One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 140
SERMON CXL. That every Ʋnregenerate man whether in, or out of the Church is deſtitute of the true ſaving Knowledge of God.
JOH. 17.24.
Righteous Father the world hath not known thee.
OUr Saviour (we heard) is continuing Arguments why he ſhould be heard thus in his Petition for all believers, and that which is firſt ſuggeſted in theſe words is the oppoſition and contrariety between the world and them; Though the world be ignorant and obſtinate againſt Chriſt, yet the Diſciples they did readily believe in him: Now this is a wonderfull aggravation of their holineſſe, for them only to believe amongſt a world of unbelievers and oppoſers, To ſee amongſt ſo many that are blinde, To be wiſe amongſt ſo many that are mad, yea, to believe in Chriſt, while the world did oppoſe and perſecute them, this did greatly commend their ftith:
In the words you may obſerve the Subiect and the Attribute: The Subiect is the world; This word is taken variouſly, yea, in this very Petition it's uſed differently, for ſometimes it's taken for the wicked, periſhing, and damned world; the reprobate world, Thus he ſaid, I pray not for the world but thoſe thou haſt given me; The world is there, the immediate oppoſite to all Elected perſons, but ſometimes it's taken indefinitely or negatively, as when he ſaith, That the world may know thou haſt ſent me; Now in this verſe we muſt take the word world for the company of periſhing and damned men, becauſe they are oppoſed to the whole kinde of ſaving believers: In the next place you muſt know that though the word world be for the moſt part oppoſed to the Church or number of believers, yet ſome may be externally in the Church, yet really and indeed of the world, ſuch are all who though outwardly profeſſing Chriſt, and ſubmitting to his orders are yet unregenerated, and ſo in the ſtate of gall and bitterneſſe; Theſe know not God in a ſaving manner, though they have a barren, ſpeculative knowledge of him; It may therefore fall out that many may be of the world taken indefinitely (not as limited to the reprobates) who yet in reſpect of Gods purpoſe ſhall in time become his in an effectuall manner, And again many may be in the Church of God who yet in the iſſue will be of the periſhing damned world, Some that are wolvs for the preſent ſhall become ſheep, and ſome that are ſheep for the preſent in appearance, at the day of judgement will be diſcovered to be goats.
2. You have the attribute foreign hath not known thee; This is put for the preſent tenſe as among the Latines, Novi, is ſometimes, for it doth not only denote that this hath been the cuſtome heretofore, but that ſtill for the preſent, and for the future; The world is full of blindeneſſe and darkneſſe, and doth not comprehend the light, There is the particle foreign added in the Original, And the world hath hot known thee; Some think that this addeth ſome affection and emphaſis, for either they expound it intenſively for as much as etiam, or adverſatively for as much as quamvis although, in both which ſences the Hebrew particle Vau is uſed, but it may be taken as a meer redundant particle, which is very familiar to the Scripture-language, and ſo it ſeemeth our Tranſlators did take it, who wholly omit it in the Engliſh; The words thus explained obſerve,
Obſerv. The world is ignorant of God in a ſaving manner.That the world is ignorant in a ſaving manner of God; Heaven is no more in hell, then the true knowledge of God is in the heart of a wicked man; In the purſuing of this, I ſhall take the word world largely not only for that heatheniſh part of it, who never heard of Chriſt, but for that Chriſtian part of it, who though in the generall profeſſe they know God, yet in works do deny him, and ſo the word ſhall be equipollent to every unregenerate man, whether in the Church or out of the Church, but becauſe of this world there is two ſorts, as was hinted before; One of thoſe who though for the preſent have no ſaving knowledge of Chriſt, yea, do oppoſe it, and rage at it, as Paul for a while did, and all converts once did ſerve divers pleaſures and luſts; And another of thoſe who for a while give great and ready obedience to it, but for want of a true root fall off wholly from God, as Judas and many other Apoſtates: I ſhall chiefly frame my diſcourſe to the periſhing wicked world, though not excluding the other; Bt before I go further you muſt take notice of what kinde of knowledge it is which we ſpeake of, and deny to the world: It's an effectuall ſaving knowledge, for it's plain the Heathens had ſome knowledge of God, and unconverted Chriſtians who will die and go to hell in their ſins may have wonderful gifts and admirable knowledge with the utterance thereof in matters of religion, yet have no ſaving knowledge, So that knowledge doth not make happy unleſſe it be practicall; If ye know theſe things, happy are ye if ye do them. Joh. 13 17.
Demonſtrations of the Point.This premiſed let us proceed, and 1. That the unregenerate world doth not or cannot know God may appear ſeveral waies.
1. From the original pollution and pravity improved by actual wickedneſſe wdich is upon all till ſanctified by grace, Joh. 1.10. where though Chriſt be ſaid to be the light of the world, and the world was made by him, yet it knew him not, and Joh. 3.19. This is the condemnation of the world, that light is come into it, yet men love darkneſſe rather then light; What a horrible and dreadful condition is this to love darkneſſe rather then light? Hence 1 Joh. 5.19 The whole world lieth in wickedneſſe, So that it's no more wonder if the world do not know Chriſt, then that the night is not the day, that weeds are not precious flowers, They are in darkneſſe, and ſo cannot ſee, and this reaſon doth not only prove the act, they are not knowing of God, but the defect of all power and ability, they do not, neither can they know God; To which purpoſe the Apoſtle fully, 1 Cor. 2.14. The natural man receiveth not the ſpiritual things of God, neither can he know them; This removeth both the act and power, Therefore at the 12. verſe he cals it the ſpirit of the world, which is oppoſed to the Spirit of God that only makes us know the things of God; Oh then the ſad condition of all unregenerate men, this darkneſſe is not dreadfull to them, they are as men that are aſleep, yea, or blinde, who have a viſive faculty though actually they cannot ſee, but as men dead in ſinne, yea, this original pollution doth ſtill carry the demonſtration higher, for it doth not only negatively or privatively remove both the act and power of the knowledge of God, but doth poſitively incline to the hating and oppoſing of all knowledge both of God and Chriſt, hence the world is ſaid ſo often to hate the godly, and to hate the light, and the reaſons given, becauſe its works are evil, So that it's but a little wickedneſſe comparatively in the world that it doth not know, for it hateth all knowledge, it rebelleth againſt all light, and therefore the wiſedom of the fleſh is ſaid to be enmity it ſelf againſt God, Rom. 8 7. Is it any wonder then to ſee wicked men carried out with bloudy, malicious, and irreconcilable hatred to the knowledge of God, for it cannot be otherwiſe; There is a ſpirit of contrariety, of oppoſition, and madneſs againſt God, for if Gods truth and will be received, then there corruptions and luſts can no longer ſtand; The world cannot endure that the light of the word ſhould make naked all its idolatry, impiety, and that it is indeed wholly at the will of the devil.
And this ſuggeſts a 2d Demonſtration that the world doth not know God, becauſe the devil is the immediate Prince of it; He that is called the Prince of darkneſſe is likewiſe ſaid to be the god of this world: This is fully expreſſed 2 Cor. 2.4. where the god of this world is ſaid to blinde the mindes of them which believe not, leſt the light of the glorious Gospel of Chriſt ſhould ſhine into them; Therefore you have a notable deſcription of the devils, from the Soveraignty and power they have, Eph 6.12. where they are called principalities, and powers, and rulers of the darkneſſe of this world; how wofull then is the condition of the world of ungodly men who are thus made captive to the devils, and are enſnared at their will; That as they themſelves are reſerved in chains of darkneſſe, ſo do they keep all their vaſſals, they are chains of darkneſſe, ſuch as thoſe who are in a dark dungeon, and ſuch as they cannot break, neither have the wicked any deſire to do it, and therefore they never ſay to the devils chains, as the ungodly do to Chriſts dominion, Let us break his bonds aſunder, and caſt his yoke away, Pſal. 2. As long then as this ſtrong one keeps the houſe (for the whole world is his houſe:) no wonder if he make it like hell it ſelf, yea, he makes the world by his ruling in it worſe then hell in ſome ſence, for in hell he is tied up in ſome degree of torments, but in the world he is let looſe to infect and damn others, though not without his torments.
3. The world muſt needs be without all ſaving knowledge of God, from the defect or abſence of thoſe cauſes which do alone cauſe ſaving knowledge, So that as the world at firſt when it was a confuſed Chaos without form and void, could not make a glorious light to appear upon it, but that was Gods work, whom the Apoſtle doth therefore deſcribe, as him that worketh darkneſſe out of light, 2 Cor. 4 6. alluding to the work of grace which is now upon the world, So neither is the world wallowing in its filth and thick darkneſs able to create the leaſt light of ſaving knowledge, but muſt for ever periſh if God vouchſafe not his grace; Now theſe cauſes are wanting which neceſſarily infer ignorance in the world; Even as the abſence of the Sun makes night.
1.The cauſes of ſalvation. There is not the external Revelation and propounding of the doctrine to be believed, unleſs God in much mercy ſend it; Hence you may ſee, that once in Judea only was the true knowledge of God, and the whole world beſides groped in more then Egyptian darkneſs, and now though God hath commanded this light to ſhine over the whole world, So that it is not limited to any one Nation, yet a great part of the world ſtill is heatheniſh, So that they are darkned and become fooliſh in all their imaginations; The denying of the Goſpel is a greater miſery then if the Sun ſhould be denied to ſhine to ſuch a people: Now it's God only that makes this light to ſhine in one place, leaving the other in its darkneſs; Even the Pelagians of old did acknowledge this grace of God neceſſary, viz. a revelation and propoſition of the object.
2. Beſides this external light the world wants that internal light of illumination, without which the Goſpel though never ſo gloriouſly preached, is but like the Sun ſhining at noon day to a blinde man, for this is made the work of Gods Spirit only, Joh. 16.8. to reprove the world of ſin and of righteouſneſſe; Till the Spirit of God doth illuminate in both theſe, the world doth not underſtand the horrible guilt and aggravation of ſin, the damnable eſtate and condition it is in thereby; Neither doth it know what is that righteouſneſſe which only can juſtifie, and where it is to be had, ſo that the world even the wiſeſt and moſt learned thereof are but like ſo many blinde moles digging conſtantly in the earth; Neither affected with their diſeaſe or with the remedy, till Gods Spirit doth wonderfully convince them, and this is evidently ſeen in the Chriſtian world; For doth not the glorious light of the Goſpel compaſſe men about, yet they are like owles, the blinder becauſe of this light, Inſomuch that ſuch blindeneſſe of minde is not amongſt heathens as amongſt impenitent and hardened Chriſtians, for beſides the natural blindeneſs which they have common with heathens, there is a judicial blindeneſſe that God ſmiteth them with for unfruitfullneſſe and contempt of the Goſpel; Thus they are twice blinde as ſome are ſaid to be twice dead; Is it not matter of aſtoniſhment, that a people living many years under conſtant and powerful preaching ſhould yet he as brute beaſts and underſtand nothing of their miſery, and the remedy? Surely all this is becauſe that judgement is come upon Iſrael, even blindeneſs of minde, and a veil upon their hearts.
3. The world knoweth not God, becauſe it hath not that ultimate and compleat cauſe of all ſaving knowledge, which is the ſpirit of regeneration, and the work of a new creature upon their ſouls, for till God give this heart of fleſh, and remove an heart of ſtone, all the illumination and ſtrongeſt convictions which men have upon them is not enough to make them know as they ought to know; The Apoſtle Tit. 1.1. ſpeaks of an acknowledgement of truth after godlines, now that is only when a mans heart is mollified as well as his minde is enlightned; It's true the Scripture ſpeaks of ſome 2 Pet. 2.20. who by the knowledge of God did eſcape the pollutions of the world, but that was only in reſpect of external converſation, for they were in their natures Swine ſtill, and not ſheep; It cannot then be that the world ſhould know God and Chriſt as long as there is that corrupt enmity and ſpirit of rebellion and contrariety in it to what is holy; Chriſt told Peter that it was not fleſh and bloud which had revealed Mat 16.17. that glorious Confeſſion of faith unto him; If then the world be thus without the ſpirit of God, enlightening and converting, how then can it in any ſaving way acknowledge God.
Ʋſe of Inſtruction Concerning the terrible condition of the periſhing world, whether within or without the Church, yea, it is moſt terrible to thoſe who are the world really, but the Church nominally; You are ſhut out from the face of God and Chriſt, You are without hope in the world; Oh your greatneſſe, your pleaſures will not avail to keep you from deſtruction, This is Eternall life to know God and Jeſus Chriſt, This then is eternal death not to know him.
2. That no knowledge of God or Chriſt which is not practical and ſaving, deſerveth the name of Chriſtian knowledge; The world though both by nature and ſupernatural revelation may know much of God, yet becauſe lying and living in wickedneſſe is ſaid not to know him, and thus generally in the Scripture the wicked are ſaid not to know God; Oh then let ſuch who have ſtrong convictions and alſo ſtrong corruptions tremble at this; Let ſuch who live againſt knowledge fall down for fear at this; Is it not the condition of all ſuch who live in groſſe and prophane waies? Do ye not commit the ſins you know ye ought not? Do ye not omit the duties that the light of the Scripture enjoyneth thee? Oh that men ſhould in the day ſtumble and not know whither they go, Follow then all thy knowledge into a gracious practical improvement of it, leſt thou periſh with the world.