LONDON, Printed by G. M. for Nicholas Bourne and Rapha Harford, 1639.
THE FRUITFUL LABOUR FOR ETERNAL FOOD.
Lahour not for the meat that j)ensheth, hut for the meat that endureth to ever- lastinff life, xchich the Son of man shall give you: for him hath God the Father sealed. — John VI. 27-
Our blessed Saviour was mighty in word and deed. Witness what he did, what he taught, and both in this chapter.
What he did. He fed many with a few loaves. He came over the water without any help.
What he taught. Witness from this part of the chapter to the end.
The words are part of an answer of our blessed Saviour to his hypocri- tical followers, that followed him for the loaves, and not for any confirma- tion of their faith by his miracles. For upon occasion of those two miracles — mentioned in the former part of the chapter — they followed him ; and perceiving that he was miraculously come over the water, they began to ask him, ' Rabbi, how camest thou here ? Our Saviour perceives that they meant to compliment with him. He sees with what hearts they came after him. Therefore, as most befitting the exigence of their state, because they were hypocrites, he answers, not to their question, but to their persons, ' Verily, verily, ye seek me, not because of the miracles, but because ye ate of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat that perisheth,' &c.
The verses together contain a conviction, and an injunction or direction.
A conviction, and that is serious and loving. Serious, ' Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not because of the miracles, but because ye ate of the loaves,' &c. He convinceth them of their fault, of their hypo- crisy, of their wicked and carnal aims in holy business. They come flattering of Christ : but as he was too holy to flatter, so he was too wise to be flattered. He deals therefore directly with them, thoroughly con- vinceth them of their hypocrisy and corrupt aims in following after him. We are all naturally prone to these carnal ends in holy actions. We must take heed with what minds, with what hearts, we come before God, whose eyes are brighter than the sun, who regards not so much what we do, as with what minds we do it.
As his conviction is serious, so it is loving ; for with the conviction or reproof follows the injunction or direction, ' Labour not for the meat that perisheth.'
In the injunction there are two things :
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THE FRUITFUL LABOUR
First, He shewa them what they should not follow. Ho takes them off from labouring after ' the meat that perisheth.*
And then, secondly, he instructs them in what they should follow, what they should seek after : * but labour for the meat that endureth to everlast- ing life,' &c.
There are arguments in both. In the first, there is an argument dis- suasive, and that is unfolded : ' Laboui- not for the meat that perisheth,' because it is meat that perisheth.
In the second, there are arguments persuasive, or enforcing to the duty, and they are three,
The necessity.
The excellency.
The possibillity of attaining.
The necessity. It is meat ; and what so necessary as meat ?
The excellency ; and that is set forth, first, by the continuance. It is ' meat that endures.' Secondly, by the fruit or effect of it. It is ' meat that endures to everlasting life.' It is meat to life, and it is meat that tends to an everlasting, to a glorious life.
The possibility of attaining it. ' The Son of man shall give it you : for him hath the Father sealed.'
There are three things that must concur to make a thing attainable, and to be had :
A willingness in the giver.
Power and strength to give it. "*
And then authority with power.
Here are all these. Here is vill to bestow it. He will give it. What freer than a gift ? The Son of God became the Son of man upon purpose to give it. He will give it, and he will give it freely.
Here is poiver and strength to (jive it ; for he is the Son of God as well as the Son of man.
And then here is authority joined icith that poicer, for ' the Father hath sealed him.' The Father that created heaven and earth, that hath all power in his hands, that is King of kings and Lord of lords, ' he hath sealed him.' He hath given him full commission to be the Saviour of all that trust in him. Christ came not without authority from God the Father. He came out with God's broad seal as his commission.
So you see the arguments, both dissuasive, ' Labour not for the meat that perisheth,' and persuasive, ' but for the meat that endureth to ever- lasting life.' I shall but touch the former, and principally insist upon the latter branch."
To speak a little for the explication or the words. What is here meant by the 'meat that perisheth '?
We must enlarge the sense according to our Saviour's meaning. By ' the meat that perisheth,' he doth not intend only outward food, but all out- ward things whatsoever, they are the ' meat that perisheth.' All earthly and outward things are the food that the soul of a natural man feeds upon. The soul of a covetous man feeds upon his money, applauding himself that he is worth so much and so much. The ambitious man, chameleon-hke, feeds upon the air, upon the airy applause of the people. The sensual man feeds upon base and sensual pleasures. In a word, all carnal men, natural men, are condemned to that sentence of the serpent, ' to eat dust,' to feed upon outward, earthly, perishing things. So that everything that is not grace and glory, or the means that lead to it, is a perishing thing.