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that " men " are emphatically mentioned here to the seclusion of angels.
Believers are " given " to Christ by the Father, according to an everlasting covenant made and sealed, long before they were born ; and taken out from the world, by the calling of the Spirit, in due time. They are the Father's peculiar prop- erty, as well as the property of the Son. They were of the world, and nowise better than others. Their calling and elec- tion out of the world to be Christ's people, and not any fore- seen merit of their own, is the real foundation of their charac- ter.
These are deep things, things to be read with peculiar rever- ence, because they are the words of the Son addressed to the Father, and handling matter about believers, which the Eter- nal Trinity alone can handle with positiveness and certainty. Who those are who are given to Christ by the Father, we can only certainly know by outward evidences. But that all be- lievers are so given by the Father, predestined, elect, chosen, called by an everlasting covenant, and their names and exact number known from all eternity, is truth which we must rev- erently believe, and never hesitate to receive. So long as we are on earth we have to do with invitations, promises, com- mands, evidences, and faith ; and God's election never destroys our responsibility. But all true believers, who really repent and believe and have the Spirit, may fairly take comfort in the thought, that they were known and cared for and given to Christ by an eternal covenant, long before they knew Christ or cared for Him. It is an unspeakable comfort to remember that Christ cares for that which the Father has given Him.
[And they have kept Thy word.] Here our Lord continues the description of His disciples, and names things about them which may be seen by men as well as God. He says, " They have kept, or observed, or attended to, the Word of the Gospel, which tliou didst send them by Me. While others would not attend to or keep that Word, these eleven men had hearing ears and attentive hearts, and diligently obeyed Thy message." Practical obedience is the first great test of genuine disciple- ship.
. — []Vow they have knoicn, etc.] In this verse our Lord proceeds to give an account of His disciples. The meaning seems to be, " They have now attained such a degree of knowledge, that they know that the words they have heard and the works they have seen from Me, are words and works given Me to speak and do by Thee."
The idea is that they know my mission to be divine. " They know that Thou hast sent Me to be the Messiah, and hast com- missioned Me to speak and act as I have done."
Here, as elsewhere, it is striking to obser^'e how Jesus dwells