntounto him. This is a high reward which God giueth vntounto his louers: that hee commeth vntounto them, maketh his dwelling and abideth alwaie with them, working all good things in them and by them. Therfore ought wee earneſtly to heare his worde, to louelove him, and to keepe his commandements. And ſo euen the ſame his owne ſpirit which hee gaue vsus at the beginning, ſhall hee ſtill graunt vntounto vsus more perfectly from time to time. Thus ſhall that ſpirite poure out louelove in our harts, and indue them with more perfe… tion. The louelove of the world, which is not of God the Father, ſhall this ſpirit roote out and daily conſume: but the louelove of God it ſhall continually plant and increaſe. The more louelove there is, the more groweth the knowledge of God: yea the more Gods knowledge increaſeth, the more feruent & perfect is louelove. Grant vsus (ô gratious Father) thy holy ſpirit, to take poſſeſſion of our heart: that it may onelyonly truſt in thee, louelove thee aboue all things, keepe thy commandements, & cleaue ſtill vntounto thee for euermore, Amen.
THeſe things hauehave I ſpoken vntounto you, beeing yet preſent with you. But that comfort which is the holie Ghost, (whom my father will ſend in my name) he ſhal teach you all thinges, and bring all thinges to your remembrance, whatſoeuer I hauehave taught you: Peace I leaue with you, my peace I giuegive vntounto you. Let not your hart be troubled, neither feare. Ye hauehave heard that I ſaid vntounto you: I go, and come vntounto you. If ye loued me, ye would verely reioice, becauſe I ſaid: I go vntounto the father, for the father is greater than I. And now hauehave I ſhewed you before it come, that when it is come to paſſe, ye might beleeue. Hereafter will I not talke many words with you: for the ruler of this worlde commeth, and hath naught in me. But that the world may knowe, that I louelove the father: as the father gaue me commaundement, euen ſo do… I. Ariſe, let vsus go hence.