John 17

1 Christ as our high Priest preparing himself for his suffering and death,prayeth his Father that he would glorifie him,to give eternal life to those that know him.4 Relateth how faithfully and with what joy he had fulfilled the work that was laid upon him.9 Prayeth for his Apostles that the Father would keep them in unit of love,15 from the evill,17 and sanctifie them in his truth,20 prayeth also for all that shall believe in him through their word,21 that they may be one,24 and be with him where he is to behold his glory.

1. This spake Jesus,and he lift up his eyes to heaven and said,Father,the hour is come;[Namely,which thou hast ordained for my suffering]glorifie thy Son [that is, shew in his deep humiliation that he is thhy Son : which likewise was done in his suffering by many miracles,Mat.27.46,51,52,53.and especially by his resurrection,ascension and sitting at the right hand of his Father.See the annotate.on v.5.] that thy Son also glorifie thee.[that is,declare the glory of my justice and mercy,and other thy properties,by his suffering and death for sinful men,Rom.3.25,26. and chap.5.8.]

2. Like as though hast given him power over all flesh,[Gr.of all flesh,i.e. over all men] that all that thou hast given him [namely,to reconcile unto thee,and to save Ephes.5.25.] and he may give unto them eternal life.

3. And this is eternal life [That is,the way and means to come to eternal life,is the true knowledge of God,and of the Mediatour Jesus Christ,namely accompanied with a firm affiance :as the word know is also taken ,Esa.53.11.] that they know thee the only true God,[or thee alone.In the Original it is not said that the Father only is the true God,but that the Father is the alone,or the only true God : for the true God is but one only devine essence subsisting in three persons.And threby are excluded all other false Gods which be Heathen worshipped,Jer.10.10,11. 1 Cor.8.6. Gal.4.v.8,9. but not the Son nor the holy Ghost,who also are this only true God and are so called,John 1.v.1. Acts 5:4. Rom.9.5. 1 Cor.3.16,17. 1 John 5.v.7,20. and elsewhere] and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent [namely,as the only Mediatour and Saviour,without which no man can be reconciled or united unto God,Acts 4:12. 1 Tim.2.5.]

4. I have glorified thee on Earth [Namely,by my doctrine,life and miracles] I have finished [this he faith,because a great part of that work was now accomplished and the remainder immediately after should forthwith be accomplished] the work [namely,of the reconciliation and the redemption of mankind] that thou hast given me [that is,hast ordained and commanded] to do.

5. And now glorifie me thou O Father [That is,set me at thy right hand in the full exercise of my divine glory,which i have indeed had with thee from a eternity as the Lord of glory, John 12:41. 1 Cor.2.8. but which in the time of my humiliation,for the salvation of mankind hath as it were been hidden in my humane nature. See Phil.2.v.6,7,8,9.] with thyself,with the glory which I had with thee before the world was : [that is,from eternity,Ephes.1.4.]

6. I have revealed thy name to the men whom thou hast given me,[Namely,not only to be faithfull Apostles and witnesses,and also to save them,v.2.] out of the world,[that is,out of the common heap of mankind] they were thine : namely,by thine eternal election,2 Tim.2.19.] and thou hast given the same to me ,and they have kept thy word.

7. Now they have known that all that hast given me is from thee.[That is,are taught and done by me,through thine inspiration,command and power.]

8. For the words [That is,the doctrine] which thou hast given me,I have given them,and they have received them [that is,embraced and believed] and they have truly known that I am come forth from thee [that is,that I am thy Son begotten by thee from everlasting,Psa.2.7. Mich.5.1.] and have believed that thou hast sent me.[namely,into the world,to be the Mediatour and Saviour ,Heb.5.5.]

9. I pray for them.I pray not for the world,[That is,not for all men in the world without difference,but for the elect and faithfull,Rom.8.33,34.] but for them which thou hast given me,for they are thine. [See v.6.]

10. And all mine is thine,and thine is mine ; and I am glorified [Namely by their faith,doctrine and works] in them. [or by them.]

11. And I am no more in the world, [That is I shall shortly depart out of the world,in respect of my bodily presence] but these are in the world, [that is,abide yet a while on the Earth,and shall herein be subject yet to many infirmities and temptations] and I come to thee.Holy Father keep them [namely,in all troubles and temptations] in thy name [that is,by thy power and for thy sake,seeing they must edure those troubles for thy sake] which thou hast given me,that they may be one even as we. [namely,in spirit,will and love towards one another,like as we are in one essence and will.]

12. When I was with them in the world,I kept them in thy name [Namely,not only from outward troubles,but also from falling away and seduction] Those thhat thou hast given me I have kept,and none of them is perished,serve the son of perdition,[or but the son of perdition,namely,is lost : so Judas is called,as also Antichrist, 2 Thes.2.3. because my Gods righteous judgement he is prepared for destruction,Rom.9.22.] that the Scripture may be fulfilled.[that is,and so the Scripture is fulfilled.See Psa.109.8. see further,Acts 1:16.]

13. But now i come to thee,and speak this in the world [That is,as long as I am yet with them in the world] that they may have my joy [that is,wherewith I rejoice over them,and whherewit they rejoice in me] fulfilled in themselves. [tat is, in teir soul an mind.]

14. I have ggiven them thy word, [That is ,taught and revealed thy doctrine] and the world hathh hateth them, [namely,for thy words sake] because they are not of thhe world, [Gr. out of the world, i.e.are not worldly minded] even as I am not of the world. [Gr.out of.]

15. I pray not that thou shouldst take them away out of the world, [Namely,for this time,seeing I must yet after this make use of their service] but that thou wouldst keep them from the evill.[thhat is ,from the seduction of Satan,of sin,and of te world.]

16. They are not of [Ggr.out of] the world,like as I am [Gr.out of] the world.

17. Sanctifie them in thy truth : renew them more and more by thy truth,and make more and more fit to be Ministers of the new Testament, 2 Cor.3.6.] ty word is the truth. [that is,that truth whereby men are snctified,namely,the doctrine of the Gospel, Jam.1.18.]

18. Even as thou hast sent me into the world ,(so) have I also sent them into the world. [Namely,to preac thy word and truth throughout the whole world.]

19. And I sanctifie my self [That is I give up my self for a holy sacrifice]for them,that they also may be sanctified [that is,by power and merits of this my sacrifice,may obtain the remission of their sins,the sanctification of the spirit,Heb.10.v.10,14.] in truth. [that is,truly : not as was done heretofore by the external ceremonies of the Law,but indeed fulfilling that which was typified by those ceremonies.Or by the truth.]

20. And I pray not only for these, but also for those that shall believe in me through their word. [That is,my word preached by them.]

21. That they all may be one,like as thou Father in me and I in thee,that they also may be one in us. [Or with us,i.e. that they being united unto us by true faith,Ephes.3.17. may also moreover by true love be united to one another] that the world may believe that thou hast sent me, [tat is,that they who do not yet believe,may thereby be allured to acknowledge and embrace me for the true Messias,and my doctrine for a devine doctrine, 1 Pet.3.v.1,2.]

22. And I have given thhem the glory which thou given me , [Namely,to be Gods children and my fellow heirs,Rom.8.17.] that thhey may be one, [namely,not only te Apostles,but also all those which shall believe in Christ throughh the word, v.20.] as we are one.

23. I in them , and thou in me : that they may be perfect in one, [Or unto me,i.e. that thhey being united unto me by faith,may also thereby be united unto thee, John 14:23. 1 John 1:3. and that sow their union with us by faith,and with one another by love may ave each its perfect members] and that the world may know that thou ast sent me,and hast loved them [namely,as thy children,1 John 3:1.] as thou hast loved me.

24. Father I will [That is,I desire or request.See Mark 10:35.] that where I am,[that is,were I shall shortly be in my glory in heaven.1 Thes.4.17. Rev.3.21.]they may also [namely,the Apostles and all other believers] be with me [namely,in due time ,in soul immediately after death, 2 Cor.5.8. Phil.1.23.and also in body after the general resurrection,Phil.3.21.] whom thou hast given me : that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me :[namely,by eternal generation as thine only begotten Son,John 5:26. and whic thou shalt also give me according to my humane nature,wen I shall be glorified at thy right hand,Ephe.1.20,21. Phil.2.9.] for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.[these words may be joined either to the word given,or to the word loved. See the like,Rev.13.8.]

25. O righteous Father,thhe World [Gr.and the World,i.e. the greatest maltitude of the World] hath not known thee,[namely,as it ought.For even the very Heathen hath some knowledge of God,Rom.1.19,21.] but I have known thee ,and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26. And I have made known thy name unto them,and will make (it) known,[Namely,yet more and more,wen I shall send the holy Ghost upon them] that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them,[that is,may also extend it self to them,and the power and sence thereof may be powred out into their hearts,Rom.5.5.] and I in them.[namely.by my spirit and grace.]