glorify me who am thine only Son from everlasting, of the same divinity, essence, and glory with thyself.' It is this that he says here and includes it in his prayer; that he might shew, how he wishes to be glorified, that is, manifested, preached, and believed on; namely, as being he who had his glory from all eternity; that is, as being truly God, and naturally Son of the Father.

But heretics have cast their clouds over, and perverted this text also, as they are accustomed to pervert the whole scripture. And although this same heresy may break out again hereafter (which may God prevent!) I have entreated, and I entreat again and again, that we exercise ourselves in this Evangelist most diligently, that by his help we may withstand such heretics: for they will artfully and wickedly pervert all such passages of the scripture, and will say as they have done before, It is true that Christ had his glory before the world was; but it does not from that follow, that he is therefore to be considered eternally and naturally God. He might have been some creature, higher and exalted above all the rest of the creatures, before the world was, and so, a medium in the world between God and all other creatures.' For when they see that they cannot answer these plain words, they are driven to the necessity of framing the thought, that Christ is the highest and most exalted of all creatures, and in dignity and excellence surpassing the greatness even of the angels, and that he was created before all other creatures. Thus must the daub of colouring be thrust upon and cast over the scriptures, that they may agree with our cogitations, lest those impious cogitations and figments should be detected. And thus does it deservedly happen unto them who wish to unravel the mystery in those sublime articles by their own reason, and to be considered masters of the scriptures.

And moreover, as we handled this article above, and proved that Christ must be truly God, since he alone has the power of giving eternal life, and this is obtained alone through the knowledge of him; so, we most stedfastly believe and rest on the present words also, not suffering men to wrest the words from us, nor to maliciously

prervert them, nor to imagine or frame any thing medium between God and the world; for no such medium can be framed. And this is the most certain of all certainties that Christ, as he had his glory before the world was, cannot be a creature. For the term "world" comprehends all things that are created, or every thing that is called a creature that was not from eternity, but had a beginning: as Moses, Gen. i. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Therefore, it cannot be, that Christ existed before the world or before time, and yet, was only a creature. Moreover, Christ himself says in plain words, the greatness, or, "the glory which I had with thee," not which was with the creatures, or in the power of the creatures. Since, therefore, he was no where but with the Father, the glory must, of necessity, have been in divinity.

A king or a prince has also his glory, but it is before his people, it can be no where else. The glory of Christ, however, must have been wholly in God, apart from all creatures. And if it were in God, or with God, then the glory of Christ and of the Father is one and the same in an indivisible essence. Thus, in the words "with thee,' are comprehended an union of nature and a distinction of persons in the Godhead.-And now, mark the sum of this prayer. " My most beloved Father, I have now finished my work in the world unto which I was sent of thee. And now for thine honour's sake I die, and am to be oppressed and to be condemned as the most wicked of all men that the earth ever bore since the memory of man. Therefore, at length glorify me, that the world may hear it, and declare that I was thy Son from everlasting.' For if the Father himself had not done this, no mortal man would ever have known or found out his glory. For into the heart of what man would it ever have come, or who would ever have believed, that the Christ, who was crucified and humbled below all men, was the true Almighty God. But now, this prayer was heard, and its efficacy now prevails abroad; whereby, this Christ is believed and worshipped as truly Man born of a Virgin, and truly the Son of God, who had his glory with the

Father from everlasting, and who now by the preaching of the Gospel reveals the Father and draws men unto the knowledge of him; as it now follows,

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world.

Here Christ himself explains what he means by glorifying the Father and finishing his work; shewing how, and for what, it was finished. For "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me," means nothing else but his glorifying the Father, which is manifesting his name: and thus what he preached concerning him, the same he has revealed to our heartsthat he is a kind and merciful Father, that he receives us into his grace; pardoning all our sins, delivering us from death and the devil, defending and bringing us help in all perils and straits, and that without any regard to our works or merits, but only of his fatherly goodness through Jesus Christ his beloved Son. He that praises, glories in and preaches, believes and confesses, these things, he makes the Father glorious, he magnifies and manifests his name, that men may know what he is to be called, how he is to be looked upon, and how he is to be worshipped. For the right way of coming at the name whereby he is to be known, is to have an understanding of the will of his heart and of his works, which are hidden from the whole world. For all who have not this faith and this confession, know not the Father, although they may hear and talk much of the Father: like the Jews, who glorified that they only were the people and the worshippers of God: and yet, they had no better thought of him, than as if he were a certain man, who ought to have respect unto all their legal institutions, their sacrifices, and their splendid ceremonies, and ought to permit them to please him, and to be merciful and favourable unto them on account of them.. Whose example our monks and orders of religious ones also imitate; imagining, that God has respect unto their words, their fastings, and their severe manner of life, and will give unto them eternal life because of them.

Indeed, we find this to be in all men by nature, that as soon as ever we hear of God, each one forms out to himself his own imaginations and thoughts; whereby, he would attempt to arrive at knowing the form of God and his colour, who or what he is, what his thoughts are, what he is meditating in his mind, and by what things he is to be worshipped. Nor can reason ascend any higher, even when it has invented the very best way it can for worshipping God, than that he is to be served by works and that so much must be done, that they may have a fair appearance in his sight, and that he may for them give such a reward as he shall be pleased to grant. And it is from this, that all the different forms of idolatry have spread themselves over the world. But, if we would know him aright, we must come to Christ, that he would reveal the Father unto us by his Word; and here, our reason and cogitations will be of no avail, For who would ever have thought, or into whose mind would it ever have entered, that the Son of God himself should descend from heaven, become man, suffer death upon the cross for our sins, and obtain for us the grace and mercy of the Father, without any merits or works of our own? And, in a word, Christ alone must be that Man, and must at once receive the honour and glory of glorifying and manifesting the Father.

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And to these words he adds, "which thou gavest me out of the world." For, as no one manifests the name of the Father, or permits it to be preached, but himself; So, no one can understand or apprehend that manifes tation, but those who are given unto him. Others are of fended at it, and even dispute it; and with such wickedness are they filled, that they even persecute and blaspheme it. For it makes directly against all their wisdom and sanctity, and against all those things upon which they pride themselves.

Now, all these things are said for our sakes, who have the Word of Christ the Lord, and who cleave unto him by faith and they are words of the fullest consolation, and especially useful to weak and trembling consciences: but, above all, to those who are tempted and.

distressed with that highest of all temptations, concerning their election.-If any is concerned to know whether he is elected, or what the mind of God is toward him, let him consider the words of Christ, and especially the present, and all like it. And although we cannot for a certainty affirm, who shall stand in that day and shall endure unto the end, yet, this is most true, that those who are called and have come to a partaking of the Gospel, and to this manifestation, that is, to the Word of Christ, so as to embrace it seriously, that is, to be inwardly persuaded of it, and to believe it, are certainly those who were given unto Christ by the Father out of the world. And those who were given unto him, those he will safely guard, and will take care that not one of them shall perish. Even as he himself saith, John vi. "This is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing. And he saith also a little below, in this same chapter, "Those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition." And again, John x. where he is speaking of the sheep which hear his voice, he says, "I give unto them eternal life, and they. shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

I would have thee believe this, as the most certain truth, that there is no greater display of grace, nor any greater work of God, than that by which any one is brought to hear with desire, and from the heart, the Word of Christ, and to embrace it seriously and magnify it. For, as I have said before, this is not in the nature or natural disposition of any one, nor does it arise from any human reason or choice: for, to the embracing of this, much more is necessary than reason and free-will: as Christ saith, John vi. "No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him." And again," Every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me." Which words, although they may appear to be "hard sayings" to false Christians, yet, unto godly hearts that love his Word, they are sweet to hear and most consolatory,