Sermon VII
ON THE GOOD SHEPHERD
John 10:11–16. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep, &c.
THIS text is full of consolation, which in a goodly parable setteth forth Christ our Lord, and teacheth what manner of person he is, what are his works, and how great his affection is towards men; nevertheless, it cannot be understood, but by comparing together light and darkness, day and night, that is, a good and evil shepherd, as the Lord also in that place. Ye have now oftentimes heard, that God hath instituted and ordained, in the world, two manners of preaching. One is, when the word of God is preached, which saith, Exod. 20:3, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me;" also, "Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal;" and dost also threaten, that he which doth not keep those precepts shall die. But this preaching doth justify no man; for although a man be thereby compelled to show himself godly outwardly, before men,
notwithstanding, inwardly, his heart is offended at the law, and had rather there were no law. The other ministry of the word is the gospel, which showeth where that is to be received, which the law requireth; it neither urgeth nor threateneth, but allureth men gently; it saith not, Do this or that; but it saith thus, Go to, I will shew where thou mayest receive and take, whereby thou mayest become righteous; behold, here is Jesus Christ, he will give it thee. Wherefore, these two disagree one with another, as much as to receive and give, to exact and reward: and this difference is to be well understood and marked. To hardened and untractable men, which feel not the gospel, the law is to be preached; and they are so long to be urged, till they begin to be mollified and humbled, and do acknowledge their disease; which when it is done, there is then place to begin to preach the gospel. These two sorts of preaching were instituted and ordained of God; beside these there are other, which were not ordained of God, but are traditions invented by men, ordained of the Pope and his prelates, wherewith they have perverted the gospel; these are not worthy to be called either shepherds or hirelings, but they are those which Christ calleth thieves, robbers, and wolves. For if we will rule and guide men right and well, that must be done by the word of God; by which, if it be not done, we surely labour in vain.
Further, Christ teacheth here of that second ministry of the word, and describes of what sort it is; he makes himself the chief, yea, the only shepherd, for that which he doth not feed, surely remains unfed. Ye have heard that our Lord Jesus Christ, after his passion and death, was raised from the dead, is entered and placed in immortality, not that he might sit in heaven, and rejoice with himself, but that he might receive a kingdom, might execute the function of a governor and king, of whom all the prophets, and the whole Scripture speaketh very much. Wherefore he is to be acknowledged to be unto us, continually, a present governor and ruler: neither must we think that he is idle in heaven, but that he doth, from above, both fill and govern all things, as Paul saith, Eph. 4, who hath an especial care of his kingdom, which is the Christian
faith; therefore it must needs be, that his kingdom flourish among us here in earth. Of this kingdom we have elsewhere said, that it is so ordained, that we all increase every day, and become purer, and that it is not governed by any force or power, but by outward preaching alone, that is, by the gospel. And this gospel comes not from man, but Jesus Christ himself brought it, and put it into the hearts of the apostles, and their successors, that they might comprehend it, and into their mouths, that they might speak and publish it. Hereby is his kingdom governed, wherein he so reigneth, that all the power thereof consisteth in the word of God; now whosoever shall hear and believe this, doth pertain to this kingdom. Moreover, this word is afterwards made so effectual, that it giveth all things which are necessary to man, and bringeth a certain abundance of all good things; "For it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth," as Paul witnesseth, Rom. 1:16. When thou believest that Christ died for thee, to deliver thee from all evil, and so cleavest unto the word, it is sure and certain that no creature is able to overthrow thee; for as none is able to overthrow the word, so none is able to hurt thee, when thou stickest unto it. By the word, therefore, thou dost overcome sin, death, Satan, hell; and thither thou must resort and fly, where the word is, that is, to eternal peace, joy, and life; and briefly, thou shalt be made partaker of all such good things as are promised in the word.
Wherefore the government of this kingdom is marvellous; the word is published and preached through the whole world, but the power thereof is very secret, neither doth any man mark that it is so effectual, and that it so much profiteth them that believe; howbeit, it must be felt and tasted in the heart. We therefore of the ministry are able to perform no more, than that we are the mouth of our Lord Christ, and the instrument whereby he openly preacheth the word; for he suffereth the word to be published abroad, that every one may hear it. But faith maketh that it is felt inwardly in the heart, yea, and it is the secret work of Christ, whensoever any knoweth that it is his duty, and is also willing to do according to his divine will and pleasure. That this may be the better perceived, we will now treat of
our text, wherein Christ first saith, "I am the good shepherd." And what is a good shepherd? A good shepherd, saith Christ, "giveth his life for his sheep: and I lay down my life for the sheep." Here the Lord declareth what his kingdom is, in the goodly parable of the sheep. Ye know that it is a beast of all living creatures most foolish and simple, so that it is commonly spoken as a proverb, if we have to speak of a simple one, he is a sheep; nevertheless, it is of that nature, more than any other living creatures, that it quickly knoweth the voice of his shepherd, neither followeth it any beside his own shepherd, being always of that quality that it cleaveth to him, and seeketh for help of him alone, being not able to help itself, neither to feed itself, neither to heal itself, nor keep itself from the wolves, but relies in the help of another. Christ, therefore, brings the quality and nature of the sheep in a parable, and transformeth himself into a shepherd, whereby he shews what his kingdom is, and wherein it consists, and his meaning is this: my kingdom is, that I may feed sheep, that is, miserable, needy, and wretched men, which well perceive and feel that they have no help or counsel but in me alone.
But that we may declare this more plainly, we will add a passage out of Ezekiel, chap. 34:2–6, which speaketh of evil shepherds: "Woe be to the shepherds of Israel, that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool: ye kill them that are fed, but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost, but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered because there is no shepherd; and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them." This is well to be marked: his meaning in this place is, that he will have the weak, sick, broken, abject, and lost, to be strengthened, healed, cured, sought, not spoiled and destroyed: these things ye ought to do, saith he to the
shepherds, but ye have not. Wherefore I myself, as he afterwards saith, will deal thus with my sheep: "I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick." Here thou seest that the kingdom of Christ is such as hath to do with those that be weak, diseased, and broken, and hath care of them to help them. The preaching whereof, indeed, is very full of comfort, but this is wanting in us, that we do not thoroughly feel our misery and weakness, which, if we felt, we would forthwith run unto him. But how did these shepherds behave themselves? They ruled in rigour, and exacted obedience of the law; moreover, they added their own traditions, as they do also at this day, which if they be not kept, they cry out, and condemn him that transgresseth them, so that they urge more and more, and command their own inventions. But this is not to feed well, or to govern a soul, as Christ saith, who himself is not such a shepherd, for by such manner of feeding none is helped, but the sheep are utterly lost.
Now we will speak of this place of the prophet in order. First, he saith, that the weak sheep are to be strengthened; that is, the consciences which are weak in faith, and have a sorrowful spirit, and are of a faint courage, are not to be forced, that it should be said unto them, this thou must do, thou must be strong, for if thou be so weak, thou art ordained to eternal punishment: this is not the way to strengthen the weak. Thus saith Paul, Rom. 14:1, "Him that is weak in the faith receive you, but not to doubtful disputations." And he addeth, Rom. 15:1, "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak." Wherefore they are not to be severely compelled, but to be comforted, that although they be weak they may not despair, for they shall become stronger. Isaiah the prophet thus foretold of Christ, chap. 42:3, "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench." The bruised reed signifieth miserable, weak, and bruised consciences, which are so easily shaken, that they tremble, and lose hope and trust in God. With these God doth not deal rigorously, and after a violent manner, but he dealeth gently with them, lest he break them. The smoking flax,
which as yet burn a little, and nourish more smoke than fire, are the same consciences, which ought not to despair, for he will not utterly extinguish them, but always kindle them, and more and more strengthen them; which truly to him that knoweth it, is a great comfort. Wherefore he which doth not gently handle weak consciences, doth not execute the office of a true shepherd. Afterwards the Prophet saith, "The diseased ye ought to have strengthened." Who are those diseased ones? They which in their manner of living, and in their outward works, have certain diseases and vices. The first belongs to the conscience, when it is weak; the other to the manners or conditions of life, when any, being carried with a wilful mind and wayward brain, doth offend, by wrath and other foolish doings, as even the apostles fell sometimes grievously. Such as are so vicious in the sight of men, that they are an offence to others, and are judged obstinate and wayward, God will not have to be rejected and despaired of; for his kingdom is not ordered after such a manner, that the strong and whole should only live therein, (which pertaineth to the life to come,) but Christ is therefore set in it, that he may take care of such and help them.
Wherefore, although we are so weak and sick, we must not so despair, that we should say, that we are not in the kingdom of Christ; but the more we feel our disease, so much the more we must come unto him, for he is at hand, that he may remedy and heal us. Now if thou be weak and oppressed with faintness, feeling great affliction, here thou hast greater occasion to go unto him, and say, Most sweet Christ, I come unto thee because I am a sinner, that thou mayest help and justify me. Necessity compels thee hereunto; for the greater thy disease is, the more needful is it for thee to be healed. And Christ himself requireth the same of us, and allures us to come unto him boldly and cheerfully; but others, which are not such shepherds, think that they shall make men righteous, if they exact much of them and urge them much, whereby they only make that which is evil worse, as we see done at this day; whereas it is come to that disorder, that all things are most miserably brought out of course, as in this place the Prophet saith, "Neither have ye bound up that which was
broken." To be broken is, as when one's leg is broken, or a wound somewhere given; that is, when a Christian is not only weak and diseased, that he stumbleth sometime, but also runneth into great temptations, and so is brought to that pass, that he falleth and denieth the gospel, after the manner of Peter, who forswore Christ. Now if any should so stumble, and be utterly cast down in mind, nevertheless, we must not as yet cast him off, as though he did never any more pertain to the kingdom of Christ; for we must leave Christ's property to himself, that his kingdom may remain unto himself, of mere grace and mercy, whose desire is to help them only, which are grieved with their calamity and misery, and do greatly desire to be delivered from it; that his kingdom may altogether abound with comfort, and he himself be the comfortable and gentle shepherd, which allureth every one to come unto him. And all this is done by the gospel, whereby the weak are to be strengthened, the sick to be healed; for it is such a word as is fit for all distress of consciences, giving comfort to all, that none despair, although he be a great sinner. Christ therefore alone is the good shepherd, which healeth all sorts of diseases, and healeth them that are fallen; which he that doth not, is not a shepherd.
The Prophet thus goeth forward, "Neither have ye brought again that which was driven away." What is that that is driven away? The despised soul, which is so scorned and contemned, that it is thought in vain, whatsoever Christian doctrine is bestowed upon it; notwithstanding Christ doth not yet suffer that it should be dealt roughly with. His kingdom is not so straight bound, that only the strong, whole, and perfect, flourish therein, for this pertaineth to the heavenly life to come; now in this kingdom only grace and sweetness abound. As God promised to the children of Israel, Exod. 3:17, that that appointed land of Canaan should flow only "with milk and honey;" even as Paul, 1 Cor. 12:23, affirmeth, that "those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour." He concludeth, "Neither have ye sought that which was lost." That is lost which seemeth to be condemned, of whose return there is scarce any hope; of which sort in the gospel
were publicans and harlots, and at this day, they who have not so much as a spark of godliness, but are untractable and unruly. Nor are they to be left, but all means are to be attempted, that at the last they may be reclaimed and brought into the right way; which St. Paul often did, as when he delivered two of this sort unto Satan, 1 Tim. 1:20, "Whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme." And 1 Cor. 5:5, "Deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." Them he cast off as Condemned, and yet did not despair of them. Christ therefore is so to be preached, that he rejects no man although he be weak, but that he willingly receives, comforts, and strengthens every man, so that he always appeareth to be the good shepherd; hence it comes to pass, that men willingly resort unto him, and there is no need to compel them. The gospel so allures, and makes them willing, that they come with a certain love and pleasure, and with all boldness; a desire and love unto Christ is increased in them, so that they do any thing willingly, who before were not to be urged and compelled. If we be constrained, we do grudgingly and unwillingly, which God plainly abhorreth; but when I perceive that God dealeth so lovingly and gently with me, my heart is as it were ravished, so that I cannot stay myself, but I must even run unto him, leaving all other things, after which all pleasure and joy ensueth unto me.
Now consider how great an evil it is, when one judgeth another. The kingdom of Christ, as we have heard, is so ordained, that it healeth and justifieth only sick and miserable consciences, wherefore all they are far deceived, which have regard only to the strong and whole; it is great therefore, and very effectual knowledge whereby Christ is well known. It is grafted in us, by nature, to be altogether evil and wicked, and yet we would have every one to be honest, we earnestly regard strong Christians, not looking to the sick and weak, thinking them not to be Christians, if they are not strong, and judge others evil, if they be not altogether holy, when we ourselves, at the same time, exceed the rest in wickedness. Now the cause is our corrupt nature, and our blind reason, which will measure the kingdom of God
according to her own opinion, whereby we think that those things are unclean before God, which seem unclean unto us, therefore that opinion must be removed out of our mind; for if thou hast very much regard thereunto, thou shalt at the last think, Alas, what shall become of me, if all Christians must be such, namely, strong, whole, and godly? When shall I once attain so far? And so thou shalt bring thyself into such a perplexity, that thou shalt hardly attain unto true comfort and joy. Thou therefore must be so affected, that thou say, Most gracious Jesus, although I find myself altogether weak, diseased, and in a wretched state, yet I will not therefore cast off all hope, but will fly unto thee, that thou mayest succour me; for thou only art the shepherd, and the good shepherd, such a one I am persuaded thou art, therefore I will not despair although I come unto thee being void of works.
We must bestow diligence that we may wisely and well know Christ, that in his kingdom only the weak and diseased are conversant, and it is nothing else, but as it were an hospital, where only the sick and feeble lie, of whom a care must be had. But few men have this knowledge, for this wisdom is exceeding hard to be attained unto, so that it is wanting even unto them sometime, who have the gospel and the spirit, nor can any wisdom come unto men which is greater than it. Although men look into the scripture, which setteth forth the kingdom of Christ, affirming it to be most precious, nevertheless they have not a care what the words signify, neither do they mark that true wisdom is hidden therein, which excelleth our wisdom by many degrees; for it is not Christian wisdom to have to do with men which are accounted wise and skilful, and to make mention and talk of them, but to be occupied among the unwise and them that lack understanding, not that delight and pleasure should be taken thereof, but that they may come from sin and foolishness to righteousness and sound understanding. Hence it appears that Christian wisdom consists in this, not that we look aloft, and consider those things which are high and wise, and behold and see ourselves in them as it were in a glass; but that we look to those things that are below, and mark that which is humble and foolish.
He which knoweth this, let him give thanks unto God; for by this knowledge he is able to prepare and apply himself to every thing in the world. But ye shall find many, yea, even among them that preach the gospel, which are not yet come thus far. Hitherto we have been so instructed and accustomed, that none must come unto Christ, before he be altogether clean; thou must therefore forsake that opinion, that thou mayest attain to true understanding, that thou mayest know Christ aright, how he is the true and good shepherd, whereof we have heard sufficient: Now he compareth the good shepherd with the evil or hireling, and saith, "The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep." It is true indeed, that Christ is properly the only shepherd, even as the name of Christ belongs to him alone, yet he communicateth the same unto us, that we may be called Christians; so although he be the only shepherd, yet he imparteth the same name to them that be of the ministry. After the same manner, Matt. 23:9, he forbiddeth that we call any man father upon earth, forasmuch as there is one only our "Father, which is in heaven;" notwithstanding Paul calleth himself the father of the Corinthians, 1 Cor. 4:15, when he saith, "In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel." So therefore it seemeth though God alone would have the name of a father, and in the mean season notwithstanding he granteth the same name to men, that they also may be fathers, howbeit that they have not of themselves, but by Christ; even as we are called Christians, because we have nothing of ourselves, but that all things are given unto us through Christ. Moreover, An hireling, saith Christ, which is not the shepherd, "whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth," &c. This surely is a hard saying, that they which truly preach the gospel, and strengthen and heal the sheep, nevertheless, at the last, suffer the sheep to be caught and torn in pieces, and fly away, when the sheep have need of greatest help: When the wolves do not appear, they do their duty carefully and diligently, but as soon as they see the
wolf break in, they forthwith leave the sheep. If they then have fed them well, that they be fat, strong and whole, they are the better liked of the wolves, for whom they have fed them.
But what is the hidden meaning of this parable? The meaning of Christ is this: In my kingdom, (which consisteth in nothing else, but that the weak be strengthened, the sick healed, the faint-hearted encouraged,) the holy cross shall not be wanting. For when it is preached, that Christ only, whose silly sheep we are, hath care of us, strengthens, heals, and helps us, and that our strength and our own works are of no importance at all, (whereby all works of the world, and the divers sorts of worshipping God, are utterly disallowed,) the world cannot abide such manner of preaching; so that it is a natural property of the gospel, to bring the cross with it, so as inseparably to accompany it, and he that will unfeignedly profess it before the world, must needs yield himself to bear persecution. Since the case stands thus, it is not hard to perceive what great difference there is between the true shepherds and the hirelings: He that is an hireling preacheth the gospel as long as he is reported among men to be a learned, godly, and holy man; but when he is reproved or set upon as an heretic and wicked fellow, or moved to make a recantation, then he either recanteth, or taketh himself to his feet, leaving the miserable sheep alone without a shepherd, then their case becometh worse than it was before. What doth it then avail the sheep if they were well fed before? If they were true shepherds, they would spend their lives before they would leave the sheep to the jaws of wolves, and would be ready always to offer their necks to the axe for the gospel's sake. They therefore are never good shepherds which so preach the gospel, that they may thereby get unto themselves honour, riches, and profit; without all doubt they are hirelings, who seek after their own things even in sound doctrine, yea, and in the word of God; wherefore they abide no longer, than while they gain honour, praise, and advantage thereby, but as soon as the wolf cometh, go back, deny the word, and get themselves away, leaving the sheep, which very earnestly seek for pasture and their shepherd, who may keep them from the injury of the wolves; but that good
shepherd can nowhere be found, who flieth away even at that time, when the sheep have most need of a defender and strengthener. The same shall happen to us in time to come, when we shall once begin to be touched indeed; then the preachers will shut their mouths, and provide for their safety by flying, and the sheep shall be miserably dispersed, so that one shall be carried this way, another that way: God grant that some of them may stand valiantly in defence of the gospel, and spend their blood, if the case so require, in delivering their sheep.
Thus Christ hath painted forth the hirelings in their colours, who thus saith, "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." These words contain much, and I should spend over much time if I should handle them severally. He speaketh here of the peculiar duty that belongeth to himself; I "know my sheep," saith he, and they know me. Now the sum is this: Christ knoweth us to be his sheep, and we know him to be our shepherd. He knoweth us to be such sheep as are weak and diseased, which he doth not cast off, but hath a care of, and healeth them, although they be so diseased, that all the world thinketh that they are not his sheep; and this indeed is the knowledge of the world. But Christ doth not so know them, nor doth he greatly regard what manner of ones they be, but considereth whether they be sheep: They therefore are the true shepherds, who following Christ, so know their sheep, that they look unto the persons, not to the disease. My Father knoweth me, saith Christ, but the world knoweth me not; therefore the hour shall come, that I shall die an ignominious death upon the cross, and all with one voice will cry out, Was this the Son of God? He must needs be a condemned man, and given up unto Satan, both in soul and body. So the world will consider and know me, but my Father will say in this sort: This is my well-beloved Son, my King and Saviour. He beholdeth not my affliction, my wounds, my cross, and death, but he considereth my person, that is, my very self. Therefore if I were in the midst of hell, or in the jaws of Satan, yet I should come out again, for the Father will not forsake me. Likewise I know my sheep, and they know me. They are certain that I am a good shepherd, they know me, therefore
they come to me for succour, and cleave unto me, neither do they fear that they are subject to manifold infirmities and diseases, they know very well that I would have such sheep to resort unto me.
"Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Some have handled this place, and affirm it shall be fulfilled before the latter day, when Antichrist, John and Elias shall come; which is flatly against the truth, and forged of Satan, that men might believe the whole world shall at the last become Christian; which Satan did that he might darken the sound doctrine, that we might never rightly understand it. Beware therefore of this delusion, for after the ascension of Christ this was done and fulfilled, and is yet at this day fulfilled. As soon as the gospel was published, it was preached to the Jews, and this people was the sheepfold; now, he saith, that he hath certain other sheep also, which are not of this fold, which also he must gather together, whereby he sheweth, that the gospel must be preached to the Gentiles, that they also may believe in Christ, that the Jews and Gentiles may be made one church: Which he performed afterward by the apostles, who preached the gospel to the Gentiles, and brought them to the faith; so there is now one body, one church, one faith, one hope, one love, one baptism, which continueth at this day, and shall continue even to the end of the world. Wherefore do not so understand it as though all men shall believe in Christ, for the cross must always be borne of us, forasmuch as the greatest part is always of that faction, which persecuteth Christians; the gospel also must be continually preached, that always some may be brought to Christianity. And thus much for a compendious exposition of this text.