Exposition of John 17, Exposition · Part 3
John 17.1.
Father the hour is come.
Uſe. 2 IS God the Father of the Lord Chriſt? And conſequently Chriſt the Son of God the Father?
Why then I ſay, as the Apoſtle, He is the Lord of all, Gal. 4.1. He is not a ſervant in the houſe, but a Son over the houſe, Heb. 3.6. And therefore he muſt be obeyed, and ſerved, according to the Pſalmiſts Exhortation, Pſal. 2.11. Serve the Lord. Well then, my brethren, let us think of this, and let us hearken to that Counſel and advice of Chriſt himſelf, Take my yoke, my ſervice on you. Brethren let me engage you all this day for this Lord, and his ſervice, let me perſwade you to receive him for the Lord your righteouſneſs. Not to call him Lord only, but to take him for your Lord, and to uſe him as your Lord, and to yield him all that ſervice and obedience which the name calls for.
Ah, my Beloved, let us not do in this regard as the greater part of Chriſtians in name and in profeſſion do. Let us not wear the badge and cognizance of Jeſus Chriſt, and ſay, he is our Lord and Maſter, and the like; and in the mean time never do his will, nor take any pains at all in his ſervice: For this is but to deal with Chriſt as the perfidious Jews did, to put a purple robe upon him, and to bow down before him, and to call him, Hail Maſter, and in the ſelf-ſame breath to buffet him, and ſpit upon him. But as we call him Lord, ſo let us carry and demean our ſelves towards him as our Lord and Maſter, and let us yield to him that obedience which is due to him.
And to this end, let us conſider what engagements lye upon us to draw us, and to hold us to the ſervice of this Lord: which I ſhall briefly lay before you as motives to perſwade.
The firſt is an Engagement of Creation, he is the image of the inviſible God, ſaith the Apoſtle, Col. 1.15. The firſt born of every creature, that is, the Lord of every creature, for the firſt born is Lord of all. And why the Lord of every creature? You have the reaſon in the following words, For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth. All things were made by him, and therefore it is fit that all ſhould ſerve him. Nay, my Beloved, they were not made by him only, but they were made for him too, as it is added there in that place; all things were created by him, and for him. By his power, and for his uſe. And therefore if we be not uſeful to him, if we do not ſerve him, we croſs the very end of our creation. The brutiſh, and unreaſonable creatures ſerve him in their kind and meaſure, and therefore David ſaith, that all things ſerve him. But we are bound to ſerve him much more, becauſe in our Creation we received more from him. He made us Lords of all his creatures, …at we might have no Lord but him. He made the whole creation to be ſerviceable to us, that we might be the more engaged, and the better able to be ſerviceable to himſelf; that we might ſerve him for it all, that we might ſerve him with it all. He put all things under us, and truly we are bound the more (my Brethren) to be under him, and ſubject to him; he made us men, he gave us reaſon, which he gave not to other creatures; the greater reaſon have we to obey him, and to improve our parts and gifts in his ſervice. Indeed we cannot choſe but ſee that it is all the reaſon of the world, that as we have all from him, ſo we ſhould uſe all for him.
The next is an engagement of Redemption which binds us to the ſervice of the Lord. As he is the Lord that made us, ſo he is the Lord that bought us, as the Apoſtles phraſe is, 2 Pet. 2.1. He purchaſed us (my Brethren) us I mean, that are his own, at a very dear rate, and therefore it is juſt that we ſhould ſerve him; eſpecially ſince it is evident that this was his intention in his purchaſe. He bought us out of Sins and Satans hands, not that we might be abſolutely free from all commands, but that we might be his ſervants. He gave himſelf for us, ſaith the Apoſtle Paul, Tit. 2.14. that was the purchaſe that he made, a very dear one you will ſay: He gave himſelf for us: to what end? that he might reedeem us from all iniquity, from the dominion and power of ſin. And what now, are we maſterleſs? And are the reins upon our own necks? Now mark what follows preſently, And purifie us a peculiar people himſelf; a people to himſelf to ſerve him, and to do his work, and to be very earneſt in it too; and purifie to himſelf a peculiar people Zealous of good works; And ſo being free from ſin, we are not left at large (my Brethren) but we became the ſervants of Chriſt, Rom. 6 22. This was the End that he intended and propounded to himſelf in our Redemption; he dyed for us, that we which live, ſhould henceforth live no longer to our ſelves, but to him that dyed for us, 2 Cor. 5.15. He hath performed the mercy promiſed, he hath remembred, &c. he hath ſaved us from, &c. Luke 1.74. What, that we might from henceforth be our own men, and live at liberty, and walk according to our own wills? Oh no (my Brethren) but on the other ſide, that we might ſerve him, who hath ſaved us, in holineſs and righteouſneſs all the daies of our lives.
The third is an Engagement of Covenant-obligation; we are his Covenant ſervants, and therefore we are bound to ſerve him; if we run away from him, we are Covenant-breakers with him. Indeed we that are born of thoſe that are in Covenant with him, are born his Covenant-ſervants in a ſenſe: For ſuch as the condition of the Parent is, (Beloved) ſuch is the condition of the child, as to outward priviledge, and as to outward duty too. And hence it is perhaps that David ſaith to God, Pſalm 116.16. O Lord, ſaith he, I am thy ſervant. My ſervant, might the Lord reply, Why how ſo? why ſaith the Pſalmiſt, I am the ſon of thy hand-maid. So we whoſe parents were within the Covenant, were born to Chriſt in ſome reſpect, for we were born within his family, and ſo (to outward view and cognizance) belong to his houſhold.
But this is but an outward thing, ſome of us have gone further yet, and made a Covenant with the Lord to ſerve him, we were in Covenant all of us with ſin by nature, and ſo with death and hell we were at an agreement too. But ſome of us have utterly diſſolved that Covenant, and entred into Covenant with the Lord Chriſt. We are bound, let us obey, now we have made this Covenant with him, we are the more engaged to ſerve him, and the greater is our ſin if we run away from him.
Uſe 3 Is God the Father of our Lord Chriſt? The greater is his love to us, that he ſhould give Chriſt for us. If he had given but a ſervant, or a friend, it had been much that he ſhould part with either of them for an enemy; but that he ſhould give us his ſon, his own begotten ſon, to ſhame, to puniſhment, to death for us; here is love, and here is mercy with a witneſs.
The Evangeliſt (me thinks) knows not which way to expreſs it, and therefore leaves it to the largeſt heart, and the vaſteſt underſtanding to gueſs at it, John 3.16. God ſo loved the world. So, how? I cannot tell you, it ſwallows up my apprehenſions and expreſſions: And therefore I muſt leave it to your ſelves to think of it, and reach after it.
And truly (my Beloved) did we weigh it well in our adviſed and deliberate thoughts, we ſhould be carried out beyond our ſelves in an Extaſie of wonder. What (my Beloved,) that when the Father had but one begotten Son by nature, and one that was ſo well like him, the very picture of his Father, &c. one whom he loved dearly, in whom his very ſoul delighted, that he ſhould give him forth out of his boſom for ſuch wretches as we are? That he could not ſpare his Son, that he might ſpare his Enemies; behold what love the Father hath declared in this! Here is love to be ſpoken of, and to be wondred at in all ages. And thus far of the uſes of the former member of the point. Proceed we now to make ſome application of the latter.
Uſe. 1 Is it ſo (my Brethren) that as God is the Father of the Lord Chriſt; So Chriſt did apprehend him as a Father, and look upon him as a Father when, &c. Then let us alſo apprehend him ſo, and look upon him ſo, who are the ſons of God in Chriſt, when we come to God in prayer: Let us preſent our ſupplications to him under the notion of a Father, as Chriſt did; Chriſt is in this reſpect our Pattern and Example, whom we ought to follow. We are required, you know, to be followers of Chriſt, viz. in all his imitable actions, and this is one of thoſe actions. We ought to walk as he walked, and to pray as he prayed. And therefore as his manner was to pray to God himſelf in this language, to come to God as to a Father: So he hath taught us alſo ſo to pray in the very ſame language, to come to God as to a Father, as he did, Mat. 6.9. After this manner pray ye, Our Father which art in heaven. So that we have in this, you ſee, the Precept and Example of the Lord Chriſt; his Precept in the cited place, and his Example in my Text. And therefore let us learn this leſſon of him, ſince he is pleaſed to teach us both waies, both by Precept and Example. When we are making our addreſſes to the Lord in prayer, let us endeavour to apply unto our ſelves the love and father-hood of God in Jeſus Chriſt. Let us not ſatisfie our ſelves with a general perſwaſion that he is a gracious Father to all his ſons and daughters in the Lord Chriſt. But let us ſtrive for a diſtinct and a particular aſſurance that he is our own Father, that he is ſo to us in ſpecial, and that we are among the number of his children. That we may look upon him ſo, and confidently call him ſo, when we are pouring out our prayers to him, and ſo expect the love and mercy of a Father from him.
And to this very End, as the Apoſtle tells us, The Spirit of the Son is ſent abroad into our hearts. To what End? Why, to make us cry Abba Father, Gal. 4.6. That is to make us pray to God, as to a Father, while others come to God as to a ſtranger, with whom they have no acquaintance, and to whom they have no relation. So that you ſee, we have not only the Precept of Chriſt, and the Example of Chriſt, but we have alſo the Spirit of Chriſt, that we may pray in this manner: And therefore in this Faith and confidence, the Saints of God have prayed in Scripture. So did the Church, as you may ſee, Iſa. 63.16. Doubtleſs, ſay they, thou art our Father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Iſrael acknowledge us not, thou art our Father. It is repeated twice you ſee, and bound with an aſſeveration too, to ſhew the ſtrength and certainty of their aſſurance: And in the ſame perſwaſion we find them praying in the following Chapter, in Verſ. 8. But now Oh Lord thou art our Father, we are the clay, and thou the Potter, we are the work of thy hands: And in the ſame aſſurance alſo let us pray, when we are making our addreſſes to the throne of grace, let us apply our ſelves to God as to a Father. The benefit and profit of it will be very great, as I ſhall repreſent it to you in a few particulars, which you may look upon as Motives to perſwade.
This aſſurance will make us bold and confident in our approaches to the throne of grace, it will make us come to God full of holy reſolutions, whereas if we be deſtitute of this perſwaſion when we are drawing nigh to God, and know not whether we may call him father, yea or no, we ſhall be fearful to approach his preſence, we ſhall make but faint prayers. And therefore the Apoſtle tells us, that by faith in Chriſt, in whom alone God is a Father to his children, that is by this aſſurance that he is ſo to us in ſpecial; we have boldneſs, we have acceſs with confidence to God, Eph. 3.11. And this was that which heartened up the Prodigal, and filled his languiſhing and fainting heart with reſolution, I will ariſe (ſaid he) and go to my Father: he had been long debating, it ſhould ſeem, and ruminating on the buſineſs in his wavering thoughts: His late miſcarriages, no queſtion, were a great diſheartening to him, ſo that he knew not what to do. But at laſt he comes to this, I will ariſe and go to my Father; he is my Father, and I am his own Son, and there is pitty and compaſſion in a Father to a Son, at leaſt to a returning Son, though an unworthy one, as I have been: And therefore let my faults, and my diſcouragements be what they will, I will ariſe, and go to him: And truly while we apprehend the Lord to be a Judge, and not a Father; or if a Father, not to us, but other men, we find but ſmall encouragement to come to him. But when we look upon him as a Father, yea, as our Father, in the Lord Chriſt, this makes us come with boldneſs to him. This cauſes us to delight in the Almighty, and not to look divertedly, but to lift up our face to God, as Job ſpeaks.
As this aſſurance will make us bold and confident, ſo it will make us earneſt and importunate with God; It will enable us to pray and not to faint. When we conſider, we are dealing with a Father, we ſhall hang about him; when he ſeems to throw us off, we ſhall tug, and wreſtle with him, we ſhall take no denyal from him. Oh Lord thou art our Father, we pray thee hear us, pitty us, relieve us, for we are thine own children. A man is never earneſt and importunate with one, of whoſe affections he hath no perſwaſion, and they that have not this aſſurance, preſent but cold and ſpiritleſs petitions and requeſts to God. But they that look upon him as a Father, as one that hath ſo near relation, and ſuch dear affection to them, as one whoſe bowels of compaſſion yern towards them in their miſeries and wants, they will keep no ſilence, they will give him no reſt, till he have anſwered them in mercy, till he have given them the deſire of their hearts.
This aſſurance will make us hopefull of audience, and ſucceſs with God. Can a woman forget her child, and not have compaſsion on the Son of her womb? ſaith the Prophet, Iſa. 99.65. Can ſhe deny him when he begs and hangs about her? It is poſſible ſhe may; there may be ſuch a mother in the world, but God is no ſuch Father. No, he hath infinitely more compaſsion on his children. Oh what a matchleſs and unconquerable ground of hope is here, to thoſe that have this ſweet aſſurance that God is their Father! What man is there, who if his ſon asketh bread (ſaith Chriſt) will give him a ſtone, or if he ask a fiſh will give him a Serpent? though the poor child perhaps cannot diſtinguiſh the one from the other: If ye then being evil; know how to give good things unto your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him?
And laſtly, this aſſurance will hold us up with matchleſs comfort reſpectively to the defects and imperfections of our prayers. Suppoſe your little tender child ſhould come to any of you that are Fathers, with a liſping ſtammering tongue, moaning for ſomething that he longs to have, would you look angrily upon him, would you chide, and rate him off, and ſend the harmleſs infant crying from your preſence? Conſult with your own hearts and bowels; could you do it? and is not God as pittiful to his, as you are to your children? Alas, he is as tenderly affected to them, that he ſees not their defects, ſo as to ſlight them, and reject them, or their weak endeavours for them. No, as a Father pitties his Children, ſo the Lord pittieth them that fear him, Pſal. 103.13. They are without blame before him in love, Epheſ. 1.4. Though they have many failings, yet he doth not blame them; ſo great is his love to them, when they look upon their prayers, and find this fault, and that fault, (as truly they have cauſe enough) the comfort is, that God finds no fault; he ſaith that it is well done. And thus he dealt with holy David, as himſelf obſerveth, Pſalm 77.2, 3. He was in ſuch diſtreſs, that he was troubled to remember God; his very heart was overwhelmed within him: a poor prayer you may think that any man could make in ſuch a caſe as that was: And yet that very prayer found acceptance with the Lord; as he ſhews in that place, I cried unto the Lord (ſaith he) in the firſt ver. of that Pſalm; and mark what follows, he gave ear to me. And thus when we do bungle at his ſervice, the Lord is apt to take it in good part, if we do but what we can; and that becauſe he is our Father; which if it be conſidered, cannot chooſe but be a very great encouragement and comfort to us. But you will interpoſe and ſay, perhaps here is encouragement indeed, and pretious comfort, if we can come to God in prayer with this aſſurance, that he is our Father: but how ſhall we attain to this aſſurance? What are the evidences that we may relye upon in this particular, which if we find them in our ſelves, we may be confident to ſpeak to God as to a father; we may be bold to cry Abba Father to him?
I ſhall lay down a few, and make them as diſtinguiſhing, and clear as I am able, to help you in this great buſineſs.
If God be your Father, and you be his children, you are very much like him, you reſemble God your Father; Jeſus Chriſt his eldeſt ſon is the very picture of him, as we are wont to ſay, the expreſs of his fathers perſon. They are ſo like in all reſpects, that he that knoweth one of them, cannot but know the other too. The reſemblance is ſo perfect and ſo abſolute in all reſpects, that in ſeeing one of them, you ſee the other. And hence ſaid Chriſt to Philip, John 14 19. He that hath ſeen me, hath ſeen the Father alſo.
And truly we that are the younger ſons of God, though we be not ſo like him, yet we are very much like him. And therefore we are ſaid to be renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created us, Col. 3.10. And the new man is ſaid to be renewed after God in holineſs, Epheſ. 4.24.
And are you thus conformed to God? do you bear his Image? ſo that every one that ſees you, and obſerves you, may judge who is your father: Are you holy as God is? and are you mercifull as God is? and are you perfect in deſire, and endeavour, as your Father that is in Heaven is perfect? do you love your enemies? do you bleſs them that curſe you? and pray for them that deſpitefully uſe you? that you may ſhew your ſelves to be the children of your Father, who makes his Sun to ſhine, his rain to fall upon the evil and the good, Mat. 5.44. are you freely merciful, lending and doing good to thoſe where there is nothing to be hoped for, but unkindneſs for your good will? that you may make it to appear you are the children of the higheſt, who is kind to the unthankfull and unkinde, Luk. 6.35. Theſe are good evidences of your intereſt in the Father-hood of God. But if you be prophane, and vicious, and cruel, and unmerciful, as the greater number are; I may ſay to ſuch as you are, as once our Saviour to the wicked Jews, You are of your Father the Devil, and his works you do.
If God be your Father, as you bear your Fathers Image, ſee you have your Fathers Spirit. The Spirit of the Father, is that which the Apoſtle calls the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father, Rom. 8.15. So that if we be Sons, we have this Spirit poured out upon us.
But you will ſay, that every one almoſt pretendeth to the Spirit; and it is evident that many are deceived in this particular. How ſhall we know infallibly, whether the ſpirit which we think we have, be the ſpirit of the Father, yea, or no? Why (my beloved) the Spirit of the Father i… an active Spirit, where it is, it leadeth men even where it will, it carries them, and guides them in its own way.
And as many as are led by this Spirit, they are Sons of God, Rom. 8.14. Well then, thus far we are clear, if we be the Sons of God, as we have his ſpirit, ſo we are led by his Spirit; we walk not after the fleſh, but after the ſpirit. The fleſh calls, and the ſpirit calls, This is the way, walk in it. The fleſh would have us follow it, the ſpirit would have us follow it. And the event is this, if we be the Sons of God; we leave the fleſh, and go after Gods Spirit: We walk not after, &c. So then, if you would know whether you be the Sons of God, examine whether you be guided by his ſpirit, yea, or no?
And this may be diſcovered by the courſe you take, and by the path in which you walk. Gods Spirit guides and leads you always in the way of God, which is preſcribed and chalked out before you in the word of God. And this is clearly and expreſly taught us, in that alledgement of the Covenant mentioned, Exod. 36.27. I will put my Spirit upon you, ſaith the Lord to his people. And what ſhall this Spirit do? it ſhall cauſe you to walk in my Statutes, and to keep my Commandments, and do them. It ſhall not give you new directions; it ſhall not ſhew you new ways, and new paths, other then thoſe which are beaten out in Scripture, but it ſhall cauſe you to walk in my Statutes. If then you err, and wander from the ways of Gods Statutes, and walk on in your own ways, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh of the Gentiles: the way of your own hearts, which of your ſelves you chooſe and follow; your ways of drunkenneſs▪ uncleanneſs, prophanation of Gods holy day, &c. if you walk in the way of Cain, a way of cruelty and malice, and run greedily after the error of Balaam for a reward, as Jude ſpeaks, ver. 11. A way of covetouſneſs and unlawfull gain you are not guided by the Spirit of the Father, but by the ſpirit of the wicked one, which ruleth in the children of diſobedience.
But if you keep the ways of God, the ways of truth, and love, and holineſs, and peace; the way that is ſo evilly ſpoken of by lewd, prophane and vitious men; And are no ſooner ſwerved from it in the leaſt degree, but you are crying to the Lord with Moſes, Lord ſhew us thy way: with David, I am gone aſtray, Lord ſeek thy ſervant; enquiring of your brethren to direct you, and ſtriving to get in again; you are guided by the ſpirit of your father, and may be confident that you are the ſons of God.
If God be your Father, and you be his children, you are a company of ſingular and choice people: As you are like your Father, and conſequently like your brethren too: ſo you are unlike other men: you dwell alone, and are not like to other people. And as the ſons of Kings and Nobles, differ from the ſons of other men, they have another kinde of garb, and habit, and behaviour: Even ſo the Sons of God, the King of Kings, do manifeſtly differ from the children of the world. The Lord hath ſingled them, and drawn them out, and put them in another way; ſo that they are men of wonder in the world, their ways are of another faſhion. And this declareth them to be the children of the High God; he owns them only upon this condition, as you may ſee, 2 Cor. 6.17, 18. Come out (ſaith God) and be ye ſeparate, and I will be a father to you, and you ſhall be my ſons and daughters, ſaith the Lord God almighty.
Now (my beloved) are you thus come out and ſeparated from the world? which lies in wickedneſs, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks; have you left your old haunts, your old courſes, your old Companions and Aſſociates with whom you ran out formerly to the ſame exceſs of riot? are you accounted gazing ſtocks, and wonders to the world, becauſe you are ſo different from them in all your ways? And can you ſay in the uprightneſs of your hearts, that this your ſingular and holy walking, is not in ſhew, and in hypocriſie, but in ſincerity, and truth? you may aſſure your ſelves, you are the ſons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty.
But if you walk according to the courſe and faſhion of the world, if you be carried down the ſtream with the times, and with the places where you live; if you have fellowſhip with the unfruitfull works of darkneſs, hear what the Apoſtle ſays, 1 John 3.10. you have diſcovered whoſe you are, and to whom you appertain. By this the children of God are manifeſt, and the ch…ldren of the Devil. He that doth not righteouſneſs is not of God: he is none of Gods children.
If God be your Father, and you be his children: you have a dear affection to thoſe who are his children, as your ſelves are. There is a tender Love, a ſweet agreement between you and your fellow brethren. If any difference fall out, then ſay as Abraham once to Lot, Let there be no ſtrife between us, for we are brethren, Gen. 13.18. Let brotherly love continue, Hebr. 1.12. And the defect of this affection, on the other ſide, is an apparent evidence of non-adoption, as you may ſee, 1. Joh. 3.10. he that doth not righteouſneſs is not of God (ſaith the Apoſtle) the meaning is, he is not the childe of God, and he that loveth not his brother: what think we then of thoſe, whoſe ſons are they, who hate and trouble and diſquiet thoſe, who are indeed the Sons of God, and work them all the woe and miſchief they can, and that becauſe they are ſo like God, becauſe they bear the image of God, and the clear impreſſions of his Holineſs upon them? If they will know their pedegree, they are the Children of the Devil; they are the ſeed of the old Serpent, between whom and the womans ſeed, the Lord hath put an unreconcileable and Endleſs Enmity and Oppoſition. And therefore let not ſuch (while they continue in this way of oppoſition to the Saints) preſume to come to God, and call him Father. For if they do, they fall into the ſin of Ananias in another way, Acts 5.4. they lye to God. And they have cauſe to fear that he will even ſtrike them dead before him.
But if you find within you working and warm affections to your fellow-brethren, if your hearts be mightily and vehemently carried out to ſuch, and that becauſe you ſee the Image of your Father ſhining in them, and even as God is, even ſuch are they in this world; They are ſo like him whom you love tranſcendently, and incomparably more then all the world beſides, that you cannot chooſe but love them, and affect them dearly too, for his ſake, and in reference to him: So that your delight is in them, yea all your delight is in them: You find no pleaſure, or complacency in any other Company but ſuch as theirs is: I ſay (my brethren) if you love them thus, and upon this account, it is a comfortable ſign that God is a Father to you, and you may look upon him as a Father, when you are making your petitions to him.