44 Sect. 98. the World cannot hate you (e), because it is on Principles of carnal Wisdom that you act, and fo John VII. 7. have nothing in your Conduct that may draw upon you any particular Oppofition; but me it bates, not on Account of any ill Action which I have committed, but because from a Zeal for Truth, and a Defire of its Reformation, I bear my Teftimony concerning it, that its Deeds are evil. 8 Do you therefore go up to this Feaft, whenever you please, without waiting for me; and acquiefce in what I now tell you, that I do not as [yet] go up to this Feaft (f); for that which I judge my moft convenient Time of doing it, is not yet fully come, nor do I need to be directed by you in my Conduct, on fuch Occafions as these.

But goes up afterwards in a private Way.

9

Now when be bad faid thefe Things unto them, be continued [ftill] in Galilee for a few Days longer: 10 But when his Brethren or Kindred were gone up, then be alfo himself went up to the Feaft (g), not publickly with a Train of Attendants, as he had often done (b), but alone, and as it were in fecret, as privately as he could.

appear

hate you; but me it hateth, because I teftify of it, that

the Works thereof are evil.

8 Go ye up unto this Feaft: I go not up yet unto this Feaft, for my Time is not yet full come.

Words unto them, he abode ftill in Galilee.

9 When he had said these

10 But when his Bre

thren were gone up, then Feaft, not openly, but as it were in fecret.

went he alfo up unto the

II Then the Jews fought

The Jews therefore, not seeing him as ufual, fought for him at the Beginning of the him at the Feast, and said, Feaft, and faid, What is become of Jefus, and

where

Where is he?

(e) The World cannot hate you.] Thefe Words, gentle as they may appear, contain a moft awful Infinuation, that these his Kinsmen were Perfons governed entirely by Carnal Views, and therefore deftitute of the Love of GOD, and all well-grounded Hope from him.

(f) I do not [yet] go up to this Feaft.] The Reader may obferve, that I inclose the Word [yet], which answers to 7 in the Original, in Crotchets; and the Reason is, because I'do indeed doubt, whether it was in the oldeft Copies. And this Doubt arifes, not merely from Porphyry's objecting against this, as a Falfhood; (for frequent Experience has taught us, how little the Enemies of Chriftianity are to be trufted in their Reprefentations of Scripture ;) but from obferving, that Jerom, and the other moft antient Fathers, who reply to that Objection, do not found their Anfwer, on his citing the Paflage wrong, but, as they justly might, on the Intimation our Lord gave, of his intending fhortly to go to the Feaft, in that Expreffion, My Time is not yet fully come. It is a glorious Teftimony to the unblemished Inte grity of our Lord's Character, that fo cunning and inveterate an Enemy was forced to have Recourfe to fuch mean and ridiculous Methods of afperfing it. See Dr. Mill on this Text, and Cleric. de Arte Criticâ, part. iii. pag. 232.

(g) He also went up to the Feaft.] Our Lord might know of fome Circumftance of particular Danger, which might have rendered his going up at the usual Time, and with this Company, unfafe, and therefore improper.

(b) Not publickly with a Train of Attendants, &c.] I look on this, as a moft certain Argument, that the Story in Luke ix. 51,-56. cannot (as most Commentators fuppofe,) relate to this Journey; fince it is fo evident, he was then attended with a numerous Train of Followers. Compare Note (a), pag. 37.

(i) Where

The Jews are divided in their Sentiments about him.

12 And there was much murmuring among the Peo

ple concerning him: for fome faid, He is a good Man: others faid, Nay, but be deceiveth the People..

13 Howbeit no Spake openly of him, fear of the Jews.

W

Man

for

45 where is be? or what can have prevented his com- Sect. 98. ing up to the Feast (i)?

John VII.

And there was in the mean. Time a great 12.
Murmuring among the People concerning him; for
fome faid, (as they had, from the whole Tenour
of his Life, the utmoft Reafon to conclude,).
Surely (k) he is an eminently pious and a good Man:
But others, under the Force of ftrong Prejudices,
fufpected the worst, and faid, Nay, that cannot
be; but he certainly feduces the ignorant Populace,
however he comes by this Power of doing it; and
the wifeft Part of Mankind muft fee, that he will
undoubtedly at laft draw his Followers into Ruin,
as fome other Impoftors have lately done. (See
Acts v. 36, 37.) Thus they privately debated 13
the Matter; bowbeit no one, that thought favour-
ably of him, poke his Mind with Freedom con-
cerning him (1), for fear of the Rulers among the
Jews, who were jealous of his growing Fame,,
and looked with a very malignant Eye on all who
took any peculiar Notice of Jefus.

IMPROVEMEN T.

E fee how little the greatest external Advantages can do, without John vii. 5. the Divine Bleffing, when fome of the nearest Relations of Chrift himself, by whom he had been most intimately known, were not prevailed upon to believe in him. Who then can, wonder, if fome remain incorrigible in the most regular and pious Families? How much more valuable is the Union to him, which is founded on a cordial and obedient Faith, than that which arofe from the Bands of Nature? and how cau

tiously

(i) Where is he? or what can have prevented his coming up to the Feaft] If our Lord had abfented himself from the two preceding Feafts, (which perhaps the Expoftulations of his Brethren, ver. 3, 4. may imply,) there was yet an obvious Reafon for the Surprize, which this Queftion exprefes, for undoubtedly our Lord ufed generally to attend on thefe Occasions.. See Vol. i. pag. 516. Note (b).

(k) Surely.] It is poffible, as our Tranflators have fuppofed, that the Word of here may be only an Expletive; but to me it seems probable, that it may not improperly be rendered furely, or truly, which is accordingly the Senfe that I have fometimes given it.We fhould not, I think, unneceffarily conclude a Word to be quite infignificant in any Writer of Credit and Character, especially in the Sacred Penmen.

() No one, that thought favourably of him, &c.] The Reafon afterwards given renders fuch a Reftriction abfolutely neceffary. Those that thought contemptibly of Chrift,, might have spoken their Minds as freely as they pleased.

46

Reflections on the Treatment we may expect from the World.

Sect. 98. tiously should we watch against thofe carnal Prejudices, by which even the Brethren of Chrift were alienated from him.

Ver. 1, 8.

Ver. 12.

Our Lord, we fee, ufed a prudent Care to avoid Perfecution and Danger, till his Time was fully come; and it is our Duty to endeavour by all wife and upright Precautions to fecure and preferve ourselves, that we may have Opportunities for farther Service.

In the Courfe of fuch Service, we must expect, especially if we appear under a publick Character, to meet with a Variety of Cenfures; but let us remember, that Jefus himself went thro' evil Report, and good Report; by fome applauded as a good Man; but by others, and thofe the greater Part of his Countrymen, condemned as deceiving the People. Let us learn of Christ patiently to endure fuch injurious Treatment; and endeavour to behave ourselves fo, that we may have a Teftimony in the Confciences of Men, and the Presence of God, that, after the Example of our great Mafter, in Simplicity and godly Sincerity, not with fleshly Wisdom, but by the Grace of GOD, we have our Converfation in the World: (2 Cor. i. 12.) Then will the Honour and Reward of our faithful Obedience continue, when the Memories of those that reviled us are perished with them.

Sect. 99. John VII. 14.

15

CHRIST going up privately to Jerufalem at the Feast of Tabernacles, vindicates his Conduct, and farther urges the Proofs of his Divine Miffion. John VII. 14,---24.

T

JOHN VII. 14.

JOHN VII. 14.

NOW about the midft

of the Feast, Jefus went up into the Temple, and taught.

HUS were the Jews divided in their Sentiments about our bleffed Lord, and tho' they eagerly enquired after him, yet knew not where to find him; but now in the Midft of the Feast of Tabernacles, about the third or fourth Day, Jefus went up to Jerufalem, and entered publickly into the Temple, and taught the People, who were in vaft Multitudes affembled there. And the Jews who heard him, were amazed, faying, How does velled, saying, How knowthis Man understand Letters (a)? or how comes

he

15 And the Jews mar

eth

(a) How does this Man understand Letters?] I fee no Reason to believe, that our Lord adorned his Difcourfes with Quotations from, or References to, the Writers that were then most celebrated for their Learning, or fhewed any extraordinary Acquifitions in Hiftory, Antiquities, &c. The Evangelifts have given us no Specimen of that Kind; and it is certain, that foreign Literature was then in great Contempt among the Jews. The Words

undoubt

and fhews that his Doctrine is from GOD.

47 he to be fo well acquainted with Sacred Literature, Sect. 99. as to be able thus expound the Scriptures, and

15.

to apply himself to us with fuch Gracefulness and John VII.
Propriety, having never learned these Arts of Ad-
drefs at any Place of publick Education?

Jefus anfwered them, and faid, There is no 16
fuch Reafon 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 Enquiry; but it is
entirely his that fent me, and I learned it by im-
mediate Infpiration from him.
And if you 17
defire rightly to enter into the Evidences of it,
you must make it your great Care to maintain an
honest and religious Temper; for if any one be re-
folutely determined to obferve the Dictates of my
Heavenly Father, and to do his Will (b), tho' ever fo
contrary to the Impulfe of a corrupt Nature, be
Shall then quickly understand, whether my Doctrine
be of GOD, or whether I speak it of myself; for the
Evidence is plain to an honeft Mind, and the
Correfpondence which fuch a truly good Man
will find between the whole Syftem of my Doc-
trine, and his own inward Experience, will be
unto him instead of a thousand fpeculative Argu-
ments. In the mean Time, you might ob- 18
ferve fomething, even in the very Manner of
my teaching, fufficient to convince you that I am
no Impoftor; for he that, in fuch a Circumftance,
and with such Pretenfions, fpeaks of himself, with-
out any Divine Commiffion, will govern himself
by Secular Views; and a fagacious Obferver will
foon fee, that he is feeking his own Glory and Inte-
reft, even under the most self-denying Forms::
But he that in the whole of his Conduct fhews,

that.

undoubtedly refer to our Lord's great Acquaintance with the Scriptures, and the judicious and matterly Manner in which he taught the People out of them, with far greater Majefty, and nobler Eloquence, than the Scribes could attain to by a learned Education. See Mark i.. 22. and Mat. vii. 29. Vol. i. pag. 299. Note (g).

—

(b) Be determined to do his Will. This seems to be the Import of thofe Words, Jean To Dexnua auty wew. (See Sect. 22. Note (a). Vol. i. pag. 127.) This important Paffage feems an exprefs Declaration, that every upright Man, to whom the Gofpel is propofed, will fee 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.

(c), Nai

John VII. 18.

19

48 They seek his Life for a Miracle wrought Sect. 99. that he feeks the Glory of GOD, as of him that he declares to have fent him, gives great Reafon to believe, that he is true and fincere in that Declaration, and there is no Unrighteoufness or Impofture in kim (c). But your Character is the very Reverse of this, and you cannot but know it in your own Confcience: For let me upon this Occafion call you to reflect on your own Conduct, and appeal to that: Hath not Mofes given you the Law, and do you not eagerly contend for its Divine Original? and yet none of you obferves the Law, that he has given you. If you deny the Charge, let me remind you of that grand Precept, "Thou shalt "not kill," and then afk you, Wherefore do you go about to kill me, tho' an innocent and upright Perfon, who am come to bring you a most important Meffage from GOD?

20

21

;

This Jefus faid with Reference to what he knew to be the fecret Design of fome of his Hearers, who were even then plotting his Deftruction but the Multitude, who were not aware of it, ignorantly and rudely answered and faid, Surely thou art poffeffed, and distracted (d), to talk thus; doft thou not fafely travel from Place to Place, and appear in our most publick Affemblies, even here at Jerufalem, and who goes about or defires to kill thee?

Jefus referring to the Defign, which he knew fome of them had, of renewing their Profecution against him as a Sabbath-breaker, because he had commanded the Disabled Man at the Pool of Bethesda to carry his Bed on that Day, (compare John v. 16. Vol. i. pag. 288.) anfwered in the gentleft Manner, and said unto them, I have fome Time

ago

(c) No Unrighteoufnefs or Impofture in him.] The Word afixia, in this Oppofition to anons, muft fignify Imposture. Yet I think it the fairest Way to tranflate the original Words in all their Extent, and content myself with fuggefting in the Paraphrafe thofe Limitations, which the particular Connection requires.

(d) Thou art poffeffed, and diftracted.] So fome of them exprefs it, John x. 20. He hath a Devil, and is mad: Which plainly fhews, (as many have obferved,) that they thought, fome of the worst Kind and Degrees of Lunacies proceeded from the Agency of fome Damon; as many confiderable Greek Writers plainly did. See Bos, Exercit. pag. 41,-43. But it can never be argued from hence, that Poffeffion and Lunacy are univerfally Synonymous Terms. When joined together, they feem to fignify different Things; the former being put for the Caufe, and the latter for the Effect.