Instructions About Right Believing, Sermon · Part 1
FIRST, The Deſcription of Chriſt; which is Metaphorically; The Bread of Life.
DOCTRINE. Doctrine.
CHRIST is the BREAD of LIFE.
Opened by anſwering divers Queſtions.This is oft repeated in this Chapter: And for opē ing of which. Conſider theſe Queſtions.
Queſtion. 1 Firſt, What is ment, By Bread of Life.
Anſwer. I Anſwer; whatever is needfull, & ſufficient, to bring People out of that Miſery they are in by Sinne, to that Happynes they loſt in Adam: A Sufficiency of Meanes. To Free from Miſery, And Bring to Happynes: As is more fully expreſt (though in other Metaphors) In Verſes 53, 54. of this Chapter; Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man, and drinke his blood, ye have no life in you &c. And therefore Chriſt culls out a Metaphor, that is one of the cheife to ſupport Mans mortall Life; Viz: Bread; And therefore adds this Epithite; Of Life, That as Bread is ſpecially uſefull for our Life; So is Chriſt for the Spirituall & Eternall Life; The Bread of Life, That is the Remedy of Mans miſery, in which he is by Nature & Sinne.
Queſtion. 2 Secondly, Whether this be proper to Chriſt, Or common with him to ſome other?
Anſwer. I Anſwer it is proper to Him; Nothing elſe, nether in whole, nor in part, hath any ſhare in it (except as his Inſtruments) Theſe Words [I am the Bread of Life] are not onelyonly declarative of what He is, but impropriative, and reſtraining this, to Him onelyonly; This is the meaning; That He, and He onelyonly is the Bread of Life: Therefore, that Verſe. 53. Except ye eate Him ye have noe Life; Therefore, He onelyonly, is the Bread of Life. And Gen: 3. 15. The ſeede of the Woman (that is Chriſt) ſhall breake the Serpents head; That is, recover Man out of Miſery; God never promiſed it ſhould be, but OnelyOnly by Him, Therefore by Him onelyonly it ſhall be; And ſo much is expreſt by that, Iohn. 6. 67. 68. Ieſus ſaid unto the twelue, will ye alſo goe away? Then Simon Peter anſwered him Lord, to whome ſhall we goe? Thou haſt the Words of Eternall Life; If Eternall Life could have been had by any other, then they might have gone away frō Chriſt; that reaſō had not been ſtrong; And this is expreſſe by that, Acts. 4 12. Neither is there Salvation in any other: For there is none other Name under Heaven given among men, whereby we muſt be ſaved. As the Iſraelites in the Willdernes had noe helpe from the deadly ſtings of fiery Serpents, but by the Braſen Serpent.
Queſtion. 3 Thirdly, By what Meanes; Chriſt comes to be bread of Life.
I Anſwer, by His Incarnation, and all that He did & ſuffered, till He ſate downe at Gods right hād in Glory: All this, was for the fiting & making Him bread of Life; How Chriſt comes to be Bread of Life.as Chriſt came into the World for this end, to become Bread of Life; So all He did & ſuffered, in comming into, and being in, the World, till He was tranſlated out of it, and ſet downe in Glory, was for this end. As:
1. His Incarnation, or joyning together of both Natures, the Divine & Humane, in One Perſon was for to make him fit to be this Bread of Life; Therefore Chriſt, being about to ſhew Nicodemus, that Eternall Life might be had by Him, Iohn. 3. 15. That is, that He was the bread of Life; He firſt ſhewes him his Incarnation, & double Nature; Verſe 14. That as Moſes lifted up the Serpent in the Wildernes: Even ſo muſt the Sonne of man be lifted up: For as Bread is not made of one ſingle ſubſtance, but of ſeverall, joyned together; So Chriſt, the Bread of Life; the Man-hood of Chriſt, could not be effectuall to bring us to Life; without the God-head; being neither of Power enough to ſtand under, and come forth, frō that Wrath it muſt undergoe; Nor of Vertue enough to make its Actions & Suffrings of infinite worth without which an infinite debt could not be paid; And the God-head, though in it Selfe its a Fountaine of Life, & very Communicative, being infinitely Good, Yet by Sinne; Its ſealed up, and becomes terrible & a conſuming fire, So that It Conveyes nothing but Wrath & Deſtruction; But the Man-hood, makes it an Open Fountaine, ſatisfying & appeaſing of It Heb. 10. 19. to 23. Thus; Chriſts Incarnation & Union of two Natures, Viz: The God-head & Man-hood in One Perſon; prepares and fits Him to be Bread of Life. And:
Secondly, His naturall Infirmities, & outward Meaneſſe, and all His Sufferings, were to fit Him for this; As Corne, is threſhed, ground, baked in the Oven, before it makes Bread. Col. 1. 14. 21 22. Theſe, appeaſed Gods Wrath, and ſatisfied His Iuſtice, for our Sinnes, by which, we were Condemned:
And ſo, His Obedience & Fulfilling of the Law; This prepared a Robe to cover us, by vertue of which, Wee might appeare ſpotles in Gods ſight, Rev 19. 8. And:
Thirdly, His Reſurrection, was alſo to fit Him to be Bread of Life; 1. Cor. 15. 17 And if Christ be not raiſed, your faith is vaine, ye are yet in your ſinnes. As Bread comes out of the Oven in which it is baked, Or elſe cannot preſerve our Life. And:
Fourthly, His Aſcenſion & ſiting downe in Heaven, was alſo to fit Him to be Bread of Life; This indeed was the laſt preparative Thing he did, and but an Introduction, or letting Him into that place & Condition, wherein He might doe the Worke of Bread of Life, who was now by former things, made fully, Compleate Bread of Life: Yet this alſo was done as a Concurrence to His being Bread of Life; For before He could be given as Bread, and worke as Bread, He muſt be aſcended Heaven and ſet downe there; Therefore he ſaith He muſt aſcend That the Spirit might come, Iohn. 16. 7. And Ehp. 4. 8. Aſcending up He gave Gifts unto Men; As Bread, deſcends into the Stomack and ſo ſends vertue & ſtrength into the Body, before it can nouriſh & preſerve Life.
Thus ye ſee, how Chriſt comes to be Bread of Life; And how many Things were to be done, to fit Him: And though before he dyed; He ſaid all was finished; He meanes not every thing, (for then why dyed he) But all that was to be done, before He gave up the Ghoſt; And therefore he proceeded to doe that, And therefore, None but He can be it, becauſe none elſe Two Things to be gathered.have, nor can have all theſe neceſſary Quallifications. And hence ye may farther gather Two Things.
1. When Chriſt is actually The bread of Life; namely in his ſtate of Glory, then, when he is exalted & at Gods right Hand; All the tyme & ſtate of his Humiliation was to fitt & prepare him to be bread of Life, Heb. 7. 25. 26. Now he is made higher then the Heavens, he is able to ſave to the uttermoſt; And Iohn. 14. 19. Now he lives (Viz: that glorious Life in Heaven) they ſhall live. And whereas He gave Life to many, before he had done theſe things (namely, to all Beleevers before he came) yet it was by vertue of all theſe, done in Gods account (becauſe ſurely to be done) and in Gods ſight to whome all things to come, aſwell as paſt, are preſent; Acts. 15. 18. Knowne unto God are all his Workes from the beginning of the World. Rev. 13. 8. The Lambe ſlaine from the foundation of the World. And:
2. Ye may hence gather; what in Chriſt, Is the Bread of Life; Or how Chriſt muſt be conſidered & applyed for Bread: Namely thus; The Man-hood of Chriſt, furniſhed with all that which it hath Done & Suffred, & conſequently out of Merrit received as into a ſtore houſe; Is the bread of Life; Therefore he ſaith His Flesh is meate & his Blood is drinke indeed Iohn. 6: 35. It is true; that the Man-hood ſingly conſidered without Perſonall Union with the God head, is not This bread of Life (for then it is not of vertue enough, as ye heard before) But, the Man-hood, as it is in Perſonall Union with the God-head; and ſo made of Infinite Worth & Vertue; So, the Man-hood is the Bread of Life; 1, Cor. 1. 30. He of God, is made; that muſt be ment of his Man-hood (though as it is in Perſonall Union with the God head) For the God head cannot be made a Communicated Wiſdome, Righteouſnes &c. as that is; God joyned in Perſon with Chriſts Man-hood, hath by the Doings, Suffrings, and Merrits of the Man-hood, to which it was inabled by the God-head; furnished that Man-hood, with all Sufficiency, to free from Miſery and make Happy: Its not Chriſts God-head but His Man hood which is in Union with His God-head, and ſo a Vertue & Effect of the God-head, and that which is in His Man-hood, that is the Bread of Life: Heere be Two Errors to be avoyded.
One when the God-head of Chriſt ſhall be made the Errors to be avoyded.Bread of Life; and that which is applyed by Faith, and made One with us.
Another, when the Man-hood ſhall be ſimply Conſidered, and not as it is in Perſonall Union with the God-head, and receives Vertue frō it, to make its Acts of Infinite Worth.
And thus by Faith we eate this Bread; whilſt we receive, apply & truſt in Christs Man hood, that which he did & ſuffred in & by it (through Union with the God-head) for our Juſtification, Sanctification, and Salvation; and by Faith, we eate not his God-head, but Man-hood, and the Vertue of the God-head, that is in his Man-hood; And thus, that Queſtion; Iohn. 6. 52. is reſolved, How Chriſt can give us his flesh to eate.
1. USE, Vſe. 1
To teach us; How much we owe to God & Chriſt; who hath provided Bread for our Soules; as the Egyptians did to God for that Gen: 50. 20. For by this he ſaves many Soules alive: God was oft magnified for the Manna he ſent for the Iſraellites when they were ready to periſh for hunger: This is more Mercy: Therefore, that, Iohn. 3. 16. God ſo loved the World; So, as cannot be immitated; So, as cannot be expreſt; So, as cannot be conceived.
This Mercy farther appeares; If we Conſider, that (which alſo this Doctrine teacheth us) it coſt God and Chriſt ſomewhat before they helped Soules; Chriſt muſt be bread; That is not his up & doing it; But much muſt he doe and indure, before he was fited for it; As Bread doth before it become Bread; Therefore, we are the more bound to Him for his undertaking the Worke of Our Redemption: And to God the Father, For Giving Him to that Worke; If a King ſhould appoint his Sonne, and his Sonne undertake, to ſave Traytors, onelyonly by comming to the Priſon & fetching them out, it were worthy of much Thankes; But much more, when the Sonne, by much paines and coſt, ſhall doe it; Ioſeph procured Bread for Egypt, But Cbriſt was made Bread.
2. USE,
For Incouragement to Such as droope in the Sence of their Miſery, and want of Life; I may ſay to ſuch of you, as be amazed with the Sence of your Miſery by Sinne; As Iacob to his Sonnes, Gen. 42. 1. 2. Why doe ye looke one upon another? Behold I have heard that there is Corne in Egypt &c. Whatever you want, whether Gods Favour, Or Image, The Life of Comfort, Or of Grace, deſpaire not; For God hath provided Bread for you; I, and ye need not be affraid to come to this Bread, and take it; For he loves to have People eate of Him; as will clearely appeare by this, which alſo followes from this Point, Viz: That Chriſt Came from Heaven for this End, To recover Sinners out of their Miſery, And to helpe them to live; For that is the End of Bread; It is not directly for any other uſe; It is ſo of Chriſts Comming, Math. 18. 11. For the Sonne of Man is come to ſave that which was loſt: Iohn. 3. 17. For God ſent not his Sonne into the World to condemne the World. but that the World through Him might be ſaved: And Chap. 12. 47. I came not to judge the World, but to Save the World: Therefore they that feele their need of him, need not feare Comming to Him, or queſtion his helping of them: It was the End of His Comming, and the Uſe God cheifly put Him to: Therefore he will not be averſe from it; Hence it was in that, Math. 18. 11. Having told them that this was the End of His Comming, to Save; He, by a Parable ſhewes them what Ioy it was to Him to ſave any one; How can He but joy in making good the End of his Comming? Therefore, they that droope in a Sence of their Miſery, and dare not goe to Chriſt for helpe, doe not knowe Chriſt, Nor the Miſtery of his Incarnation, Nor the End of his Comming; That it was to Releive the Afflicted; Learne it now therefore, and come confidently to Him for Helpe; He cannot but with all readines entertaine thee, and the Opertunity of making good the End of his Comming; Therefore in Scripture, Christ was greedy of any opertunity to releive a diſtreſſed Soule; And did not quench the ſmoaking flax &c. Math. 20, moſt meeke, and gentle, and eaſily intreated; therefore a Dove ſate on him, in His firſt Inſtalement into his Office; This is a maine thing, that is taught in the Goſpel; and may be obſerved through the whole Story; that Chriſt with abundance of gentlencs & willingnes, entertained & incouraged all that in ſincerity came to him for helpe; Feare not then Chriſts rejecting thee, ſo thou have a right deſire to him, but preſſe him, if he ſeeme to deny thee, as the Woman did Marke. 7, 27. 28. Let not want of Life, or Weakenes hinder thee, for he came to helpe ſuch; as bread is for the empty and weake, Therefore ſay ye as Moſes, Exod. 16. 15. 16. This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eate &c.
3. USE. Vſe. 3
To teach us, how much we ſhould eſteeme & prize Chriſt, and Labour for Him; even as hunger ſtarved people doe for Bread; Iſraell deſired a cruell Bondage for Breads ſake, Exod. 16. 3. the Egyptian bondage frō which they were freed; And they Ioh. 6. 24 26. How did they follow Chriſt, from one Coaſte to another, for Loaves? What did Egypt doe for Bread-Corne, (not Bread, nor fitted to their hands) Gen: 41. 55. They cryed to Pharaoh for bread; And Cap. 47. 14. They parted with all their Mony for bread; And Ver. 17. They parted with all their Cattle; And Ver. 20. They parted with their Land; And Ver. 23. They ſould Themſelves; Would ye ſo doe for Chriſt, ye ſhould have him, Iſay. 55. 1. Ho every one that thirſteth, come yee to the waters, and he that hath no mony: come ye, buy & eate, yea, come; buy wine & milke without mony, and without price; and why ſhould ye not, ſince He is Bread, not bread corne, but ready fitted to your hands? How did all Nations flock to Egypt, Gen: 41. 57. Becauſe Bread Corne was there? And why, flock ye not to Chriſt, ſince He is the Bread of Life? Doe ye not manefeſtly give him the lye, who calls Himſelfe Bread? And yee who ſo much care for Bread (as if ye call it to mind) ye did lately in the Famine; yet prize not, not care to get Him: Though it may ſeeme, not deſirable, as Bread oft doth to Children, therefore when it is given them, they caſt it away, Yet conſider, the caſe of your Soules, hunger-ſtarved; And He; the Bread of Life.
That I may quicken ye up to prize & eſteeme Chriſt Chriſt is better thē any bread in many perticulersmore, Conſider, in how many Perticulers, He is better then any other Bread.
1. Other Bread onelyonly ſupports Life, it doth not give Life, (as ye all knowe) But Chriſt is a Bread that gives Life to them that be dead, and therefore is called the Bread of Life, Iohn. 6. 53. 54. 57.
2. Other Bread preſerves Life but for a while; Gen: 3. Eate it till thou turne to duſt, It doth but repreive as it were till an other Seſſiōs; It Corrupts, and keepes not the Body from Corrupting; But this Bread, gives Eternall Life. Iohn. 6. 50. 51. This is the Bread which commeth downe from Heaven, that a man may eate thereof, and not dye; But live for ever; Therefore, Christ by this Argument perſwades them to prefer this before other meate, Iohn. 6. 27. Labour not for the meate which perisheth, but for that meate which endureth unto everlaſting life, which the Sonne of man ſhall give unto you:
3. Other Bread helpes but the Body in Point of Life, and but in an earthly Life; But this helps the Soule & Body, and that in a Spirituall Life.
4 Other Bread, is not enough to Life, but with that there muſt be other things, even in this ſence is that true Man lives not by bread alone, Therefore ye have Sampſon, not complaining of danger of Death, for want of Bread, but Water; But this Bread is Allſufficient; It alayes Hunger & Thirſt both, (as is in the Text) Yea, Its Wine, Milke, & fat Things, Eſay. 55.
5. Other Bread may be kept from you, or tooke from you when you need it, and uſually is rateſt to be had, when we moſt neede it, as in Famine; As Ponds which be full in Winter, when we need no Water, but dry in Summer, when Water is moſt needed; But this Bread, None can keepe, nor take away, Its Ever free & plentifully to be had.
6. Other Bread, oft coſts deare, and is not every ones Mony, (as in Dearths) But the Price of This (as ye ſhall fee heerafter) is onelyonly the Receiving it, the Comming, Taking, and Eating, (as its in our Text) and Its free for any, without reſtraint or limitation of Perſons.
7. Other Bread may poſſibly have ſomewhat found in its roome that may ſerve Nature, though not all ſo well; But this Bread, can onelyonly helpe our Soules, None elſe can but this, as ye heard in opening the Doctrine. So that without this, There is no Life to be had; Now Conſidering all theſe Super-excellencyes in Chriſt, Why ſhould ye not prize Him, and labour for Him more then for Bread? remember what you did for bread in the dearth, and doe more for Chriſt.
4. USE. Vſe. 4
To teach us, That Chriſt is onelyonly for hungry Soules Such as be ſenſible throughly of their Miſery by Sinne and ſo Pant after a Remedy; For, therefore he is called Bread, becauſe Its onelyonly for the hungry: God hath provided him onelyonly for ſuch (as ye heard before from, Luke 5. 31 32.) as the Table is ſpread for the empty, not for the full; For indeed none elſe deſire, prize, or will receive him; pleaſant food is ſlighted by the full (even the hony combe) much more this, which is hard of digeſtion, and very groſſe to Fleſh & Blouds pallat & eye: Therefore, obſerve in Scripture, who they were that ſo Prized Chriſt; they were Soules, hunger bitten with the ſence of their ſpirituall Miſery: And, who did ſlight him? Who were they to whome God never gave him? the Phariſees & blind People, who were not hungry after a ſpirituall Mercy, as not being throughly ſenſible of a ſpirituall Miſery: And this is the very reaſon, why Chriſt is ſo litle regarded in the World; When one lookes in the Scripture and ſees what Excellent Things are ſpoke of Chriſt; and on the longing deſires, the Saints of old had after Chriſt, and their abundant joy in Chriſt; and looke now how ſlightly & by how few he is eſteemed; one would thinke that which is writ of them is fabulous; or they were fooliſh, or our Chriſt is not the ſame Chriſt; or why ſhould he then be longed for; and now, being come and offred is deſpiſed? But he ere is the truth of it; He is Bread, and they were hungry; But now moſt are full; Full with their Sinnes, their Honours, Profits, Contents of this World; and therefore care not for Chriſt; And mervaile at the hunger bitten Soules, which keepe ſuch a doe for Christ; But let all ſuch knowe, that Chriſt is not as yet for them; God never prepared, appointed, or ſent him, for ſuch, but for the hungry; as the Shewbread was not for David himſelfe but in caſe of great hunger, Math. 12. 3. 4.
If God had immediatly & ſuddenly conveyed Chriſt to ſinnfull Soules, then might he have been injoyed by you, without being firſt hungry; But ſince he gives him as Bread, you muſt ſo take him; that is firſt being hungry; This is the reaſon why many eate this Bread, Chriſt, and be never the better, becauſe they eate him without hunger firſt; and ſoe digeſt him not; but fill their Soules with crudy Humors, Security, Preſumption, &c. which kill the Soule: Let an hungry Soule eate of this Bread; it exceedingly ſtrengthens him to all Obedience, filling the Soule with good Nouriſhment & Spirits, of Love, Peace, Hope, Joy: But if any that be not hungry doe eate of Chriſt; that is, apply him; He is to them, but as the foode to the Angells who were without ſtomacks Gen 18 8. they ſee … eate, but eate not, and ſo were never the better for it though the foode was good. Hence the Soules of People be ſo ſtarveling like, though they oft injoy large Meales of this Bread, (Viz: the Word oft preacht, Sacraments oft adminiſtred) becauſe, wanting Stomacks they onelyonly ſeeme to eate, but eate not. If therefore, ye How to get a hunger, after Chriſt.would be the better for Chriſt, ye muſt get an Hunger, which that ye may the better doe.
1. Diſgorge your Soules of that Surfet of Sinne & earthly Vanityes, which ye have taken in; By Conſidering the vanity & hurtfullnes of them.
2. Get a ſtrong Appetite to Chriſt; Which is done, Partly by drinking downe the Vineger of the Law, eating the ſower Hearbs; By the Law laboring to ſee your Sinnfullnes & Miſery thereby; And partly by looking into the Goſpel, and Chriſts Beauty, and Deſirablenes; as Eve by Conſidering the Fruite, was drawne to take & eate it: But I will not preſſe this, becauſe I have lately done it, and ſhewed you how farr you muſt be Humbled & the Signes & Meanes of it: All that I now ſay is this:
That as it was with the bitter Water in another ſence, So is it with Chriſt; If they that hunger, take & eate him, they are ſaved by Him; If they that hunger not, medle with Him, It is their bane & ruine: Therefore thinke not thoſe Preachers your enemyes, who labor to humble you by preſſing on you the Law, and your miſerable Eſtate by Nature, for it is but to make you hungry, and ſo fit for Chriſt, the Bread of Life; We are your Paſtors & Nurſes, and muſt ſeeke to get you Stomacks, that ye may eate, and not tread under foote this ſpirituall foode; therefore, thus, and for this end to ſeeke to humble you, is a part of our Duty & Love to you; ſhould Preachers onelyonly preach Chriſt to you, it would but delude you, for till you be hungry, God will not give him, nor will ye accept him, becauſe He is Bread.
Thus much for the Firſt Thing in the Text; The Deſcription of Chriſt; as the ſufficient Remedy of Mans Miſery.