[John xiv. 1-14.] JESUS said unto his disciples: Let not your hearts be troubled. If ye believe in God, believe in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you even unto myself, that where I am, ye may be also: and whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Then said Thomas: Lord, we wot not whither thou goest; and how is it possible for us to know the way? Then said Jesus: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye had known my Father also. And now ye know him, and have seen him. Philip said unto him; Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus said unto him: Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, is he that doth the works. Believe me, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me. At least believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do, the same shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified by the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. DOCTRINE AND FRUIT. WHEN the disciples of Christ heard of his death and departing, what trouble should fall upon them, and what should happen unto them through the weakness of the flesh, they were very heavy and dismayed; for they had great Adversity. love unto the Lord, and loath were they to depart from him, and yet might they not follow him at this time. Therefore lovingly doth the Lord comfort and strengthen them, saying: Be not afraid, let not your heart be troubled. This comfort is spoken unto us all; for while we live here, we must look for much trouble and adversity, whereof springeth many times heaviness, fear, and unpatiency in our flesh. Therefore Christ, who corporally Patience is absent from us, but present among us with his grace, speaketh unto us inwardly by his Spirit in our hearts, or outwardly by his word and exhortation, comfortably strengthening and mightily comforting our feebleness; giving us gladness also in sorrow. To be without adversity, if it please God otherwise, is not good for us; to be rash and heady is hurtful. Therefore bringeth he us in between fear and hope, that we should turn neither to the right hand nor to the left. Much adversity suffereth he to come unto us, so that ofttimes fearfulness and sorrow falleth on us: but this keepeth us in his awe, cutteth our comb, bringeth down our pride, Meekness. and humbleth us. Out of this we learn, that if any human infirmity and feebleness fall upon us, as it did upon the disciples in the Lord's passion, we shall not utterly despair, nor fall away through fearfulness; but remember, that in this time it happeneth so of course, that we must suffer and bear much trouble and adversity, to the intent that the glory and power of God may be opened in our weakness: and yet in all our adversity must we be manly and stout, valiantly fighting for his name's sake. And though of weak- The fear of ness we be fallen in the field, yet will he have compassion upon us, and graciously forgive our fall. For who would not be afraid to fall, when the earnest and fervent apostle Peter fell so sore, and all the other disciples fled from the Lord? If this chanced to the beloved disciples, no man need to think the contrary, but the like may happen unto him. He that standeth, let him stand fast in the fear of God, and look that he fall not. God. Christ unto his own that stand in this conflict and dan- Faith. gerous battle, giveth the shield or target of faith, which they cast up, and receive all strokes and shot therein. Believe Eternal reward. Whoso believeth in Christ, believeth in excellent great joy, For in For in my Father's ye in me, saith he. God; for Christ is God. overcometh all adversity. not afraid by reason of my bodily absence. Though ye see me no more from henceforth with bodily eyes, yet with my grace and comfort will not I forsake you, but be with you until the end of the world. I will alway remain with you; only look that ye believe in me, continuing and cleaving fast unto me with the belief of the heart; so will I defend, deliver, and save you for ever. Be not afraid for any adversity; put your confidence in me. After your trouble, there is prepared for you an and an exceeding unspeakable reward. house are many dwellings, which from everlasting have been prepared for all the elect, that believe in me, and follow me under the cross. I will not deceive you, I will shew you no unfaithful touch; I will not disappoint you, into no fool's paradise nor false hope will I bring you. If the mansions were not prepared for you in my Father's house, I would tell it you but doubt ye not in my promise; fall ye not off from faith and hope; stay your belief and affiance stedfastly upon me; hope undoubtedly for the dwellings to come, which are ordained and prepared of my Father for you. Here is nothing but misery and trouble; here is no abiding, no dwelling, but a pilgrimage. Here ye are among strangers: but in my Father's house are many dwellings, not only for me, but also for you. And forasmuch as now through my death I will furnish and perfectly open and make an entrance into the same dwellings, which were prepared for you of my Father afore the creation of the world; be not you therefore Christ's death dismayed by reason of my death. My death shall be your life and salvation. Through my death go I before you, and make you a way unto heaven. Look what the Father of his gracious goodness hath ordained for you from everlasting, that will not he give you, but through me; therefore must I die, and with my death open you the entrance unto life. our life. The fruit of the death of Christ. And albeit that through my death and ascension I shall corporally depart from you; yet will I not fail you, neither forsake you. Like as by my death I open unto you the entrance into the heavenly mansions, so will I send you in me. through my power and grace; fear ye not, and believe Thus ye know whither I go, namely, unto the Father, to work your welfare: ye know also through what way ye must follow me, even through faith and adversity. Abide ye stedfast in faith, and put your trust in me; so will I be your faithful mediator and attorney in the presence of God my Father. only way. And if we would say, as Thomas did, that we know not the way, the Lord Jesus instructeth us further, and saith, that he is "the way, the truth, and the life." This ought we Christ is the poor sinners well to fasten in our hearts, that Christ is the only way which bringeth us unto God, and that no man may come unto the Father but by him. We should not therefore erect or choose unto ourselves any other way. Only by Christ must we come unto God: this hath he spoken, that is the truth itself, and cannot lie. In the way is he our guide, and by it he leadeth us unto himself, and so by himself unto God. Through this way we come to life, and though we must die in adversity for his sake, yet in him we find eternal life; for he is the life and resurrection. Whoso believeth on him cannot die, but cometh out of death into life; and though he die, yet shall he live in him everlastingly. Furthermore, we must take sure hold upon Christ's promise, which in life and death shall strengthen and comfort us; in that he promiseth us, he will give us all that we desire in his name. Wherefore in all our necessity and trouble we ought to have recourse only unto him, or unto God his Father in his name. And then do we pray in his name, when we desire that which may serve to the honour of his Father, that the Father may be honoured through the Son, and in the Son, when we desire such wholesome good things, as the Spirit of Christ moveth us unto. All this doth stir up in us patience, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost, belief in Christ, who is our God and head; whom by his doctrine and wonderful miracles we have learned to be very good in deed. The holy scripture also, both of Old and New Testament, doth sufficiently declare the same, as Esa. vii. ix. xlii. xlix. lxii. Hier. xxiii. xxxiii. Mich. v. Zach. xiii. Mala. iii. What doth he else in his whole gospel, but evidently and strongly prove that Jesus is very God? as in the i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. chapters; yea, in all. Christ calleth himself the Son of God, and teacheth every where, that we ought to believe on him. Now if he were not very true God, then had he deceived us, then had he taught us wrong, and then were he himself a false teacher; for we must believe in none, save only in God. If Christ now were not God, how should we believe in him? If he were a false teacher, then would not the Father have commanded us to hear him; then had not he spoken from heaven these words, "This is my dearly beloved Son, hear him :" then had not he also confirmed his cause with miracles, raised him up from death, taken him up into heaven, and set him on his right hand for he hateth all liars, and hath no pleasure in the wicked. John viii." Afore Abraham was, I am." Christ saith, that "the Father hath given him all power in heaven and earth." Matt. xxviii. Which sentence alone were sufficient and strong enough, to prove that Christ is God; for God giveth his glory and honour to none other. Esa. xlii. He saith also, that "what the Father hath, it is his." John xvii. And, John xx., saith Thomas unto Christ: "My Lord and my God." By him were all things created. John i. Col. i. Then must he needs be God; for no creature is the maker or creator of all things. Paul saith: "He is the wisdom of God." 1 Corinth. i. The wisdom of God is eternal. Prov. viii. Eccles. xxiv. Rom. i. ix. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, what doth Paul else, even from the beginning, until he come far within it, but bring in testimonies, that Christ is John saith: "Every spirit which confesseth, that Jesus came in the flesh, is of God." followeth, that as concerning his divine everlasting, afore he came in the flesh. [1 John iv.] very God? John saith: Out of the which it nature, he was from Item: Paul to the |