One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 133
SERMON CXXXIII. Of the Connexion between Grace and Glory, and that Glory even to the moſt Godly, is the free Gift of God.
JOHN 17.24.
Father, I will that they alſo whom thou haſt given me, be with me where I am, &c.
THis verſe containeth a new and diſtinct Object, or Matter of Chriſts prayer; for whereas before he had prayed in reference to his Diſciples for their Sanctification and Ʋnion, now he prayeth for the laſt and ultimate priviledge they are capable of, which is their eternal glory.
So that in the words we may obſerve,
1. The Compellation, Father.
2. The Subject of his prayer, Thoſe thou haſt given me.
3. The Object matter of it, That they be where I am.
4. The Manner of petitioning this, expreſſed in that word foreign, I will.
Laſtly, The ultimate End of all this, That they may behold my glory which thou haſt given me.
From the general Connexion of this prayer with the fore-going petitionings, and that prayer-wiſe two things are obſervable,
1. That without grace here, there is no glory hereafter.Obſerv. Without grace here, there is no glory hereafter.
2. That even to the moſt gracious that are, Glory is given by God as a gift obtained in prayer. After they have done all, yet ſtill they muſt pray for it.
For the former, we ſee that truth eſtabliſhed from the order and method that Chriſt uſeth, having before earneſtly prayed for their Sanctification and Unity in this life, he ſtayeth not there, neither is his love confined within the things of this world, but it extends it ſelf to the world to come, as the chiefeſt of all. As happineſs and glory is the ultimate end of man, concerning which every natural man miſtakes, ſo grace is the only path that leadeth thereunto, and there is as great a miſtake about grace, what it is, as wherein happineſs doth conſiſt. So that although it be very convenient to diſcover what grace is, and when a man may be ſaid to be godly, yet I ſhall wave that as to a large diſcourſe about it: Only to clear the Doctrine, Conſider,
That by grace, we mean that new creature, or thoſe holy, What we mean by grace.divine and ſupernatural principles within a man, whereby he is carried out to work all holineſſe in his life. For the Scripture deſcribeth this gracious man, ſometimes by that inward work, as the root and foundation of all, ſometimes by the outward fruits of holineſſe, as being the viſible demonſtration of it. So that in the diſcovery of grace, we muſt alwayes attend to theſe two things,
1. That our religious duties be upon a root deep enough, that they proceed from a ſupernatural principle within, that no external motive be the only principle to put it into action. And then
2. That we do not content our ſelves with any ſuppoſed inward work of grace upon the heart, but do accordingly; as occaſion invites, manifeſt the powerfull efficacy thereof in our lives, for thus the Prophet Ezekiel declareth Gods promiſe for both, The writing of his Law in their inward parts, and making of them to walk in his wayes, Ezek. 36.28.
Secondly, Men are very prone generally to delude themſelves in this particular, thinking to obtain glory hereafter, though they have no grace here. Hence are ſuch exhortations, Be not deceived, 1 Cor. 6.9. No fornicator or idolater ſhall enter into the Kingdom of heaven, &c. Who would think the Apoſtle needed to ſet ſuch a prohibition or ſignal mark upon that, for we would think no body could deceive himſelf in ſuch a thing notoriouſly known, as that is, yet there is nothing more ordinary, for if all the groſſe viſible ſinners ſhould be asked one by one, Do you hope to obtain eternal happineſſe? he would anſwer with great confidence and expectation of it; and yet how groſly and notoriouſly doth he deceive himſelf? Is it not as plain, as that he liveth, that ſuch pleaſures of luſts ſhall be rewarded with eternal torments, and yet he hopeth otherwiſe?
Thirdly, Grace here, is not meritorious of glory hereafter. Rom. 4. To him that worketh the reward is of debt; but eternal life is called the Gift of God; Our Saviour in this Chapter doth pray for one as well as the other; We may juſtly wonder to ſee how prone men are naturally to look upon grace, as meritorious of glory, that the Roman Church ſhould ſo confidently maintain it, Doth not all this ariſe, becauſe men are not acquainted with thoſe reliques of corruption, that cleave to the beſt things we do? Certainly, that which is meritorious of hell can never be of heaven, that which deſerveth eternal vengeance, can never procure everlaſting favour; but this proud opinion creepeth ſubtilly into mens hearts under pretence of advancing grace, even while it debaſeth it, for ſo the Papiſt would perſwade us, that they give more to Chriſt then we, becauſe they make him merit, that our grace may be meritorious, inſomuch (that they ſay) we give little or nothing to Chriſt, but to hold, Chriſt merited, that we might merit, is to evacuate the merit of Chriſt, and to make it uſeleſſe, for there needeth not any more two meritorious cauſes of ſalvation, then two Suns in the firmament, or elſe if Chriſt merited, as the remote cauſe, and we as the proxime cauſe, then ſalvation is to be attributed more formally to our grace, then Chriſts ſufferings; So that as if the Sunne ſhould inlighten the ſtarres, that they could make the day, this would take off from the immediate glory of the Sun, though that was remotely the cauſe of it; Thus though Chriſt be the cauſe of our grace, yet becauſe our grace is in it ſelf made the meer meritorious cauſe, therefore it would obſcure the glory of Chriſt: Oh then let the gracious man take heed of any proud riſings or ſtirrings of heart, of any proud opinions or doctrins which may ſecretly fermentate him herein.
Fourthly, Neither is the connexion between grace and glory cauſal in a phyſical and natural way, as the fire burneth, or as the acorn will naturally grow into a great Oak. It's ordinarily ſaid, That grace is the ſeed of glory, or grace is glory begun, and glory is grace conſummated; but all this is not ſo to be underſtood, as if grace by any intrinſecal natural vertue did grow up to glory, as a childe doth to a man; No, God might if he had pleaſed, when we had done the higheſt acts of grace, yet have annihilated us; Though we had fought the good fight of faith, yet he might not have given us a crown of glory; for this heavenly glory accompanieth grace only by vertue of a promiſe: Had not God promiſed and mercifully annexed ſuch glorious priviledges, our graces of themſelves could not have procured them.
Fifthly, Therefore is grace and glory connexed partly from the promiſe of God, He is willing out of his free bounty to beſtow heaven upon our gracious walking, ſo that we cannot plead our graces, but Gods promiſe onelyonly; neither is he a debtor unto us, but unto himſelf; and this is the righteouſneſs mentioned by the Scripture, when it ſpeaks of God rewarding us, as when it's ſaid, If we confeſs and forſake our ſins, he is righteous to forgive them, 1 Joh. 1.9. and ſo it's juſt with God to remember our ſufferings, 2 Theſſ. 1.6. and Paul ſaith, It's the righteous Judge, 2 Tim. 4.6. which will give him the crown of glory. Here juſtice and righteouſneſs is not mentioned for ſtrict, commutative righteouſneſs, but the righteouſneſs of Gods promiſe and fidelity: So that God looketh upon the promiſe, as on the rainbow, which is a ſure evidence, that he will never deſtroy the world more, and then grace is an antecedent to glory, becauſe Grace is an ordinable means to glory; Without holineſs no man ſhall ſee God, Heb. 12.14. Sin cannot in it's nature be appointed the way to happineſs. Therefore the ancient ſaying is, that it is via, not cauſa regni; ſo that by Gods commanding and appointing the way, it's as indiſpenſably neceſſary, as if it were a cauſe. And then
Laſtly, It makes for the honour and glory of God, to make grace a neceſſary forerunner of glory; For if every prophane and ungodly perſon might be ſaved, this would redound greatly to Gods diſhonour, this would invert and contradict thoſe places of Scripture, which ſpeak of Gods purity and holineſs, ſo that his eyes cannot behold the wicked that he will in no wiſe acquit the ungodly, Exod. 34.7. That he is angry with the wicked all the day long, Pſal. 7.11. Thus you ſee, that there is an inviolable chain between ſanctification and happineſs, and that it is groſs and foul preſumption, for a man to ſeparate theſe two, to think he ſhall ever partak of one, without exerciſing the other, and therefore this
Ʋſe 1 In the firſt place doth thunder out unſpeakable woe unto all wretched and ungodly men; What hopes, what expectations have ye of happineſs? Deceive not your ſelves any longer with ſuch falſe ſurmiſes; look over all the Bible, and you ſhall ſee nothing but hell fire and eternal torments to ſuch who are workers of iniquity; What do you think God will alter the courſe of grace, when he will not the courſe of nature? Will God turn the day into night, or the night into day? Will he make the Sun ſtand ſtill, or the waters of the Sea part aſunder to pleaſe the creature? Yea theſe miracles he may, and hath done, but to ſave a wicked man, living and dying in his wickedneſſe, would be the greateſt miracle that could be; yea we may ſay, ſuch is the holineſs and juſtice of God, that he cannot do it; What is it then that doth thus befot and bewitch wicked men? What keepeth you from gnaſhing the teeth, tearing the hair, and crying out, Oh this life, thoſe ſins will as ſurely damn me, as if I were in hell already, without repentance? And
Ʋſe 2 2. It ſpeaks infinite comfort to thoſe who have true grace, though in the leaſt degree: For ſeeing that grace doth not as a natural cauſe produce glory, but by the Covenant and Promiſe of God, then the weakeſt grace may plead this as well as the ſtrongeſt: The loweſt believer may ſay, I have as good, and as faithfull a promiſe, as the ſtronger, even a cup of cold water given to a Prophet upon right grounds, ſhall have an everlaſting Kingdom, and therefore that cannot be for any worth or dignity in the good duty performed; What is leſſe then a cup of water, and that cold, yet for this there is promiſed an everlaſting Kingdom? And certainly, if Paul thought, 2 Cor. 4.17. theſe afflictions, though in themſelves never ſo great, yet nothing comparable to that eternal weight of glory, much leſſe then are thoſe leſſe afflictions comparable to it.
And ſo I proceed to the ſecond Doctrine, Chriſt prayeth, That believers, though thus ſanctified and perfected in one, may be made glorious. Now this plainly ſuppoſeth,
That Glory is a gift, Doct. 2. Glory is a gift.That it doth not follow upon our higheſt degree of Sanctification; and therefore when the Apoſtle had ſaid, The wages of ſin is death, Rom. 6.23. he doth not alſo ſay the wages of grace is eternal life, but he cals it The gift of God; So that here is a difference between hell and heaven; The wicked mans life deſerveth hell, it's the proper reward of every ungodly action, yea ſome ſay, that hell is leſſe then the ſin, God doth not puniſh according to the deſert of it, but it's otherwiſe with glory and happineſs, for after we have done to the utmoſt, yet it's wholly in Gods good pleaſure, whether he will give a Kingdom or no. Now the Reaſons, Why eternal glory muſt be a gift even to the moſt godly men, is
1. Becauſe that all our beſt actions have ſome ſinfulneſs cleaving to them, inſomuch that if God ſhould deal ſtrictly according to thoſe adhering defects, we might be damned, notwithſtanding the graces we have. Therefore the Pſalmiſt prayeth, Pſal. 143.2. That God would not enter into judgement with his ſervant, becauſe in his ſight no fleſh ſhould be juſtified. Though David was Gods ſervant, and that after his own heart, yet he could not be juſtified, and ſo not ſaved, unleſs God did graciouſly forgive what was imperfect: Oh then how greatly ſhould this humble us, when we ſhall conſider we never did any thing in our lives, though in the moſt holy manner, but it needed a pardon, as Nehemiah, when he mentioned the many particulars he had done for God, and deſired to be remembred for them, yet added alſo, that he might be ſpared, and have mercy ſhewed unto him, Nehem. 13.22.
2. It's the gift of God, becauſe any gracious action is ſo farre from making a man to merit at Gods hand, that he is thereby the more obliged and bound to God. So that the more holy he is, the leſſe he can deſerve, becauſe in that he is the more indebted unto God: So that it is abſurd to think, that becauſe God hath heaped more mercies upon us, that therefore ſtill we deſerve more, but rather to acknowledge, that both grace here, and glory hereafter, is wholly from the gift of God.
3. Glory cannot be the proper and natural reward of our grace, Becauſe of the vaſt diſproportion and diſtance, which is between one and the other. Alas, what is an act of faith, or love, or patience, or all of them put together, which have been in the ſhort time of this life unto all eternity? If thy body hath endured the pains of Martyrdom for an hour, what is that to have honour, glory and freedom from all pain with unſpeakable joy and delight to all eternity?
Ʋſe. To humble the beſt of Gods ſervants under the higheſt exerciſes of grace, How often doth the devil and thy own corrupt heart upon any holy duty puff thee up, and make thee ſecure and confident, ſeeking for Juſtification by ſomething in thy own ſelf? How apt to think thy ſelf better then others, and to truſt in thy own heart? Is not this to ſay, thou comeſt to heaven and happineſſe by thy own power? How often doth God ſpeak to the people of Iſrael, that they ſhould not ſay, they entered into the Land of Canaan, for their righteouſneſs? If for a temporal mercy they were to take heed, their hearts were not lifted up, much more for heaven it ſelf: If Jacob ſaid, Gen. 32.10. He was leſſe then the leaſt of Gods mercies, much more then the greateſt.