After this, his brethren say unto him, John vii. 2, 3, 4. (the feast of Tabernacles being near)" Depart hence, and go into Judea, that

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thy difciples may fee the works that thou doeft: for there is B6 no man that does any thing in fecret, and he himself feeketh to "be known openly. If thou do these things, fhew thyself to the "world." Here his brethren, which, the next verfe tells us, "did "not believe him," feem to upbraid him with the inconfiftency of his carriage; as if he defigned to be received for the Meffiah, and yet was afraid to fhew himself: to whom he justified his conduct (mentioned, ver. 1.), in the following verfes, by telling them, "That "the world" (meaning the Jews especially)" hated him, becaufe "he teftified of it, that the works thereof are evil; and that his "time was not yet fully come," wherein to quit his reserve, and abandon himself freely to their malice and fury. Therefore, though he" went up unto the feaft," it was not openly, but as it were in "fecret," ver 10. And here coming into the Temple about the middle of the feast, he justifies his being fent from God; and that he had not done any thing against the law, in curing the man at the pool of Bethesda, John v. 1-16. on the Sabbath-day; which, though done above a year and a half before, they made ufe of as a pretence to deftroy him. But what was the true reafon of feeking his life, appears from what we have in this viith chapter, ver. 2534." Then faid fome of them at Jerufalem, Is not this he whom they feck to kill? But lo, he fpeaketh boldly, and they fay nothing unto him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is the very Mef"fiah? Howbeit, we know this man whence he is; but when the "Meffiah cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. Then cried "Jefus in the Temple, as he taught, ye both know me, and ye "know whence I am and I am not come of myfelf, but he "that fent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him, "for I am from him, and he hath fent me. Then they fought "[an occafion] to take him, but no man laid hands on him, be"caufe his hour was not yet come. And many of the people be"lieved on him, and faid, When the Meffiah cometh, will he do 66 more miracles than these which this man hath done? The Pha"rifees heard that the people murmured fuch things concerning

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him; and the Pharifees and chief priests fent officers to take him. "Then faid Jefus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and "then I go to him that fent me: ye fhall feek me, and not find me; " and where I am, there you cannot come. Then faid the Jews "among themselves, Whither will he go, that we fhall not find "him?" Here we find, that the great fault in our Saviour, and the great provocation to the Jews, was, his being taken for the Meffiah; and doing fuch things as made the people "believe in him:" i. e. believe that he was the Meffiah. Here alfo our Saviour declares, in words very eafy to be understood, at least after his refurrection, that he was the Meffiah: for if he were "fent from God," and did his miracles by the fpirit of God, there could be no doubt but he was the Meffiah. But yet this declaration was in a way that

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the Pharifees and priests could not lay hold on to make an accufation of to the disturbance of his miniftry, or the feizure of his perfon, how much foever they defired it: for his time was not yet come. The officers they had fent to apprehend him, charmed with his difcourfe, returned without laying hands on him, ver. 45, 46. And when the chief priefts afked them, "Why they brought him not?" They answered, "Never man fpake like this man.' Whereupon the Pharifees reply," Are ye alfo deceived? Have any "of the rulers of the Pharifees believed on him? But this people, "who know not the law, are curfed." This fhews what was meant by "believing on him," viz. believing that he was the Meffiah. For, fay they, have any of the rulers who are fkilled in the law, or of the devout and learned Pharifees, acknowledged him to be the Meffiah? For as for thofe who, in the divifion among the people concerning him, fay, "That he is the Meffiah," they are ignorant and vile wretches, knowing nothing of the fcripture, and, being accurfed, are given by God to be deceived by this impoftor, and to take him for the Meffiah. Therefore, notwithstanding their defire to lay hold on him, he goes on and ver. 37, 38. "In the *laft and great day of the feaft, Jefus ftood and cried, faying, If

any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink he that be"lieveth on me, as the fcripture hath faid, out of his belly fhall flow "rivers of living water." And thus he here again declares himself to be the Meffiah; but in the prophetic ftyle, as we fee by the next verfe of this chapter, and thofe places in the Old Teftament that thefe words of our Saviour refer to.

In the next chapter, John viii. all that he fays concerning himfélf, and what they were to believe, tends to this, viz. That he was fent from God his father, and that if they did not believe that he was the Meffiah, they should die in their fins: but this in a way, as St. John obferves, ver. 27. that they did not well underftand. But our Saviour himfelf tells them, ver. 28. "When ye have lift up the fon of man, then fhall he know that I am he."

Going from them, he cures the man born blind, whom meeting with again, after the Jews had questioned him, and caft him out, John ix. 35-38. "Jefus faid to him, Doft thou believe on the

fon of God? He anfwered, Who is he, Lord, that I might be"lieve on him? And Jefus faid unto him, Thou haft both feen

him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he faid, Lord, I "believe." Here we fee this man is pronounced a believer, when all that was propofed to him to believe, was, that Jefus was " the "fon of God;" which was, as we have already fhewn, to believe that he was the Meffiah.

In the next chapter, John x. 1-21. he declares the laying down of his life for both Jews and Gentiles; but in a parable which they underflood not, ver. 6-20.

As he was going to the feaft of the dedication, the Pharifees ask him, Luke xvii. 20. When the kingdom of God," i. e. of the Meah, "fhould come?" He anfwers, that it fhall not come with

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pomp and obfervation, and great concourfe; but that it was already begun amongst them. If he had ftopt here, the fenfe had been fo plain, that they could hardly have miftaken him; or have doubted, but that he meant, that the Meffiah was already come, and amongft them; and fo might have been prone to infer, that Jefus took upon him to be him. But here, as in the place before taken notice of, fubjoining to this future revelation of himfelf, both in his coming to execute vengeance on the Jews, and in his coming to judgement mixed together, he fo involved his fenfe, that it was not eafy to understand him. And therefore the Jews came to him again in the temple, John x. 23. and faid, "How long doft thou make us “doubt? If thou be Chrift, tell us plainly. Jefus anfwered, I told 66 you, and ye BELIEVED not: the works that I do in my father's "name, they bear witnefs of me. But ye BELIEVED not, because "ye are not of my fheep, as I told you. The BELIEVING here, which he accufes them of not doing, is plainly their not BELIEV ING him to be the Meffiah, as the foregoing words evince, and in the same sense it is evidently meant in the following verfes of this chapter.

From hence, Jefus going to Barbara, and thence returning into Bethany, upon Lazarus's death, John xi. 25-27. Jefus faid to Martha, "I am the refurrection and the life; he that believeth in "me, though he were dead, yet he fhall live; and whofoever liveth "and believeth in me, fhall never die for ever." So I underftand ἀποθάνη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, anfwerable to ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, of the Septuagint, Gen. iii. 22. or John vi. 51. which we read right in our English tranflation," live for ever;" but whether this faying of our Saviour here can with truth be tranflated, "He that liveth and believeth in me, fhall never die," will be apt to be queftioned. But to go "Believeft thou this? She faid unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Meffiah, the fon of God, which fhould "come into the world." This fhe gives as a full answer to our Saviour's demands; this being that faith, which whoever had, wanted no more to make them believers.

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We may obferve farther, in this fame ftory of the raifing of Lazarus, what faith it was our Saviour expected, by what he fays, ver. 41, 42. Father, I thank thee that thou haft heard me; and I

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know that thou heareft me always. But becaufe of the people "who ftand by, I faid it, that they may believe that thou haft fent me." And what the confequence of it was, we may fee, ver. 45. "Then many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had feen the things which Jefus did, believed on him" which belief was, that he was" fent from the Father;" which, in other words, was, that he was the Meffiah. That this is the meaning, in the Evangelifts, of the phrase of "believing on him," we have a demonftration in the following words, ver. 47, 48. "Then gathered the chief priefts and Pharifees a council, and faid, What do we? For this inan does many miracles; and if we let him alone, all men will BELIEVE ON HIM." Thofe who here fay, all men would E

LIEVE ON HIM, were the chief priests and Pharifees, his enemies, who fought his life; and therefore could have no other sense nor thought of this faith in him, which they spake of, but only the believing him to be the Meffiah: and that that was their meaning, the adjoining words fhew; "If we let him alone, all the world "will believe on him," i. e. believe him to be the Meffiah." And "the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." Which reafoning of theirs was thus grounded if we ftand ftill, and let the people" believe on him," i. e. receive him for the Meffiah, they will thereby take him and fet him up for their king, and expect deliverance by him; which will draw the Roman arms upon us, to the deftruction of us and our country. The Romans could not be thought to be at all concerned in any other belief whatsoever that the people might have on him. It is therefore plain, that believing on him," was by the writers of the gofpel understood to mean, the "believing him to be the Meffiah." "The Sanhe"drim therefore," ver. 53, 54. "from that day forth confulted to put him to death. Jefus therefore walked not yet" (for so the word fignifies, and fo I think it ought here to be tranflated) "boldly," or openfaced" among the Jews," i, e. of Jerufalem. "Er cannot well here be translated " no more," because within a very short time after, he appeared openly at the paffover, and by his miracles and fpeech declared himfelf more freely than ever he had done; and all the week before his paffion taught daily in the temple, Matt. xx. 17. Mark x. 32. Luke xviii. 31, &c. The meaning of this place feems therefore to be this: that his time being not yet come, he durft not fhew himself openly, and confidently, before the Scribes and Pharifees, and thofe of the Sanhedrim at Jerufalem, who were full of malice against him, and resolved his death: " but "went thence into a country near the wilderness, into a city called

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Ephraim, and there continued with his difciples," to keep himfelf out of the way till the paffover, "which was nigh at hand," ver. 55. In his return thither, he takes the twelve afide, and tells them before-hand what should happen to him at Jerufalem, whither they were now going; and that all things that are written by the prophets concerning the fon of man should be accomplished; that he should be betrayed to the chief priests and Scribes; and that they fhould condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles; that he fhould be mocked, and fpit on, and fcourged, and put to death; and the third day he fhould rife again. But St. Luke tells us, chap. xviii. 34. That the Apoftles "understood "none of these things, and this faying was hid from them; nei"ther knew they the things which were spoken." They believed him to be the fon of God, the Meffiah fent from the father; but their notion of the Meffiah was the fame with the rest of the Jews; that he should be a temporal prince and deliverer: accordingly we fee, Mark x. 35. that even in this their laft journey with him to Jerufalem, two of them, James and John, coming to him, and falling at his feet, faid, "Grant unto us, that we may fit, one on

"thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory;" or, as St. Matthew has it, chap. xx. 21. "in thy kingdom." That which diftinguifhed them from the unbelieving Jews, was, that they believed Jefus to be the very Meffiah, and fo received him as their king and lord.

And now the hour being come that the fon of man should be glorified, he, without his ufual referve, makes his public entry into Jerufalem," riding on a young afs: as it is written, Fear not,

daughter of Sion, behold thy king cometh, fitting on an ass's "colt." But" these things," fays St. John, chap. xii. 16. "his "difciples understood not at the firft; but when Jefus was glori"fied, then remembered they that these things were written of him, "and that they had done these things unto him." Though the apostles believed him to be the Meffiah, yet there were many occurrences of his life which they understood not (at the time when they happened) to be foretold of the Meffiah; which after his afcenfion they found exactly to quadrate. Thus, according to what was foretold of him, he rode into the city, "all the people crying "Hofanna, Bleffed is the king of Ifrael, that cometh in the name "of the Lord." This was fo open a declaration of his being the Meffiah, that Luke xix. 39. "Some of the Pharifees from among "the multitude faid unto him, master, rebuke thy difciples." But he was fo far now from stopping them, or difowning this their acknowledgement of his being the Meffiah, that he "faid unto "them, I tell you, that if these should hold their peace, the ftones "would immediately cry out." And again, upon the like occafion of their crying" Hofanna to the fon of David," in the temple, Matt. xxi. 15, 16. When " the chief priests and Scribes were fore difpleafed, and faid unto him, Heareft thou what they say? Jefus faid unto them, yea; Have ye never read, Out of the "mouths of babes and fucklings thou haft perfe&ted praife?" And now, ver. 14, 15. "He cures the blind and the lame openly in "the temple. And when the chief pricfts and fcribes faw the "wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the "temple Hofanna, they were enraged." One would not think, that, after the multitude of miracles that our Saviour had now been doing for above three years together, the curing the lame and blind fhould fo much move them. But we muft remember, that though his miniftry had abounded with miracles, yet the moft of them had been done about Galilee, and in parts remote from Jerufalem. There is but one left upon record hitherto done in that city; and that had fo ill a reception, that they fought his life for it; as we may read John v. 16. And therefore we hear not of his being at the next paffover, because he was there only privately, as an ordinary Jew: the reafon whereof we may read, John vii. 1. "After these things, Jefus walked in Galilee, for he would not "walk in Jewry, because the Jews fought to kill him."

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Hence we may guefs the reafon why St. John omitted the mention of his being at Jerufalem at the third paffover after his bap