Secondly, The means of applying and conveying this benefit: ' Through the truth,' ev aXrjOela. It may be rendered ' through the truth,' ' in the truth,' or ' for the truth ;' all which readings admit of a commodious explication.
1. In the truth, or truly, in opposition to legal purifications, which were but a shadow of true holiness : Heb. ix. 13, 14, ' For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God ? ' Or in opposition to counterfeit sanctification : Eph. iv. 24,
VeR. 19.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVIL 11
* And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness,' Some only are sanctified externally, as they are in visible covenant with God : Heb. x. 29, ' And hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing.' They live among his peculiar people ; others are really renewed and changed by his Spirit, and turned from a sinful life to God, making conscience of every commanded duty, and aiming at his glory in all things.
2. For the truth, that they may be consecrated, set apart, and fitted for that function of preaching the gospel. This is agreeable to the context, which limits this part of the prayer to the apostles.
3. Through the truth, as we render it, and fitly, considering the 17th verse, 'Sanctify them through the truth; thy word is truth ; ' through the word, by which the virtue of Christ's death is applied to us. There are certain means and helps by which Christ bringeth about this effect : Eph. v. 26, ' That he might sanctify and cleanse it by the washing of water, through the word.' The word offereth this grace, the sacraments seal and confirm it to us. So John xv. 3, ' Ye are clean, through the word which I have spoken to )^ou.' The word of command presseth it : Ps. cxix. 9, ' Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way ? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.' The word of promise encourageth us: 2 Cor. vii. 1, ' Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all the filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' And the doctrine of Christ's blood holds out the virtue whereby it may be done : 1 John i. 7, ' The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.' And it exciteth faith, by which the heart is purified : Acts xv. 9, ' Purifying their hearts by faith.'
Use 1. Information. It informeth us of divers important truths.
1. That in ourselves we are polluted and unclean, or else what needed there so much ado to get us sanctified ? This is needful to be considered by us : Job xv. 14, ' What is man that he should be clean ? and he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous ? ' That is, man by nature is neither clean nor righteous, destitute of purity by nature, and uprightness of conversation. They are ill ac- quainted with man who think otherwise ; for if we consider his earliness in sinning, his easiness in sinning, his constancy in sinning, and the universality of sinners, we may soon see what his nature is ; and the fountain being so corrupt, the streams or emanations from it are defiled also.
2. That nothing can cleanse us but the blood of Christ. Can man cleanse himself ? Job xiv. 4, 'Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ? not one.' Can that which is corrupt cleanse itself ? or that which is enmity to holiness promote it ? Or can the word do it with- out Christ ? Good instructions may show a mnn his duty, but cannot change the bent of his heart. Christ needed not only to be sent as a pro- phet, ver. 18, but must sanctify himself as a priest and sacrifice, before this benefit could be procured for us, as in the text. There was no pos- sible way to recover holiness, unless a price, and no less a price than the blood of the Son of God, had been paid to provoked justice for us. He must sanctify himself, give himself, before we can be sanctified and cleansed.
12 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. [SeR. XXXIII.
3. That they do not aright improve the death of Christ that seek comfort by it, and not holiness. He died not only for our j iistification, but sanctification also. There are two reasons why the death of Christ hath so little effect upon us ; either he is a forgotten Christ, or a mis- taken Christ. A forgotten Christ : men do not consider the ends for which he came: 1 John iii. 5, ' Ye know that he was manifested, to take away our sins ; ' and ver. 8, ' To this purpose was the Son of God manifested, to destroy the works of the devil ; ' to give his Spirit to sinful miserable man. Now things that we mind not do not work upon us. The work of redemption Christ hath performed without our minding or asking ; he took our nature, fulfilled the law, satisfied the lawgiver, merited grace without our asking or thinking ; but in apply- ing this grace, he require th our consideration : Heb. iii. 1, ' Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of our profession.' Our faith : ' Believest thou that I am able to do this for thee ? ' Our acceptance : John i. 12, ' To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.' But the other evil is gi-eater, a mistaken Christ ; when we use him to increase our carnal security and boldness in sinning, and are possessed with an ill thought, that God is more reconcilable to sin than he was before, and by reason of Christ's coming there were less evil and malignity in sin, for then you make Christ a minister and encourager of sin : Gal. ii. 17, ' For if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore the minister of sin ? God forbid ! ' You set up Christ against Christ, his merit against his doctrine and Spirit ; yea, rather you set up the devil against Christ, and varnish his cause with Christ's name, and so it is but an idol-Christ you dote upon. The true Christ * came by water and blood,' 1 John v. 6 ; ' Bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, being dead unto sin, should live unto righteousness,' 1 Peter ii. 24. And will you set his death against the ends of his death ? and run from and rebel against God because Christ came to redeem and recover you to God ? Certainly those weak christians that only make use of Christ to seek comfort, seek him out of self-love ; but those that seek holiness from the Kedeemer have a more spiritual affection to him. The guilt of sin is against our interest, but the power of sin is against God's glory. He came to sanctify us by his holiness, not only to free our consciences from bondnge, but our hearts, that we may serve God with more liberty and delight. This was the great aim of his death : Titus ii. 14, ' He gave himself for us, .that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.' Thus did Christ, that the plaster might be as broad as the sore ; we lost in Adam the purity of our natures, as well as the favour of God, and therefore he is made sanctification to us, as well as right- eousness, 1 Cor. i. 30.