The disciples are friends of Christ, 12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, | 18. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before 'as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known unto you. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. n Ch. 13.34. 1 Thess. 4.9. 1 Pet.4.8. 1 Jn. 3. 11. & 4.21.-0 Ch 10.11, 15. Rom 5.7.8. Eph.5.2. 1 Jn.3.16.-p Ch. 14. 15,23. See Matt. 12.50.-q See Gen. 18.17. Ch. 17.26. Acts 90.27.-r Ch.6.70. & 13.18. 1 Jn.4.10,19.-8 Mut.28.19. Mk. 16.15. Col. 1.6. I now feel on account of your steady, affectionate attachment to me, may be lasting; I give you both warnings and directions, that ye may abide in the faith. That your joy might be full.] Or, complete-πληρωθη, filled up: a metaphor taken from a vessel, into which water or any other thing is poured, till it is full to the brim. The religion of Christ expels all misery from the hearts of those who receive it in its fulness. It was to drive wretchedness out of the world, that Jesus came into it. Bishop Pearce, by joining εμοι τo χαρα, and not to μεινη, translates the verse thus: These things have I spoken, that my joy in you may remain which is according to the meaning given to the first clause. 12. That ye love one another] See on chap. xiii. 34. So deeply was this commandment engraven on the heart of this evangelist, that St. Jerom says, lib. iii. c. 6. Com. ad Galat. that in his extreme old age, when he used to be carried to the public assemblies of the believers, his constant saying was, Little children, love one another. His disciples, wearied at last with the constant repetition of the same words, asked him, Why he constantly said the same thing? "Because (said he) it is the commandment of the Lord, and the observation of it alone is sufficient." Quia præceptum Domini est, et si solum fiat, suficit. 13. That a man lay down his life for his friends.] No man can carry his love for his friend further than this: for when he gives up his life, he gives up all that he has. This proof of my love for you, I shall give in a few hours; and the doctrine which I recommend to you, I am just going to exemplify myself. There are several remarkable cases in heathen antiquity, where one friend offered his life for another. The two following will not stand dishonourably, even in the book of God; because every thing loving and pure, in heathen, Jes, or Christian, must come from the God of love and purity. When Cyrus had made war on the king of Armenia, and had taken him, his wife, and children, with Tigranes his son, and his wife, prisoners; treating with the old king concerning his ransom, he said, How much money wilt thou give me to have thy wife again? All that I have, replied the king. And how much wilt thou advance to enjoy thy children again? All that I can produce, answered the king. By reckoning thus, said Cyrus, you prize these at twice as much as you possess. Then turning to Tigranes, he said, How much wilt thou give as a ransom, that thou mayest have thy wife? (Now Tigranes had been but lately married, και υπερφίλων την, γυναικα, αnd loved his wife exceedingly.) He answered, I will, indeed, O Cyrus, και της ψυχης πριαμην, ransom her even with MY LIFE, that she may be no longer in thraldom. See XENOPH. Cyrop. lib. iii. c. 2. The second example, which is too long to be inserted, is that affecting account of the friendship of Nisus and Euryalus, given by Virgil in the ninth book of the Eneis. These two friends, leagued together, had slain many of the Rutulians in a night attack: at last Euryalus was taken prisoner. Nisus, concealed in a thicket, slew several of the enemy's chiefs with his javelins: Volscens, their general, not seeing the hand by which his officers were slain, determines to wreak his vengeance upon his prisoner. Nisus seeing his friend about to be transfixed with the sword, rushing out of the wood where he lay hidden, he suddenly cries: ME ME! adsum qui FECI! in ME convertite ferrum, Æn. lib. ix. 1. 427 &c. ME! ME! he cried, turn all your swords alone Is too much love to his unhappy friend." DRYDEN. Those who understand the beautiful original, will at once per ceive, that the earnestness, confusion, disorder,impatience, and burning love, of the FRIEND, are poorly imitated in the above tame translation. The friendship of David and Jonathan is well known: the latter cheerfully gave up his crown to his friend; though himself was every way worthy to wear it. But when all these instances of rare friendship and affection are seen, read, and admired, let the affected reader turn his astonished eyes to Jesus, pouring out his blood, not for his friends, but for his ENEMIES; and in the agonies of death, making supplications it hated you. 19 w If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you: if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no d cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me, hateth my Father also. t Verse 7. Ch. 14.13.-u Verse 12 - 1 John 3.1, 13. -w 1 Jn. 45-x Ch 17 14. y Matt. 10.24. Luke 6 40. Ch.13.16 - Ezek.3. 7.-a Matt. 10. 22 & 4.9. Ch 163 6 Ch.9.41.-e Rom. 1.20. James 4.17.--d Or, excuse. -el John 2.23. for his murderers with, Father forgive them, for they know0 not what they do! and then let him help exclaiming if he can, "O Lamb of God, was ever pain, 15. Henceforth, I call you not servants] Which he at least indirectly had done, chap. xiii. 16. Matt. x. 24, 25. Luke xvii. 10. I have called you friends] I have admitted you into a state of the most intimate fellowship with myself, and have made known unto you whatsoever I have heard from my Father, which, in your present circumstances, it was necessary for you to be instructed in. 16. Ye have not chosen me] Ye have not elected me as your Teacher: I have called you to be my disciples; witnesses and depositories of the truth. It was customary among the Jews, for every person to choose his own teacher. And ordained you] Rather, I have appointed you:-the word is εθηκα, I have PUT or placed you, i. e. in the vine. Theodorus Mopsuensis, as quoted by Wetstein, observes that εθηκα is here used for εφυτευσα, (I have planted) "and in saying this, our Lord still makes use of the inetaphor of the vine; as if he had said, I have not only planted you, but I have given you the greatest benefits, causing your branches to extend every where through the habitable world." The first ministers of the Gospel, were the choice of Jesus Christ: no wonder then that they were so successful. Those whom men have since sent, without the appointment of God, have done no good. The choice should still continue with God, who knowing the heart, knows best who is most proper for the Gospel ministry. To be a genuine preacher of the Gospel, a man must, 1. Be chosen of God to the work. 2. He must be placed in the true vine-united to Christ by faith. 3. He must not think to lead an idle life, but labour. 4. He must not wait till work be brought to him, but he must go and seek it. 5. Hemust labour so as to bring forth fruit, i. e. to get souls converted to the Lord. 6. He must refer all his fruit to God, who gave him the power to labour, and blessed him in his work. 7. He must take care to water what he has planted, that his fruit may remain that the souls whom he has gathered in, be not scattered from the flock. 8. He must continue instant in prayer, that his labours may be accompanied with the presence and blessing of God.-Whatsoever ye shall ASK. 9. He must consider Jesus Christ as the great mediator between God and man, proclaim his salvation, and pray in his name-Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, &c. See Quesnel. 18. If the world hate you] As the followers of Christ were to be exposed to the hatred of the world, it was no small consolation to them to know, that that hatred would be only in proportion to their faith and holiness; and that consequently, instead of being troubled at the prospect of persecution, they should rejoice, because that should always be a proof to them, that they were in the very path in which Jesus himself had trod. Dr. Lardner thinks that πρωτον, is a substantive, or at least an adjective used substantively, and this clause of the text should be translated thus: If the world hate you, know that it hated me your CHIEF. It is no wonder that the world should hate you when it hated me, your Lord and Master, whose lips were without guile, and whose conduct was irreproachable. See the Doctor's vindication of this translation, WORKS, vol. i. p. 306. 19. Ye are not of the world-therefore, &c.] On this very account, because ye do not join in fellowship with those who know not God, therefore they hate you. How true is that saying, "The laws of Christ condemn a vicious world, GAMEOLD. 20. If they have kept my saying] Or, doctrine. Whoso ever acknowledges me for the Christ, will acknowledge you for my ministers. Some translate the passage thus: If they have WATCHED MY sayings, i. e. with an intent to accuse me for something which I have said; they will WATCH yours also: therefore be on your guard. Παρατηρειν, has this sense, as we have had occasion to observe before; and perhaps τηρειν, has the same sense here, as it is much more agreeable to the context. 21. Because they know not him that sent me) This is the foundation of all religious persecution: those who are guilty of it, whether in church or state, know nothing about God. If God tolerates a worship, which professes to have him for its object; and which does not disturb the quiet or peace of soci ety-no man has the smallest right to meddle with it; and he Christ warns his disciples of the CHAPTER XVI. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. C327.31.932 Psa. 35. 19. & 69.4.-h Luke 24.49. Ch. 14.17,26. & 16. 7, Acus Acus 2.23-il John 5.6. that does, fights against God. His letting it pass, is at least a tacit command, that all should treat it as he has done. 22. But now they have no cloke for their sin.) They are without excuse. See the margin, and see the notes on chap. ix. 41. Christ had done such works as demonstrated him to be the Messiah-yet they rejected him; here lay their sin: and this sin, and the punishment to which it exposed them, still remain; for they still continue to reject the Lord that bought them. 25. Written in their law] See on chap. x. 34. These words are taken from Psal. lxix. 4. This Psalm is applied to Christ, chap. ii. 17. xix. 28. to the vengeance of God against Judea, Acts i. 20. The Psalm seems entirely prophetic of Christ His deep abasement is referred to, ver. 2-6. his prayer for his disciples and followers, ver. 7. that for himself, in the garden of Gethsemane, ver. 15-19. his crucifixion, ver. 20-22. the vengeance of God against the Jews, from ver. 23. to ver. 29. the glorious manner in which he gets out of all his suffer ings, ver. 30. the abolition of the Mosaic rites and ceremonies, ver. 32. compared with Isa. lxvi. 3. and finally, the esablishment of the Gospel through the whole world, in the 33d and follow ing verses. The reader will do well to consult the Psalm before he proceeds. 26. But when the comforter is come] See on chap. xiv. 16. 26. 27. He shall testify-and ye also shall bear witness] He shall bear his testimony in your souls, and ye shall bear this testimony to the world. And so they did, by their miracles, their preaching, their writings, their lives, and by their deaths. Our Lord appears to reason thus: In every respect the unbelief of the Jews, is inexcusable. They believe not my doc trine, notwithstanding its purity and holiness. They believe not in the Father who sent me, notwithstanding I have confirmed my mission by the most astonishing miracles. One thing only remains now to be done, i. e. to send them the Holy Spirit, to convince them of sin, righteousness, and judgment: and this he shall do, not only by his influence upon their hearts, but also by your words: and when they shall have resisted this Spirit, then the cup of their iniquity shall be filled up, and wrath shall come upon them to the uttermost. But in what sense can it be said, that Christ wrought more persecutions they should suffer. 261h But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceed. eth from the Father, i he shall testify of me: 27 And kye also shall bear witness, because I ye have been with me from the beginning. k Luke 24.48. Acts 1.8,21,22. & 2.32. & 3.15. & 4. 20, 33. & 5.32. & 10.39. & 13. 31. 1 Pet.5.1. 2 Pet. 1.16.-1 Luke 1.2. 1 John 1.1,2. miracles than any other had done, ver. 24.1 for Elijah and Elisha raised the dead; cured diseases; and made fire to come down from heaven. Did Christ do greater miracles than Moses did in Egypt-at the Red Sea-at the rock of Horeb; and at the rock of Kadesh? Did Christ do greater miracles than Joshua did in the destruction of Jericho-in the passage of Jordan-in causing the sun and moon to stand still? To all this may be answered, Christ's miracles were greater: 1. As to their number. 2. As to their utility-they were wrought to comfort the distressed, and to save the lost. 3. Christ wrought all his miracles by his own power alone; and they wrought theirs through his power only. 4. Christ wrought his numerous miracles in the space of three or four years, and in the presence of the same people; and the others were wrought from time to time in different centuries. Some critics have confined the whole of this chapter to the apostles of our Lord, and the work of propagating Christianity, to which they had been called. The whole comment of Rosenmuller on this chapter proceeds on this plan; and at once shows how nugatory it is. What learned labour has there been in the world, to banish the spirit of Christianity from the earth, while the letter was professed to be scrupulously regarded! 1. The spiritual union spoken of by Christ, is not merely necessary for his primitive disciples, but also for all who would be Christians on earth, and beatified spirits in heaven. 2. The brotherly love here inculcated, is the duty and interest of every Christian soul on the face of the earth. 3. The necessity of adorning the Christian profession by bringing forth corresponding fruits, is the duty of all who name the name of the Lord Jesus. 4. The appointment to, and preparation for, the work of the sacred ministry, must ever be primarily with Christ: for those who have no higher authority than that which they derive from man, are never likely to be useful in Christianizing the world. 5. The persecution to which the apostles were exposed, has been the common lot of Christians from the foundation of Christianity. 6. The consolations and influences of Christ's Spirit have not been the exclusive privileges of the apostles; they are the birthright of all the sons and daughters of God. CHAPTER XVI. Christ warns his disciples, and foretels the persecutions they should receive from the Jews, 1-4. Foretels death, and prowises them the Comforter, 5-7. Points out his operations among the Jews, and in the world, 8-11. His peculiar influences on the souls of the disciples, 12-15. Speaks figuratively of his death and resurrection, at which his disciples are puzzled, 17, 18. He explains and illustrates the whole by a similitude, 19-22. Shows himself to be the Mediator between God and man, and that all prayers must be put up in his name, 23-28. The disciples clearly comprehend his meaning, and express their strong faith in him, 29, 30. He again foretels their persecution, and promises them his peace and sup. port, 31-33. [Α. Μ. 4033. Α. D. 29. An. Olymp. CCII. 1.] God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not knows the Father nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come ye may remember that I told you of them. And f thesethings I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. a Matt. 11.6 & 24. 10. & 25.31.-b Chap. 9 22, 34. & 12.42.-c Acts 8. 1. & 9.1. & 96. L-d Chap. 15. 21. Rom. 10. 2. 1 Cor. 2. 8. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Chap. 13. 19. 14. 29. NOTES.-Verse 1. These things have I spoken] Particularly what is mentioned in the two last chapters. Be offended] Ινα μη σκανδαλισθητε, that ye should not be stumbled. May not fall away from the faith, nor receive any injury to your souls, as that man does to his body, who stum bles or falls over a stone, or block, in the way, which he has not discovered. 2. They shall put you out of the synagogues] They will excommunicate you, and consider you as execrable, and utterly un worthy to hold any commerce with God by religion, or with man by civil fellowship. See on chap. ix. 22. In these excom Imunications they were spoiled of all their substance: see Ezra x. 8. and see also Heb. x. 34. and deprived of their character, their influence, and every necessary of life. Though the Jewish people had the most humane laws, yet they were a most vindictive and cruel people. That whosoever killeth you, &c.] This Paul found; for more than forty Jews bound themselves under a curse, that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed him; Acts xxiii. 12, 13. and agreeably to this, it is said, in that Tract of the Talwend which is entitled Bammidbar, R. xxi. ad. Num. xxv. 13. "He who sheds the blood of the ungodly, is equal to him who brings an offering to God." What the Zealots did is notorious in history. They butchered any person in cold blood, whom they pretended to believe was an enemy to God, to the law, or to Moses; and thought they were fulfilling the will of God by 5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, à sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, i the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is cou, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9m Of sin, because they believe not on me; f See Matt. 9. 15.-g Verse 10, 16. Ch. 7. 33. & 13, 3. & 14. 28.-h Verse 22. Ch. 14. 1.-i Ch. 7. 39. & 14. 16, 26. & 15. 26.-k Acts 2. 33. Eph. 4. 8.-1 Or, convince.m Acts 2. 22-37. these human sacrifices. We had the same kind of sacrifices here in the time of our Popish Queen Mary. 3. Because they have not known the Father] See on chap xv. 25. Ignorance of the benevolence of GOD, and of the phi lanthropy of CHRIST, is the grand fountain whence all religious persecution and intolerance proceed. 4. At the beginning] I would not trouble you by speaking of these things pointedly at first, when I chose you to be my disciples; but have referred them to the present time, lest you should be discouraged: and now only declare them because it is absolutely necessary that you should be put upon your guard. 5. None of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?] In chap. xiii. 36. Peter had asked, Lord, whither goest thou? and Thomas much the same in chap. xiv. 5. both of whom had received an answer. But now, at the time when Jesus was speaking this, none of them asked this question, because their hearts were filled with sorrow; ver. 6. 7. It is expedient-that I go away] In other places he had shown them the absolute necessity of his death for the salvation of men: see Matt. xx. 19. xxvi. 2. Mark ix. 31. x. 23. Luke ix. 44. xviii. 32. This he does not repeat here, but shows them, that, by the order of God, the Holy Spirit cannot come to them, nor to the world, unless he first die: and consequently men cannot be saved but in this way. 8. He will reprove] Eλεγξει, he will demonstrate these matters so clearly as to leave no doubt on the minds of those who 2. Under grace, in which sin is pardoned, and righteousness work of redemption. 3. In on, by his intercession, acquired by faith in Christ: who is gone to the Father to carry the peace and glory of heaven, where Christ will reign with his members; the devil, with his angels and servants, being banished into hell by the last judgment. Thus, in the Christian revelation, we are made acquainted with three grand truths, which contain the sum and substance of all true religion. The first is, the general corruption of human nature, and the reign of sin till the coming of Christ. The second is, the reparation of our nature by the Lord Jesus, and the reign of righteousness, by his grace: Rom. v. 21. The third the kingdom of sin, and of all the power of the devil, by the is, the condemnation of sinners, and the total destruction of last judgment. 12. Ye cannot bear them now.] In illustration of these three points, Christ had many things to say; but he found that his disciples would only bear general truths; yet in saying what he did, he sowed the seeds of the whole system of theological knowledge, and heavenly wisdom, which the Holy Spirit of this truth afterward watered and ripened into a glorious harvest of light and salvation, by the ministry of the apostles. Dr. Lightfoot supposes that the things which the apostles could not bear now, were such as these: 1. The institution of the Christian Sabbath, and the abolition of the Jewish. 2. The rejection of the whole Jewish nation, at the very time in which they expected to be set up and established for ever. 3. The entire change of the whole Mosaic dispensation, and the bringing the Gentiles into the church of God. 13. He will guide you] He will consider your feeble infant state; and as a father leads his child by the hand, so will the Holy Spirit lead and guide you. The Vulgate, and some cois not acknowledged by any Greek MS. pies of the Itala, read, he will TEACH you all truth; but this, sides, this reading of himself] He shall teach nothing conand more, is implied in the word ὁδηγησει, he will lead; beHe shall not speak trary to what I have taught you. But whatsoever he shall hear] Of the Father and me, that he shall speak and thus show the intimate consent between himself, the Father, and Christ. It is one conjoint testimony, in which the honour and glory of the Holy Trinity, and man's salvation, are equally concerned. And he will show you things to come.] He will fully explain in order to make the new coveevery thing that may now appear dark or difficult to you; will give you such a knowledge of futurity, as shall, in all necessary cases, enable you to foretell future events; and shall nant revelation complete and perfect. supply every requisite truth, in the same crime, 15. All things that the Father hath are mine] If Christ had not And shall show it unto you.] As Christ is represented the been equal to God, could he have said this without blasphemy? ambassador of the Father; so the Holy Spirit is represented the ambassador of the Son: coming vested with his authority, as the interpreter, and executor of his will. 16. A little while] He had but a few hours to live. And ye shall not see me) I shall be hidden from your view in the grave. Again a little while] In three days after my death: ness of the necessity of being pardoned, and made righteous I shall pour out my Spirit upon you, and others, through your through the blood of the Lamb, who, after being offered up for Ye shall see me] I will rise again, and show myself to you. Or, as I am going, by my ascension, to the Father, in a short time, ye shall see me personally no more; but in a little while ministry; and ye shall see me virtually in the great and wonderful work which shall then take place in the hearts and lives of men. This may also refer to his coming again to destroy the Jewish state; and also to judge the world: but how can this latter be said to be in a little while? Because a thousand years are but as a day in the sight of God: Psa. xc. 4. 18. What is this that he saith] They knew from what he Christ explains himself, and the 33 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the name, he will give it you. CHAPTER XVII. Verily, verily, 24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye hall receive, b that your joy may be full. 25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27 f For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 25 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the Mart. 7.7 Ch. 14. 13. & 15. 16.-b Ch. 15. 11. c Or, parables. d Or, parables.Vene-f Ch. 14. 21. 23.-2 Verse 30. Ch. 3. 13. & 17. 8.-h Ch. 13. 3.-i Or, pa- Ch. 21. 17.-1 Verse 27. Ch. 17. Β. had said, that he was to die; but knew not what he meant by their seeing him again in a little time. 20. Ye shall weep and lament] To see me crucified and laid in the grave. But the world shall rejoice] The chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, and persecuting Jews in general, will triumph, hoping that their bad cause is crowned with success. But your sorrow shall be turned into joy.] When ye see me risen from the dead. disciples comprehend his meaning. world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. 29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. 30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. 31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe? 32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to • his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. 'In the world ye shall have tribulation but be of good cheer; 'I have overcome the world. m Matt. 26. 31. Mark 14.27.-n Ch. 20. 10. o Or, his own home.-p Ch. 8. 29. 14. 10, 11.-g Isa 9.6. Ch. 14. 27. Rom. 5. 1. Eph. 2. 14. Col.1.20-r Ch. 15.19 20, 21. 2 Tím. 3. 12.-5 Ch. 14.1.-t Rom.8.37. 1 John 4.4. & 5.4. ceedingly embarrassed them; as appears by verses 17 and 18. 29. Lo, now speakest thou plainly] The disciples received more light now on the nature of Christ's person and office, than they had ever done before. 30. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things] Is not the following the meaning of the disciples. We believe that thou art not only the Messiah, who camest out from God, but that thou art that God who searchest the heart and triest the reins; and needest not to be asked, in order to make thee It is very evident that our Lord uses the word world in seve-acquainted with the necessities of thy creatures: for thou ral parts of this discourse of his, to signify the unbelieving and rebellious Jews. 21. For joy that a man is born] Ανθρωπος is put here for a Auman creature, whether male or female: as homo among the Romans denoted either man or woman. tense. 22. Your joy no man taketh from you] Or, shall take away. Some excellent MSS. and Versions read the verb in the future Our Lord's meaning appears to have been this, that his resurrection should be so completely demonstrated to them, that they should never have a doubt concerning it; and consequently that their joy should be great and permanent, know ing that the atonement was made, the victory gained, and the kingdom of heaven opened to all believers. Therefore it is said, Acts iv. 33. that with great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 23. Ye shall ask me nothing.] Ye shall then be led by that Spirit which guides into all truth, to consider me in the character of Mediator in the kingdom of God; and to address your prayers to the Father in my name-in the name of Jesus the Saviour, because I have died to redeem you: in the name of Christ the Anointer, because I have ascended to send down the gift of the Holy Ghost. 24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name] Ye have not as yet considered me the great Mediator between God and man: but this is one of the truths which shall be more fully revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. Ask] In my name; and ye shall receive all the salvation ye thus request; the consequence of which shall be, that your joy shall be full; ye shall be thoroughly happy in being made completely holy. 25. In proverbs] That is, words which, besides their plain, literal meaning, have another, viz. a spiritual or figurative one I have represented heavenly things to you through the medium of earthly. The time cometh] Viz. the interval from his resurrection to his ascension; which consisted of forty days; during which he instructed his disciples in the most sublime mysteries and truths of his kingdom. Acts i. 3. 5. I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you] I need not tell you that I will continue your intercessor: 1 have given you already so many proofs of my love, that ye cannot possibly doubt this: besides, the Father himself needs no entreaty to do you good, for he loves you, and is graciously disposed to save you to the uttermost, because ye have loved me, and believed in me as coming from God, for the salvation of the world. 23. I came forth from the Father] With whom I existed from eternity in glory. Am come into the world] By my incarnation. And go to the Father) By my ascension. These four words contain the whole economy of the Gospel of man's salvation, and a consummate abridgment of the Christian faith. This gave the disciples a key to the whole of our Lord's discourse; and especially to that part, ver. 16. that had so ex perfectly knowest their wants, and art infinitely disposed to relieve them. 31. Do ye now believe?] And will ye continue to believe? Ye are now fully convinced; and will ye in the hour of trial retain your conviction, and prove faithful and steady? 32. The hour cometh) Ye shall shortly have need of all the faith ye profess--ye now believe me to be the Omniscient; but ye will find difficulty to maintain this faith, when ye see me seized, condemned, and crucified as a malefactor. Yea, your faith will be then so shaken, that ye shall run away, each striving to save himself at his own home, or among his kindred. 33. That in me ye might have peace) I give you this warning as another proof that I know all things: and to the end that ye may look to me alone for peace and happiness. The peace of God is ever to be understood as including all possible blessedness--light, strength, comfort, support, a sense of the divine favour, unction of the Holy Spirit, purification of heart, &c. &c. and all these to be enjoyed in Christ. In the world ye shall have tribulation] Or, as most of the very best MSS. read, εχετε, ye have the tribulation is at hand, ye are just about to be plunged into it. But be of good cheer) Do not despond on account of what I have said:--the world shall not be able to overcome you, how severely soever it may try you. I have overcome the world.] I am just now going, by my death, to put it and its god to the rout. My apparent weakness shall be my victory: my ignominy shall be my glory; and the victory which the world, the devil, and my adversaries in general shall appear to gain over me, shall be their own lasting defeat, and my eternal triumph--Fear not! Luther, writing to Philip Melancthon, quotes this verse, and adds these remarkable words: "Sucha sayingas this, is worthy to be carried from Rome to Jerusalem upon one's knees." One of the grand subjects in this chapter, the mediation of Christ, is but little understood by most Christians. Christ having made an atonement for the sin of the world, has ascended to the right hand of the Father, and there he appears in the presence of God for us. In approaching the throne of grace, we keep Jesus, as our sacrificial victim, continually in view: our prayers should be directed through him to the Father: and under the conviction that his passion and death have purchased every possible blessing for us, we should with humble confidence, ask the blessings we need; and as in hin the Father is ever well pleased, we should most confidently expect the blessings he has purchased. We may consider also, that his appearance before the throne in his sacrificial character, constitutes the great principle of mediation or intercession. He has taken our nature into heaven; in that he appears before the throne:--this, without a voice, speaks loudly for the sinful race of Adam, for whom it was assumed; and on whose account it was sacrificed. On these grounds every penitent and every believing soul may ask and receive, and their joy be complete. By the sacrifice of Christ, we approach God: through the mediation of Christ, God comes down to man. CHAPTER XVII. Christ prays the Father to glorify him, 1. In what eternal life consists, 2, 3. Shows that he has glorified his Father, by futhlling his will upon earth, and revealing him to the disciples, 4-8. Prays for them, that they may be preserved in unity and kept from evil, 9-16. Prays for their sanctification, 17-19. Prays also for those who should believe on him through their preaching, that they all might be brought into a state of unity, and finally brought to eternal glory, 20-26. [Α. Μ. 4033. A. D. 29. An. Olymp. CCII. 1.] THE THESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, | 2 b As and said, Father, the hour is come: glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: Ch.12.14 13.39-b Dan. 7.14. Matt. 11.27.& 28. 18. Ch. 3.35. & 5. 27. 1 Cor. 1.5. Phil. 19. Heb. 2. 8 NOTES-Verse 1. These words spake Jesus] That is, what is related in the preceding chapters. We may consider our Lord as still moving on towards Gethsemane, not having yet thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the c Verse 6. 9, 24. Chap.6. 37.-d Isaiah 53. 11. Jeremiah 9. 21. 1 Cor. 8. 4. 1 Thess. 1.9. passed the brook Kedron, chap. xviii. 1. Our Lord, who was now going to act as high-priest for the wł ole human race, imitates in his conduct that of the Jewish high-priest on the great only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 61 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest f Ch. 3.34 & 5.36, 37. & 6. 29, 57. & 7. 29 & 10.36. & 11.42.-g Ch.13.31. & 14.13.Ch.4.34. & 5.36. & 9.3. & 19.30-1 Ch. 14.31. & 15.10.-k Ch. 1.1, 2. & 10.30. & 14.9. hil. 2. 6. Col. 1.15, 17. Heb. 1.3, 10.-1 Verse 26. Psa. 22.02. day of expiation; who in order to offer up the grand atonement for the sins of the people, 1. Washed himself and put on clean linen garments. This Christ appears to have imitated, chap. xiii. 4. He laid aside his garments, girded himself with a towel, &c. There is no room to doubt that he and his disciples had been at the bath before; see chap. xiii. 10. 2. The high priest addressed a solemn prayer to God, 1. For himself; this Christ imitates, ver. 1-5. 2. For the sons of Aaron; our Lord imitates this in praying for his disciples, ver. 9-19. 3. For all the people; our Lord appears to imitate this also in praying for his church, all who should believe on him through the preaching of the apostles and their successors, ver. 20-24. After wich he returns again to his disciples, ver. 25, 26. See CALMET'S Dict. under Expiation; and see La Grande Bible de M. MARTIN, in loc. 1. Our Lord's prayer for himself, ver. 1-5. Father] Here our Lord addresses the whole divine nature, as he is now performing his last acts in his state of humiliation. Glorify thy Son] Cause him to be acknowledged as the promised Messiah, by the Jewish people; and as the universal Saviour, by the Gentile world: and let such proofs of his God head be given, as shall serve to convince and instruct mankind. That thy Son also may glorify thee] That by dying he may magnify thy law and make it honourable, respected among men--show the strictness of thy justice, and the immaculate purity of thy nature. 2. As thou hast given him power] As the Messiah, Jesus Christ received from the Father universal dominion. All flesh, i. e. all the human race, was given unto him, that by one sacri fice of himself he might reconcile them all to God: having by his grace tasted death for every man, Heb. ii. 9. And this was according to the promise of the universalinheritance made to Christ, Psal. ii. 8. which was to be made up of the heathen, and the uttermost parts of the land, all the Jewish people. So that he got all from God, that he might give his life a ransom for the whole. See 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. Rom. v. 21. 1 Tim. ii. 4, 6. That he should give eternal life, &c.] As all were deliver ed into his power, and he poured out his blood to redeem all, then the design of God is that all should have eternal life; because all are given for this purpose to Christ: and that this end might be accomplished, he has become their sacrifice and atonement. 3. This is life eternal] The salvation purchased by Christ, and given to them who believe, is called life, 1. Because the life of man was forfeited to divine justice; and the sacrifice of Christ redeemed him from that death to which he was exposed. 2. Because the souls of men were dead in trespasses and sins; and Christ quickens them by his word and Spirit. 3. Because men who are not saved by the grace of Christ, do Lot live, they only exist: no good purpose of life being answered by them. But when they receive this salvation, they live-answer all the divine purposes, are happy in them selves, useful to each other, and bring glory to God. 4. It is called eternal life, to show that it reaches beyond the limits of t.me: and that it necessarily implies, 1. The immortality of the soul, 2. The resurrection of the body, and, 3. That it is never to end, hence called αιώνιος ζωη, a life ever living; from aει, always, and ων, being or existence. And indeed no words can more forcibly convey the idea of eternity than these. It is called ἡ αιώνιος ζωη, ΤHAT eternal life, by way of eminence. There may be an eternal existence without blessedness; but this is that eternal life, with which infinite happiness is inseparably connected. The only true God] The way to attain this eternal life is to acknowledge, worship, and obey, the one only true God; and to accept as teacher, sacrifice, and Saviour, the Lord Jesus, the one and only true Messiah. Bishop Pearce's remark here is well worthy of the reader's attention: "What is said here of the only true God, seems said in opposition to the gods whom the heathens worshipped; not in opposition to Jesus Christ himself, who is called the true God by John in 1 Epist. v. 20." The words in this verse have been variously translated, 1. That they might acknowledge thee, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, to be the only true God. 2. That they might acknowledge thee, the only true God, and Jesus whom thou has sent, to be the Christ or Messiah. 3. That they might acknowledge thee to be the only true God, and Jesus Christ to be him whom thou hast sent. And all these translations the original will bear. From all this we learn that the only way in which eternal life is to be attained is by acknowledging the true God and the divine mission of Jesus Christ, he being sent of God to redeem men by his blood: being the author of eter that they may be kept in the truth me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: PI pray not for the world, but for ther which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy m Verse 2.9, 11. Chap. 6. 37, 39. &z 10.29. & 15.19.-n Ch. 8.98. & 12. 49.& 14.10o Verse 25. Ch. 16.27, 30.-p1 John 5.19.-q Ch. 16.15.-r Ch. 13.1 & 16.28.-81 Pet. 1.5. Jude 1.-t Verse 21, &c. u Ch.10.30.- Ch.6.39. & 10.28. Heb.2.13. nal salvation to all them that thus believe, and conscientiously keep his commandments. A saying similar to this is found in the Institutes of Menu. Brigoo, the first emanated being, who was produced from the mind of the Supreme God, and who revealed the knowledge of his will to mankind, is represented as addressing the human race and saying: "Of all duties, the principal is to acquire from the Upanishads (their sacred writings) a true knowledge of one supreme God; that is the most exalted of sciences, because it ensures eternal life. For in the knowledge and adoration of one God, all the rules of good conduct are fully comprised." See Institutes of Menu, ch. xii. Inst. 85, 87. 4. I have glorified thee] Our Lord, considering himself as already sacrificed for the sin of the world, speaks of having completed the work which God had given him to do; and he looks forward to that time when, through the preaching of his Gospel, his sacrifice should be acknowledged, and the true God should be known and worshipped by the whole world. 5. Before the world was.] That is, from eternity, before there was any creation-so the phrase, and others similar to it, are taken in the Sacred Writings, see ver. 24. Psal. xc. 2. Eph. i. 4. See chap. i. 1. Let the glory of my eternal divinity surround and penetrate my humanity, in its resurrec tion, ascension, and in the place which it is to occupy at thy right-hand, far above all creatures, Phil. ii. 6, 9. II. Our Lord's prayer for his disciples, ver. 6, 19. 6. I have manifested thy name] Εφανερωσα, I have brought it into light, and caused it to shine in itself, and to illuminate others. A little of the Divine Nature was known by the works of creation, a little more was known by the Mosaic revelation; but the full manifestation of God, his nature, and his attributes, came only through the revelation of Christ. The men which thou gavest me] That is, the apostles, who having received this knowledge from Christ, were, by their preaching and writings, to spread it through the whole world. Out of the world] From among the Jewish people; for in this sense is the word κοσμος to be understood in various parts of our Lord's last discourses. Thine they were] Objects of thy choice, and thou gavest them to me from among this very unbelieving people, that they might be my disciples and the heralds of my salvation. And they have kept thy word.] Though their countrymen have rejected it and they have received me as thy well-beloved Son in whom thou delightest. 8. I have given them the words] I have delivered thy doctrine to them, so that they have had a pure teaching immediately from heaven: neither Jewish fables nor fictions of men have been mingled with it. And have known surely] Are fully convinced, and acknowledge that I am the promised Messiah, and that they are to look for none other and that my mission and doctrine are all divine, ver. 7, 8. 9. I pray not for the world] I am not yet come to that part of my intercession, see ver. 20. I am now wholly employed for my disciples, that they may be properly qualified to preach my salvation to the ends of the earth. Jesus here imitates the high-priest, the second part of whose prayer, on the day of expiation, was for the priests, the sons of Aaron, see on ver. 1. These words may also be understood as applying to the rebellious Jews. God's wrath was about to descend upon them, and Christ prays that his own followers might be kept from the evil, ver. 15. But he does not thus pray for the world, the rebellious Jews, because the cup of their iniquity was full, and their judgment slumbered not. 10. I am glorified in them] Christ speaks of the things which were not, but which should be, as though they were. He anticipates the glorifying of his name, by the successful preaching of the apostles. 11. I am no more in the world] I am just going to leave the world, and therefore they shall stand in need of peculiar assistance and support. They have need of all the influence of my intercession, that they may be preserved in thy truth. Keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me] Instead of ους δεδωκας μοι, THOSE whom thou hast given me, ABCEHLMS. Mt. BHV, and nearly one hundred others, read & which refers to the τω ονοματι σου, thy name, immedi ately preceding. The whole passage should be read thus: Holy Father, keep them through thy own name WHICH thou hast given me, that they may be one, &c. By the name here, it is evident that the doctrine or knowledge of the true God is intended; as if our Lord had said, Keep them in that doctrine WHICH thou hast given me, that they may be one, &c. This 314 |