21 He that hath my Commandments, and keepme: and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

eth them, he it is that loveth

457

But Sect. 174.

John XIV.

; 21.

Judas enquires, how he would manifeft himself to them.
moft intimate and infeparable Union.
this will only be the Privilege of fuch as evidence
their Love to me by an Obedience to my Word
for he that has my Commandments difcovered to
him, and diligently keeps them, be it is that loveth
me; but none befides have any Title to this Cha-
racter, whatever fpecious Pretences they may
make to it: And he that thus fhews that he loveth
me, fhall be loved by my Father, and I will alfo
love him, and in a most condefcending and indear-
ing Manner will manifeft myself to him.

22 Judas faith unto him,

that thou wilt manifeft thyfelf unto us, and not unto the World?

Judas was very much furprized at this; not 22 (not Ifcariot,) Lord, how is it Judas Iscariot; for he, as it was faid before, was gone out, before our Lord began this Difcourfe; (chap. xiii. 31. pag. 438.) and had he been there, he was always too much on his Guard to have dropped any Hint of his View to Christ's Temporal Kingdom (d); but another Apostle of that Name, who was alfo called Thaddeus and Lebbeus, the Son of Alpheus, and the Brother of James, (fee Note (f) on Mark iii. 18. Vol. i. pag. 322.) a near Relation to our Lord himself (e): This Judas upon hearing Chrift exprefs himself in fuch a Way, fays to him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifeft thyself to us, and not to the World? Doft thou not then intend to make a publick Appearance, which will be obvious to the Eyes of all?

Jefus

(d) Was always too much on his Guard, &c.] It is obfervable, that Judas Iscariot was fo finished a Hypocrite, that we never find him faying one Word of Christ's Temporal Kingdom, tho' probably the Hope of Preferment and Gain in it was the chief Confideration which engaged him to follow our Lord.Let the Reader indulge me while I tell him, that he owes this Remark to that incomparable Person, the late Reverend Mr. David Some of Harborough; and let him join with me in lamenting the fatal Modefty, which engaged him with his dying Breath to confign to the Flames thofe Writings, which (unfinished as fome of them might have appeared,) would probably have been the Means of fpreading among Thousands that Spirit of Wifdom, Piety, and Love, into which the whole Soul of the Author feemed to be transformed.

(e) A near Relation to our Lord himself.] His Father Alpheus feems to have been the fame with Cleopas; for as Judas and James were the Sons of Alpheus, (Luke vi. 15, 16.) fo James is elsewhere faid to be the Son of Mary, (Mat. xxvii. 56. and Mark xv. 40.) who was the Wife of Cleopas, and Sifter to the Mother of our Lord. (John xix. 25.) Judas is therefore numbered with James, and Fofes, and Simon, among the Brethren or near Kinfmen of our Lord: (Mat. xiii. 55. and Mark vi. 3.) And being fo nearly related to Chrift, he might think himself peculiarly concerned to enquire into the Meaning of an Affertion, which feemed inconfiftent with the Profpect of a Temporal Kingdom, in which, perhaps, he expected fome eminent Office.

VOL. II.

Mm m

(f) You

23.

458
Sect. 174. Jefus anfwered and faid to him, As to that,
it may be fufficient to tell you, that, as I faid
John XIV. before, (ver. 21.) if any Man fincerely love me,
he will in an humble and obedient Manner keep
and obferve my Word; and if he shall be found
to do fo, my Father, who at all Times has a
tender Regard to my Honour and Interest, will
undoubtedly love him; and we will both of us come to
him, by the favourable Tokens of our Prefence, and
will make [our] conftant Abode with him: You are
therefore to understand what I faid of manifest-
ing myself to him that loves me, not of any Cor-
poreal and fenfible Appearance, but of such a Spi-
ritual and intimate Correfpondence, as the invifi-
ble Father of Glory and Grace maintains with
But on the contrary, he
his People thro' me.
that does not really love me, does not obferve and keep
my Words with any Conftancy and Refolution; and
therefore must expect no fuch Spiritual and Eter-
nal Benefits, whatever outward Privileges he may
enjoy: See to it therefore, that you diligently
hearken and attend to what I fay; for the Word
which you hear me fpeak, is not originally or
merely mine, but it is [the Word] of my Father
that fent me, who has particularly given it in
Charge to me, that I fhould thus infift upon prac
tical and univerfal Holiness, as one great End of
my Appearance.

The Comforter would come, and teach them all Things.

24

25

23 Jefus answered and faid unto him, If a Man love me, he will keep my Words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our Abode with

him.

24 He that loveth me not, keepeth not my Sayings: and Word which you hear, is not mine, but the Father's which fent me.

the

25 Thefe Things have I

prefent with you:

And accordingly you know, that I have ftrongly infifted upon it as fuch; and thefe Things fpoken unto you, being yet I have spoken to you again and again, while I con26 tinued perfonally prefent with you. But when

the Comforter, that I have promifed you, is come; [even] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father after my Departure will fend in my Name, to act as the great Agent in my Caufe, and to negotiate the Affairs of my Kingdom; he fhall teach you all Things which it is neceffary for you to know, and remind you of all Things which I have faid to you, that you may not only recollect them in the fulleft Manner for your own Inftruction, but record them for the Edification of my Church27 in fucceeding Ages. In the mean Time,

as I am now departing from you, Peace I leave

with

26 But the Comforter,

which is the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will fend

in my Name, he shall teach you all Things, and bring all Things to your Rememfaid unto you.

brance, whatsoever I have

27 Peace I leave with

you,

They should rejoice, that he was going to the Father.

28 Ye have heard how I faid unto you, I go away, and come again unto you If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I faid, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

27.

459

with you as my Legacy; and as a Bleffing of the Sect. 174.
greateft Moment and Importance to you, my
Peace I give unto you; fuch a Peace as none but John XIV.
I can impart, a Peace with GOD, and yourselves,
as well as with your Fellow-Creatures, which
will be the Spring of folid and lafting Happiness:
And it is not as the World often gives and wishes
Peace, in an empty Form of ineffectual, and
often, perhaps, unmeaning Compliment, that I
give it unto you; but as I moft fincerely with it,
I will most certainly fecure it to you: Let not
your
Heart therefore be troubled at the Thoughts
my Departure, neither let it be afraid of what
may
befal you when I am gone; for I will help
you to poffefs your Souls in Quietness and Peace,
and will establish it upon the firmest Basis.

of

You need not then to be difcouraged at the Sepa- 28 ration that will now be made between us; for as you have heard how I faid to you, that I go away, fo alfo you have been informed of my Intention in it, and know that I have added, I will come [again] to you: And furely if you loved me with a wife and rational Affection, it would allay your Sorrows in the mean Time, and howfoever you might have a mournful Senfe of your own Lofs, you would rejoice on my Account, because I said, I go to the Father; for my Father, whofe Servant I am as Mediator, is in this Refpect greater than me, and confequently it must be my Honour and Happiness to be in a State of greater Nearness to him, than the prefent World will admit. And now I have told that when it is come to pass, you this, that I have been difcourfing to you, concerning my own Removal, my Return to the Father, and the Defcent of the Spirit upon you, before it comes to pass; that when it does come to pass, you may more firmly believe, not only on Account of the extraordinary Nature of the Events themselves, but also on Account of their evident Correspondence with these Predictions of mine (f).

29 And now I have told you before it come to pass,

ye might believe.

It

(f) You may more firmly believe, not only on Account &c.] It is very judicioufly obferved by Dr. Jenkin, (in his excellent Defence of Chriftianity,) that when Miraculous Events are alfo the Accomplishment of Prophecies, the Degree of Evidence arifing from them is the greatest that can poffibly be conceived.

Mmm 2

(8) Arife,

29

460

Sect. 174. John XIV. 30.

31

John xiv. 15, 21.

Ver. 16, 17.

Ver. 18.

The Prince of this World was coming, but had nothing in him.

It will be your Wisdom the rather to ob-
serve and review these Things, as 1 shall not here-
after have Time to difcourfe much more with you
about them; for Satan, the Prince of this Apoftate
World, is coming to encounter me, and is raising
a Storm against me which will quickly feparate
us: Nevertheless I have this Comfort, that he has
nothing in me, no Guilt of mine to give him
Power over me, nor any inward Corruption to
take Part with his Temptation. But he is
permitted thus to attack me, and I contentedly
fubmit to my approaching Sufferings, that the
World fee and know on the moft fubftantial
may
Evidence, that I love the Father fo well, as to

30 Hereafter I will not

talk much with you: for the

Prince of this World com

eth, and hath nothing in me.

31 But that the World may know that I love the Father; and as the Father

gave me Commandment, even fo I do. Arife, let us go hence..

refuse nothing whereby his Glory may be ad- Sohn XY 1.7 462

vanced; and that as the Father has commanded
me, even so I do, how painful or expensive soever
that Obedience may be. And therefore, that we
may be prepared for this Hour of Temptation
that is coming upon us, arife, let us go from
bence (g), and retire to a Place where we may
more conveniently attend our Devotions; and
where I may be ready, when my cruel Enemies
fhall come to apprehend me, to yeild myself into
their Hands, and to submit to what my Father
has appointed for me.

SUREL

IMPROVEMENT.

URELY, if we are not entirely Strangers to the Divine Life,, we cannot read fuch Difcourfes as thefe, without feeling fome warm Emotions of Love to Chrift: And if indeed we feel them, let us confider how they are to be expreffed. Our Lord directs us to do it, in the most folid, and the most acceptable Manner, by a conftant Care to keep his Commandments; and fure, fuch Commandments as his cannot be grievous to a Soul that truly loves him. (1 John v. 3.) The more we live in the Practice of them, the more chearfully may we expect the abundant Communications of his Spirit, to animate and strengthen us.

If we are Chriftians indeed, let us not, in any Circumftance of Life, look on ourselves as helpless and abandoned Orphans. Human Friends

may

(g) Arife, let us go bence.] See Note (a) in the next Section.That was fometimes fignifies Tho', or nevertheless, as I have rendered it ver. 30. fee Note (e) on John xvii. 25. Sect. 180.

Ver. 21, 23.

Reflections on the Regard of CHRIST to them that love him. 46r may forfake us; but Chrift will come to us: He will manifeft himself to Sect. 174. the Eye of Faith, tho' to the Eye of Senfe he is invifible; and his Heavenly Father will love us, and watch over us for Good: Yea, he will come and dwell in the obedient Soul by the gracious Tokens of his intimate and infeparable Prefence. And do we any of us experience this? We have furely Reason to say that, by Way of Admiration, which the Apoftle faid by Way of Enquiry, Lord, how and whence is it, that Ver. 22. thou wilt manifeft thyself to us, aud not to the World? What have we done to deserve these diftinguishing Manifeftations? Nay, how much have we done to forfeit them? even more than many, from whom they are withheld!

With unutterable Joy let us review this rich Legacy of our dying Ver. 27. Lord: Peace I leave with you; my Peace 1 give unto you. Lord, evermore give us this Peace with GOD, and with our own Consciences! for if thou wilt give Quietness, who can make Trouble? (Fob xxxiv. 29.) How ferenely may we then país thro' the moft turbulent Scenes of Life, when all is quiet and harmonious within? Thou haft made Peace thro' the Blood of thy Crofs; (Col. t. 20.) may we preferve the precious Purchase and inestimable Gift inviolate, till it iffue in everlafting Peace! In this let our Hearts be encouraged; in this let them rejoice; and not in our own Happiness alone, but alfo in that of our now glorified and exalted Redeemer. As the Members of his Body, we ought certainly to Ver. 28.. maintain a pleafing Sympathy with our Head, and to triumph in his Honour and Felicity, as our own. If we love Chrift, we fhould rejoice, because he is gone to the Father. And the fame Confideration may in its Degree comfort us, when our pious Friends are removed: If we love them with a rational and generous Friendship, and are not too much influenced by felfifh Affections under that fpecious Name, our Joy for their Exaltation will greatly temper the Sorrow, which our own Lofs must give us.

Our Lord uttered thefe Words in the near Views of a grievous Affault from the Prince of this World, who is the Prince of Darkness; Ver. 30. but there was no Corruption in him, to take Part with the Enemy. Too much, alas, does he find in us to abet his Temptations: Let us earneftly pray, that the Grace of Chrift may be fufficient for us; and that as his Love to the Father engaged him to go thro' this painful Con- Ver. 31. flict with the Tempter, bis Love to us may make us Partakers of his Victory. In his Name let us fet up our Banners; and the Powers of Hell fhall flee before us..

SECT.