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304 The Hour is come that the Son of Man fhould be glorified. Sect. 148. Philip, who was of Bethsaida, a City of Gali- fore to Philip, which was of lee (b), and afked it as a Favour of him to intro- Bethfaida of Galilee, and deJohn XII. fired him, faying, Sir, we duce them to his Mafter, faying in a very respect- would fee Jefus. ful Manner, Sir, we earnestly defire to fee and hear this Jefus of Nazareth, of whom we have been told fuch great Things, and who has now been received into the City with fuch unusual Regard.

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Upon this Philip comes, and tells what their Requeft was to Andrew, who likewife was of Bethfaida, and had been firft acquainted with Chrift; (John i. 40, 44. Sect. 21, 22.) and then Andrew and Philip, having agreed upon it, went and told Jefus, that fome Greeks who were come to the Feaft defired Admittance to him.

And Jefus immediately ordered them to be brought to him; and as they were approaching him, he answered them, faying (c), At length the Hour is come, and the appointed Time is just at hand, that the Son of Man must be glorified; and I would have you look on the Approach of these Greeks, as an Earneft of the flowing in of all the 24 Gentiles to me. But wonder not, if my Death is to precede it; for verily, verily I fay unto you, and affure you of it as a moft folemn and important Truth, that unless a Grain of Wheat fall to the Ground, and die and waste away there, it remains fingle and alone; but if it seem to die and

wither

22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew and again, Andrew and Philip told Jefus.

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wife been thought, that the Regard which Jefus fhewed to fuch, in vindicating the Court of the Gentiles, (where they affembled for Religious Worship,) from the contemptuous Prophanations of the Jews, (Mat. xxi. 12, 13. pag. 299.) might difpofe these pious Perfons to address themselves to him. But their attending at the Palover leads me rather to imagine, (with Arndius, Mifcel. Sacr. pag. 6.) that they were what the Rabbi's now call Profelytes of Righteoufnefs, that is, fuch as by Circumcifion obliged themselves to obferve the whole Law: (Compare Acts ii. 5. viii. 27. x. 2.) Yet I will not venture confidently to

affirm it.

(b) Bethfaida of Galilee.] This Town lay on the Borders of Syrophenicia, from whence fas Grotius thinks,) thefe Greeks might come; fo that they might, perhaps, be acquainted with Philip as a Neighbour; or otherwife we cannot fay, why this Circumftance relating to him is here mentioned. The learned Reland argues, that there were Two Bethfaida's, of which this lay moft to the North. See Reland. Paleftin. pag. 653.

(c) Jefus answered them, faying.] The Phrafe here intimates the Suitableness of the following Difcourfe to this particular Occafion, by attending to which many of the Beauties of it will be discovered. Our Lord might, perhaps, enlarge on fome of thefe Hints; and if his Hearers took a due Notice of them, and made a proper Report on their Return Home, it might prepare the Way for the Apostles, when they came by their Preaching more fully to unfold and illuftrate thefe important Doctrines.

Sufferings and Death would be the Way to Glory.

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24.

305 wither after it is fown, fuch is the Principle of Sect. 148. Vegetation which it contains, that a new Production of the like Kind arifes, and it brings forth John XII. much Fruit. And fo it is, that I myself shall fall, and a new Scene be opened, in which my Kingdom shall seem to be utterly loft and gone; yet, like the Spring Corn, it shall revive, and appear beautiful and fruitful.

But in the mean Time, fuch Difficulties are 25 alfo to be expected by my faithful Servants, that it is but fit I fhould inform these Strangers of what I have once and again told You; that be who loves his own Life too well to part with it for my Sake, fhall lofe it, and expofe himself to Death in the worst and most dreadful Sense of the Word; but he that acts, as if he hates his Life in this World, by expofing it to the greatest Dangers in the Cause of my Gofpel, fhall preferve it even to everlasting Life, and fecure a State of immortal Glory and Happiness. (Compare Mat. x. 39. Sect. 76. Mark viii. 35. Sect. 89. and Luke xvii. 33. Sect. 128.) If any Man 26 therefore would engage to ferve me as one of my loyal People, let him refolve to follow me whitherfoever I fhall lead him, and whatever Dangers and Difficulties may lie in the Way; and let him know for his Encouragement, that where I am, or where I shortly am to take up mine Abode, there fhall alfo my faithful Servant be; for I will affign him an Inheritance in that bleffed World, where I am for ever to rest and reign, after all the Hardships and Sufferings I have endured here: And I affure you, that among all that follow me, if any Man, whatever his Nation be, or whatever his religious Profeffion may before have been, will faithfully ferve me here (d), [my] Father will alfo confer distinguished Honour, as well as rich Rewards, upon him, and make him for ever both great and happy.

Having

(d) If any Man ferve me.] Our Lord by this indefinite Expreffion ftrongly intimates, that bis Kingdom was to be of a very extenfive Nature; and that not only the Profelytes of Righteousness, but thofe of the Gate, and indeed even the Idolatrous Gentiles themselves, might on their believing the Gofpel be admitted into it.

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(e) What

306

Sect. 148.

John XII.

27.

A Voice from Heaven declares, GOD would be glorified by him.

Having faid this, our Lord paused for a while, and entered on a deep Contemplation of the very different Views of Things which lay before him. And then he added aloud, Now is my very Soul diftreffed and troubled, in an affecting View of my approaching Sufferings; and what shall I fay? What Petition fhall I offer to GoD on this Occafion? Shall I fay, Father, fave me from this dreadful Hour, and from all the Agonies which I am to endure in the gloomy Season before me (e)? Nay, but for this Caufe was I born into the World, and for this End I came even to this prefent Hour, that I might bear the Sufferings on which I am entering, and might redeem my 28 People by them. And far be it from me to draw back from fuch Engagements and Undertakings: I will therefore much rather fay, Father, glorify thine own Name, and dispose of me, and all my Concerns, in fuch a Way as may moft effectually answer that great End!

29

Then at that very Inftant while he was speaking, there came a Voice from Heaven, [which faid, I have both already glorified [it] by the whole of thy Miniftry thus far; and I will glorify [it] yet again, in a more fignal Manner, by what farther remains before thee.

The Multitude therefore which stood by and heard {it,] tho' not all in a Manner equally diftinct, were perfectly aftonished at the awful Sound and fome among them said, that it thundered (f);

;

while

27 Now is my Soul troubled: and what fhall I fay?

Father, fave me from this Hour: but for this Caufe came I unto this Hour.

28 Father, glorify thy Name.

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(e) What shall I fay? Father, fave me from this Hour?] I fuppofe few need be told, that the Pointing of the New Teftament is far lefs antient than the Text. It is agreeable to obferve, how many Difficulties may be removed by varying it, and departing from the common Punctuation; of which I take this to be one of the moft remarkable Inftances. For as the Text does not oblige us to it, it does not feem natural to fuppofe, that our Lord actually offered this Petition, and then immediately retracted it again.

(f) Said that it thundered.] Thunder often attended a Voice from Heaven: (See Exod. xix. 16, 19. Rev. iv. 5. vi. I. x. 3.) In Allufion to which, perhaps, the Voice itself was called by the antient Jews, Bath Kol, or the Daughter of the Voice, being ufhered in with Thunder, and as it were produced from it.Elfner has fhewn, that the Heathens reckoned, that fudden Thunder was a Sign, that a Prayer then offered met with the most favourable Regard. (See Elfn. Obferv. Vol. i. pag. 334, 335.) Dr. Lightfoot obferves here, (Hor. Hebr. in loc.) that Christ had thrice the Teftimony of a Voice from Heaven; first, when he entered on his publick Ministry, as the High-Priest of our Profeffion, at his Baptifm; (Mat. iii. 17.) and then a fecond Time, when a Command was given to hear him,

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When he was lifted up, be would draw all Men to him. faid, An Angel fpake to

him.

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307 while others, who were nearer, faid, It was an Sect. 148. Angel fpake to him from Heaven.

But Jefus answered and faid to his Difciples, John XII. who ftood near, and distinctly heard it, This Voice 3o. from Heaven came not chiefly for my Sake, who was before affured of the Affection of my Father, and knew the Purpose he had formed to glorify himself by me; but it was uttered for yours, that you may not be offended, and quit your Hope in me and Regard for me, on Account of any of the Sufferings which are coming upon me. This indeed is a very critical and important Time; 31 for now is the Judgment of this World (g), which I am going to conquer and condemn, that by my Death my Followers may be taught, and enabled, to triumph over it, and thofe may be convinced of Sin, that believe not in me: (Compare Gal. i. 4. and John xvi. 8, 9.) Yea, now shall Satan, the Ruler and God of this World, be caft out from that Empire, which he has fo long ufurped over the Minds of Men, and especially over the Heathen Nations. (Compare Eph. ii. 2. and 2 Cor. iv. 4.) And when I am lifted up from the 32 Earth (b), tho' I may feem thereby to be made the Trophy of mine Enemies, yet fuch shall be the Effect of that important Event, that I fhall thereby draw all Men to me; i. e. I fhall lay a Foundation for conquering the most stubborn Hearts by fo rich a Difplay of my Love, and shall by a fecret, but powerful Influence on their Minds, perfuade Multitudes of all Ranks, and

all

as the great Prophet of the Church, at his Transfiguration; (Mat. xvii. 5.) and now again, when he had made his publick Entry into Jerufalem, as a King.

(8) Now is the Judgment of this World.] Mr. Maffey renders this, (in his Vernac. Sacra, pag. 8, 9.) Now is this World come to its Crifis: And Grotius, and More, (in his Theological Works, pag. 207.) explain it of the Redemption of the World, or its Vindication from the Bondage of Satan. But this is fo unusual a Sense of the Word, that I chufe with Dr. Whitby to understand it, of the Condemnation of the World, or of the Judgment paffed upon its wicked Principles and Practices, and of the Victory which Chriftians were to gain over it in Confequence of the Death of Christ. See John iii. 18, 19. xvi. 8, II.

(b) When I am lifted up from the Earth. I think Dr. Whitby's Note on this Text fufficiently vindicates this Verfion of sav vlwow. See the Greek Verfion of Deut. vii. 1. Judg. vi. 3. xxi. 21. 2 Sam. vii. 12. 1 Kings xiii. 31. Job vii. 4. Prov. iii. 24. iv. 12. Fer. iii. 16. and compare John xiv. 3. 1 John iii. 2. and 3 John ver. 10. where tav s fignify, when I come.

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may

(i) Whe

308

The Jews are offended at what he fays of the Son of Man.

Sect. 148. all Nations, to lift themselves under the Banner

John XII. 33.

I raife. (Compare John iii. 14, 15. Sect. 26.)

die.)

Now this he fpake, of his being lifted up from 33 (This he faid, fignithe Earth, as fignifying by what Death he should fying what Death he should die, even by Crucifixion, in which the Perfon fuffering was lifted up on high, and hung as it 34 were between Heaven and Earth. And in ge

35

neral, it was understood by the People, as im-
plying fome violent Death fhortly to come upon
him. The Multitude therefore anfwered him, We
have heard it taught as a certain Truth out of the
Law, or out of the Volume of our Sacred Wri-
tings, that the Meffiah is immortal, and abides for
ever, "that his Kingdom is an everlasting King-

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dom, and his Dominion continues unto all Ge"nerations :" (2 Sam. vii. 16. Pfal. Ixxxix. 29. cx. 4. Ifai. ix. 7. Ezek. xxxvii. 25. Dan. ii. 44. vii. 14.) And how then doft thou, who now plainly profeffeft thyfelf to be the Meffiah, fay that the Son of Man must be lifted up from the Earth, and die a violent Death? Who is this Son of Man (i)? Is he, as fuch Language as this might feem to intimate, a different Perfon from the Meffiah, whom we have been taught to expect under the Title of the Son of Man? This was faid by fome of the Multitude, who were illaffected towards him, and defired to find fomething to object against him.

34 The People answered

him, We have heard out of

the Law, that Chrift abideth

for ever: and how fayeft thou, The Son of Man muft be lift up? who is this Son

of Man?

35 Then Jefus faid unto them, Yet a little while is

while

Then Jefus faid to them, Do not cavil at what I now fay; but remember, how fhort this Op- the Light with you: walk. portunity is, which thro' the Divine Goodness you now enjoy: Yet a little while is the Light with you, which you may derive from me, or my Servants, who fhall come to you in my Name; walk

there

(i) Who is this Son of Man?] A Writer of great Note interprets this, as if they had faid, "Who is this, that fo abfurdly, and inconfiftently with the Prophets, fpeaks of him"felf as the Son of Man, while he talks of being lifted up, and dying?" (See Dr. Sykes of Chriftianity, pag. 110.) But the Senfe given in the Paraphrafe appears to me more natural, and I am pleafed to find it in Grotius. This was a real and important Difficulty; but it was fit fome Obfcurity fhould for the prefent be left upon it, left the Plainnefs of the Prediction fhould have prevented its Accomplishment. Our Lord therefore gave the Dif courfe a ufeful Turn, and a few Days more proclaimed the Myftery, which he had before revealed to his Apostles in private, when he fet out on his laft Journey to Jerufalem. (See Mat. xx. 18, 19. pag. 264.)

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