VeR. 2.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. 137
2. Who are they that are given to Christ ? I answer — The elect are intended in this scripture, as is clear : ' He hath a power over all flesh,' but, ' to give eternal life to as many as are given to him.' So ver. 24, ' I will that all they whom thou liast given me may be with me.' None but the elect are saved. So ver. 10, ' All mine are thine, and tliine are mine ;' where Christ's charge and the Father's election are made commensurable and of tlie same extent and latitude. They are opposed to the world : ver. 9, ' I pray for them ; I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me, for they are thine.' I confess it is sometimes used in a more restrained sense, of the apostles and believers of that age ; as ver. (>, ' Thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and tliey have kept thy word ; * and ver. 12, ' Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition.' These were e/cXe/crcoj/ eKXe/cTOTepoL, the elect of the elect. I confess sometimes the word is used in a larger sense, for Christ's uni- versal power over all flesh : Ps. ii. 8, ' Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession ; ' not by way of charge, but by way of reward, they were given to him ; or rather, a power over them Avas given to him. There is a peculiar difiiculty, ver. 12, concerning the son of perdition, how he was given to Christ. But I shall handle it when I come to that place. Christ, having spoken of the apostles keeping his word, taketh occasion to speak of Judas his apostasy.
Note hence : —
1. That there was, from all eternity, a solemn tradition and disposi- tion of all that shall be saved into the hands of Christ. All God's flock are committed to his keeping. This giving souls to Christ was founded in an eternal treaty, Isa. liii. 10. Christ received them by way of grant and charge ; he hath a book where all their names are recorded and written : Rev. xiii. 8, ' All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world ; ' Rev. xxi. 27, ' None shall enter in who are not written in the Lamb's book of life.' The book of life is there attributed to Christ, because he took this solemn charge upon himself, to conduct the heirs of salvation to glory. He is to see they come to him : John vi. 37, ' All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.' He knoweth them by head and poll : Isa. xlix. 12, ' Behold, these shall come from far ; and lo, these from the land of the north, and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim.' Man by man they are told out to him.
2. He is to keep them and look after them. Though there be many thousands, yet every single believer falleth under the care of Christ ; and accordingly he knoweth their names and their necessities : John x. 3, ' He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.' He knoweth his sheep by name, John, Anna, Thomas. As the high priest carried the names of the tribes upon his bosom, so Christ knows the names of all the flock of God. There is. not a poor servant or scullion (who are despicable creatures in the world) but Christ looks after him : Fs. xxxiv. 6, ' This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles/ Poor soul ! he is under such temptations, encumbered with such troubles, in such a task or
138 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVIT. [SeR. II.
service. My Fatlier gave me a charge of liim, I must look to him. So many hxmbs as thei'C are in the flock of Christ, there is not one forgotten.
3. Christ is to give an account of them unto God. He doth it by liis constant intercession ; of wliich this prayer is a copy : 'They have kept thy word : I am glorified in them.' Christ is speaking good words of them to the Father ; he giveth you a good report behind your back. Satan is an accuser; he loveth to report ill of believers; but Christ telleth the Father how his lambs thrive. It is a grief to your advocate when he cannot speak well of you in heaven. But solemnly he will do it at the last day, when he is to present the elect to the tribunal of God : Heb. ii. 13, ' Behold I and the children which God hath given me.' Oh ! it is a goodly sight to see Christ and all his little ones come together to the throne of grace. There is not one forgotten in the presence of Christ and all bis angels. Christ will not be ashamed to own a poor despicable boy, a manservant, or a maid- servant, so they be faithful : Luke xii. 8, ' Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.' I died for this poor creature, and shed my blood for him. This is intended : 1 Cor. xv. 24, ' Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father.' A kingdom is sometimes put for the form of government, sometimes for subjects governed. The kingdom, that is the church, is solemnly presented as a prey snatched out of the teeth of lions : Eph. v. 27, 'iva irapacxTrjarj, ' That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it should be holy and without blemish.' Christ will present his bride in triumph.