Devil the King of Saints in Heaven as well as the whole Host of Saints on Earth hath been frequently smitten and deeply wounded with reproach Christ was reproached for our sake and when we are reproached for his sake he takes our reproach as his own Moses his reproach was the reproach of Christ Heb. 11.26 And he esteemed it a Treasure which did more inrich him with its worth than press him with its weight Esteeming the Reproach of Christ greater Riches than the Treasures of Egypt Observe 3. The wonderful meekness of Christ in passing over this Reproach and Calumny without one word of Reply Guilt is commonly clamorous and impatient but Innocence is silent and regardless of misreports Our Saviour is not at the pains of a word to vindicate himself from their impotent censure but goes on with his Discourse and justifies his own Action in healing a Man on the Sabbath-day from the Jews own practice in circumcising their Children on that day if it hapned to be the Eighth day And the Argument runs thus If Circumcision may be Administred to a Child on the Sabbath-day which is a servile kind of Work and Bodily Exercise without blame or censure why must I fall under Censure for healing a Man on the Sabbath-day thoroughly and perfectly only by a word speaking Hence Learn That the Law of doing good and Relieving the miserable at all Times is a more ancient and excellent Law than either that of the Sabbath Rest or of Circumcision upon the Eighth day A Ritual Law must and ought to give place to the Lâ—w of Nature which is written in every Man's heart As if our Lord had said If you may wound a Man by Circumcision on the Sabbath-day may not I heal One if you may heal on that Day one Member of the circumcised may not I make a Man whole every whit if you be at pains to cure such a one with your hand may not I without pains cure a Man with the word of my Mouth 24 Judge not according to the appearance but judge righteous judgment From the foregoing Argument Christ draws an Inference or Conclusion that there is no making a judgment according to the first Appearance of Things and that Suddenness or Rashness Prejudice or Partiality in judging overthrows Righteous Judgment This is the general Application of what Christ had said before and the particular Application of it as to himself comes to this Judge not according to Appearance but judge Righteous Judgment As if Christ had said Lay aside your prejudices against my Person and compare these cases attentively and impartially with one another and then see whether you can justly condemn me as a Sabbath Breaker and acquit your selves Such was the perfect Innocency of our Saviour's Actions that he could and did submit them to the Reason and Judgment of his very Enemies 25 Then said some of them of Jerusalem is not this he whom they seek to kill 26 But lo he speaketh boldly and they say nothing unto him do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Christ 27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is but when Christ cometh no man knoweth whence he is 28 Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught saying Ye both know me and ye know whence I am and I am not come of my self but he that sent me is true whom ye know not 29 But I know him for I am from him and he hath sent me 30 Then they sought to take him but no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come 31 And many of the people believed on him and said when Christ cometh will he do mo miracles then these which this man hath done Our Blessed Saviour having vindicated both his Doctrine and Practice and appeared publickly in the Temple and speaking boldly there the People of Jerusalem knowing the hatred and enmity of the Chief Priests and Rulers against him do wonder that they did not apprehend him Learn Almighty God doth and can preserve his own in the faithful discharge of their Duty in such an admirable manner that even their Enemies themselves may wonder at it and be Astonisht with it Observe 2ly The Argument which the Jews urged against our Saviour's being Christ and the promised Messias Namely That they knew whence he was whereas when the Messias cometh no man will know whence he is now herein they Assert a manifest untruth for tho' Christ in respect of his Godhead was prefigured by Melchisedeck who was without Father or Mother without descent that is without any that the Scripture mentions yet in respect of his humane Nature the Jews might know whence he was for the Scripture plainly pointed out the Tribe the Family the Lineage and the place of his Birth Observe 3. That Christ being grieved at this impudent Cavil doth reply unto it with much boldness and Zeal he cried saying ye both know me and know whence I am but the Father that sent me ye know not That is you know me as Man where I was Born and of what Family I am but you know not my Divine Nature nor the Father from whom I am by Eternal Generation and who hath sent me into the World Observe 4. What causeless Rage appeared in these Men against Christ for declaring the Truth unto them they would have taken him by Violence had not the Power and Providence of God restrained them for the present because his time to Suffer was not yet come Hence Learn That Violence and Persecution against the Faithful Dispensers of the Truths of God have been the Lot and Portion of such in all Ages and Generations Christ experienced it let his Ministers expect it Observe 5. That altho' the Rulers at Jerusalem were Angry and enraged yet the meaner and inferiour sort of People Believed on him being convinced by the wonderful Miracles which he had wrought amongst them that he was the True and promised Messias For say they when ever the Messias come he cannot do greater and more Evident Miracles then this Man hath hath done Learn hence That altho' the Grace of God be not ensured to or entailed upon any sort of People yet ordinarily it is the meaner sort of People with whom it prevails most Many of the common People at Jerusalem were Believing when the Rulers there were Persecuting Men that live in Pleasure and at Ease see no need of dependance upon God have little inclination or desire to farther the Gospel and to encourage either the Dispensers or Professors of it nay it is well if they do not turn Persecutors ¶ 32 The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him 33 Then said Jesus unto them Yet a little while am I with you and then I go unto him that sent me 34 Ye shall seek me and shall not find me and where I am thither ye cannot come 35 Then said the Jews
that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Here we have a sweet Invitation backt with a gracious Incouragement Christ invites such as are weary of the Burden of Sin of the Slavery of Satan of the Yoak of the Ceremonial Law to come unto him for Rest and Ease and as an Encouragement assures them that upon their coming to Him they shall find Rest. Learn 1. That Sin it is the Soul 's Laborious Burden Come unto me ye that Labour Labouring supposes a Burden to be labour'd under this Burden is Sin 's Guilt 2. That such as come to Christ for Rest must be Laden Sinners 3. That Laden Sinners not only may but ought to come to Christ for Rest they may come because invited they ought to come because commanded 4. That the Laden Sinner upon his coming shall find Rest Come c. 29 Take my yoak upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls Obs 1. Christ's Disciples must wear Christ's Yoak This Yoak is twofold a Yoak of Instruction and a Yoak of Affliction Christ's Law is a Yoak of Instruction it restrains our Natural Inclinations it curbs our Sensual Appetites it is a Yoak to corrupt Nature this Yoak Christ calls his Yoak Take my Yoak upon you 1. Because he as a Lord lays it upon our Necks 2. Because he as a Servant bore it upon his own Neck first before he laid it upon ours Obs 2. That the Way and Manner how to bear Christ's Yoak must be learnt of Christ himself Take my Yoak upon you and learn of me that is Learn of me both what to bear and how to bear Obs 3. That Christ's Humility and Lowlimindedness is a great Encouragement to Christians to come unto him and learn of him both how to obey his Commands and how to suffer his Will and Pleasure Learn of me for I am meek 30 For my yoak is easie and my burden is light Observe here 1. Christ's Authority and Greatness he has Power to impose a Yoak and inflict a Burden My Yoak My Burden 2. His Clemency and Goodness in imposing an easie Yoak and a light Burden My Yoak is easie my Burden is light that is my Service is good and gainful profitable and useful not only tolerable but delightful and as is my Yoak such is my Burden the Burden of my Precepts the Burden of my Cross both light not absolutely but comparatively the Weight of my Cross is not comparable with the Glory of my Crown Learn That the Service of Christ tho' hard and intolerable to Corrupt Nature yet is a most desireable and delightful Service to Grace or Renewed Nature Christ's Service is easie to a Spiritual Mind 1. It is easie as it is a Rational Service consonant to Right Reason tho' contradictory to Depraved Nature 2. Easie as it is a Spiritual Service delightful to a Spiritual Mind 3. Easie as it is an Assisted Service considering that we work not in our own Strength but in God's 4. Easie when once it is an Accustomed Service tho' hard to Beginners it is easie to Progressors the farther we walk the sweeter is our Way 5. Easie as it is the most Gainful Service having the Assurance of an Eternal Weight of Glory as the Reward of our Obedience Well therefore might our Holy LORD say to his Followers My Yoak is easie and my Burden is light CHAP. XII Our Blessed Saviour in this Chapter takes occasion to Instruct his Disciples in the Doctrine of the Sabbath shewing that Works of Necessity and Mercy may be performed upon that Day without any Violation of the Divine Command 1 AT that time Jesus went on the sabbath-day through the corn and his disciples were an hungered and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat Obs here The poor Estate and low Condition of Christ's own Disciples in this World they wanted Bread and are forced to pluck the Ears of Corn to satisfie their Hunger God sometimes suâ—â—ers his dearest Children in this World to fall into Straits and to taste of Want for the Trial of their Faith and dependance upon his Power and Providence 2 But when the Pharisees saw it they said unto him Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath day Obs here 1. The Persons finding Fault with this Action of the Disciples the Pharisees many of whom accompanied our Saviour not out of any good Intention but only with a Design to cavil at and quarrel with every thing that either Christ or his Disciples said or did Obs 2. The Action which they found fault with The Disciples plucking of the Ears of Corn on the Sabbath-day Where Note It is not the Theft which the Disciples are accused for by the Pharisees For to take in our Necessity so much of our Neighbour's Goods as we may reasonably suppose that if he were present and knew our Circumstances he would give us is no Theft but it is the servile Labour on the Sabbath in gathering the Corn that the Pharisees scruple Learn thence How zealous Hypocrites are for the lesser Things of the Law whilst they neglect the weightier and how superstitiously addicted to Outward Ceremonies placing all Holiness in the Observation of them 3 But he said unto them Have ye not read what David did when he was an hungred and they that were with him 4 How he entred into the house of God and did eat the shew-bread which was not lawful for him to eat neither for them which were with him but only for the priests 5 Or have ye not read in the law how that on the sabbath-days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath and are blameless 6 But I say unto you that in this place is one greater than the temple In these Words our Saviour defends the Action of his Disciples in plucking the Ears of Corn in their Necessity by a double Argument 1. From David's Example Necessity freed him from Fault in eating the Consecrated Bread which none but the Priests might lawfully eat for in Cases of Necessity a Ceremonial Precept must give place to a Moral Duty Works of Mercy and Necessity for preserving our Lives and the better fitting us for Sabbath-Services are certainly lawful on the Sabbath-Day 2. From the Example of the Priests in the Temple who upon the Sabbath do break the outward Rest of the Day by Killing their Sacrifices and many other Acts of Bodily Labour which would be accounted Sabbath-Prophanation did not the Service of the Temple require and justifie it Now saith our Saviour If the Temple-Service can justifie Labour on the Sabbath I am greater than the Temple and my Authority and Service can justifie what my Disciples have done From the whole we Learn That Acts of Mercy which tend to fit uâ—â—â—r Works of Piety not only may but ought to be done on the Sabbath-Day 7 But if ye had known what this meaneth I will
Works of the Law only must keep the whole Law or Covenant of Works perfectly and exactly Learn 2. That the best way to prâ—pare Men for Jesus Christ is to let them see their own Impotency to keep and fulfil the Covenant of Works 18 He saith unto him Which Jesus said Thou shalt do no murder Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not steal Thou shalt not bear false witness 19 Honour thy father and thy mother and Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self 20 The young man saith unto him All these things have I kept from my youth up what lack I yet Observe here That the Duties our Saviour instances in are the Duties of the second Table which Hypocrites are most failing in but the sincere Practice of our Duty to our Neighbour is a singular Evidence of our Love to God These Duties of the second Table the young Man says he had kept from his Youth and perhaps might say it truly according to the Pharisees Interpretation which condemned only the gross outward Act not the inward Lust and Motion of the Heart Learn hence How apt Men are to think well of themselves and to have too high an Opinion of their own Goodness and Righteousness before God All these have I kept from my Youth 21 Jesus said unto him If thou wilt be perfect go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow me That is Thou that hast been all thy Days a Pharisee if now thou wilt be a Christian thou must maintain a Readiness and Disposition of Mind to part with all that thou hast in this World at my Call and at my Command and follow after me Learn That such as enter themselves Disciples of Christ must be ready at Christ's Call to part with all for Christ's sake that they have in this World 2. All that profess themselves to be Christ's Disciples must be his Followers that is They must obey his Doctrine and imitate his Example his Holiness his Humility his Heavenly mindedness his Patience and Meekness his Readiness to forgive Injuries and the same Mind must be in us which was in Christ Jesus 22 But when the young man heard that saying he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions This parting with all for Christ seemed so hard a Condition to the young Man that he went away sorrowful from Christ Whence Learn 1. That a Man wedded to the World will renounce Christ rather than the World when both stand in Competition 2. That Unregenerate and Carnal Men are exceeding sorrowful and sadly concern'd when they cannot have Heaven upon their own Terms and win it in their own way The young Man went away sorrowful 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples Verily I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven Our Blessed Saviour takes occasion from what had past to discourse with his Disciples concerning the Danger of Riches and the Difficulty that attends rich Men in their way to Salvation A rich Man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of God Whence Note 1. That rich Men do certainly meet with more Difficulties in their Way to Heaven than other Men 'T is difficult to withdraw their Affections from Riches to place their Supreme Love upon God in the midst of their Abundance 'T is difficult to depend upon God in a rich Condition The Poor committeth himself to God but a Rich Man's Wealth is his strong Tower 2. That yet the Fault lyes not in Riches but in Rich Men who by placing their Trust and putting their Confidence in Riches do render themselves uncapable of the Kingdom of God 24 And again I say unto you It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God These Words were a Proverbial Speech among the Jews to signifie a thing of great Difficulty next to an Impossibility And they import thus much that it is not only a very great Difficulty but an Impossibility for such as abound in Worldly Wealth to be saved without an extraordinary Grace and Assistance from God 'T is hard for God to make a Rich Man happy because he thinks himself happy without God 25 When his disciples heard it they were exceedingly amazed saying Who then can be saved The Disciples understanding how naturally and strongly Men love the World and how Idolatrously and Inordinately their Hearts run out upon it they say unto Christ Lord who can be saved Learn 1. That when the general Difficulties which lye in the Way of Salvation are laid forth and sufficiently understood we may justly wonder that any are or shall be saved 2. That such are the special and peculiar Difficulties in the rich Man's Way to Heaven that his Salvation is Matter of Wonder and great Admiration to the Disciples of Christ When the Disciples heard this they were exceedingly amazed saying Who then can be saved 26 But Jesus beheld them and said unto them With men this is unpossible but with God all things are possible As if Christ had said Were all Men left to themselves no Man either Poor or Rich would be saved but God can bring Men to Heaven by the mighty Power of his Grace he can make the Rich in Estate Poor in Spirit and them that are Poor in this World Rich in Grace Learn 1. That it is impossible for any Man Rich or Poor by his own natural Strength to get to Heaven 2. That when we are discouraged with the Sense of our own Impotency we should consider the Power of God and act our Faith upon it With God all things are possible 27 Then answered Peter and said unto him Behold we have forsaken all and followed thee what shall we have therefore 28 And Jesus said unto them Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel The Apostles having heard our Saviour's Command to the young Man to sell all and give to the Poor St. Peter in the Name of the rest tells Christ that they had left all and followed him Behold we have forsaken all Where Note how Peter magnifies that little which he had left for Christ and ushers it in with a Note of Observation and Admiration also Behold we have forsaken all what shall we have then Learn thence That altho' it be very little that we suffer for Christ and less that we have to forsake upon his Account yet we are apt to magnifie and extol it as if it were some great matter Lord we have left all What all His tatter'd Fisher-Boat and his ragged Nets a great all next to nothing at all scarce worthy to be mentioned Yet how is it magnified Behold Lord we have left all But observe our Lord 's
in the City of Jerusalem until ye be Endued with Power from on high 50 And he led them out as far as Bethany and he lift up his hands and Blessed them 51 And it came to pass while he Blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into Heaven 52 And they Worshipped him and Returned to Jerusalem with great joy 53 And were continually in the Temple Praising and Blessing God Amen Our Saviour being now about to leave his Disciples Comforts them with the Promise of his Holy Spirit which should supply the want of his Bodily Presence And bids them tarry at Jerusalem till they should at the Feast of Pentecost be made Partakers of this Invaluable Blessing Observe 2. Our Lord having Blessed his Disciples he takes his Leave of them and goes up into Heaven As he Raised himself out of his Grave so did he Ascend into Heaven by his own Power there to appear in the Presence of God for us and as our Fore-runner to give us an Assurance that in due time we shall Ascend after him Whither our Fore-runner is for us entered Heb. 6.20 Observe Lastly The Act of Homage and Adoration which the Apostles perform to the Lord Jesus now they Worshipped him that is as God the Eternal Son of God being so declared by the Resurrection from the Dead and by his Ascension into Heaven before their Eyes from whence he will certainly come at the End of the World to Judge both the Quick and the Dead For which Solemn Hour God Almighty prepare all Mankind by a Renewed Frame of Heart and a Religious Course of Life and then Come Lord Jesus to Judgment come quickly Amen The End of St. Luke's Gospel EXPOSITORY NOTES WITH PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS UPON The Holy Gospel ACCORDING TO S T. JOHN St. JOHN v. Ver. 39. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testifie of me EXPOSITORY NOTES WITH PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS UPON The Holy Gospel ACCORDING TO S T. JOHN The Fourth and last of the Holy Gospels falls now under Consideration Namely That which was written by the Evangelist St. John concerning which we have Observable the Writer the Occasion the Design and Scope of this Sublime Book Obs 1. The Writer of it St. John the beloved Disciple that lay in the Bosom of Christ he that lay in Christ's Bosom reveals the Secrets of Christ's Heart John saith St. Austin drew out of the Bosom of Christ the very Heart of Christ and made it known to a lost World Obs 2. The Occasion of St John's writing this Gospel and that was the Heresie of Ebion and Cerinthus which denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ When God suffers Hereticks to vent their blasphemous Opinions he takes Occasion from thence to make a clearer Discovery of Divine Truth We had perhaps wanted St. John's Gospel if Ebion and Cerinthus had not broach'd their Heresie against Christ's Divinity Obs 3. The Design and Scope of this Gospel which is to describe the Person of Christ in his two Natures Divine and Humane as the Object of our Faith This he doth in a Sublime and Lofty Manner upon which Account he was compared by the Ancients to the Eagle that soars aloft and maketh her Nest on high and was also called John the Divine Obs lastly The Difference between this and the other Gospels The other Evangelists insist chiefly upon the Humanity of Christ and prove him to be truly Man the Son of the Virgin Mary This Evangelist proves him to be GOD as well as Man God from Eternity and Man in the fulness of Time The other three Writers Relate what Christ did St. John Reports what Christ said They Recount his Miracles he Records his Sermons and Prayers In short the profound Mysteries of our holy Religion are here unfolded by the beloved Disciple and particularly the Divinity and Incarnation of our Blessed Saviour CHAP. I. 1 IN the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God 2 The same was in the beginning with God Observe here 1. The Person spoken of Jesus Christ under the name of the Word In the beginning was the Word Because God speaks to us by him and makes known his Will to us by Christ as we make known our Minds to one another by our Words Again As our Words are the Conception and Image of our Minds so Christ is the express Image of his Father's Person and was begotten of the Father even as our Words are begotten of our Minds For these Reasons he is so often stiled the Word Obs 2. What the Evangelist here asserts concerning the Word Christ Jesus even three Particulars namely his Eternal Existence his Personal Coexistence and his Divine Essence 1. His Eternal Existence In the beginning was the Word in the beginning when all Things received their Being then the Word was and did actually subsist even from all Eternity Learn thence That Jesus Christ not only Antecedent to his Incarnation but even before all Time and the Beginning of all Things had an Actual Being and Subsistence 2. His Personal Coexistence with the Father The Word was with God that is eternally and inseparably with him in the same Essence and Nature being in the Father as well as with him so that the Father was never without him Prov. 8.22 I was by him as one brought up with him I was by his Sides says the Chaldee Interpreter Learn hence That the Son is a Person distinct from the Father but of the same Essence and Nature with the Father he is God of God very God of very God being of one Substance with the Father by whom all things were made The Word was with God 3. His Divine Essence The Word was God Here St. John declares the Divinity as he did before the Eternity of our Blessed Saviour He was with God and existed in him therefore he must be God and a Person distinct from the Father Learn hence That the Eternity the Personality and the Divinity of Christ are of necessity to be believed if we will worship him aright Christ tells us John 5.23 That we must worship the Son even as we worship the Father Now unless we acknowledge the Eternity and Divinity of Christ the Second Person as well as of God the Father the First Person we honour neither the Father nor the Son There is this Difference between Natural Things and Supernatural Natural Things are first understood and then believed but Supernatural Mysteries must be first believed and then will be better understood If we will first set Reason on work and believe no more than we can comprehend this will hinder Faith But if after we have assented to Gospel Mysteries we set Reason on work this will help Faith 3 All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made Observe here The Argument which St. John uses to prove Christ to be God it is taken from the Work of
poor VVoman Obs 2. The Carriage and Behaviour of the Disciples upon their return to Christ Finding him preaching a Sermon to a single VVoman they marvelled but yet were silent Learn 1. That the Humility and Condescension of the Lord Jesus Christ in treating poor penitent and humbled sinners is matter of wonder and admiration even to Disciples themselves Oh blessed Saviour there was more Kindness and Condescension more Love and Compassion more Meekness and Humility in thy self alone than in all thy Disciples and Followers put together Yet Observe 2. Tho' they marvelled they were silent No Man said Why talkest thou with her Thence Note That such Reverence is due to Christ in all his Dispensations and Actions that when we can see no reason for what he doth it is not for us to inquire much less to quarrel But we must awfully admire what we cannot comprehend Observe 3. the Behaviour of this VVoman after the Conference was over she leaves her VVater-Pot and makes haste to invite and call her Neighbours to Christ whose Grace and Kindness she had experienced Learn thence That such as truly know Christ have tasted Sweetness in him and derived Comfort and Satisfaction from him will be forward to invite and industrious to draw others to a saving Acquaintance with him Come with me and see a Man that told me all that ever I did is not this the Christ Learn farther from the Woman's leaving her Water-Pot behind her and hastening to the City That when once a Soul has tasted the Sweetness and Excellency that is in Jesus Christ those things which were highly esteemed before will be little regarded then The poor Woman came to draw Water and thought much and spake much of the Water of that Well which was before her but meeting with Jesus Christ and tasting of his Grace she forgets both Water and Water-Pot and away she goes to fetch in all her Acquaintance to Christ 31 ¶ In the mean while his disciples prayed him saying Master eat 32 But he said unto them I have meat to eat that ye know not of 33 Therefore said the Disciples one to another Hath any man brought him ought to eat 34 Jesus saith unto them My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work Observe here The fit and seasonable Motion which our Saviour's Disciples make to him Master eat Learn from thence That though a Person 's chief Care should be for his own Soul and for improving all Opportunities for doing good to the Souls of others yet the Bodies of Men must not be neglected but supported by Meat and Drink especially theirs whose Health and Strength may be of greater Use and Service to God and his Church The Body is the Servant of the Soul the Instrument whereby it worketh and therefore to neglect the Body is to disable and unfit the Soul for Service to hinder the Functions and Operations of it The sixth Commandment which forbids us to kill requires us to use all Means for the Preservation of Life both in our selves and others Observe next our Saviour's Answer to the Disciples Motion Master eat say they I have Meat to eat that ye know not of says he for my Meat is to do the Will of him that sent me Not that our Saviour did not want Meat at this time for he was both hungry and thirsty as appears by his asking Water of the Woman to drink and by his sending his Disciples into the City to buy Meat But our Lord was more intent upon doing his Father's Work than upon satisfying his own hunger Christ hungred more after an Opportunity of doing good to the Souls of Men than he did after Meat and Drink to satisfie his hunger Lord Let us thy Ministers learn of thee to prefer the Spiritual Welfare of our People before any temporal Advantages whatsoever 35 Say not ye There are yet four months and then cometh harvest Behold I say unto you Lift up your eyes and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest 36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto life eternal that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoyce together 37 And herein is that saying true One soweth and another reapeth 38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour other men laboured and ye are entred into their labours Our Blessed Saviour having in the former Verses given a most plain and evident Demonstration of his fervent desire to bring Souls home unto God doth in these Verses labor to stir up and kindle the like Affections in his Disciples and this he doth by three very effectual Arguments The first Argument is drawn from the Ripeness of the People and their Willingness to hear and their Readiness to be reaped and gathered by the Gospel whereof there was a present instance in the Samaritans who were now coming forth in multitudes to Christ which opportunity was therefore to be improved Lift up your Eyes and look on the Fields for they are white already for Harvest Learn hence That as a People is sometimes ripe for the Ministry of the Word as Corn is ripe and ready for the Reapers Hand so it is the Duty of the Ministers of Christ to lay hold upon such Opportunities with as much desire and delight as the Harvest-Man doth upon a reaping Season The second Argument to stir up the Disciples Diligence in preaching the Gospel is drawn from the great Reward they should receive for this their Work He that reapeth receiveth Wages The Harvest Man's Wages is double to what other Labourers receive The Ministers of God shall receive good Wages at his Hand how ill soever they are requited and rewarded by an unkind World And as a farther Encouragement it follows He that soweth and he that reapeth shall rejoice together that is the Prophets who took much pains in sowing the Seed of the Gospel and particularly John the Baptist and you my Apostles which succeed them and reap the Fruit of what they did sow shall have the same Reward in Glory and rejoyce together Learn hence That not only the Successful but the Faithful Labourer in God's Harvest shall be rewarded not only those which see the Fruit of their Ministry in the Conversion of Sinners but such as are faithful Seeds-Men Though the Seed doth not come up till we are in our Graves nay though it rots under the Clods and does not come up at all yet shall the faithful Seeds-Man be rewarded according to his Labour not according to his Success The third Argument to quicken the Disciples Diligence is drawn from the Easiness and Facility of that Labour which God required of them Others have laboured and you are entred into their Labours that is the Prophets and John the Baptist have prepared the Ground and sown the Seed and made ready a People for the Lord and now you enter into their Labours by forming and gathering them into a Gospel-Church
thirty eight Years so Therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus and sought to slay him Yet observe the Cloak and Pretence they have for their malicious Persecution of our Saviour namely the supposed Violation of the Sabbath-day They sought to slay him because he had done these things on the Sabbath-day Learn hence That great Cruelty against Christ and his Members has always been and still is masked and disguised with a fair Pretence of Zeal for God and his Commands The Pharisees mortally hated our Saviour therefore to cover their Malice they traduce him as a Prophaner of the Sabbath and seek to take away his Life 17 ¶ But Jesus answered them My Father worketh hitherto and I work From this Verse to the End of the Chapter we have our Saviour's Apology for his working the foregoing Cure on the impotent Man on the Sabbath-Day And the chief Argument he insists upon is drawn from his Unity and Equality in Nature and Operation with his Father As the Father worketh says he so I work Here he speaks of himself not as a Servant or Instrument in his Father's Hand but as a Fellow-Worker with the Father both in the Works of Creation and in the Works of Providence and Preservation also Learn hence 1. That although Almighty God has long since ceased from the Works of Creation yet not from the Work of Preservation My Father worketh hitherto not by creating new Kinds of Creatures but by upholding and preserving what he has already created Learn 2. That Christ the Son of God is joyned with and undivided from the Father in Working As the Father created all things by him not as a Man and as an Instrument in the Father's Hand for then he was not such but as his Fellow-Worker being equal in Nature and Power with the Father in like manner as the Father preserveth sustaineth governeth and upholdeth all things so doth Christ the Father's Actions and his being the same My Father worketh hitherto and I work 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him because he not only had broken the sabbath but said also that God was his Father making himself equal with God 19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them Verily verily I say unto you The Son can do nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do for what things soever he doeth these also doeth the Son likewise Observe here the Jews instead of being satisfied were the more enraged not only because he had violated the Sabbath as they pretended by healing the Cripple on the Sabbath-Day but because Christ had asserted that God was his Father in a peculiar manner and made himself equal with God Our Saviour therefore goes on to assert his Equality and Conjunction with the Father in his Operations and Workings which doth at once justify his Work on the Sabbath-day and prove him to be truly and really God Now our holy Lord to prove himself equal with God the Father produces first many Arguments to v. 31. and then alledges the Testimony of many Witnesses to the end of the Chapter Our Saviour's first Argument to prove himself equal with the Father in Essence and Nature is this That the Father and he are equal in Operation in Will and Consent for Working that the Son doth all that the Father doth and the Father doth nothing without the Son v. 19. The Son can do nothing of himself that is as Man as the Messias and as Mediator he could do nothing of himself His perfect Obedience to and Complyance with the Will of his Father that sent him would not suffer him to do any thing without him But as God he could do all things of himself Learn hence That it is an undeniable Proof that the Father and Son are one in Nature Essence and Being in that they are inseparable and undivided in Operation and Working What things soever the Father doth these also doth the Son likewise and the Son doth nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do Therefore Father and Son being equal in Operation and Working are equal in Nature and Being and consequently both essentially truly and really God Therefore the Arians of old and the Socinians at this Day are wide when they produce this Text The Son can do nothing of himself to prove that Christ is not equal with God the Father They forget or neglect to distinguish betwixt his Divine Nature which could do all things and his Mediatorial Office which could not do but what the Father that sent him had appointed him to do 20 For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doeth and he will shew him greater works then these that ye may marvel The second Argument which our Saviour produces to prove his Unity in Nature and Equality in Operation with the Father is drawn from that special Love which the Father beareth to the Son which inclines him to communicate all things to him by a Divine and Ineffable Communication Learn hence 1. That God the Father loveth Jesus Christ his Son with an Essential Natural and Necessary Love as being the Substantial Image of himself and the Splendor and Brightness of his Glory The Father loveth the Son that is with an Essential Eternal and Ineffable Love 2. That the Father's Love to Christ was Communicative the Father communicated his Essence and Nature his Wisdom and Power for Operation to the Son The Father sheweth the Son all things that himself doth namely by a Divine Inconceivable and Unspeakable Communication 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickneth them even so the Son quickneth whom he will A third Argument proving Christ to be God and equal with the Father is here produced namely his raising of the dead He is jointly with the Father in that Work and equal with him As the Father quickneth whom he please so doth the Son quicken whom he will that is not as the Father's Instrument but as a principal Agent by the same Authority and with the like absolute Freedom of Will which the Father uses being a Sovereign and Independent Being as the Father is As the Father raiseth the dead and quickneth them so the Son quickneth whom he will Learn hence 1. That quickning and raising of the dead is an Act of Omnipotency and proper to God only The Father raiseth the dead and quickneth them 2. That Christ's Power to raise the dead as well as his Father is a Proof of his Equality with his Father and an Evidence of his being truly and really God the Son quickneth whom he will 22 For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment unto the Son 23 That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him A fourth Instance of Christ's God-head and proof of his Equality with the Father is That it is his Work to judge the World The Father says Christ judges
been actually his Son as certainly he was from before the Foundations of the World Prov. 8.23 I was set up from everlasting from the Beginning or ever the Earth was 37 If I do not the works of my Father believe me not 38 But if I do though ye believe not me believe the works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him Here we have a second Argument by which our Saviour proves That it was no Blasphemy to call himself God But that he was God in very deed Namely an Argument taken from his Works If I do not the Works of my Father believe me not And the Argument runs thus If says Christ I do those miraculous Works which no Power less than a Divine Power can effect then you ought by these Works to be led to believe and acknowledge that I am truly and really God But the Works which I do are the Effect and Product of an omnipotent Power therefore ye ought to believe That I am one in Essence with the Father there being a mutual Inexistence of one Person in the other so that the Father is in me and I in him and thus I and the Father are one Learn hence That Christ never required of his Disciples and Followers an Implicite Faith or a blind Obedience but as he submitted his Doctrine to the Tryal of Reason so he submitted his Miracles to the Examination and Judgment of Sense therefore he says If I do not the Works of my Father that is Divine Works believe me not to be a Divine Person 39 Therefore they sought again to take him but he escaped out of their hand 40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized and there he abode 41 And many resorted unto him and said John did no miracle but all things that John spake of this man were true 42 And many believed on him there Observe here 1. The Violence and Fury of these unbelieving Jews against the Holy and Innocent Jesus They sought again to take him Observe 2. The prudential Care of Christ for his own Preservation his time being not yet come he withdraws from Jerusalem the Nest of his Enemies and goes beyond Jordan when Christ was persecuted in one City he fled to another he has sanctified a State of Persecution to his Ministers and Members by his own being in it 'T is no Disgrace for any of them to fly when their Captain did it and bids them do it saying When they persecute you in one City flee unto another Obs 3. The Success of Christ's Ministry beyond Jordan Many resorted to him and believed on him This Place about Jordan was the Place where John had exercised a great Part of his Ministry and now many Years after John's Death the Fruit of his Ministry appears for many believed on him there that is about Jordan where John had preached and baptized Learn thence That the Labours of faithful Ministers may seem to be lost and lye long like Seed under the Ground and yet at last by some new Watering may spring up and the Fruit appear in abundance Here John's Ministry about Jordan hath fresh Fruit upon Christ's coming long after John was dead Observe 4. The Dignity of Christ above John John did no Miracle but Christ did all The Wisdom of God so ordered it that though the Old Testament Prophets Elijah and Elisha wrought many Miracles for the Confirmation of their Divine Mission yet John the Baptist coming immediately before Christ as his Messenger and Forerunner wrought none for these three Reasons probably 1. That so the Glory of Christ in working Miracles when he came upon the Stage of his Ministry might be the more clear and evident 2. That the Evidence of Christ's being the Messias might be made the more clear by the Miracles which he wrought 3. That the Minds of the People might not be divided and distracted between John and Christ and that there might be no Pretence of Competition between them Therefore John did no Miracle but all things that John spake of Christ were true CHAP. XI 1 NOw a certain man was sick named Lazarus of Bethany the town of Mary and her sister Martha 2 It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair whose brother Lazarus was sick 3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him saying Lord behold he whom thou lovest is sick 4 When Jesus heard that he said This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby This Chapter relates unto us the Miraculous Power of Christ in raising of dead Lazarus which as it was one of his last so was it one of the greatest Miracles which he wrought and yet we find none of the Evangelists making mention of it but only St. John the Reason supposed to be this because when the other Evangelists wrote their History Lazarus was then alive for Epiphanius says he lived thirty Years after he was raised by Christ and probably the mention of this Relation might have brought Lazarus into Danger and Trouble but St. John wrote his Gospel after Lazarus his Death This Miracle was a sufficient Demonstration of Christ's Godhead None but an Almighty Power could recal a Man four Days dead from a settled Corruption to a State of Life None but he that created Lazarus could thus make him new Here Observe 1. The Tender Sympathy of these Two endeared Sisters with their afflicted Brother they feel his Sorrows and Acquaint their Saviour with his Sufferings Lord Behold he whom thou lovest is sick They do not say our Brother that Loves thee is sick but he whom thou lovest is sick Thereby pleading not the Merit of Lazarus but the Mercy of Christ For how can the Love of Christ which is infinite and eternal have any Cause but it self Note the Person whom Christ loved is sick and dyes Learn thence That Strength of Grace and Dearness of Respect even from Christ himself cannot prevail either against Death or against Diseases Lazarus whom Christ loved is sick Obs 2. The gracious Answer which Christ sent to the Sisters Message This Sickness is not unto Death but for the Glory of God that is this Sickness shall not bring upon him such a Death as he shall remain under the Power of to the General Resurrection but is only designed to give me an Opportunity of glorifying God by exerting my miraculous Power in restoring him to Life Learn hence 1. That as God's own Glory is his supream Aim and End in all his Actions so in particular it is designed by him in sending Afflictions upon his People to glorifie his Power and Wisdom Mercy and Love in and upon them The Saints Sicknesses are all for the Glory of God 2. That God is glorified when his Son is glorified as none do honour the Father who do not honour the Son so the Father accounts
and holiest of Christians there remains much Corruption to be purged out in order to future and farther fruitfulness Learn 6. That the Husbandman's hand God the Father's manages the pruning Knife of Affliction in order to his Peoples improvement in Grace and Holiness he had rather see his Vine Bleed than see it Barren Lastly That such Branches as after all the Husbandman's Care and Cost remain unfruitful shall be finally cut off and cast away as was Judas here who in this Discourse of our Saviour seems particularly and especially to be aimed at He was a Branch in him that bare no Fruit who was shortly after taken away and went to his own place 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you 4 Abide in me and I in you As the branch cannot bear fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me 5 I am the vine ye are the branches He that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing Our Saviour having in the former Verses distinguished his Disciples into two sorts some that were Members of his Body the Church and Branches of him the true Vine by outward shew and visible profession only others that are spiritually ingrafted into him and do bring forth much fruit now in this third Verse Christ tells his Disciples which number they were of Now saith he ye are clean thro' the word which I have spoken unto you that is Now that Judas the Traitour that Dead Rotten fruitless Branch is cut off and cast out ye are all clean thro' the cleansing Power and Vertue of my Word and Doctrine Learn hence 1. That such as are justified by the Blood and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ are in Christ's Account clean notwithstanding their many spots and manifold imperfections Now are ye clean 2. That as the Blood of Christ is the meritorious and the Spirit of Christ the efficacious so the word of Christ is the Instrumental cause of a Believer's Purification and Cleansing Now are ye clean through the word which I have spoken unto you Abide in me and I in you That is Abide in me and I will abide in you Abide in me not only by an outward and visible Profession but by a real and fiducial Adherence and I will abide in you by the influences and operations of my Holy Spirit The Union and Conjunction between Christ and his Members is mutual they abide in him by Faith and dependance and he abides in them by the indwelling presence of his Grace and Spirit Abide in me and I will abide in you Observe Farther the Reason which Christ gives why they should thus abide in him because without Union with him without interest in him without influences of Grace derived from him they could bring forth no fruit for him nor do any thing that is truly acceptable and well-pleasing to him As the Branch cannot bear fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me for without me ye can do nothing That is As brances sever'd from the Vine cannot live nor bear Fruit so neither can Christians separated from Christ and without deriving vertue from him do any thing spiritually good and well-pleasing in the sight of God Learn hence That not only unregenerate Men do labour under an impotency to that which is spiritually good but even Disciples themselves without daily dependance upon Christ and without constant communications of Grace from him can do nothing in a lively and acceptable way and manner unto him without me Ye can do nothing you that are Branches of me the true Vine 6 If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned Here our Holy Lord discovers the sad and deplorable Condition of such professors who pretending Relation to Christ do yet bring forth no fruit unto him he calls them wither'd Branches fit only for the Fire Learn hence That such as have had a long standing in God's Vineyard and contented themselves with a withered profession they are in great danger of having God's blasting added to their Barrenness All their parts and gifts and common Graces will wither and their fair Blossoms of Profession will drop off and at the great Day the Angels will gather these fruitless Branches together and cast them into Hell fire 7 If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you Observe here 1. A glorious priviledge declared Ask what ye will it shall be done unto you Not that we are hereby warranted to ask what we please at God's hand but our Will must be limited by the Word and Will of God we must pray in Faith and in the Name and Mediation of Jesus Christ and with a single Eye at the Glory of God Observe 2. The Condition upon which this priviledge is attainable If ye abide in me and my word abide in you that is practically and experimentally If my Doctrine and Commands abide in your Hearts and dispose you to an Holy fruitfulness in your Lives then shall all your just requests be granted Learn That such as by Faith embrace the Promises and by Obedience live up to the Precepts of the Gospel may in Prayer humbly ask of God what they will with a due Submission to the Wisdom and Will of God 8 Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit so shall ye be my disciples Our Lord here exhorts his Followers to an Holy fruitfulness in good works by a double Argument One drawn from the Glory of God Herein is my Father glorified The other from their own Advantage so shall ye be my Disciples That is hereby ye shall evidence and prove your selves to be my Disciples Learn hence That a Christian's abounding fruitfulness in good works will abundantly conduce to the Honour and Glory of God and also to his own Peace and Comfort by being the best evidence of his Discipleship 9 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love Lord What a comparison is here As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you he doth not say as the Father hath loved me so have I loved him but so have I loved you nor doth he say as God hath loved me so have I loved you but As the Father it is verbum dilectionis a word importing dearness of Affection nor doth he say the Father hath loved me and I love you but as the Father hath loved me so have I loved you nor doth he say as the Father hath loved me so will I love you but so have I loved you This shews the priority of Christ's love that he loved us first and also denotes the invincible constancy of his love and