John 14

John 14:15

his discourse with his disciples, recommending a mandments as the best proof of their love to him, irit, and declaring his readiness to meet his apings. John XIV. 15, to the end.

JOHN XIV. 15.

OUR Lord went on with his discourse to sec this apostles on this solemn occasion, and clxx observing the lively flow of their affection to Joh him in this tender conjuncture of circumstances, xiv. he added, If you do indeed love me, express that love by a constant care to keep my commandments; for that will be a surer test, and more acceptable expression of your regard to me, than all your trouble and concern at parting with me. And thus you may depend on the correspond- 16 ent expressions of my friendship to you:ᵃ and particularly that I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter,ᵇ that he may more than supply the want of my bodily presence, and abide with you, not for a season only, as I have done, but for ever; [Even] the bless- 17 ed Spirit of truth and grace, whom the world cannot possibly receive as a Comforter, because it neither sees him nor knows him; being altogether destitute of his sanctifying influences, and refusing to admit his testimony to me: but ye know him in some measure, even now, by his

ᵃ Thus you may depend on the correspondent expressions of my friendship to you.] The connection may possibly intimate that they might hope for an abundant degree of the Spirit’s communication, in proportion to the prevalency of their love to Christ.

ᵇ He will give you another Comforter.] It is well known that the word ἀρχακλῆσ may signify a comforter, an advocate, or a monitor; and it is evident the blessed Spirit sustained each of these characters; but

this being a consolatory discourse, I chose to use the former, as our translators have done. Toland says it is by no contemptible criticism that the Mahometans (instead of ἀρχακλῆσ) read ἀρχακλῆσ, that is, the illustrious, which answers to Mahommed in the Arabic language; and so urge this as a prophecy of him. (Tol. Nazaren. p. 13.) Yet he would probably have thought this criticism very contemptible in any but the enemies of Christianity.

VOL. 2.

He that hath his commands, and keeps them

powerful operations in you, and by you ; for he already dwells with you in part, and shall quickly be more abundantly in you, by a much simpler communication both of his gifts and graces.

Encourage yourselves therefore with the pleasing expectation, and be assured that I will not leave you neglected, like a family of helpless orphans, who have no friend or guardian surviving ; but I will come to you by my spiritual presence, and visit you by the most valuable tokens of my constant care. For it is but yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, as it has done for some time past, though it knows me not ; but after I have done conversing with the world, I will appear again to you, and you shall see me in such a manner as to feel the blessed effects of my distinguishing regard to you ; for because I live, you also shall live, by means of those divine influences you shall derive from me, to cherish the workings of grace in your hearts, and to train you up to a growing meetness for sharing with me in eternal life. (Compare 2 Cor. iv. 10, 11.) And in that day, when I fulfil this promise to you, you shall experimentally know, by the most evident and reviving tokens, that I [am] indeed in my Father, and that you also are in me, and I in you, by a most intimate and inseparable union. But this will only be the privilege of such as evidence their love to me by an obedience to my word ; for he that has my commandments discovered to him, and diligently keeps them, he it is that loveth me ; but none besides have any title to this character, whatever specious pretences they may make to it : and he that thus shews that he loveth me, shall be loved by my Father, and I will also love him, and in a most condescending and endearing manner will manifest myself to him.

Judas was very much surprised at this ; not Judas Iscariot ; for he, as it was said before, was gone out before our Lord began this discourse ; (chap. xiii. 31, sect. clxxi.) and had he

c I will not leave you orphans.] Elsner priety a father, is elegantly and tenderly justly observes that the case of those who expressed by this word appears. (Compare 1 Thess. ii. 17, Gr.) See Elsner. some dear friend, though not in strict pro- Observ. Vol. I. p. 341.

and Christ will love him, and come to him.

been there, he was always too much on his guard to have dropped any hint of his view to Christ’s temporal kingdom; but another apostle of that name, who was also called Thaddeus and Lebbeus, the son of Alpheus, and the brother of James (see note on Mark iii. 18, Vol. I. p. 295), a near relation to our Lord himself: this Judas, upon hearing Christ express himself in such a way, says to him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the world? Dost thou not then intend to make a public appearance, which will be obvious to the eyes of all?

Jesus answered and said to him, As to that, it may be sufficient to tell you, that, as I said before (ver. 21), If any man sincerely love me, he will in an humble and obedient manner keep and observe my word; and if he shall be found to do so, my Father, who at all times has a tender regard to my honour and interest, will undoubtedly love him; and we will both of us come to him, by the favourable tokens of our presence, and will make [our] constant abode with him: you are therefore to understand what I said of manifesting myself to him that loves me, not of any corporeal and sensible appearance, but of such a spiritual and intimate correspondence as the invisible Father of glory and grace maintains with his people through me. But, on the contrary, he that does not really love me, does not observe and keep my

d Was always too much on his guard, &c.] It is observable, that Judas Iscariot was so finished a hypocrite, that we never find him saying one word of Christ’s temporal kingdom, though probably the hope of preferment and gain in it was the chief consideration which engaged him to follow our Lord. Let the reader indulge me while I tell him, that he owes this remark to that incomparable person, the late reverend Mr. David Some, of Harborough; and let him join with me in lamenting the fatal modesty which engaged him with his dying breath to consign to the flames those writings which (unfinished as some of them might have appeared) would probably have been the means of spreading among thousands that spirit of wisdom, piety, and love, into which the whole soul

of the author seemed to be transformed. e A near relation to our Lord himself.] His father Alpheus seems to have been the same with Cleopas; for as Judas and James were the sons of Alpheus (Luke vi. 15, 16), so James is elsewhere said to be the son of Mary (Mat. xxvii. 56; and Mark xv. 40), who was the wife of Cleopas, and sister to the mother of our Lord (Joh. xix. 25); Judas is therefore numbered with James, and Josée, and Simon, among the brethren or near kinsmen of our Lord (Mat. xiii. 35, and Mark vi. 3); and, being so nearly related to Jesus, he might think himself peculiarly concerned to inquire into the meaning of an assertion which seemed inconsistent with the prospect of a temporal kingdom, in which, perhaps, he expected some eminent office.

The Comforter would come and teach them all things.

words with any constancy and resolution; and my sayings: and the clxxiv. therefore must expect no such spiritual and word which ye hear, — eternal benefits, whatever outward privileges is not mine, but the John he may enjoy: see to it therefore, that you Father’s which sent xiv. 24 diligently hearken and attend to what I say; me. for the word which you hear me speak is not originally or merely mine, but it is [the word] of the Father that sent me, who has particularly given it in charge to me, that I should thus insist upon practical and universal holiness, as one great end of my appearance.

And accordingly you know, that I have 25 These things strongly insisted upon it as such; and these have I spoken unto things I have spoken to you again and again, you, being yet preswhile I continued personally present with you: ent with you.

But when the Comforter, that I have promised 26 But the Comyou, is come; [even] the Holy Spirit, whom forter, which is the the Father after my departure will send in my Holy Ghost, whom name, to act as the great Agent in my cause, in my name, he shall and to negotiate the affairs of my kingdom; teach you all things, he shall teach you all things which it is neces- and bring all things, sary for you to know, and remind you of all to your rememthings which I have said to you, that you may I have said unto you: not only recollect them in the fullest manner for your own instruction, but be able to record them for the edification of my church in suc-

ceeding ages. In the mean time, as I Amos 27 Peace I leave now departing from you, peace I leave with you with you; my peace as my legacy; and, as a blessing of the great- I give unto you. not est moment and importance to you, my peace I as the world giveth, give unto you; such a peace as none but I can not your heart be impart, a peace with God and yourselves, as troubled, neither let well as with your fellowcreatures, which will it be afraid. be the spring of solid and lasting happiness: and it is not as the world often gives and wishes peace, in an empty form of ineffectual, and often, perhaps, unmeaning compliment, that I give it unto you; but, as I most sincerely wish it, I will most certainly secure it to you. Let not your heart therefore be troubled at the thoughts of my departure, neither let it be afraid of what may befall you when I am gone; for I will help you to possess your souls in quietness and peace, and will establish it upon the firmest basis.

You need not then to be discouraged at the sep- 28 Ye have heard aration that will now be made between us; for how I said unto you, as you have heard how I have said to you, that I go away, so also you have been informed of

uld rejoice t at he was going to the Father.

my intention in it, and know that I have added, I will come [again] to you : and surely if you loved me with a wise and rational affection, it would allay your sorrows in the mean time, and, howsoever you might have a mournful sense of your own loss, you would rejoice on my account, because I said, I go to the Father ; or my Father, whose servant I am as Mediator, is in this respect greater than me, and consequently it must be my honour and happiness to be in a state of greater nearness to him than the present world will admit. And now I have told you this, that I have been discoursing to you concerning my own removal, my return to the Father, and the descent of the Spirit upon you, before it comes to pass ; that when it does come to pass, you may more firmly believe, not only on account of the extraordinary nature of the events themselves, but also on account of their exact and evident correspondence with these predictions of mine.⁶

It will be your wisdom the rather to observe and review these things, as I shall not hereafter have time to discourse much more with you about them ; for Satan, the prince of this apostate world, is coming to encounter me, and is raising a storm against me which will quickly separate us : nevertheless, I have this comfort, that he has nothing in me, no guilt of mine to give him power over me, nor any inward corruption to take part with his temptation. But he is permitted thus to attack me, and I contentedly submit to my approaching sufferings, that the world may see and know, on the most substantial evidence, that I love the Father so well, as to refuse nothing whereby his glory may be advanced ; and even as the Father has commanded me, so I do, how painful or expensive soever that obedience may be. And therefore, that we may be prepared for this hour of temptation that is coming upon us, arise, let us go from hence,⁷ and retire to a place

⁶ You may more firmly believe, not only on account, [&c.] It is very judiciously observed by Dr. Jenkin (in his excellent Defence of Christianity), that when miraculous events are also the accomplishment of prophecies, the degree of evidence arising from them is the greatest that can possibly be conceived.

⁷ Arise, let us go hence.] See note ², in the next section. That xiii sometimes signifies though, or nevertheless, as I have rendered it ver. 30, see note ² on John xvii. 25 sect. clxx.

Reflections on the regard of Christ to such as love him:

where we may more conveniently attend our clxxiv. devotions; and where I may be ready, when John my cruel enemies shall come to apprehend me, xiv.31 to yield myself into their hands, and to submit to what my Father has appointed for me.

IMPROVEMENT.

John SURELY, if we are not entirely strangers to the Divine life, xiv. we cannot read such discourses as these without feeling some 15, 21 warm emotions of love to Christ: and if indeed we feel them, let us consider how they are to be expressed. Our Lord directs us to do it in the most solid and the most acceptable manner, by a constant care to keep his commandments; and sure such commandments as his cannot be grievous to a soul that truly loves him. (1 John v. 3.) The more we live in the practice of them, 16, 17 the more cheerfully may we expect the abundant communications of his Spirit to animate and strengthen us.

If we are Christians indeed, let us not, in any circumstance of life, look on ourselves as helpless and abandoned orphans. Human friends may forsake us; but Christ will come to us: he will 21, 23 manifest himself to the eye of faith, though to the eye of sense he is invisible; and his heavenly Father will love us, and watch over us for good: yea, he will come and dwell in the obedient soul by the gracious tokens of his intimate and inseparable presence. And do we any of us experience this? We have surely reason to say that by way of admiration which the apostle 22 said by way of inquiry, Lord, how and whence is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the world! What have we done to deserve these gracious and distinguishing manifestations! Nay, how much have we done to forfeit them! even more than many, from whom they are withheld!

With unutterable joy let us review this rich legacy of our dying Lord: peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you. Lord, evermore give us this peace with God, and with our own consciences! for if thou wilt give quietness, who can make trouble? (Job xxxiv. 29.) How serenely may we then pass through the most turbulent scenes of life, when all is quiet and harmonious within! Thou hast made peace through the blood of thy cross (Col. i. 20); may we preserve the precious purchase and inestimable gift inviolate, till it issue in everlasting peace! In this let our hearts be encouraged; in this let them rejoice; and not in our own happiness alone, but also in that of our now glorified and exalted 28 Redeemer. As the members of his body, we ought certainly to maintain a pleasing sympathy with our Head, and to triumph in his honour and felicity as our own. If we love Christ, we should

Christ represents himself as the true Vine.

rejoice, because he is gone to the Father. And the same consideration may in its degree comfort us when our pious friends are removed: if we love them with a rational and generous friendship, and are not too much influenced by selfish affections under that specious name, our joy for their exaltation will greatly temper the sorrow which our loss must give us.

Our Lord uttered these words in the near views of a grievous assault from the prince of this world, who is the prince of darkness; but there was no corruption in him to take part with the enemy. Too much, alas, does he find in us to abet his temptations: let us earnestly pray that the grace of Christ may be sufficient for us; and that as his love to the Father engaged him to go through this painful conflict with the tempter, his love to us may make us partakers of his victory. In his name let us set up our banners; and the powers of hell shall flee before us.