7 37. All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wife caft out. 38. For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that fent me. 39. And this is the Father's will, which bath fent me that of all which he hath given me, I fhou'd lofe nothing, but shou'd raife it up again at the laft day. 40. And this is the Will of him that sent me, that every one which feeth the Son and believeth on him, may bave everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 41. The Jews then, who expected fome Bread from heaven, when they found themfelves difappointed, murmur'd at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42. And they faid, is not this Jefus the Son of Jofeph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that be faith, I came down from heaven, fince we are fure that he came of earthly Parents? 43. Jefus therefore answered and faid unto them, murmur not amongst your felves, and raife no difficulties about my original. You have feen Miracles enough to convince you that I am sent from God, and therefore you ought to believe me; and not to think you are excufable in your unbelief, because you can't underftand how I can be faid to come from heaven. But you have refus'd to accept the teftimony of my Miracles, and therefore I do not expect you will come to me. For 44. No man can come unto me, except the Father draw him by the force of Miracles, and convince him by fuch fupernatural works that I am the Christ. Now when my Father has afforded H 3 fuck fuch proofs, and a Man accepts them, he is faid to be drawn of God, and I will raise him up at.. the last day. And indeed the Father in thus dealing with Men, do's but fulfil what he has for merly promis'd. For 45. It is written in the Prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath beard of my works, and bath learn'd of the Father that I am a true Prophet, cometh unto me. 46. Not that any man bath feen the Father, fave be which is of God; he hath feen the Father. For the Father did not defign to teach Men immediately in his own Perfon: but he has permitted fome to perform Miracles by his Power, and by that means has taught the World that they are fent by him, and that they must be heard. However, there is one who has feen the Father, even I who came from God; for he which is of God, hath feen the Father. Wherefore hearken to me, For 47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me bath everlasting life. For 48. I am the bread of life, and he that believeth on me, eateth that Bread which fhall make him live for ever. For those that hear and obey me, fhall be fav'd by Faith in me, 49. Your fathers did eat Manna in the Wilderness, and are dead; for corporal food cou'd do no more than prolong a corporal life, which muft neverthelefs very fpeedily have an end. But what I offer to you is of a fublimer nature. 50. This is the bread which cometh down from beaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. For he that believeth on me and keepeth my sayings, hath eternal life abiding in him, I tell you therefore, that 51. I am the living bread which came down from beaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the World. For am the Word, and the Word was made Flesh, that the World might be fav'd by it. But my bare Incarnation is not fufficient, for I muft alfo fuffer Death upon the Crofs, and give my Life a Ranfom for many. He therefore that believeth on me, he that believeth my Incarnation and Paffion, and acts accordingly, has a lively Faith and futable Practice; and fuch Faith and Practice fhall as certainly nourifh him to eternity, or inftate him in everlafting happiness, as the Bread which he eats do's fupport his Bodily Life. 52. The Jews therefore, who understood him in a grofs fenfe, as if he did defign to give them his real Flesh to chew and fwallow, as their forefathers did the Manna in the Wilderness; and who thought that the eating his real Flefh muft make them Immortal, if he could give them any immortality: the Jews, I fay, who had thefe Notions, Strove. among themselves, Jaying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? What? will he fuffer his Body to be torn in pieces and devour'd by us? Muft we be guilty of such barbarity in order to our immortality? 53. Then Jefus faid unto them, do not think ftrange of what I fay, for Verily, verily, I fay unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his bloud, by believing on him, ye have no life in you. 54. Whofo by faith in me eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud bath eternal life; and I will raise bim up at the last day. H 4 $5. For 55. For to fuch as believe, my flesh is meat indeed, and my bloud is drink indeed. 56. Because he that by a true faith eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud, dwelleth in me or in the practice of my Religion, by the perpetual exercife of all good works, and I allo do dwell in him, by being perpetually prefent with him, with my preventing and affifting grace. For behold I ftand at the door of every Man's heart and knock. If any Man hear my voice and open the door; that is, if he receive inftructions, and obey my motions, and perform my Will; I will come into him, and take poffeffion of his Soul; and I will Sup with him, and he with me; that is, I will be a perpetual companion to him, and lead him with my counfel here, and conduct him to happiness hereafter, Rev. 3. 20. For as certainly 57. As the living father hath sent me, and I live by the father; fo certainly be that eateth me by faith, even be fhall live by me. 58. This therefore is that bread which came down from heaven: not fuch bread as your fathers did eat, viz. Manna, which they did eat in the Wilderness, and are dead after it; becaufe that bread cou'd not make them live for ever: but this is the Bread of eternal Life, for he that eateth of this bread, shall live for ever. 59. Thefe things faid he in the Synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60. Many therefore of his difciples, when they beard this, faid, This is an hard faying.. Who can bear it? Who can believe that our Master can give us his Flesh and his Bloud to eat and to drink; and that he came down from Heaven? 61. When Jefus knew in himself, that his difci ples ples murmur'd at it, he faid unto them, Doth this offend you, and ftagger your faith? 62. What and if ye shall fee the Son of Man afcend up where he was before? Will you then believe that I came down from Heaven, when you fhall with your own eyes fee me return thither? If fo; then in convenient time you fhall have that laft demonftration of my coming from thence. But as for that other matter of eating my Flesh and drinking my Bloud, why fhou'd you boggle at it? If you rightly apprehend my meaning, there is no difficulty in it. For mistake me not; I do not defign to be eaten alive, or come from Heaven after my Afcenfion, that the Believers may devour me. Nor fhall I leave a piece of my Flesh and a quantity of my Bloud to be confum'd when my Main Body is gone. Nay, I wonder that you can entertain fuch ridiculous Notions. No; I have hitherto talk'd of a Spiritual eating and a Spiritual drinking. For 'tis not a bit of my Body and a drop of my Bloud that will make you immortal. Nay, if that wou'd really do it, the whole Mass of my Flesh and Bloud wou'd not fuffice for fo many Perfons, as I hope to bring to Heaven by eating and drinking my Flesh and Bloud. And therefore obferve, that 63. It is the Spirit that quickneth and maketh you immortal. The grofs flesh profiteth nothing, if I fhoud fuffer you to devour me. The Words therefore, that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life; and if you believe and practife them, they will certainly make you live for ever. A while after, when many of his Difciples went back, and Jefus ask'd the Twelve, whether they wou'd go too; Peter answer'd, 68. Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the Words |