One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 122
SERMON CXXII. Of the Glory which Christ communicates unto all his Diſciples, even in this Life; And of Ʋnion with him as the Ground of it.
JOH. 17.22.
And the glory which thou gaveſt me I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one.
OUR Saviour continueth amplifying his Prayer for the Union of Beleevers; So that in this Text we may take notice of another argument or reaſon why the Father ſhould make them one in him and one amongst themſelves.
Here is a threefold Unity ſpoken of,
1. That eſſentiall one of the father and the Son.
2. That myſticall one of Chriſt as Head and Mediatour, and believers.
3. That charitative one of believers amongſt themſelves.
The Argument urged by our Saviour in the Text, is, he had given that glory to them which the Father had given him, ſo that we may take the particle foreign cauſally for, the glory thou gaveſt me, I have given, viz. in purpoſe and decree, to ſuch as ſhall beleeve; All the difficulty is, what is that glory which Chriſt receiving of the Father giveth to believers, Some Learned men expound it of the Glory of the Apoſtleſhip, and working of miracles, and they make the ſence to be thus, The glory thou gaveſt me to give, I have given them; As Cbriſt is ſaid out of the Pſalmiſt to receive gifts for men; Now becauſe he received them to give, The Apoſtle Eph. 4. alledgeth it as giving gifts to men, the Conſequent being put for the Antecedent; But this cannot be received becauſe our Saviour is now praying for all beleevers in all ſucceſſive ages, and not the Apoſtles only. Others by glory do underſtand immortality, and that ſtate of happineſſe hereafter; But to underſtand it aright we muſt know that the word glory when attributed to God is of a very large ſignification, but more particularly when God doth by any works in a more remarkable manner declare his goodneſſe, wiſedom, omnipotency, &c. then he is ſaid to give his glory, Ezek. 39.21. Eze. 26.20. In the New Teſtament when we reade of Chriſts Glory we may Conſider of
1. His eſſentiall glory which he hath as God ſpoken of Heb. 1. where he is called the brightneſſe of his Fathers Glory.
2. Of his Mediatory Glory, which he had as Mediatour, his humane nature being filled with all grace, which glory though begun on earth, yet was conſummated when exalted to the right hand of God in glory.
3. There were the many effects which did concomitate this eſſentiall and Mediatory glory, ſome particulars whereof the Scripture mentions, as all the approbation the Father gave from heaven to Chriſt, with all his miracles, doctrine, and other ſigns of his divine nature is called Chriſts glory, Joh. 1.14. We beheld his glory (by way of wonder and admiration, as the word ſignifieth) as the glory of the only begotten Son of God; Thus when Chriſt turned the water into wine, Joh. 2.11. It's ſaid, he manifeſted his glory, and Joh. 11. the raiſing of Lazarus from the dead is called Gods glory, as working of miracles, So the love that the Father beſtoweth on Chriſt, is called Chriſts glory at 24 verſe in this Chapter, which may be a good Expoſition of this, Therefore by theſe particulars we are by the glory of Christ to underſtand all things that did any way make him glorious, especially conſidered as a Mediatour and an head of Beleevers; Now this glory he did not receive for himſelf only, but for us alſo; As the Sun of heaven hath its light not ſo much for it ſelf as for the world, So Chriſt the Sun of Righteouſneſſe hath a compleat fulneſſe, not ſo much for himſelf as for us, that we might be made partakers of it; Hence all the work of grace in its progreſſe to happineſſe is called glory, as 2 Cor. 3.18. a place brought by Calvin to illuſtrate my Text, to which we may adde, 2 Cor. 4 6. of which places more in time; The words thus explained obſerve,
That the glory which Chriſt hath, he communicates one way or other to his people;Obſerv. That the glory which Chriſt hath he communicates one way or other to his people. Chriſt thinketh it not ſufficient to have glory himſelf, but he doth communicate the bleſſed effects thereof, ſo that they are made glorious likewiſe by him: The two ſimilitudes that Chriſt taketh to himſelf illuſtrate this, as that of an Head, If the head be crowned with glory, that redounds to all the body, becauſe the head and the whole body are conſidered as one, and thus Chriſt though he be exalted to all glory and honour, and ſo it is his own perſonal priviledge, yet all this is for our good, and that by being glorious himſelf he might alſo make us glorious; Hence ſome expound this glory of Chriſt concerning his Sonſhip, that he is the Son of God, and indeed it cannot be denied but that this is an eminent part of this glory; Now he hath not this Sonſhip only, but Joh. 1. He gives us power alſo to become the Sons of God; Only he is the Sonne of God by nature, we by grace and adoption; Another ſimilitude is that of an husband and wife ſo often mentioned in the Canticles, and by the Apoſtle; Now if the husband be a glorious King or Potentate, though he have a Wife of mean and deſpiſed birth, yet he communicates all his glory to her, and though God ſay of his eſſential glory, He will not give it to another; yet Chriſt gives of his glory in ſome ſence to his people, though they are not thereby made equal to him in glory.
To underſtand this Doctrine Conſider,
Firſt, That the glory which Chriſt hath, as it is perſonally and ſubjectively his, Conſider▪ſo it's incommunicable;I. Chriſts perſonal glory is incommunicable It's impoſſible that the glory which Chriſt hath perſonally ſhould be made ours, for then we ſhould be the only begotten Sons of God, then we ſhould be Mediatours and Saviours, which would be blaſphemy for us to aſſume, but as God will not, nor indeed cannot communicate his glory unto a creature, ſo neither can nor will Chriſt communicate this glory as it's perſonally his unto us, but as it is with the Sun it communicates glorious light to the Stars, yet the Stars have not the ſubjective light of the Sun, ſo Chriſt though he do communicate of his glory to us, yet not as it's inherent in him, but in reſpect of the fruits thereof.
2.II. What are thoſe effects of that glory which Chriſt vouchſafeth to his. We are to conceive a difference of thoſe effects of Glory which Chriſt vouchſafeth to his:
One inſtance of glory was to work Miracles, to doe ſuch great things as Chriſt did, yea, Chriſt ſaith, they ſhould do greater then he; Now this glory was given only to ſome Apoſtles, and other believers in the primitive times of the Church; This was part of that glory which was common to Chriſt and others; Although indeed this was alſo communicated to ſuch of whom he was not an head in a ſpirituall and ſaving manner, but only external in reſpect of outward adminiſtrations, yet when this glory was communicated to work miracles there was a great difference between Chriſt and Beleevers, for he did them in his own name and power, but they through the Name of Chriſt.
2. There were ſome things which Chriſt did, and they are made legally ours, God accounts us as if we had done them; Thus Chriſts Sufferings to take away the Curſe of the Law, and his obedience to the Rule of the Law is made ours, he being our Surety, and therefore by his Obedience we are ſaid to be made Righteous; His obeying the Law and ſuffering was not only for our good, as when he wrought Miracles and preached, but it was in our ſtead; Not as if we therefore were as righteous as Chriſt, or were Redeemers and Mediatours, but we are the Subjects receiving of it.
3. There are glorious priviledges which Chriſt hath, and he gives them to us alſo: We are Sons as well as he, we are co-heirs with him in glory, Rom. 8. We ſhall be glorified with him, we ſhall reign with him, we ſhall be raiſed up, and ſit on Thrones of glory with him, We ſhall judge the world with him, yea, as he hath a Rod of Iron to break the Nations with, So the Saints ſhall have, Rev. 2.26, 27. Oh the enlarged affections we ſhould have in this particular! Why do the people of God alwaies go bowed down, afflicted with their own unworthineſſe and temptations! Oh give faith ſome breathing-place, go and meditate on this, The glory that Chriſt hath thou maiſt claim it alſo; Is he the Son of God? Is he heir? Is he exalted to glory? Know that thou art thus alſo, and although Chriſt is in the poſſeſſion of conſummate glory, but thou art wraſtling and toiling in a miſerable world, yet as the Apoſtle argueth, if we ſhall not riſe, then Chriſt is not riſen, 1 Cor. 15. So if we ſhall not be glorified then Chriſt is not glorified; Hence our Saviour joyneth himſelf with the diſciples, I go to my Father and your Father, Joh. 20.17. and ſo its Chriſts glory and thy glory, Chriſts Heaven and thy Heaven.
4. There is the ſanctification of our nature by grace, and as Chriſt was ſanctified ſo alſo doth he ſanctifie us; Hence you heard he ſanctified himſelf for us; Now the humane nature of Chriſt received the Spirit of God without meaſure, and therefore he was called the foreign the holy One, Luk. 1. but was this holineſſe for himſelf only? no, it was for his members alſo, Joh. 1.10. Of his fulneſs we have received grace for grace; Some underſtand it by way of ſimilitude and imitation, as we ſay of a childe, he receiveth of his Father limb for limb, he anſwereth his Father in every point, ſo we are to reſemble Chriſt, that as Chriſt is the Image of the Father, ſo we are to be the Image of Chriſt, and therefore are laid to bear the Image of the heavenly, and thus we are made one with Chriſt as the ſeal and the wax are made one, the Seal leaving a ſtamp upon the wax like it ſelf; Now whereas the glory of Miracles others might have that were not united to Chriſt, this none can have but who are members of that head, and therefore do the people of God want grace, do they mourn under their imperfections, let them quicken up praier upon this conſideration, The glory Chriſt had he will give to beleevers, Why had he ſuch fulneſſe but for thy emptineſſe? Why had he ſuch glory but to make thee glorious? Shall our vile bodies be made glorious like his glorious body, and ſhall not our vile and corrupted ſouls be alſo made glorious like his ſoul? This is excellently illuſtrated, 2 Co. 3.18. where we are ſaid, te be transformed from glory to glory, that is from grace, grace is glory, ſo much godlineſs ſo much glory thou haſt, and becauſe it is not perfect, therefore we proceed from glory to glory, and how is this done? by the Goſpel, for we beholding the glory of God in Chriſt, are thereby changed; Thus 2 Cor. 4.6. the glory of God is ſaid to be ſeen in the face of Jeſus Chriſt, the meaning is, that whereas God is in his own nature inviſible, and we are not able to conceive of him aright in Jeſus Chriſt; We ſee the infinite wiſedom and grace of God, ſo that we become glorious in grace, by faith looking on God in Chriſt; this makes heavenly, this changeth and altereth the heart; That as Moſes by communing with God did obtain external glory which was ſo dazeling that the Iſraelites could not behold it, So the people of God by Faith beholding God in Chriſt, are thereby enlivened and made more heavenly every day; Thus we ſee what thoſe effects of glory are which Chriſt gives of that treaſury of glory to us.
In the third general place Conſider that none are made partakers of that Glory of Christ but by Ʋnion with him, III. None are made partakers of that glory of Chriſt, but by union with him.Now this Union is twofold either meerly external in the outward Ordinances, in which ſence our Saviour Joh. 15. ſuppoſeth a branch may be in him, and yet not bring forth fruit; By vertue of this Union we may obtain many glorious gifts and common graces from the Spirit, So that we may have much ſpiritual glory in the eyes of others, or elſe there is an internal and inviſible Union, and by this only we are made partakers of Chriſts glory; Therefore none may be contented in any outſide of Religion, let thy duties be never ſo raviſhing and affectionate, yet not theſe but faith in the Olive Tree is that which maketh us partakers of this fat…eſs, ſo that the Union of Chriſt with the believer is the foundation of all grace and glory, for as a branch ſeparated from the vine, or a member from the body doth not partake of any vital act and nouriſhment, So neither doth that ſoul which is diſjoyned from Chriſt; if the beams of the Sunne had not immediate dependance and emanation from the Sun, they could not have ſuch luſtre and Glory, So neither were not believers joyned to Chriſt, and made one with him, they could not put forth ſuch glorious acts of grace as they do, for if power to work Miracles and tranſcend nature be called a glory, how much more to perform the acts of grace, which do alſo ſurpaſs the courſe of nature; It's a glorious thing to beleeve, to be patient, to be heavenly-minded, to be zealous for God: In theſe actions the ſpirit of Chriſt which is alſo the ſpirit of glory doth reſide upon us.
4. As union with Chriſt makes us partakers of glory, So the foundation and Original of this is, becauſe Chriſt is one with the Father and one with us; He is the Mediator between God and man, So that by this means he receiveth glory from the Father, which otherwiſe would be incommunicable to ſinners, and doth convey it to ſuch as are his members, So that ſtill our eyes are to he faſtened on Chriſt as a Mediator, for none can or may approach to God in his own ablolute nature, but as thoſe who cannot look upon the Sun behold it in a baſin of water, where the reflexion is; Thus we who could not draw nigh to that infinite wiſe and pure God, having a Mediatour that both partaketh of Gods Nature and mans, thereby is afforded an admirable paſſage of conveyance of glory from the Father through Chriſt to us, as the light is conveyed from the Sun through the glaſs into the houſe.
Ʋſe, To make us admire the dignity and excellent condition of a Chriſtian united to Chriſt, for all the glory of Chriſt redounds and diffuſeth it ſelf to them; Whatſoever priviledge or glory Chriſt hath, it is proportionably communicated to thee, therefore lift up thy head by faith, and live joyfully in the meditation of this; Doth not the woman though contemptible when married to an honourable perſon forget her Fathers Cottage and rags, and ſaith, Now ſhe ſhall have the riches, the glory, the honour, the ſtate that her Husband hath, ſince thy Soul hath been united to Chriſt, all thy old, poor, deſpicable things are laid aſide; Truly the ground of all a godly mans diſcouragements and perplexities ariſeth for want of faith herein.