SEEMON VI.
And noio, 0 Father, glorify thou me ivith thine oivn self, with the glory which I had zvith thee before the luorld ivas. — John XVII. 5.
Jesus Christ, as God-man, in this chapter, prayeth to God. His prayer is first for himself, and then for his members. In all things he is to have the pre-eminence, as being infinitely of more worth and desert than all. His prayer for himself is to be glorified, which he enforceth and explaineth. He enforceth it by sundry reasons ; the last that he pleaded was, that he had done his work, and therefore, according to the covenant and agreement that was between them, he sueth out his wages. In the suit, he explaineth how he would be glorified : ' I have glorified thee on earth, and now, 0 Father, glorify thou me with thyself, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.'
For the opening of this request, I shall propound several ques- tions : —
1 . According to what nature this is spoken ?
2. What is this glory ?
3. Why he seeketh of the Father, the first person ? Could he not glorify himself ?
4. Why is he so earnest for his own glory ?
Quest. 1. According to what nature is this spoken, the divine or human ? The reason of the doubt is, because to the divine nature nothing could be given, and the human nature cannot be said to have this glory which Christ had before the world was, for then it would remain no longer human.
I answer — The request is made in the person of the mediator. God-man is distinctly and separately to be applied to neither nature, but to the whole person. The person of Christ was hitherto beclouded during the time of his humiliation ; now he desireth to be glorified, that is, that the divine majesty may shine forth in the person of the mediator ; and that
186 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. SeR. VI.
laying aside the form of a servant, he might return to the form of God, and that he might appear in his whole person, the human nature not excluded, as he was before the foundation of the world.
Quest. 2. The next question is, What is this glorifying ?
I answer — There is a twofold glorifying — (1.) Per glorice manifcs- tationem ; (2.) Per glorice collationem ; by way of manifestation, and by way of gift and collation. Both are intended ; the manifestation concerneth both natures, and the collation or gift only the human nature. It must be understood according to the properties of each nature. Qum in tempore Ghristo dantur, secundum humanam naturam dantur.
1. For the divine nature, Christ prayeth that it may be glorified by the clearer manifestation of his godhead, for that cannot receive any intrinsecal improvement or glory. It is avrapKr^f; koL aixeTddr)To<; ; but so far as it was humbled, so far it was glorified. Now Christ humbled himself, not by putting off his divine glory, but by suffering it to be overshadowed ; as the h'ght of a candle in a dark lanthorn, there is a light in it, but you cannot see it till the cover be taken away. Now Christ desireth that the cover and veil may be taken away. His glory was not lessened, but beclouded ; the divine essence that was hidden under the weakness of the flesh was now to be manifested and made known to all men. But you will say, it is irapa Trarpl, not irapa dv6p(07roL<;, he desireth the glory he had with him might be restored, not the glory with men. I answer —
[1.] The glory which he had with him may be more clearly mani- fested! to the world ; he had it with the Father, yet beggeth it of the Father.
[2.] I answer again — There is somewhat more than manifestation in the world, for he saith, irapa aeavToj, ' with thyself.' The Father was glorified by the Son, eVt tt}? 7?}?, ' upon the earth ; ' but now * glorify thou me,' wapd aeavTM, ' with thyself.' So John xiii. 32, ' If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself,' or with himself. So that he beggeth a full use and exercise of the divine power, from which he had abstained in the time of his humiliation and abasement. Now that time being finished, he prayeth that it may be restored, that he may be exalted in the full manifestation and ex- ercise of his divine power ; that his whole person might be exalted again at the right hand of majesty.
2. For his human nature. The flesh was not yet glorified, and taken up to God's right hand, that is, exalted to the fruition of eternal glory, as afterwards it was above all creatures in heaven and earth. The human nature was to have as much glory as it is capable of, by being united to the divine person, immortality, power, clarity, know- ledge, grace ; but not to have the properties of the divine nature really transfused, for then it would no longer be finite, nor remain a creature. It was to be raised to the full fruition of the glory of the divine nature, and freed from those infirmities to which, by the exigence of Christ's office upon earth, it was subjected. Thus what this glorifying is; but I shall speak more fully to it by and by.