cutors, to a man, fell by a base and ignominious death : so that now, nothing is more disgustful, impure, detestable, and contemptible, than the sound of their names; whereas, the names of the holy martyrs shine and are held in honour. And why?-This prayer is heard, and has weight and power with God, breaking in pieces all the rage and power of the whole world. And, in a word, as this glorifying or magnifying began, the same power and effects does it still shew forth in Christendom, through the influence and efficacy of this prayer.

This also is to be observed from this passage-that Christ hereby declares of himself, that he alone is that Man through whom the Father is to be glorified. By this, he wishes to take from the Jews, his people, who had the law and the worship of God, their glory, and their boasting in their own righteousness; that they might know, that neither of these things contain that whereby the Father can be glorified, or whereby any one can attain unto the knowledge of grace, and unto that righteousness which will avail before God. For if the glorifying and knowledge of God could have been known and revealed by the law, there would have been no need of the coming, the preaching, the suffering, and the death of Christ, much less would they have been necessary that he might glorify the Father. And by this same saying, he also benefits us; that we might learn, in what way God must be sought and apprehended by us, if we would do it aright, and how we are to hold communication with him.--For to glorify the Father, (as I have already observed,) is to know and to apprehend who he is, and how his will is inclined towards us. Unto this knowledge, no one can attain or arrive, but through Christ; for he will manifest himself no where but through and in him, so as for us to discover his heart and will.-In Christ we see nothing but ineffable love, and inexhaustable grace; contrary, out of him, nothing but wrath tion, or that in which there is no mercy. up the whole in a few words, whoever seeks

and, on the and indignaAnd, to sum God, or de

sires to serve him, otherwise than in Christ,-that man will not find God, nor serve the true God!

Wherefore, I have continually protested and declared, that whoever desires to walk safely, must beware of all those high imaginations and contemplations, whereby we attempt to seek God in the divine majesty without any medium, and wish to search into his works, will, and counsel, and then run away with some very deep and especial revelations; because, by such we are not only deceived and seduced, but carried away and precipitated headlong into an abyss. And, it is upon this account that all other doctrines and faith throughout the whole world are damnable, of what kind soever they may be, whether of Jews, Turks, monks, popes, bishops, and all the rest of them, who serve God for the sake of obtaining grace, and wiping out their sins through some other medium than through Christ; that is to say, through their own works, or their singular devotion and their spiritual thoughts. For it is irrevocably decreed of God, that he will not be known nor found, out of the one Mediator, Christ. Therefore, where Christ is not, there the true God is not, nor the true worship of God.-But of this we shall say more hereafter.

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

In these words he embraces the second and third parts of his prayer: for he both gives thanks unto the Father, and shews what the Father had given him, as the reason why he extended his prayer over the whole world. For you plainly hear, that he did not pray for himself that he might have all the glory to himself, but that he might benefit and serve us unto our attainment of eternal life. And it is on this account that he glories, that power is given unto him of the Father over all flesh; that is, over all who are in the earth, the great, the mighty, the possessors of wealth, and the highest in honour; and that his design is, and that he is able, to

honour his miserable followers who cleave unto him and who are loaded with shame and ignominy, so highly, as to bring them to the enjoyment of an eternal and immortal life. I have (saith he) all kings, and princes, and whatsoever liveth in the flesh, in my hand, that I might have it in my power to deliver my Christians from sin, death, and all evils; nor is any thing wanting, except that this is not yet made manifest while I thus remain in this infirmity and ignominy; wherefore, I pray, that thou wouldst glorify me, that I might be able to make this plain and openly manifest.

Here, then, centres all our hope, consolation, and trust-that we, who believe in Christ and cleave to his word, are his own, whom the Father gave unto him as his peculiar portion. And Christ has undertaken the care of us to defend and keep us; that, how high soever the world may be above us in honour, in dignity, in glory, and in power, yet, it might still be compelled to remain in the powerful hand of Christ, that it might not be able to hurt us, and that the more determinately and deeply it may oppress us, he might with the greater display of power bring us forth into eternal life.

Therefore, our hands should be lifted up without intermission, and God be unceasingly praised, and thanks be rendered unto him, that he has condescended to make us of that number of those who are "his own:" since we know, that we have his Word, and for its sake suffer persecution and have the world our enemy: for he that is certain and persuaded of this, ought to entertain no doubt that he is of that flock for whom eternal life is prepared and ordained.

And finally, you may draw this inference and conclusion-that, since it is the work and gift of Christ that we should be brought unto eternal life, it will certainly so be, that the whole world, with all their wisdom, power, dignity, and honours, will, for our sakes, fall into everlasting shame, and that our weakness and helplessness will be exalted to inestimable glory, And this, Christ made abunbantly manifest in his enemies when he arose from the deepest ignominy to the highest glory.

For he exposed all their glorying and boasting in their own righteousness and holiness, (from their reliance on which they persecuted Christ,) to everlasting shame and contempt. For, since it is most certain that he alone is Lord of the heavenly kingdom and of eternal life, it follows without a doubt, that the world who persecute both him and his Christians, cannot attain unto it, although they desire with a foolish presumption of mind to become partaker of it by great efforts, and by their own powers and works. And where Christ freely gives eternal life, there, of necessity, must be eternal greatness and glory; and on the contrary, where Christ gives not eternal life, there can be nothing else but eternal shame, ignominy, and contempt.-Wherefore, knowing these things, let us suffer our enemies to blaspheme and revile as long as they can, since the rage and fury of their reviling will shortly come to an end: for neither thirty, nor forty, nor sixty years, are to be compared to eternity, even as the twinkling of an eye is not to be compared to the whole of this life which we live upon earth.

But observe what words John here uses, who has a particular manner of confirming this article above the rest of the Evangelists, that Christ is truly God equally with the Father. For these words, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life," &c. will not admit of the conclusion that he is only man: for such power, even of ruling over all flesh and of giving eternal life, can be given to no creature; a creature can receive and lay hold of eternal life, but, to give eternal life unto others, is the work and power of God alone. For the angels, For the angels, although they enjoy immortality, yet cannot communicate the same to any other. When therefore Christ confesses that he has the power of giving eternal life unto his own, and that he has received the same from the Father, he indicates. with sufficient clearness, that he is of the same power and essence with the Father, though their persons are different. And that he might set this still more clearly. before our eyes, he adds,

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

In these words, Christ shews what eternal life is, and what the nature of it is. For since he testifies that he has received the power to give eternal life; some one may ask, in what eternal life consists, or, how we can receive it. To this objecting inquiry, Christ, by a certain anticipation, gives an answer; and says, Eternal life is thus, and my disciples shall receive it in this way, -"that they might know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. This passage was powerfully brought forward by the fathers and teachers of old against the heresy of the Arians, who denied the divinity of Christ, and the passage is indeed beautiful and incontrovertible.

Every Christian, indeed, ought to give all diligence to read over the Gospel of St. John most carefully again and again, in order that he may rightly comprehend and understand it, and may arm and fortify himself with such mighty scriptures, on account of the heresies that will come. For in every age, the Jews, the Turks, and the heretics, have fought against this article; and the same devil is beheld in many at this day; and, (may God avert such an evil!) if he could find an opportunity and the power of breaking forth, he would burst forth directly with intolerable fury.

Wherefore, let him who would walk safely, flee and avoid all those things which natural reason and human thoughts are accustomed to advance concerning this article; for there is no counsel or wisdom that can avail against the seducing delusions of the devil, nor any thing but our having a steady faith in the plain and simple words of the scripture, not at all relying upon our own thoughts and speculations; but saying, Whatever Christ has said must be true, although it may be beyond the comprehension of me, or of any other mortal, how it can be true. He knows well what he himself is, and how