64

Reflections on the Force of an accufing Confcience.

Sect. 102. for fuch enormous Practices as thefe, must subject thee to a feverer Judgment from Go D, than Man can pronounce or inflict.

John VIII.

II.

John viii.

I, 2.

Ver. 3, 5.

Ver. 6.

Ver. 7.

T'

IMPROVEMENT.

HE devout Retirements of Christ, and his early renewed Labours, fo often come in View, that after having made fome Progrefs in his Hiftory, we are ready to pafs them over, as Things of Courfe. But let us remember, that in fome Degree they call upon us, to go and do likewife; and will another Day condemn thofe, who while they call themfelves his Difciples, are given up to Eafe and Luxury, and suffer every little Amusement, or fenfual Gratification, to lead them into an Omiffion of their Duty, to GOD, and their Fellow Creatures; an Omiffion efpecially aggravated in thofe, whom he has appointed to be Teachers of others, and who have therefore fo many peculiar Errands to the Throne of Grace, and fo many Engagements in the Morning to fow, or to prepare the Seed of Religious Inftruction, and in the Evening not to with-hold their Hand from difpenfing it. (Ecclef. xi. 6.)

While Jefus is teaching, his Enemies addrefs him, not only as an Inftructor, but as a Judge: And yet by this fpecious Form of Honour and Refpect, they fought only to infnare and deftroy him. So unfafe would it be, always to judge of Men's Intentions by the firft Appearances of their Actions! But our Lord, in his Answer, united, as ufual, the Wisdom of the Serpent with the Innocence and Gentleness of the Dove; and, in his ConVer. 10, 11. duct to this Criminal, fhewed at once that Tendernefs and Faithfulness, which might have the most effectual Tendency to imprefs and reclaim her; if a Heart capable of fuch Infidelity and Wickedness could be impreffed and reclaimed at all. Go thy Way, faid he to this Adulterefs, and fin no more. Perhaps the Charge may have little Weight with fuch abandoned Trangreffors as fhe; but let all learn to improve their Efcapes from Danger, and the continued Exercife of Divine Patience towards them, as an Engagement to speedy and thorough Reformation.

Ver. 9.

Let the Force of Confcience, and the Power of Chrift over it, (both which fo evidently appeared in this Inftance,) teach us to reverence the Dictates of our own Minds, and to do nothing to bring them under a Senfe of Guilt; which, thro' the fecret Energy of our Redeemer, wrought fo powerfully on thefe Pharifees, that hypocritical and vain-glorious as they were, they could not command themselves fo far as even to fave Appearances; but the eldest and gravest among them were the first to confefs

their

exceeding Sinfulness of it: Which is the more worthy of Notice, as not only the greatest of their Men, but (according to their scandalous Theology,) the greatest of their Gods too, gave it all the Sanction it could have from Example.

CHRIST fpeaks of himself as the Light of the World.

65

their Guilt, by withdrawing from the Prefence of fo holy a Prophet, Sect. 102. from the Temple of GOD, and from the Criminal whom they came to profecute. A like Confcioufnefs of being ourselves to blame, will abate the Boldness and Freedom of our Proceedings with others for their Faults, if while we judge them, we are self-condemned; nor will the Authority of a fuperior Age, or Station of Life, bear us out against thefe inward Reproaches.

SECT. CIII.

Our LORD Speaks of himself as the Light of the World, urges the concurrent Teftimony of his Father, and gives the Jews repeated Warning of the Danger they would incur by perfifting in their Infidelity. John VIII. 12,---29.

JOHN VIII. 12. THEN fpake Jefus again unto them, faving

am the Light of the World:

he that followeth me, fhall not walk in Darkness, but shall have the Light of Life.

JOHN VIII. 12.

103.

John VIII.

12.

THEN Jefus, after the Interruption that he Sect. 103, I met with, while he was fpeaking to the People in the Temple, by the Pharifees bringing in the Adulterefs, refumed the Work he was before engaged in, and again proceeded to inftruct the People; and obferving the Sun lately risen, and fhining with great Luftre and Beauty, he spake unto them, faying, I am the true Light of the World, in whofe Appearance you ought chiefly to rejoice (a): This Sun arifes, in a few Hours to defcend again, and may fail many of you, before your intended Journey is dispatched (b); whereas be that follows me, and governs himself by the Dictates of my Word and Spirit, shall not be left to walk in the Darkness of Ignorance, Error, and Sin, but shall have the Light of Life continually fhining upon him, to diffufe over his Soul Knowledge, Holiness, and Joy, till he is guided by it to eternal Happiness.

Some

(a) I am the true Light of the World.] The Meffiah was often reprefented under this View. Ifa. xlii. 6. xlix. 6. and Mal. iv. 2. Compare Luke ii. 32. John i. 4,—9. iii. 19. ix. 5. and xii. 46.

(b) This Sun arifes to defcend again, and may fail many of you, &c.] The Reader will remember, this was the Morning after the Feast of Tabernacles, probably before the Morning Sacrifice; after which, no doubt, many would be fetting out for their Habitations in the Country.

VOL. II.

I

(c) You

66

Sect. 103.

John VIII. 13.

14

He had not only his own, but his Father's Teftimony for him

Some of the Pharisees therefore, who were then
prefent, but different Perfons from those who had
brought in the Woman, enraged at the late Dif-
appointment of their Brethren, faid unto him,
Thou bearest Witness of thyself, and therefore, by
thine own Confeffion, (chap. v. 31.) thy Tefti-
is not to be admitted as true, but
mony
may rather
be fufpected of Vain-glory; nor can we believe
fuch great Things of thee, unless we have fome
farther Proof than thine own Affirmation.

13 The Pharifees therefore faid unto him, Thou bearest Record of thyself; thy Record is not true.

14 Jefus anfwered and

faid unto them, Tho' I bear Record of myself, yet my Record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and

15 Ye judge after the Flesh, I judge no Man.

Jefus answered and faid unto them, Tho' I in-
deed bear Witness of myself, [yet] as I fpeak from
my own certain Knowledge, and have already
shewn that I am come with a Divine Commiffion,
my Teftimony is entirely and perfectly true, and as
fuch you ought to admit it: For I well know from whither I go.
whence I came, and whither I am going, and the
moft evident Demonftrations of it have been given
you, both in the Nature of my Doctrine, and in
the Miracles that I have wrought among you;
but you are fo perverfe, that as often as I have
hinted or declared it, you know not to this Day
from whence I come, and whither I am going:
15 Which is not to be ascribed to the Want of fuf-
ficient Evidence, but merely to the Force of
own Prejudices; for you judge according to the
Maxims of Flesh and Senfe, and will believe no-
thing in Opposition to these Principles, which you
have fo rafhly imbibed (c), and by this Means
are justly liable to Condemnation: But I wave
that for the prefent, as I now judge no Man, but
rather appear under the Character of a Saviour.
16 (Compare chap. iii. 17.) Yet if I fhould judge,
Determination and Sentence is apparently true
and right, and you would justly be condemned
for not receiving my Teftimony; for I am not
alone in what I fay, but I and the Father that fent
me, as we are in other Respects infeparably united,
do evidently concur together in the Testimony that

my

your

I give.

16 And yet if I judge, I am not alone, but I and my Judgment is true for the Father that fent me.

(c) You judge according to the Flesh, &c.] The fame Carnal Prejudices ftill prevail in the Minds of the Jews, and prevent their Reception of Chrift; they laying it down as a firft Principle, that he is to be a great Temporal Prince and Deliverer. And the Admiffion of falfe Principles, which are conftantly taken for granted, and never examined, will, I fear, be attended with fatal Confequences to Thoufands more.

(d) That

But they neither knew his Father, nor him.

67

John VIII.

I give. And it is written in your own Law, Sect. 103.
for which you profefs fo facred a Regard, that the
Teftimony of Two Men is to be admitted as true, 17.
and Matters of the greateft Confequence are with-
out Scruple to be determined by it. (Deut. xvii. 6.
and xix. 15.) Now I am [one,] who bear this 18
Witness of myself, in a Fact, the Truth of which
I cannot but certainly know; and the Father who
fent me is another, and furely a moft credible Per-
fon, who alfo bears his Teftimony to me; thereby
afferting the Truth of every Doctrine I teach, and
the Juftice of every Sentence I might pafs.

Then faid they to him, Where is this thy Father, 19
to whom thou fo frequently appealeft ? mention
him plainly, that we may know how far he is to
be regarded, and produce him as a Witness. Jefus
answered, You may well afk; for it plainly ap-
pears by your Conduct, that you neither know me,
nor my Father, however you may boaft an Ac-
quaintance with him: And indeed, if you had
known me aright, and regarded me as you ought
to have done, you would also long e'er this have
known who, and what my Father is, in another
Manner than you now do; for I bear his com-
pleat Refemblance, and it is my great Business to
reveal him, to those who fubmit to my Inftruc-
tions.

Thefe Words Jefus fpake with the greatest Free- 20
dom, as he was teaching in the Temple, in a cer-
tain Part of it called the Treasury, where the Chefts
flood in which the People put their Gifts for the
Service of that facred Houfe, (fee Mark xii. 41.)
the Stores of which were laid up in Chambers
over that Cloyfter: And tho' he fo plainly inti-
mated that GOD was his Father, and charged
the Jews with being ignorant of Him, in whom
they boasted as fo peculiarly their GOD, yet their
Spirits were kept under fuch a powerful, tho' fecret
Restraint, that no one feized him; which was the
more wonderful, as it was a Place from whence
it would not have been eafy to have efcaped with-
out a Miracle, and which was much frequented
by his greatest Enemies: But the true Reafon was,
because his Hour was not yet come, in which he

I 2

was

68

Those that rejected him should perish in their Unbelief:

Sect. 103. was by Divine Permiffion to be delivered into

John VIII.

21.

22

23

their Hands.

Confiding therefore in the Protection of Divine Providence, Jefus then faid to them again, as he had done before, (chap. vii. 33, 34. pag. 53.) I am fpeedily going away from among you, and you Shall feek me, and enquire after the Meffiah in vain; but as a juft Punishment for your having rejected me, you shall die in this your Sin, and perish for your Unbelief by a fingular Stroke of Divine Vengeance, which fhall fink you into final Condemnation. Remember then, that I have warned you with the greatest Faithfulness, and now again I folemnly repeat the Warning, that tho' you fhould be ever fo defirous of Admittance to me, it will be in vain; for you cannot come to the Place whither I am now going, either to moleft me, or to secure yourselves.

21 Then faid Jesus again

unto them, I go my Way, and ye fhall feek me, and fhall die in your Sins: whi ther I go, ye cannot come..

22 Then faid the Jews,

cause he faith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

The Jews then faid, with a very perverse and foolish Contempt, What, will be kill himself, that Will he kill himself? behe fays, You cannot come, whither I am going? We shall not defire to follow him upon thofe Terms.

World.

And he faid to them yet more plainly, So vile 23 And he faid unto and malicious an Infinuation as this, evidently them, Ye are from beneath, I am from above: ye are of fhews that you are from beneath, the Slaves of this World, I am not of this Earth, and the Heirs of Hell; while, on the other Hand, I am from above, and fhall quickly return thither: You are originally of this World, and your Treasure and Hearts are here; but as I am not of this World, my Thoughts therefore naturally turn to that Celestial Abode from whence I came, and I inceffantly labour to conduct Men 24 thither. But as to you, I labour in vain; and therefore I just now faid unto you, that you shall die in your Sins; and it is really a great and awful Truth, and deferves another Kind of Regard than you give it; fo that I yet again would call you to confider it; for if you believe not that I am [be], whom I have reprefented myself to be (d), you

Shall

24 I faid therefore unto

you, that ye shall die in your Sins for if ye believe not that I am be, ye fhall die in your Sins.

(d) That I am he, &c. y e.] There is evidently an Ellipfis here, to be fupplied by comparing it with ver. 12. Compare John xiii. 19. Mark xiii, 6. and Acts xiii. 25.

(e) Are