[5.] Dedicate yourselves to God, to walk before him in all new obedience: Kora. xii. 1, 'I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.'
SERMON XXXIV.
Neither 'pray 1 for these alone, hut for them also tohich shall believe on me through their word. — John XVII. 20.
Here Christ enlargeth the object of his prayers, which is propounded — (1.) Negatively ; (2.) Positively.
16 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. [SeR. XXXIV.
First, Negatively ; by which the restraint is taken off. Which showeth —
1. Christ's love. He had a care of ns before we were yet in being, and able to apply these comforts to ourselves. We were provided for before we were born, there is a stock of prayers laid up in heaven. Christ, as God, foresaw that the gospel would prevail, notwithstanding the world's hatred, and that many would yield up themselves to the obedience of the faith ; therefore to sliow that they have a room in his heart, they have a name in his testament. As parents provide for their children's children yet unborn, so doth Christ remember future believers, as well as those of the present age, and pleadeth their cause with God, as if they were standing by, and actually hearing his prayers for them. It was Esau's complaint, ' Hast thou but one blessing, O my father ? ' when he came too late, and Jacob had already carried away the blessing. We were not born too late, and out of due time, to receive the blessing of Christ's prayers. Hath he no regard to us ? are his thoughts wholly taken up with the believers of the first and golden age of the church ? Certainly not. ' I pray not for these only, but for them also which shall bejieve-on me through their word.' We, tliat now live hundreds of years after they are dead and gone, have an interest in them. ' Increase and multiply,' was spoken to the first of the kind of all the beasts ; and to the end of the world all creatures do produce and bring forth after their kind by virtue of this blessing. Christ doth not only speak of the first of the kind ; but, that we miglit be sure to be comprised, he telleth us so in express words. Certainly much of our comfort would be lost if we were not compre- hended in Christ's prayers, for his prayers show the extent of his purchase.
2. The honour that is put upon private believers ; their names are in Ciirist's testament ; they are bound up in the same bundle of life with the apostles. Here is a question, whether this passage relateth to the foregoing requests, or else to these that follow ? What part of the prayer hath this passage respect to ? Answer — I suppose to the whole ; it looketh upward and downward. The middle part of the cha])ter doth chiefly concern the apostles and disciples of that age ; gome things are proper to them, yet there are many things in common that concern us and them too. He had lately said, ' I sanctify myself for their sakes ; ' he would not have that restrained. In the latter part of the chapter all believers are more especially concerned ; yet some passages are intermingled that do also concern the apostles : ver. 22, ' The glory which thou hast given me, I have given them ; ' ver. 25, ' They have known that thou hast sent me ; ' ver. 26, ' I have declared my name to them, and will declare it.' Thus you see we are partly concerned in all the prayer. It is a great favour that he would make mention of us to God. As David, when about to die, did not only pray for Solomon his successor, but for all the people, so doth Christ not only pray for the college of the apostles, to whom the government of the church was committed upon his departure, but for all believers to the end of the world. He prayeth for the apostles, as intrusted with a great work, and liable to great danger and hatred ; but yet he doth not neglect the church.
VeR. 20.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVIL 17
Secondly, Positively ; the persons for whom he prays. They are described by their faith, and their faith is described by the object of it, ' Tliat believe in me ; ' and by the ground and warrant of it, ' Through their word.'
And so the points will be two : —
1. That believers, and they only, are interested in Christ's prayers.
2. That, in the sense and reckoning of the gospel, they are believers that are wrought upon to believe in Christ through the word.
Doct 1. That believers, and they only, are interested in Christ's prayers.
Though Christ doth enlarge the object of his prayers, yet he still keepeth within the pale of the elect. He saith, ver. 9, ' I pray not for the world ; ' and now, irepl tmv TrLaTevcrovrcov, ' for them that shall believe in me.' He doth not pray for all, whether they believe or no, but only for those that shall believe. Now this Christ doth, partly because his prayers and his merit are of equal extent : ' I sanctify my- self for their sakes ; ' and then, ' I pray not for these only, but for them that shall believe in me through their word ; ' Eom. viii. 33, 34, ' Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justi- fietli ; who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ that died, yea rathe)-, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us ; ' 1 John ii. 1, 2, ' If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins.' His prayers on earth do but explain the virtue and extent of his sacrifice : he sueth out what he purchased, and his intercession in heaven is but a representation of his merit ; both are acts of the same ofKce. Partly because it is not for the honour of Christ that his prayers should fall to the ground : John xi. 42, ' I know that thou hearest me always.' Shall the Son of God's love plead in vain, and urge his merit, and not succeed ? Then farewell the sure- ness and firmness of our comfort. Now Christ's prayers would fall to the ground if he should pray for them that shall never believe.