John 15

God's glory is more worth than the salvation of all men's souls. This should be our design to raise the trophies of God's glory, and how can we do it more than by growing in grace (John 15:8): Hereby is my Father glorified, if you bring forth much fruit. Though the least dram of…

This is to be tender of God's glory. 5. We glorify God by fruitfulness (John 15:8): Hereby is my Father glorified, if you bring forth much fruit. As it is a dishonor to God to be barren, so fruitfulness does honor him (Philippians 1:11): Filled with the fruits of righteousness,…

These admonitions do not imply the saints can fall away, but they are preservatives to keep them from falling away. Christ told some of his disciples they should abide in him, yet he exhorts them to abide in him (John 15). His exhorting them was not in the least to question thei…

It must be as the motion of the pulse, always beating. The wind blows off the fruit; our fruits of obedience must not be blown off by the wind of persecution (John 15:16). I have chosen you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.

No man can say, If I had known the will of God, I would have obeyed; no, you are inexcusable, O man, God has given you a rule to go by, he has written his law with his own finger, therefore now if you do not obey, you have no apology left. If a master leaves his mind in writing…

That he should love us more than the angels: he loves them as his friends, believers as his spouse. He loves them with such a kind of love as God the Father bears to him (John 15:9). As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.

To sin ignorantly does something extenuate and pare off the guilt. John 15:22: If I had not come, you would have had no sin. That is, your sin would have been less.

5. 'Tis an evil world, as it is a maligning world. It does disgust and hate the people of God (John 15:19). Because you are not of the world, therefore the world hates you.

Matthew 10:17: they will deliver you up to the councils and they will scourge you in their Synagogues. John 15:21. And it is not likely that the Lord Christ would send his disciples for direction and satisfaction in the weighty matters of their obedience to him, and mutual love…

The Lord Jesus Christ strictly enjoins all his disciples the profession of his name, and lays it on them as indispensable to salvation (Romans 10:10): "With the heart man believes to righteousness, with the mouth confession, or profession, is made to salvation" (John 12:42, 43,…

Q. What is the work of Christ as a Prophet? A. To reveal and make known to his people the counsel and will of God (Deuteronomy 18:18; John 1:18; John 4:25; John 15:15; Matthew 11:27). Q. How does he this?

Q. Who are the members of that Church? A. Only they and all they that are effectually called to be true believers in Christ (Revelation 17:14; John 15:19). Q. What are the parts of the catholic Church?

Now, if any man ask, how comes it to pass, that the world should slander them so, and think so vilely of them; Answer. First, because they be taken out of the world, in regard of state and condition in grace, John 15:19, therefore the world hates them, John 15:19. Secondly, the…

And the Prophet Amos says; Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets. So saith our Saviour Christ to his Disciples, Ye are my friends; and he giveth a reason, because (saith he) I have revealed unto you all that I have heard of my…

Now this is not a prerogative of Prophets alone, or of such as were extraordinary men as Abraham was: but the secrets of the Lord are amongst such as fear him, Psalm 25:14. All that fear the holy name of God; are God's friends, and of his Counsel: and therefore not Abraham only…

The proposition is clear of itself, that we cannot bring forth good fruit, until we be good trees (Matthew 7:18): a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Nor can we become the good trees of righteousness, of the Lord's plantation (Isaiah 61:3), until we be grafted into Chr…

If we be active in laying hold on Christ, before he has given us his Spirit: then we apprehend him, before he apprehend us: then we should do a good act, and so bring forth good fruits, before we become good trees; yes, and be good trees before we be in Christ. But these are all…

True, to others; but not to himself. If a tree could know itself, it would first come to know itself, by seeing upon what root it grew, before it came to see what fruit it did bear (John 15:1, 2, 3, 4, 5). But this doctrine is new, it is not ancient, nor gray-headed.

It is not by legal institutions, it is not by our own inventions, it is only by his appointment (Matthew 28:20). To come to God any other way, gives us no interest in the care or saving power of Christ (John 15:7, 8). (2.) Of that especial respect which we have in our souls and…

He had before treated directly only of unfruitful and apostatizing professors, whom here he represents by unprofitable ground, and God's dealing with them as men do with such ground when they have tilled it in vain. For the Church is a vine or vineyard, and God is the husbandman…

An end they shall have, wherein their eternal condition shall be immutably stated. And this end is that they must have, to the fire, the fire prepared for the Devil and his angels, they shall be gathered together and burned with a fire that shall never be quenched (John 15:3, 4)…

Now this growth in some, indeed is very little; as some men, so some Christians are very low in stature: and there are winter seasons in many Christians' lives, in which they grow but little, or not at all: yet in their general course they do grow. John 15:2: He purges them that…

3. Because the first distinct operation is the Father's, therefore the whole work in Scripture is often ascribed to him; he is said to justify (Romans 3:26): The justifier of them that believe in Jesus. So he is said elsewhere to purge (John 15:1, 2): I am the Vine, and my Fathe…

A natural man has no power, a gracious man has some — though not sufficient — and that power he has depends upon the exciting and assisting strength of Christ. Grace within us is indebted to grace without us (John 15:5): 'Without me you can do nothing.' So much of the matter of…

God would not surely acquaint them, and advise with them what he should do, did he intend to do anything to their hurt. There is not anything in the heart of Christ wherein the church is concerned, but he does reveal it to them (John 15:5). I have called you friends; for all thi…

It is not lawful to make such a Covenant as the Church-Covenant, because it is not in our power to keep it, and we do not know whether God will give us power. This ground is very true, that no man has power of himself to anything that good is, but all a man's power and ability m…

I answer, that we cannot have these spiritual gifts if we are not born of the Spirit; that which is born of the flesh is flesh. Not Bellarmine himself, nor no man else will say that all are born of the Spirit (John 15:2). Every branch in me not bearing fruit, he takes away, and…

And what fruit indeed is there brought forth to God in the world but by his Churches? and God expects much fruitfulness among his people; however, as you shall hear, they are charged with being empty. Thirdly, no plant requires so great care as the Vine; what a deal of do is the…

The pagan world, that they are God-haters (Romans 1:30), even with a hellish hatred, as the word there signifies. They that profess his name are apt to admit this true of the Gentiles; but do we think our Lord Jesus did injuriously accuse the Jews too, that they had both seen an…

5. Fifth: "That the worship of God established by the power of this theology is spiritual, whose glory by no means falls under the eyes of men, nor is exposed to the carnal understanding of anyone" (2 Corinthians 1:6–10, and John 4:21–24). 6. Finally: "That all worshipers of God…

We acknowledge, therefore, that very many of the unregenerate excel greatly in that knowledge of spiritual things which we have described above; but we utterly deny that they are made conformable to God by virtue of it, and consequently the knowledge with which they are furnishe…

That God the great Party offended should come so low to recover the despicable Parties offending; and that even while they were rank enemies to him? God commends his love to us, says the Apostle (Romans 5:8), that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us; And says himself, J…

Who made you to differ, or what have you, O man, that you have not received? It's election that makes the difference, and it's sure, for their salvation is founded on God's purpose and decree, which is the solid rest of a believer; kindness began not on our side but on God's, as…

(Romans 5:5) God commends his love to us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (John 15:13) Greater love has no man than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends. There is a world of reprobates whom Christ never loved with peculiar love, and su…

Use 1. See here a great evidence of the love of God and of the Mediator; Behold what manner of love this is, that when it was not required, he should offer and freely give himself to death and to the grave, this is the love of a friend and beyond it, that he should have so loved…

We say in short, as to the first, that there must first be a leaning to His merit, for the buying, or procuring of our peace, and a betaking of ourselves to it for that end. Second, when temptations recur, and when new challenges arise, there must be a constant daily betaking of…

That when they were considered with all their debt lying on their heads, He undertook this soul-travel for them, to procure them salvation from wrath and justice; This is more than His giving them His Word for it, though that had been enough; it's more than the giving them His O…

3. Does not the Scripture hold forth his death, and the shedding of his blood, as the great demonstration of his special love to his own elect people? As is clear elsewhere, so particularly (John 15:13), "Greater love than this has no man, than that a man lay down his life for h…

Christ was both free of sin, and self-happy; what then could have made him stir his foot out of heaven, so excellent a land, and come under the pain of a troubled soul, except free, strong and vehement love, that was a bottomless river impatient of banks? Infinite goodness makes…

2. It's not single weakness, but wicked and willful impotency, that keeps men from Christ: as a beggar would be a king, he has no positive hatred of the honor, riches, pleasures of a king; but he has no legs, nor arms to climb so high, as to ascend to a throne. But the natural m…

Verse 32. And I if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men. This drawing of sinners to Christ is bottomed on Christ's dying on the cross, and his dying on the cross is an act of extreme and highest love (John 3:16; John 15:13; 1 John 4:9-10). Hence let us consider a l…

But it may be said, they have not all heard the Gospel preached — this must certainly excuse the Gentiles if they believe not, having never heard of Christ, how can they believe, as it is verse 14. It's a rational excuse, I cannot sin in not believing the Gospel, says the Gentil…

And as in us, when we shall be in heaven, though Faith shall faile, and Hope vanish, yet Love shall continue, (as the Apostle speaks) so does this love in Christ's heart continue also, and suffers no decay; and is shewne as much now in receiving sinners, and interceding for them…

Part 2.) of a double capacity of Glory, or a double fullness of Joy which Christ is ordained to have: The one Natural, and so due to his person as in himself alone considered; The other Additionall, and arising from the compleated happiness and glory of his whole Church, (wherew…

Doubtless these books being their Law, they were known among the body of the people; and what did the Priests, if they did not read the books of the Law, were they only to offer sacrifice to the Calves? I doubt not the people did not do it, neither was it usual to offer any of t…

And this league of friendship implies not only preservation of affection, but it requires a kind of secret communication one to another, and a doing one for another. God grants our petitions for us as a friend, and we do his commandments as a friend out of the integrity of our h…

Christ must be received as God gives him, we must acknowledge there is no life in any grace, but in Christ (Hosea 14:8). On me is your fruit found, and without me can you do nothing (John 15:5). Now then carry this truth home with you, and gather from hence a true estimate of yo…

2. Carry it fruitfully, otherwise you obstruct the kindness of the Lord. He proves us, that we may be fruitful (John 15:2). Every branch in me that bears not fruit, he takes away; and every branch that bears fruit he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

And Christ under the title of the law, comprehends not only the books of Moses, but also the Psalms. John 15: But it is, that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law: They hated me without a cause. Verse 22-23. For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, one…

So is the doctrine which teaches that men after their conversion, must still remain in suspense of their salvation: and that pardon of sin, is necessarily annexed to confession in the ear, and to satisfaction for the temporal punishment of sin in this life, or in purgatory. On t…