* Qu. ' in ?'— G.
THE SECOND SEEMON.
Lef 7iot your hearts be troubled : ye believe in God, believe also in me. — • John XIV. 1.
The words of dcyvag men departing out of the world, as being the most serious and weighty, are most to be regarded. The children of God, the nearer they are to heaven, the more suitable they are to their heavenly con- dition. So was our Saviour Chi-ist ; and therefore he labours to furnish his disciples, and in them us, with good counsel to establish their hearts against the troubles and scandals to come. [This will appear] if you consider the time when he spake these words. It was when he himself was to be troubled more than ever was any creature. Yet he forgets himself and his future troubles, and thinks how to raise up and comfort them. He foresaw that Peter would deny him, that the rest would leave him; he foresaw that they would be dejected when he was gone. Yet ' let not your hearts be troubled.'
Oh, what a blessed and sweet Saviour have we, that thinks more of us than of himself, that he forgets his own troubles, and suiferings, and ex- tremities, and thinks of the supporting and upholding of his disciples !
This came from the same love that drew him from heaven to earth, which moved him to take our nature, and in that nature to die for us. And what may we not expect from that sweet and large love ? Out of the same bowels of pity and compassion was it (that they should not be over- much dejected) that he saith, ' Let not your hearts be troubled.'
He knew his disciples were in the state of grace already, yet he foresaw they were such as would sin ; nay, that Peter would deny him. Yet the foresight of Peter's and their unkindness did not take away his love, and pity, and compassion towards them. Yet, notmthstanding, he gives them sweet counsel ; nay, after they had dealt unkindly with him, and denied and forsook him indeed, he took no advantage of their weakness. He knew they had a secret love to him, that they had in them a root of affec- tion ; and he was so far from taking advantage for it that presently after he saith, ' Tell my brethren that I ascend to my God and their God,' yea, and * tell Peter so too,' John xx, 17, that hath dealt most unkindly of all with me. What a gracious and merciful Saviour have we, that foresees what ill we wUl do, and when we have done it, takes no advantage against us, but is careful to keep us from too much dejection, though he knew we would
SECOND SERMON. 349
deal so unkindly by him! And, indeed, lie did of purpose take our nature, that he might be a merciful Hisrh Priest.
Christians must distinguish betwixt dejection and grief. It had been a sin for them not to have grieved, as well as it was a sin for them to be over- much troubled. None are more sensible than a Christian. Se)itit dum vincit. He feels troubles whiles he overcomes them.
Christ speaks to the heart, because the heart is the seat of trouble, ' Let not your hearts be troubled.'
Christ could speak to the ears and heart at once. His words were operative, and conveyed comfort with them. Together with his words, he let in his Holy Spirit, that comforted them. God's commands in the ministiy of his word, suppose not that we have any ability to execute them, but together with his word there comes forth a power. As when Chi-ist said, ' Lazarus, arise ! ' there went forth a power that caused Lazarus to arise; as in the creation he said, ' Let there be light ;' for the word and the Spirit go together.
Having taken them off from trouble, he shews a way how to raise them, which is by faith, ' Ye believe in God, believe also in me.'
The object in believing is God, and Christ Mediator. "We must have both to found our faith upon. We cannot believe in God, except we be- lieve in Christ. For God must be satisfied by God, and by him that is God must that satisfaction be applied, the Spirit of God, by working faith in the heart, and for the raising of it up when it is dejected. All is super- natm'al in faith. The things we believe are above nature ; the promises are above natui-e ; the worker of it, the Holy Ghost, is above nature ; and everything in faith is above nature. There must be a God in whom we beheve; and a God through whom. If God had not satisfied God, the conscience would never have been satisfied ; there would still have been misdoubtings. And yet if the Holy Ghost sets not down the heart, and convinceth it throughly of the all-sufficiency of that satisfaction, it would never believe neither. And, therefore, as ' ye believe in God, beheve also in me,' for I am God too.
We may know that Christ is God, not only by that which Christ hath done, the miracles, which none could do but God, but also by what is done to him. And two things are done to him, which shew that he is God ; that is, faith and prayer. We must believe only in God, and pray only to God. But Christ is the object of both these. Here he is set forth as the object of faith, and of prayer in that of Saint Stephen: ' Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,' Acts vii. 59. And, therefore, he is God ; for that is done unto him, which is proper and peculiar only to God.