This scripture is a part of Christ's excellent reply to a self-ended generation, who followed him, not for any spiritual excellencies that they saw in him, or soul-advantages they expected by him, but for bread. Instead of making his service their meat and drink, they only served him, that they might eat and drink. Self is a thing may creep into the best hearts and actions ; but it only pre- dominates in the hypocrite. These people had sought Christ from place to place, and having at last found him, they salute him with an impertinent compliment, " Rabbi, whence earnest thou " hither ?" verse 25. Christ's reply is partly dissuasive, and part- ly directive, He dissuades them from putting the secondary and subordinate, in the place of the principal and ultimate end ; not to prefer their bodies to their souls, their fleshly accommodations to the glory of God. " Labour not for the meat that perisheth.r' Wherein he doth not take them off from their lawful labours and callings ; but he dissuades them, first, from minding those things too intently : and, secondly, he dissuades them from that odious sin of making religion but a pretence for the belly.
And it is partly directive, and that in the main end and business of life. " But labour for that meat which endureth to eternal life ;*
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to get bread for your souls to live eternally by. And, that he might engage their diligence in seeking it to purpose, he shews them not only where they may have it, [" which the Son of man u shall give you"] but also how they may be fully satisfied, that he hath it for them, in the clause I have pitched on ; " For him hath " God the Father sealed."
In these words are three parts observable.
1. The Person sealing or investing Christ with authority and power ; which is said to be God the Father. Though all the per- sons in the Godhead are equal in nature, dignity and power, yet in their operation there is an order observed among them ; the Fa- ther sends the Son, the Son is sent by the Father, the Holy Ghost is sent by both.
2. The subject in which God the Father lodges this authority, [Him] that is, the Son of man. Jesus Christ, he is the argwrov dexltxot, the first receptacle of it ; and he must here be understood exclusively. God the Father hath so sealed him, as he never sealed any other before him, or that shall arise after him. No name is given in heaven, or earth, but this name by which we are saved, Acts iv. 12. " The government is upon his shoulders," Isa. ix.
3. Here is farther observable, the way and manner of the Fa- ther's delegating and committing this authority to Christ ; and that is, by sealing him. Where we have both a metonymy, the symbol of authority being put for the authority itself, and a metaphor, seal- ing, which is a human act, for the ratifying and confirming an in- strument, or grant, being here applied to God. Like as princes, by sealed credentials, confirm the authority qf those that are sent by them ; as the Dutch Annotators well express the meaning of it. Hence we note,
Doct. That Jesus Christ did not qf himself undertake the work of our redemption, but "was solemnly sealed unto that work by God the Father.
When I say, he did not of himself undertake this work, I mean not that he was unwilling to go about it, for his heart was as fully and ardently engaged in it, as the Father's was : so he tells us, Psal. xl. 7. " Lo, I come to do thy will, O God ; thy law is in my " heart." But the meaning is, he came not without a due call, and full commission from his Father. And so it is to be under- stood in opposition to intrusion, not voluntary susception ; and this is the meaning of that scripture, John viii. 24. " I proceeded " and came from God ; neither came I of myself, but he sent " me." And this the apostle plainly expresseth, and fully
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clear;* Heb. v. 4, 5. " And no man taketh this honour to himself, " but he that is called of God, as was Aaron : so also, Christ glorified « not himself to be made an High-priest ; but he that said un- " to him, Thou art my Son.'1 And on the account of these sealed credentials, he received from the Father, he is called the Apostle and High-priest of our profession, Heb. iii. 1. i. e. one called and sent forth by the Father's authority. Our present bu- siness, then, is to open Christ's commission, and to view the great seal of heaven by which it was ratified.
And, to preserve a clear method in the explication of this great truth, into which your faith and comfort is resolved, I shall,
Fir sty Shew what was the work and office to which x\\t Father sealed him.
Secondly, What his sealing to this work doth imply.
Thirdly, How, and by what acts, the Father sealed him to it.
Fourthly, Why it was necessary that he should be thus sealed and authorized by his Father ; and then improve it in its proper uses. .
First, What was that office, or work, to which his Father seal- ed him ? I answer, more generally, he was sealed to the whole work of mediation for us, thereby to recover and save all the elect, whom the Father had given him ; so John xvii. 2. " It was to " give eternal life to as many as were given him : it was " to bring " Jacob again to him,"" Isa. xlix. 5. or as the apostle expresses it, 1 Pet. iii. 18. " That he might bring us to God." More par- ticularly, in order to the sure, and full effecting of this most glori- ous design, he was sealed to the offices of a Prophet, Priest, and King, that so he might bring about and compass this work.
1. God sealed him a commission to preach the glad tidings of salvation to sinners. This commission Christ opened and read in the audience of the people, Luke iv. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. " And " when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was " written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath " anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me " to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the cap- " tives, and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty " them that are bruised ; to preach the acceptable year of the " Lord. And he closed the book, <Sfc. And he began to say un- " to them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.,,,
2. He also sealed him to the priesthood, and that the most ex- cellent ; authorizing him to execute both the parts of it, viz. ob- latory and intercessory. He called him to offer up himself a sacrifice
* That there can be no other tiling inferred from this expression of the apostle, but this, that Christ was called to the office of Mediator, by him whose Son he was. Cameron's Myrotheca, p. 317.
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