claim of right in the As if he said, The You are his, but not He, as it were, stands stoutly to his apostles, equally with the Father. Father loveth you, and I do no less. more his than mine. What an opening is here of Christ's love, in these few plain words! It would be matter of great joy to the apostles to hear them; and if we are Christians, it will be our joy also. "And I am glorified in them :" by their belief of me, which furnishes the ability conferred upon them for my service, and their faithful use of it. The wonder is, that he should account anything that man can do, his glory. There is a loud call in the word. 11. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Jesus knew the nature of that world into which he was about to send them, he had an exact foresight of the difficulties which such innocent and holy men must encounter from it; he therefore warns them of the danger, and fortifies them particularly against it by prayer. 11. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. That they may be so joined unto the Lord, as to be one spirit. 1 Cor. vi. 17. One in design, will, and affection, with us, and the same in grace, that we are in nature. 12. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be ful-. filled. 13. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. Who can tell with what tenderness, and solicitude, he watched over them, to keep them to himself! And all for the sake of a lost world, that we might be brought to him by their means. Christ says, I speak these things in their hearing, for their instruction, comfort, and assurance; that they may have my joy fulfilled,—the joy of labouring for souls, in love, joy of the disposition, and of God's approbation. 14. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. "The world hath hated them," as it always does those who stand out in the true spirit of the word, which discovers the corruption of the world, and causes them to turn their backs upon it. "Because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Christ was not of the world: the apostles were not of the world; if we are, we must not pretend to take our religion from them. 15. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They might be apt to suppose from his saying, “They are not of the world," that they were soon to be taken out of the world. He prevents their mistake, by signifying to them, that they were still to be in the world, though not of it, as it is under the power of the evil one. 16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Can Christ say this of us? Are we enslaved to the world, or have we broken off our allegiance to it? May the Lord help us to assure ourselves that we are not of the world. SECTION LXX. Chap. xvii. ver. 17-26. HE PRAYS THE FATHER TO GLORIFY ALL BELIEVERS WITH HIM. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth. The word of God is nothing else. man, call it reason, if you please. It is not the word of error, with respect to our whole state and nature, God and the world, life and death, till we are in union with the word, and by it with him who makes it effectual. 18. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. I have sent them well qualified for their office, by being devoted to God; and with the same authority as I have. 19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. "I sanctify myself," by my obedience unto death. "That they also might be sanctified through the truth," or, truly sanctified; after my example, and by the power of the truth in themselves. 20. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. Christ here opens all his gracious heart, and prays for all believers; showing them withal what they must be, and what they should ask for themselves. O! resolve to be included in this prayer; reckon that you are, when you can pray truly for yourselves, according to Christ's prayer here recorded. 21. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. The only way in which they can be one in themselves, is, by being one in the Father and in the Son. In us, implies this. There may be partial friendships, and worldly associations, but here is a much larger scene opened to us. If ever all are one, and every believer one with all, it must be in God, through Christ, by the Spirit's bond of union; and the perfection of this bond could not possibly be expressed in stronger terms. Note, here is no room to surmise, as some do, that the union of Christ with the Father, is of a different kind from that of believers with them. The meaning is, that they may be one in themselves, by an influence from us, as we are one in everything, by nature. "That the world may believe that thou hast sent me :" when it sees that to which the world, in its natural state, is an entire stranger, and which nothing but a divine power can effect, namely, a body of men knit together in love, and actuated by one Spirit. This proof of our Christianity, if we had it, would be instead of a thousand arguments to unbelievers. The faithful soul will observe what the religion of the Bible is, and seek to have this proof in himself. 22. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: Christ had given to them the glory of being filled with the Spirit, as he was in his humanity, in order to love. And glory it is, if he knows what true glory is, who here repeats it four times for our observation. That as "That they may be one, even as we are one.” they are one in nature, they may be one in will and affection, as we are one in nature, will, and affection. 23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. "I in them, and thou in me." The Godhead in Christ, and Christ in the human nature, is its redemption. He is in us with his atonement, righteousness, Spirit, all he was, did, and suffered. Jesus rises in his expression, as he proceeds; he desires that the world may not only believe, but know the truth of his mission, and the love of God towards the members of Christ, that is, of himself. And this by the greatness of the effect, in all the operations of the Spirit. 24. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am: that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. He now speaks of another kind of glory, for which the former glory fits us, consummate happiness in the sight and enjoyment of himself, in his essential, eternal glory in heaven. I will, is too great an expression for a creature to use, in it there is a glimpse of his uncreated glory. Let it also be observed, that though authoritatively, yet he asks this great grace for us, of the Father. Then it is grace, and a gift. 25. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. "O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee," as equally just, and merciful: exacting the penalty of sin, and pardoning the sinner, in Christ, to the glory of all his perfections. The word righteous is here used with great propriety. The world, as such, does not, will not know God in this respect. We know that the Father hath sent Christ, when with unfeigned humility, and child-like simplicity, we give ourselves up to Christ's knowledge of God. 26. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. Christ had declared his nature and will, his grace and love. He came to declare and open all to us, and will manifest it with power to our hearts. "That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." Christ's love in us, brings God's love of Christ upon us. SECTION LXXI. Chap. xviii. ver. 1—14. CHRIST IS BETRAYED. 1. When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his |