prize; fince, in his fpiritual nature, (as he had often before told them, and now repeated,) He and his Father were one: he was in the Father, and the Father in him. The precepts and doctrines which he taught them, proceeded not from himself alone, but equally from the Father, who dwelt in him: they, therefore, who had been fo long with him, had seen and known the Father, as far as in their mortal state they could fee and know him. But as our Lord never wished to impose a blind obedience on any one, he again appeals to those miracles, which none but God could perform, for the truth of the doctrines he taught them.

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12. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, He "that believeth on me, the works that I "do fhall he do alfo; and greater works "than these fhall he do, because I go 66 unto my Father.

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13. And whatsoever ye fhall afk in my name, that will I do, that the Father

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may be glorified in the Son.

“14.

If

The promise here given, as far as it relates to the performance of miracles thro faith in Chrift Jefus, must be confidered as confined to the apostles: not fo the other part of it: this extends to every Christian: and shall we neglect to take advantage of fo glorious and confolatory a privilege? We have only to afk and receive. How eafy are the terms! how great the bleffing!

The expreffion made use of by our Saviour, And greater works than these fhall he do,' feems to allude to the converfion of the Gentile world; a work which, from the infinite benefit it conferred on fo great a portion of mankind, was certainly ftill greater than the giving fight to the blind, feet to the lame, or even raifing of the dead to life: this honor Christ left to his disciples.

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15. If ye love me, keep my com

"mandments:

"16. And

"16. And I will pray the Father, and "he fhall give you another Comforter, "that he may abide with you for ever;

"17. Even the Spirit of truth, whom "the world cannot receive, because it "feeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he dwelleth with and fhall be in you.

" but

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you,

"18. I will not leave you comfortless; "I will come to you.

66 19. Yet a little while, and the world "feeth me no more; but ye fee me: be"caufe I live, ye fhall live also.

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20. At that day ye fhall know that I

am in

"in you.

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in me, and I

my Father, and you in me,

21. He that hath my

commandments,

"and keepeth them, he it is that loveth

66 me; and he that loveth me shall be "loved of my Father, and I will love him, " and will manifest myself to him."

We, as well as the apostles to whom this discourse was addreffed, have here pointed out to us a teft of our love to our Ttt bleffed

bleffed Lord; nor can any thing be more natural. Do we not always ftrive to act according to what we know to be the wish of those we love? Is it possible that any more easy terms could have been offered to us? Well might our Saviour fay, My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Let us, for a moment, confider what it is that is required of us: nothing more than to love him' to whom we are indebted for every hope of happiness, and who purchased this bleffing for us at the price of his own blood; for if we love him, we fhall do as he would have us.

It was not by unavailing forrow that the apostles were to fhew their love for their Master, and concern at his departure; but by keeping his commandments: and for their encouragement he promised them the affiftance of the holy Spirit, to abide with them for ever. And these gracious promises we may all apply, under certain limitations, to ourselves; more particularly when we have severe trials to ftruggle with; but we fhould remember,

that

that this Spirit of truth' abides with the godly only. Happy are those who constantly entertain fuch a friend! How cautious ought we to be, not to provoke the divine guest to leave us; left our grand enemy, who never loses an opportunity, should enter in and make us ten times worse than before.

The disciples, according to the promise here given, had the comfort and happiness of seeing our Lord many times after his resurrection, although the blessing was not granted to the world in general. It is not mere profeffions which will entitle us to the favor of God, or to be owned by our Master, at the laft day our love must be active, and manifefted by a conscientious discharge of all thofe duties which, in our respective stations, are required of us..

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"22. Judas faith unto him, (not Ifcariot,) Lord, how is it that thou wilt "manifest thyself unto us, and not unto

"the world?

Ttt 2

"23. Jefus

1