Exposition of John, Chapter 6 · Verse 28
Verſe 43 Jeſus therefore anſwered, and ſaid unto them, murmure not among your ſelves.
44. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath ſent me, draw him: and I will raiſe him up at the laſt day.
Chriſt, in his reply, doth not (as was alſo marked on ver. 32.) enter to debate with them, or refute their ignorant Sophiſtry; But 1. He ſheweth, that the root and true cauſe of their unbeliefe was not in his doctrine, nor from any juſt ground of exception they had againſt it, but from ſomewhat in themſelves, to ver. 47. 2. He repeats and inculcates the former doctrine that life is to be had only through faith in him, and …hat he is the true bread of life, and cleareth yet more diſtinctly, in what reſpect he is the true bread and ſpiritual food, to ver. 52.
In theſe verſes. 1. Chriſt ſheweth that he took notice of their murmuring, and doth diſſwade them from it, as having given no juſt cauſe thereof by his doctrine, ver. 43. 2. He confirmeth this, by pointing at the root of their unbeliefe and murmuring, even their natural impotency and averſeneſſe from him, which alſo is the condition of all men, till ſuch time as divine power be interpoſed to draw them, and then all who are drawen, come, and Chriſt undertakes to be accountable for ſuch. And by this way of preaching, Chriſt would draw them from their idle debates, and would terrifie them, by letting them ſee that their unbeliefe proved they were lying, ſtill in nature, and that God had yet wrought no change upon them, but had leſt them to themſelves; And withal he would let them ſee their loſſe, who by not embracing him, were ſecluded from his care.
From ver. 43. learn. 1 Chriſt knowes and takes notice of moſt ſecret murmurings, and mutterings and repineings againſt God, his Word, or Servants, were they never ſo cloſly or handſomely conveighed; for, albeit, it ſeemes, they ſpake not out theſe things, but whiſpered them among themſelves, as the text hath it, and the word in the Original imports; yet Chriſt knoweth it, and tells them of it. 2. Murmurings, and repining againſt God, and divine truth, upon whatſoever pretence, are diſpleaſing to Chriſt, as being a cauſleſſe diſtemper, reflecting injuriouſly upon God; Therefore doth he prohibite it as a thing diſpleaſing to him, Murmure not among your ſelves.
From ver. 44. learn. 1. What ever be the pretences of murmures againſt Chriſt and his truth; yet the true cauſe thereof is in themſelves, and not in him nor in it; Therefore doth he lead them from that carping at his doctrine, to ſee their own natural diſpoſition, which bred ſuch a diſtemper. 2. Men, by rejecting Chriſt, and murmuring at his offers, do bewray ſo much of their own corrupt diſpoſitions, and that they are ſo far left to themſelves by God, as might be matter of horrour unto them, if their eyes were open; for, this is the ſcope of this doctrine here, to let them ſee, not only that they are corrupt, but that God hath not wrought on them as he doth on theſe who are his elect, as ver. 37. that ſo he may let them ſee, what ſad things their condition ſpake to them. And Chriſt doth often recurre to this with theſe contentious Jewes, not to make them ſit down upon this as an excuſe (which is not); But partly, to ſhew, that, however the Lords purpoſes concerning men be hid and ſecret; yet, by their own carriage they may bring out ſtrange evidences of it, and (however the reprobation of any particular perſon, cannot be certainly known by any meer man, ſo long as the perſon is within time, yet) mens perverſe carriage doth prove a reprobate diſpoſition for preſent, and being preſerved in, is a black mark of their deplorable ſtate. And partly, to ſhew that Chriſt will not take an affront at the hand of any, but as they who love him, ſhall finde that they were firſt beloved of him; ſo they who reject him, and perſevere in it, will finde (to their eternal confuſion) that he did give them up to their own hearts, to walk in theſe wayes, in puniſhing whereof he will manifeſt the glory of his juſtice. 3. Albeit it be the duty of all who hear the Goſpel, to embrace Chriſt; and albeit it be juſtly commanded, to diſcover our inability, and as a mean which God maketh uſe of to work thereby upon his own: Yet no man hath naturally any liberty or power to receive Chriſt, or come in faith to him; But every man by nature, (whatever his inclination, education, or moral vertues, be) hath loſt all power to do any ſpiritual good by Adams fall, and remains dead in ſinne; for, no man can come to me, ſaith he, to wit, of himſelfe, as is after cleared. 4. This natural impotency in man cannot be cured by meer moral ſwaſion, or holding out of the offer of Chriſt in the Goſpel; But with this, there muſt be a powerful and effectual work of God, in changing and renewing of mens nature, infuſing of the habits of grace and faith, quickening them from their deadneſſe, and exciting of theſe graces which he infuſeth, and effectually inclining their heart and minde to embrace Chriſt, and cloſe with him, and adhere to him; for, this is the only remedy of mans impotency, that the Father draw him. To aſcribe unto God no more but moral ſwaſion in this work, is to allow him no more hand in good, then Satan hath in evil; and conſequently, to aſcribe unto man as much praiſe of doing good, as he is reproveable for evil. And it aſcribes unto man the glory of making himſelfe to differ from another, who had the ſame offer with him, but would not be perſwaded. See 1 Cor. 4.7. 5. Divine power, in curing and recovering of loſt men, hath not only to do with impotency, but with averſeneſſe, with a corrupt will, ſtrongly inclined to evil, and with corruptions, which will reſiſt and oppoſe him in his working; for, ſo much doth this drawing import 6. The powerful grace of God is invincible, and will effectuate his purpoſe over all impediments. He will not only bear down the reſiſtance and oppoſition that corruptions make, but he, who is Lord of the will, will ſweetly incline, and powerfully allure it, and make the man moſt willing to come to Chriſt; for, if none can come, except the Father draw him, then certainly they whom he draweth, do come, and ſo Chriſts promiſe ſubjoyned, and the following verſe do clear. 7. This drawing is aſcribed to the Father which hath ſent Chriſt, not ſecluding the reſt of the perſons, ſeeing every work of God which relateth to the creatures, is common to the whole bleſſed Trinitie, and Chriſt hath an hand in this ſame work, ver. 46. with Matth. 11.27. See Joh 12.32. Nor yet is this expreſſion only uſed to ſhew, that the Father is firſt in order of working this work, as he is firſt in order of ſubſiſtence. But it points out further. 1. That the father, who entred in a Covenant with the Sonne, and ſent him into the world to obey his will; and performe theſe duties he had voluntarily undertaken, is in a ſpecial manner obliged, by vertue of that paction, to bring unto his Sonne the promiſed ſeed and reward of his ſufferings. 2. It ſerveth to ſhew, that, however he be a righteous God, and will have juſtice ſatisfied, for the ſinnes committed even by his elect; Yet, as the Sonne did voluntarily ſubmit to that diſpenſation, to pay the price, though he was alſo the party offended: So the Father doth alſo ſo love them, as he drawes them to Chriſt, that his juſtice may be ſatisfied in him, and that his love toward them may let forth it ſelfe in comfortable and ſenſible effects. And this will teach us, ſo to magnifie the tenderneſſe of the Mediatour, as not to entertain wrong thoughts of the Father. Doctrine. 8. The great miſery of theſe who are not wrought upon to come to Chriſt, is clearly to be ſeen and read in the warme uſeage they meet with, who embrace him; Therefore doth Chriſt hold out his undertaking for them who are brought to him, that he may let theſe murmurers ſee their great loſſe. 9. Time will certainly come to an end, and all perfection and contentment which men imagine in the things of it, will have a period; for, dayes do, at laſt, come to the laſt day. 10. Whatever believers finde in Chriſt within time, yet their eyes are chiefly fixed upon eternity, and upon the expectation of ſettled happineſſe there; Therefore do they need to have a promiſe concerning the laſt day ſo often repeated unto them. 11. Such as are brought to Chriſt by the Father, he will never abandon them till he have raiſed them up at the laſt day, and preſented them blameleſſe and compleat before the Father, that they may forever be with him; for, ſaith he, and I will raiſe him up at the laſt day.