Exposition of John 17, Exposition · Part 10
John 17.2.
That he ſhould give eternal life.
DOCTRINE. The life which Jeſus Chriſt beſtows upon his people is eternal.
SO it is ſtiled in my text: you ſee that he ſhould give eternal life to as many as God hath given him. Such is the life which Chriſt gives: it is a Laſting and enduring life, a life that is above the power of death, that is uncapable of diſſolution. The life of nature as you know, and ſee my brethren, is a periſhable life. It is obnoxious to decay, it may be cut off in the twinkling of an eye, and we are gone. But now this life of Chriſt, the life of grace is the beginning of the life of glory, and therefore is an endleſs life, as the Apoſtles phraſe is, Heb. 7.16. And as the ſeed by which this life is generated in a man, is incorruptible ſeed, as you may ſee, 1 Pet. 1.23. even ſo the life it ſelf which is generated by it, is incorruptible too. It may be ſaid of every Saint who hath received life from Chriſt, and who is raiſed by him from the death of ſin, as it is ſaid of Chriſt himſelf, Rom. 6.9. Being raiſed from the dead, he dies no more, death hath no more dominion over him. He hath eternal life abiding in him as our Saviour ſpeaks, John 6.54. He doth not ſay that he ſhall have it, but that he hath it in him, even in this preſent world, a Life that is eternal and that is abiding in him.
So that the point is plain you ſee, The life which Jeſus Chriſt beſtows upon his people, is eternal.
To cleer it yet a little further to you, my beloved, no life can end in death, or come to diſſolution, and deſtruction, but one of theſe two ways, viz. either by ſome inward principles of frailty in it ſelf, or elſe by ſome outward force that overcomes it, and prevails againſt it. If it be deſtroyed by death, it muſt be either by a natural, or a violent death. Now the life of Jeſus Chriſt which he beſtows upon his people, is utterly uncapable of diſſolution either way, and conſequently is an everlaſting life, as I ſhall ſhew you briefly and in order.
Firſt, the life which Jeſus Chriſt beſtows upon his people, hath no principles of frailty, and diſſolution in it ſelf, it hath no ſeeds of mortality in it. It comes from Chriſt not only as the giver of it, but alſo from him as the fountain of it; with him is the fountain of Life, as the Prophet David ſpeaks, Pſal. 33.9. And the Rivulets and ſtreams are alwayes of the ſelf ſame nature with the fountain. And conſequently if the life that is in Chriſt, be laſting and enduring, as it is, the life that is from Chriſt, is ſo too. If it be not periſhable in the ſpring, aſſuredly it is not periſhable in the ſtream. This life of grace, my brethren, is communicated and derived from Chriſt the root, to us the branches, from him the head to us the members; and if it fail not in the head, and in the root, how ſhould it fail in the members and the Branches. Indeed my brethren if the life of grace were radically and originally in our ſelves, and from our ſelves, it muſt have principles of diſſolution in it. For what that is in us, and comes from us, can be eternal in its own nature? But our life is in Chriſt, and comes from Chriſt, it is hid with Chriſt in God, as the Apoſtle Paul ſpeaks, Col. 3.4. and therefore certainly it is in this reſpect like him from whom it comes. We ſtand not now upon our own bottoms, as Adam did it in Paradiſe; no we are branches of ſuch a Vine as never withers, & we are members of ſuch a head as never dies. So that undoubtedly, the life of Jeſus in us, although it be not priviledged from abatements and temptations, yet it hath nothing in it that tends to utter diſſolution.
Secondly, the life which Jeſus Chriſt beſtows upon his people, as it hath no inward principles of diſſolution in it ſelf, ſo neither is there any outward force that can prevail againſt it to deſtroy it, Chriſt will preſerve and maintain it in us, in ſpite of any oppoſition. The world may ſet upon us, and endeavour to extinguiſh this life of holineſs and grace in us, ſhe may aſſault us with her violent tentations every way, with promiſes, and ſweet inſinuations on the one ſide, with threats and bloody perſecutions on the other; But this we may relie upon, the world ſhall never overcome us, for Chriſt hath overcome the world. And we muſt know, that Chriſt hath overcome the world, not for himſelf alone, but for his members. And as he overcame it for us, ſo he doth overcome it in us too, by his grace, as the Apoſtle intimates, 1 John 5.5. This is the victory that overcomes the world even your faith.
The Devil is a far more ſubtile and pernitious adverſary then the world, but yet he cannot overthrow this life of grace, in any of the Saints. The gates of Hell cannot ſo far prevail againſt them. The Serpent can but bruiſe the heel of Chriſt, and thoſe that appertain to Chriſt, he cannot touch the head or breaſt, he cannot wound us in the vital parts, or take away our life from us.
The fleſh is the worſt enemy of all in this reſpect, becauſe it is an inward Enemy, and a mortal enemy. Either that muſt die or we, as the Apoſtle Paul inſinuates, Rom. 8.13. But here's our Comfort now, the the fleſh ſhall die, and we ſhall live; Chriſt will deſtroy the fleſh in us, and he will put the Spirit into us, and maintain the Spirit in us. And by this Spirit we ſhall live, and this life ſhall be eternal, We ſhall of the Spirit reap life everlaſting, Gal. 6.8.
So that the point you ſee is fully cleered, The life which Jeſus Chriſt beſtowes, &c.
For firſt it hath no inward principles of frailty in it ſelf; And ſecondly there is no outward force that can prevail againſt it to deſtroy it.
But here it may be you will interpoſe thoſe words of the Apoſtle Jude, in the 12th. v. of his Epiſtle, where he ſpeaks of ſome Revolters who were twice dead, for that is his expreſſion there; they are trees whoſe fruit withereth, Object. twice dead plucked up by the roots. And how were they twice dead? They were not dead at all in regard of their outward and natural life, for they were then alive, and working miſchief in the Church; and therefore out of queſtion, his intention muſt be this, Firſt they were dead in treſpaſſes and ſins. Then for a while in ſome reſpect or ſence, they lived the life of Grace. And afterwards they died again, and ſo they were twice dead, and how then is the Doctrine true, The life which Chriſt, &c.
For reſolution of the Scruple, you muſt know my brethren, that a man may live the life of grace, either in deed and truth, or elſe in ſhew and appearance only. The Church of Sardis lived in ſhew, ſhe had a name, Anſw. (our Saviour tells her) that ſhe was alive, but ſhe was dead, Rev. 3.1. There was but a name of life, ſhe had a name that ſhe did live, but there was the reality of Death, ſhe was dead. Now they that live in name only, who have the ſhew and the appearance of the life of Chriſt, may die in ſhew and in appearance too. And therefore the Apoſtle ſpeaking according to the common apprehenſion, and conceit of men, ſaith they were twice dead. Once indeed and really, before they gave ſo much as any outward evidence of life. And then again in ſhew, and in appearance, when they loſt that life of grace, which both to others and themſelves they ſeemed to enjoy.
Now is it ſo, that the life which Jeſus Chriſt, &c. This then ſhould ſtay Ʋſe 1 us and ſupport us, againſt the fear of thoſe tentations which threaten us with the deſtruction of the life of grace. It is a great affliction to the Saints, ſometimes when they are mightily aſſaulted by Satan, and their own corruptions, and even ready to be overcome, they cry out with relation to their ſpiritual, as Job with reſpect to his natural life, What is my ſtrength that I ſhould hope? What grace have I, that I ſhould hold out againſt ſuch violent Encounters as theſe are? How ſhould I hope to live, when my life is thus aſſaulted with ſuch fiery darts without, with ſuch diſtempers, noxious humours, and ſuch luſts within? Oh but remember, my beloved, Chriſt gives eternal life to his people, a life that is not ſubject to deſtruction, either by inward weakneſs, or outward violence: If ever once you have it from him, you can never loſe it. He that once lives the life of Chriſt, can never die, death hath no more dominion over him.
Is it ſo, my brethren, that the life of, &c. This then may clear and Ʋſe 2 comfort us againſt the frailty and diſſolution of the life of nature. It's true, my brethren, that is ſubject to decay, it is a periſhable life, but this is an eternal life; That may and will be loſt indeed, but this endures to all eternity. And why then are we ſo afraid of death? why doth it terrifie us and affright us ſo? when it hath done its utmoſt, we ſhall live for ever. Why are we grieved and troubled when they die the death of nature, who have the life of Chriſt in them? Truly my brethren, we may ſay of ſuch as our Saviour of the Damſell, they are not dead. As Chriſt to Martha, when ſhe bewailed the loſs of her dear brother Lazarus, John 11.26. Whoſoever liveth and believeth in me ſhall never die; He ſhall never die the death that overthrows the life of Chriſt, the life of Grace; for ſo you muſt conceive him there in that place; q. d. Lazarus is a believer, and therefore whatſoever thou maiſt apprehend, he is not dead. He is not dead in reference to that which is a Chriſtians life indeed; no true believer is capable of dying ſo; whoſoever liveth and believeth in me can never die.
It's true my brethren, ſuch may loſe the life of nature, but that alas is but an image, and a ſhadow and a ſhew of life. The life of grace and holineſs is life indeed; he that liveth in ſin is dead while he lives; he that lives in holineſs is alive when he dies: and if the life of nature be not worth the name of life, then certainly the death that overthrows no other but the life of nature, deſerveth not the name of death. And hence the death of true believers, which ſtrips them only of the life which ſtands in union of the body and the ſoul together, and not of that which ſtands in union of them both to Chriſt, is ſtiled a reſt, a ſleep, in Scripture, not a death. They only die indeed which go down quick to hell as the prophet David ſpeaks, who are caſt into the lake of fire and brimſtone, which is the ſecond death, who after many pangs and tortures ſuffered in the ſeparation of the body from the ſoul, are ſeparated everlaſtingly from the preſence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.
Is it ſo that the life which Jeſus Chriſt, &c. Oh how doth it concern Ʋſe 3 us then my brethren, not to ſatisfie our ſelves with the frail life of nature, which may expire upon a ſuddain, and let us ſink into Eternal death; but to make out after the life of Jeſus Chriſt, the life of grace which is above the reach and power of death, which will not fail us but endure for ever? We all have ſparks of immortality within us, and we have thoughts aſpiring to Eternity, we would not die if we could chooſe. Oh let us labour then, my brethren, for the life of grace, and this is an eternal life. The life of nature is a fading thing, it may be gone upon a ſuddain. And it is a ſad and dreadfull thing for an eternal ſoul, to have nothing elſe between it and eternal woe and torture but ſuch a fickle and periſhable life, which the next minute may be done, and let him drop away to hell for ever. Oh how ſuddainly may ſuch periſh, and come to a fearful End! but if we live the life of Chriſt, that is a laſting and abiding life. And though the natural life decay, and though the body die and rot, and turn to duſt and putrefaction, yet this will flouriſh and grow ſtronger ſtill, till it be perfected and made conſummate in the life of glory. And why then are our labours and endeavours wholly ſpent to nouriſh and maintain this tranſitory life, with things that periſh in the uſing, which yet when all is done will fail, and come to diſſolution, but never ſtrive for the attainment of that life which is eternal? It is a lamentable thing, my brethren, that the divine intentions of eternal minds ſhould be laid out on nothing elſe but periſhable things. Now that you may attain this laſting and enduring life of grace, I ſhall but give you two or three directions.
Firſt, You muſt ſtrive for ſaving knowledge and ſeek to get your minds enlightned with the beams of truth. The life of holineſs and grace conſiſts in light. And hence ſaith the Evangeliſt, that light, viz. the light of ſaving knowledge from the ſon of God revealed and manifeſted in the Goſpel, was the life of men, Iohn 1.4. And in the words immediately adjoyned to my text, that he may give eternal life, &c. and this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God, and Jeſus Chriſt whom thou haſt ſent. Its true indeed there may be light of knowledge without any life of grace: But there can never be the life of grace without the light of holy knowledge: And therefore the Apoſtle ſpeaking of the Gentiles, ſaith, they were ſtrangers from the life of God: they lived the life of men, but they were ſtrangers from the life of God, the life of grace, by reaſon of the ignorance and darkneſs that was in them. And ſurely, if we ever look to riſe up from our graves of ſin, and ſtand up from the dead, we muſt have light from Jeſus Chriſt, as the Apoſtle Paul inſinuates, Eph. 5.11.
Secondly, You muſt endeavour after faith, which is the inſtrument and means of life, by which it is conveyed from Chriſt to all his members. And therefore we ſhall find that faith and life, believing and living are joyned together, the one as the fruit and effect of the other. Whoſoever liveth and believeth in me, ſaith our Saviour, Ioh. 11.26. (id eſt) Whoſoever liveth by believing in me ſhall never die. He that believeth in him that ſent me, hath eternal life, ſaith Chriſt, Iohn 5.24. and ſhall not come to condemnation, but is paſſed from death to life. Theſe things are written that ye might believe that Ieſus Chriſt is the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life, Joh. 20. ult. I live ſaith the Apoſtle Paul, and yet, &c. and the life which I live I live by the faith of the Son of God. So that the grace of faith you ſee my brethren, is the inſtrument of life, it is the bond of union between Chriſt and all his members, it is the Artery by which his Spirit is conveyed into us. And therefore if you ever look to live, you muſt labour after faith.
Thirdly, that you may attain to ſaving knowledge and to juſtifying faith, and conſequently to this life of Chriſt, you muſt attend upon the voice of Chriſt, in the preaching of the Goſpel. For that is an effectuall means when God is pleaſed to concurr, to raiſe men from the death of ſin, and to make them live to God. And this is clearly intimated to us by our Saviour Chriſt himſelf, John 5.25. The hour cometh, ſaith Chriſt there, when the dead (the dead in ſin) ſhall hear the voice of the Son of God, (conceive it in the powerful preaching of the Goſpel) and they that hear it ſhall live. And hence the word of Chriſt is called the word of life. You ſee then what you are to do; I ſay to you, my Brethren, as the Prophet to the Jews, Iſa. 55.3. Hear with an obedient ear, a flexible and yielding heart, hear and your ſouls ſhall live.
And thus far of the thing to be diſpenced by vertue of the power and the authority of Jeſus Chriſt with which he is inveſted by the Father; And this as you have heard is life, yea it is Eternal life.
The manner or the way of diſpenſation comes next in order to be handled; it is to be diſpenced as a gift, in the nature of a gift, in a way of free donation, that he ſhould give Eternal life.
Not that he ſhould communicate it, or confer it only, but foreign, that he ſhould give. So that you ſee, my Brethren, all is free both on the Fathers ſide, and on the Sons. The Father he is free to him, that he may be free to others. The Father gives him power, that he may give his people life. As thou haſt given him power over all fleſh, that he ſhould give eternal life to as many as thou haſt given him.
There is no difficulty in the terms, the point is obvious.
DOCTRINE. That Jeſus Chriſt doth freely give eternal life to his people: They have it from him as a free gift.
He doth not ſell, they do not buy it, or if they do, it is as his own offer is, without money, and without price. They have it from him out of bounty, and not out of merit or deſert: As a gift, and not a purchaſe; or if a purchaſe, as his purchaſe, not their own. It is our Saviours own expreſſion with reference to his people, John 10.28. I give unto them eternal life, and they ſhall never periſh, neither ſhall any man pluck them out of my hand. And therefore it is called a Gift; and Chriſt is made the next and the immediate Donor and Diſpencer of it, Rom. 6.23. foreign, The gift of God is eternal life, through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. And the Antitheſis between this latter and the former parcell of the verſe, is very much to be obſerved, as being pertinent to our purpoſe. The wages of ſin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. As if in other words our Apoſtle ſhould have ſaid, Its true indeed, Death is the Conſequent of ſin, and life Eternal is the Conſequent of holineſs, and of obedience. But mark it well, not upon the ſame terms. Death follows ſin as the deſerved ſtipend, and the wages of it: A man earneth death by ſin; as a work-man earns his wages by his labour. But life Eternal doth not follow holineſs in ſuch a way; it is not merited by our obedience, as death is by our diſobedience: and therefore this is a gratuity, a gift, though that be wages. The wages of ſin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.
And in another place, our laſt tranſlation ſpeaketh it a free gift, Rom. 5.18. The free gift came upon all men (all that are Chriſts members, or upon all men univerſally, if you reſpect the tender of it) the free gift came upon all men to juſtification of life. With which accordeth that which goes immediately before, they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteouſneſs, ſhall ragn in life by one, and that is Chriſt. I ſhall cloſe up the proofs with our Saviours proclamation, Apoc. 21.6. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and I will give to him that is athirſt of the fountain of the water of life freely; if any be athirſt, if he have vehement and ſtrong deſires, he ſhall have life, and he ſhall have it from the fountain. I will beſtow it on him, and I will do it freely too. I will give him of the water of life freely.
So that the point is plain you ſee, That Jeſus Chriſt doth freely give Eternal life.
Now that you may the better ſee the freeneſs of this gift of his, and that it is beſtowed upon his people without the leaſt deſert of theirs, I ſhall lay it open to you in a few particulars; Jeſus Chriſt muſt needs be free in giving life to his members, becauſe on their parts, it is firſt unbought, and ſecondly unſought, nay thirdly unthought. They do not purchaſe it, or buy it of him; nay nor ſo much as ſeek it or deſire it of him; nay nor ſo much as think of having ſuch a mercy from him: And therefore it muſt needs be abſolutely free in all reſpects, it muſt come from him as a free gift.
Firſt, Jeſus Chriſt muſt needs be free in giving life to his people, becauſe it is by them unbought. Life is not their purchaſe, and therefore it is his gift. True, it is bought by Chriſt for us, but it is not bought of Chriſt by us. For let us ſeriouſly conſider with our ſelves, What could we give or do to procure this life from Chriſt? We are not able to redeem our natural life, which yet is in compariſon of no value, nor pay a ranſom to the Lord for it. It is too great a price for us to pay, and therefore it muſt ceaſe for ever, as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks. And how much leſs then are we able to redeem our ſpiritual life, which is infinitely precious, when we are under the Condemnatory ſentence of the Law, when we are dead in treſpaſſes and ſin, both with relation to the raign and to the guilt, when we are ſubject every moment to be caſt into the lake that burns with fire and brimſtone, which is the ſecond death; what can we give now to obtain our pardon? we cannot purchaſe it; and therfore certainly we have it freely.
Indeed Chriſt buyes a pardon for us, becauſe we cannot buy it for our ſelves. He gives his blood and life for us, that he may give life to us. And therefore he is called our life, to ſhew that he is all in all in that buſineſs. And when we firſt receive his quickning grace, we are deſcribed to be in ſuch a caſe, that there is nothing upon our parts to procure it, as you may ſee, Ezek. 16.5, 6. Caſt out into the open fields, to the loathing of our perſons, polluted, in our own blood, and weltering in our own gore. And then, yea then he gives life to us. It is repeated twice in that place, as a remarkable & choice thing, that we may take eſpecial notice of it. I ſaid unto thee when thou waſt in thy blood live, yea I ſaid unto thee when thou waſt in thy blood live. As if he ſhould have thus expreſſed himſelf, Obſerve it well, I gave thee life at ſuch a time when there was nothing in thee to deſerve it at my hands, when one would even have loathed to touch thee, or to meedle with thee: when thou hadſt nothing elſe but blood and gore to give me, then did I breath this life into thee; So that you ſee Chriſt freely gives this life to his people, in this reſpect, that it is by them unbought.
And as it is by them unbought, ſo it is by them unſought.
As they do not purchaſe it and buy it of him, ſo neither do they ſeek it, or deſire it of him. As they do not pay for it, ſo neither do they pray for it. We count a thing is very free, if we have it for the asking. If it be but ask and have, its a very cheap bargain. The life of Chriſt is yet more free then this comes to: to all his members he gives it them before they ask it. He is found in this reſpect of them that ſeek him not, and ask not for him; as the Prophet ſpeaks, Iſa. 65.1. It is the diſpoſition of us all by nature, we will not come to Chriſt, that we may have life from him, as he himſelf complaineth, John 5.40. and therefore he is fain to draw us. Did Lazarus when he lay dead and ſtinking in his grave, addreſs himſelf to Chriſt, beſeeching him to raiſe him up? No more do any that are dead in ſin No, Chriſt is fain to ſeek them out, to come to the grave himſelf, and there to call them to come forth, and to put life into them, that they may anſwer that call; he is forced to do all. Did the loſt ſheep ſeek the Shepherd? Did the loſt groat ſeek the Owner? When Adam being falen had brought himſelf into a ſtate of death and condemnation, did he ſeek God, or did God ſeek him? Did he call God, or did God call him? You ſee the offer was on Gods part, not on his. And ſo if Chriſt ſhould leave us in a ſtate of death, till we ſue to him for life, we ſhould die eternally. But he preventeth us with mercy, and with loving kindneſs. And he commands the bleſſing, even life for evermore, as the Prophet David ſpeaks, Pſal. 133.3. They do not beg it and entreate it, but he commands it. So that you ſee Chriſt freely gives this life to his people, in this reſpect, that it is by them unſought.
And as it is by them unbought and unſought, ſo it is by them unthought.
They are ſo far from ſeeking it, that they do not once ſo much as think upon it. It comes not once into their heads that they are dead in treſpaſſes and ſins; That there is life in Jeſus Chriſt; that he is ready to beſtow it, and to give it out to loſt creatures. When he breaths this life of grace into any of his people, it is as much unthought of to them, as Sauls Crown was to him, when he ſought his Fathers Aſſes. What can a dead man plod and ſtudy of a reſurrection? Doth he lie in his grave expecting when he ſhall be quickened, and looking when he ſhall be raiſed up? What did the Diſciples think of their Converſion till Chriſt called them? Matthew was in the midſt of his Extortion, Peter was buſie at his trade, when Chriſt inſpired the quickning life of grace into them. Little did either of them think that life and mercy was ſo near to them. And thus he deals in this reſpect with all his people. So that which way ſoever we conſider it or look upon it, Jeſus Chriſt doth freely give Eternal life to his people, they have it from him, &c.
Ʋſe 1 Now to deſcend to Application; Is it ſo that Jeſus Chriſt doth freely give, &c.
This then may be a great encouragement for every one of us to come to Jeſus Chriſt for life. It is confeſſed that he hath enough in him; but yet if he were loth to ſpare it, if he did very hardly part from it, if he did not give but ſell it, and ſell it at a dear rate, it could not but exceeingly diſhearten thoſe that want it, and have no means to get it, nor any thing to give for it. But now conſider for your comfort and ſupport, that Jeſus Chriſt is appointed by his Father, and inclined of himſelf to give Eternal life to his people. He doth not deal with it as a commodity which he means to gain by, but as a favour which he is willing graciouſly to beſtow upon a company of loſt creatures. He ſtands and cries, He every one that thirſteth, come and drink of the water of life freely; I ask you not a penny for it, come and buy without money and without price; Now I beſeech you, my Beloved, ſet your hearts to this buſineſs; conſider ſeriouſly what you have to do; I ſay to you as Iacob to his ſons, when they were about to ſtarve, when they were about to die with famine, Gen. 42.1. Why do you look one upon another? Why do you die and periſh in your ſins, when there is life enough in Jeſus Chriſt, and where it is ſo eaſily to be obtained from him?
Oh you will ſay, we are unworthy to have life from Chriſt; who are we that Chriſt ſhould look upon ſuch dead dogs as we are! Ah, but remember he doth not bargain for it, he doth not ſell it, but beſtows it freely. He gives it out to thoſe ſometimes who leaſt deſerve it, he looks for nothing in, or from you, but the receiving of it at his hands. Why then will you ſtand off when he calls? Why will you refuſe life when Chriſt offers, and when he offers it ſo freely? Why will you give the Lord of life occaſion to complain, as Iohn 5.40. You will not come to me that you may have life, you will not come when you may have it for the fetching.
Why you will ſay, perhaps, you cannot come; True, I confeſs you cannot in your natural eſtate; but yet the greateſt matter is, you will not come. And this appears, becauſe you do not many of you what you can, and what is in your power to do. You do not wait upon the word of life, the word by which he worketh life in his people, but ſhamefully neglect it many of you, when the word is nigh you, when it is juſt without your doors. Chriſt ſpeaks in life unto the ſouls of men, the words that he ſpeaks are life, as 'tis hiw own expreſſion, and you will not hearken to them that your ſouls may live, Iohn 6.63. you do not yield your ſelves up to the operation of the words of Chriſt. When he begins to ſtir you, you reſiſt the work of it. When it begins to quicken you, and raiſe you up, you cloſe your eyes, and lie down in your graves of ſin again. Now, I beſeech you, Brethren, when you feel a little ſtirring, a little quickning by the word, O let this word of life have a perfect work upon you. When life is offered in the Goſpel, do not put it from you, and judge your ſelves unworthy of Eternal life, leaſt Chriſt ſay to you in diſpleaſure, Nay, if you will not live, then die for me, and die for ever. And if you will not riſe out of your graves, there lye, and rott, and ſtink for me, till you be raiſed to receive your laſt doom, and to be caſt into the Lake that burns with fire and brimſtone, which is the ſecond death.
Is it ſo, that Ieſus Chriſt doth freely give, &c. This then may ſerve us Ʋſe 2 as an Antidote againſt the fear of loſing the life which we receive from Chriſt, and that upon a double ground. For
Firſt, if Jeſus Chriſt give it, he himſelf will not withdraw it, but continue and increaſe it. He doth not uſe to give a thing and take a thing; no my Beloved, his gifts and callings are without repentance. Its true, that the duration of this life depends upon continual animation and ſupply from Chriſt. If once the vital influence which we have from him be interrupted and with-held, we are ſurely dead men. But wherefore ſhould we doubt that he will fail to animate us, or that he will with-hold the influences of this life from us? Nothing without himſelf did induce him firſt to give it. And therefore on the ſelf-ſame ground, he will uphold it and maintain it. He gave it freely, and therefore certainly he will continue it as freely too. Yea he will be ſo far from leſſening and extinguiſhing this life of his, in any of his Saints, that he will encreaſe it ſtill. As it ſhall be a laſting and enduring, ſo it ſhall be a growing and encreaſing life. This was the end of his coming, as his own expreſſion is, Ioh. 10.10. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. If they have a little more, they ſhall not have leſs, but more. Chriſt gives his people the fountain of life, Apoc. 21.6. not the ſtream only, but the fountain too. The ſtream may fail, but the fountain cannot fail. At leaſt the ſtream might fail, but that it is continually fed and nouriſhed by the fountain.
Secondly, if Chriſt give his people life, as he himſelf will not withdraw it, ſo he will not ſuffer it to be deſtroyed by any other. He will undoubtedly maintain his own act, his own gift, againſt the power of hell itſelf. Depend upon it, you that have received life from Chriſt, the ſecond death ſhall have no power upon you. It may aſſault you and attempt you, but it ſhall not overcome you. I give my ſheep eternal life, ſaith Chriſt, Iohn 10.28. and what follows? Why as I give it, ſo I will maintain it too; I will make good this gift of mine, againſt the greateſt oppoſition. And therefore it is added preſently, and they ſhall never periſh, neither ſhall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Is it ſo, that Chriſt Ieſus doth freely give, &c. the greater thankfulneſs Ʋſe 3 is due to him from all that have received this life from him. If he had ſold it, our gratitude had been prevented. If we had purchaſed it, or deſerved it, we might have thanked our ſelves, and not Chriſt. For who will give another thanks for that which he paid for? But now the buſineſs is contrived and managed ſo that Chriſt may have much praiſe and much glory. If he give you life, do you give him thanks, expreſſed by holineſs and by obedience. Leſs then this you cannot tender, and more then this Chriſt doth not expect from you.