Exposition of John 17, Exposition · Part 56
JOHN 17.25.
But I have known thee, and theſe have known, &c.
AND thus of what our Saviour ſpeaks againſt the world, Oh Righteous Father, the world hath not known thee.
Proceed we to know what he ſpeaks for himſelf and true believers, But I have known thee, and theſe have known that thou haſt ſent me.
There is no difficulty in the terms requiring any tedious explication. I have known thee, ſaith our Saviour to the Father: though the world be ſtrangers to thee, yet I am very well acquainted with thee, I know thee inwardly: And my Diſciples here have known that thou haſt ſent me. They have been throughly perſwaded that I am a meſſenger ſent forth from thee, to manifeſt thy nature and thy will to them, which I have done accordingly: I have declared to them thy name, So they have known thee by my means.
So that the ſpecial thing to be obſerved here (my brethren,) is the order in which the knowledge of the Father is diſpenſed. Firſt Chriſt the Mediator knows him, he is acquainted with him in the firſt place: I know thee, ſaith our Saviour here; And then Believers are acquainted with him by the means of Chriſt; And theſe have known that thou haſt ſent me, and I have declared unto them thy name. The Obſervation then is this.
DOCTRINE. That Jeſus Chriſt, and he alone knows God immediately, and others know him by the means of Chriſt.
All ſaving knowledge of the Father comes out by Jeſus Chriſt to his people Chriſt knows him firſt, and then we know him in the ſecond place by him. No man hath ſeen God at any time, John 1.18. What then? is he not to be ſeen or known at all by any means? Yes, though he be not to be ſeen or known by us immediately in himſelf, yet mediately in and by the Son he may be known: for he hath manifeſted and revealed him to us. No man hath ſeen God at any time. The only begotten Son which is in the boſome of the Father, he hath declared him. Indeed it was the buſineſs for which our Saviour came into this lower world, to bring God down to us, that we might be acquainted with him. Ye neither know me nor my Father, ſaith our Saviour to the Jews, John 8.19. If ye had known me, ye ſhould have known my Father alſo. q. d. I would have brought you to the knowledge of my Father. And as the Book in Apoc. 5.9. had ſtill remained a ſealed Book, unleſs the Lamb had opened it: ſo God had ſtill remained a concealed God: he had never been diſcovered and manifeſted to us in a ſaving way, unleſs the Son himſelf had done it. So that the Point is plain you ſee, That Jeſus Chriſt, and he alone knows God immediately, and others know him by the means of Chriſt.
And therefore in the firſt place, this may ſerve for information, to let Ʋſe 1 us ſee, that no man can be ſaved by his own innate knowledge, nor by the light that is naturally in him, let him uſe it how he will, or how he can; There hath been an opinion vented up and down of late, that any man that walks according to his principles, according to the imbred light he hath, let this light be what it will, and of what kind it will, he may attain to happineſs and glory in the end: And ſo by conſequence, that Pagans and Mahometans, and Infidels of any ſort, may be ſaved if they pleaſe. All men have light enough (ſay they) if they improve and uſe it as they ought to do, to bring them to be atitude: whereas indeed no man hath light enough to bring him ſavingly to know God. Jeſus Chriſt and he alone knows God immediately, and others know him by the means of Chriſt: So that unleſs he ſhew the Father to us, unleſs he undertake himſelf to teach us and inſtruct us, we muſt continue ignorant of God, and ſo there is no other way but we muſt periſh and be loſt for ever.
Is it ſo that Jeſus Chriſt and he alone knows God immediately, and Ʋſe 2 others know him by the means of Chriſt? You ſee, my brethren, then, what courſe you are to take, if you deſire to know God, to be acquainted with the Father: You muſt go to Jeſus Chriſt for information, and uſe his help in this buſineſs. If you ever ſee God, if you ever come to have the ſaving knowledge of his name, believe it, Jeſus Chriſt muſt manifeſt it and declare it to you. If he conceal the Father from you, nay if he do not ſhew him to you, you can never come to know him. All other means that you can uſe, ſearching in the Book of the Creatures, yea in the book of the Scriptures, hearing, reading, meditation will be unavailable, unleſs Chriſt ſtrike in with them: When you have done your utmoſt, you will die in ignorance of God, and ſo be loſt to all eternity. And therefore I beſeech you my Beloved, betake your ſelves to Jeſus Chriſt the great Prophet of the Church, be his Diſciples, learn of him. Tell him that he knows the Father, as he profeſſeth in my Text, and ſo beſeech him earneſtly to make him known to you, that you may alſo be acquainted with him. Pray him as Philip doth, Joh. 14.8. Lord, ſhew us the Father and it ſufficeth us.
And thus far we have ſeen to whom our Saviour ſpeaks, and what he ſpeaks. In the firſt place againſt the world, and in the ſecond place for himſelf and true believers; Oh righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and theſe have known that thou haſt ſent me. They have been throughly perſwaded that I am a Meſſenger, and an Embaſſador ſent forth from thee, to manifeſt thy Nature, and thy Will to them.
Now in the following verſe he comes to ſhew that he hath been, and will be faithful in the delivery of the meſſage which his Father ſent him in, together with the reaſon of it. Firſt, he declares that he hath been, and will be faithful in the delivery of the meſſage which his Father ſent him in; I have declared unto them thy Name, and will declare it. Secondly, he ſhews the reaſon of it, why he hath been, and will be ſo; That the love wherewith thou haſt loved me, may be in them, and I in them.
Begin we with the firſt of theſe, in which our Saviour ſhews; Firſt That he hath been faithful; then that he will be faithful as the Meſſenger of God. Firſt that he hath been faithful; I have declared unto them thy Name; But this is for the ſenſe, and almoſt for the words, the very ſame that he had ſaid before in the 6. verſe of this Chapter. There it is foreign, and here it is foreign, and ſo accordingly there it is rendred I have manifeſted thy Name, here I have declared thy Name. The phraſe is varyed, but the ſenſe is one. And therefore I ſhall wholly wave it here, and paſs from that which Chriſt hath done, to that which he will further do, of which he makes no mention in the former verſe; I have declared unto them thy Name, and will declare it.
Whether this reſolution of our Saviour to make a further declaration of his Fathers Name, relate to his Apoſtles and Diſciples then about him only: or elſe to ſuch as ſhould believe in after times to the end of the world, is all the difficulty in the words; whether his meaning be, I have declared unto them thy Name, to thoſe Apoſtles and Diſciples, preſent with me, and will declare it: that is, I will declare it further to them, to the very ſame men: Or whether it be rather this, I have declared unto them thy Name, to them that are now about me; and will declare it unto others, that in after ages ſhall come in to me. I have declared it unto theſe by my own immediate voyce, and will declare it unto others, by them and their ſucceſſors to the end of the world.
As for my own part, I ſee no reaſon why either of theſe Expoſitions ſhould be laid aſide, ſeeing both of them agree with the Analogy of Faith, and with the ſcope and ſeries of the Text. And ſince it is moſt conſonant to the accompliſhment and execution of the Prophetical office of Chriſt, to be continually teaching thoſe that are beſtowed upon him by the Father, in all Ages, Teaching them further whom he hath begun to teach, and teaching other men anew, to the end of the world.
But you will interpoſe and ask me, Queſt. How can this be meant of the Apoſtles and Diſciples then about our Saviour, in the ſenſe before expreſſed? I have declared unto them thy Name, and will declare it further to them, ſince we have underſtood the firſt words of a full diſcovery. If when our Saviour ſaith, I have declared unto them thy Name, his meaning be, I have declared it fully to them, (as I have formerly explained it,) how can he add, I will declare it further to them?
Very well, if things be rightly and diſtinctly underſtood. Anſw. In the firſt place our Saviour ſaith, I have declared thee fully and compleatly to them, as to all things neceſſary to be known of thee, neceſsitate medii, to ſalvation. And here he adds I will declare thee further to them, as to many other things that are yet concealed from them. I have declared thee fully to them as to the foundation, or to the fundamental knowledge of thee: I will declare thee further to them, as to the ſuperſtructure upon that foundation. I have declared thee fully to them, as to what I am my ſelf to teach them with my own immediate voyce before my paſſion. I will declare thee further to them after my reſurrection (when he continued forty days diſcourſing with them) and further after my Aſcenſion, when I will ſend down my Spirit to them, to teach them all things, and to lead them into all truth: So then the point to be obſerved is this:
DOCTRINE. They that have the Name of God, his Nature, and his Will, ſavingly declared to them, have yet defects and imperfections in their knowledge of him, ſo that they ſtand in need of further Declaration.
The Name of God was ſo far manifeſted and declared to theſe Apoſtles and Diſciples as was neceſſary to ſalvation. So far our Saviour had fully and compleatly made it known to them, he had concealed nothing from them of his Fathers Name, in the ignorance of which whoſoever dies muſt periſh: For they were in the ſtate of grace, and of ſalvation, when he ſpake thoſe words, I have declared unto them thy Name. And yet he addeth preſently (you ſee) I will declare it, I will make further declarations and diſcoveries of thy Name to them. And ſo accordingly he did aſſoon as he was riſen from the dead, He ſhewed himſelf alive to them, being ſeen of them forty days together, Act. 1.3. And what did he in that time? Why he inſtructed them in things concerning God, and his Kingdom, as you may ſee in that place. And when he was aſcended into Heaven, he was mindful of his promiſe, which he had often made to them, and ſo accordingly diſpatched the Holy Spirit down among them to lead them further onward in the knowledge of the Father.
Indeed the beſt are Novices in this regard, they have not yet attained to a perfect man in point of holy and divine knowledge, as Epheſ. 4.13. It is true, there is a great deal of variety among the Saints, aſwell in this as other graces, according to the meaſure of the gift of Chriſt, Epheſ. 4.7. But in the beſt it is a meaſure, and no more; it is not fulneſs and perfection. He that hath moſt of God revealed to him, yet knows him but in part; and he that hath the cleareſt ſight of him, ſees him but darkly in a glaſs, as 1 Cor. 13.12. And therefore this is called the ſeeing of the back parts of the Lord; as when we ſee the back parts of a man, we know him but by gueſs only: we know him not ſo perfectly and ſo diſtinctly as when we come to ſee his face. Such a ſight of God it is that we attain in this world. And therefore the Apoſtle Paul, who in this point of holy and divine knowledge was not behind the very chiefeſt Apoſtles, who had his Raptures and his Extaſies, and who was taken up into the third Heaven, and had ſuch things revealed to him as were not to be uttered by the tongue of man, profeſſeth notwithſtanding that he had not yet attained, nor was he yet perfect, But, ſaith he, I follow after, that I may apprehend, Phil. 3.12. So that he was Viator, and not Comprehenſor; he was in the condition that the people were, Hoſ. 6.3. he followed on to know the Lord. The people of Coloſs were eminent for grace and knowledge, and yet for them it is the Apoſtle prays, That they might increaſe in the knowledg of God, Col. 1.10. So that the point is plain, as you ſee; They that have the Name of God, his Nature and his Will ſavingly, &c.
Object. But you will interpoſe, and ſay perhaps, That it ſhould ſeem by ſome expreſsions in the Scriptures, that God hath been revealed fully to ſome certain men in this life, as to Jacob for an inſtance, Gen. 32.30. and to Moſes, Numb. 12.8. With him will I ſpeak ſaith God, mouth to mouth, even apparently, not in dark ſpeeches; and the ſimilitude of the Lord ſhall he behold.
Sol.But this, my Brethren, muſt be underſtood comparatively of the more clear and full diſcovery of the Lord to Jacob and to Moſes, then to many other men; but as for the perfect ſight and knowledge of him, this was not imparted, neither to Jacob nor to Moſes; and for the latter, God himſelf affirms expreſly, Thou ſhalt not ſee my face, ſaith he to Moſes, Exod. 33.10. that is the fulneſs of my glory; for none ſhall ſee my face and live; That is reſerved to the ſtate of glory, when we ſhall ſee God face to face, as the Scripture phraſe is; when we ſhall know as we are known; And this is that which Schoolmen call the beatifical viſion, wherein conſiſts the main of our beatitude hereafter, as Matth. 5.8. Bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God: He doth not ſay, they do ſee him, but they ſhall ſee God; which the Apoſtle makes the great ingredient in the happineſs and glory prepared for the Saints at the time of Chriſts appearing, 1 Joh. 3.2. We know that when we ſhall appear, he ſhall be like him, and we ſhall ſee him as he is; Now we ſee him as we may; then we ſhall ſee him as he is.
But why have they who have the Name of God ſavingly declared to them, defects and imperfections in their knowledge? Why doth not Jeſus Chriſt in whom are hidden all the treaſures of wiſdom and knowledge, and that for the accommodation of his members, furniſh and ſupply them? Why doth he not aſſoon as he begins to teach them, declare all his Fathers Name to them, but keeps back ſomething ſtill, for further diſcovery? There are two ſpecial reaſons of it, to name no more at this time.
Chriſt doth not ſhew them all at once, becauſe they are not capable of it: A ſcholar is not capable of all he is to learn at firſt daſh. He cannot take in all at once, even in his firſt leſſon; and hence his Maſter leads him onward by degrees: firſt gives him eaſier, and after brings him on to harder Leſſons: Even ſo doth Jeſus Chriſt with his ſcholars; he goes along with every one as he can learn, as he is able to receive it in. He doth not ſhew them all his Fathers glory at a clap, for that he knows would dazle them, and over-whelm them; but lets in now a little light upon them, and then a little more, as he perceives their ſenſes to be exerciſed: Inſtils into their minds and underſtandings the knowledge of his Father by degrees; and as by learning their capacities are widened, ſo he goes on to further diſcoveries. This courſe he took with the Apoſtles; what they were able to receive he taught them out of hand, but reſerved other things, as you may ſee, Joh. 16.12. I have many things to ſay unto you, but you cannot bear them now; I am to ſay them, but you cannot bear them now, and therefore I will take ſome other time to reveal thoſe things to you.
Chriſt doth not ſhew them all at once, that he may keep his Saints humble. As long as there is fleſh and nature in us, (as there will be while we remain in this world) high meaſures and degrees of knowledge may exalt us, and lift us up above our ſelves: And therefore Jeſus Chriſt in love and wiſdom uſes to beſtow upon his people ſo much knowledge as he ſees fit for them. A little more, it may be, would undo them: They would ſet their hearts it may be as the heart of God himſelf: They would be as Gods knowing good and evil: Shrewd fellows in their own conceits, none to be compared with them. In which reſpect he dealeth with us as God with Jacob; he gave him a gift, but left behind him a lameneſs withall that accompanyed the gift: So Chriſt beſtows upon us ſome degrees of knowledge, but leaves withal ſome imperfections and defects, that we may be kept humble, and that we may not ſwell with ſelf-attributions.
Now to deſcend to Application: In the firſt place, let it have the ſame Uſe 1 effect in every one of us, who find our ſelves inclinable to be conceited of our knowledge, and to deſpiſe our fellow brethren, who are not, as we apprehend, ſo far enlightned as our ſelves. Admit that we know more of God then many others do, that we can fathom deeper into thoſe holy myſteries, what reaſon have we to be proud? You hear that they who have the Name of God ſavingly, &c. Shall that we have received, lift us up? and ſhall not that in which we are defective, caſt us down? Have we not far greater cauſe to be abaſed in the contemplation of the one, then to be exalted in the contemplation of the other? Indeed if we were abſolute in this reſpect, and if (as the Apoſtle ſpeaks) we underſtood all myſteries, and all knowledge, there were ſome colour then, though yet no juſt occaſion to be proud. But now it is the greateſt folly in the world to ſtrout and brave it in a back half naked, and half covered with borrowed feathers.
Well then my Brethren, let us do as the Apoſtle did in this caſe: Let us forget the things that are behind, and look on to the things that are before us: Let us conſider with our ſelves how ſhort we fall, and how far we are to ſeek in main things concerning God, which we are bound to know: How ignorant we are, how ill we have improved our time and means; and if this do not take us down, how juſtly may we periſh in our pride?
Uſe 2 And as this doctrine ſerves to humble and abaſe the proud, ſo to revive and cheer the humble. Alas ſaith the diſtreſſed Chriſtian, how ignorant am I of God, his nature and his will? How little do I underſtand of his name? Though I have been a long time in the School of Chriſt, and have had abundant means, how little have I learned? what ſmall progreſs have I made? how far ſhort do I fall of many others? Oh the blindneſs of my mind, the darkneſs of my underſtanding to this day! I am afraid that I am none of thoſe whom Chriſt teaches.
Why, thou haſt heard, that they that have the Name of God declared to them, have yet defects and imperfections in their knowledge: So that however thou art much to ſeek in many things, and thou art exceedingly defective in thy knowledge, thou mayſt be ſavingly enlightned notwithſtanding: And to uphold thy heart in this particular, conſider
It a ſign the little knowledge which thou haſt is right and ſound, becauſe it humbles thee, and makes thee ſenſible of thy defects. This is the nature of the ſaving knowledge of the name of God, it is an humbling and an abaſing knowledg. Indeed, my brethren, carnal knowledge puffeth up, it makes men ſwell and ſtrut, and ſwagger, and ſo accordingly to ſlight their meaner brethren. Like the high-minded Phariſees, This people which knoweth not the Law is accurſed; Alas they are a company of ſots to us, they know nothing. But ſaving knowledge makes man humble, more humble then he was before he had it. They that are endued with it, thought better of themſelves before Converſion, before they had one glimpſe of this enlightning, then now they do.
And hence you ſhall obſerve in Scripture, that they that have excelled moſt in knowledge, have had loweſt apprehenſions of themſelves. None have complained ſo much of their corruption, blindneſs, ignorance as they have done. Agur was an exceeding wiſe and knowing man, yet he profeſſeth that he had not the knowledge of a man in him. He doth not ſay that he had not the knowledge of a Saint in him, but he had not the knowledge of a man in him; he was a beaſt in regard of underſtanding. And holy David though eminent in this regard, yet was not puffed up, Pſal. 131.1. No, he bewayls his ignorance exceedingly, and ſaith he was in this reſpect as a beaſt before God, Pſal. 73.22. And moſt remarkable is that of Job, Job 42.5, 6. Heretofore I heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; I have had in former times a dark remote confuſed knowledge of thee; I ſaw thee at a diſtance, as it were a great way off; but now I have a clearer and diſtincter knowledge of thee; and what was the event and iſſue of it? Now I abhor my ſelf in duſt and aſhes. So that if the degrees of knowledge which thou haſt (be they great or be they ſmall) do humble thee, and make thee little in thine own eyes, it is a comfortable evidence that it is ſound.
Whatſoever thy degrees of knowledge be, conſider they are ſuch as Jeſus Chriſt in love and wiſdom hath allotted to thee. To every one (yea to him that hath the leaſt) is given grace according to the meaſure of the gift of Chriſt, Epheſ. 4.7. as he is pleaſed to diſtribute and proportion. The body myſtical is ordered ſo, that every member hath a fit ſhare: To ſome he gives out greater meaſures and degrees of knowledge, the eminency of their ſtation calls for it; to thee perhaps he hath communicated leſs, becauſe he ſees that leſs will be ſufficient for thee: From whom the whole body according to the effectual working in the meaſure of every part, maketh encreaſe, Epheſ. 4.16. Obſerve it well, my brethren, every member hath his meaſure. The leg, the arm, the little finger, are not all alike, but all according to their meaſure, and ſo there is a decent and due proportion.
The time is drawing on a pace, when theſe defects and imperfections in thy knowledge, under which thou groaneſt, ſhall be all ſupplyed; when the darkneſs of thy mind, the blindneſs of thy underſtanding ſhall be fully done away. That which is perfect is to come, though it be not yet come, 1 Cor. 13.10. when we ſhall clearly underſtand thoſe myſteries which Angels pryed into, but could not fathom; even when we ſhall be raviſhed from our ſelves, in ſweeteſt contemplations of the glorious Godhead: when, as our Saviour tells us, we ſhall ſee God, and ſee him face to face, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks; Now we ſee him in a glaſs, but then face to face; 1 Cor. 13.12. now we know God in part only, then we ſhall know as we are known; Now we ſee his back parts only, but then we ſhall behold (as far as finite creatures may be capable) the fulneſs of his glory.
Conſider that the glorious recompence which is to be diſpenſed in the day of retribution, ſhall be proportioned not to our knowledge, but our practice and obedience. God will not have reſpect ſo much to what you know of him, as to what you do for him: He will give to every man (not according to his knowledge, but) according to his works: To them who by patient continuance in well doing, ſeek glory and honor, and immortality, ſaith the Apoſtle; Rom. 2.7. (To them who do, and do well, and continue doing well, and patiently continue doing well, yea though they ſuffer evill for well doing) the Lord will render eternal life.