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, i follows without a doubt, that the world who persecut both him and his Christians, cannot attain unto it although they desire with a foolish presumption of min to become partaker of it by great efforts, and by thei own powers and works. And where Christ freely give eternal life, there, of necessity, must be eternal grea ness and glory; and on the contrary, where Chri gives not eternal life, there can be nothing else but ete nal shame, ignominy, and contempt.-Wherefore, know ing these things, let us suffer our enemies to blasphen and revile as long as they can, since the rage and fu of their reviling will shortly come to an end: for neith thirty, nor forty, nor sixty years, are to be compared eternity, even as the twinkling of an eye is not to compared to the whole of this life which we live up earth.

But observe what words John here uses, who has particular manner of confirming this article above t rest of the Evangelists, that Christ is truly G equally with the Father. For these words, "As th hast given him power over all flesh that he should eternal life," &c. will not admit of the conclusion t he is only man: for such power, even of ruling over flesh and of giving eternal life, can be given to no c ture; a creature can receive and lay hold of eternal but, to give eternal life unto others, is the work power of God alone. For the angels, although 1 enjoy immortality, yet cannot communicate the sam any other. When therefore Christ confesses that he the power of giving eternal life unto his own, and he has received the same from the Father, he indic with sufficient clearness, that he is of the same p and essence with the Father, though their persons different. And that he might set this still more cl before our eyes, he adds,

21

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.
tain anticipation, gives an answer; and says. Exertai
To this objecting inquiry, Christ, by a cer-
life is thus, and my disciples shall receive it in dus ver.
-"that they might know thee the one true Go ant
Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." This passage vis
powerfully brought forward by the fathers and actes
of old against the heresy of the Arians, who benet the
divinity of Christ, and the passage is inter annu
and incontrovertible.

Every Christian, indeed, ought to give al ül
to read over the Gospel of St. Join mor surely
again and again, in order that he may in
hend and understand it, and may an auti

self with such mighty scriptures on accour of te
heresies that will come. For in every w tie JE,
Turks, and the heretics, have for

and the same devil is beheld in a
(may God avert such an evil

L

anity and the power of breaking it forth directly with intolerable form. Wherefore, let him who wout va

avoid all those things which at

thoughts are accustomed to advars

te w

article: for there is no course or Sum 12.
against the seducing delisions of the web #

thing but ur having a steac

roes of the scriptore in al erg waa var

Christ has said must be true at a

thoughts and speculations: un song

the comprehension of me, ce ar ofier nota M
one tre. He knows well var le umset & ut

"

Father were to be displayed in glorifying his Son; and the Son was to be made manifest in so much honour, that the whole world, with all their prepared ignominy and disgrace, should be compelled to fall down at his feet and adore him!

And at length, the Father is glorified by the Son. That is, he is made known and preached, as being able to bring help in infirmity, in death, in ignominy; and, out of them to bring strength, life, honour, and glory; which then began to be done when Christ arose from the dead unto his glory, and ascended into heaven, and sent down his Holy Spirit; and which still continues to be done by his permitting his Gospel to be preached far and wide, as long as the world shall stand. For this is the office of the Holy Spirit-to manifest by the preaching of the Gospel, how great and unspeakable things God has done for us through Christ-that he has delivered us from sin, death, and the power of the devil. and has received us into his grace and protection, and wholly given himself unto us!

And such a glorifying or magnifying_were_just as necessary for the Father, as for our Lord Jesus Christ himself. For if we consider the Father, we shall see that he was as deeply immersed in darkness and hidden from the world, with respect to the glory and honour of his name, as Christ himself was when hanging upon the cross. For what was the state of things at that time in the world? All was full of impious and blasphemous idolatries; so much so, that there were some who worshipped the sun and the moon, and even fishes and birds; and the most holy name of the divine Majesty had to endure seeing adoration paid to his creatures, but none to himself. Nay, the Jews even, who were called the people of God, practised their idolatries under his name, by trusting in their own works and righteousness.

And the same is going on at this day for every one forms to himself a God according to his own imaginations, under various kinds of a false worship of God, and each under a form of godliness: not to mention

those open and atrocious blasphemies against God with which the world is wholly filled. Wherefore, there is the greatest need to pray that the Father may be glorified; that is, that he may be known by the preaching of the Gospel, and be thereby honoured as he desires and ought to be honoured; that all erroneous doctrines and false worshippings of God, together with all human traditions and dreams, may cease and be abolished; and that the Gospel alone may prevail and shine.

From this view of things you may see, how the heart of the Lord Christ burns, and with what ardent feelings of his inmost soul he utters this prayer.-It grieves him that the most holy name of God should be obscured in such darkness, and that the whole world should lie in unbelief and blindness of mind: and so deeply does he grieve, that he desires speedy death, and to endure every kind of insult and ignominy, so that the honour of the Father's name might be vindicated, and his glory brought forth to the light.

But, as I have already observed, the Father cannot be glorified, unless the Son be first glorified. That is, unless the Holy Spirit first come and preach the Gospel, without which, no one can know the Father. For, before that, he can only be preached and known as a rewarder and dealer in good works, and as one who is to look upon us according to our religion and holiness. But this is to praise, not the Father, but ourselves and our own merits. Whereas, when Christ desires to be glorified by the Father, and to glorify the Father in return, it is, that men, leaving all confidence in themselves, should glory only in his grace and benefits.

Such words as these, therefore, does Christ speak for our sakes, to strengthen our faith against the greatest offence that can be opposed to the Gospel in the world. For it brings no small grief to Christians, that they hear and see the name of God blasphemed and insulted on every side, while he himself also permits his Christians to be oppressed by persecutions and driven to every extremity, and so carries himself as though he could not bring them any help, or would not,

in order that the world might fiercely triumph over them and shout the song of victory. Hence it is, that Christ not only prays for himself, but that he might be glorified in all and by all that believe in him, and that he might glorify the Father: who, being gained over and softened by this prayer, still now and then displays the same power in Christians which he openly manifested in Christ himself; to the intent, that as he was glorified by him, so also he might be glorified by us.

Therefore although we may suffer many afflictions, and may die for his Word's sake, yet, through this ignominy of death, this turpitude, and this bitterness, we shall pass away into eternal glory. On the other hand, our enemies, although they now rule and lord it over all things, shall at last be cast down from on high, and shall ignominiously go away into eternal disgrace. And this has been abundantly fulfilled in the most evident examples; and the same has been testified by experience down from the times of the apostles in many martyrs. And John Huss also was most ignominiously condemned in the council of Constance, and put to death; yet he has obtained these honours ;-the Word which he taught has openly come forth and now shines throughout the world, condemning and shaming Popery with all its honours, pomp, and riches.

And the same also shall come upon all our enraged enemies who wish to suppress the Gospel and to extirpate Christians, a great part of whom they have already burnt and murdered. For, kings and potentates much more powerful and fierce than they are, have come to destruction, and have been hurled headlong to perdition for the Gospel's sake, which they would not endure; in a comparison with whom, all the princes of this day would appear but as the common beggars of the street. How often was the Roman empire terribly laid waste, plundered, harassed, and overthrown, at the times when it thought itself the most powerful and most secure, while it knew not how to cease from blaspheming and raging, and venting its fury against Christians, and from shedding their blood? And all those tyrants and perse