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For he only Spake what the Father had taught him.

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27 They understood not

Father.

69

fball unavoidably die in your Sins, and are in Ef- Sect. 103. fect the Murtherers of your own Souls (e).

Then faid they to him, in proud Derifion, Who art thou, that fuch great Regard should be paid to thee, and that it fhould be fo fatal a Thing to neglect thee? And Jefus faid to them, Truly, becaufe I am still speaking to you to this very Day in fo plain and affectionate a Manner, I have many Things to fay and judge concerning you (f), and juftly might upbraid you with the utmost Severity, and pass an immediate Sentence of Condemnation upon you: But for the present I content myself with reminding you, that he who fent me is and as I speak to the World only thofe Things, which I have heard from him, he will finally verify my Words, and it will be at the Peril of your Souls, if you continue to treat me with fuch Perversenefs and Contempt..

true;

John VIII..

25, 26..

These Things were very intelligible, when com- 27 that he spake to them of the pared with what he had faid before; [yet] fo exceeding ftupid, and fo prejudiced were their Minds, that they did not understand, that he spoke to them of GOD the Father, as the Perfon who fent him.

28 Then faid Jefus unto

them, When ye have lift up withstanding all I have faid, you will be still fo Jefus therefore faid to them, I know that not- 281

the

obftinate

(e) Are in Effect the Murtherers of your own Souls.] The Repetition of the Threatning here, from ver. 21. is a very awful Rebuke to the Folly of their Answer, ver. 22. as if our Lord had faid, "It very ill becomes you, to trifle and amufe yourselves with fuch filly and "fpightful Turns, when your Life, even the Life of your Souls, is at Stake, and to talk "of my killing myself, when by your Unbelief and Impenitency you are plunging yourfelves "into eternal Death." Thus do those Paffages in our Lord's Difcourfes, which to a careless Reader might feem flat Tautologies, appear, on an attentive Review, to be animated with a moft penetrating Spirit, and to be full of Divine Dignity. A Remark, which will frequently occur, especially in reading thofe Difcourfes of Chrift, which John has thro' the infinite Goodnefs of GOD to his Church recorded, after they had been omitted by the other Evangelifts. (f) Truly, because I am still speaking to you, I have many Things to fay and judge concerning you.] I entirely agree with the learned Raphelius, (Annot. ex Herod. pag. 292,303.) that all the Difficulty of thefe Words arifes from a Mistake in the Pointing, as they ftand in moft Copies; and I think his Method of restoring the true Reading and Senfe, the eafieft and jufteft, I have ever met with. He would point them thus, Την αρχην, ότι και λάλω υμιν, πολλά εχω περι υμών λαλών και κρίνειν. Αll that know any thing of the Greek Language, know that Tapy often fignifies indeed, or truly; and fo the Tranflation I have given is very literal,. and makes a very good Senfe.. Mr. Fleming would render it, I am, as I faid to you, The. Beginning, i. e. the Perfon spoken of Gen. i. I. and elsewhere, under that Title: But this, as well as our own Verfion, is not any thing like a juft and Grammatical Tranflation; tho' to be fure there is a Senfe in which Christ may moft properly be called the Beginning. Com-pare Col, i. 18. Rev. i. 8. xxi. 6. xxii. 13. (See Fleming's Chriftology, Vol. i. pag. 281.)

(8) You.

John VIII.

28.

7༠ Scct. 103. obftinate as to perfift in your Infidelity, till you proceed, even to take away my Life; but when, after all your profeffed Defire of his Appearance and Kingdom, you shall have lifted up that glorious Perfon, the Son of Man, from the Earth, and have even proceeded fo far as to put him to a violent Death, inftead of feeing his Caufe and Intereft overborne by that outragious Attempt, you Shall then know by fome new and convincing Tokens, that I am [he] (g), and [that] I do nothing of myself, but speak thefe Things exactly as my Father has inftructed me. And even now he that fent me is graciously prefent with me, to bear his Teftimony to the Truth of what I fay, and to support and vindicate me: And whatsoever you may foolishly furmife, the Father has not left me alone, nor will he ever leave me ; for I always do the Things which are most pleasing to him, and faithfully and conftantly pursue the important Work which he has committed to my Trust.

Reflections on the Danger of neglecting CHRIST.

29

John viii.

29.

Ver. 12.

the Son of Man, then shall that I do nothing of myfelf, ye know that I am he, and but as my Father hath taught me, I fpeak thefe Things.

is

29 And he that fent me

with me: the Father hath always thofe Things that please him.

not left me alone: for I do

IMPROVEMENT.

UCH may our Character ever be, as we defire the Supports of the Divine Prefence! Whoever be difpleafed, may we always do the Things which please him, and labour, whether prefent or abfent from the Body, to be ftill approved and accepted of him! (2 Cor. v.

9.)

Our Bleffed Redeemer is the Light of the World. With how much Pleasure should we behold his Rays! With how much Chearfulness should we follow, whitherfoever he leads us; as well knowing, that we shall not then walk in Darkness; and God forbid, we should ever feek it, as the Shelter and Screen of wicked Works!

May we with all Candour and Humility regard, and fubmit to the Ver. 17, 18. Teftimony, which the Father has borne to him in fo exprefs, and incontestable a Manner! Dreadful would be the Confequence of our refufing to do it. Ver. 21, 24. The Doom of these wretched Jews would be ours, to die in our Sins. And oh, how infupportable will that guilty Burthen prove in a dying

Hour,

(g) You fhall then know, that I am he.] This undoubtedly refers to the Prodigies attending his Death, his Refurrection, and Afcenfion, the Defcent of the Spirit, the amazing Miracles wrought by the Apoftles in his Name, &c.—But I am careful not to put fuch Words into our Lord's Mouth in the Paraphrafe, as would have been unfuitable to the Referve, which, on fome of thefe Heads, Prudence obliged him to keep; or fuch, as in other Inftances, would have fuperfeded farther Enquiry into the Meaning of what he faid. I think it moft natural to refer thefe to the Notes, or to the Paraphrafe on fome following Paffage.

Many believe, and are inclined to follow him.

71 Hour, and before the Tribunal of GOD! How will it fink us into Condem- Sect. 103. nation, and Despair! In vain fhall thofe, who now defpife him, then seek Admittance to the World where he is: Thither they cannot come, and if Ver. 21. excluded from him, must be excluded from Happiness.

many

Juftly might it long fince have been our Cafe: For furely he has Ver. 25, 26. Things to fay of us, and to judge concerning us, should he lay Judgment to the Line, after his having been fo long with us; yea, after we have, as it were, feen him lifted up and fet forth as crucified among us. (Gal. iii. 1.)

May this faithful Admonition prevail to our Conviction and Reforma- Ver. 28. tion, that our everlasting Condemnation may not farther illuftrate the Reafonableness, yea the Neceffity of it, and the Madness of hardening our Hearts against it!

SECT. CIV.

Our LORD continues his Difcourfe with the Jews in the Treafury, the Day after the Feast of Tabernacles; and labours to convince them, how vain their Pretences to Liberty, and to the Privileges of the Children of Abraham were, while they continued to reject and perfecute him. John VIII. 30,---47•

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TH

JOHN VIII. 30.

30.

HUS did Jefus warn the Jews of the Dan- Sect. 104. ger of rejecting him, and appeal to his Heavenly Father, as authorizing the whole of John VIII. his Administration; and as he was speaking these Words, many of his Hearers were fo ftruck with them, that they believed on him (a), and were ftrongly inclined to follow him as the Meffiah.

Then

(a) Many believed on him.] One can hardly think, that the Ambiguity of the Expreffion of the Son of Man's being lifted up, (ver. 38.) engaged them to this, in Hope that it might intimate fome Exaltation to a Temporal Kingdom. It is more reasonable to believe, that they felt their Hearts impreffed with what they heard from him in the whole preceding Difcourfe. Yet it is obfervable, that in the Series of it, he advances no new Proof of his Miffion: So that probably thefe People were wrought upon, by what they obferved in the Temper and Conduct of Chrift; bearing the Perverfenefs of his Enemies with fo much Patience, fpeaking of an ignominious and painful Death with fuch holy Compofure, and expreffing fo genuine and lively a Senfe of his Heavenly Father's Approbation, and fo fweet a Compla cency in it. And, perhaps, would Minifters generally allow themfelves to open with Freedom the native Workings of a Heart deeply impreffed with the Gofpel, the fecret Charm might fubdue thofe, whofe Subtlety and Prejudice might be Proof against the most conclufive abftract Reasoning.

(b) Wha

72

Sect. 104.
John VIII.

31.

ery

31 Then faid Jefus to thofe Jews which believed

on him, If ye continue in my Word, then are ye my Difciples indeed;

If they continued in his Word, the Truth would make them free. Then Jefus, knowing the Weakness and Treachof the human Heart, and the Difficulties which would lie in the Way, if they attempted to put that Inclination into Practice, faid to thofe of the Jews, who were now ready to profefs, that they believed in him, If you continue ftedfaft in your Adherence to my Word, and yield a conftant and univerfal Obedience to it, [then] you are my Dif ciples indeed, and I will finally own you as fuch. 32 And you shall then know the Truth of my Gofpel, . in its full Compass and Extent, fo far as it is neceffary to your Salvation, or conducive to your Comfort; and the Truth shall make you free, and fix you in that State of glorious Liberty, which is the Privilege of my Disciples alone.

33

34

35

But they that heard him were not a little difpleafed at this, as an Infinuation that they were not already free; and ftrangely forgetting the Servitude of Egypt and Babylon, and how often their Nation had been conquered by others, and even how low it was at prefent reduced by the Roman Power, confidently answered him, We are the Seed of Abraham, a Perfon always free, and the peculiar Favourite of Heaven; and we have never been in Slavery to any Man whatever, nor do we fear that GoD will permit us to be fo; how thendoft thou fay to us, You shall be made free upon becoming my Difciples ?

32 And ye fhall know the Truth, and the Truth fhall make you free.

33 They answered him, We be Abraham's Seed, and were rever in Bondage to any Man: how fayeft thou, Ye shall be made free?

34 Jefus answered them,

Verily, verily I fay unto you, Whofoever committeth Sin, is the Servant of Sin.

Jefus waving what he might eafily have replied as to their former Hiftory, and the prefent State of their Civil Affairs, that he might give no unneceffary Offence, anfwered them, Verily, verily I fay unto you, and recommend it to your Confideration as a most important Truth, that every one who habitually practifes Sin (b), and goes on in a Course of it, is the Slave of Sin; and that is a Servitude by far meaner, and more dreadful, than the Yoke of an Earthly Tyrant. Now as the Servant does not always abide in the Family of his bideth not in the House for Master, but is at his Lord's Pleasure, liable to be

difmiffed,

35 And the Servant a

ever:

(b) Who habitually practifes Sin.] Пoter appliav feems a Phrafe of the very fame Import, with working Iniquity: I have therefore rendered it, practifes Sin, as that Word generally fignifies an habitual Courfe of Action.

(c) The

ever.

If the Son made them free, they should be free indeed.

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye fhall

73

John VIII.

35.

ever: but the Son abideth difmiffed, or transferred to another; much lefs Sect. 104. can you, who are the Servants, not of GOD, but of Sin, promise yourselves, that you shall still, on Account of your Defcent from Abraham, continue in those Privileges, which by undeserved Mercy you hitherto enjoy: [But] the eldest Son and Heir of the Family always abides in his Father's House, and his Power and Influence are continually increasing [there] (c). Thus do I 36 always continue; and if I therefore, who am the only Only-begotten Son of GoD, and the Heir of all Things, make you free, you claiming in Virtue of my Right and Authority, will be free indeed (d), and will not only be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption, and the Tyranny of Satan, but be intitled to those Immunities and Bleffings here, and to that future Inheritance of Eternal Glory, to which at present you have no Claim.

be free indeed.

37 I know that ye are Abraham's Seed; but ye feek to kill me, because my Word hath no Place in you.

And as to what

And as to what you fay, that you are Abra- 37 ham's Seed, I know that you indeed are in a natural Way the Pofterity of Abraham (e), as Ishmael alfo was; but what can that avail you, while you are fo unlike Abraham in your Temper, and are fo far from being of a Difpofition fuitable to your Defcent, that you not only deride, but feek to kill me, because my Word has no Place in your Hearts, and has not any Weight or Influence upon you, but is of a Tenour directly contrary to your Pre38 I speak that which I judices and Lufts. And on the whole, there 38 is fo great a Difference between us, that it is really impof

have

(c) The Servant does not always abide in the Family; but the Son always abides there.] I think Dr. Guyfe's ingenious and pious Paraphrafe, and Note on thefe Words, contain an excellent Illuftration of them. The main Senfe of what he fays on this Paffage, is much the fame with what I have given above, (much as I had writ it feveral Years ago :) The cafting out Ishmael, tho' a Son of Abraham by the Bond woman, beautifully illuftrates the Remark, and the Connection.It is ftrange, that Dr. Claget fhould think, that Mofes was the Servant here meant ; and ftranger yet, that Dr. Clarke fhould adopt fo unnatural an Interpretation. See Dr. Clarke's Sermons, Vol. iii. pag. 4, 5.

(d) If the Son make you free, &c.] Archbishop Tillotson (Vol. iii. pag. 578.) thinks, that this alludes to a Custom in fome of the Cities of Greece, and elfewhere, whereby the Son and Heir had a Liberty to adopt Brethren, and give them the Privileges of the Family.

(e) I know that you are the Pofterity of Abraham.] It feems probable, that our Lord fpeaks this, not to thofe who believed in him, but to fome others in the Company; and that the Phrafe, They answered him, ver. 33. only fignifies, that fome who were prefent, made fuch a Reply.

VOL. II.

K

(f) I pre

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