One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 23
SERMON XXIII. Of a Holy Working Life, the Excellency, Equity, and Neceſſity thereof in order to Glory.
JOH. 17.5.
And now O Father glorifie me with thy own ſelf, &c.
THis fifth Verſe containeth a repetition of the matter praied for, v. 1. and enforced by divers arguments in the former Verſes, wherin obſerve,
1. The object matter of Chriſts Petition, Glorifie thou me, I ſhall not conſider that becauſe ſpoken to before; Only in that we ſee our Saviour twice within ſo little a ſpace praying for this glory, though appointed and promiſed to him.
We may obſerve two particulars.
1. That all repetition and ingemination of the ſame matter in praier is not unlawful, but ſometimes is uſeful and neceſſary.
2. That even thoſe things that God hath appointed and promiſed to his people, muſt yet be obtained by praier.
In the next place we have the deſcription of this glory.
1. It muſt be an heavenly glory, ſuch as God approveth of, Glorifie thou me with thy own ſelf; This may be ſpoken excluſively to all humane glory which he regarded not, or elſe in oppoſition to his work, he had done, I have finiſhed thy work on earth, and now let me have my reward in heaven: 3. From an external adjunct, It's the glory which he had before the world was; That admits of ſome difficulty to be diſpatched in its proper place. Laſtly, There is the cauſall inference from what was ſaid before, and now Father glorifie me; this is a cauſall concluſion from the work finiſhed by Chriſt, and of this becauſe firſt in order at this time; And now glorifie me, as if he had ſaid, Hitherto I have been finiſhing my work, all the while I was doing that I looked for no reward, I expected no glory, but now all is completed, I pray for and expect the glory due unto me, From whence obſerve,
That as Chriſt, ſo all the people of God when they have finiſhed their work, Obſerv. None may look for glory until they have finiſhed their work. Conſider the Point in referenceand not till then, may look for and deſire the glory prepared for them, 2 Tim. 4.8. Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Glory; Henceforth he expects, now his fight is over but not before.
Let us conſider this briefly in Chriſt and then in our ſelves.
Firſt, Concerning Chriſt, God had ſo ordained and appointed, That he ſhould firſt be eminent in doing and ſuffering, and then ſhould have a reward; It behoved him firſt to ſuffer and ſo to enter into glory, Luk. 24.26.I. To Chriſt. Ought not Chriſt to have ſuffered theſe things? There was a debt and duty upon Chriſt to wear the Crown of thorns before he put on the Crown of glory; To be debaſed more then all before he was exalted above all, ſo that the ſtipulation and agreement which the Father made with the Sonne, contained in it both duty to be done by Chriſt, and a reward to be vouchſafed to him; He was to drink of the brook, and ſo to lift up his head, Pſa. 110.7. This was the order that God had indiſpenſably commanded, and nothing could hinder it, though all this was ſuppoſing Chriſts willingneſſe to undergo the office of a Mediatour; for otherwiſe though he had become man, yet he might alwaies have kept up the manifeſtation of his divine glory, and hence it is that the Scripture ſaith, he ought to have ſuffered; There was a neceſſity from the juſtice of God which will puniſh ſinne in the offender or in the Surety, and he ought to do it, becauſe of his own faithfulneſſe and truſt, he ſhould not diſcharge that which had undertaken unleſſe he became thus obedient.
2. The order that is between Chriſts work and reward is far different from ours, and of another nature, for that is an order of merit and cauſality, but ours only of antecedency,Glory the reward of Chriſts merit. and by a promiſe: Therefore when Chriſt looks for his glory it's upon farre other grounds then when Paul expects his Crown of glory; for Chriſt looks for his glory upon his work, as a cauſe and a merit, it being fully perfect, and more then he was bound unto, if abſolutely conſidered, though when once he became our Surety it behoved him to perform all, ſo that Chriſt had his glory by the Title of juſtice and deſert, though in reſpect of the perſonal Union he had alwaies a right to all glory; But Paul and all the godly have it by meer grace and favour, for when the Children of God have done all they can, yet ſuch is their imperfection that they need a pardon, and ſo their ſalvation and glory is of meer grace; Therefore though there be a ſimilitude between Chriſts work and his glory, and ours, yet there is not an equality, The one is of juſtice and merit, the other of grace and favour; The more inexcuſable then are all theſe Popiſh doctrines that would puff up a man to ſuch a conceit of himſelf and Chriſt together, of his free-will and grace together▪ not Chriſt and grace alone, that hence they will pleade their Title to heaven, Chriſts merits and their own.
II. Conſider the doctrine as true in our ſelves.In the next place let us conſider this doctrine as true in our ſelves, for hereby our ſecurity and careleſneſſe, eſpecially our prophaneſſe, ſhall be greatly confounded, when we ſhall know that without our working there cannot be glory, we muſt look to labour in the Vineyard before we come to have our wages.
1. God hath appointed this order.And 1. God the Father who appointed ſuch an order for Chriſt hath alſo decreed the like for us; Heaven and eternal glory cannot be had without much working and ſuffering, Rom. 8.17. If we ſuffer with him we ſhall alſo be glorified with him. Hence are thoſe commands and expreſſions, Strive to enter in at the ſtrait gate, Mat. 7. Be in an agony: The violent take the Kingdom of heaven, That the righteous is ſcarcely ſaved, Be not weary in well-doing, becauſe we ſhall have a recompence, if we faint not, Gal. 6.9, That implieth ſuch labour and diſcouragements in the way to heaven, that it is very hard not to faint, not to be weary, to give over all; As the people of Iſrael in the wilderneſſe murmured and wiſhed themſelves in Egypt again, becauſe they found it ſo difficult to get into Canaan; Hence Heaven is called a reſt, Heb. 4.9. There remains a reſt, What doth that imply but here in this world we are toiling and troubled and never have any reſt, but in heaven there is reſt, that alſo denoteth how ſweet and excellent a place heaven is, and how much we while in this world ſhold deſire it and pray for it: Whereas our deſire to be in this world is as if a man ſhould be willing to lie in a bed full of thorns pricking and ga…ling of him; Thus hath God appointed a Fight before the Crown, labour before our wages, tempeſts and ſtorms before the haven, weariſomneſſe before a reſt.
Therefore in the 2d place Every Chriſtian muſt up and be doing, that doth expect Salvation; Sluggiſhneſſe and lazineſſe will deprive of this glory; Oh when ſuch ſhall ſee themſelves ſhut out of all happineſſe and tormented for ever in thoſe eternal flames, then how will they cry out of their lukewarmneſſe and unprofitableneſſe? what a terrible ſentence is pronounced upon the unprofitable Servant? Mat. 25.30. He is to be caſt into utter darkneſſe where there is weeping and gnaſhing of teeth; If Chriſt himſelf muſt firſt work and then look for a reward, let not the Servant think to be above his Maſter, We muſt not think to have heavenly glory, as our Saviour ſaith, Mat. 5. The Lillies of the Field have a greater glory then of Solomons, yet they ſpin not, they labour not; No, but the Scripture crieth out aloud to every one, To work out his Salvation with fear and trembling, Phil. 2.12. Oh then that the conſideration that Chriſtianity is a work, No work no glory, would make us ſhake off ſlothfulneſſe and negligence; Do not think God will provide heaven for thee as he did a Wife for Adam, in a deep ſleep, he thought of nothing, he took no care about any ſuch thing: They that ſay, Let us eat and drink for to morrow we ſhall die, little think of the way and the work God requireth before happineſſe: Thoſe that like Dives fare deliciouſly every day, that live in eaſe and ſecurity, let them think this Calm will breed a great Storm, as they ſay, before Earthquakes, there is a wonderful ſtilneſſe and calmneſſe, So all their pleaſure, eaſe, and delight is but the forerunner of unſpeakable torments and miſery.
3. Hence we ſee, That good works and an holy active life is not forbidden but commanded by the Scripture; To preach Chriſt, or faith, or grace, or the benefit of the Sacraments ſo, as that a godly, exact, and diligent walking and working is excluded, is to preach another Chriſt, another Goſpel then we have received; Our Saviour by thoſe Parables of divers talents, as alſo of the fooliſh Virgins, and of the unjuſt ſteward, Mat. 25. of hiring Labourers into the Vineyard, did hereby commend the neceſſity of working, Paul fought a good fight, and all the godly Worthies commended by him, Heb. 11. had an active laborious faith, and they are accounted bleſſed that die in the Lord: Why? becauſe their works follow them, Rev. 14.13. yea, at the day of judgement that judicial proceſſe will be according to the works we have done, or we have not done, for omiſſion of duties, though there be no commiſſion of ſinne, the ſentence of condemnation will be pronounced; ſo that concerning this duty of working there have been errours on both ſides, ſometimes Satan hath ſo prevailed as to perſwade men againſt working, to fancy a kinde of notional faith that will not purifie or clenſe the heart, a painted fire that will not burn: Sometimes again when he could not prevail that waies, then he hath ſet up working to overthrow beleeving to make Chriſt and his grace ineffectuall, Take we heed then that we ſplit not our ſelves at either of theſe rocks, but conform our ſelves to Chriſt, who was never idle, but like a careful Shepherd went up and down ſeeking the loſt Sheep; This is the devils great temptation, to tempt thee not to work, or if thou workeſt to puff thee up with confidence about it, and ſo to make thee …un in vain: The Popiſh Doctrines they have ſo infected men about works, teaching them to put confidence therein, that it was an infinite mercy to the Church when the true doctrine about Chriſt and the grace of the Goſpel be…a…e to be publiſhed, and by reaſon of ſome expreſſions there aroſe up the Antinomians and others, who cried down working as if that were to bring the Law in again for juſtification, but both theſe miſſe the mark, both the Phariſee with confidence in his works, and the Publican without his works, are excluded this place of glory.
4. There is therefore a neceſſity for many conſiderations,The neceſſity of continual working· while we are in our journey to heaven, that we ſhould be working, all which are good to be laid to heart, that ſo we may avoid all unprofitableneſſe, and at laſt to be able to ſay, and now my work is done, O Father, glorifie me.
I. From Gods command.The firſt is from the command and will of God, Every Page in the Bible preſſeth doing Gods will, yea, we are to be ſtedfaſt, immoveable, alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord, 1 Cor. 15. So that if there were no other motive to excite us, the command of God might be greatly provoking; He who hath a command and a Soveraignty over all; That commands the very inanimate creatures, and they obey, how much rather ſhould we yeeld obedience to his will, and the rather becauſe whatſoever work he commands as it is good in it ſelf, ſo it's good to us; It's good in it ſelf, When the devil and ſinne tempt to that which is evil, thou preſently giveſt up thy ſelf, and ſhall God require that which is good, and thou refuſeſt it? Beſides, It's good for thee as well as good in it ſelf; It's a work thou wilt never repent of, it will never be matter of grief to thee, Whereas for all other works of the fleſh and the devil, they will prove thorns in thy ſide, There will be a horrour upon thy Spirit for them, making thee to cry out, Oh that I had never done this or that; ſin is called dead works, Heb. 6.1. becauſe they argue a man dead, and devoid of ſpirituall life, and ſo they alſo carry to eternal death, but theſe works of God they are living works, partly becauſe they proceed from a life of grace, and partly becauſe they will live for ever, they will go to the grave with thee, to heaven with thee, they will never forſake thee.
II. God hath made them the neceſſary way to walk in if we will be ſaved.2. It's our duty to work becauſe God hath made them the neceſſary way to walk in, if we will be ſaved; Without holineſſe no man ſhall ſee God; Labour for the meat that periſheth not: Hence if we conſider every gracious work of patience, love, meekneſſe, we ſhall ſee bleſſedneſſe is promiſed to them, Not that theſe juſtifie, only the perſon juſtified cannot be without them; They are the media ordinata, ordained mean, in the uſe whereof we are to arrive at eternal happineſſe; It's faith only that receiveth Chriſt and his righteouſneſſe, yet this faith cannot be ſeparated from an holy walking: It's the eye only that ſeeth, yet the eye cannot be ſeparated from the other parts of the body, and thus the Apoſtle doth immediatly oppoſe Rom. 4. beleeving, working grace, and works in reſpect of Juſtification, yet he doth at the ſame time preſſe the Children of God to all holineſſe and the fruits of righteouſneſſe.
III. Neceſſary by way of gratitude.3. Working is neceſſary by way of gratitude and thankefulneſſe to God and Chriſt, If there were nothing elſe but this, this might pour coals of fire upon thee, for how many works of Gods grace haſt thou been partaker of? If Gods grace did not work all the day long for thee, thou couldſt not be a moment preſerved out of hell, and as for Chriſts working, reade the Hiſtory of his Life, he was alwaies finiſhing the work of thy Redemption and Salvation, he had nothing to do for himſelf, all was in reference to thee; Oh then how unworthy wilt thou ſhew thy ſelf of all that love and kindeneſſe which God and Chriſt have done for thee; If thou like the Sluggard let the Field of thy Soul grow full of briars and thorns; Oh how can thy heart be ſo cold and ſlothful, When thou conſidereſt grace is working for thee all the day long, if Chriſt had no more zealouſly and earneſtly wrought my peace for me then I do perform his duties, my ſoul had periſhed irrecoverably.
IV. Becauſe we have ſo long time ſpent our ſelves in the way of Satan.Laſtly, Therefore it's neceſſary we ſhould work Gods work, becauſe we have for a long time ſpent our ſelves in the Service of Satan, and doing the works of the devil: Oh this ſhould be a perpetual goad in thy ſide, this ſhould be fire in thy boſome to conſider that there was no hour, no day, no ſeaſon, but thou didſt take the opportunity to ſatisfie thy luſts; Thou never couldſt have enough of ſinne; No thirſty man did more greedily ſwallow down water then thou didſt ſinne, yea, how active to draw on others, to infect others with the ſame plague thou hadſt, I tell you this will lie heavy upon the godly ſoul, If I were to live Methuſalems age it would not be time enough to do God ſervice for the diſhonour I have put upon him, Thy time is ſhort, and thou haſt much to do becauſe thou haſt undone ſo much.
In the next place Conſider,It's lawful for the people of God in all they do for God, to encourage themſelves that eternall glory is laid up for them. That it's lawful for the people of God in all the work they do for God, to encourage themſelves with this, that there is an everlaſting glory laid up for them: Even as Chriſt had an eye to this glory, ſo it's lawful for us; Thus Moſes had an eye to the recompence of the reward, Heb. 11. The godly Rom. 2. are ſaid to be ſuch as ſeek for immortality and glory, Rom. 5.2. They rejoyce in hope of the glory of God, and Paul accounted all theſe ſufferings but light in reſpect of that eternal weight of glory, 2 Cor. 4.17. Indeed Gods glory is to be ſought in the firſt place, and then our glory; ſo that it's a ſhame, if in all our doings and ſufferings for God we are not full of joy, becauſe of that unſpeakable glory apprehended by faith, Faith makes it preſent as if we already were partakers of it; So that whatſoever temptations and diſcouragements are in the work of the Lord, this glory will abundantly make amends for it; Are there reproaches and diſgrace in the world? All the while thou didſt ſin and the devils work, thou hadſt the love and good-will of the world, but ſince thou haſt betaken thy ſelf to the ſervice of God, thou art the ſcoff and reproach of all; O think of the glory God will crown thee with before all the world; Again, are all the works of God painful, difficult, and contrary to fleſh and bloud thou muſt ſtrive and wraſtle much in praier, be alwaies in a combat and conflict, Remember this everlaſting glory, yea, God therefore doth many times put his Children upon all exerciſes and ſad temptations, which make them ake at the very heart, and all is to encreaſe their glory the more; Thus Job, thus Paul, they had extraordinary trials that they might have extraordinary glory: Furthermore is there ſelf-denial required in Gods work? Muſt thou part with thy pleaſures, with thy profit, thy delights? ſtill remember, this glory will make thee no loſer, for alas what proportion is there between theſe petty things thou leaveſt, and thoſe everlaſting treaſures God hath provided for thee.
In the ſixth place, That the glory of Gods people may be full, he giveth them time and large opportunities of working for him, and keeps thee in this world, not for any earthly and outward advancement of thy ſelf, but to ſerve him in thy generation, as it's ſaid, David ſerved God in his generation, Act. 13.36. and God calleth Moſes his ſervant; Whatſoever thy relation, thy place, thy office be, God hath appointed thee to work, and therefore he prolongs thy life till thy work be done; This is a comfortable conſideration which all the godly may take, that death ſhall not ſeize on them while thay have work to do for God, and when that is finiſhed then this ſummons to everlaſting glory. As for Infants this Truth reacheth not to them, and if any like the Thief on the Croſſe are called at the laſt hour, and ſo are not able to work in the Vineyard, yet even ſuch have an habitual prepared heart for it, if they had the opportunity; But for others whoſe daies are prolonged they are thus to think with themſelves, I have this day, this week, longer to adde to my work God hath for me to doe; Take heed of miſpent time, take heed of loſing daies and weeks, The night is coming when none can work.
Ʋſe 1. How much comfort and joy the godly may take at the hour of death; Their work is done, now they have nothing but the Robes of glory to put on, That fulneſſe of glory they are immediatly to poſſeſſe ſhould ſwallow up the fears of death, and the love of the world; With what joy ſhould they cry out, Farewell Friends, Wife and Children, welcome God, welcome eternal glory: Alas, thou haſt no glory here, Thy body is a vile body, thy ſoul a ſinful ſoul, the world is the valley of death, an Hoſpitall of diſeaſed men, and therefore thou art to rejoice at this approaching glory; Hence it is that the righteous is ſaid to have hope in his death, to be bleſſed in his death, for all his old things paſſe away, a new place, new company, new happineſſe, new joy, but yet here are cautions to the godly dying man that hath done his work.
1. Not to put confidence in his works; Sibi iſti fidere, non eſt fidei, ſed perfidia, ſaid Bernard; Oh Lord, All that I have done is an effect and teſtimony of thy grace, not a merit of eternal glory; Thou crowneſt thy gifts not my merits, if I have been able to work, it was of thy grace, ſo the more I have done the more I am obliged to thee, and the reaſon why there cannot be any hope or confidence put in the works we do, is from the imperfection and inſufficiency of them; Enter not into judgement with thy Servant, ſaith David, Pſa. 143.2. I would be found not having mine own righteouſneſſe, but that by faith in Christ, ſaith Paul, Phil. 3.
2. Therefore after all his works though it were Martyrdom it ſelf, he is to look for glory by vertue of Gods promiſe as a meer gift; Upon this tenure thou art to plead for it, The gift of God is eternal life, for though we had done all, yet God might deny us eternal life, Though we had perfectly done all our duty, yet God might annihilate us and there be at an end; Therefore it's wholly of his grace to make a promiſe of eternal life, for by this means though he be not a debtor to us, yet he is to himſelf, he is faithful and cannot deny his own words, and for this reaſon as it's called a gift, ſo ſometimes a reward, not as if there were any proportion between our work and this glory, but becauſe God hath appointed this as a ſure conſequent upon doing what is well; Therefore Ambroſe diſtinguiſhed well of a reward, there is merces liberalitatis, as if an whole Kingdome ſhould be given a man for lifting up a ſtraw, and there it merces debiti, of debt and ſtrict juſtice, but that cannot be between the creature and the Creator, much leſſe the creature fallen and corrupted.
Ʋſe 2. Of terrour and woe to wicked men, who having done the devils work have nothing to do but to take the reward of devils; The ſame hell, the ſame torments, that are prepared for the devil and his Angels are for thee; Oh that the name of death, the thoughts of death ſhould not fill thee with all fear and amazement, oh that this ſhould not be like a ſword at thy heart, whoſe work am I doing? whom have I ſerved? and now I am a dying man, whoſe wages am I to receive? Oh that thou ſhouldſt not mourn and pray, and get all others to mourn and pray for thee, if God will deliver thee out of this gall and wormwood, Bleſſed are they that die in the Lord, their works follow them; Curſed are they that die in their ſins, for their works ſhall follow them, though your bodies are put in the grave, yet your ſins cannot be buried there.