THE FIFTY-FIRST LECTURE.

OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST.

JOHN, CHAP. XXI.

18. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch out thine hands, and another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldest not.

19. And this spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had said thus, he said to him, Follow me.

THE last day, beloved brethren, we heard how the Lord in this third appearing unto his disciples after his resurrection, when he dined with them, fed them, and giving them meat out of his own hand, he entered in conference with Peter; especially the end of the conference he had with Peter, was to restore Peter to that dignity of the apostleship from which he had fallen, and whereof he had made himself unworthy through his apostacy and threefold denial of his Lord and Master. He asks him one thing thrice: "Simon, the son of Jona, lovest thou me?" Peter answers and gives a threefold confession, "Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." The Lord answers again, and gives a threefold absolution,

This

and pronounces the sentence of his restoring again three times: "Feed," then, says the Lord, "my lambs, feed my sheep." he does, to confirm him the better in his restoring, for when a man hath made a foul defection from God, his heart is not easily persuaded of grace again; it will not be at one or two sentences, it will not be a promise at one time, that will give him an assurance of the favour of God again; therefore, to give Peter the greater assurance of grace, he triples over the sentence, and gives him three times that commission to feed his lambs and sheep. The last day, brethren, as the Lord gave the grace, we opened the meaning of these words, and last, of these words, " my lambs, my sheep." Now, only thus far I add, for your consolation,—ye see all this love that Peter confesses toward the Lord himself, he turns it over upon his lambs, his sheep, and flock, in a word, upon his Church. Mark it. The pastor or minister will no sooner profess love to his Lord that placed him in that room, but as soon the Lord will send him to the flock and people. "If thou love me," the Lord will say, "love my people;" the Lord will place his people in his own room. Look what love any will bear to him, he will have it declared and uttered to his saints. And, more, he does it three times; so oft as Peter professes love, so oft he sends him to the people; look how oft the pastor professes love to Christ, as oft he will send him to the people. If he say, "I love thee," then he will answer, "Feed my lambs;" if he will say a thousand times, he will answer, "Feed my flock, manifest it upon them that carry mine image." This shows the wonderful love that God bears to his elect. He will have all that duty that is due to him to be translated upon his Church, so that whosoever do not their duty to the Church, I affirm, and I say, profess as they will, they have no love to Christ. Thou mayest stand up, and babble and vaunt of thy love to Christ, but I say, there is no such love in thine heart as thou professest with thy mouth. "If thou sayest thou lovest God, and doest not thy duty to man, thou art a liar," 1 John iv. 20. forward to this text.

To

go

When he hath restored him to the

office of apostleship, which, by his denial, justly he had lost, he

gives him the office with a knot,' as we speak, and he forewarns him in the entry, that he shall get no rest in it, and when he hath done all, what shall be his reward in the world? He tells him, "Thou shalt be girded,"-with cords instead of a girdle,-"and then thou shalt be led away whither thou wouldest not ;" that is, " to a violent death, whereby thou shalt seal up the gospel that thou hast preached." Then, the Lord gives him, and he receives the office of apostleship, with this premonition, that in the end of it he shall die the death. The Lord forewarns him to this end, that he should be on his preparation to make him ready to die, and to enarm him against the death: for death coming unawares is terrible, and will terrify the proudest flesh that lives; so this forewarning serves for the enarming of him,-forewarned, half armed, as the proverb is. Preparation for death, meditation of that death, and of the life to come, is better and more steadable armour against death than a jack,2 or all the strengths and castles in the earth. It is a terrible thing when death lights upon a creature suddenly,—it dammishes the creature.

But to the purpose. In the person of Peter, I perceive that there is no man the Lord receives to be a pastor, a feeder of his flock, or a minister, but he takes him with this premonition, "Make thee for death;"-that is a hard beginning;-" prepare thee to shed thy blood for my sheep, and to seal that gospel which thou hast preached with thy blood." For why? a man that enters to feed the flock of the Lord hath not ado with lambs only, silly and simple sheep, but he must fight with wolves; as he must feed the lambs, so he must fight with wolves, tigers, bears, &c. that would devour the lambs. Yea, sometimes it will fall out, that these whom they think to be lambs will manifest themselves to be wolves; yea, beside this, it may be, that one of his own flock shall stand up and devour him in the end; and beside this, what is the devil ever doing with him? Is he not ever going about the fold, like a roaring lion, with the mouth of him ever wide open, seeking to swallow and de

A proverbial expression, indicating honour accompanied with difficulties. 2 A leathern cuirass, like those worn by the common soldiers of that day.

vour not only the flock, but also the pastor? so that he should make him for death. It is true, brethren, every pastor in the end dies not a violent death; all are not hanged, beheaded, or burnt. Some, yea many, die their own natural death, and in peace; the Lord honours not every man with the gift of suffering for the name of Christ,-it is an honour, get it who will,—as he honoured Peter, and he requires not that every man seal this doctrine with his blood in the end; but yet it is the Lord's will that never a man enter so soon to the ministry, but as soon he make him for suffering, and that he preach so, that he be ready to seal up every preaching with his blood. Away with the man who, when he enters, thinks with himself that he shall have ease, and a quiet and a pleasant life!

It is true, again, the Lord will not speak now to every man face to face, forewarning him, and giving to him a revelation from heaven now, as then he did to Peter; yet there is nothing more certain than this, it is his will, that every man be ready every hour to seal up the gospel with his blood, if it please the Lord to call him. Paul, (Acts xxi. 11,) when he was going up to Jerusalem, he got a forewarning," that he should be bound hand and foot," and so it fell out; but it was not foretold him that he should die: yet he says, when the godly are standing weeping and lamenting, seeking to dissuade him to go up, "What do ye, weeping and grieving mine heart? Why trouble ye me? I am ready," says he, "not only to be bound, but I am prepared to die for the name of the Lord Jesus." So, howbeit he got not the warning, yet he had this resolution settled," to suffer." Now, appertains this nothing to you, who are the people? I say to thee, thou who wilt call thyself a Christian man, and who hast given up thy name to Jesus Christ, thou art as far indebted to seal up thy profession with thy blood, if thou be charged, as the pastor is; otherwise I will not give thee a penny for thy profession. It had been better thou had never taken that name, if thou be not ready to seal it up with thy blood. It is true, every one is not in very deed martyred; but I say to thee, there is a necessity laid upon thee, that in some measure thou

prepare thee to suffer the cross and death itself for Christ's sake, and so, that thou be a martyr in thine own mind and resolution. And albeit thou eschew death, yet of this be assured, that thou shalt bear the burden of affliction, either inwardly or outwardly: for "whosoever would live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer affliction," 2 Tim. chap. iii. verse 12. And Acts, chap. xiv. verse 22, it is said, "Through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdom of God." This necessity is laid upon us. It is the duty (as we use to speak) of every Christian man and woman to suffer. Therefore, brethren, seeing this necessity is laid on us, that we must suffer some affliction, we should be prepared for it; yea, if it were to die the death for the name of Jesus. Let every one be preparing themselves, both pastor and people, for it may be that all estates be sooner put to trial than ye look for, and that the Lord say to the pastor, "Thou hast been preaching these many years, now seal it up with thy blood;" and to the people, "Ye have been professing long, now suffer for it." There is my counsel;-suppose thou shed not thy blood, yet look, that in the resolution of thine heart thou be a martyr, thou be headed, hanged, and that thou suffer all sort of torment that ever any suffered, and strive to get contentment to die at the pleasure of the Lord. He knows not what a Christian man means who has not this resolution. A fool thinks that this high calling is to get pleasure, ease, and delicacy. No, no; as Christ went out of the ports of Hierusalem, bearing his own cross to the place of execution, so he calls thee to go forth with him, out of this world, bearing his reproach, Heb. xiii. 13. Otherwise look not to have participation of his glory.

Yet let us mark the words more narrowly. Now, certainly, will ye look into them, ye will see that Peter's calling to the apostleship was wondrous strait. Peter might have thought and said with himself," Seeing I am entering to be an apostle, I am entering to a glorious calling; I will get honour enough. I was before a poor fisher, now I will get honour, ease, peace, and rest." The Lord answers, "No, Peter, it shall not be so." And this he declares, by comparing his condition to come in his age, with his