The Divine Life, Treatise 3
Joh. 16. 32.
Behold the hour cometh, yea is come, that ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
HAving treated of our Conformity to Christ in sufferings, in General, I since came distinctly to treat of his particular sufferings in which we must be conformed to him: And having gone over many of those particulars, I am this day to handle the instance of [Christs being forsaken by his friends and followers.]
He thought meet to foretell them how they should manifest their infirmity and untrustiness in this temporary forsaking of him, that so he might fullyer convince them, that he knew what was in man, and that he knew future contingencies, (or things to come which seem most dependent on the will of man) and that he voluntarily submitted to his deserted state, and expected no support from creatures, but that man should then do least for Christ, when Christ was doing most for man; that man by an unthankful forsaking Christ, should then manifest his forsaken deplorate state, when Christ was to make atonement for his Reconciliation to God, and was preparing the most costly remedy for his recovery. He foretold them of the fruit which their infirmity would produce, to humble them that were apt to think too highly of themselves for the late free confession they had made of Christ, when they had newly said [Now we are sure that thou knowest all things: by this we are sure that thou comest forth from God, ver. 30]
He answereth them [Do ye now believe? Behold the hour cometh, &c.] Not that Christ would not have his servants know his graces in them, but he would also have them know the corruption that is latent, and the infirmity consistent with their grace. We are very apt to judge of all that is in us, and of all that we shall do hereafter, by what we feel at the present upon our hearts. As when we feel the stirring of some corruption we are apt to think that there is nothing else, and hardly perceive the contrary grace, and are apt to think it will never be better with us: so when we feel the exercise of faith, desire or love, we are apt to overlook the contrary corruptions, and to think that we shall never feel them more. But Christ would keep us both humble and vigilant, by acquainting us with the mutability and unconstancy of our minds. When it goes well with us, we forget that the time is coming when it may go worse. As Christ said to his Disciples here in the case of Believing, we may say to our selves in that and other cases: Do we now Believe? It is well: but the time may be coming in which we may be brought to shake with the stirrings of our remaining unbelief, and shrewdly tempted to question the truth of Christianity it self, and of the holy Scriptures, and of the life to come. Do we now rejoyce in the perswasions of the Love of God? The time may be coming when we may think our selves forsaken and undone, and think he will esteem and use us as his enemies. Do we now pray with ferveur, and pour out our souls enlargedly to God? It is well: but the time may be coming when we shall seem to be as dumb and prayerless, and say, we cannot pray, or else we find no audience and acceptance of our prayers. Christ knoweth that in us which we little know by our selves; and therefore may foreknow that we will commit such sins, or fall into such dangers, as we little fear.
What Christ here prophesieth to them did afterwards all come to pass. As soon as ever danger and trouble did appear, they began to flag, and to shew how ill they could adhere unto him or suffer with him, without his special corroborating grace: In the garden when he was sweating blood in prayer they were sleeping; Though the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak: They could not watch with him one hour, Matth. 26▪ 40, 41. When he was apprehended, they shifted each man for himself, Matth. 26. 56. [Then all the Disciples forsook him and fled. And as this is said to be that the Scriptures might be fulfilled, Matth. 26. 54, 56. so it might be said to be, that this prediction of Christ himself might be fulfilled. Not that Scripture Prophesies did cause the sin by which they were fulfilled, nor that God caused the sin to fulfill his own predictions, but that God cannot be deceived who foretold in Scriptures long before that thus it would come to pass: when it is said that [thus it must be that the Scripture may be fulfilled] the meaning is not, that [thus God will make it be] or [thus he causeth men to do] that he may fulfill the Scriptures: It is not necessitas consequentis vel causata that is inferred from predictions; but only necessitas consequentiae; a Logical Necessity in ordine cognoscendi & dicendi; not a Natural Necessity in ordine essendi: not a Necessity of the Thing it self as caused by the prediction or decree; but a necessity of the truth of this conclusion in arguing; [such a thing will be, because God hath decreed, foreknown or foretold it:] or [whatever God foretelleth, must necessarily come to pass; (that is, will certainly come to pass: but this God hath foretold: therefore this will come to pass.]
Here are three observable points in the Text, that are worthy our distinct consideration, though for brevity …ake I shall handle them together.
1. That Christ was forsaken by his own Disciples and left alone.
2. When the Disciples left Christ, they were scattered every one to his own. They returned to their old habitations, and old acquaintance, and old employment, as if their hopes and hearts had been almost broken, and they had lost all their labour in following Christ so long: Yet the root of faith and and love that still remained, caused them to enquire further of the end, and to come together in secret to confer about these matters.
3. When Christ was forsaken of his Disciples and left alone, yet was he not forsaken of his Father, nor left so alone as to be separated from him or his love.
We are now to consider of this not only as a part of Christs humiliation, but also as a point in which we must expect to be conformed to him. It may possibly seem strange to us that Christ would suffer all his Disciples to forsake him in his extreamity; and I doubt it will seem strange to us, when in our extreamity, and our suffering for Christ (and perhaps for them) we shall find our selves forsaken by those that we most highly valued, and had the greatest familiarity with. But there are many Reasons of this permissive providence open to our observation.
1. No wonder if when Christ was suffering for sin, he would even then permit the power and odiousness of sin to break sorth, that it might be known he suffered not in vain. No wonder if he permitted his followers to desert him, and to shew the latent unbelief, and selfishness, and unthankfulness that remained in them, that so they might know that the death of Christ was as necessary for them as for others; and the universality of the disease might shew the need that the remedy should be universal. And it is none of Christs intent to make his servants to seem better then they are, to themselves or others, or to honour himself by the hiding of their faults, but to magnifie his pardoning and healing grace, by the means or occasion of the sins which he pardoneth and healeth.
2. Hereby he will bring his followers to the fuller knowledge of themselves, and shew them that which all their dayes should keep them humble, and watchful, and save them from presumption and trusting in themselves: When we have made any full confession of Christ, or done him any considerable service, we are apt to say with the Disciples, Matth. 19. 27. [Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee; What shall we have?] As if they had rather been Givers to Christ, then Receivers from him; and had highly merited at his hands: But when Peter forsweareth him, and the rest shift for themselves, and when they come to themselves, after such cowardly and ungrateful dealings, then they will better understand their weakness, and know on whom they must depend.
3. Hereby also they shall better understand what they would have been, if God had left them to themselves, that so they may be thankful for grace received, and may not boast themselves against the miserable world, as if they had made themselves to differ, and had not received all that grace by which they excel the common sort: when our falls have hurt us and shamed us, we shall know to whom we must be beholden to support us.
4. Christ would permit his Disciples thus far to forsake him, because he would have no support from man, in his sufferings for man: This was part of his voluntary humiliation, to be deprived of all earthly comforts, and to bear affliction even from those few, that but lately were his faithful servants: that men dealing like men, and sinners, while he was doing like God, and as a Saviour, no man might challenge to himself the honour of contributing to the Redemption of the world, so much as by encouraging the Redeemer.
5. Christ did permit the Faith and courage of his Disciples thus far to fail, that their witness to him might be of the greater credit and authority, when his actual Resurrection and the Communication of the Spirit should compel them to believe: when all their doubts were dissipated, they that had doubted themselves, and yet were constrained to believe, would be received as the most impartial witnesses by the doubting world.
6. Lastly, by the desertion and dissipation of his Disciples, Christ would teach us whenever we are called to follow him in suffering, what to expect from the best of men; Even to know that of themselves they are untrusty, and may fail us: and therefore not to look for too much assistance or encouragement from them. Paul lived in a time when Christians were more self-denying and stedfast than they are now: And Paul was one that might better expect to be faithftlly accompanied in his sufferings for Christ, than any of us: And yet he saith, 2 Tim. 4. 16. [At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me:] and prayeth, that it be not laid to their charge: Thus you have seen some Reasons why Christ consented to be left of all, and permitted his Disciples to desert him in his sufferings.
Yet note here, that it is but a partial temporary forsaking that Christ permitteth; and not a total or final forsaking or Apostasie. Though he will let them see that they are yet men, yet will he not leave them to be but as other men: Nor will he quite cast them off, or suffer them to perish.
Nor is it all alike that thus forsake him; Peter doth not do as Judas: The sincere may manifest their infirmity; but the Hypocrites will manifest their hypocrisie.
And accordingly in our sufferings our familiars that were false-hearted (as being worldlings and carnal at the heart) may perhaps betray us, and set against us, or forsake the cause of Christ, and follow the way of gain and honour: when our tempted shrinking friends that yet may have some sincerity, may perhaps look strange at us, and seem not to know us, and may hide their heads, and shew their fears; and perhaps also begin to study some self▪deceiving arguments and distinctions, and to stretch their consciences, and venture on some sin, because they are afraid to venture on affliction; till Christ shall cast a gracious rebuking quickning aspect on them, and shame them for their sinful shame, & fear them from their sinful fears, and inflame their Love to him by the motions of his Love to them, and destroy the Love that turned them from him: And then the same men that dishonourably failed Christ and us, and began to shrink, will turn back and reassume their arms, and by patient suffering overcome, and win the Crown as we have done before them.