452

John XIV. 9.

10

He is in the Father, and the Father in him.

Sect. 173. we defire no more, and refign every other Hope in Comparison of this. Jefus fays to him, Have I been with you then fo long a Time, and converfed among you in fo familiar a Manner for fucceffive Years, and haft thou not yet known me, Philip? If thou hadst well confidered who I am, thou mightest have better understood what I have now been faying; for he that has seen me, has in effect feen the Father, as I am the Brightness of his Glory, and the exprefs Image of his Perfon: (Heb. i. 3.) And how [then] doft thou fay, after all that has paffed between us, Shew us the Father? Doft thou not then believe, tho' I have before affirmed it fo exprefsly, (John x. 38. pag. 221.) that I [am] in the Father, and the Father is in me, by fo intimate an Union as to warrant fuch Language as this (m)? The Words which I speak to you from Time to Time, in which I difcover and inculcate this important Truth, I speak not merely of myself; but it is really the Father who dwells in me, that gives me my Inftructions thus to speak; and it is be that operates together with me, and performs the miraculous Works that you have fo often feen, which are fufficient to demonstrate the Truth of this Affertion, myfterious as it is, and incredible as it might otherwife feem. 11 Believe me therefore in what I have faid, that I [am] thus in the Father, and the Father is in me; or if what you have fo long known of my general Character and Veracity, will not engage you to take it merely on my fingle Teftimony, at leaft believe me on Account of thofe Works, in which you have fo frequently beheld the Father acting with me, and which indeed afford fo obvious an Argument of it, that one might imagine, the Sight of a few of them might convince one that was before a Stranger to me.

9 Jefus faith unto him,

Have I been fo long Time with you, and yet haft thou not known me, Philip? He that hath feen me, hath seen

the Father; and how fayeft

thou then, Shew us the Father?

ro Believeft thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The Words that I fpeak unto you, I fpeak not of myfelf: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doth the Works.

II Believe me that I am

in the Father, and the Father the very Works fake.

in me: or elfe believe me for

12 Verily, verily I fay un

to

(m) I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.] It is remarkable, that Philo, fpeaking of the Logos, has this Expreffion, that he is alp on@ ev a Siαilala, the Father's Houfe in which he dwells; which is nearly parallel to that of the Apoftle, Col. ii. 9. that in him dwells all the Fulness of the Godhead bodily. See Dr. Scot's Chriftian Life, vol. iii. pag. 559. Note 20

Whatever they afk in his Name, he will do it.

to you, He that believeth on me, the Works that I do, fhall he do alfo, and greater Works than thefe fhall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye fhall afk in my Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

453

John XIV.

12.

than what you have already received; for he that Se&t. 173.
believes in me (n), that is, many of my Difciples
in thefe early Ages, and each of
you in particu-
lar, fhall receive fuch an abundant Communica-
tion of the Spirit, that the miraculous Works which
I perform, he shall perform alfo ; yea, Works in
fome refpect greater than these shall be perform;
because I go to my Father, who has thought fit to
reserve the most amazing Gifts of the Spirit, to
honour my Return into Glory; in Confequence
of which, you shall be enabled to speak with all
foreign Tongues, to give the Spirit by the Impo-
fition of your Hands, and to propagate the Gospel
with fuch amazing Succefs, as to make more
Converts in one Day, than I have done in the
whole Course of my Miniftry.

And in a Word, you may depend upon it, that 13.
whatfoever ye shall afk in my Name, under the
Influence of that Spirit, and fubfervient to the
great End of your Life and Miniftry (0), I will
certainly do it, that so the Father may still be glo-
rified in the Son; who, when he is afcended
up
to Heaven, will from thence be able to hear and
anfwer Prayer, and even in his most exalted State
will continue to act with that faithful Regard to
his Father's Honour, which he has fhewn in his
14 If ye fhall afk any Humiliation on Earth. And in this Confi-

Thing in my Name, I will dence I repeat it again, for the Encouragement

do it.

15.6.455

A$

of your Faith and Hope, that I will be as affec-
tionate and constant a Friend to you in Heaven,
as I have ever been upon Earth; and if you shall afk
any Thing in my Name, I will not fail to do [it.]

IMPROVEMENT.

14:

S we fee in the Beginning of this Section that Care of Chrift over Luke xxii.. his Servants, which may engage us chearfully to truft him for 35, 38.. providential Supplies, when employed in his Work; fo we fee in the

Remain

(n) He that believes in me.] It is moft evident in Fact, that tho' this Promife be expreffed in fuch indefinite Language, it must be limited as in the Paraphrafe.

(0) Whatfoever ye shall afk in my Name, under the Influence &c.] As Reason in general. requires fome fuch Limitation, as is here given in the Paraphrafe, fo the Conclufion of the. Kerfe plainly implies it; for it was only by the Grant of fuch Petitions that the Father could. be glorified in the Son..

() With

454

Reflections on the Care of CHRIST for his People. Sect. 173. Remainder of this, and in the following Difcourfes, the most affectionate Difcoveries of the very Heart of our Bleffed Redeemer, overflowing in every Sentence with the kindeft Concern, not only for the Safety, but the Comfort of his People. We fee a lively Image of that Tenderness, with which he will another Day wipe away all Tears from their Eyes. (Rev. vii. 17.) Surely when he uttered thefe Words, he was alfo foliJohn xiv. 1. citous, that our Hearts might not be troubled; and therefore has provided a noble Cordial, the Strength of which shall continue to the remoteft Ages, even Faith in his Father, and in him. Oh may that bleffed Principle be confirmed by what we have now been reading!

Ver. 2.

Let us obferve with what a holy Familiarity our Lord fpeaks of the Regions of Glory; not, as his Servants do, like one dazzled and overwhelmed with the Brightness of the Idea; but as accustomed and familiarized to it by his high Birth (p). In my Father's Houfe are many Manfions; (delightful and reviving Thought!) and many Inhabitants in them, who we hope thro' Grace will be our Companions there, and every one of them increase and multiply the Joy.

It was not for the Apoftles alone, that Chrift went to prepare a Place: He is entered into Heaven as our Fore-runner; (Heb. vi. 20.) and We, if we are Believers indeed, may be faid by Virtue of our Union with him, to fit together in Heavenly Places in him. (Eph. ii. 6.) Let us continually be tending thither, in more affectionate Defires, and more ardent Ver. 4, 6. Purfuits. We know the Way; we hear the Truth; oh may we alfo feel the Life! By Christ as the True and Living Way, may we come to the Father; that we may have Eternal Life, in knowing him the only true GOD, and Jefus Chrift whom he has fent! (John xvii. 3.) In Chrift may we fee him, and have our Eyes and our Hearts open to thofe Beams of the Divine Glory, which are reflected from the Face of his Only-begotten Son, who is full of Grace and Truth! (John i. 14.) Has he been thus difcovered to us, as our Father, and our GOD? let it fuffice us. Let it diffuse a facred and lasting Pleasure over our Souls, tho' other defirable Objects may be vailed or removed: And let it be our Care to maintain a continual Fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. (1 John i. 3.)

Ver. 9.

Ver. 8.

Το

(1) With what a holy Familiarity our Lord fpeaks of the Regions of Glory, &c.] This is the Remark of the pious Archbishop of Cambray, in his incomparable Dialogues on Eloquence; (which may GOD put it into the Hearts of our Preachers often and attentively to read!) and is much illuftrated by obferving, how the Apostles, when defcribing the Heavenly State, employ the moft pompous and energetic Language, and feem indeed to labour for Words, and to be almost dazzled with the Luftre, and oppreffed with the Weight of the Subject: (Compare Rom. viii. 18, 19. 1 Cor. ii. 9. xv. 50, & feq. 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. v. 1,-9. xii. 2,-4. and John iii. 2.) But Chrift fpeaks of it with a familiar Eafe and Freedom; juft as a Prince, who had been educated in a splendid Court, would speak with Ease of many magnificent Things, at the fudden View of which a Peafant would be fwallowed up in Aftonishment, and would find himself greatly embarraffed in an Attempt to explain them to his Equals at Home.

CHRIST promises the Spirit as a Comforter.

455

Ver. 13, 14.

To this we are invited by every Declaration of his Readinefs to hear, Sect. 173. and answer our Prayers: And tho' thofe miraculous Powers of the Spirit are ceased, whereby the Apostles were enabled to equal, or even to exceed the Works of their Mafter; yet as we have fo many important Errands Ver. 12. to the Throne of Grace, in which the Glory of GOD, and the Salvation of our Souls is concerned, let us come with a boly Boldness to it, in Dependance on Jefus, that great High-Priest over the House of GOD, who is paffed into the Heavens, and amidst all the Grandeur of that exalted State, regards his humble Followers on Earth, and ever appears under the Character of their Advocate and their Friend.

SECT. CLXXIV.

CHRIST proceeds in his Difcourfe with his Difciples, recommending a Regard to his Commandments as the best Proof of their Love to him, promifing his Spirit, and declaring bis Readiness to meet his approaching Sufferings. John XIV. 15, to the End.

JOHN XIV. 15.
IF ye love me, keep my

Commandments..

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you may abide with you for ever;

another Comforter, that he

O

JOHN XIV. 15.

Sect. 174

UR Lord went on with his Difcourfe to his Apostles on this folemn Occafion, and obferving the lively Flow of their Affection to him John XIV. in this tender Conjuncture of Circumftances, he 15. added, If you do indeed love me, exprefs that Love by a conftant Care to keep my Commandments; for that will be a furer Teft, and more acceptable Expreffion of your Regard to me, than all your Trouble and Concern at parting with me. And thus you may depend on the correfpondent 16. Expreffions of my Friendship to you (a); and particularly, that I will ask the Father, and be will give you another Comforter (b), that he may

more

(a) Thus you may depend on the correfpondent Expreffions of my Friendship to you.]. The Connection may poffibly intimate, that they might hope for an abundant Degree of theSpirit's. Communication, in Proportion to the Prevalency of their Love to Chrift.

(b) He will give you another Comforter.] It is well known, that the Word apos may fignify a Comforter, an Advocate, or a Moniter; and it is evident, the Bleffed Spirit fuftained each of thefe Characters; But this being a confolatory Difcourfe, I chofe to ufe the former, 2s our Tranflators have done.-Toland fays, It is by no contemptible Criticism, that the Mabo

456

John XIV.

17.

17 Even the Spirit of Truth, whom the World feeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him, for he dwelleth with

cannot receive, because it

He would not leave them Orphans, but would come to them. Sect. 174. more than fupply the Want of my bodily Prefence, and abide with you, not for a Seafon only, as I have done, but for ever: [Even] the Bleffed Spirit of Truth and Grace, whom the World cannot poffibly receive as a Comforter, because it neither fees him, nor knows him, being altogether deftitute of his fanctifying Influences, and refufing to admit his Teftimony to me; but you know him in fome measure, even now, by his powerful Operations in you, and by you; for he already dwells with you in part, and fhall quickly be more abundantly in you, by a much ampler Communica

18

19

tion both of his Gifts and Graces.

Encourage yourselves therefore with the pleaf-
ing Expectation, and be affured, that I will not
leave you neglected, like a Family of helpless Or-
phans, who have no Friend or Guardian furviv-
ing (c); but I will come to you by my Spiritual
Prefence, and vifit you by the most valuable
Tokens of conftant Care.
my
For it is but

and fhall be in you.

you,

19 Yet a little while, and the World feeth me no more;

ye

fhall live alfo.

yet a little while, and the World feeth me no more, but ye fee me: because I live,
as it has done for fome Time paft, tho' it knows
me not; but after I have done converfing with
the World, I will appear again to you, and
you fhall fee me in fuch a Manner as to feel the
bleffed Effects of my diftinguishing Regard to
you; for because I live, you alfo fhall live, by
Means of those Divine Influences you fhall derive
from me, to cherish the Workings of Grace in
your Hearts, and to train you up to a growing
Meetness for sharing with me in Eternal Life.
20 (Compare 2 Cor. iv. 10, 11.) And in that

Day when I fulfil this Promife to you, you shall
experimentally know by the moft evident and
reviving Tokens, that I [am] indeed in my Father,
and that you alfo are in me, and I in you, by a

moft

20 At that Day ye shall know, that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I

in you.

Mahometans (inftead of wapanalov,) read wegınnulov, i. e. the Illuftrious, which answers to
Mahommed in the Arabic Language; and fo urge this as a Prophecy of him. (Tol. Nazaren.
pag. 13.) Yet he would probably have thought this Criticism contemptible in any, but the
Enemies of Christianity.

(c) I will not leave you Orphans.] Elfner juftly obferves, that the Cafe of thofe, who have loft the Prefence and Patronage of fome dear Friend, tho' not in ftrict Propriety a Father, is elegantly and tenderly expreffed by this Word opgaves. (Compare 1 Thess. ii, 17. Gr.) See Elfn. Obferv, Vol. i. pag. 341.

(d) Was