2. Fully and finally at the last judgment, by the glory put upon them. The reprobate world shall know, to their cost, when they shall see them invested with such glory, that they were the darlings of God.
74 SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. [SeR, XXXIX.
But of what shall the world be convinced ? Of Christ's mission and the saints' privileges, that Christ was authorised by God as the doctor of the church, and the saints are dearly beloved of God.
Observe, there are two things God is tender of, and two things the world is ignorant of — his truth, and his saints.
1. God prizeth these above all things.
[1.] His gospel ; and therefore would have the world convinced that Christ was sent as a messenger from the bosom of God.
[2.] His saints ; and therefore he would have them convinced of his love to them, and that he hath taken them into his protection, as he did the person of Christ. What should people regard but these two, especially since God hath put his little ones to nurse, and bid them be wise to learn his truths ?
2. The world is most ignorant of these two ; of the divine authority of the gospel, and therefore they slight it, and refuse it as much as they do ; and of the dearness of his saints, therefore they persecute and molest them, and use them hardly. The world may be well called ' darkness,' Bph. v. 8, because they are ignorant of two things which do most concern them.
Bat let us speak more particularly of that wonderful and myste- rious expression, ' That thou hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Observe three things— (1.) That God loveth Christ ; (2.) That God loveth the saints as he loved Christ ; (3.) That Christ would have the world know so much, and be convinced of it.
Observe, first, that God loveth Christ as the first object of his love: * This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,' Mat. iii. 17. He is his dear Son : Col. i. 13, 'Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.' God saw all the works of his hands that they were good. He de- lighteth in the creatures, much more in his Son. He loveth Christ as God, and as mediator, as God-man.
1. As God ; so he is primum amdbile, the first object of his love, as his own express image, that represents his attributes exactly. He is the first Son, the natural Son,' as we are adopted ones ; and so his soul taketh an infinite contentment in Christ, before hill or mountain were brought forth : Prov. viii. 30, 31, ' Then was I with him, as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing alway before him, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth,' &c. As two that are bred up together take delight in one another.
2. As mediator ; he loveth the human nature of Christ freely. The first object of election was the -flesh, of Christ assumed into the divine person: Col. i. 19, 'It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;' it deserved not to be united to the divine person. When it was united, the dignity and holiness of his person deserved love. There was the fulness of the godhead in him bodily, the Spirit without measure, all that is lovely. And then, besides the excellency of his person, there was the merit of his obedience ; he deserved to be loved by the Father for doing his work : John x. 17, ' Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again ; ' that was a new ground of love. Christ's love to us was a further cause of God's love to him. Thus you see how God loveth Christ.
VeE. 23.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. 75
Use 1. It giveth us confidence in both parts of Christ's priestly- office — his obktion and intercession. His oblation: Mat. iii, 17, ' This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.' God hath proclaimed it from heaven that he is well pleased with Christ stand- ing in our room, tho«gh so highly offended with us, and with him for our sake : Eph. i. 6, ' To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.' All that come under his shadow will be accepted with God. He is beloved, and will be ac- cepted in all that he doeth ; his being beloved answereth our being unworthy of love. Surely he will love us for his sake, who hath pur- chased love for us. His intercession : if the Father loveth Christ, we may be confident of those petitions we put up in his name : John xvi. 23, ' Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.' Our advocate is beloved of God. When we pray in the name of Christ, according to the will of God, our prayer is in effect Christ's prayer. If you send a child or servant to a friend for anything in your name, the request is yours ; and he that denieth the child or ser- vant denieth you. When we come in a sense of our own unworthi- ness, on the score and account of being Christ's disciples, and with a high estimation of Christ's worth and credit with the Father, and. that he will own us, that prayer will get a good answer.