XII.

fus is the Chrift, the Son of God: And Volume by Faith to bring men to a participation of those Benefits, and the Salvation which Chrift was the Author of; And that believing, ye might have life through his Name. Thefe are written, Taura, thefe, which may either refer to onea, thefe figns or miracles, referring to the former Verfe, and many other figns, &c. but thefe figns, or miracles are written to confirm Jefus to be the Perfon he pretended to be, the Meffias, the Son of God, and confequently to confirm the truth of the Doctrine which he deliver'd; that by this confirmation, men might be induced to believe him to be the true Meffias, and to give entertainment to his Doctrine.

Or elfe (which is very probable) the word Taura may refer to the whole Hiftory of the Gofpel, in which have an you account of the Life of Chrift, and the Doctrine which he taught, and the Miracles which were wrought for the Confirmation of it. And fo we may look upon these two Verfes as a conclufion of the whole Hiftory of the

Gospel

Gofpel writ by the four Evangelifts. For as for the Chapter following, it Sermon feems not to be written by St. John VII. himself, but by the Church, probably as Grotius Conjectures by the Church of Ephefus, where he had refided, and whom he had acquainted with the particulars which are there fet down; the principal of which is, the Prediction of our Saviour concerning his long life, for the fake of which the reft of the story seems to be brought in; which particular was not fit to be recorded till after his Death; I fay, it seems probable that St. John ended his Gospel here, and that the laft Chapter was added by others, as the laft Chapter of the Pentateuch was added by fome other after the death of Mofes; and the last Chapter of Joshua after his death. And this feems very evident from the 24th. of the Chapter; where, after a relation of our Saviour's Prediction, concerning the Difciple whom Jefus loved, 'tis added, This is the Difciple which teftifieth of these things, and wrote thefe things, (that is the foregoing Hiftory of the Gospel) and we know that his teftimony is true; Which feems plain

ly

Volume

ly to be fpoken by fome other Perfons i for it were improper for him to say XII. this of himself, We know that his teftimony is true:

So that here feems to be the end of the Hiftory of Chrift which St. John wrote; and thefe two Verfes seem to be the conclufion of the whole Gospel written by the four Evangelifts; and then the fenfe of them will be this; Many other figns truly did Jefus in the prefence of his Difciples, which are not written in this Book; that is, The Difciples were Witneffes of many other Miracles which Chrift wrought, which they did not think necessary to fet down in this Book, that is, in this Hiftory of Chrift written by the four Evangelifts: But thefe are written, that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God, and that delieving, ye might have life through his Name; that is, Thefe things which are recorded in this Hiftory, this acaccount which is here given of the Life and Actions and Doctrine and Miracles of Chrift, is fufficient to bring men to the Faith of the Gofpel, to fatisfie men that Chrift was

the

the Meffias, the Son of God, and confequently that his Doctrine is true.

And that this conclufion doth refer to the whole Hiftory of the Gofpel written by the four Evangelifts, I am induced to believe upon these

two accounts.

Sermon
VII.

1. Becaufe St. John's Gofpel doth not feem to be intended for a Hiftory of the Life and Actions of Christ: but an Appendix to the Hiftory, which had been written before by the other Evangelifts, and to fupply only what they had omitted. Therefore you fhall find that he gives no account of the Genealogy or Birth of our Saviour, nor of his Sermon upon the Mount, which did contain the fum of his Doctrine, nor of any of his Miracles or his other Difcourfes which are related by the other Evangelifts; nor doth he relate any more of the Hiftory of his Life, than was juft neceffary to bring in, and connect thofe things which he thought fit to fuperadd to the former Hiltory. So that confidering how defective this Gofpel, taken by it felf,

XII.

is in the most effential parts of the Volume Hiftory of the Life, and Doctrine, and Actions of Chrift, no Man can think that St. John did intend this for a full and fufficient account of the Life and Doctrine and Miracles of Chrift; or that upon this imperfect relation, in which he had knowingly omitted many of the moft material and confiderable things belonging to the History of Chrift, he could expect that men fhould receive full fatisfaction concerning him. Therefore I think it is highly reasonable, and almost neceffary to conclude, that when he fays, Thefe things are witten, that you might believe that Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God; he does not folely refer to the Gospel which was written by himself: but to the whole History of the Gofpel, which was put together into one Book or Volume, which was compleated by this Appendix.

2. Another reafon I have for this, which doth much strengthen this conjecture, is what I find in Eufebius, in the 18. Chapter of the third Book of his Hiftory, where he tells us to