Page images
PDF
EPUB

The great promise of the new covenant is, "I will be thy God;" this promise comprehends all things that God hath to give, and all things we need to make us happy for time and eternity. But if the question be, How shall this promise be made good to us? We are to remember that this new-covenant promise is made first to Christ, the seed of the woman, spoken of Gen. iii. 15. and who is called the seed of Abraham, Gen. xxii. 18. "In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed;" this is distinctly explained of Christ, Gal. iii. 16. “Now to Abraham and to his seed, were the promises made; He says not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, that is Christ." Now, the promises being all made to Christ primarily, this promise," I will be thy God," lights first upon him as Mediator, and he claims it, according as it is said, Psal. lxxxix. 26. "Thou art my Father, he shall cry, thou art my God alone;" he claimed it when hanging upon the cross, with an "ELI, ELI, My God, my God;" he claimed it when mounting the throne; "I ascend to my Father, and your Father; to my God, and your God." It is therefore evident how God becomes our God, according to that promise, "I will be thy God;" we are to look upon it as a promise made first to Christ, our glorious Mediator and exalted Head; if it did not belong to him first, it could not belong to us; God and all things that he hath are his; and in him, God and all things that he hath, come to be ours, who believe in him; and who believe so as to receive his testimony that he gives of himself, saying, "All things that the Father hath are mine."

But if the next questien be, How are all things that Christ hath made ours? We answer, By manifestation and communication, as the context shews; "All things that the Father hath are mine;" that is, either, 1. Mine to give you a sight of them by manifestation; or, 2. Mine to give you a share of them by communication; or, 3. Mine to give you both a sight and share by manifesting and communicating them. For this end the Spirit shall be sent to glorify me, by receiving of mine and shewing it to you."

1

Hence see reason to hearken to Christ's voice, when he comes to open and discover the Father's treasures, and dispense them to us. The Father hath said of him, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am wellpleased, hear ye him;" why then, let us hear what he says; and, 1. What says he of his Father? namely, That the Father hath all things; yea, but what is that to us? The Father is not our Redeemer; he did not take on our nature; he did not become our kinsman : well, but, 2. What says he of HIMSELF?" All things that the Father hath are mine;" and therefore you have a concern in them, a relation to them, and a right to claim them as your own; in him whom the Father hath given to be a covenant of the people, the light of the Gentiles, and to be wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; a Prophet, Priest, King, and all to you.

Our Lord speaks here of all things the Father hath as his, not essentially, by nature, as he is God; for thus, he and his Father are one; but economically, by office, as he is Mediator; for thus, he is the Father's Servant and Commissioner, to come and discover and dispense all his treasures that he hath to give out to us, and that we as creatures are capable of receiving and enjoying: More particularly, when he says, "All things that the Father hath are mine."

[1.] He says the Father himself is mine; he is my Father, and my God; and this I came to tell you, that in me you may see him to be your Father, and your God, and hear him saying, as Jer. iii. 4. Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father?" It is in Christ that he issues out that first command, "Thou shalt have no other God before me:" but know and acknowledge him to be the Lord your God and Redeemer. Thus, by the hand of Christ, God discovers and dispenses himself to us as our God and Father; this includes all things else that can be said; all things. he hath are mine, because he himself is mine; and this discovery opens your right to him as your God and Father too, because of your right to me; and you have such a right to me by virtue of my being the Father's

gift to you, that you must claim me as your own; "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed on him, might not perish, but have everlasting life. My Father gives you the true bread," to be used as your own; and if you reject it, you reject your own mercy, as the Jews did, of whom it is said, " He came to his own, and his own received him not ;" and in rejecting him, they reject the Father, and all things that Christ and his Father had to give unto them; when Christ says, the Father himself is my God and Father, then, he discovers and dispenses to us the claim we have to the Father as our God and Father; he is mine, and therefore yours who receive me; "All things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's," 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23.

But,

[2.] And more particularly, as the Father is mine, so, "All things that the Father hath are mine;" and here is also a field to travel through, which to all eternity we can never come to the end of. Besides what I have formerly offered, there are some particulars I would mention, which we may gather from the word. What then are the particular things the Father hath, which Christ speaks of, saying. They are mine to discover and dispense to the children of men? The sum of them is,

The Father's mind is mine to discover and disclose unto you; and, indeed, God's mind is himself, and when his mind is told he himself is declared: see John i. 13. "No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." The Father's mind is his bosom, and Christ was and for ever is, in the Father's bosom, and he hath declared him; not only as a Prophet declaring the mind of God, but as the heavens declare the glory of God: Christ is not only a great Prophet to teach, but a bright Heaven to declare the Father's mind; for, he is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person. When therefore he says, "All things that the Father hath are mine,"

he says, the Father's mind is mine to discover and dispense to you.

Quest. What are the special things in the Father's mind, that are in Christ's commission also, to discover and dispense?

Answ. Many things of this sort doth Christ declare, in this sermon to his disciples, from chap. xiv. to the end of this chapter. I will name five or six.

1. It was the Father's mind, that Christ should tell us of a resting-place from heart-trouble, even in this world; and that this resting-place is not an absolute God, but a God in Christ; John xiv. 1. "Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me:" and that thus and thus only, you will get rest to your hearts, in God even by me; for, " No man cometh to the Father but by me." It was my Father's mind, that I should come and bring you to God; for, as it is said, 1 Pet. iii. 18. " Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.-Rev. v. 9. Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.-Let not your heart be troubled then, ye believe in God, believe also in me, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation ;" and in whom God hath found rest and satisfaction to his justice, that ye may rest safe where God rests, even in me.

2. It was the Father's mind, that Christ should tell us of a resting-place in the world to come, after all our troubles in this world are at an end; therefore he says, John xiv. 2, 3. "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you: I go to prepare a place for you; and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto. myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." It was the Father's mind, that Christ had to discover and dispense to us, to shew us how we might enter into rest here, from all heart-trouble; for, "He that believeth hath entered into his rest;" and to shew us what a blessed rest remains for the people of God, at the end of time. It was the Father's mind, that Christ should tell of his Father's house, which was to be their everlasting home; and that their everlasting rest was to be with him and his Father there.

3. It was the Father's mind, that Christ should come and tell us we were to have the Father's ear, whenever we should apply to the throne of grace; " And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it," John xiv. 13, 14. It says, we should never want errands to come to God withal, but yet come when we would in the name of Christ, we should have his ear open to our suits, as the hearer of prayer, and the answerer of requests.

4. It was the Father's mind, that Christ should tell us of the blessed Comforter, John xiv.; his name, and abode with us, ver. 16, 17, 18.; his attendants, namely, the Father, and the Son, verse 23.; his offices, ver. 26. xv. 26. xvi. 8, 9, 10. 14, 15.: all shewing how he was to confirm and comfort them. Again, among the mys teries of the Father's mind,

5. It was the Father's mind, that Christ should come and shew his disciples the proper and needful purgatory he designed to bring them through; not the antichristian purgatory, after this life; for there is no word of this in the sacred oracles; but the Christian purgatory is three-fold; the first is, the bloody purgatory of the blood of Christ, that cleanseth from all sin. The second is, the fiery purgatory of the Spirit of Christ, and his operations, compared to fire. The third is, the crying and pruning purgatory of the cross. All these, but especially the last, seem to be spoke of by our Lord here, John xv. 2." Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." There are two things in this world that he makes use of for trying, purging, and purifying his disciples and it is part of his Father's mind to tell them of this; there is, 1. The world's hatred, John xv. 18, 19. "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." 2. The world's rage, John xvi. 2. “ They shall put you out of the synaE

VOL. IX.

« PreviousContinue »