One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 105
SERMON CV. Of Chriſts Love and Care of every one of his before they had a being.
JOHN 17.20.
But for them alſo who ſhall believe in me through their word.
WE have heard our Saviour doth in this verſe paſſe from the Apoſtles to all believers; and it is Tranſitio perfecta, as Rhetoricians call it, for he mentioneth them he prayed for, and ſo proceeds to others.
We are in order come to the object of this enlarged prayer, and therein is conſiderable the circumſtance of time, who ſhall believe, foreign, where foreign is for foreign, as before, and foreign for foreign or foreign. It's true, ſome Copies, which Grotius alſo followeth, reade it foreign in the preſent tenſe, for thoſe that do believe, yet becauſe it is moſt univerſally received in the future tenſe, and our Bibles go that way, I do adhere unto that, onelyonly here is the doubt, which Austin alſo of old made, why he prayeth onelyonly for them, who ſhall believe, for there were many at that time, beſides the Apoſtles, as Nathanael, Joſeph of Arimathea, the godly Maries, and others who did believe, were they then excluded from Chriſts prayer?
Some anſwer, though they did believe at that time, yet becauſe after Chriſts Reſurrection, their faith was more clear and explicit, therefore they may be comprehended in the future tenſe, their former faith not being worthy the name of faith reſpectively to that they obtained afterwards. But the more genuine anſwer ſeemeth to be, that by the future tenſe is included the preſent tenſe alſo, it being ordinary in Scripture to expreſſe a thing that hath a permanent duration, by the future tenſe, not excluding the preſent, but denoting the conſtant ſucceſſion, in 1 Tim. 1.16. Therefore I obtained mercy, that in me firſt Jeſus might ſhew his long-ſuffering, for the inſtruction of thoſe foreign, who ſhould believe in time to come. That Doctrine of Chriſts long-ſufferance was demonſtrated to thoſe that believed at that time in a more remarkable manner; but becauſe it would be a perpetual uſefull document, he inſtanceth in thoſe that are to come, yea all the believers for the time paſt, ſince the beginning of the world, are not excluded from this Mediatory prayer, while they needed it, no more then from his death; for Chriſts prayer, as his death, profuit antequum fuit, Obſerv. That ſuch is Chriſts care and love to his remembred in his prayer and death, even before they had a being.it profited before it was, becauſe it was preſent to God from eternity in which ſenſe he is ſaid to be a Lamb ſlain from the beginning of the world.
Obſerv. That ſuch is Chriſts care and love to his, that they are remembred in his prayer and death, even before they had a being, when thou couldſt not pray for thy ſelf, nor any elſe; yea from eternity Chriſts Mediatory love and purpoſe was ſet upon thee. In particular this truth is full of conſolations, even as the Sea is of waters, to thoſe that are members of Chriſt.
Therefore to open this,
Firſt, Conſider that when Chriſt here prayeth for all believers, he doth not as we do. When we pray for the whole Church of God, or as ſome ſay, The Angels and Saints in Heaven pray, viz. in a general indiſtinct manner, not deſcending to every particular, individual perſon. No, but Chriſt in this prayer, being God as well as man, and ſo cloathed with Omniſciency, did in this prayer know and attend to every particular believer, that ſhould in any age of the Church be born, as diſtinctly and nominally (as I may ſo ſay) as when he told Peter, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: So that here is a great difference between Chriſts prayer for the univerſall Church, and ours. We cannot name the particular believers, that ſhall be in every age, but Chriſt did repreſent in this prayer every individual man, and had as diſtinct knowledge of all believers, as of the Apoſtles whom he knew man by man.
Secondly, This muſt neceſſarily be ſo, becauſe though the execution and accompliſhment of thoſe benefits we receive by Chriſts prayer, and his death be in time, yet the Decree and purpoſe was from all Eternity. Chriſt did not at this time of prayer, or the hour of death beginne to will good to them: No, that love to them was eternal, and of old: Inſomuch that we cannot ſay, There ever was a time, when God did not purpoſe theſe glorious things for them, and therefore it is, that the Scripture doth often call the godly to this conſideration, that his mercy and love to them was of old, even before they ever had a being, or the world either, Epheſ. 1.4. He hath choſen us in him, before the foundations of the world; and that is remarkable, 2 Tim. 1.9. where this grace of God is ſaid to be given us in Jeſus Chriſt before the world began. It's ſaid to be actually given us before the world began, either becauſe God had decreed to do ſo, or elſe becauſe it is as certain, as if it had been done already: Oh then, what lively conſolations ſhould this breed in a believers breaſt, Gods gracious thoughts of mercy were of old to me, when I was many thouſands of years from having any being, yet even then was I in Gods minde and love! No wonder if all eternity be not long enough to bleſs and praiſe God for this eternal purpoſe of his.
Yet in the third place, Though we are then choſen in Chriſt from Eternity, yet take heed of that abſurd Errour, which holds, Our ſins are pardoned, and our perſons juſtified from Eternity. To ſay, That while a man is unconverted, wallowing and tumbling in his luſts, that his ſinnes are pardoned, and that he is as well loved of God before his converſion, as after, is to contradict the whole courſe of Scripture; for though we be elected, and thus predeſtinated from Eternity, yet the Effects of this are not beſtowed upon us, till in time, and in ſuch a manner as God pleaſeth. Praedeſtinatio eſt amor Ordinativus, not collativus, as the Schools ſay. It's immanent in God, not tranſient in us: Therefore you ſee our Saviour ſuppoſeth ſuch to be believers, who ſhall be made partakers of his death; He doth not promiſcuouſly pray for all men, he doth not commend to Gods love every man or woman, but the believer onelyonly: So that we are to diſtinguiſh between the purpoſe of God, and the gracious effects thereof, otherwiſe we may as well ſay, we are glorified from Eternity.
Fourthly, Hence, in that Chriſt doth thus determinately pray for every individual believer; It's a plain Argument that he is God, as well as man: For how could thoſe things be as preſent to him, which yet were many years to come, if he was not God, Act. 15.18. Known unto God are all his works, from the beginning of the world. Thus Chriſt being God as well as man, to him was known the ſtate and condition of every believer, not only before he was born, but before the world had a being: Therefore from hence it may be properly gathered, that even to the humane nature of Chriſt was revealed the number of thoſe perſons, whoſe ſalvation he was to procure: So that Chriſt as man, as well as God, knew who they were that ſhould believe in him. It's true, Omniſciency could not be communicated to the humane nature, as the Orthodox maintain againſt the Lutherans, neither was the knowledge of all things revealed to it, but as the Sonne of man, he knew not the day of Judgement when it ſhould determinately be; and the neſcience of this was not any ſin in him, yet the revelation of this to his humane nature, viz. who they were that he ſhould die for, ſeemeth to be more neceſſary, even as Divines ſay, The humane nature of Chriſt, ſhall by revelation from the Divine at the day of Judgement, know all the thoughts and ſecrets of mans heart, that ſo he may be the great Judge of the world in both his Natures, howſoever here is a clear argument, that Chriſt is God as well as man, and that his Godhead concurreth to the work of our Redemption.
Therefore fifthly, It is not to be thought impoſſible, that even all things that are to come ſhould be thus preſent to Chriſt, though it be to us. For our knowledge is meaſured by time, and there is not only a ſucceſſive order in the objects we know, but alſo in the acts of knowing: But the meaſure of Gods knowledge is by eternity, wherein all things do exiſt together: So that though in themſelves one object be after another, yet in reſpect of God, they are beheld with one intuitive act: As a man with one caſt of an eye from ſome high Tower doth behold many paſſengers going by, one after another. It's true, we can no more comprehend how theſe things are all at once open and naked to God, then a Dwarf can reach the Pyramides, yet for all that we are to believe, what by reaſon we cannot comprehend. Quid enim magis contra rationem, quam ratione ſupra rationem tranſcendere, ſaid Bernard. It's enough for our comfort, that every believer, though yet unborn was in Chriſts purpoſe and intention, when he laid down his life, as if they had been exiſtent in the land of the living.
In the ſixth place, By this intention of Chriſt in his prayer and death, it will inevitably and immutably be brought about, that they ſhall in time be converted, they ſhall believe and be brought into communion and fellowſhip with Chriſt. For ſeeing as we have heard, Chriſt could not but be heard in what he prayed for, and the Father alwayes granted his Petition, therefore it cannot be but that all thoſe, who are given to Chriſt, ſhall one time or other be wrought upon by the Word. Thus it's ſaid, They believed (Act. 13.48.) as many as were ordained to eternal life; and the Apoſtles were to go and preach in ſuch places, becauſe God had much people there, Act. 18. and Rom. 9. the Apoſtle doth fully ſhew, That Election is the cauſe of all mercies vouchſafed in time, and thoſe who were not elected they were hardened and given up to a ſpirit of ſlumber: Oh then the admirable love of God to thoſe that are his, there ſhall not be one of them, but the Word of grace will finde them out! They that were not his people, ſhall be made his people, Joh. 10. I have other ſheep (ſaith Chriſt) that are not of this fold, and thoſe he will bring home. Hence Rom. 8. we have that golden Chain, which all the Arminian ſubtilties can never diſſolve, Whom he hath predeſtinated, he hath called, and whom he hath called, he hath juſtified, and thoſe he hath juſtified, he hath glorified. To expound calling only of vocation to afflictions and to the croſs, and Juſtification only of the vindicating of their perſons and cauſe againſt the calumnies of the world, is too dilute and repugnant to the ſcope of the Apoſtle in that place; we may then abſolutely conclude of the converſion and believing of ſuch who belong to Chriſt, and that the Word preached will ſometimes or other be effectual upon them.
In the laſt place, It's plain from hence, That Gods Election, and ſo Chriſts dying for us, is not conditional, or upon the ſuppoſition of our believing, but our belief is the true and genuine effect of Election, and Chriſts death. For whereas Chriſt here prayeth for thoſe who ſhall believe; The Queſtion may be, Whether this belief be ſuppoſed as a Condition Antecedent to Election, and Chriſts death, or as an abſolute Effect of both; ſo that Chriſt doth not only pray for believers, but alſo that they may be believers? There is a great Controverſie between Arminians and the Orthodox, for they ſay, God elected ſome ſuch perſons to eternal life indeed, and gave them to Chriſt as a Mediatour, but it was upon a ſuppoſition and fore-ſight, that they would believe and perſevere in that faith to the end. But the Orthodox do more conſonantly to the Scripture, and to the greater exaltation of Gods grace, and magnifying of Chriſt, affirm, That God by one ſingle act of the ſame time, did elect a man both to grace and glory, both to ſalvation and faith: So that God did not elect us, becauſe he foreſaw we would believe, but he did elect us to believe, as well as to ſalvation: So that faith is not a condition, but the effect and fruit of our Election. This is a neceſſary truth to be proved, and therefore the next day it is to be conſidered; for the preſent I take it for granted, That thoſe who ſhall believe, are ſuch, not who by their own power ſhall either believe or diſpoſe themſelves to it, but who by the grace of God ſhall be inabled thereunto: For the preſent, conſider the aggravation of this love of God in Chriſt to us before we had a being. And
1. There is remarkable freeneſſe in it of grace, if poſitively and abſolutely conſidered: For what could there be in us to move God to this mercy, when we could not think, or cry, or pray, or do any thing for our good, even then God ſet his love upon us? It was nothing in us, ſeeing we were in the womb of nothing.
2. This freeneſs is aggravated, if comparatively conſidered, for it's the grace of God that makes ſome to believe, and leaveth others in their natural corruption. The Apoſtle conſidered this diſcriminating love of God to Jacob and Eſau, Rom. 9. before they had done either good or evil: Oh then ſit and admire the depth of grace, the unſearchable riches of grace! for what art thou to ſo many learned and noble men in the world, to ſo many of thy own kindred and family that God hath paſt by, yet took compaſſion on thee? Didſt thou not lie equally in the ſame maſs of corruption and bondage to all ſin?
3. There is the Eternity of this love, it was before the beginning of the world: So that we cannot imagine any moment of time, wherein Gods thoughts were not upon thee.
Laſtly, The unchangeableneſſe of this love, for the Councels of God and his purpoſe are immutable, There is no change or ſhadow of change in him, and therefore if once loved, alwayes loved; he predeſtinated thee before the world, called thee out of the world, juſtifieth thee in the world, and will glorifie thee after the world.
Ʋſe. What infinite cauſe of praiſe and glory the people of God have? Well mayeſt thou call upon thy ſoul, and all within thee to praiſe God: Well may this be the burden of every Pſalm, For his mercy endureth for ever; yea, if thou hadſt the hearts of all men and Angels, this were not enough, neither can Eternity be long enough to glorifie God in this particular.