CHAP. XVII. Jefus's Prayer before his Death. 1. Having thus finished his Difcourfe to the Difciples, Jefus lift up his Eyes to Heaven, and prayed, faying: O Almighty Father; now the Time of my Suffering, for which I was fent into the World, is come; I befeech thee, fupport me under it, and caufe me to prevail and triumph over Death, by a glorious Refurrection and Afcenfion into Heaven; That by this Means I likewife may glorifie Thee, and cause thy Will revealed in the Gofpel to be believed and obeyed through all the World, unto Mens eternal Salvation. 2. According to the full Intent of that Office and Power, wherewith thou originally investedst me, to receive all fitly-difpofed Perfons into the Covenant of Salvation, and to aflift and preferve them in it unto everlasting Life. 3. (The Condition of which Covenant of eternal Life is, that they believe and obey Thee, as the only true God; and Jefus Chrift, as the true Meffiah whom thou haft fent.) 4. In order to the bringing about which great Defign of the Salvation of Men, I have already declared thy Will to Mankind ; I have preached the Doctrine of Salvation: I have finifhed the Work which thou fenteft me to do; and have glorified thy Name upon Earth. 5. Now therefore, to compleat the Work; do thou, I beseech thee, like I THESE words fpake Jefus ; and lift up his eyes Father, the hour is to heaven, and said, come, glorifie thy Son, that thy Son alfo may glorifie thee. 2 As thou haft given him power over all flesh, that he fhould give eternal life to as many as thou haft given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the thou work which gavest me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorifie thou me me with thine own the 6 I have manifefted thy name unto the men which thou gaveft me out of the world thine they were, and thou ga : 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou haft given me, are of thee. to pre wife glorifie Me. Support me 6, 7, 8. I have declared thy Will to Mankind; that is, to all fuch as were difpofed to receive it; to fuch as, by a pious and teachable Dipofition, were prepared to embrace vest them me; and whatever Doctrine fhould appear to they have kept thy come from Thee. To these Perfons word. thou didst in thy infinite Wisdom appoint that thy Truth fhould be made known, and not to the prejudiced vicious World. And accordingly to Them I have revealed the Myfteries of thy Kingdom, the Precepts of the Gospel, the Doctrine of Salvation; And this Doctrine they have readily embraced, me; and they have ftedfaftly adhered to, and fincerely oreceived them, and beyed: Being fully fatisfied and conhave known furely vinced, that what I taught them as thee, and they have from Thee, was really a Divine Docbelieved that thou trine, taught by Thy immediate Apdidft fend me. pointment and Command; and that I did not preach any Human Invention, but was really fent by Thy Authority and Commiffion. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest that I came out from 9 I pray for them : 9 & 10. For thefe Perfons thereI pray not for the fore I now pray; that as Thou haft world, but for them begun the Work of their Salvation. which thou haft gi- by my Preaching and Revealing to ven me, for they are them Thy Will in my Life, while I thine. have been prefent with them here upon Earth; fo Thou wouldst preferve them in my Abfence, and compleat the Work of their Salvation by my Refurrection and Afcenfion into Heaven after my Death. I do not now pray for the unbelieving and impenitent World; Gg 2 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. VOL. II. but but for those who have embraced that moft holy Doctrine which Thou haft taught them by my Preaching; who have glorified, and will glorifie My Name by their Miniftry, as I have done Thine by My Ministry; and who confequently are to be efteemed as Thine Own, in common with Me. 11. I am now about to leave the World, and return to Thee: But these my Disciples must continue ftill in the World. I befeech Thee therefore, Holy Father, preferve and keep them after my Departure; continuing ftedfaft in the Profeffion and Practice of the Truth, and preaching to others the fame holy Doctrine that I have delivered to them; that fo they may remain always inseparately united to Me, as I am to Thee. 12. So long as I have been with them in the World, I have watched over them, and kept them from falling away, both by Example and Preaching, and continual Admonition, according to the Power and Authority which Thou committedft unto me. And not one of my Apostles hath mifcarried under my Care, but only that perfidious Traitor, who, as the Scripture foretold, has ungratefully confpired with my Enemies to deftroy me, and will perish according to his Deferts. 13. So long as I have been perfonally prefent with my Difciples, (I fay,) I have continually watched over them, and preferved them my felf. But now, being about to leave the World; I befeech Thee, do Thou keep and affift them by thy good Spirit; and let the Expectation of their continuing under 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou fhouldft take them out of the world, but that thou fhouldft keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctifie them through thy truth; thy word is truth. Thy fpecial Care and Protection, be their Comfort and Support in my Abfence. 14. The World will be fure to hate and perfecute them, because they have embraced that moft holy Doctrine which I have taught them from Thee. For, this Doctrine being contrary to the Lufts and Paffions, the Defigns and Inclinations of worldly Men; it must needs be, that the vicious and incorrigible World will oppofe and perfecute them, as it has before done Me. 15. I befeech Thee therefore, do Thou take them into Thy particular Care and Protection; and support them against the Violence and Oppreffion of an evil World. I do not defire that Thou shouldest take them out of the World; but preferve them in the World, to be Inftruments of Thy Glory, and Teachers of Thy Truth; And suffer them not to be either destroyed by the Malice and Violence, or corrupted by the evil Cuftoms and Opinions of a wicked and perverfe Generation. 16. They are of a Spirit and Temper very different from the common Affections and Difpofitions of the World, even as I have fet them an Example. 17. I befeech Thee, do Thou preserve and increase in them this holy Temper and Difpofition of Mind, Cause them to be fo thoroughly affected with that true Doctrine which I have taught them, as to express it vifibly in their Lives and Practice, and to promote it zealously in their Preaching: That fo, both by Word and good Example, they may become worthy and fuccefsful Minifters of the Gospel of Chrift. 18 & 19. Gg 3 18 & 19. For, as Thou has fent Me into the World to reveal Thy Will to Mankind, fo fend I thefe my Apostles to continue to preach the fame Doctrine which I have begun. And the principal Defign of my exemplary Life, conftant Teaching, and now voluntary offering my felf to Death; is to fanctifie and enable them to preach with Success and Efficacy, for the Salvation of Men. 20 & 21. Neither pray I for these my Apoftles only, but alfo for all others who fhall by their Preaching be at any Time converted to thy true Religion. That as I am in Thee, and Thou in Me; so they may all be united to Me and to one another, by one holy and indiffolvible Bond of Faith and Charity: Becoming eminent Examples of all Holiness and Piety; fo as to convince the World of the Excellency of their Religion, and force Men to acknowledge the Truth and Divine Authority thereof. 22 & 23. For the more effectual promoting of which great End, I have communicated to my Apoftles the fame Authority and Power of doing mighty Works for the Confirmation of their Doctrine, and the Manifestation of Thy Glory, as Thou communicatedft to Me. That fo I working in them, as Thou haft done in me; and They, with great Efficacy and Demonftration of the Spirit, confirming the fame Doctrine that I published in Perfon; the World may be convinced, that I was really fent by Thee, and that my Difciples act likewife by the fame Commif fion, 18 As thou haft fent me into the alfo fent them into world, even fo have I the world. 19 And for their fakes I fanctifie my felf, that they allo might be fanctified through the truth. 20 Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them also which fhall believe on me through their word: 21 That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee; that they alfo may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavelt me, I have given them: that they may be one, even as we are one. 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou haft fent me, and haft loved them, as thou hat loved me. 24 Fa |