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492

And that they might be with him to behold his Glory.

loved me.

Sect. 180.may be fenfible that thou hast loved them, as thou haft loved them, as thou haft ~baft loved me, and haft extended this Mercy to John XVII them for my fake.

24

25

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But no Improvements either in Holiness or Comfort in this World can compleatly anfwer the Purposes of my Love, and the Promifes of my Grace to them; and therefore, oh Father, permit me to fay, that I will, that is, I importunately afk it, and in Confequence of the mutual Transactions between us, I am bold to claim it as Matter of Right, that they also whom thou haft graciously given me, even all thy chofen and fanctified People, may at length be with me where F am, in that Heavenly World to which I am now removing; that they may there behold and contemplate, with everlasting delightful Admiration, my Glory which thou haft by thy fure Appointment given me (d), and art just ready to bestow; for thou hast loved me before the Foundation of the World, and didft then decree for me that Mediatorial Kingdom, with which thou art now about to invest me.

24 Father, I will that

they alfo whom thou haft

given me, be with me where

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am; that they may behold my Glory which thou haft given me: for thou lovedst of the World.

me before the Foundation

25 O righteous Father, thee; but I have known the World hath not known thee, and thefe have known that thou haft fent me.

And herein thou wilt not only be merciful, but faithful and juft too, as it is congruous to thofe effential Perfections of thy Nature, ob moft righteous Father, thus to diftinguish me and my Followers with a peculiar Glory: For tho' the World has not known or acknowledged thee (e), yet I have known thee, and have accordingly directed the whole of my Miniftrations to thy Glory; and thefe my Servants too have known that thou haft fent me, and will couragiously affert it, even at the Expence of their very Lives. 26 And I have declared thy Name to them, and will as I have Opportunity farther go on to declare unto them thy Name, and [it,] both by my Word, and by my Spirit, that

their

26 And I have declared

will declare it: that the

Love

(d) My Glory which thou haft given me.] This may exprefs the Luftre and Beauty of Christ's perfonal Appearance, the Adoration paid him by the Inhabitants of the upper World, and the Adminiftration of the Affairs of that Providential Kingdom, which it is his high Office to prefide over.

(e) Tho' the World has not known thee.] That was here fignifies Tho', the Connection plainly demonftrates; and Elfner produces many Inftances of it: (Obferv. Vol. i. pag. 334.) To which the following Inftances from the Sacred Writers may be added, among many others, Luke xviii. 7. John xiv. 30. As vii. 5. and Heb. iii. 9.

Reflections on CHRIST's Prayer for his People.

Love wherewith thou haft loved me, may be in them,

and I in them.

W

John XVII.

493 their Graces and Services may be more eminent; Sect. 180. that the Love with which thou haft loved me, may be dwelling in them, and that I alfo may take up 26. my constant Refidence in them by my Spiritual Prefence, when my Bodily Prefence is removed, as it will quickly be.

IMPROVEMENT.

E have indeed perpetual Reafon of Thankfulness, that our gra- John xvii. cious Redeemer pake thefe Words in the World, and recalled 13. them thus exactly to the Memory of his beloved Difciple fo many Years after, that we, in the most diftant Ages of his Church, might by reviewing them, have his Joy fulfilled in us. Let us with Pleasure recollect, that thofe Petitions which Chrift offered for his Apostles, were expressly declared, not to be intended for them alone; but, fo far as Circumstances Ver. 20. fhould agree, for all that should believe on him thro' their Word, and therefore for us, if we are real, and not merely nominal Believers. For us doth he still pray, not that GOD would immediately take us out of Ver. 15. the World, tho' for his fake we may be continually hated and injured in Ver. 14. but that he would keep us from the Evil to which we are here expofed. For our fakes did he alfo fanctify himself as a Propitiation for Ver. 19. our Sins, that we also might be fanctified thro' the Truth; for he gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify unto bimfelf a peculiar People, zealous of good Works. (Tit. ii. 14.)

it ;

May these wife and gracious Purposes of his Love be fulfilled in us! May we be one with each other, and with him! May that Piety and Ver. 21. Charity appear in the whole Series of our Temper and Behaviour, which may evidently fhew the Force of our Religion, and reflect a confpicuous Honour upon the great Founder of it! And may all concur to train us up for that compleat Felicity Above, in which all the Purposes of his Love center! It is the declared Will of Chrift, and let us never forget it, that his People fhould be with him where he is, that they may behold Ver. 24. his Glory which the Father has given him. And there is apparent Congruity, as well as Mercy, in the Appointment; that where he is, there · alfo fhould his Servants and Members be. The bleffed Angels do undoubt- edly behold the Glory of Chrift with perpetual Congratulation and Delight: But how much more Řeason fhall we have to rejoice and triumph in it, when we confider it as the Glory of One in our own Nature, the Glory of our Redeemer and our Friend, and the Pledge and Security of our own everlafting Happiness! Let us often be lifting up the Eyes of our Faith towards it, and let us breathe after Heaven in this View; in the mean Time, with all due Zeal, and Love, and Duty acknowledging the Ver. 25. Father

494

As CHRIST is going with his Disciples to the Garden, Sect. 180. Father and the Son, that the Joys of Heaven may be anticipated in our Souls, while the Love of GOD is fhed abroad there by his Spirit, which Ver. 26. is given unto us; even fomething of that Love, wherewith he has loved Jefus our incarnate Head.

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JESUS retires from the Guest-Chamber to the Garden of
Gethsemane, and in his Way thither renews the Caution
which he had given to Peter and the rest of the Apostles.
Mat. XXVI. 31,----35. Mark XIV. 27,----31.
XXII. 39. John XVIII. 1.

JOHN XVIII. 1.

Luke

JOHN XVIII. 1.

Sect. 181. AND when Jesus had spoken these Words that [ANDI when Jefus had

1.

are mentioned above, and had concluded his John XVIII. Discourse with this excellent Prayer to his Heavenly Father, he came out from the Gueft-Chamber where he had celebrated the Paffover, and according to his ufual Custom every Night, went forth with his Difciples out of the City; and croffing over the Brook Kedron, which lay on the East Side of Jerufalem, he came to the Foot of the Mount of Olives; where there was a Garden belonging to one of his Friends, into which he had often been used to retire; and tho' he knew, his Enemies would come this very Night to seize him there, yet he entered into it (a); and his Difciples alfo followed him.

Mat. XXVI. 31.

you

Then, as they were on the Way thither, Jefus
fays to them, Notwithstanding all the Faith
have profeffed in me, and all the Affection which
I know you bear to me, yet not only one or ano-

ther,

spoken these Words, forth [as he was wont,] with he [came out, and] went his Difciples, over the Brook Cedron, [to the Mount of den, into the which he enOlives,] where was a Gartred, and his Difciples [also followed him.] [LUKE XXII. 39.1

MAT. XXVI. 31. Then faith Jefus unto them, All ye

(a) A Garden, into which he entered.] Chrift probably retired into fuch a private Place, not only for the Advantage of fecret Devotion, which perhaps he might not fo well have enjoyed in the City at fo publick a Time; but alfo that the People might not be alarmed at his being apprehended, nor in the firft Sallies of their Zeal and Rage attempt to rescue him in a tumultuous Manner.- Kedron was, as its Name fignifies, a dark shady Vale between Jerufalem and the Mount of Olives, thro' which a little Brook ran, which took its Name from the Place. (Compare 2 Sam. xv, 23.)

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(b) He

ye fhall be offended because of me this Night: for it is written, I will fmite the Shepherd, and the Sheep of the Flock fhall be fcattered abroad. [MARK XIV. 27.]

495

Mat. XXVI.

He tells them, they would all be foon offended and leave him. ther, but all of you shall be offended because of me Sect. 181. this very Night; and the Hour is juft at hand, when fomething will happen, which fhall prove the fad Occafion of your falling into Sin, by forfaking your Mafter and Friend, and leaving me in the Hands of the Enemy: For it is written, (Zech. xiii. 7.) "I will fmite the Shepherd, and

32 But after [that] I am rifen again, I will go go before you into Galilee. [MAKK XIV. 28.1

33 [But] Peter answered and faid unto him, Tho' all Men fhall be offended because of thee, [yet] will I never be offended. [MARK XIV. 29.]

31.

the Sheep of the Flock fhall be fcattered:" I am
that Shepherd, and you the timorous Sheep, to
be difperfed by the Affault made on your Keeper.
But, as it is afterwards added there by Way of 32
Encouragement, "I will turn my Hand upon

"the Little ones," to reduce and recover them
from this diffipated State; fo likewise, after I am
rifen from the Dead, as I fhall foon be, I will
go before you into Galilee, and there give, not only
you, my Apostles, but all my Difciples, the am-
pleft Demonstration both of my Refurrection and
my Love; whereby your Hearts shall be efta-
blished in the firmeft Adherence to me: And
upon this, he named the particular Place, where
he would meet them (b).

But Peter was fo grieved to hear him fay, that 333
they fhould all be offended, and be fcattered from
him, that with a confident Affurance of his own.
Stedfaftness, he answered and faid to him, My
dearest Lord, there is no Trial can furmount the.
Love 1 bear thee; and whatfoever Danger or
Distress may be at hand, I am abfolutely refolved:
and determined upon it, that tho' every one be-.
fides, and even all the reft of these my Brethren,
Should be offended because of the Calamities that
are coming on thee, and upon this Account should
be induced to forfake thee, yet will I never be
offended, but will follow thee even to the laft.

Jefus

(b) He named the particular Place, &c.] An Appointment to meet in fo large a Region. as Galilee, would without this have been of very little Ufe; and Mat. xxviii. 16. (Sect. 202.) expressly declares fuch an Appointment. We do not know the exact Place, but Matthew fays, it was a certain Mountain: Probably it might be near the Sea of Tiberias; not only because we find Chrift on the Borders of that Sea after his Refurrection; (John xxi. 1. Set, 200.) but alfo, because as he had refided there longer than any where elfe, he had, no doubt, the greatest Number of his Difciples thereabouts; and it lay pretty near the Center of his chief Circuits, and therefore must be moft convenient, efpecially for thofe beyond Jordan, where many had of late believed in him. See John x. 40,—42. Sect. 134.

(<) After

496

Sect. 181.

Mat. XXVI. 34.

35

Peter and all the reft affirm, they would
Jefus faid to him, Peter, this Confidence does
not at all become thee, especially after the Warn-
ing I gave thee at Supper (c); but I repeat it
again, and verily I fay unto thee, that To-day, yea,
[even] this very Night that is now begun, before
the Cock crow twice, thou shalt repeatedly deny me
in the most shameful Manner; for after thou haft
heard it once, thou shalt not be admonished
but before it crow a fecond Time, thou fhalt re-
peat the Fault; nay, thou fhalt do it thrice, and
every Time with new Aggravations.

;

But Peter upon this, inftead of being awakened to a humble Senfe of his own Weakness, fpake the more eagerly, [and] with a Mixture of Grief and Indignation at the Thought, faid to him, Lord, no Danger can induce me to be guilty of fuch Bafenefs; for fuch is the Sincerity and Strength of my Affection to thee, that tho' I fhould die with thee on the Place, yet I will not deny thee in any Manner or Degree (d), but would a thousand Times rather fall by thy Side in a brave and refolute Defence, than fo much as feem to neglect thee, or in any Respect to fail of the strictest and most affectionate Fidelity. And fo all the Difciples faid in like Manner, with equal Sincerity of prefent Intention, tho' neither he, nor they, had Courage enough to abide by that Refolution. Jefus therefore infifted no farther on the Matter, but left them to be taught by the Event.

never deny him.

34 Jefus faid unto him, Verily I fay unto thee, that this [Day, even in this] Night, before the Cock crow [twice,] thou fhalt deny me thrice. [MARK XIV. 30.]

35 [But] Peter [fpake the more vehemently, and] faid unto him, Tho' I fhould

die with thee, yet will I not deny thee [in any wife.] Likewife alfo faid all the Difciples. MARK XIV. 31.]

(c) After the Warning I gave thee at Supper.] See Luke xxii. 34. and John xiii. 38. pag. 442. I perfuade myfelf, that an attentive Comparison of thofe Texts with these before us in Matthew and Mark will convince the Reader, that thefe Admonitions were first given at the Table, and now repeated as they went out: Nor can I find any Way of forming them all harmoniously into one compound Text without fuch a Suppofition.

(d) Spake the more eagerly, — I will not deny thee in any Manner or Degree.] Ex ρίων έλεξε μάλλον, να μη σε απαρνήσομαι. I think the Energy of thefe original Expreflions cannot be reached in a Verfion: I have therefore attempted it in the Paraphrafe; and muft obferve, that if, as the Antients fay, (and particularly Clemens Alexandrinus, as quoted by Eufebius, Ecclef. Hift. lib. ii. cap. 15. fee Mr. Lardner's Credibility, Book v. ch. 22. §. 5.) Peter reviewed Mark's Gofpel, it is peculiarly worth our Notice, that the Aggravations attending his Denial of our Lord fhould be more ftrongly reprefented by Mark, than by any other Evangelift; which, in that Cafe, probably was done by his own particular Direction; and may be regarded as a genuine Proof of his deep Humiliation and Penitence. Compare Mark xiv. 66, 72. with Mat. xxvi, 69, 75. Luke xxii. 54,62. and Jebn xviii. 25, 27. Sect. 184.

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