CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

First, Consider that when Christ here prayeth for all believers, he doth not as we do. When we pray for the whole Church of God, or as some say, The Angels and Saints in Heaven pray, viz. in a general indistinct manner, not descending to every particular, individual person. No, but Christ in this prayer, being God as well as man, and so clothed with Omniscience, did in this prayer know and attend to every particular believer, that should in any age of the Church be born, as distinctly and nominally (as I may so say) as when he told Peter, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: So that here is a great difference between Christs prayer for the universal Church, and ours. We cannot name the particular believers, that shall be in every age, but Christ did represent in this prayer every individual man, and had as distinct knowledge of all believers, as of the Apostles whom he knew man by man.

First, Consider that when Christ here prayeth for all believers, he doth not as we do. When we pray for the whole Church of God, or as some say, The Angels and Saints in Heaven pray, viz. in a general indistinct manner, not descending to every particular, individual person. No, but Christ in this prayer, being God as well as man, and so cloathed with Omnisciency, did in this prayer know and attend to every particular believer, that should in any age of the Church be born, as distinctly and nominally (as I may so say) as when he told Peter, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: So that here is a great difference between Christs prayer for the universall Church, and ours. We cannot name the particular believers, that shall be in every age, but Christ did represent in this prayer every individual man, and had as distinct knowledge of all believers, as of the Apostles whom he knew man by man.

Secondly, This must necessarily be so, because though the execution and accomplishment of those benefits we receive by Christs prayer, and his death be in time, yet the Decree and purpose was from all Eternity. Christ did not at this time of prayer, or the hour of death begin to will good to them: No, that love to them was eternal, and of old: Insomuch that we cannot say, There ever was a time, when God did not purpose these glorious things for them, and therefore it is, that the Scripture doth often call the godly to this consideration, that his mercy and love to them was of old, even before they ever had a being, or the world either,