MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE. JOHN. CHA P. VIII. Jefus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye fhould have known my Father alfo. 20 Thefe words fpake Jefus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple and no man laid hands on him, for his hour was not yet come. 21 Then faid Jefus again unto them, I go my way, and ye fhall feek me, and shall die in your fins: whither I go, ye cannot come. 22 Then faid the Jews, Will he kill himself? becaufe he faith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23 And he faid unto them, Ye are from beneath, I am from above: ye are of this world, I am not of this world. whom I call my Father. If you knew who I am, you would prefently understand who it is I ftile my Father; meaning, that if they had known him to be the Meffiah, the Son of God, they would at the fame time have known who it was he call'd his Father. This Difcourfe had Jefus in the Court of the Gentiles, not far from the place where the Boxes are kept, in which is preferv'd the Mony contributed by religious perfons for the fervice of the Temple: nevertheless, none of the Keepers of the Temple had the boldness to feize him, tho they had express order from the Sanhedrim; because the time was not yet come in which God had determin'd to permit the Jews to exercise their Cruelty upon him. He accofted them again to this purpose: I fhall go from hence in a fhort while, and you will in vain feek for me to do me mischief, and you will dy in your obftinacy For it will be impoffible for you to come to the place to which I shall go. The Jews therefore ask'd one another, whether by thefe repeated words he did not discover a refolution of making away with himself, which would verify what he had faid concerning their being unwilling to follow him. Jefus perceiving their Debate, exprefs'd himfelf more clearly to them. You, faid he, derive your Origin from thefe inferior places, but I am defcended from above. You are obnoxious to Paffions that infeft Mankind, and are agreable to your Origin, but I am no way MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE. JOHN. CHA P. VIII. 24 I faid therefore unto you, that ye fhall die in your fins ; for if ye believe noc that I am he, ye shall die in your fins. 25 Then faid they unto him, Who are thou? And Jefus faith unto them, Even the fame that I faid unto you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to fay, and to judg of you: but he that fent me, is true; and I fpeak to the world thofe things which I have heard of him. 27 They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28 Then faid Jesus unto them, When ye have lift up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of my self; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29 And he that fent me, is with me the Father hath way hindred by thefe Infirmities. I have faid that you fhall dy in your Unbelief; for if you will not give credit to my Testimony, much lefs will you believe others that fhall teftify concerning me, fince they will not perform greater or more Miracles among you than I have; fo that it will be impoflible for any to reclaim you. Then faid they, Who art thou? Jefus anfwer'd, I am the fame I have all along profefs'd my felf to be from the time I firft fpake with you; upon which occafion I might accufe you, and prove you guilty of infufferable Incredulity; but at prefent I fall only remind you, that he that has fent me is moft worthy to be credited by you, and that I publish nothing but what I have receiv'd in charge from him. Still they were in the dark, and knew not that Jefus fpoke of his heavenly Father. Fefus then continued: After you have taken me off, fhall many acknowledg I was the very perfon I profefs'd my felf to be. Whatever I do or fay is by express order from my Father, and not of my own Will; fo that he is the author of all my Words and Actions, is perpetually with me, nor has at any Q ġ time MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE Јони. CHA P. VIII. not left me alone: for I do 30 As he spake these words, 31 Then faid Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my difciples indeed; 32 And ye fhall know the truth, and the truth fhall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abrahams feed, and were never in bondage to any man how fayeft thou, Ye hall be made free?. 34 Jefus anfwered them, Verily verily I fay unto you, Whofoever committeth fin, is the fervant of fin. a 35 And the servant bideth not in the house for time forfakén me, because I punctually execute the Orders with which he has intrufted me. By thefe and the like Difcourfes many were convinc'd, that he was fent by God; to whom he thus addrefs'd himself: If you conftantly obey my Precepts, you will then deserve the honourable title of my Difciples, and shall be more fully inftructed in my Doctrine, which alfo will fet you free from your prefent Slavery. Thefe men miftaking his meaning, replied, that they were defcended from Abraham, and had never bin flaves to any one; that therefore they could not conceive what Liberty and freedom from Servitude it was he promis'd them. Jefus remov'd their mistake by affuring them there were no greater Slaves than thofe that give themfelves up to a vitious courfe of Life, and the gratifying their finful Appetites. Having told you how much you are the Slaves of Sin, I now tell you, that unlefs you are fet free by my means, your condition will refemble that of Servitude upon another account alfo. As it is impoffible for Slaves to be affur'd of their Mafter's favour, fo as to depend upon it that they fhall never be difmifs'd the Family, fince it is in his power and his Heirs to fell them as he thinks fit; fo alfo if God looks upon you as Servants rather than Sons, whenever he fees fit he will turn you out of his Family. On the contrary, if you become his Sons, by that happy 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 37 I know that ye are Abrahams feed; but ye feek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. 38 I speak that which I have feen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have feen with your father. 39 They anfwered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jefus faith unto them, If ye were Abrahams children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then faid they Privilege you will be fure of remaining for ever in the Family: But if the Son and Heir of the Family makes you Co-heirs with him, then fhall you be made truly free by being thorowly cleanfed from your vitious Defilements. I know very well that you are defcended from Abraham, but you are ne'er the better for that, fince feveral of you feek an occafion of killing me, for this very reafon because I require a greater Sanctity from you than you are willing to comply with. I speak thofe things that I have receiv'd from my Father, like as you do what you have learn'd from yours. They replied, that they had one common Father, viz. Abraham the Founder of the Hebrew Nation. Jefus answer'd: If you boast of him for your Father, follow his Example, and fo deserve to be accounted of his Pofterity. But now you feek to flay me, who have only told you the truth which I have receiv'd from God, merely because this Truth does not fquare with your vitious habits; quite contrary to faithful Abraham who fincerely believ'd, and obey'd all the divine Revelations. There is another whom you imitate, who is the Author of all your Vices, and who incourages you in the practice of them, and who may juftly be call'd your Father. Q92 The MATTHEW. MARK. LUKE. JOHN. CHAP. VIII. to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jefus faid unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth, and came from God; neither came I of my self, but he fent me. 43 Why do ye not underftand my fpeech? even because ye cannot hear my word.. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lufts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he fpeaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. The Jews perceiving Jefus to talk, not fo much of their Lineage by which they were actually defcended from Abraham, as of the Example they propos'd to themfelves to imitate, replied; that they were neither Idolaters themselves, nor defcended from fuch, and that the only true God, the Father of the Pious, was the Object of their Adoration, and the Pattern they propos'd to copy. Jefus anfwer'd; If God were indeed the example you propofe to imitate in your Actions, you would doubtless love me, who have bin fent by him to you: for it is not of my own accord that I preach up a Reformation among you, but I am fent to you by God himself on that very Errand. After all, what is the reafon that you do not think my difcourfe befitting him that fent me, but because you will not hearken to me attentively and without prejudice? Nay, you thirst after my Blood, and are true Imitators of the evil Spirits, who were the Enemies of Mankind from the beginning, and have ever fince indeavour'd by their Lies to work their ruin. Thefe having revolted from Holiness, are alienated from Truth, and a habit of lying is become natural to them. For, as I faid, lying is woven into their very Effence, and in this they are exact followers of their Leader, who having firft fhook off his Allegiance to God, gave incouragement to the reft to follow his example. Now it is no wonder that you detract from what I tell you, having this difpofition af aind about you.. |