We see:

1. That the majority of Christs hearers disbelieved him. His verdict at last was, "Ye believe not;" "Ye will not come."

2. That they disbelieved him in spite of the greatest advantages to faith. (Ver. 36.)

3. That in spite of their obstinate unbelief and cruel rejection, the gracious purposes of God and the mission of Jesus will not be void. "For all that the Father giveth me," etc. Notice -

I. THE FATHER'S WILL. We see in this will:

1. That he has given a certain number of the human family to Christ. In a general and a true sense all the human family have been given him; they are the objects of his saving love and grace. All are invited to the gospel feast, and commanded to repent. The earth is Immanuel's land, and the human race, without exception or partiality, are the objects of his saving mercy. But there are some specially given to Christ; they are spoken of as such: "All that the Father giveth me." They have been given in the past in purpose; they are given in the present in fact. This suggests:

(1) That the salvation of the human family is carried on according to the eternal purpose and plan of God. Everything has been arranged from the beginning. Nothing happens by accident; neither the Father nor the Son is ever taken by surprise.

(2) That the mission of Christ is not a speculation, but with regard to him an absolute certainty. Speculation is a term unapplicable to Divine proceedings; they are fixed and determined as to their mode and result. Jesus lived and acted on earth in the full consciousness of this. And who would not rejoice that the blessed Redeemer was not in this hostile world as the creature of chance and at the mercy of fate, but ever fortified with the knowledge of his Father's will and purpose, the consciousness of his Father's love, and the certainty of the success of his own mission?

2. That the Father gave these to Christ, because he knew that they would come to him. Let it be remembered that the division of time, as past, present, and future, is nothing to God. All time to him is present. In his plans and election he experienced no difficulty arising from ignorance, but all was divinely clear to him. And we see that he is not arbitrary in his selections, We know that his authority is absolute; that he has the same authority over man as the potter over the clay. He can do as he likes, and perhaps this is the only answer he would give to some questioners, "I can do as I like." But we know that he cannot like to do anything that is wrong, unreasonable, or unfair. He cannot act from mere caprice, but his actions are harmonious with all his attributes, as well as with the highest reason; and can give a satisfactory reason for all acts, and justify himself to his intelligent creatures. The principle on which he gave certain of the human family to Christ was willingness on their part to come to him. In the gifts of his providence he has regard to adaptation - he gives water to quench thirst, etc. But, in giving human souls to Christ, he had a special regard to the human will. He knew as an absolute fact that some would refuse his offer of grace in Christ, and that others would gladly accept the same offer under the same conditions. The former he neither would nor could, the latter he graciously gave. It is an invariable characteristic of those given to Christ that they give themselves to him.

3. Those given to Christ shall certainly come to him. "All that the Father giveth me shall," etc. Jesus was certain of this. And if given, they come; and if they come, they were given. Divine foreknowledge is never at fault, and Divine grace can never fail to be effective with regard to those thus given to Christ. Their coming was included in the gift. There was the knowledge of their coming, and every grace, motive, and help was promised with the gifts; so that their arrival to Christ is certain. They shall come, in spite of every opposition and difficulty from within and without.

4. That these were given to Christ in trust for special purposes. These are set forth:

(1) Negatively. "That I should lose nothing" (ver. 39). Not one, not the least, and not even anything necessary to the happiness of that one.,

(2) Affirmatively. "May have everlasting life." The highest good they could wish and enjoy.

(3) That they should have these blessings on the most reasonable and easy terms. By simple acceptance of the gift, and simple and trustful faith in the Giver (ver. 40).

II. JESUS AS THE EXECUTOR AND TRUSTEE OF THE FATHER"S WILL. In these capacities:

1. He is most gracious, for

(1) the work involves the greatest responsibilities. It is true that those given shall come to him. But look at their miserable condition. They are guilty; he must procure their pardon. They are condemned; he must justify them. They are corrupt; he must cleanse and sanctify them. They are sick; he must heal them. They are in debt; he must pay it. The responsibilities are infinite.

(2) It involves the greatest self-sacrifice. To meet these responsibilities required the greatest self sacrifice possible. Before they could be justified, he himself must be condemned; to heal them, he must be mortally wounded; to make them rich, he must become poor; to pay their debt, he must lay down his life as a ransom; and to bring them unto glory, he must be made "perfect through sufferings." What but infinite love would accept the trust and execute the will?

2. He is most tenderly and universally inviting. "Him that cometh to me I will," etc. These words are most tender and inviting. They were uttered in the painful consciousness that many would not come to him, although there were infinite provisions and welcome. The door of salvation need not be wider, nor the heart of the Saviour more tender, than this. There is no restriction, no favouritism. "Him that cometh."

3. He is most adapted for his position. This will appear if we consider:

(1) That he is divinely appointed. "The Father which sent me." The Father appointed him to be the Trustee and Executor of his will. And he knew whom to appoint. He acts under the highest authority.

(2) He was willing to undertake the trust. It is true that he was sent, but as true that he came. "I am come down from heaven" (ver. 38). There was no coercion. His mission was as acceptable to him as it was pleasing to the Father, so that he has great delight in his work.

(3) He is thoroughly acquainted with the Divine will. Perfect knowledge is essential to perfect execution. Many profess to know much, but where is the proof? Jesus proves his knowledge by revelation. "This is my Father's will," etc. He was acquainted with all its responsibilities, its purposes, and sufferings, as well as all the difficulties in carrying it out. This he knew from the beginning before he undertook the trust.

(4) He is enthusiastically devoted to both parties - to the Testator and the legatees. He is devoted to the Father. "I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but," etc. He had a will of his own, but in his mediatorial office it was entirely merged in that of his Father. He is equally devoted to the objects of his Father's love; for "him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." And he could say more - he would help and almost compel him to come in.

(5) He is divinely competent. He is the Son of God, the Elect of the Father, ever conscious of his capacities for this work. Not a shadow of doubt in this respect ever came across his mind. He was serenely conscious of fulness, of power, of life - the fulness of the Godhead; and he gave ample proof of his Divine competency as he went along. The sick were healed, the dead were raised, the guilty were pardoned, and all penitents who appealed to him were saved. Naturally and well he might say, "I will raise him up at the last clay." And being able to do this, he can do all. All the qualifications necessary to execute the Divine will with regard to the human race fully meet in him. "His will be done."

LESSONS.

1. The purposes of the Divine will are in safe hands. Not one shall suffer on his account.

2. The lives of believers are in safe custody. Nothing will be lost.

3. The mission of Jesus is certain of success. "All that the Father giveth me," etc.

4. The perdition of man must come entirely from himself. All the purposes and dispensations of God, all the mediatorial work of Jesus, are for his salvation. All that God in Christ could do for his deliverance is done. Nothing but his own will can stand between him and eternal life.

5. The duty of all to come to Jesus and accept his grace. There is a marked difference between the conduct of Jesus and the conduct of those who reject him. He receives the vilest; they reject the most holy and gracious One. He opens the door to the most undeserving; they close it against the pride of angels, the inspiration of the redeemed, and the glory of heaven and earth. Beware of trifling with the long suffering mercy of Jesus. The last thing he can do is to cast out; but when he casts out, he casts out terribly. - B.T.

I. GRACE TRIUMPHANT IN SPECIALITY.

1. Christ leads us up to the original position of all things. All men are naturally from the beginning in the hand of the Father as Creator, Governor, and Source and Fountain of election.

2. He proceeds to inform us of a great transaction. That His Father put His people into the hands of His Son as the Mediator. Here was the Father's condescension in giving, and the Son's compassion in receiving.

3. He assures us that this transaction in eternity involves a certain change in time. The only token of election is the definite open choosing of Christ.

4. He hints at a power possessed by Him to constrain wanderers to return. Not that any force is used, but by His messengers, Word, and Spirit, He sweetly and graciously compels men to come in accordance with the laws of the human mind, and without impairing human freedom. We are made willing in the day of Christ's power.

5. He declares that there is no exception to this rule of grace. Not some but all, individually and collectively.

II. GRACE TRIUMPHANT IN ITS LIBERALITY.

1. The liberality of its character: "him that cometh," the rich, poor, great, obscure, moral, debauched.

2. The liberality of the coming: no adjective or adverb to qualify. Not coming to the sacraments or worship, but to Christ. Some come at once; some are months in coming; some come running; some creeping; some carried; some with long prayers; some with only two words; some fearfully; some hopefully, but none are cast out.

3. The liberality of the time. It doesn't say when. He may be seventy or only seven; at any season; on any day.

4. The liberality of the duration. "Never cast thee out," neither at first nor to the last,

5. Something of the liberality is seen in the certainty, "in no wise." It is not a hope as to whether Christ will accept you. You cannot perish if you go.

6. There is great liberality if you will notice the personality. In the first clause, where everything is special, Jesus used the large word "all"; in the second, which is general, He uses the little word "him." Why? Because sinners want something that will suit their case. This means me.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

1. What is meant by coming to Christ?(1) An outward coming in application of the means. When we come to His ordinances we come to Him.(2) Closing with Christ, embracing Him, believing on Him, and submitting to Him. Coming not with the feet but with the heart.

2. What is meant by the Father giving men to Christ?(1) In God's eternal purpose and counsel.(2) In the drawing of our hearts to Him when God by His Spirit persuades us to close with Christ. This giving is mutual: Christ is given to us and we to Him, so there is a marriage-knot drawn and contracted between us.

I. ALL THAT THE FATHER HATH GIVEN ME SHALL COME TO ME.

1. This is an expression of some latitude and universality — "all" (Ephesians 1:4, 5; 2 Peter 3:9). From which we learn how to make our calling and election sure, viz., by closing with the conditions of the gospel. We may know whether we are given to Christ by coming to Him.

2. This is an expression of restriction. None come to Christ but such as are given to Him (John 6:44; 2 Corinthians 3:5; Philippians 2:13). The reasons why none come to Christ but those whom God gives to Him are —(1) Because all others are ignorant of Him, and without the knowledge of Christ there is no coming to Him (Matthew 16:16, 17).(2) There is a perverseness in their wills and affections, so that though many know Him, they hang off from Him (John 3:19), so there must also be a drawing of their hearts which is the work of God alone.

3. From the word "come" we learn that men by nature are distant from Christ.

4. From the word "given" we see that all men are in the hands of God, for none can give what they have not got.

II. CHRIST'S ENTERTAINMENT OF THOSE WHO COME TO HIM.

1. His reception.(1) He will take them into friendship with Himself (Matthew 11:28; Isaiah 55:7; Ezekiel 33:11).(2) None excepted (Revelation 22:17). There is nothing to exclude (Isaiah 1:18; 1 Timothy 1:15).(3) What an encouragement to all men to close with Christ.

(a)The nature of our sins cannot exclude us, since Paul, Manasseh, Mary Magdalene, etc., found mercy (Psalm 25:11). The ground of God's pardon is not our sin, but His grace (Isaiah 44:3, 24, 25).

(b)Nor the Humber of our sins (Hosea 14:4; Jeremiah 3:1).

(c)Nor any supposed imperfection in our humiliation. We are humbled sufficiently if we come.(4) Consider the great advantage of coming.

(a)Pardon and the life of justification (Isaiah 55:7; Micah 7:19).

(b)Power over sin and the life of sanctification.

(c)Comfort and peace of conscience.(5) To enlarge, we may come not only in conversion, but after it, for assurance, greater measures of grace, and progress. Let us then come boldly (Hebrews 4:16).

2. His custody and preservation. "I will keep him in."

(T. Horton, D. D.)

I. THE EXPRESSION. "All that the Father," etc.

1. Number. Who can measure the amplitude of "all"?

2. Definiteness. Not one more or less.

3. Relation. The Father sends His Son to men and men to His Son. The conditions of this relation are the Incarnation and Atonement on the part of Christ; coming or believing on the part of men.

4. Donation. This was mediatorial.

5. Value. What must be the worth of that which the Father could give and Christ accept?

II. THE PROMISE. "Shall come unto Me."

1. The certainty. "He shall see of the travail of His soul."

2. The act.

(1)Externally, they shall be brought in the providence of God under the means of grace.

(2)Spiritually. If you have come to Christ you have entered into the meaning of four words — conviction of sin, the suitableness of Christ, venturing on Christ, continual coming to Christ.

III. THE ENCOURAGEMENT. "I will in no wise cast out."

1. Personality. "Him." Sin is personal, so must salvation be.

2. Extent. Christianity is the only universal religion; it can take root everywhere because it makes its offer to everybody.

3. The removal of doubts.(1) On the part of sinners.

(a)When they have been called late in life; but remember the dying thief.

(b)Sin suggests doubts. It is not what you have been, but what you are willing to be.

(c)Unworthiness and infirmity create doubts.

(d)Doubts arise from ignorance. All these are removed by the invitation.(2) On the part of saints.

(a)Many feel a sense of inward corruption.

(b)Others are conscious of stupidity and perverseness.

(c)Lowness of attainment suggests doubts; and

(d)Remaining guilt and imperfection. But what are these in the light of the promise, "Him that," etc.?

(Dr. Andrews.)

f God: —

I. GOD'S GRACIOUS PURPOSE.

1. God the Father is the prime Mover in the scheme of redemption. Beware of regarding the Father as an enemy and the Son as a friend. The Father's love is perpetually magnified in Scripture.

2. The Father hath given His Son a multitude which no man can number.

3. This gift was a very burdensome one to the Son. A ransom must be paid and satisfaction given.

4. The acceptance of the gift was most willing, for the Son gave Himself to receive it (Ephesians 5:25).

II. THE ARTICLE OF THE COVENANT which secures the actual union of His people to the Redeemer. "Shall come unto Me."

1. What is meant by coming to Christ?

(1)Seeking, implying a sense of need, danger, misery, condemnation, ruin.

(2)Finding, including an enlightened understanding, and the revelation of the Saviour as suited to the sinner's necessities.

(3)Appropriation.

2. The instrument of calling sinners is the Word, the Law with its warnings and threatenings, the gospel with its invitations and promises.

3. The effectual agent is the Spirit. We preach like Ezekiel to dry bones until the heavenly breath breathes upon them.

III. THE PROMISE. "Him that cometh," etc. The preacher's commission is as unlimited as this promise. "Go ye into all the world," go.

1. Our encouragement to go forth under this commission is drawn from our knowledge of God's purpose. This assures us that our labour shall not be in vain.

2. No degree or kind of guilt will be a bar to the sinner's reception if he will but come.

3. Surely then the expostulation is timely, "Why will ye die?"

(1)Why go on in ways you know to be ruinous?

(2)Why keep away from Jesus when you are sure of a welcome?

4. Whose fault will it be if you perish? Yours, not God's.

(W. Hancock, M. A.)

I. GROUNDS ON WHICH THEY FEAR REJECTION.

1. Supposed omission from the number of the given, in which case they deem it hopeless to come.

2. Greatness of guilt — they are too bad to be received.

3. Absence of merit — they are not good enough to be accepted.

4. Lateness of repenting — they are too old to be welcomed.

5. Defects in believing — their faith is too feeble or not of the right sort.

II. REASONS WHY THEY ARE SURE OF A WELCOME. Christ will not cast them out.

1. For their sakes. He knows —

(1)The value of the soul.

(2)The greatness of the peril.

(3)The blessedness of salvation.

2. For His Father's sake. To do so would be to place dishonour upon Him whose will He had been sent to perform.

3. For His own sake. Since every sinner saved is —

(1)An increase to His glory.

(2)A triumph of His grace.

(3)A trophy of His power.

(4)A subject added to His empire.

4. For the world's sake. How could the gospel prevail if it got noised abroad that one was rejected. Lessons —

1. Despair for none.

2. Hope for all.

(T. Whitelaw, D. D.)

Consider —

I. THE ETERNAL PURPOSE.

1. If all that the Father giveth to Christ shall come to Him, then some shall come, and why should you not be among them? One says, "Suppose I am not one of the elect"; but suppose you are — or, better still, leave off supposing altogether and go to Christ and see.

2. Those who come to Christ come because of the Father and the Son. They come to Christ not because of any good in them, but because of the Father's gift. There never was a soul who wanted to come but Jesus wanted him to come a hundred times as much.

3. They are all saved because they come to Christ, and not otherwise. There is no way of salvation for peculiar people. The King's highway is for all.

4. If I come to Christ, it is most clear that the Father gave me to Christ.

II. THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL.

1. "Him that cometh," go., is one of the most generous of gospel texts. Generous —(1) As to the character to whom the promise is made. "Him," the atrocious sinner, the backslider, you.(2) The text gives no limit to the coming, save that they must come to Christ. Some come running, some limping, etc.(3) There is no limit as to time. Young and old.

2. The blessed certainty of salvation — lit. "I will not, not," or "never, never cast out."

3. The personality of the text — "Him," that is, thee.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

Every stage of the Redeemer's life confirmed the delightful fact, that "God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world," etc.

I. THE OBJECT OF APPROACH. Prophets spake of Him, that around Him should throng the sons and daughters of woe. Jacob said, when dying, "Unto Him shall the gathering together of the people be." Isaiah said, "Unto Him shall men come"; and He Himself said, "All that the Father hath given Me," etc. "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me." He possesses qualifications to relieve our wants, in opposition to all assumed characters.

1. He is infinitely wise.

2. He is of illimitable power.

3. He is of boundless compassion: and by possession of these, He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him.

II. THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH WE ARE TO COME.

1. For instruction. We are ignorant of ourselves — of God — of Christ — of the way of salvation. He is the light of the world — the great prophet. "All thy children shall be taught of the Lord," etc.

2. For pardon. We are guilty, and need pardon. "Him hath God exalted with His right hand," etc. "In whom we have redemption through His blood — the forgiveness of sins," etc. Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.

3. For strength. We have duties to perform, difficulties to encounter, trials to endure. Without Him we can do nothing: but He has said, "My grace is sufficient for thee," and always remember as a check to indolence and supineness, that though without Him we can do nothing, "we can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth us."

4. For peace. He is the Prince of Peace. "My peace I leave with you," etc.; and we, as ministers of Christ, preach peace through the blood of His cross.

5. For eternal life. "I give unto My sheep eternal life." He is the record, "God hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."

III. HOW WE ARE TO COME. A bodily act is not intended; many do this, and not come at all. Jesus said, when they thronged around Him, "Ye will riot come unto Me that ye might have life"; but a spiritual act is meant; and does it not remind us that we are naturally at a distance, not locally, but spiritually; and hence arises the necessity of the agency of the Holy Spirit — "No man can come unto Me," etc.

1. We come by prayer: "Hence," says Paul, "let us come boldly to the throne of grace."

2. By faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please God," etc.

(1)It regards His Divinity.

(2)His humanity.

(3)That He is the appointed medium of approach — "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

3. With humility on account of our sin.

4. Contrition. Not sorrow merely for its consequences, but from a view of its nature, and the Being against whom it is committed. "That godly sorrow which worketh repentance to salvation," etc.

IV. THE CERTAINTY OF ACCEPTANCE. "I will in no wise cast out."

1. From the promises and invitations of Scripture. "And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come." " Ho, every one that thirsteth." "Come unto Me, all ye that labour." "Wherefore, He also is able to save to the uttermost." "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure." "Not willing that any should perish," etc.

2. From the examples of the Scripture. There stands a Manasseh, a Magdalen, St. Luke, a Thief on the Cross, and a Saul of Tarsus. Go to heaven, and ask if Jesus was willing to receive them? The question shall give a fresh impulse to the song, while they swell the strains, and cry, "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." Go to the regions of darkness, and ask of them, Is one there that applied to Him? and, while anguish swells their bosoms, they will answer, No; we despised and rejected Him, and would not have Him to reign over us. Go to the north, east, west, and south, and ask believers whether Jesus did not receive them graciously. They will all give their testimony — While a great way off, He ran and met me, and fell upon my neck and kissed me. Conclusion: address to those already come — those coming — and those at a distance.

(The Pulpit.)

I have read of an artist who wanted to paint a picture of the prodigal son. He searched through the mad-houses, and the poor-houses, and the prisons, to find a man wretched enough to represent the prodigal, but he could not find one. One day he was walking down the streets and met a man whom He thought would do. He told the poor beggar he would pay him well if he came to his room and sat for his portrait. The man agreed, and the day was appointed for him to come. The day came, and a man put in his appearance at the artist's room. "You made an appointment with me," he said, when he was shown into the studio. The artist looked at him, and said, "I never saw you before." "Yes," he said, "I agreed to meet you to-day at ten o'clock." "You must be mistaken; it must have been some other artist; I was to see a beggar here at this hour." "Well," said the man, "I am he." "You? Yes." "Why, what have you been doing? Well, I thought I would dress myself up a bit before I got painted." "Then," said the artist," I do not want you; I wanted you as you were; now you are no use to me." That is the way Christ wants every poor sinner, just as he is.

(D. L. Moody.)

"My next step," said an anxious inquirer, "is to get deeper conviction." "No," said a Christian friend, "your next step is to go to Christ just as you are. He does not say, come to conviction, come to a deeper sense of sin, which you have been labouring to get, but 'Come unto Me.'" "Ah," she exclaimed, "I see it now. Oh, how self-righteous I have been, really refusing Christ, while all the time I thought I was preparing to come to Him." "Will you go to Jesus now?" Humbly, yet decisively, she responded, "Yes, I will." And the Lord in the richness of His grace and mercy enabled bet to do so.

(Clerical Library.)

I. OUR DUTY TO CHRIST. To come to Him.

1. How.(1) By repentance (Matthew 11:28; Mark 1:15).(2) By faith.(a) Assenting to Him (Hebrews 11:6) that He is an only (Acts 4:12) and all-sufficient Saviour (Hebrews 7:12).(b) Receiving Him (John 1:12) for our Priest, to atone (Hebrews 9:12) and to make intercession (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1); for our Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22), to make known God's will and to enable us to know it (John 16:13); for our King (Isaiah 9:6; John 18:36; Matthew 28:18), to subdue our enemies (Hebrews 2:14), to rule over us (Psalm 110:1-3).

2. What for.

(1)Pardon (Acts 5:31).

(2)Acceptance (Romans 5:1).

(3)Purity (Titus 2:14; Acts 3:26).

(4)Eternal life (John 5:40; Matthew 11:28).

II. CHRIST'S PROMISE, that if we come to Him He will in no wise cast us out.

1. What are we to understand by this? That He will receive us (Titus 2:14) into —

(1)The number of His people (1 Peter 2:9);

(2)His love and favour (John 13:1);

(3)His care and protection (John 17:12);

(4)An interest in his death and passion;

(5)A participation of His grace and spirit (John 16:7);

(6)His intercession (John 17:9);

(7)His presence and glory (John 17:24).

2. How does this appear.

(1)We have His promise.

(2)This was the end of His coming (John 3:16; John 6:39, 40).

III. MOTIVES TO COME TO CHRIST.

1. Are we in debt? He will be our Surety (Hebrews 7:22).

2. Are we in prison? He will be our Redeemer.

3. Are we sick? He will be our Physician (Matthew 9:12).

4. Are we arraigned? He will be our Advocate, (1 John 2:1).

5. Are we condemned? He will be our Saviour (Romans 8:34).

6. Are we estranged from God? He will be our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).

7. Are we in misery? He will be our Comforter (Psalm 94:19).

8. Are we weary? He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28). Wherefore come to Him.

(1)Presently.

(2)Cheerfully.

(3)Sincerely.

(4)Resolutely.

(Bp. Beveridge.)

I. THE EVENT. There are various advents.

1. The incarnation.

2. Through the Spirit.

3. At the judgment.

4. That of our text — a man's coming to Christ. This is dependent on the first, is made effectual through the second, and secures that the third shall be blessed and glorious.

II. THE CONSEQUENCE. Those who come will not be cast out.

1. Because it is not in Christ's nature to do so.

2. Because He has shed His blood for this very purpose.

3. Because He has said it, which is enough.

III. THE MANNER.

1. Direct — not through any mediator.

2. As you are.

3. As you can.

4. Now.

(J. Vaughan, M. A.)

Take every other verse out of the Scriptures, and leave but this, and you have a foundation on which a world of souls may build their hopes and never be put to shame. Hear it, impenitent sinners, alarmed souls, desponding believers, rejoicing saints.

I. THE PERSON POINTED OUT. What is meant by coming to Him.

1. Negatively.

(1)Not to the Scriptures, they only testify of Him (John 5:39, 40).

(2)Not the Church, that is only a means, not the fountain of grace.

(3)Not prayer, that is a well of salvation but not salvation.

(4)Vers. 5, 22-24, show how possible it is to come, and yet not to come to Christ Himself.

2. Positively. Christ addresses the spiritual part of man's nature, and the invitation implies —

(1)A forsaking of sin. To come to is to come from (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

(2)A renouncing of self.

(3)Faith which worketh by love (vers. 35, 68, 69).

I. THE ASSURANCE GIVEN CONCERNING THE PERSON INDICATED.

1. The assurance itself.

(1)It is unrestricted.

(2)Personal.

(3)Based upon the good "will" of Christ.

(4)Emphatic, "in no wise."

2. The grounds of the assurance.

(1)The purposes of the Father.

(2)The death of Christ.

(3)The resurrection of Christ.

(4)The work of the Spirit.

(5)All God's attributes make it sure.Conclusion.

1. What say you to this?

2. Transpose the text, "Him that cometh not to Me I will cast out."

(S. Miller.)

I. THE STATES OF MIND WITH WHICH WE SHOULD COME. The previous part of the text need prove no stumbling-block. All it affirms is that those whom the Father gives do come to Christ. Put the two together and they affirm the absolute freeness of the Divine grace, and exhibit that grace as acting in concurrence with our voluntary powers. Salvation is neither arbitrary, mechanical, nor compulsory. We must corneal. With childlike and dependent trust.(1) The primary element of all true faith, which is the movement of mind and heart towards God, is simple reliance on the gospel testimony that Christ is all-sufficient for the purposes of salvation.(2) The great strength and stay of this faith is that it enables the soul to rely exclusively upon a personal Redeemer.(3) This absolute casting of ourselves on Christ is not offered as a permission, but as a positive command.

2. With chastened humility and godly sorrow, repentance and faith stand together in the gospel commission, and are always united in the experience of the faithful. "Going and weeping." The prodigal.

3. In the spirit of total self-renunciation. Leave self, righteousness, sin, etc., and come to ME.

II. THE ENCOURAGEMENT AND CONFIDENCE we have in coming to Christ.

1. "Him that cometh" or is coming, in the very act of coming now. It is a constantly repeated act; alike necessary in regeneration and sanctification. This includes all of whatsoever country, church, condition, rank.

(1)Hear it, ye young. There is a sense in which your coming to Christ may be too late, but there is none in which it can be too early.

(2)Ye middle aged whom harassing cares disquiet. He will allow for everything but a refusal to come.

(3)Ye aged. Perhaps the harvest is passed and ye are not saved.

2. "In no wise."

(1)But I have stayed away too long.

(2)I am a backslider. No matter.

3. Has Jesus ever cast any one out? No.

(1)All the glorious perfections of His nature bend Him to welcome you.

(2)The mighty price paid for your redemption.

(3)The purpose and promises of God.Conclusion: Not to come is to be rejected; not to be saved is to be lost; there is no middle state.

(D. Moore, M. A.)

In the courts of law if a man be called as a witness, no sooner is his name mentioned, though he may be at the end of the court, than he begins to force his way up to the witness-box. Nobody says, "Why is this man pushing here?" or, if they should say, "Who are you?" it would be a sufficient answer to say, "My name was called." "But you are not rich, you have no gold ring upon your finger!" "No, but that is not my right of way, but I was called." "Sir, you are not a man of repute, or rank, or character!" "It matters not, I was called. Make way." So make way, ye doubts and fears, make way, ye devils of the infernal lake, Christ calls the sinner. Sinner, come, for though thou hast nought to recommend thee, yet it is written, "Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out."

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

I. WHAT TRUE RELIGION IS.

1. Negatively.

(1)It cannot consist in any feeling of moral fitness. What need of coming to Christ if our own nature is morally sufficient?

(2)Nor in the observance of external ritual. The source of the corruptions of Christianity is the tendency to put form for faith.

(3)Nor in simple orthodoxy.

2. Positively. A living relation with a living Christ.

II. THE METHOD OF GAINING TRUE RELIGION.

1. Not thronging about Christ.

2. But coming to Christ by faith.

III. THE PROOF OF THE POSSESSION OF TRUE RELIGION.

1. Not in an old experience preserved in the memory.

2. Nor in a present release from the fear of death.

3. Nor in the fervent glow of feeling (these may accompany it), but in the present proneness of the soul on these words of Christ.Conclusion: Why will you not come to Christ?

1. Is it because you are afraid of ridicule and what others may say? "Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed."

2. Is it because of the inconsistencies of Christians? "Every man Shall give account of himself to God."

3. Is it because you are not willing to give up all to Christ? "What shall it profit a man," etc.

4. Is it because you are thinking you will do as well as you can, and that God ought to be satisfied with that? "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

5. Is it because you are postponing the matter without any definite reason? "Boast not thyself of to-morrow," etc.

6. Is it because you fear you will not be accepted? "Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out."

(W. Hoyt.)

To thread a needle in the dark is a thing which no one can do. The difficulty and impossibility, however, does not lie in the thing itself, but in the circumstances under which it is attempted. Only let there be light, and the thing is not only possible, but perfectly easy. This will serve to illustrate our inability to reconcile, understand, and explain certain mysteries in Divine things; for instance, to reconcile God's fixed decrees and infallible foreknowledge with man's free will and responsibility. Our Lord plainly declares, that "no man can come to Him except the Father draw him"; but, at the same time, He gives the widest and most unlimited invitation — "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." "Whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." And He charges it as entirely their own fault, if any refuse to come, and so perish: "Ye are not willing to come to Me, that ye might have life."

(W. Hancock.)I was cruising one day in the western Highlands. It had been a splendid day, and the glorious scenery had made our journey like an excursion to Fairy Land; but it came to an end, for darkness and night asserted their primeval sovereignty. Right ahead was a vast headland of the isle of Arran. How it frowned against the evening sky! The mighty rock seemed to overhang the sea. Just at its base was a little bay, and into this we steamed, and there we lay at anchorage all night, safe from every wind that might happen to be seeking out its prey. In that calm loch we seemed to lie in the mountain's lap while its broad shoulders screened us from the wind. Now, the first part of my text, "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me," rises like a huge headland high into the heavens. Who shall scale its height? Upon some it seems to frown darkly. But here at the bottom lies the placid, glassy lake of infinite love and mercy: "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." Steam into it, and be safe under the shadow of the great rock. You will be the better for the mountain-truth as your barque snugly reposes within the glittering waters at its foot; while you may thank God that the text is not all mountain to repel you, you will be grateful that there is enough of it to secure you.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

In the mission at George Yard, Whitechapel, a converted street-singer, who had experienced much difficulty in getting work for want of a "character," but who afterwards became a licensed hawker and distributed tracts as he walked along, said: "Bless God, I have found out that Jesus will, take a man without a character."

(J. F. B. Tinling, B. A.)

Pluck a green leaf from a bough and look at it. That leaf, science tells us, is the typical tree. The tree is built upon the pattern of that leaf. The tree is only the leaf expanded, and with its various parts altered to suit new requirements; but the idea manifest in the leaf is the idea according to which the tree is made and shaped. For instance, science tells us that the seed — the starting-point of life to the tree — is only a leaf rolled tight and changed in tissue and in contents, and so fitted for its special uses. The tree-trunk is only the leaf-stem made to take columnar form, and greatly lengthened and strengthened and enlarged. All the mingling mass of branch and bough and twig, lifting their manifold tracery against the sky, is but the reproduction and increasing of the delicate tangle of veins striking through the green substance of the leaf. In short, the tree is only the leaf cut in larger pattern. Everything in the huge tree is adjusted to the method of the little leaf. In the leaf you have the tree in germ and type. So it is, it has seemed to me, with this short text I have read to you, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." It is the typical gospel. In this text we have the whole great gospel in germ and type. The entire system of the revelation of salvation is shaped after the pattern of this text.

(W. Hoyt.)

Have you never read the story of the good ship that had been a long time at sea, and the captain had lost his reckoning; he drifted up the mouth of the great river Amazon, and, after he had been sailing for a long time up the river without knowing that he was in a river at all, they ran short of water. When another vessel was seen, they signalled her, and when they got near enough for speaking they cried, "Water! We are dying for water!" They were greatly surprised when the answer came back, "Dip it up! Dip it up! You are in a river. It is all around you." They had nothing to do but to fling the bucket overboard, and have as much water as ever they liked. And here are poor souls crying out, "Lord, what must I do to be saved?" when the great work is done, and all that remains to them is to receive the free gift of eternal life. What must you do? You have done enough for one life-time, for you have undone yourself by your doing. That is not the question. It is, "Lord, what hast thou done?" And the answer is, "It is finished. I have done it all. Only come and trust Me." Sinner, you are in a river of grace and mercy. Over with the bucket, man, and drink to the full.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

If a compassionate prince wrote over his palace gate — "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out," would poor beggars reading it need to have these words explained before they could understand them? And if the good man kept his word, and received all who asked his help, would his porch be ever empty night or day? Yet has Jesus, the Prince of Life, emblazoned these words in large, shining letters above His gates of grace, and ever kept His promise to help all the destitute and miserable who come to Him, and thousands of sinners are found to this hour who will not understand them, and millions of sinners who care nothing about them.

(H. G. Guiness.)

You say, "Do not get the invitation too large, for there is nothing more awkward than to have more guests than accommodation." I know it. The Seamen's Friend Society are inviting all the sailors. The Tract Society is inviting all the destitute. The Sabbath schools are inviting all the children. The American and Foreign Christian Union is inviting all the Roman Catholics. The Missionary Society is inviting all the heathen. The printing-presses of Bible Societies are going night and day, doing nothing but printing invitations to this great gospel banquet. And are you not afraid that there will be more guests than accommodation? No! All who have been invited will not half fill up the table of God's supply. There are chairs for more. There are cups for more. God could with one feather of His wing cover up all those who have come; and when He spreads out both wings, they cover all the earth and all the heavens.

(T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.)

In some of the hotels on the road to the lead and gold mines of California, there is constantly to be found in the register the names of persons with "D.B." opposite to them. This means "dead broke," and it is the custom never to refuse a meal to these poor fellows who have risked and lost their all in these precarious ventures.

(H. O. Mackey.)

A messenger came to a Hasten as quick as you can, there is a Sunday-school superintendent and said: "A boy in a garret that wants to see you: he is dying." The Sunday-school superintendent hastened to the place, and in the garret, in the straw, lay a boy who had been crushed by a cart. He was dying; and as the superintendent entered, the boy said: "Oh! I am so glad you have come. Didn't I hear you say the other Sunday that ' whomsoever comes to God he would be saved?'" "Yes," replied the superintendent, "I said about that." "Well," said the boy," then I am saved. I have been a bad boy, but I have been thinking of that, and I have been saying that over to myself, and I am saved." After he had seen his superintendent, his strength seemed to fail, and in a few moments he expired, and the last words on his lips were: "Whomsoever cometh to God, He will in no wise be cast out." He did not get the words exactly right, but he got the spirit.

Men are going to ruin; but not like the boat that was seen shooting the rapid, and had reached a point above the cataract where no power could stem the raging current. To the horror of those who watched it shooting on to destruction, a man was seen on board, and asleep. The spectators ran along the banks. They cried; they shouted; and the sleeper awoke at length to take in all his danger at one fearful glance. To spring to his feet, to throw himself on the bench, to seize the oars, to strain every nerve in superhuman efforts to turn the boat's head to the shore, was the work of an instant. But in vain. Away went the bark to its doom, like an arrow from the bow. It hangs a moment on the edge of the gulf; and then, is gone for ever. Suppose a man to be as near hell! — if I could awaken him, I would. The dying thief was saved in the act of going over into perdition. Christ caught and saved him there. And He who is mighty to save, saving at the uttermost can save, though all our life were wasted to its last breath, if that last breath is spent in gasping out St. Peter's cry, "Save, Lord, or I perish!"

(T. Guthrie, D. D.)

"I am lost," said Mr.Whitefield's brother to the Countess of Huntingdon. "I am delighted to hear it," said the Countess. "Oh," cried he, "what a dreadful thing to say!" "Nay," said she, "'for the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost'; therefore I know He is come to save you." O sinner, it would be unreasonable to despair. The more broken thou art, the more ruined thou art, the more vile thou art in thine own esteem, so much the more room is there for the display of infinite mercy and power.

You may know the name of Mr. Durham, the author of a famous book on Solomon's Song, one of the most earnest of Scotland's ancient preachers. Some days before he died he seemed to be in some perplexity about his future well-being, and said to his friend Mr. Carstairs, "Dear brother, for all that I have written or preached, there is but one Scripture which I can now remember or dare grip unto now that I am hastening to the grave. It is this — 'Whosoever cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out.' Pray tell me if I dare lay the weight of my salvation upon it." Mr. Carstairs justly replied, "Brother, you may depend upon it, though you had a thousand salvations at hazard." You see it was a plain, sinner's text that He rested on. Just as Dr. Guthrie wanted them to sing a bairn's hymn, so do dying saints need the plain elementary doctrines of the gospel to rest upon.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

Remember He never did cast any one out. Never yet! Never one! I have declared this everywhere, and I have said, "If Jesus Christ casts any one of you out when you come to Him, pray let me know; for I do not want to go up and down the country telling lies." Again I give the challenge. If my Lord does east out one poor soul that comes to Him, let me know it, and I will give up preaching. I should not have the face to come forward and preach Christ after that; for He Himself has said it, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out"; and He would be a false Christ if He acted contrary to His word. He cannot cast you out; why should He? "Oh, but then I am so bad." So much the less likely is He to refuse you, for there is the more room for His grace.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

When a man brings out a patent medicine, he publishes verifications of the efficacy of his physic. He gets a number of cases, and he advertises them. I suppose they are genuine. I should not like to be hanged if they were not. I suppose, therefore, they are all accurate and authentic. But there is one thing which you never knew a medicine advertiser do: he never advertises the failures of the medicine. The number of persons that have been induced to buy the remedy, and have derived no good from it: if these were all advertised, it might occupy more room in the newspaper than those who write of a cure. My Lord Jesus Christ is a Physician who never had a failure yet — never once. Never did a soul wash in Christ's blood without being made whiter than snow. Never did a man, besotted with the worst of vice, trust in Jesus without receiving power to conquer his evil habits. Not even in the lowest pit of hell is there one that dares to say, "I trusted Christ, and I am lost. I sought His face with all my heart, and He cast me away." There is not a man living that could say that, unless he dared to lie; for not one has with heart and soul sought the Saviour, and trusted in Him, and then had a negative from Him. He must save you if you trust Him. As surely as He lives He must save you, for He has put it, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." I will repeat it, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." You have never come if He has not received you; for He must save those who trust in Him.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

It is reported of Julius Caesar, that he never entertained hatred against any so deeply but he was willing to lay down the same upon the tender of submission. As when C. Memnius put in for the consulship, he befriended him before others of the competition, notwithstanding that Memnius had made bitter invectives against him. Thus the great God of Heaven, to whom all the Caesars and kings of the earth are tributaries and homagers, doth never hate so irreconcilably but that true humiliation will work a reconciliation — let but the sinner appear before Him in a submissive posture, and His anger will be soon appeased.

(J. Spencer.)

At a gathering in the West End of London the Rev. Caesar Malan found himself seated by a young lady. In the course of conversation he asked her if she were a Christian. She turned upon him, and somewhat sharply replied, "That's a subject I don't care to have discussed here this evening." "Well," answered Mr. Malan, with inimitable sweetness of manner, "I will not persist in speaking of it, but I shall pray that you may give your heart to Christ, and become a useful worker for Him." A fortnight afterwards they met again, and this time the young lady approached the minister with marked courtesy, and said, "The question you asked me the other evening has abided with me ever since, and caused me very great trouble. I have been trying in vain in all directions to find the Saviour, and I come now to ask you to help me to find Him. I am sorry for the way in which I previously spoke to you, and now come for help." Mr. Malan answered her, "Come to Him just as you are." "But will He receive me just as I am, and now? Oh, yes," said Mr. Malan, "gladly will He do so." They then knelt together and prayed, and she soon experienced the holy joy of a full forgiveness through the blood of Christ. The young lady's name was Charlotte Elliot, and to her the whole Church is indebted for the pathetic hymn commencing, "Just as I am, without one plea.

(Ira D. Sankey.)

I went the other day to St. Cross Hospital near Winchester. There they give away a piece of bread to everybody who knocks at the door. I knocked as bold as brass. Why should I not? I did not humble myself particularly and make anything special of it. It was for all, and I came and received as one of the people who were willing to knock.

(C. H. Spurgeon.)

When the great Bishop Butler was lying on his death-bed, he was observed to be unusually pensive and dejected, and on being asked the cause, ha replied, "Though I have endeavoured to avoid sin and please God to the utmost of my power, yet from the consciousness of perpetual infirmities, I am still afraid to die." A friend who stood by read him this text. "Ah," said the dying man, I have read that a thousand times, but I never felt its full force till this moment, and now I die happy.

(Dean Stanley.)

Andrew, Jesus, Joseph, Judas, Peter, Philip, SimonCapernaum, Sea of Galilee, Sea of Tiberias, TiberiasAccount, Anyone, Cast, Certainly, Drive, Gives, Giveth, Reject, Throw, Whatever, Wise1. Jesus feeds five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes.
15. Thereupon the people would have made him king;
16. but withdrawing himself, he walks on the sea to his disciples;
26. reproves the people flocking after him, and all the fleshly hearers of his word;
32. declares himself to be the bread of life to believers.
66. Many disciples depart from him.
68. Peter confesses him.
70. Judas is a devil.

John 6:37

     6603   acceptance, divine

John 6:35-42

     7505   Jews, the

John 6:35-51

     5409   metaphor

John 6:35-52

     2426   gospel, responses

John 6:37-40

     4915   completion
     6639   election, to salvation

John 6:37-44

     6708   predestination

May 9 Evening
It is I; be not afraid.--JOHN 6:20. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.--I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Woe is me! for I am undone; . . . mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

December 22 Morning
Your work of faith.--I THES. 1:3. This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.--Faith worketh by love.--He that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.--We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.--Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

August 8 Evening
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.--ROM. 10:13. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.--Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.--What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. If ye . . . being …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

November 21 Morning
Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.--JOHN 6:37. It shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.--I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God.--I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

June 29 Morning
His commandments are not grievous.--I JOHN 5:3. This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life.--Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.--If ye love me, keep my commandments.--He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

March 14 Evening
The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.--JOHN 6:63. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.--The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Christ . . . loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

October 23 Evening
It is the spirit that quickeneth.--JOHN 6:63. The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.--That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.--Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

December 17 Morning
Quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.--PSA. 80:18. It is the Spirit that quickeneth.--The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.--Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

October 29 Evening
David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.--I SAM. 30:6. Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.--I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

October 14 Evening
Give us this day our daily bread.--MATT. 6:11. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.--His bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.--The ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.--Be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

September 8. "He that Eateth Me, Even He Shall Live by Me" (John vi. 57).
"He that eateth Me, even He shall live by Me" (John vi. 57). What the children of God need is not merely a lot of teaching, but the Living Bread. The best wheat is not good food. It needs to be ground and baked before it can be digested and assimilated so as to nourish the system. The purest and the highest truth cannot sanctify or satisfy a living soul. He breathes the New Testament message from His mouth with a kiss of love and a breath of quickening power. It is as we abide in Him, lying upon …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

June 22. "This is that Bread which came Down from Heaven" (John vi. 58).
"This is that bread which came down from heaven" (John vi. 58). We had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead; who delivereth us from so great a death, who doth deliver; in whom we trust that He will yet deliver us. This was the supernatural secret of Paul's life; he drew continually in his body from the strength of Christ, his Risen Head. The body which rose from Joseph's tomb was to him a physical reality and the inexhaustible …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Fourth Miracle in John's Gospel
And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.'--JOHN vi. 11. This narrative of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand is introduced into John's Gospel with singular abruptness. We read in the first verse of the chapter: 'After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee,' i.e. from the western to the eastern side. But the Evangelist does not tell …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'Fragments' or 'Broken Pieces'
'When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.'--JOHN vi. 12. The Revised Version correctly makes a very slight, but a very significant change in the words of this verse. Instead of 'fragments' it reads 'broken pieces.' The change seems very small, but the effect of it is considerable. It helps our picture of the scene by correcting a very common misapprehension as to what it was which the Apostles are bid to gather up. The general notion, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Fifth Miracle in John's Gospel
'So when they had rowed about five-and-twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20. But He said unto them, It is I; be not afraid.'--JOHN vi. 19,20. There are none of our Lord's parables recorded in this Gospel, but all the miracles which it narrates are parables. Moral and religious truth is communicated by the outward event, as in the parable it is communicated by the story. The mere visible fact becomes more than semi-transparent. …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

How to Work the Work of God
'Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye, believe on Him whom He hath sent.'--JOHN vi. 28, 29. The feeding of the five thousand was the most 'popular' of Christ's miracles. The Evangelist tells us, with something between a smile and a sigh, that 'when the people saw it, they said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world,' and they were so delighted with Him and with …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Manna
'I am that bread of life. 49. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.'--JOHN vi. 48-50. 'This is of a truth that Prophet,' said the Jews, when Christ had fed the five thousand on the five barley loaves and the two small fishes. That was the kind of Teacher for them; they were quite unaffected by the wisdom of His words and the beauty of His deeds, but a miracle that found food precisely …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Redemption (Continued)
"He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath life eternal."--JOHN VI. 54. We were made for holiness, union with God, eternal life. These are but different expressions for one and the same thing. For holiness is the realisation of our manhood, of that Divine Image which is the true self, expressing itself and acting, as it does in us, through the highest of animal forms. That perfect self-realisation is not merely dependent upon, but is union with God, at its beginning, throughout its …
J. H. Beibitz—Gloria Crucis

The Study of the Bible Recommended; and a Method of Studying it Described.
Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of Eternal Life. IT was probably in that synagogue which the faithful Centurion built at Capernaum [243] that our Saviour had been discoursing. At the end of his discourse, it is related that "many of His Disciples went back, and walked no more with Him." Thereupon, He asked the Twelve, "Will ye also go away?" the very form of His inquiry (Me kai humeis) implying the answer which the Divine Speaker expected and desired. And to this challenge of Love …
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

The Attractive Power of God
THE ATTRACTIVE POWER OF GOD St John vi. 44.--"No one can come unto Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him." Our Lord Jesus Christ hath in the Gospel spoken with His own blessed lips these words, which signify, "No man can come to Me unless My Father draw him." In another place He says, "I am in the Father and the Father in Me." Therefore whoever cometh to the Son cometh to the Father. Further, He saith, "I and the Father are One. Therefore whomsoever the Father draweth, the Son draweth …
Johannes Eckhart—Meister Eckhart's Sermons

The Gospel Feast
"When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat?"--John vi. 5. After these words the Evangelist adds, "And this He said to prove him, for He Himself knew what He would do." Thus, you see, our Lord had secret meanings when He spoke, and did not bring forth openly all His divine sense at once. He knew what He was about to do from the first, but He wished to lead forward His disciples, and to arrest and …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

The Care of the Soul Urged as the one Thing Needful
Luke 10:42 -- "But one thing is needful." It was the amiable character of our blessed Redeemer, that "he went about doing good," this great motive, which animated all his actions, brought him to the house of his friend Lazarus, at Bethany, and directed his behavior there. Though it was a season of recess from public labor, our Lord brought the sentiments and the pious cares of a preacher of righteousness into the parlor of a friend; and there his doctrine dropped as the rain, and distilled as the …
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

On the Words of the Gospel, John vi. 53, "Except Ye Eat the Flesh," Etc. , and on the Words of the Apostles. And the Psalms. Against
Delivered at the Table of the Martyr St. Cyprian, the 9th of the Calends of October,--23 Sept., on the Lord's day. 1. We have heard the True Master, the Divine Redeemer, the human Saviour, commending to us our Ransom, His Blood. For He spake to us of His Body and Blood; He called His Body Meat, His Blood Drink. The faithful recognise the Sacrament of the faithful. But the hearers what else do they but hear? When therefore commending such Meat and such Drink He said, "Except ye shall eat My Flesh …
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, John vi. 55,"For My Flesh is Meat Indeed, and My Blood is Drink Indeed. He that Eateth My Flesh," Etc.
1. As we heard when the Holy Gospel was being read, the Lord Jesus Christ exhorted us by the promise of eternal life to eat His Flesh and drink His Blood. Ye that heard these words, have not all as yet understood them. For those of you who have been baptized and the faithful do know what He meant. But those among you who are yet called Catechumens, or Hearers, could be hearers, when it was being read, could they be understanders too? Accordingly our discourse is directed to both. Let them who already …
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

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