One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 131
SERMON CXXXI. Of the unſpeakable Love of God to Believers; Shewing wherein Gods Love to Chriſt, and to Believers is alike, and wherein it differs.
JOHN 17.23.
And haſt loved them, as thou hast loved me.
A Two-fold Effect or Event is propounded by our Saviour, of the unity which believers have, firſt, in Chriſt, and then amongst themſelves;
The firſt is, That the world may know, thou haſt ſent me; of which we have briefly treated already, becauſe our Saviour had mentioned it, v. 21. and indeed our Saviour doth in theſe verſes with ſo much plainneſs ingeminate the matter of his Petition, that Luther on the place ſaith, Theſe words do pueriliter ſonare, judicio rationis, and that he was wont to ſay often, That he never read a book containing ſuch excellent and ſublime matter in ſuch ſimple and plain words.
The ſecond Effect or Event is, That the world may know, that thou haſt loved them, as thou haſt loved me.
So that in this latter particular, there is one truth ſuppoſed, and another propoſed: That which is ſuppoſed is, that it's of great conſequence for the world to know that God loveth believers, it would ſtop much of their malice and violence, if they did truly know, that ſuch whom they oppoſe and perſecute, are the believed ones of God: But of that afterwards. That which is expreſly affirmed is, that the Father loveth believers, as he loveth Chriſt himſelf. A wonderfull and amazing expreſſion it is, that believers and Chriſt ſhould be thus coupled together, that when there is ſuch an infinite diſparity, that yet they ſhould both agree in the ſame love: So that in the words you have, the mercy and priviledge God vouchſafeth to believers, he loveth them. Now when we ſay, God loveth, it's to ſay all things, for that is the fountain and treaſury of all good things; his love is like himſelf, infinite, omnipotent and efficacious.
2. You have the example or manner of this love, and that is ſaid to be, as he loveth Chriſt The Greek word foreign Auſtin and Calvin do explain not of ſimilitude, but of cauſality, and ſo reſolve it into this ſenſe. The Father loveth believers, becauſe he loveth Chriſt, and indeed this is a grand truth, that in Chriſt only we are accepted of, and beloved. It's not becauſe of our ſelves, but of Chriſt, that we are approved of, yet there is no neceſſity of leaving the grammatical interpretation, for the Father doth love us, as he loveth Chriſt not in reſpect of equality, but ſimilitude, as they are ſaid to be one, as the Father and Son are one. Theſe words then do contain the very honey and honey-comb of Chriſtianity, in that they are loved of the Father, as Chriſt is, they need nothing more, for Gods love will put him upon all thoſe effects that a believer ſtands in need of.
Obſerv. God the Father loveth believers, even as he loveth Chriſt.Obſerv. That God the Father loveth believers, even as he loveth Chriſt himſelf. A great truth, and as you would think, a bold and preſumptuous affirmation.
Therefore to clear it, Let us conſider, wherein the love of God to Chriſt and believers is not alike, and wherein they are like one to another. And
I. Wherein the love of God to Chriſt and believers is not alike.Firſt, The love of the Father to Chriſt, is as to his onelyonly natural begotten Sonne, but to believers, as to his adopted children. And therefore between theſe there muſt be a vaſt difference; The love of the Father to the Sonne is like that of the Father to himſelf, becauſe he is of the ſame eſſence with him, ſo that he loveth the glory and honour of his Sonne, as his own glory, but now that love which he beareth to his adopted children, is of an inferiour nature, they are creatures onelyonly, and their holineſſe is but imperfect, and by way of quality, or accident in them, but the Sonne is eſſentially holy; ſo that in this reſpect there is no compariſon to be made between the Sonne and us; That love differeth toto genere in this ſenſe, from the love beſtowed on us, even as his filiation is not of the ſame univocal nature with ours.
Secondly, Therefore the love which the Father ſheweth to his Sonne, is neceſſary and natural; he could not but love him, no more then he could not, but beget him, whereas to believers it's voluntary, and wholly of free diſpenſation. It's diſputed in the Schools, Whether the Father did beget the Sonne neceſſarily, or freely, and ſo by conſequence, Whether his love be neceſſary or free; but the ſoundeſt Writers ſay, That a neceſſity of unitability and freedom do not oppoſe one another, a neceſſity from natural imperfection contradicts liberty as a perfection, but not that which ariſeth from the chiefeſt and higheſt perfection, and ſo it is in God; It's from his infinite perfection, that he cannot but love himſelf, and his Sonne, but now in reſpect of his adopted ſons, all is of meer grace, which he doth to them, John 1. It's he that gives an foreign, a right and priviledge to them, to become the ſons of God, God could have taken infinite delight in his own Sonne, that was object ſatisfying enough, there needed no other then him to take his delight in, yet he was pleaſed contrary to the cuſtoms of men, though he had a natural Sonne of his own, to aſſume adopted ones likewiſe.
Thirdly, The Father loveth the Sonne originally for his own ſake, but he loveth believers for Chriſts ſake. And this indeed doth mainly put the difference between the Fathers love to us and Chriſt, here Chriſt is loved for his own ſake, he needed no Mediator, or another Chriſt to procure his acceptance, for ſo there would have been imperfection in Chriſt, but in us, all our hope, all our well-pleaſing is through him; So that as every Starre ſhineth by the light of the Sunne, thus doth every believer appear comely in the robes of Chriſts righteouſneſſe only. Thus the Apoſtle Phil. 3. declareth fully, When he would not be found in his own righteouſneſſe, but that which is through faith in Chriſt: So that as it was the Temple, which made every thing holy, thus it is the Lord Chriſt, which makes every creature accepted of.
Laſtly, Chriſt is not capable of ſome effects of ſuch love, which the Father doth vouchſafe believers. To us he gives Pardon of ſinne, Juſtification by faith, in us he works repentance, faith, and ſubdueth the reliques of corruption in us, but ſuch was the perfection of Chriſt, that he could not have ſuch kinde of love demonſtrated to him.
II. Wherein Gods love to Chriſt and believers is alike.Having thus ſeen the diſparity, and that ſtill Chriſt hath the preheminency in Gods love, Let us conſider wherein Chriſt and we agree in Gods love. And
Firſt, Gods love is terminated not on Chriſt ſimply, but as the head of believers. So that Chriſt and his Church are conſidered as one myſticall perſon, and this is chiefly aimed at in all thoſe places,1. where Chriſt ſpeaks of his being in believers, and that they are his body,In loving Chriſt and them as one myſtical perſon. all is to draw up our hearts into an high admiration of Gods love herein, for God doth now look upon Chriſt and believers as one, if he loveth Chriſt, he muſt needs love them; if he hate them, or caſt them off, he muſt hate, and caſt off Chriſt: Inſomuch that if a Chriſtian deſires to get up into a Mount of Transfiguration, let him aſcend up hither; for what will fill the heart with heaven, if this do not, I and Chriſt are loved, as one? Though the Father loveth Chriſt in ſome reſpects tranſcendently to us, yet in other reſpects, he makes his love common to us both. Certainly faith in this great and precious truth, would be a conſtant cordial; Thou feareſt thy ſinnes and imperfections may caſt thee out of Gods love, but are they able to caſt Chriſt out of his Fathers love, if they cannot do the one, neither can they the other? Chriſt and a believer is made one, when one is loved, the other muſt neceſſarily be loved, and if one be hated, the other alſo muſt be hated.
Secondly, The Fathers love to Chriſt and us is alike in the properties of it. 2. In the properties of it.Love to Chriſt is not differing in it's properties from that he loveth us with. As
1. It's eternal love, As the Father loved Chriſt before the world was, ſo he did alſo all believers in Chriſt before the foundation of the world was laid. This our Saviour ſpeaketh of, verſ. 24. Thou lovedſt me before the foundation of the world, and that he ſheweth the like love to all believers, is often declared, Eph. 1.4. We are choſen in Chriſt before the foundation of the world. The love then which the Father beareth to believers is an eternal love: It's not ſhorter in time then that to Chriſt, for in eternity there is no prius nor poſterius; As then the Father loved Chriſt alwayes, even from all eternity, ſo he doth likewiſe every believer; before thou hadſt a being, before either thy ſelf, or any friend in the world could take any care of thee, God did pitch his love upon thee: Oh then, let not the people of God, think God is like man, that he began to day or yeſterday to love thee! No, it was from all eternity, and that love brought forth in time, all the other effects of love, that called thee, that juſtified thee, and that will glorifie thee; Therefore the Apoſtle when he ſpeaks of theſe bleſſed effects in time, he reſolveth all into this love from eternity, as the Springhead of all.
Secondly, The Fathers love to Chriſt and believers are alike in the property of unchangeableneſſe and immutability. God will no more alter his love, or ceaſe to love his children, then he will Chriſt himſelf; This is plain, becauſe all the promiſes to the godly are Yea and Amen in Chriſt, 2 Cor. 1.20. he is their Mediator, in him they are made one with the Father: So that by the ſame cauſe of perpetuity in his Headſhip, by the ſame will they certainly perſevere to us. Thus it is ſaid, Rom. 8. Who ſhall ſeparate us from the love of God? He challengeth any thing to break this love, if they can. Grant then, that the Father may love Chriſt in ſome peculiar reſpects, which thou art not capable of, yet in this thou and Chriſt are alike, God will never change the love of his Sonne into hatred, he will never become of a Father an enemy to him, ſo neither will he to any true believer. As long as his love ſhall continue unchangeable to his Son, ſo long it will to thee; and thus Gods love to thee is on a firmer bottome, then that of Mount Zion, or the Ordinance God hath made with heaven and earth, or the day and night, for all theſe ſhall wax old, but the love of God like himſelf ſhall abide for ever.
Thirdly, The Fathers love hath the property of freeneſſe, both to us and Chriſt. Indeed if we conſider Chriſt as God, ſo the Father loved him neceſſarily, but as he was man, and a Mediator, ſo the Fathers love to him was free, for it was of the meer goodneſſe of God to appoint him to be a Mediator; The humane Nature was not aſſumed for any fore-ſeen merits in it, but all was from the meer good pleaſure of God, and this holds much more true in all the gracious effects that we partake of, therefore the great ſcope of the Scripture is to declare this, that all the priviledges and mercies we partake of, come not from any worth, or deſert in our ſelves, but wholly from the grace and meer love of God; Inſomuch that all thoſe opinions which make the riſe of any good we enjoy, to be firſt our love to God, and not Gods love to us, are to be accurſed; as if the earth did firſt water the heavens, and then the heavens the earth.
3. In regard of the effects of itIn the third place, The Fathers love to Chriſt and believers, is alike in regard of the real and true effects of it. As to Chriſt it was not a love in word, or ſhew, but power and mighty operations, ſo it is alſo to every believer: Though there be a difference, yet the love is as real to one, as the other; Even as when the firſt commandment of loving God, is ſaid to be the greateſt, yet at the ſame time the ſecond is ſaid to be like it, in reſpect of obligation, though not of dignity, Thus it is as firmly, and as really love to believers as to Chriſt, though not ſo principally; and although ſome effects of love, we partake of, which Chriſt is not capable of, yet there are others that we do communicate in. As
1 One great effect of the Fathers love to Chriſt, while in the dayes of his ſuffering fleſh, was the protection, defence and incouragement that he had from the Father; for Chriſt in the whole courſe of his Miniſtry, by faith depended on his Father; inſomuch that though the malice of his enemies was importunate to deſtroy him, yet they could never accompliſh their deſign, till the Fathers time was come, and then, though he prayed to the Father to be ſaved from that hour, yet it was only conditional, and therefore he ſubmitted himſelf abſolutely to Gods will. Now the ſame fatherly care Chriſt had experience of in his whole courſe, the ſame may believers expect; Therefore Joh. 14. he tels them, I go to my Father, and your Father, he is the ſame Father to both: Oh then, why ſhould a believer under any extremities or agonies be caſt down, the ſame fatherly love thou mayeſt look for, as Chriſt himſelf met with.
A ſecond real effect of the Fathers love, is Glorification of Chriſt; The glory that Chriſt was to have after his ſufferings, is often mentioned in the Scripture. In this Chapter we ſee our Saviour earneſtly praying for it, and after his Reſurrection, we reade how highly he was exalted, and what glory he was lifted up into; now the Father loveth all believers with the ſame efficacy, as they ſuffer with Chriſt, ſo they ſhall reign with him, here they are ſaid not only to be ſons, but heirs and co-heirs with Chriſt, they ſhall ſit on thrones of glory with Chriſt. Thus Gods love runs in the ſame effects to Chriſt and us.