furrection," Wilt thou at this time reftore again the kingdom to “Ifrael?"

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Having finished thefe difcourfes, he takes order for the paffover, and eats it with his difciples; and at fupper tells them, that one of them should betray him: and adds, John xiii. 19. "I tell it you now, before it come, that when it is come to pafs, you may "know that I am." He does not fay out the Meffiah; Judas should not have that to say against him if he would; though that be the fenfe in which he uses this expreffion, iyi, more than once. And that this is the meaning of it, is clear from Mark xii. 6. Luke xxi. 8. In both which evangelifts the words are," For fhall come in many my name, faying, iyw it, I am :" the meaning whereof we shall find explained in the parallel place of St. Matthew, chap. xxiv. 5. "For many fhall come in my name, faying, “ ¿yw cipes ò Xpirós, I am the Meffiah." Here in this place of John xiii. Jefus foretells what should happen to him, viz. that he should be betrayed by Judas; adding this prediction to the many other particulars of his death and fuffering, which he had at other times foretold to them. And here he tells them the reason of these his predictions, viz. that afterwards they might be a confirmation to their faith. And what was it that he would have them believe, and be confirmed in the belief of? Nothing but this, or iy sip, that he was the Meffiah. The fame reafon he gives, John xiii. 28. "You "have heard, how I faid unto you, I go away, and come again unto you: and now I have told you before it come to pass, that when "it is come to pafs, ye might believe."

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When Judas had left them, and was gone out, he talks a little freer to them of his glory, and of his kingdom, than ever he had done before. For now he speaks plainly of himself, and of his kingdom, John xiii. 31. "Therefore when he [Judas] was gone "out, Jefus faid, Now is the fon of man glorified, and God is "alfo glorified in him. And if God be glorified in him, God fhall "alfo glorify him in himself, and shall straitway glorify him." And Luke xxii. 29. " And I will appoint unto you a kingdom, as my. father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink "with me at my table in my kingdom." Though he has every where all along through his miniftry preached " the Gofpel of the "kingdom," and nothing elfe but that and repentance, and the duties of a good life; yet it has been always "the kingdom of God," and the kingdom of heaven :" and I do not remember, that any where, till now, he ufes any fuch expreffion as "my kingdom." But here now he speaks in the first perfon, " I will appoint you a "kingdom;" and " in my kingdom :" and this, we fee is only to the eleven, now Judas was gone from them.

With these eleven, whom he was now juft leaving, he has a long difcourfe to comfort them for their lofs of him, and to prepare them for the perfecution of the world, and to exhort them to keep his commandments, and to love one another. And here one may expect all the articles of faith fhould be laid down plainly, if any

thing else were required of them to believe, but what he had taught them, and they believed already; viz. "That he was the Meffiah,' John xiv. 1. "Ye believe in God, believe alfo in me," ver. 29. "I

have told you before it come to pafs, that when it is come to pass, "ye may believe." It is believing on him, without any thing elfe, John xvi. 31. " Jefus anfwered them, Do you now believe?" This was in answer to their profeffing, ver. 30. "Now are we fure that "thou knoweft all things, and needeft not that any man fhould afk thee: by this we believe that thou comeft forth from God." John xvii. 20. "Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them alfo "which fhall believe on me through their word." All that is fpoke of Believing," in this his laft fermon to them, is only Believing on him," or believing that he came from God," which was no other than believing him to be the Meffiah.

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"

Indeed, John xiv. 9. our Saviour tells Philip, "He that hath "feen me, hath feen the father;" and adds, ver. 10. "Be"lieveft 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." Which being in answer to Philip's words, ver. 9. "Shew us the father," feem to import thus much: "No man hath feen God at any time," he is known only by his works. And that he is my father, and I the fon of God, i. e. the Meffiah, you may know by the works I have done; which it is impoffible I could do of myfelf, but by the union I have with God my father. For that by being " in God," and "God in him," he fignifies fuch an union with God, that God operates in and by him, appears not only by the words above-cited out of ver. 10. (which can fcarce otherwife be made coherent sense), but alfo from the fame phrafe ufed again by our Saviour prefently after, ver. 20. "At that day," viz. after his refurrection, when they fhould fee him again, "ye fhall know that I am in my fa"ther, and you in me, and I in you;" i. e. by the works I fhall enable you to do, through a power I have received from the father: which whoever fees me do, muft acknowledge the father to be in me; and whoever fees you do, muft acknowledge me to be in you. And therefore he fays, ver. 12. "Verily, verily I fay unto you, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do fhall he alfo do, be"cause I go unto my father." Though I go away, yet I fhall be in you, who believe in me; and ye fhall be enabled to do miracles alfo for the carrying on of my kingdom, as I have done that it may be manifefted to others, that you are fent by me, as I have evidenced to you that I am fent by the father. And hence it is that he says, in the immediate preceding ver. 11. "Believe me that "I am in the father, and the father in me; if not, believe me for "the fake of the works themfelves." Let the works that I have done, convince you that I am fent by the father; that he is with me, and that I do nothing but by his will, and by virtue of the union I have with him; and that, confequently, I am the Meffiah, who

:

am

am anointed, fanctified, and feparated by the father to the work for which he hath fent me.

To confirm them in this faith, and to enable them to do such works as he had done, he promises them the Holy Ghost, John xiv. 25, 26." These things I have faid unto you, being yet prefent with you:" but when I am gone, "the Holy Ghoft, the paraclet" (which may fignify monitor, as well as comforter, or advocate),

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which the father fhall fend you in my name, he shall fhew you "all things, and bring to your remembrance all things which I "have faid." So that, confidering all that I have faid, and laying it together, and comparing it with what you fhall fee come to pass, you may be more abundantly affured that I am the Meffiah, and fully comprehend that I have done and fuffered all things foretold of the Meffiah; and that were to be accomplished and fulfilled by him, according to the fcriptures. But be not filled with grief that I leave you; John xvi. 7." It is expedient for you that I go away: "for if I go not away, the paraclet will not come unto you." One reason why, if he went not away, the Holy Ghoft could not come, we may gather from what has been obferved concerning the prudent and wary carriage of our Saviour all through his miniftry, that he might not incur death with the leaft fufpicion of a malefactor: and therefore though his difciples believed him to be the Meffiah, yet they neither understood it fo well, nor were fo well confirmed in the belief of it, as after that, he being crucified and rifen again, they had received the Holy Ghoft; and with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a fuller and clearer evidence and knowledge that he was the Meffiah. They then were enlightened, to fee how his kingdom was such as the fcriptures foretold; though not fuch as they, till then, had expected. And now this knowledge and affurance received from the Holy Ghoft was of ufe to them after his refurrection; when they could now boldly go about, and openly preach, as they did, that Jefus was the Mefliah, confirming that doctrine by the miracles which the Holy Ghoft impowered them to do. But till he was dead and gone, they could not do this. Their going about openly preaching, as they did after his refurrection, that Jefus was the Meffiah, and doing miracles every where to make it good, would not have confifted with that character of humility, peace, and innocence, which the Meffiah was to fuftain, if they had done it before his crucifixion: for this would have drawn upon him the condemnation of a malefactor, either as a ftirrer of fedition against the public peace, or as a pretender to the kingdom of Ifrael. And hence we fee, that they who before his death preached only "the gospel of the kingdom," that "the kingdom of "God was at hand;' as foon as they had received the Holy Ghoft after his refurrection, changed their ftyle, and every where, in exprefs words, declare, that jefus is the Meffiah, that " king" which was to come. This, the following words here in St. John xvi. 8-14. confirm, where he goes on to tell them; "And when he is come, " he will convince the world of fin, because they believed not on

"me."

"me." Your preaching then, accompanied with miracles, by the affistance of the Holy Ghoft, fhall be a conviction to the world that the Jews finned in not believing me to be the Meffiah. "Of

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righteousness," or juftice: "because I go to my father, and ye fee me no more." By the fame preaching and miracles you shall confirm the doctrine of my afcenfion; and thereby convince the world that I was that "just one," who am therefore afcended to the father into heaven, where no unjust person fhall enter. "Of judge"ment: becaufe the prince of this world is judged." And by the fame affiftance of the Holy Ghoft ye fhall convince the world that the devil is judged or condemned, by your cafting of him out, and deftroying his kingdom, and his worship, wherever you preach. Our Saviour adds, "I have yet many things to fay unto you, but you cannot bear them now." They were yet fo full of a temporal kingdom, that they could not bear the discovery of what kind of kingdom his was, nor what a king he was to be; and therefore he leaves them to the coming of the Holy Ghoft, for a farther and fuller difcovery of himself, and the kingdom of the Meffiah, for fear they thould be fcandalized in him, and give up the hopes they had now in him, and forfake him. This he tells them, ver. 1, of this xvith chapter: "These things I have faid unto you, that you may "not be fcandalized." The last thing he had told them before his faying this to them, we find in the laft verfes of the precedent chapter: When the paraclet is come, the fpirit of truth, he fhall "witness concerning me." He fhall fhew you who I am, and witness it to the world; and then, "Ye alfo fhall bear witness, be"caufe ye have been with me from the beginning." He fhall call to your mind what I have faid and done, that ye may understand it, and know, and bear witnefs concerning me. And again here, John xvi. after he had told them, they could not bear what he had more to fay, he adds, ver. 13. Howbeit, when the Spirit of truth "is come, he will guide you into all truth; and he will fhew you "things to come: he thall glorify me." By the Spirit, when lie comes, ye fhall be fully inftructed concerning me; and though you cannot yet, from what I have faid to you, clearly comprehend my kingdom and glory, yet he fhall make it known to you wherein it confifts and though I am now in a mean ftate, and ready to be given up to contempt, torment, and death, fo that ye know not what to think of it, yet the fpirit, when he comes, "fhall glorify "me," and fully fatisfy you of my power and kingdom; and that I fit on the right-hand of God, to order all things for the good and increate of it, till I come again at the last day in the fulness of glory.

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Accordingly, the apoftles had a full and clear fight and perfuafion of this, after they had received the Holy Ghoft; and they preached it every where boldly and openly, without the leaft remainder of doubt or uncertainty. But that even fo late as this, they understood .not his death and refurrection, is evident from ver. 17, 18. " Then "faid fome of the difciples among themfelves, What is this that he faith unto us; A little while, and ye fhall not fee me; and again, "a little

a little while, and ye fhall fee me; and because I go to the father? They faid therefore, What is this that he faith, a little while? we know not what he faith." Upon which, he goes on to difcourfe to them of his death and refurrection, and of the power they should have of doing miracles. But all this he declares to them in a myftical and involved way of fpeaking: as he tells them himfelf, ver. 25. "Thefe things have I fpoken to you in proverbs," i. e. in general, obfcure, ænigmatical, or figurative terms. (All which, as well as allufive apologues, the Jews called proverbs or parables.) Hitherto my declaring of myself to you hath been. obfcure, and with referve; and I have not spoken of myfelf to you. in plain and direct words, becaufe ye "could not bear it." A Meffiah, and not a king, you could not understand; and a king living in poverty and perfecution, and dying the death of a flave and malefactor upon a crofs, you could not put together. And had 1 told you in plain words, that I was the Meffiah, and given you a direct commiffion to preach to others, that I profeffedly owned myself to be the Meffiah, you and they would have made a commotion, to have fet me upon the throne of my father David, and to fight for me, that your Meffiah, your king, in whom are your hopes of a kingdom, fhould not be delivered up into the hands of his enemies, to be put to death; and of this, Peter will inftantly give you a proof. But" the time cometh when I fhall no more "fpeak unto you in parables; but I fhall fhew unto you plainly of "the father." My death and refurrection, and the coming of the Holy Ghoft, will speedily enlighten you, and then I fhall make you know the will and defign of the father; what a kingdom I am to have, and by what means, and to what end, ver. 27. And this the father himself will fhew unto you; "For he loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from the "father." Because ye have believed that I am "the fon of God, "the Meffiah;" that he hath anointed and fent me; though it hath not been yet fully difcovered to you what kind of kingdom it shall be, nor by what means brought about. And then our Saviour, without being asked, explaining to them what he had faid, and making them understand better what before they stuck at, and complained fecretly among themselves, that they understood not; they thereupon declare, ver. 30. "Now are we fure that thou knoweft all things, and needeft not that any man fhould afk thee." It is plain thou knoweft mens thoughts and doubts before they ask. By this we believe that thou comeft forth from God. Jefus an"fwered, Do ye now believe?" Notwithstanding that you now believe that I came from God, and am the Meffiah, fent by him; "Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that shall be scat"tered;" and as it is Matt. xxvi. 31. and " fhall all be fcandalized " in me.” What it is to be fcandalized in him, we may fee by what followed hereupon, if that which he fays to St. Peter, Mark xiv. did not sufficiently explain it.

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