give fomething to the poor. He went out, however, immediately, under the cover of the night, which was then drawing on. 30. 33. 34. As foon as he was gone, Jefus faid, The time 31.3% now approaches, when the great defigns of God fhall be completed by the fufferings and death of the Son of man; and after that, by his glorious refurrection and afcenfion. I fhall now, my friends, be with you only a little time longer; and, as I faid to the Jews, you cannot follow me now. But I leave my inftructions with you; particularly that great and new commandment, that you love each other not after the manner of the world, but after the example which I have given you with disinterested love and let this be the great distinguishing mark of your being my disciples. Here Peter, diftreffed at his master's faying his disciples could not follow him now, afked him the reafon. that his own work was now over, theirs only just begun. They could not therefore follow him till they had completed their business, as he had com Jefus told them, 35 36. 1 30. It is faid in the text, he then having received the fop, went immediately out; as if receiving the fop had been the caufe. I apprehend it means only to mark the time. perhaps confifted in 34. The newness of the commandment giving our affections a more heavenly turn for the fake of Christ and as his members. Chriftians, it was fo known a badge of their profeffion, that it was commonly faid by their heathen neighbours, See how these Chriftians love one another Others make new to fignify excellent, as it does often in the Hebrew language. 37. pleted bis. 38, 1. 2. 3. Peter told him, he fhould find no difficulty in following him now. I am ready, faid he, to lay down even my life for your fake. Jefus thinking it right to check fuch confidence, told him, that so far from being ready to lay down his life for his fake, the cock fhould not crow till he had three CHAP. times denied him. Then confoling the forrow XIV. which his difciples discovered on his talking of leaving them, he bad them not be diftreffed, but have that confidence in him which they had in God. The manfions of happiness, faid he, in the next world, which fhall receive me, are intended alfo to receive you, and all my faithful fervants. I lead the way, and make preparation for you. Hereafter in God's good time, I will receive you to myself, never to part again. Thus I have plainly difcovered to you both the place you are to go to, and the way you are to go. But the difciples, whofe minds ftill ran on temporal things, did not clearly understand him; and Thomas in particular, expreffed his doubts both as to the place and to the Jefus told him, that he himself was the way. No one, faid he, can go to the Father, but through me. They who know me, know the Father alfo. You know the Father by knowing me. 4.. 6. 7. 8. way. If that be the cafe, faid Philip, give us fome extraordinary fign, that we may know your equality with 8. Philip did not want proof of the Father, in whom he already believed; but he wanted proof of that equality which Jefus afferted he had with the Father. the the Father. Have I been now fo long with you, faid Jefus, and is not your faith yet fufficiently confirmed? If you have feen me, you have in effect, feen the Father. Believeft thou not this? Believe my doctrines believe my miracles. You fhall here- 11. 12. after have even stronger proof. After I am afcended to my Father, you shall be enabled to perform even greater works than any you have yet feen performed. Nay, whatever petition you fhall ask of God in my 13. 14. name, that is neceffary to carry on the great work intrufted to you, I will certainly grant it. But ftill remember, that the keeping of my commandments muft be the only teft of your love. On this depends your receiving the Holy Spirit, which I will pray to God to give you; and which will not leave you, as I do, but will continue with you through life. This is a heavenly aid, of which the corrupt world, not attending to fpiritual things, knows nothing. You, in a degree, feel it in yourfelves already; and it fhall hereafter manifeft itself in all its . my works 10. As if our Saviour had faid, My words are his are his. By knowing therefore what I teach and do, you what the Father would wish to have taught and done. Therefore by knowing me, you know him. See a note on Mark xiii 32. 12. Our Saviour perhaps alludes here to the gift of tongues, which enabled the difciples, in fo furprifing a manner, to propa gate their religion. 16. The Mahometans pretend, that this verfe is a prophecy of the coming of Mahomet. The word Mahomet fignifies illuftrious and the word rapaxanrow or comforter they pretend has been altered by the Chriftians from the original word Texλutov, illuftrious. If this had been the only paffage, and thefe the only terms in which the Holy Spirit was promifed; and if this promife had not been effectually completed, there might have been fome pretence for the fuppofition. glorious 15. 18.-19. glorious operations. leave you deftitute. fhall fee me no more continue to live. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. Thus, you fee, I fhall not yours. And you fhall then be affured, without any Judas, the brother of James, interrupting Jefus,' afked him, In what manner he meant to manifest himself to them in particular, and not to the world? Jefus told him, that not only they, but all who loved him, and kept his commandments, fhould experience thefe divine communications. But as his doctrine was his Father's alfo, they, of courfe, who obeyed not him, could have no communication withthe Father. During the time I have been with you, added Jefus, I have given you various doctrines and precepts, many of which may have gone from you; but when I fend the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of God, into your hearts, he will bring to your remembrance every thing that I have faid to 18. The tender word optavas is ufed in the original. 22. Judas's inquiry proceeded from a misconception of Jefus's meaning. Our Saviour fpoke of his fpiritual kingdom. Judas understood a temporal one. you. you. And now I leave you under the full affurance, 27. that the peace of God fhall rest upon you; which i is a different kind of peace from any the world: knows it will eafe your diftreffes for me, and your apprehenfions for yourselves. Indeed, if Indeed, if you truly 28. loved me, you would rejoice at my departure; not only because I have promised to revifit you, but because that state, to which I am going, is infinitely fuperior to the depreffed state in which you now fee me. These things I tell you, that hereafter when you fee them fulfilled, your faith may be confirmed.) I have little time now to employ among you. The powers of darkness are now contriving their defigns against me and I am preparing to fhew the world that laft great inftance of my love, and of my fubmiffion to my Father's will. " 3 29. 30. 31. From the room where they were fitting, they now retired to the mount of Olives. Here Jefus taking occafion probably from the vineyards through which he paffed, began again his difcourfe. I am CHAP. the true vine faid he, and my Father is the hufbandman. Every branch that beareth not fruit, he 28. My Father is greater than I. The plain fenfe of this paffage, connected with the context, appears to be this. Jefus was comforting his difciples on his leaving them and as a topic of com fort, tells them, they muft not eftimate the glory, and happiness of his Father in heaven, by what they faw in him on earth. The two ftates were wholly different. 1. Perhaps thefe words may be fpoken in oppofition to what is faid of Ifrael, whom the prophets often call the vine. See Pf. lxxx. 8. If. v. 7. Jer. ii. 21. Chrift Tays, He is now the true vine. removeth; XV. I. 2. |