1. The act, ' He shall convince.'
2. The object, ' The world.'
3. The particulars, what he shall convince them of, ' Of sin, of right- eousness, and of judgment.'
4. The means, ' By the Spirit.'
5. The effects of this, and how this was accomplished, and what a mighty confirmation this was of the aj)Ostles' testimony.
1. Consider the act, ' He shall reprove, or convince ; ' not convert, but convince ; whereby is meant not only his offering or affording sufficient means which might convince men, but his actual convincing them thereby ; even the reprobate world shall be so convinced as they were put to silence, that they shall not easily be able to gainsay the truth ; nay, some of them shall obtain the profession of it. And yet the Holy Ghost goeth no further with them than fully to convince them ; the work stoppeth there, they are not effectually converted to God. As many carnal men, that remain in an unregenerate condition to the last, may have many temporal gifts bestowed qn them, where- by they may be made useful to the real and true believers, and have strange changes and flashes of conscience for a while, yet it went no further ; therefore the apostle saith, Heb. vi. 4, 5, ' They were en- lightened, and had tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost ; and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come.'
2. The object of this work of the Spirit, Whom shall he convince ? ' The world.' It is notable the church is not spoken of, but the world. Now the world is either the unregenerate and unconverted world, or else the reprobate and lost world, wdio finally persist in their unbelief or want of saving faith. This mad raging world shall be convinced, and 60 their opposition taken off, or their edge blunted, and they made
VeR. 21.] SERMONS UPON JOHN XVII. 41
more easy and kind to his people, though they are but convinced, and continue still in a state of nature. Nay, some of them shall join with them, and he made greatly useful to them ; therefore they need not fear though all the power and learning in the world were against them at that time.
3. The particulars whereof they are convinced, 'Of sin, of righteous- ness, and of judgment.' Grotius and other interpreters observe there were three sorts of causes of actions among the Jews, Trepl afMaprta<;, concerning criminal matters, or irepl BiKaiuavvr)<;, in defending the just and upright, or Trepl Kpia€co<;, in urging the law of retaliation for damage done. Sometimes there was a suit commenced to know whether a man were a criminal or no ; at other times, if any man .had been wronged, there was a suit commenced concerning righteousness and innocency, and the man was acquitted in court. Sometimes there was an action concerning judgment, and that was concerning retaliation, giving eye for eye, tooth for tooth, recompensing the party wronged concerning damage done. So here, the Holy Ghost at his coming should be the advocate of Christ against the world, Avho had rejected and crucified him. One action that he should put in against the world was con- cerning sin, whether Christ or the despisers of his grace were guilty of a crime. It would appear in the issue that not to believe in him was a sin, as well as to transgress the moral or natural law. The second action was concerning righteousness, to vindicate his innocency, though he suffered among them as a malefactor, in that he was owned by God, and taken up into heaven, as a clear testimony of his innocency. The third action was that of judgment, or punishing injurious persons by way of retaliation ; that those which struck out another's eye or tooth were to lose their own, or he that had wronged another man in his substance should lose as much of his own. This action he had against Satan, who with his instruments had put Christ to death ; now * the prince of this world shall be judged ; ' retaliation shall be done upon him, his kingdom destroyed, his idols and oracles battered down, and put to silence and under disgrace. And thus the Spirit should come to convince the world that it was a sin not to believe in Christ, who was a righteous and innocent person ; and the devil, which did the wrong, should have right done upon him, that he should be destroyed, and his kingdom demolished. All these we have. Acts v. 30, 31, ' The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a saviour, to give repentence to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.' The first question was concerniog sin, whether Christ died as a malefactor, or whether he was a true prophet ? and whether it was not a sin in the Jews not to receive him ? That was the point in controversy between the apostles, in preaching the gospel, and the world that denied this. The next question was concerning righteousness, whether Christ was a righteous person? Now, Christ being exalted at God's right hand, was thereby owned to be a righteous person, tiiat though he was hanged on the tree, yet he was justified and exalted at the right hand of God. The other controversy was concerning judgment, whether Christ were a base person, or one exalted to be a prince and a saviour, exalted above Satan, and all things that are called god in the world ? Now