One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 10
SERMON X. Of Predestination, or Gods giving ſome of Mankinde to Chriſt (not all) for him to redeem; And what unſpeakable Grounds of Comfort to Gods People flow from thence.
JOH. 17.2.
That to as many as thou hast given him, he ſhould give Eternall Life.
THis latter part of the Verſe containeth the uſe and exerciſe of Chriſts Power, which he had from the Father, and therein you may conſider,
1. The Fruit and benefit of it.
2. The Subject on whom this is to be beſtowed.
The Fruit is deſcribed in the nature of it.
1. Its Life, As Death is the King of Terrors, ſo life muſt be the King of joys.
2. The Property of this Life, it's Eternall; This naturall life in the midſt of the joys that may accompany it, hath this bridle and check; It's but for a ſhort uncertain time.
In the next place you have the manner of obtaining it, Its given; There is no merit, no antecedent worth but it's given. O this is the benefit.
The Subject who is to partake of this gift, is limited and reſtrained by this qualification, To as many as the Father hath given him; So we tranſlate it, regarding the ſence, otherwiſe if it ſhould verbatim according to the Greek, it would be hardly ſence to an Engliſh ear, For thus it is, That every thing which thou haſt given him, to them he ſhould give Eternall Life; Neither indeed is it pure Greciſme, but an Hebraiſme, where ſometimes the Nominative caſe beginneth the ſentence, and then the ſence is ſo caſt afterwards, that it quite loſeth its Verb, as here, foreign, There is alſo the Neuter gender for the Maſculine; Or elſe it's uſed emphatically to ſhew, that not ſo much totus homo as the torum hominis, the every thing of a godly man is given to Chriſt, not his ſoul but his body alſo; This phraſe is ſeverall times uſed eſpecially Joh. 6.37. where it is ſaid, All that my Father giveth me cometh unto me, I will in no wiſe caſt out, and will raiſe him up again; Where that foreign every thing implieth body as well as ſoul, becauſe it's ſaid, he will raiſe him up; Now when the Father is ſaid to give ſome of mankinde to Chriſt, that is not to be underſtood of his divine nature, for ſo he hath all things as God, but as a Mediatour and Redeemer, ſo that the ſence is, God the Father gave ſome of Mankind… to Chriſt, committed them to his care and truſt, that he ſhould be their Mediatour, and obtain everlaſting Salvation. From whence Obſerve,
That not all, but ſome only of Mankinde are given by God the Father to Chriſt, Doct. That (not all but) ſome of mankinde are given by God the Father to Chriſt to be redeemed by him.to be a Mediatour for them; Though Chriſt have a ſufficiency and fulneſſe in him to obtain Salvation for all, yet ſome only are given to him intentionally by Gods Decree to be their actuall Saviour and Mediatour, To as many (ſaith the Text, as the Father hath given him; This place doth batter to the ground that pleaſing opinion of Univerſal Redemption, for by that not ſome but all are given to Chriſt by the Father, and if ſo, then all muſt be ſaved, for mark that place, Joh. 10.28, 29, ſpeaking of his Sheep, They ſhall not periſh, neither ſhall any man pluck them out of my hand, for my Father which gave them me is greater then all: We need not a cleerer place for theſe two things, 1. That there are but ſome that the Father hath given Chriſt. 2. All thoſe that are given they are ſure to have eternal life, becauſe none is greater then the Father, So that thoſe two dangerous doctrines, Univerſal Redemption, and the total and final apoſtacy of the true Saints are evidently confuted by that place. This is ſo clear that we need not matter their many diſtinctions to obſcure the truth. That there are ſome whom the Father hath thus committed to Chriſt to be their Mediatour, appeareth by this expreſſion, us'd at other times; The forementioned place, Joh. 6.37, 39. is conſiderable; The occaſion of that expreſſion was from the unbelief of the Capernaits, who though they had ſeen Chriſts wonders yet beleeved not, but it was no wonder, for ſaith he, All that is given me of my Father ſhall come unto me; If you had been thus given to me you would beleeve; Now becauſe it's inviſible and altogether a ſecret, known only to God, who they are that are given to Chriſt, he ſheweth a ſure and certain fruit of this, They will in time come to him, i. e. beleeve in him and receive him, ſo that we may invert the Saying, all that do truly beleeve in Chriſt they are given unto him of the Father, and for their encouragement he ſaith, He will in no wiſe caſt them out, a Metaphor from the Maſter that takes a Scholar though dull and weak, yet he will forbear and not caſt him out, and leſt it ſhould be thought that though it be well with them, thus for the preſent, yet for the future they may be undone, he addeth v. 39. It's the Fathers will, of all which he hath given me, I ſhould loſe nothing, but raiſe it up again at the laſt day; Oh the divine and unſpeakable conſolations that are here treaſured up for the godly, So Joh. 10.29. which you heard before; One place there is that may be a ſtumbling-block, and ſeem to weaken all, Joh. 17.12. Thoſe that thou gaveſt me I have kept, and there is none lost but the Sonne of Perdition: But the anſwer is, The Apoſtles are ſaid to be given to Chriſt in a twofold reſpect, 1. Of ſanctification and glorification, and thus Judas was not. 2. In reſpect of their Office and calling, as when he ſaid, Have not I choſen twelve, and one of you is a devil? Joh, 6.10. So that there was a twofold giving of ſome to Chriſt. The one of Juſtification to eternal life, the other of office and ſervice, and that this is meant here is plain, becauſe he is called the Sonne of perdition, implying the reaſon why though he was given to him, yet he was not ſaved becauſe he was never ſo given, but he remained a Son of perdition ſtill: Thus it is anſwered by ſome, but the full diſcuſſion of it will be when we come to that verſe. Let us explain the doctrine.
And firſt we ſee here, that God the Father hath power to appoint and determine concerning the everlaſting ſalvation and damnation of men: It's plain, for you ſee it is as the Father wils, whom he chooſeth he giveth to Chriſt, and others they are left by him, Rom. 8, 19, 20, You ſee there the Apoſtle purpoſely pleading this Soveraign power of God, and withall checking theſe bold and curious cavils, that men may make againſt it; Hence Eph. 1. and in other places, Election of ſome to Eternal life is attributed unto him, before the foundation of the world, and this was not for any good thing foreſeen in us, but according to the counſell of his good will, which expreſſion is often uſed otherwiſe, as Auſtin obſerved, a notable Patron of the Truth againſt Pelagians, as the Apoſtle ſaid, It is not of him that willeth or runneth, but of him that ſheweth mercy, Rom. 9.16. He might have ſaid the contrary, It's not of him that ſheweth mercy but of him that willeth and runneth. This diſparity of Gods grace chooſing ſome and leaving others, is plainly aſſerted by Scripture, Mat. 11. where Chriſt maketh a ſolemn acknowledging of it: Yea, we ſee the means of grace denied to thoſe of Tyre and Sidon, who would have repented in ſackcloth and aſhes, yet vouchſafed to thoſe of Chorazin, who abuſed and contemned this; This is dreadful to conſider of, But Austin, and after him others do excellently curb this bold Interrogation, Why God the Father draweth this man and not the other, do not (ſay they) ſearch curiouſly if thou wilt climbe higher, caveat precipitium; And again, if this Anſwer of the Apoſtle, Who art thou O man, that replieſt againſt God? will not ſatisfie, Quaerat doctiorem, ſed caveat, ne inveniat preſumptiorem. Take we then this Truth for a foundation, it is in the ſoveraign power of God to chooſe whom he pleaſeth to Salvation, and to leave the reſt in their damnable eſtate: Neither is this any cruelty or injuſtice in God, for he might have forſaken all mankinde, and not recovered one of them, why then ſhould we ſo wickedly murmure at Gods ſecret but righteous diſpenſation of theſe things, and not rather admire the grace of God that any are ſaved?
How warily the doctrine of predeſtination ſhould be preached.2. This Truth although it be not wholly to be buried, yet it ought to be preached with much ſobriety and circumſpection, that ſo no juſt offence be given; It ought to be preached though there are thoſe that would have this light under the buſhell, For we ſee the Apoſtle Eph. 1. and in many other places doth greatly encourage and comfort the godly with that mercy of God in chooſing of them before the Foundation of the world, Certainly if this be not known, we cannot ſet forth the riches of his glory and grace, as the Apoſtle implieth. The godly are hindred from much of their duty and much of their comfort, while they do not attend to this, yet becauſe this is not milk but ſtrong meat, we muſt regard the auditory and ſubject to whom it is preached; It's Nazianzens excellent Rule, foreign, two or three qualifications as ſo many battlements he muſt build to this roof, leſt men fall down, as 1. That notwithſtanding this predeſtination, the Fathers giving of ſome to Chriſt, yet as every man is ſaved by the grace of God, ſo every man is damned from his own proper fault and demerit; So that we ſee the Scripture is clear in theſe three things, that God from all Eternity did chooſe ſome to eternal ſalvation, which cannot be fruſtrated, and that theſe he will in time effectually call, and change their hearts, nothing ſhall prohibit or hinder their converſion; and 3. Thoſe who die and are damned, have cauſe to blame none but themſelves, Thy deſtruction is of thy ſelf, Death and hell is alwaies made the Wages of ſinne: Now if you ſay, how can Gods Election and converting grace in time be reconciled with the uſe of means, this is clear, the Scripture aſſerts one and commands the other, and if we could not untie this knot, it were our weakneſſe, not any diſparagement to the Truth.
Therefore 2. This is ſo to be preached as that all diligence and care is to be uſed in the means; For we cannot think that the Scripture ſpeaks contradiction ſo notoriouſly; For in the Epiſtle to the Epheſians, the beginning of the firſt Chapter is to deſcribe this great work of God from all Eternity, yet in the latter part he exhorts them to put off all ſinne, and to be diligent in all their relation graces, and at another time Work out your ſalvation with fear and trembling, for it's God that worketh in you; Yea, Paul who was ſo aſhamed of his Election, and that the Arminians grant he had an abſolute Election, yet he kept down his body that he might not be a Reprobate, 1 Cor. 9.27. This indeed is the difficulty how to reconcile theſe, that abſolute Election is not oppoſed to the means, nor the uſe of means contradict an abſolute Election is affirmed by the Orthodox, ſeveral waies have been attempted by the Learned for the concord of them, but ſuppoſe we could not be ſo comprehenſive, as Cajetan, and ſome of the Schoolmen confeſſe it an unſearchable Myſtery, and therefore adviſeth Preachers to teach their people to ſubmit to it, as to the Myſtery of the Trinity, yet ſeeing the Scripture affirmeth one and commands the other, it's plain they are conſiſtent and compoſſible one with another, though we could not finde out the manner how.
3. Nor to dwell at this time long on this Subject which is but obliquely touched on, Gods giving of ſome only to Chriſt, is ſo to be preached, that it doth not diſcourage any humble Penitent, or troubled man for ſinne, that ſeeks and thirſteth after the grace of God; The weakneſſe of this Doctrine lieth here as it is thought; Therefore the adverſaries thereof do continually batter at this place; As if like Pharaoh we demanded bricks, and gave no ſtraw, commanded duty, when at the ſame time they are excluded by God, Therefore ſay they, this caſteth into the bottom of deſpair, for the troubled heart may think I am none of thoſe that are given to Chriſt, though I pray and ſeek for pardon, yet I may be a dog and not a childe, and ſo none of the Childrens bread belongs to me; To this we eaſily anſwer, that all thoſe who thus repent of ſinne and ſeek after Gods favour, they are to be aſhamed that this is an effect of their being given to Chriſt, as you heard, Joh. 18.6. To be given unto Chriſt is indeed a ſecret Myſtery tranſacted in heaven, but to come unto Chriſt, that is the ſure effect of thoſe that are given to him, and thoſe that come to Chriſt he will in no wiſe caſt out; So that the grieved contrite ſpirit ought to be ſo far from having any trouble herein, that he ought exceedingly to rejoyce at it, for the efficacy of all the promiſes will be to ſuch, They are bleſſed that hunger and thirſt after Righteouſneſſe, Mat. 5.
Theſe things premiſed,The Doctrine repeated▪ Corollaries from hence, let us conſider what admirable treaſures are bound up in this Truth, that God the Father hath given and betruſted ſome with Chriſt, that he ſhould be their Mediatour, and ſome things are conſiderable from the Father, and ſome things from Chriſt.I. From the Father giving.
From the Father,
Firſt, That the Original and Fountain of all the good and happineſſe Gods People partake of is from the Father. 1. The Father is the original Fountain of all good.This primary and firſt Root was ſo farre from being merited by Chriſt, that Chriſt himſelf is a fruit thereof; God ſo loved the world that he gave his only Sonne, that he that beleeveth in him ſhould have eternal life, Joh. 3.16. Howſoever therefore Chriſt be the meritorious cauſe of all the fruits of Election, converſion, juſtification and ſalvation, yet of Election it ſelf, or that will of God to beſtow eternall life on ſome, and for this purpoſe to ſend his Son, this is only from the Father: The impulſive cauſe was the only good pleaſure and counſell of God, yet this love you muſt know was not a Law of reconciliation or amor amicitiae, for ſo God is reconciled with us only in Chriſt, but benevolentiae or beneficentiae, a will to doe good, and for that end to ordain efficacious means thereunto; ſo then if we go to the Spring and root out of all thoſe glorious priviledges Beleevers partake of, it will be found the meer good-will and pleaſure of God, and certainly this ſhould greatly enlarge us in thankfulneſſe, that when we could not have any thoughts concerning our ſelves, when we could not ſo much as deſire, yea, when we lay in the womb of nothing, that God had a gracious purpoſe to us, yea, before the world was made, Gods thoughts were upon thee; The Apoſtle doth often mention this.
2. That the Father expects the ſalvation of thoſe he hath given to Chriſt.Secondly, This doth imply that God the Father hath choſen ſome from others, and given them as a charge, or truſt to Chriſt, ſo that he doth expect their Salvation and happineſſe by Chriſts means: They are called Gods Jewels, They are called his hidden ones, all the other part of mankinde is but as refuſe, droſſe, theſe are his Pearls, Theſe are his Stars, his peculiar people, Though all the earth be his, and all the men in the world under his dominion, yet theſe have a peculiar intereſt; No marvel then if God make ſuch comfortable promiſes to them, if all Angels muſt be their guardians, If all things ſhall work to their good, for God hath ſet his ſeal on them; Oh the tranſcendent happineſſe of thoſe that are thus dignified!
3. No cauſe to doubt of Gods accepting of Chriſts Mediation.Thirdly, Hence it is that there is no cauſe of doubt to be made by the people of God, whether God the Father will accept of Chriſts Mediation for them, for it is as amongſt men; as if he ſhould offer to lay down a ſufficient prize to redeem ſuch a captive, conſidering that all this agreement came originally from the Father; So that Chriſt ſaith, The Father gave him theſe to he a Mediatour to them, yea, that the Father loveth him, becauſe he laid down his life for his Sheep: This followeth unqueſtionably, that whom Chriſt preſents to his Father, the Father will not refuſe; Oh then ſtand and admire at the felicity which the Scripture hath aſſured thee of; Thoſe whom Chriſt brings to the Father, it was his will and antecedent purpoſe that Chriſt ſhould mediate, and is there any doubt then whether God the Father will embrace thee or no?
4. All that the Father gives to Chriſt ſhall come to ChriſtFourthly, Thoſe whom the Father giveth to Christ, that they may know this mercy by the effects of it, ſhall aſſuredly one time or other finde this glorious work upon them, that they ſhall come to Chriſt. Though their temptations be never ſo great, their oppoſitions never ſo many, Though of all men in the world you would think ſuch were the fartheſt off from Chriſt, yet Joh. 6. They ſhall come to him, God will ſo wonderfully change their hearts, mollifie and ſoften them, he will ſo overcome and conquer all contrary reſolutions, that of unwilling they ſhall be made willing; Oh that is a commanding expreſſion, He ſhall come unto me, and leſt we doubt of it, again it is ſaid, None can come unto me unloſſe my Father draw him; So the Father will draw him to Chriſt, that is, he will certainly and ſurely ſo overpower his heart, that he will not, he cannot withſtand any longer the motions of grace upon his ſoul.
5. This throws all merits to the ground.Laſtly, In that God the Father giveth ſome to Chriſt and not other, we ſee all works, all merits, any ſuppoſed good or worth in us fals to the ground; No wonder then if the Scripture doth ſo diligently exclude all the works that we have done, giving all to grace, for you ſee the great buſineſſe of our ſalvation was accompliſhed between the Father and our Mediatour, before we had any being or knowledge of it; O that even ſuch peſtilentiall doctrines full of pride and haughtineſſe ſhould ever get footing in Chriſts Church, for though the Scripture pleads the neceſſity of works, yet wholly excludeth the cauſality of them.
II. In reſpect of Chriſt.In reſpect of Chriſt the Mediator; There is obſervable,
1. The tranſcendent love of Chriſt who did willingly undergoe this charge; For when the Father gave them to Chriſt it was on thoſe hard terms that he ſhould live ſo meanly and die ſo ignominiouſly for their ſalvation;1. A demonſtration of the tranſcendent love of Chriſt. This was a bitter cup for him to drink, which made him pray, If poſſibly it might paſſe away, Mat. 26.42. howſoever he ſubmited to his Fathers will, What is man or the ſalvation of man to Chriſt that he ſhould ſo prize it? Could their ſalvation have been as eaſily obtained, as Chriſt made all things, by a word, it had been ſomething but it coſt him many agonies, He became a curſe for us, he ſeemed to be forſaken both of God and man, ſo then ſtand and admire the terms upon which theſe are given to Chriſt, God the Father ſaith thus to him, I will that thou procure the ſalvation of theſe men, but it can be no otherwiſe then by thy own bloud, whatſoever curſes juſtice would have inflicted on them, thou muſt undergo; Oh the tongue of men and Angels is not able to expreſſe this; Were we not ſuch cold clods of earth, this love of Chriſt would ſet our hearts all on fire, who would not part with his luſts, with his ſins, for Chriſt who hath thus loved us to the death of the Croſſe? Shall he part with his bloud, and wilt not thou with a ſinne which will breed nothing but torment hereafter? Though it be now honey in thy mouth, yet it will be gravell in the belly.
2. This ſuppoſeth the ſecurity and ſafety of the godly, Nothing can hinder them of this ſalvation, Our life is hid with Chriſt in God, Col. 3.3.2. It ſhews the ſafety of the godly. They muſt pull Chriſt out of heaven overthrow the power of God the Father ere they can be deſtroied, and their ſecurity ſtands upon a twofold bottome. 1. His faithfulneſſe to diſcharge his truſt; What doubt may be made ſeeing Chriſt hath undertaken the work of thy ſalvation, Not that thou ſhouldſt live in eaſe, and eat and drink, and take no care for thy ſoul; This is to adde hony to poiſon, but in reſpect of the meritorious and ſatisfactory part, ſo Chriſt hath undertaken all, when thou art required to believe and repent, it is not to merit, to ſatisfie, it's upon other grounds; Now then will it not be blaſphemy to ſay, Chriſt will be found unfaithful in his truſt? To ſay that Chriſt ſhould loſe any of thoſe jewels that were put into his cuſtody? indeed if our ſalvation and happineſſe were in our keeping, we ſhould be prodigal of it every day, we are found unfaithful in every temptation, but ſo is not Chriſt: As he is yea and Amen▪ the ſame yeſterday, and to day, and for ever, ſo is thy ſalvation ſure to be; It muſt needs be ſure becauſe of the power of Chriſt, Joh. 19.30. I and my Father are one, ſaid Chriſt, even to this particular, Now none is greater then my Father, None can pluck them out of his hands, Conſider that they are in Gods hands, he keeps them alwaies as a precious jewell, and he that will deſtroy them muſt pluck them out of Gods hands whether he will or no, he muſt be ſtronger then God that can do this; It was Caeſars boaſt that he had ten Legions of ſuch valiant Souldiers that could vel ipſum coelum diruere, pull down even heaven it ſelf, a vain and wicked boaſt, but no power of men or devils are able to take theſe treaſures out of Gods hands.
Ʋſe of Examination, Try whether thou art one of thoſe that are thus given to Chriſt; and in this I mean not thou ſhouldſt climbe up into heaven,Ʋſe. ſee whether thy Name be written in the Book of Life, but know this by the infallible property of him who is thus given to Chriſt, and that is to come to him; What my Father hath given me will come to me, and the Father will draw him; Now coming to Chriſt is not pedibus but affectibus, Doſt thou take him for thy Lord and King? Art thou willing to renounce all thoſe luſts and ſins which have had dominion over thee? Doſt thou cry out and ſay, Oh bleſſed Lord, my ſins, my oaths, my pride, my uncleanneſſe, have kept me from thee? Conſcience bid me come, the Word of God bid me come, but ſtill this ſinne or the other kept me back; But now Lord I have broken all the ſnares, here I am to do what thou wilt have me, oh it's to be lamented with bitter lamentations to ſee how few come to him though he giveth ſuch encouragements.