46 SECT. XCIX. vii. 14 He preaches in the temple, to the wonder of the Jews. Christ, going up privately to Jerusalem at the feast of tabernacles, vindicates his conduct, and farther urges the proofs of his Divine mission. John VII. 14—24. JOHN VII. 14. JOHN VII. 14. feast, Jesus went THU HUS were the Jews divided in their sen- OW about the NOW timents about our blessed Lord, and midst of the though they eagerly inquired after him, they up into the temple, John knew not where to find him: but now in the and taught. midst of the feast of tabernacles, about the third or fourth day, Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and entered publicly into the temple, and taught the people, who were in vast multitudes assembled 15 there. And the Jews who heard him were amazed, saying, How does this man understand marvelled, saying, letters 2a or how comes he to be so well acHow knoweth this man letters, having quainted with sacred literature, as to be able never learned? thus to expound the scriptures, and to apply himself to us with such gracefulness and propriety, having never learned these arts of address at any place of public education? 16 15 And the Jews 16 Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. Jesus answered them, and said, There is no such reason why you should wonder at this; for my doctrine, or that which I now teach you, is not mine own invention, or what I have learnt by any common method of inquiry; but it is entirely his that sent me, and I learned it 17 by immediate inspiration from him. And if 17 If any man you desire rightly to enter into the evidences will do his will he of it, you must make it your great care to doctrine, whether it maintain an honest and religious temper; for be of God, or whether if any one be resolutely determined to observe I speak of myself. the dictates of my heavenly Father, and to do his will, though ever so contrary to the im- my shall know of the a How does this man understand letters ?] nobler eloquence than the scribes could I see no reason to believe that our Lord attain to by a learned education. Comadorned his discourses with quotations pare Mark i. 22, and Mat. vii. 29, Vol. I. from, or references to, the writers that p. 251, note 8. were then most celebrated for their learning, or she wed any extraordinary acquisitions in history, antiquities, &c. The evangelists have given us no specimen of this kind; and it is certain that foreign literature was then in great contempt among the Jews. The words undoubtedly refer to our Lord's great acquaintance with the scriptures, and the judicious and masterly manner in which he taught the people out of them, with far greater majesty and b Be determined to do his will.] This seems to be the import of those words, Segn To Synμd aurs worn. (See sect. xxii. note2, Vol. I. p. 131.) This important passage seems an express declaration that every upright man, to whom the gospel is proposed, will see and own the evidence of its Divine authority; which indeed might reasonably have been concluded from the awful judgment pronounced on those who presume to reject it. They seek his life for a miracle wrought on the sabbath. eth of himself, seek- thing, even in the very manner of my 47 vii. 17 whether I speak it of myself; for the evidence sect. is plain to an honest mind, and the corres- XCIX. pondence which such a truly good man will find between the whole system of my doctrine John and his own inward experience, will be unto him instead of a thousand speculative arguments. 18 He that speak. In the mean time you might observe some- 18 eth his own glory: teachbut he that seeketh ing, sufficient to convince you that I am no his glory that sent impostor: for he that, in such a circumstance, him, the same is and with such pretensions, speaks of himself, true, and no unright without any Divine commission, will govern himself by secular views; and a sagacious observer will soon see that he is seeking his own glory and interest, even under the most selfdenying forms: but he that in the whole of his conduct shews that he seeks the glory of God, as of him that he declares to have sent him, gives great reason to believe that he is true and sincere in that declaration, and that there is no unrighteousness or imposture in him.• eousness is in him. 19 Did not Moses kill me? But your character is the very reverse of this, 19 give you the law, and you cannot but know it in your own conand yet none of you keepeth the law? science for let me upon : this occasion call you Why go ye about to to reflect on your own conduct, and appeal to that: hath not Moses given you the law, and do you not eagerly contend for its Divine original? and yet none of you observes the law which he has given you. If you deny the charge, let me remind you of that grand precept, "Thou shalt not kill," and then ask you, Wherefore do you go about to kill me, though an innocent and upright person, who am come to bring you a most important message from God? Thou hast a devil: 20 The people This Jesus said with reference to what he 20 answered and said, knew to be the secret design of some of his hearers, who were even then plotting his destruction; but the multitude, who were notaware of it, ignorantly and rudely answered and said, Surely thou art possessed, and distracted,d to No unrighteousness or imposture in him.] The word adue, in this opposition to As, must signify imposture. Yet I think it the fairest way to translate the original words in all their extent, and content myself with suggesting in the paraphrase those limitations which the particalar connection requires. Thou art possessed, and distracted.] shews (as many have observed) that they thought some of the worst kind and degrees of lunacies proceeded from the agency of some demon: as many considerable Greek writers plainly did. (See Bos, Exercit. p. 41-43.) But it can never be argued from hence that possession and lunacy are universally synonimous terms. When joined together they seem to signify different things; the former being put for the cause, and the latter for the effect. 48 Tet they scruple not to circumcise on that day. PECT. talk thus; dost thou not safely travel from who goeth about to XCIX. place to place, and appear in our most public kill thee? assemblies, even here at Jerusalem, and who John vii. 20 goes about or desires to kill thee? 21 Jesus, referring to the design which he knew 21 Jesus answered some of them had of renewing their prosecu tion against him as a sabbath breaker, because work, and ye all and said unto them, I have done one he had commanded the disabled man at the marvel. pool of Bethesda to carry his bed on that day (compare John v. 16, Vol. I. p. 267), answered in the gentlest manner, and said unto them, I have some time ago performed one remarkable work, and you all, to this very day, wonder on account of it, that I should order the man I cured to carry his couch on the sabbathday : 22 Yet a little reflection might convince you that 22 Moses therefore your cavil is very unreasonable, even on your cumcision, (not begave unto you cir. own principles for Moses gave you a precept, cause it is of Moses, which required circumcision, (not that it is but of the fathers,) originally of Moses his institution, but had been and ye on the sabbathday oircumcise formerly established by the observation of Abraham, and of the other fathers of our nation, many ages before Moses was born, which therefore could not properly be altered by him; 8) and you scruple not to circumcise a a man. 23 man child on the sabbathday, if it happen to be 23 If a man on the the eighth from his birth. If [then] to prevent sabbathday receive the violation of Moses his law by deferring circumcision, this sacred rite, you acknowledge it fit, that I have some time ago performed one remarkable work.] It is plain the miracle here referred to was wrought a year and a half before this feast. Compare sect. xlvi. note, Vol. I. p. 262. And you all wonder on account of it.] I here follow Theophylact and Beza in joining the words 87% to the end of this verse, because it is certain that in their usual signification they cannot properly introduce the next; and John xix. 11, (sect. clxxxviii.) may be an instance of the like kind. The Prussian translators render it, Because Moses gave you circumcision, &c. and the learned Elsner inclines to this version: (Elsner, Observ. Vol. I. p. 314, 315.) But though I am sensible & Vexy sometimes signifies because (see Gen. xxxviii. 26; Num. x. 31, and xiv. 43, Septuag. and Hebr.) I cannot find a T ever so used; and I think, if it be retained at the beginning of the next erse, it should be rendered, As to this matter which sense it may perhaps have that in Mat. xiii. 52; xviii. 23; and in a few other places; and so Grotius takes it here. See Dr. Whitby on this place. & Not that it is originally of Moses, &c.) An excellent person, justly celebrated in the learned world, has lately suggested to me a thought on these words (which I have not met with elsewhere, but have briefly hinted in the paraphrase) as to the reason why our Lord makes this obvious remark, that circumcision was older than the time of Moses. Had Moses instituted it he would probably have ordered it so as to make it quadrate with his law relating to the strict rest of the sabbath; but finding it instituted by a previous covenant, which his law could not disannul (see Gal. iii. 17), he left it still on the same footing. This argument will indeed infer that the strict sabbatical rest was not observed in the patriarchal age; but yet it might be a day of extraordinary devotion, which I apprehend to be proved from Gen. ii. 3. Reflections on the meekness we should shew under reproach. 49 the law of Moses a man should receive circumcision on the sab- SECT. should not be brok- bath itself; [why] are you incensed against me, en; are ye angry at XCIX. me, because I have that, by speaking a word, I have cured a man, John made a man every who was entirely disabled, on the sabbath; as vii. 23 whit whole on the if it was a more servile work to heal than to sabbathday? wound? or how do you imagine that I have not power, when I have thus healed him, to manifest the perfection of the cure, by com24 Judge not ac. manding him to carry his couch? Judge not 24 ording to the ap- according to these prejudices which the meanpearance, but judge ness of my appearance tends to produce; but righteous judgment. judge righteous and equitable judgment; which if you do, you must necessarily acknowledge my Divine mission to be as evident and certain as that of Moses himself, to whose precepts you profess so great a regard. IMPROVEMENT. LET us learn of our meek and humble Master to refer the ver. honour of all we know and do to Divine instruction communicated 16, 18 to us, and Divine grace working in and by us; that, seeking the glory of God, we may have the surest evidence that we are truly his. Let us on all occasions remember that integrity and uprightness will be a certain security to us against dangerous mistakes in matters of religion. If the light we already have be faithfully improved, we may humbly hope that more will be given in; nor shall we then fail of convincing evidence that the gospel 17 doctrine is of God; for the experience of its power on our hearts will check our passions, and destroy the prejudices that would prevent the truth from taking place in our minds. Let us receive his doctrine as Divine, and hearken unto Christ as sent of God; and whatsoever be the vile reproaches we may meet with from a wicked world, and the malicious designs it may form against us, let us be resolute and steadfast in the practice of the duties he has taught us, that with welldoing we may put to 19 silence the ignorance of foolish men. (1 Pet. ii. 15.) I have cured a man entirely.] Our translation loses much of the emphasis: the words oner and parov in no literally signify, I have healed, or made sound, a whole man. But the ambiguity in our English word whole rendered such a version very improper. I therefore thought it necessary a little to vary the expression, but the sense is altogether the same. But, since Ipublished this, a very accurate crit ic, both in the Greek and English language, has suggested another version, yet more literal than this, or any of the rest: I have made a man sound throughout. i That I have not power, when I have thus healed him, &c.] So our Lord himself states the argument in a case nearly resembling this (Mat. ix. 5, 6, Vol. I p. 260), and might probably here intend to insinuate it, though in an oblique manner: 50 SECT. The Jews are prejudiced, as knowing whence he was. Our Lord was reviled as a demoniac and a lunatic; but instead XCIX. of rendering railing for railing, he replied in the words of gentleness and sobriety. So let us endeavour to conquer the rude21-23 ness of those attacks we may meet with in his cause; that we ve. 20 may, if possible, remove the prejudices so fatal to those that entertain them, and form men to that equitable and impartial 24 judgment which would soon turn all their cavils against Christ into admiration, praise, and obedience, SECT. C. John SECT. C. The Jews pass a variety of censures on Christ; and the sanhedrim, alarmed by the regard which some expressed towards him, send officers to seize him; but Christ openly declares that their purposes should not immediately take effect. John VII, 25-36. T JOHN VII. 25. JOHN VII. 25. HEN, while our Lord was thus discoursing Tof them of Jeat the feast of tabernacles, some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, who knew more of the he whom they seek rusalem, Is not this vii. 25 designs of the sanhedrim than others who had to kill? spoken before (ver, 20), said, Is not this he whom they seek an opportunity to put to death? 26 But behold, he is not only come up hither to the 26 But lo, he feast, but speaks openly and freely in the very speaketh boldly, and temple itself; and they are so far from seizing unto him: Do the they say nothing him, that they do not so much as say any thing rulers know indeed, to prohibit him: do the rulers then indeed know that this is the very they were mistaken in their former censures, Christ? and are they now persuaded in their consciences this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, 27 that this is really the Messiah? But we have 27 Howbeit, we sufficient reason to conclude this cannot be the know case; for of us know this man, from whence many he is, and are sure that he was born of Joseph's no wife; whereas, when the Messiah comes, no whence he is. man will thus know from whence he is; for he is to be born in a miraculous way of a virgin." man knoweth He is to be born in a miraculous way lotson (Vol. II. p. 454), that the words refer of a virgin. It is evident from Mat. ii. 4, 5, that the Jews apprehended the Messiah was to be born at Bethlehem; and from a multitude of other places, that they knew he was to be a descendant of David; (compare ver. 42.) I know not how therefore to account for their saying that, when Christ came, no man would know whence he is, but by supposing, with Archbishop Til to an expectation they had that he would be born of a virgin. As for the notion which Justin Martyr mentions, that the Messiah should for a while be hid, it seems more modern; and they must put a strange interpretation on Isa. liii. 8; Mic. v. 2; and Psal. cx. 4; to draw any such consequence from them, as Dr. Whitby and Mr. L'Enfant suppose they did. |