Power and Commiffion communicated * 21. Only ye must always remem* Ver. 15. ber, as I faid, that the one neceffary Condition, upon which all depends, is, that ye continue ftedfast and unmoveable in your Faith in me, and in your Obedience to my Commands. He, and he only, who embraces my Doctrine, and obeys and practises it, fhall be judged to be fincere in his Love towards me. And he that fo loves me, fhall be loved by my Father; and I my felf alfo will love him, and make great and glorious Manifeftations of my felf to him. 22. Here Judas, (not Ifcariot the Betrayer, but the other Judas, who was called Thaddaeus,) interrupted Jefus, Jaying: Lord, what is the Reafon, that you chufe to manifest your self to us, a few particular Perfons; and not to the Generality of the World? 13. Jefus replied: I have already told you the Reafon: 'Tis because the Generality of the World are not difpofed to obey my Commandments, which I faid was the one neceffary Condition of maintaining Communion with me. But ye are difpofed to embrace my Doctrine, and to obey it; and therefore I manifeft my self to you. And whofoever else will fo love me, as to obey my Commandments; him alfo will I and my Father love, and we will maintain Communion with him, and all Spiritual Bleffings fhall be derived down to him, and he fhall be made Partaker of Happiness and Eternal Life. 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me, fhall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest my felf to him. 22 Judas faith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thy felf unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jefus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he and my Father will will keep my words: love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not, keepeth not my fayings: and the word which you hear, is not mine, but the Fathers which fent me. 25 These things have I fpoken unto you, being yet prefent with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the holy Ghoft, whom the Father will send in my name, he fhall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have faid unto you. 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 Ye have heard how I faid unto you I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye, Nei 24. On the contrary, whofoever loves me not, that is, obeys not my Commandments; fhall have no Intercourfe or Communion with me. ther will my Father love or honour him, or make any Manifestations of himself to him; Forafmuch as my Commandments are not my own, but my Father's Commandments ; and therefore whofoever difhonours me, my Father will look upon him as difhonouring himself. 25. These things have I spoken to you now, briefly, according to the fhortnefs of the Time that I am to continue with you; and to comfort you for the present against my Departure. 26. But when the Comforter, whom I promised you, is come; even the Holy Spirit, whom my Father shall fend you upon my Account; he shall inftruct you more fully, recalling to your Remembrance what you have forgotten, explaining what is yet obfcure, and fupplying what is further neceflary to be taught you, and to be understood by you. 27. In the mean time, I take my Leave of you, and my Bleffing I leave with you; not formally, and after the ordinary Fashion of the World; but affectionately and heartily; retaining a careful Remembrance of you, and with an earnest Defire and Intention of returning again speedily to you. Wherefore be not over-much grieved for Me, and for my Departure; nor fearful what fhall thereupon befal your felves. 28. I go away from you; but 'tis with an Intention, as I have told you, to return to you again. If ye loved me according to Knowledge, with a wife and understanding Affection; ye would would rejoice, inftead of defponding, 30 & 31. The time will not allow me to fay much more to you at the prefent. For my End draweth very near; and the Ruler of this prefent World, the Prince of the Power of Darkness, is just at this Inftant employing all his Wicked Inftruments to apprehend and deftroy me. Not that either the Power of the Devil, or the Malice of Men, can at all prevail over me. But, because the Time of my Suffering, according to the Fore-appointment of Divine Wisdom, is come; and that I may evidence to the World my Love and Obedience to my Father; therefore I willingly submit my felf to be put to Death by the Hands of wicked and cruel Men. Come, rife up, let us be going. CHAP. XV. Jefus compares himself to a Vine, and his Difciples to the Branches, ver. 1. The Neceffity of a Holy Life, ver. 8. And of mutual Love and Charity, ver. 12. Preffed from the Example of Chrift's Love to Men, ver. 13, 17. Chriftians must expect Perfecution, ver. 18. Vicious Affections the only Caufe of Unbelief, ver. 22. The Coming of the Holy Ghoft, and the wonderful Progress of the Gospel, ver. 26. I I AM the true vine, and my Father is the hufbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every branch that beareth ** I. Furthermore, Jefus * faid to his Church and Nation has been the peDifciples. Hitherto the Jewish culiar and efpecial Care of Providence ; as a choice and goodly + Vine, likely to bring forth much Fruit, is the efpecial Care and Delight of the Husbandman. But from henceforward, My Church, my Difciples, and the Profeffors of my true Religion, of what Country or Nation foever they be, fhall become the People of God, and the peculiar Care of Divine Providence. I will be to them as the Root and Stock of a Vine, of which they are the Bran ches, and my Father the Husbandman and Vine-dreffer. 2. As in the Management of a choice Vine, the skilful Vine-dreffer cuts off all barren and fuperfluous Branches, that they may not burden or exhauft the Tree; and prunes and dresses the fruit Perhaps, upon Occafion of their drinking the laft Cup of Wine, according to Cuftom, after the Supper; and his haying faid thereupon, (Mat. xxvi. 29.) that he would drink no more of the Fruit of the Vine, till He fhould drink it new in the Kingdom of God. To which Expreffion this Difcourfe may poffibly be fuppofed to allude, or to be occafion'd by it. f Pfal. lxxx. 8, &c. Ifa. v. 1 & 7. Jerem. ii. 21. V L. II. . Ff ful ful Branches, that they may improve continually and bear more Fruit: So, in the Government of my Church; all useless, wicked, and incorrigible Members, my Father by his juft Judgments cuts off and deftroys; But those who are fincerely Pious and Good, he by the various and merciful Difpenfations of his Providence towards them, tries, and purifies, and amends; that they may daily improve, and be more and more abundant in all good Works. 3. Now fuch Members as thefe, are ye my Apoftles; being purified in Heart and Mind, and prepared to every good Work, by your hearty Faith in me, and fincere Refolutions to obey my Commandments. 4. Continue ftedfaftly in this State; and then you may be fure to have all Spiritual Bleffings derived to you from me, as the Branches receive Sap and Nourishment from the Vine. But as a Branch, without continuing in the Vine, cannot bear any Fruit, but presently dries up and perifhes: So ye, unless ye continue ftedfaft in your Communion with Me, by hearty Faith and fincere Obedience, in fuch manner as to receive from Me all Grace and fpiritual Bleffings; can never bring forth any good Fruit of true Holiness and Righteoufnefs; but will fall into Vanity, Superftition, and Wickedness; and fhall utterly perish. fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the spoken unto you. word which I have 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear it abide in the vine: fruit of it felf, unless no more can ye, ex cept ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, 56. I am (I fay) as it were the Root and Stock of a Vine, whereof ye are the Branches. He that continues to adhere to me, by conftant Faith in by obeying my Commands; fhall bring me, by imitating my Example, and the fame bringeth forth much Fruit of true Virtue and Holiness unto everlafting Life; even as a Branch, that continues to grow in forth much fruit: for can without me ye do nothing: 6 If a man abide not in me, he is caft forth, |