One-Hundred Forty-Five Sermons Upon John 17, Sermon 63
SERMON LXIII. Of the Saints Lord-Keeper. Shewing how ſafe the Godly are kept to Salvation by Chriſt as a Trust committed to him.
JOH. 17.12.
While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy Nam…, &c.
HAving diſpatched the Circumſtances of time and place, we proceed to the Benefit it ſelf, which is expreſſed with the efficient cauſe of it, foreign with the manner how In thy Name; Becauſe ſomething hath already been ſpoken to this; I ſhall be the briefer in both the particulars,
Firſt, The Benefit with the cauſe of it is to be conſidered, I have kept them: The Word is uſed ſometimes for an outward violent detaining of a man in priſon or other cuſtody, Act. 12.5, 6. Thus the Jailors are called foreign, Mat. 28.4. Heinſius underſtands the word foreign which we render obſerve, Herod obſerved John, in a corporal manner of keeping him in a ſafe hold, becauſe Mar. 6.19. it is ſaid Herodias would have killed him but could not: Sometimes the word is applied to an Obedientiall Obſervation of the Commands of God, Ioh. 14.15, 21. Joh. 15.10. Hence alſo it is applied to the obſerving of the Sabbath, Joh. 6.16. Sometimes it is applied to the reſervation of a thing, Joh. 2.10 Thou haſt kept the beſt wine to the laſt; But in the Text it is applied to the preſervation or cuſtody that is vouchſafed to ſuch as need it, as v. 11. and v. 15. So in this place: Now our Saviour by this expreſſion I have kept them, ſignifieth that the Father had given them to Chriſt as ſo many precious Iewels and an excellent treaſure, and that Chriſt did undertake to preſerve them, inſomuch that if any ſhould be loſt, the fault would be charged upon Chriſt, and he would be found blame worthy.
Doct. All that are to be ſaved are committed to Chriſts care to be kept to Eternal Life.Obſ. That all thoſe who ſhall be ſaved are given to Chriſt, and committed to his truſt, that they may be kept to Eternal Salvation, That look as the devils 2 Pet. 2.4. have the beginning of hell already, and are ſaid to be foreign kept in chains of darkneſſe to judgement, ſo that they can never evade or eſcape it; Thus the godly they have the beginning of heaven, they are intereſted in Chriſt, and therefore Iude 1. are called the foreign, and the Crown or inheritance of glory they are to receive is ſaid foreign, kept ſafe in heaven, So that all the power in hell and the world, are not able to deprive them of it; This is very comfortable news to the people of God to hear they are kept, if they were left to their own ſelves, how horrible and irrecoverable would their fall be.
Let us Conſider how much is implied in this Truth, That Chriſt keeps them as his charge.How much is implied in this Truth that Chriſt keeps them at his charge.
And firſt, Here is plainly denoted their own infirmity and inſufficiency ▪ For why ſhould Chriſt thus earneſtly pray the Father to keep them, and ſay he had kept them hitherto, but becauſe they were weak and unable to preſerve themſelves, So that Chriſt ſpeaks of them as ſome tender young Infants that are given from arm to arm to be kept, as being not able to go themſelves,I. Their own inſufficiency. and truly if the Apoſtles who were Chriſts firſt born (as we may ſo ſay) and although Chriſt knew that he was to endow them with the power of the holy Ghoſt afterwards in an extraordinary manner, yet if theſe that ſeem to be Giants cannot help themſelves, what ſhall we Dwarfs do? If the Pillars are not able to ſtand of themſelves, what can Reeds do? God to ſhew the Church her miſerable impotency compareth it to a childe new born that is not only lothſome but feeble, and neceſſarily periſhing without ſome aid, Eze. 16.5, 6. Even thus are we all in our own ſtrength and power.
Secondly, As it implieth their inſufficiency,II. The precious eſteem God hath of them. ſo alſo the precious account and eſteem God puts upon them; Men are not ſaid to keep their pebble ſtones, or their Weeds, but their Treaſure, their Jewels; And thus God Mal. 3. exp…eſly cals them; Hence all the godly are called foreign a peculiar people; The only Treaſure God hath, and they being his Treaſure, his heart is upon them, ſo that howſoever the worlds eſteem of them is reproachful and malicious enough, they are the off-skowring and the worſt of men, yet with God they are precious; Nay, though to their own ſouls many times they are as caſtawaies, as lothſome branches, they abhorre themſelves, and therefore they think God will do ſo much more, yet with God they are of high account.
Thirdly, There is implied a more peculiar care and attendance to their good then of the whole world beſides;III. A peculiar care of them. For they are ſaid to be given to Chriſt out of the world that he may keep them; This giving of them to Chriſt ſuppoſeth an Election or choice of ſuch from all others; God is a preſerver and keeper of all, Iob 7.20. called therefore the preſerver of men: Yea Pſa. 36.6. he is ſaid to preſerve man and beaſt; God is every where eſſentiâ, preſentiâ, and potentiâ, and thus he cannot but be every where, but he hath a gracious preſence with his Children, which is not from his infiniteneſſe or neceſſity, but from his meer love, ſo that if God were not infinite and immenſe (pardon the Suppoſition) yet his grace and goodneſſe would make him abide and dwell with thoſe that are his; You ſee by this that Gods keeping extends even to inanimate Creatures, he keepeth the very Sparrows that they fall not to the ground, but there is a more excellent and choice way of preſervation to thoſe that are given in ſpeciall charge to Chriſt; The eyes of the Lord are ſaid to runne to and fro in the behalf of the upright in heart, 2 Chron. 16 9. What can be more comfortable then that expreſſion; Hence the Lords peculiar is compared to a Bird flying over the neſt where her young ones are, Iſa. 31.5. Only the Bird is ſilly and weak, hath no power to defend, but ſhe ſheweth her deſire and affection; Thus God is pleaſed to compare himſelf, to encourage our Faith, for we are apt to look more at what is againſt us then for us; We conſider the devils Subtlety, the worlds danger, our own corruptions, but do not attend to Gods mercifull Preſervation.
Fourthly, This phraſe doth imply the ſafety that the people of God are in, IV. The ſafety they are in.For though in reſpect of the world and their Corruptions, they may ſay with Iehoſaphat, A great Army is againſt us and we know not what to do, or they may be afraid as the man Eliſha led into the midſt of the Enemies Camp, yet for al this they are ſafe, for there is a fourfold cord that holds in them, which cannot eaſily be broken; There is firſt Chriſts power which is omnipotent, the ſame with the Fathers power, Ioh. 10. I and my Father are one; None can take them out of Chriſts hands, becauſe none can take them out of the Fathers hand; Therefore Col. 3. their life is ſaid to be hid with Chriſt in God: And it is a crown laid up in heaven; Now what men or devils can break into Heaven? Who can rob and ſteal from thence? if there be a ſtronger then God, more powerful then God, then doubt of thy preſervation but elſe not.
2. There is his fidelity and immutability, He is the Amen, He is the Alpha and Omega, for we might think, though we are never ſo well to day as it was with Adam, and the Angels apoſtatizing, yet we may be undone to morrow, we may alter or Chriſt may alter, No, he is faithfull and true, He is Chriſt to day, yeſterday, and for ever, Heb. 13.
3. There is his love and compaſſion ▪ for this quickens both power and fidelity, and ſets all on work; It is his love to us that will not let his people periſh, and certainly if he loved his Children ſo as to die for them, and that when they were ſinners, then it follows invincibly that he will do that for us which is leſſe then death; It is but ſpeaking the word, whereas before it coſt him many a praier and ſtrong cry, it put him in agonies, and made him ſweat drops of bloud; Again it is otherwiſe with us then formerly, When we are Enemies he died for us, and now being reconciled how much rather wil he finiſh what he bath begun, Rom. 5
4. There is his wiſedom, for though there be power and love, yet through imprudence we ſee amongſt men it often miſcarrieth, but now in Chriſt are hid the treaſures of all wiſedom; And Iſa. 9. he is called the Counſellor, as having wiſedom to direct, and power to deliver in all the ſad Trials they are plunged into; He is called often the wiſedom of the Father; Now then put all theſe together, Omnipotent Power, unſearchable Wiſedom, Infinite Love and Immutable Fidelity, and you muſt conclude that the godly mans ſafety is firmer then Mount Zion or the Earth that God hath eſtabliſhed, for they may be removed, but theſe cannot be no more then Chriſt, Chriſt and they will ſtand or fall together.
V. It implies an Obligetion on Chriſt to keep them.And laſtly, (becauſe more is to be ſaid to this in the words following) this implieth a ſtrong tye and obligation upon Chriſt to keep them, for they are given him as Sheep to the Shepherd, and as Jacob was to anſwer for every torn or killed one, ſo muſt Chriſt; They are given him to keep, as Benjamin was to his Brethren; Look (ſaith Jacob) you ſee not my face unleſſe you bring him ſafe ▪ Inſomuch that if Chriſt ſhould not preſerve thoſe that are given him, all the glory of his Mediatourſhip will fall to the ground, You ſee how he declareth his diligence, None is loſt, For if he had loſt ſome of them, then had not Chriſt gone through with the work of Redemption, and ſo could not expect the glory he praied for, neither could he have ſaid, I have finiſhed the work thou haſt given me, yea, it would have behoved him to come and die again, to be crucified again, if he had not by one Oblation once perfected for ever the Godly, Heb. 10 14.
Ʋſe of Exhortation to the godly, to take heed of all unbeleeving and dejecting fears in the way to Heaven, perſwading themſelves, Oh they ſhall never hold out, one time or other they ſhall be devoured by ſuch and ſuch ſinnes; Is not this to be ignorant of the relation you are in to Chriſt? Will Chriſt be an unfaithfull Steward? It lieth upon Chriſt more then thee that thou beeſt preſerved; Is not Chriſts honour and glory more then the ſalvation of thouſands ſuch as thou art? Now if thou ſhouldſt periſh and not get to Heaven, it would be Chriſts diſhonour; It would be becauſe he was not either able or willing; Indeed thou art to walk with an holy fear or trembling, thou art to deſpair in thy ſelf, but thy faith and confidence in Chriſts ſtrength ſhould make thee couragious, Stronger is he that is with thee then he that is againſt thee: It is true, thy corruptions are ſtrong, thy Temptations are ſtrong, but Chriſt is ſtronger, Live not with ſuch anxious fears as a Cain fearing every thing may kill and damn thee; Interpoſe Chriſt between thee and all fears and dangers, Say, you may overcome me but can you Chriſt?
In the next place we come to the manner how he kept them, In thy Name; And here name may be taken in all the ſignifications mentioned in the former Verſe, But I will not trouble you with that; This may be ſpoken in a two-fold reſpect; Either to ſhew what kinde of preſervation it was, viz. not a corporal or carnal one, (though he was bodily preſent among them,) but a ſpirituall one in the name of God; He did not keep them, as the powers of the world keep their Subjects by the outward force of the Sword, but as Paul ſaid of the Miniſtry, Our weapons are not carnall but spirituall, So was Chriſts defence, or elſe it might be ſpoken by way of humility, for Chriſt in reſpect of his office was inferiour to the Father; And therefore he ſpeaks of himſelf in this Chapter as one ſent, or an Embaſſadour from the Father, who is to doe all things in his Name, and to follow his will only, in this latter ſence we take it principally,
Obſ. That if the Lord Chriſt though God, Doct. If Chriſt though God, yet in reſpect of his Miniſtry doth attribute all to God, how much more ought the Miniſters of the Goſpel who are frail men.yet in reſpect of his office and Miniſtry doth attribute all to God, how much more ought the Miniſters of the Goſpel who are frail ſinful men; Shall Chriſt ſay, he kept them by the Fathers power? Shall he ſay, It's not my Doctrine but the Fathers? Shall he ſay, I ſeek not my own glory, but the glory of him that ſent me? How much more ought the Officers God hath appointed in the Church take their Auditors off from them, and carry them to God wholly; It is Obſervable, That Chriſt did ſtill inform his Diſciples and Hearers to look up unto the Father, and the Apoſtles they laboured to take off beleevers from applauding of them but to look up to God; Thus Paul 2 Cor. 3.5, 6. even when he advanceth his Miniſtry to the Higheſt, yet left men ſhould therewithall advance the perſons put thereinto (as Hortenſins ſaid of Tully that he commended Eloquence to the Heavens, that he himſelf might be lifted up with it) See what corrective expreſſions he uſeth, Not that we are ſufficient of our ſelves to think any thing, our ſufficiency is of God; All is attributed to God; Paul though endowed with ſo many excellent gifts, yet ſaith of himſelf, he is not able to think, he doth not ſay to doe, to convert and change mens hearts, but he cannot think, and he doth not ſay he cannot think ſome choice, ſublime, admirable thing, but he cannot think any thing, the leaſt thought in reference to the ſalvation of others; And therefore he addeth ver. 6. It is God that hath made us able Miniſters; The Miniſters of God may as well ſay they create the world, They work Miracles by their own power, as ſay, they enlighten the mindes, or ſoften the hearts of thoſe to whom they preach; Thus 1 Cor. 3.5. When the people through vanity did reſt too much upon the Officers of the Church, and attributed that to them which belonged to Chriſt: Paul doth ſeverely expoſtulate with them, 1 Corin. 1.13. Was Paul Crucified for you? Were you Baptized in the Name of Paul? What are theſe but Miniſters by whom ye beleeve? Two errours in the extreme we are to avoid,
1. That becauſe the Miniſtry cannot do any thing without God, therefore we deſpiſe it and neglect it as too many do; This is to oppoſe the Principall and the Inſtrument: They will not do ſo in naturall things, though man doth not live by materiall bread alone, but by the Word of God, yet they will not throw away that Food as needleſſe, unprofitable, and unneceſſary; Why then will they do ſo to the immaterial food and heavenly manna of the Word.
The other extream is, To advance it too much, To ſet up the Inſtrument to the neglect of the Principall, and that is when we ſo reſt on and admire the Gifts, Learning, Elocution, or parts of the Miniſter, that we look not up to God, and this we are prone unto; Therefore the Apoſtle gives a large Commendation to the The ſſalonians, 1 Theſſal. 2.13. That they received the Word Not as the Word of man, but as of God, which effectually worketh in Beleevers, John 4. It's ſaid of Johns Hearers, That they did a while rejoyce in his light, They flocked after his Miniſtry, yet afterwards they quarelled with him, and ſaid, He had a Devil; Thus Ezech. 33.32. He was to the Jews a very lovely Song, They loved to hear him, they came thronging in great Multitudes and Companies unto him, but yet they would not do any thing.
Ʋſe of Inſtruction, If the Office and Abilities of the Miniſtry are nothing without God, then do you lift up your hearts in Prayer to God more, That his Power, his Voice, his Strength, may be ſeen in the Miniſtry: When you go from the Sermon examine whether Gods power and grace come home to your hearts or no; Can you ſay? Here was more then the Miniſters Study, then the Miniſters Gifts, for Gods mighty heart-changing power did alſo work on me; Oh the Convictions, the meltings, the burnings and changes of heart that were upon me! It was upon my minde like Lightning, It was upon my affections and Conſcience like Thunder; As we are to preach like the Oracles of God, 1 Pet. 4.11. He doth not ſay foreign but foreign, not as the Word but as the Oracles, as having the Spirit of God immediately breathing upon us, So ſhould you hear and receive them as the Oracles; As the Prophets received their Viſions, and the Word that was ſpoken to them; It wrought a mighty change, They did not ſeem to be the ſame men they were, nor did the ſame Actions; Even thus ſhould ye return home: Ye come Earthly but go home Heavenly; Ye come carnall but return ſpirituall.