John 5:43

The third fault chalenged, is their not embracing him; who is come in his Fathers name, whereas they would receive a seducer coming in his own name: wherein their great pervisitie and injustice toward him, and Gods judgement on them, appeared. Whence learn, 1. Albeit Christ be God over all, equall with the Father, and Lord over his own house, and so acts in his own name; Yet it pleased him to condescend as Mediatour[,] not only to purchase life to them that come to him, but to be at paines, and come into the world cloathed with a commission and authority from the Father, to make offer of this purchased life; that by his condescendence, he might commend his love to his people, and teach them humility, and not to run on a calling unsent; and, that we might look on him as approven of the Father, and that such as come to him, the Father will accept them; for, saith he, I am come in my Fathers name, See Phil 2.5, 6, 7. &c. Matth. 3.17. Heb. 5.4, 5. 2. Christ thus coming, is to be received; his doctrine to be heard; himselfe to be acknowledged for such in his person, offices, commission, and benefits, as he declareth himselfe to be; to be rested on and embraced, to be employed and submitted to as such; for, so is imported in that they should receive him. 3. Albeit Christ be the great Ambassadour of the Father, not a servant, but the Sonne, Matth. 21.37. And albeit he was singular in his administration of his office, and all tending to the good of sinners: Yet such is the perversenesse of the world, as not to make him welcome; for, it is the peculiar priviledge of the elect, to be drawn to him, and others, they neither see his excellency, nor feele their need of him; Therefore, saith he, I am come in my Fathers name, and ye receive me not. 4. Such as reject Christ and receive him not, are destitute of the love of God, nor have they any evidence of respect to him, since Christ is the clearest image of the Father, and cometh in his name, and the Father will not be acknowledged but in and through him; Therefore, by this doth he prove that chalenge, ver. 42. 5. When Christ manifests himselfe to the world, it is usual with Satan to hound out seducers and false teachers, to study to beare him down, to seduce souls, and by their courses, to make the way of truth odious; for, so is imported that another shall come, pretending either to be the Christ, or to hold him out to others, See Matth. 24.5, 24. Act. 5.36, 37. 6. Albeit false-teachers pretend to come in God and Christs name, Matth. 24.5. Yet they do but come in their own name, as having no commission when they runne, as making themselves, their reputation and advantage, their chiefe aime in their undertaking, and as speaking the imaginations of their own heart and brain, without any warrant from God; for, another shall come in his own name. 7. Such as love not God, nor embrace Christ or his sent servants, may take worse in their roome, and will easily receive and embrace false-teachers and seducers. Mens nature is propense to evil courses, and is readiest to be affected with what is wrong; And seducers are more ready to serve mens humours, then faithful Ministers may be; and withall; it is Gods just judgement on the world, to give them up to such, since they will not receive the love of the truth, 2 Thes. 2.10, 11, 12. Therefore, saith he, if another come in his own name, him ye will receive. This is the hainous sinne of men, to affront Christ, to respect Satan in his messengers, before God in his Sonne, as to preferre lies to truth: And it is their dreadful punishment, to be given up to such delusions, because they will not see the light, or do receive it only as it may serve their turne, or weary of the light, and walk not answerable to it. And men should be ashamed of their errours, as being their plague, and a proclamation that they have not received the love of the truth.