Thirdly, The third argument is what they had done, in the next clause, ' They have kept thy word.' Here is another reason, their obedience. He had mentioned what the Father had done, now what they had done. His ministry with them was not without success and fruit. This phrase, ' kept thy word,' is very significant ; it implieth not only outward hearing, but knowledge : Mat. xiii. 23, ' He that receiveth the seed into good ground, is he that heareth the word and understandeth it,' &c. Nay, not only knowledge, but assent and believing, embracing the promises of the gospel : Luke viii. 15, ' Hav- ing heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.' Not only assent, but the fruits of love and obedience : 1 John ii. 4, ' He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.' Not only single obedience, but constant profession and perseverance : Prov. xvi. 20, ' My son, keep thy father's commandments, and forsake not the law of thy mother.' They have not failed as Judas. Now there is a twofold keeping of the word — a legal keeping and evangelical. The legal keeping is absolute and perfect obedience ; if there be but the least failing, Moses accusetli and condemneth you. The evangelical keeping is filial and sincere obedience. Those imperfections Christ pardoneth, when he looketh back and seeth many errors and defects in life, as long as we bewail sin, seek remission, strive to attain perfection. All the command- ments are accounted kept when that which is not done is pardoned.
' Thy word.' — He doth not say my word, but thine. He elsewhere referreth his doctrine to the Father : John vii. 16, ' My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.' So here he mentioneth the divine autho- rity of his doctrine.
1. Observe, Christ speaketh good of his people to his Father.' Satan is an accuser, he loveth to speak ill of believers ; but Christ telleth his Father how his lambs thrive. It is a grief to your advo- cate when he cannot speak well of you in heaven, and say, ' They have kept thy word, I am glorified in them.' How grievous is it Avhen your very advocate is forced to be an accuser ! Isa. xlix. 4, ' I have laboured in vain, and spent my strength for nought.' I have sent my gospel,
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and it doth no good. It is Christ's complaint against the obstinacy of the Jews. Again, whom will you imitate, Christ or Satan ? To slander and accuse is the devil's property ; we should be more tender in divulging the infirmities of the saints ; it is the devil's work. Christ, when he prayeth for his enemies, he mollitieth their crime, and softeneth it with a gentle interpretation : Luke xxiii. 34, ' Father, for- give them; they know not what they do.' Christ excuseth, Satan accuseth.
2. Observe again, ' They have kept thy word.' Christ speaketh good of them, though they had many failings. The disciples often miscarried, were of weak faith, passionate when they met with dis- respect : Luke ix. 54, ' Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?' But Christ returneth this general issue, ' They have kept thy word;' so James v. 11, 'Ye have heard of the patience of Job ;' yea, and of his impatience too, when he cursed the day of his birth ; but the Spirit of God putteth a finger on the scar. It is a ground of hope, notwithstanding many weak- nesses and failings, Christ loveth not to upbraid us with infirmities. We commend with exceptions, and when we seem to praise we come in with a hut, like a stab under the fifth ril) ; yea, we blast much good with a little evil, as flies only go to a sore place.
3. Observe, it is the duty of God's people to keep his word. It is the greatest commendation Christ could give his disciples, ' They have kept thy word.' Mark, christians, it is not your duty to hear the word only, but to keep it ; not to know the word only, but to keep it. Eickets cause great heads and weak feet. We are not only to dispute of the word, and talk of it, but to keep it. We must neither be all ear, nor all head, nor all tongue, but the feet must be exercised. Now, what is it to keep the word ? We are said to keep it when we watch over it, that it be not lost by ourselves, nor taken away by others. It noteth three things — that it must be impressed on our hearts, expressed in our lives, retained in our conversations.
[1.] To keep the word is to feel the force of it in our hearts, that our hearts may be more bent and set towards God, for else the word is lost to ourselves. A man may better his knowledge by the word, but yet he doth not keep it, nor feel the virtue and force of it. The brains may be warmed when the heart is not, and we may keep the notion when the motion is gone and lost. Oh ! consider, we know God as we love him, we know him aright when we know him as we are known ; he knoweth us to love us, to choose us, to gain us to himself and to Christ. So should we know him for our portion, to have no rest till we have an interest in Christ.