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"witness of me; and I know that the wit"nefs which he witneffeth of me, is true."

Our Saviour here argues, that had he poffeffed no other claim to their faith in him, than his own mere declaration, they might have been juftified in doubting him; but he had another witness, whose truth could not be doubted; namely, God the Father; who gave teftimony of him at his baptifm, at his transfiguration, and by his miracles.

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"33. Ye fent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.

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34. But I receive not teftimony from man: but these things I fay, that ye might be faved.

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35. He was a burning and a fhining light and ye were willing for a feafon

to rejoice in his light."

Our Lord goes on to put them in mind of the teftimony of John; whom they had

received

received at first favorably, and who, upon their inquiring concerning him, had exprefsly pointed him out as the long-expected Meffiah that should come into the world; but declares that, although in compaffion to their infirmities and with the hope of bringing them to falvation he appealed to human evidence, his testimony was of a much higher nature.

"36. But I have greater witness than "that of John: for the works which the "Father hath given me to finish, the same "works that I do, bear witness of me, "that the Father hath fent me.

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37. And the Father himself, which "hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. "Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor feen his shape.

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"38. And ye have not his word abideing in you for whom he hath fent, him ye believe not."

Befides the teftimony given of him by the Father, in the inftances before-mentioned,

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tioned, the miraculous works which he did, loudly proclaimed his truth; and nothing less than the pride and obftinacy of the Jews, could have withheld their affent from fuch evident proofs. The works given him by the Father to finish, were to publifh the gofpel of peace and good-will towards men, and to beat down the partition-wall; that the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, might be admitted into the Catholic or Univerfal Church,

When God appeared upon mount Sinai, the children of Ifrael were terrified: "And they faid unto Mofes, Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God

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fpeak with us, left we die."-(Exodus, chap. xx. ver. 19.) The Jews had not the fame excufe to plead, refpecting our Saviour: fo far were they from fearing him, that, blinded by prejudice, they not only denied, in oppofition to the clearest evidence, that he was the Meffiah whom the prophets foretold fhould come into the world, but frequently derided him and his pretenfions: they neither faw God, nor

heard

heard his voice, though he dwelt amongst them; for had they known him, they would have known the Father also.

39. Search the Scriptures; for in "them ye think ye have eternal life: and "they are they which testify of me."

What an unanswerable reference to unbelievers! The Scriptures were the only guides that the Jews had to point out the Meffiah; and they plainly proved Jesus Christ to be the person: there were some parts, however, which did not fuit their tafte; fuch as thofe in the fifty-third chapter of Ifaiah, where he is described as a man of forrow and acquainted with grief;" as despised and rejected of men." These, and fimilar paffages which were truly characteristic of our Saviour, they chose to overlook; attending only to fuch parts as, by the false construction of fpiritual glory into temporal power and rule, flattered their vanity; and which the

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lowly

lowly fituation of our Lord by no means fulfilled.

One great reason, fays Stanhope, why many who read the fcripture history very much, make improvement by no means anfwerable to their time and pains, is certainly this; that men ufually content themfelves with a general knowledge of facts related there, without defcending to nice circumstances and the manner of performing them, whereas here it is chiefly that the beauty and advantage of history lies: thefe, rightly judged and aptly applied, are the parts best qualified to inform our understanding, and to feafon all our converfation with prudence and all our behaviour with propriety.

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Strange folly! to reject, by their disbelief in him, fo great falvation! Let us, whilft we pity their flupidity, take care to guard

against

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