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lieving, and with the most elevating hopes, and in conseqnence of their sanctification, sheds abroad in their hearts a sense of his love, and by so doing, gives them prelibations of heaven while on earth. 23. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. This latter clause is remarkable. For had our Lord been a creature, though of the highest rank, it would have been blasphemy in him to have joined himself in this manner with God: "My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” 24. He that loveth me not, keepeth not my sayings: and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. reason why those who profess to be my disciples do not obey my precepts, is because they do not love me. For which cause, since my precepts are the precepts of God, such a person has no ground to expect God's love, or any manifestations from God.

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John xiv. 25. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. I have spoken these things during my personal presence briefly, because my time with you is short. And though you may not just now understand many of the particulars mentioned by me, you shall have perfect knowledge of them afterwards. For my Father will give you the Holy Spirit to supply my place; and he shall be a Comforter to you, teaching you every article of the Christian faith, and bringing to your rememof my brance all the things. I have ever said to you in the course ministry. 26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, you all whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I I have said unto you. 27. Peace I leave with you, my peace give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. to you," was the common salutation and compliment mutually given by the Jews to each other at meeting, (see Jewish Antiquities, Disc. viii.) and at parting, (1 Pet. v. 14. 3 John 15.) But although this compliment implied a wish of every thing that could make one happy, it was often used without any meaning. At best it was but a wish, however sincere, and had no real effiYet in the cacy in making him to whom it was given happy. mouth of Jesus, by whose wisdom and power the affairs of the world are governed, a farewel wish was a matter of a very different kind. His peace, his parting blessing, would draw down all manner of felicity upon those who were the objects of it. cordingly, he encouraged his disciples from that consideration, under the prospect of his departure, desiring them not to be in the least anxious about what was to befal them after he was gone. Moreover, he bade them remember what he had told them before, namely, that though he was to die, he would rise

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again from the dead. 28. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye world rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father; for my Father is greater than I. These words afford a strong argument for the proper divinity of our Lord. For had he been a mere man, or even a creature of the highest order, the comparison would have been foolish and impertinent. 29. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is come to pass ye might believe. I have foretold my sufferings and death, in order that when they happen, your faith, instead of being shaken, may be confirmed. But I will not have much opportunity to talk with you after this, because the devil will stir up wicked men to kill 30. Hereafter I will not talk much with you; for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me: Be assured, that I shall undergo the punishment of death, not because I deserve it,-31. But that the world may know that I love the Father: I undergo it to shew the world how much I love the Father. For in this I act according to his express commandment and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence: let us, in conformity to the Divine will, go away, that I may enter on my sufferings.

me.

Having thus spoken, they finished the passover with singing a hymn, and went out to the mount of Olives. Matt. xxvi. 30. And when they had sung an hymn, they went (Luke, as he was wont) out into the mount of Olives. (Luke, And his disciples als followed him.) The hymn which they sang was probably the conclusion of that which the Jews called the Hallel, or Great Hymn, and which consisted of the 113th with the five subsequent Psalms; part thereof being sung in the beginning, and part at the end of the solemnity. Luke xxii. 40. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray, that ye enter not into temptation: When he was come to the scene of his sufferings, he desired them to fortify themselves by prayer, and forewarned them of the lamentable effects which his sufferings were to have upon them they would make them all stumble that very night, agreeably to Zechariah's prophecy, chap. xiii. 7. Matt. xxvi. 31. Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night; for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. To strengthen their faith, therefore, he not only mentioned his resurrection, but told them where they should see him after he was risen. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. No sooner did Jesus mention the offence which his disciples were to take at his sufferings, than Peter recollected what had been said to him in particular before they left the house. Wherefore, being grieved afresh to find his Master still entertaining such thoughts of him, and being now armed with a sword, the vehe

32.

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mence of his temper hurried him to boast a second time of his courageous and close attachment to Jesus. 33. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. In this protestation Peter, not doubt, was sincere. Nevertheless, he was greatly to blame for not paying a due attention to his Master's repeated predictions concerning his fall, for the preference which he gave himself above his brethren, and for leaning to his own strength, instead of begging assistance of him from whom all human sufficiency is derived. Wherefore, to make him sensible, if possible, that pride, confidence, and security, are great enemies to virtue, his Master thought fit to forewarn him again of his danger. Mark xiv. 30. And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, (Matt. before the cock crow) thou shalt deny me thrice. Matt. 35. Peter said unto him, (Mark, But he spake the more vehemently) Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee, (Mark, in any wise.) Likewise also said all the disciples. They all joined Peter in professing their fixed resolution of suffering death, rather than they would deny their Master; yet the event was exactly as Jesus had said. From which we may learn how ignorant men are of themselves; and that to be virtuous, it is not enough that we form the strongest resolutions.

Ver. 30. The cock crow twice, &c.] Matthew expresses this differently; xxvi. 34. Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice: which are the words of the first prediction likewise, Luke xxii. 34. John xiii. 38. From Mark xiii. 35. it appears, that one of the four watches of the night was called cock-crowing, adextgopava. Now as this ended with the second crowing, Before the cock crow, is equivalent to, Before the cock crow tavice; both signifying, before the expiration of the watch called the cock crowing, at three in the morning, when the cock commonly crows the second time. Or we may suppose, that this expression in the three historians is elliptical, and that the word twice is understood, and must be supplied. See examples of this kind of ellipsis on John xiii. 36. § 130.

§ CXXXII. In the mount of Olives Jesus preaches a sermon to his disciples, in which he gives them directions with respect to their conduct, both as private Christians and as apostles. John xv. 1,-27. xvi. 1,-33.

OUR Lord spent the remaining hours of his ministry in preaching to his disciples a long, but excellent sermon, recorded by John in the fifteenth and sixteenth chapters of his gospel. He began with the parable of the vine, taken from the vines that were growing around them on the mount of Olives. In this parable he taught them the excellency of his religion, and the nature of the relation they stood in to him by the profession thereof. Moreover, he explained to them the advantages which accrued to them from this relation. As the branches of the vine draw nourishment,

nourishment, and are made fruitful by their union to the stock and by the care of the dresser, so the disciples of Christ, by the belief of his religion, by the influences of the Spirit, and by the care of Providence, are made fruitful in holiness. John xv. 1. * I am the true vine: My gospel is the most excellent dispensation of religion that ever was given to men. My Father is the husbandman: My religion is from God, belongs to him, and with its professors is the peculiar object of his care. 2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: Though by the outward profession of my religion you become members of the true church of God, you must remember that of itself this is not sufficient to entitle you to the favour of God, the great Master of this dispensation. You must answer the end for which it is given, by bringing forth fruit; otherwise he will cut you off, depriving you of all the advantages which true disciples reap from the sincere profession and practice of the Christian religion. He told them farther, that as the husbandman prunes the bearing branches of his vines, so God, among other methods, suffers the lovers of virtue to be spoiled of the conveniences of this life for no other reason, but that their virtue may grow the stronger, and become the more fruitful. And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, cuts off from it every thing superfluous, that it may bring forth more fruit: In the course of his Providence, my Father sends a variety of afflictions upon every one who sincerely makes profession of my religion, and who diligently endeavours to obey its precepts, spoiling him of the temporal enjoyments which engage his affections, and render him unfruitful. These things Jesus said, to reconcile his disciples to the persecutions that were coming on them; perhaps also he had in his view the other methods which God makes use of for purifying his people; for in the following verse he represents his disciples as cleansed through the word he had spoken unto them. 3. Now

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* Ver. 1. I am the true vine.] Dr Clarke and others rightly suppose, that in this passage our Lord alludes to Psal. Ixxx. 8. Isa. v. 3,-. where the Jewish church is represented under the figure of a vine; and God's peculiar care thereof is set forth by the care which an husbandman takes of his vineyard. Wherefore, by calling himself on this occasion the true vine, Jesus insinuated, that whereas the Jewish church and people had hitherto been the peculiar care of God, they were to be so no longer. From this time forth, all such as associated together in the joint profession of the Christian religion, and who, perhaps, in allusion this parable, were called by the apostle the body of Christ, were to be the true church of God, and the object of his care, whatever nation or country they were of.

Ver. 2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit be taketh away] The unfruitfulness of the branches here spoken of, and their being cut off in that account, prove, that by being in him, our Lord meant no inore hut one's being, by outward profession, members of his church, which is his body. Whereas, if he had been speaking of what divines call the mystical union of believers with Christ, such branches could neither be unfruitful nor cut off.

are ye clean through the word which I have spoken unto you: The doctrine I have preached to you, by the blessing of God, has cleansed you from many evil affections, has inspired you with holy desires, and invigorated you with good resolutions, so that, like the pruned branches of the vine, ye are fitted to bring forth fruit. Yet there is still need to caution you against backsliding. 4. Abide in me, and I will abide in you: Continue stedfast in the belief and profession of my religion, and be diligent in the practice of its precepts; for this is the method to derive from me all needful supplies, particularly the influences of my Spirit, xiv. 26. the comfort of my presence, xiv. 23. the direction of my word, xv. 7. and the protection of my providence, xiv. 27.-As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me: Your continuing in the belief, profession, and practice of my religion, is as necessary to your performing good works, as the continuing of the branches in the vine is to their fruitfulness. To make you sensible of this was' what I proposed, when I told you that I am the true vine, and you the branches. 5. I am the true vine, and ye are the branches. Í must therefore repeat it again, that sincerity in the belief, stedfastness in the profession, and diligence in the practice of my religion, followed, as they always are, with my blessing and assistance, are the only means of making a man remarkably fruitful in holiness. He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit;for without me, xwe que, separated from me, in allusion to the vine and his branches, ye can do nothing: If you apostatize from me, and are deprived of my influences, you can do nothing for your own sanctification and salvation. 6. If a man abideth not in me, he is cast out of the vineyard, as a branch broken off from the vine, and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned as nuisances. To shew you farther the necessity of abiding stedfastly in the belief and profession of my religion, I would propose to your consideration the dreadful effects and punishment of apostasy. By apostasy you separate yourselves from me, and deprive yourselves of all the advantages which accompany the sincere belief, stedfast profession, and diligent practice of my religion; particu larly the influences of my Spirit, the direction of my word, and the protection of my providence; also the pardon of your sins, and the enjoyment of heaven. Nor is this all; you shall be punished as apostates, for you shall be cast out of the presence of God, and gathered into hell, where you shall be burned as withered branches, persons fit for the flames. Grotius thinks that in this verse Jesus points out to the apostles, in an obscure manner, the crime and punishment of Judas, one of their own number, as an example and warning to them.

Our Lord having thus exhorted the twelve as disciples or priVOL. II.

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