*This and

Para

phrafe.

I have exhorted them to Repentance,
and warned them of the Danger of de-
laying it; I have declared the approach
of the Kingdom of God; and I have
baptized with Water, as a Sign and as
an Obligation to that Holy Difpofition
of Heart and Mind, whereby Men must
be fitted for the Baptifm of the Spirit.
But I cannot exceed my Commiffion,
nor pretend to have more Power and
Authority than God has given me. Since
therefore my Miniftry was defign'd, as
I have already told you, not to prevent
the Appearance of Chrift, but only to
prepare Men for it; far be it from me
to envy the Glory due to Him only who
came immediately from Heaven; much
lefs that I fhould oppofe Him, who am
my felf, as well as you, in expectation
of Salvation from him.

28. Ye your felves remember and can
bear me Witne's, that I never pretend-
ed my felf to be the Meffias; but that,
when the Jews fent Mellengers to in-
quire who I was, I freely and plainly
confeffed to them that I was not the
Chrift, but only his Fore-runner to pre-
pare and provide against his Coming.

29. The Bride belongeth to the part of the Bridegroom only; and his Friend, who 31ft verfe, ferved him all he could to gain her for are Dr. him, muft not pretend to the Right Claget's which the Bridegroom has in her. But if he be a true Friend, he will wait with fome Impatience till the Bridegroom affureth him that the laft Interview has been fuccefsful: And then all this Friend's part, is only to rejoice in the Succefs. Thus all that I have done, has been to prepare the Nation of the Jews for the coming of their Meffias, who is their true Head and Husband. And upon his Appearance I pretend to

no Authority over you; but deliver you
over to him, with great Joy to hear you
tell me, that there are already so many
who are willing to be governed by him.

30. The Defign of my Preaching and
Baptizing, was only to notify his com-
ing to the World; which having done,
I now most gladly give Place to Him.
From henceforth the Number of his
Followers will daily increase, and mine
will decrease: And fo it ought to be.

32 And what he

*

31. He that cometh from above, as Chrift* only came, is greater than I am, or than all the Prophets, not excepting even Mofes himself. For though they that are defcended of earthly Parents only, can speak indeed from Principles of natural Reason, [or by Revelation according to fuch certain degrees of the Spirit, as God is pleased to communicate to them: ] Yet they have fo little of fupernatural Knowledge, in comparison to the Fulnefs thereof in Him; their Doctrines are fo earthly, in comparison to thofe Revelations of God's hidden Counfels, which He brings along with him from Heaven; that for this Reason, as well as for the Excellency of his Perfon, he is to be infinitely Preferred before All.

that he teftifieth; and no man receiveth

his teftimony.

ver. 13

32. We receive fmall proportions of hath feen and heard, Heavenly Knowledge, according to the narrow Capacity of our Nature; and preach it, according to the measure of God's Revelations to us, and the Limits of our Commiffion. But the Things which He teaches, he not only knows certainly and infallibly to be true; but alfo understands them throughly by his own Divine Knowledge, coming him felf immediately from God, having in himfelf the Fulnefs of all Perfections, and revealing Things according to his U own

VOL. II.

own Good Pleasure. Wherefore, whereas Ye are apt to envy him, and be difpleafed at his having fo many Followers; I on the contrary am forry, with much greater Reafon, that there are not more Perfons fo well difpofed, as to embrace his most Holy Gofpel, which contains the only Means of Eternal Life and Happiness.

33. For the Teftimonies, wherewith he proves his Power and Authority, are fo evident and undeniable to all unprejudiced Minds; that, believing in Him, is only acting according to the most manifeft Principles of Reason, and declaring a firm Perfwafion that God who is the Author and Fountain of all Truth, is himself Faithful and True, and will not impofe Delufions upon Men. And the Doctrine alfo that he teaches, is fuch; that, embracing it, is indeed receiving only the Doctrine of God himself.

34. Not only his wonderful and extraordinary Works, I fay, are the Teftimonies and Demonftration of his Authority; but even his Doctrine in it felf appears to be moft Heavenly and Divine. For as He came properly from Heaven, in fuch a manner as no Prophet ever did; fo he also speaks the Words of God in fuch a manner, as no other ever did : Not having fupernatural Endowments conferred upon him in a limited measure, as the Prophets had; but poffeffing all Knowledge and all Perfections abfolutely in himself: So that he is entirely to be believed with a hearty and firm Faith, in whatsoever he delivers.

35. In Sum; God the Father hath given him all Power and Dominion, and made him Head over all Things to the Church. So that by the Laws of his Religion, Men muft govern and direct their Lives; by Him they must be

33 He that hath received his teftimony, hath fet to his feal, that God is true.

34 For he whom God hath fent, fpeakGod: for God gi eth the words of veth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

35 The Father lohath given all things veth the Son, and

into his hand.

36 He

36 He that beHeveth on the Son, hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son, fhall not fee life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

judged; and according to their Obedience, or Difobedience to his Commands, they must be decreed by him to eternal Life, or Punishment.

36. So that here is a plain Account of the Conditions upon which Mens everlafting State will depend. He that believes on the Son of God, embracing his Doctrine, and obeying his Commands, fhall inherit eternal Life: But He that obftinately rejects, or impenitently dif obeys, that great and standing Revelation of the Divine Will, and thofe laft gracious Offers of Mercy and Salvation upon the eafie Conditions of Faith and Repentance, which God makes to Mankind by his Son, and which he enables them to perform by his Spirit; fhall fall under the final and eternal Wrath of God.

CHAP. IV.

Jefus's Difcourfe with the Woman of Samaria, ver. 1. The Nature and Defign of Chriftianity, ver. 23, 24. The Samaritans believe on Jefus, ver. 39. He heals a Nobleman's Son, ver. 46.

WHEN there

fore the Lord knew how the Pha

rifees had heard that
Jefus made and bap
tized more difciples
then John,
2 (Though Jefus
himself baptized not,
but his disciples)
3 He left Judea,
and departed again
into Galilee.

1, 2 &

3.

A

FTER these things, Jefus knowing that the Pharifees and Council of the Jews at

Jerufalem had received Information of his making and baptizing Difciples, and that in greater Numbers than John the Baptift had done; (though Jefus did not baptize with his own Hands, but only by the Miniftry of his Difciples; ) Jefus, I fay, knowing that the Pharifees were informed of all that He did, and that they hated him, and were exafperated against him more than against John the Baptift, both because of his Doctrine and

32.

Gen.

the Number of his Difciples, and alfo
the Meannefs of his Parentage; and
that they were contriving Mischief a-
gainst him; He retired out of Judæa,
to avoid their prefent malicious Designs,
because his Time of fuffering was not
yet come; and returned into Galilee.
4. Now in his Way from Judæa to
Galilee, it was neceffary to pass through
part of the Land of Samaria; (which
was a Country inhabited by a mixt
People, profeffing to obferve the Law
of Mofes, and pretending to be descend-
ed from the Patriarchs; but who at the
fame time mingled many of their own
Superftitions with the Jewish Religion,
and were at great Hatred and Enmity
with the Jews.)

5. Jefus therefore, in his Paflage
through this Country, came to a City
called Sichar, near the Piece of Ground
which Jacob on his Death-Bed gave for
an* Inheritance to his Son Jofeph.

xlviii. 22.
6. And there being a little without
Jofh.xxiv. the Town a Fountain of Water, called
Jacob's Well, being fuppofed to have
been digged by that Patriarch; Jefus,
weary and thirsty after his long Walk,
fat down by the Side of the Well; and
+ See Note it was about Six a Clock in the
on Chap. i. Evening.

ver. 39.

And

7. Now as Jefus fat by the Well,
there came out of the Town a Sama-
ritan Woman to draw Water.
Jefus, defigning to enter into Difcourfe
with her, that he might have an Oppor-
tunity of manifefting himself to her, and
after by her means to all the Inhabitants
of Sichar; defired her to give him fome
Water to drink.

8. (This was in the Abfence of the
Difciples, who were gone into the
Town to buy Provifions.)

8 For his difciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.