Exposition of John, Chapter 5 · Verse 28 – Verse 30
Verſe 40. And ye will not come to me, that ye may have life.
Unto theſe teſtimonies Chriſt ſubjoyneth very ſad chalenges and reproofs of this people: And firſt, he challengeth them for their wilful unbelief; And that albeit John, his works, the Father and the Scriptures which they pretended to eſteeme of, did prove what he was, and point him out as the Author of that life, which they profeſſed to ſeek, verſe 39. Yet ſuch was their obſtinacie, as they would not come to him, nor beleeve in him. Whence learn, 1. That which God offers in Chriſt to loſt ſinners, is that which onelyonly deſerveth the name of life, in grace here, and glory hereafter, as being the true remedy of our ſpiritual death, and without which our life on earth is ſcarce worthy the name; Therefore it is called life. 2. Men may be ſo farre deluded, as to conceit they will get life, when yet they neglect the meanes of life; for, theſe Jewes thought to have eternal life, verſe 39. and yet they take not the right way to it. 3. The life of loſt ſinners is onelyonly to be found in Chriſt, who is the purchaſer, ſtorehouſe, keeper and diſpenſer thereof, the Mediatour of the Covenant, and the mid-man betwixt God and ſinners; for, ſo is here held out, they muſt come to me, ſaith he, eate they live. 4. The way how ſinners come to partake of this life, is, by their coming to Chriſt by faith: And whoever they are that have a preſſing need of Chriſt, and whatever diſcouragements they finde, cannot bide away from him, and who, whatever diſtance they are at, yet are moving toward him, though with a ſlow progreſſe, and are ſtill ſeeking more enjoyment, whatever they have; Theſe are true beleevers, and will not miſſe of life, but their ſoul ſhall be kept in life, till they come to live with him for ever; for the condition required, is, to come to Chriſt, which is in effect to beleeve, as is expounded, chap. 6.33 and upon this it is imported that they ſhall have life. 5. Albeit life be to be found onelyonly in Chriſt, yet few make uſe of him for that end, but moſt part being ignorant of themſelves, and of him, conceiting of their own welbeing, or to get life ſome other way; being taken up with earthly things; given up to judicial obduration: or not pleaſing the tearmes of getting life by renouncing their own righteouſneſſe and pleaſures; Moſt part, I ſay, being thus prejudged, do neglect this offered ſalvation: for, ſo is chalenged, yee will not come to me. 6. The great obſtruction of faith, and aggravation of unbelief, is mens wilfulneſſe in not coming to Chriſt; Some will not come and beleeve in him, out of their malice and obſtinacie, as many of theſe Jewes would not come to him, though he proved never ſo clearly what he was. Others are plagued with brutiſh ſenſuality; And they who think they would come, but apprehend reaſons why they dare not, will finde that, will not, is the great impediment, and that they do not beleeve, becauſe they are not willing to be ſtript of themſelves, as faith in Chriſt requireth they ſhould be, Rom. 10.3. Otherwiſe there is no impediment lieth in the comers way, but love removeth it; he will welcome them who have refuſed many invitations, have wandred farre, fallen into groſſe ſinnes, played the harlot with many lovers, &c. provided they will come to him, to ſeek grace to repent for, and amend them; Yea, the dead may come to him to get life, if they reſolve not that they will not; and they who have ſome weake deſire, may come to him to get willingneſſe; Therefore, the chalenge is, ye will not come, which in many of them was obſtinacie upon grounds of malice, and brutiſh ſtupidity, and moſt part of unbeleevers are guilty of it in ſome degree, upon other grounds. See Pſalme 81.11. Revel. 22.17. 7. Chriſt will chalenge mens not embracing his offer and invitation, to come and get life, eſpecially when there is much of will in it. The contempt of his offer is a great indignity, and will condemne men; his peoples unbelief is a ſin, to be avoided at his command, under paine of his diſpleaſure; his love will make a quarrel of it, that we ſhould be ſtraitned in our own bowels, when there are bowels of affection in him to be let forth; and, he is really offended at that pride (though masked with a ſhew of humility) which makes that the ſelf-condemned ſinner will not embrace him upon Goſpel termes; for, it is a chalenge here, ye will not come, &c. So that it is our great advantage to be mourning for the unbelief we finde in us, and when our unbelief is our burden.
Verſe 41. I receive not honour from men.
Leſt they ſhould think that in commending himſelf, and chalenging them, he was hunting after vain-glory, as falſe-teachers do, Chriſt obviates that miſtake, and ſheweth that he was ſeeking no ſuch thing, nor was capable of any addition of honour from the creature. Whence learn, 1. Chriſt is ſo omniſcient, that he knoweth and marketh the thoughts of every one that he dealeth with; So much doth his obviating their thoughts teach. 2. It is the uſual fault of men, that they have but low and baſe thoughts of Chriſt, and that they meaſure and judge of him and his followers, by themſelves; for, this ſuſpition of Chriſt, imported that they looked on him as a meer man, and, as they were themſelves ambitious, verſe 44. ſo did they judge of him, and ſo are his ſervants judged of. 3. Chriſt was no hunter after vain-glory, nor is he capable of any addition of honour by mens acknowledging of him; nor ought men to think that he ſeeks them becauſe he hath any need of them, or that they adde any thing to him, when he makes them ſomewhat; For albeit men are bound to manifeſt and declare his ſuper excellent glory; and men by ſinne do what they can to diſhonour him, as who would caſt dirt or ſpit againſt the Sun? yet his infintie glory is neither capable of addition nor diminution from the creature; for, I receive not honour from men.
Verſe 42. But I know you, that you have not the love of God in you.
A ſecond fault (and a cauſe of the former, ver. 40.) for which he chalengeth them, is, their want of the love of God, and ſo he ſheweth that he chalenged them, not becauſe they reſpected not him, but that he might convince them of this want, and take from them that great pretence, of love to God, and zeale to the Sabbath commanded by God, upon which they pretended they oppoſed him, and his working of that miracle. Whence learn, 1. It is the woful caſe of men, to be void of the love of God. Love being the fountain of deſiring, and fruit of enjoying communion (in part) with him; being the true root of all ſound obedience, and the ſumme of the Commandments, and that which is the evidence of being beloved of him, and will make obedience to be active, conſtant and pleaſant; Therfore, Chriſt ſummeth up their woful caſe in this, ye have not the love of God in you. 2. True love to God doth not conſiſt in outward pretences and ſhewes, but muſt have a ſure root of affection within, breaking forth in deed and in truth; And men may pretend zeale to Gods glory, and for his Ordinances, who yet have no true love to God; for, they pretended that all their oppoſition to Chriſt flowed from zeale for the Sabbath and Gods glory, and yet, ſaith he, ye have not the love of God in you; Ch…iſt doth perfectly and exactly know men, and what is in them, let them maske themſelves as they will; and he will in due time decipher and detect the unſound; Therefore, ſaith he, I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.