the rest, that is, the Papists, and the fanatical spirits, have lost both the word and the knowledge together; and, in addition to that, draw away both themselves and others by their own cogitations. Thus then, you have this full and golden sentence, as an article, asserting that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and moreover, teaching and setting forth the benefits and blessings of him; that we might know what we have in him, and might through him rightly know God and learn the way that leadeth unto him; in order that, we might with a glad and joyful mind trust in him only; which is what no other doctrine under heaven ever taught. I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. We have here then three gloryings. He prayed above, that the Father would glorify him; in order that, by that glorifying or magnifying he might again come forth powerful and glorious: these are two glorifyings. And he now here says that he has glorified the Father; and then, (directly afterward,) asks that the Father would glorify him with himself. What the two former glorifyings signify has been already sufficiently explained: by which this text also is rendered quite clear and plain.Christ our Lord during his life upon earth glorified the Father by highly preaching, and extolling his praise and glory; of which there are testimonies to be found every where throughout the Gospels, where he continually teaches and glories that he was sent of the Father, and refers to the Father, and ascribes to the Father, the whole of his life and all that he possesses or has power to do. And the whole life of a Christian, ought to be just as we behold this life of Christ to have been. He ought to praise God alone, and to acknowledge and implore, with a thankful heart, his grace and merits. This work and this glorifying are now accomplished, saith he, and now, glorify thou me. This seems to be nothing else than if he had said again what he said above. If thy glory, praise, and honour are to be who proclaimed abroad, and declared by me, then I must of necessity be buried in darkness and ignominy.' For all the time that he was doing the will of the Father by preaching and working signs and miracles, and was engaged in those works which were approved of God, and well-pleasing unto him, the world was bitterly enraged against him, and could not endure him. Therefore, for the Father's sake he was oppressed, obscured, and condemned to the most ignominious death. And it was thus that he finished the work which was given him to do, While therefore he knew and felt, that for the praise, honour, and glory of the Father, he must lose all the greatness of his own name; he prays and asks that the Father would not permit him to be buried in darkness, but would rescue him from ignominy and death, and would bring him forth to the light crowned with the highest honours: that is, that he would make him King and Lord. And then the third thing ought to follow, for which he prayed at the beginning, that he might glorify the Father throughout the whole world in his Christians, that his praise might become much more widely extended than it was before his death. Hence, you see that all these three things agree in one. First, that he might glorify the Father in his life; and, on account of this glorious office of teaching, come to an ignominious death, that he might be in turn glorified by the Father; in order that, he might be able to extend the glory of his Father still more widely, and render it still more great by his kingdom and Gospel. For if Christ, as has been observed before, had remained unglorified, the Father's glory would not have been more widely extended, but would have perished with Christ. Therefore the glory of Christ and of the Father are intimately connected together, so that the Father in glorifying the Son, glorified himself; and, when Christ was glorified, then was the Father also glorified. For the glory whereby the Father is glorified by the Son; and the Son by the Father, are inseparable. And now, as Christ our head prays, so ought we also who cleave to him to pray, that he would glorify the rest, that is, the Papists, and the fanatical spirits, have lost both the word and the knowledge together; and, in addition to that, draw away both themselves and others by their own cogitations. Thus then, you have this full and golden sentence, as an article, asserting that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and moreover, teaching and setting forth the benefits and blessings of him; that we might know what we have in him, and might through him rightly know God and learn the way that leadeth unto him; in order that, we might with a glad and joyful mind trust in him only; which is what no other doctrine under heaven ever taught. I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. We have here then three gloryings. He prayed above, that the Father would glorify him; in order that, by that glorifying or magnifying he might again come forth powerful and glorious: these are two glorifyings. And he now here says that he has glorified the Father; and then, (directly afterward,) asks that the Father would glorify him with himself. What the two former glorifyings signify has been already sufficiently explained: by which this text also is rendered quite clear and plain.Christ our Lord during his life upon earth glorified the Father by highly preaching, and extolling his praise and glory; of which there are testimonies to be found every where throughout the Gospels, where he continually teaches and glories that he was sent of the Father, and refers to the Father, and ascribes to the Father, the whole of his life and all that he possesses or has power to do. And the whole life of a Christian, ought to be just as we behold this life of Christ to have been. He ought to praise God alone, and to acknowledge and implore, with a thankful heart, his grace and merits. This work and this glorifying are now accomplished, saith he, and now, glorify thou me. This seems to be nothing else than if he had said again what he said above. If thy glory, praise, and honour are to be proclaimed abroad, and declared by me, then I must of necessity be buried in darkness and ignominy.' For all the time that he was doing the will of the Father by preaching and working signs and miracles, and was engaged in those works which were approved of God, and well-pleasing unto him, the world was bitterly enraged against him, and could not endure him. Therefore, for the Father's sake he was oppressed, obscured, and condemned to the most ignominious death. And it was thus that he finished the work which was given him to do. While therefore he knew and felt, that for the praise, honour, and glory of the Father, he must lose all the greatness of his own name; he prays and asks that the Father would not permit him to be buried in darkness, but would rescue him from ignominy and death, and would bring him forth to the light crowned with the highest honours: that is, that he would make him King and Lord. And then the third thing ought to follow, for which he prayed at the beginning, that he might glorify the Father throughout the whole world in his Christians, that his praise might become much more widely extended than it was before his death. Hence, you see that all these three things agree in one. First, that he might glorify the Father in his life; and, on account of this glorious office of teaching, come to an ignominious death, that he might be in turn glorified by the Father; in order that, he might be able to extend the glory of his Father still more widely, and render it still more great by his kingdom and Gospel. For if Christ, as has been observed before, had remained unglorified, the Father's glory would not have been more widely extended, but would have perished with Christ. Therefore the glory of Christ and of the Father are intimately connected together, so that the Father in glorifying the Son, glorified himself; and, when Christ was glorified, then was the Father also glorified. For the glory whereby the Father is glorified by the Son; and the Son by the Father, are inseparable. And now, as Christ our head prays, so ought we also who cleave to him to pray, that he would glorify himself in us. For as it was with him on earth, so also it is with us; that, for his sake, (when we glorify him, and exalt his name by our life and doctrine,) we must submit to be loaded with ignominy, and to be condemned to, and punished with, death: even as for our sakes, his most holy name and word suffer persecution, and are loaded with every reproach and insult. But that he might retain his honour and dignity, and defend his word against vile calumniators and blasphemous accusers, he must rescue us, and quite reverse the scene, making the world to be unjust and condemned to the deepest shame, while we are translated into glory and eternal life. And then, his glory comes to light, beams forth, and is spread throughout the world by the Holy Spirit and the mouth of Christians. And this is what he calls the work which the Father gave him to do-to load himself with all reproaches and insults, endure dreadful tortures, and suffer death for the glory of the Father; and all this for our sakes, that we might be delivered from death and from the devil, and might have eternal life; as we have shewn before. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Here again, is a great and expressive text concerning the divinity of Christ, against the Arians: though even here, they have found a gap or chink through which to escape. Here Christ expressly says, that he had honour, and was glorious with the Father, before the foundation of the world. What the meaning of this is, those who believe can easily see." Before the world was," nothing could have existence but God only, for there is no medium between the world and God, or between the creature and the Creator. Thus, the mouth of the Holy Spirit speaks simply, without any colouring Syet speaks things so great and sublimer that no mortal whatever can comprehend them. For what else is here said, than that which others might have expressed with a multitude of words thus' Dear Father, |