lie himself was in his human or Mediatorial capacity ; and " that none should ever be able to pluck them out of his Father's hand." Yet, that they might know that he would not, on account of his removal from them, remit his care of them, he added, " I and my Father are one;" 'we are one, as in will, so in power; as in operation, so in nature and in essence : and consequently my sheep have a double pledge of their security.'
This is the plain meaning of the passage ; and that it is so, may be clearly seen from the construction ivhich the Jeivs put upon his words. They took up stones immediately, to stone him : and when he inquired for which of all his good works they were about to stone him, they replied, that it was " not for any good work, but for blasphemy ; because that He, who was only a man like themselves, made himself GodV Now this shews incontestably what meaning they affixed to his words : it was not an ignorant individual, or persons ill acquainted with the received import of the words, that so interpreted them ; but the whole audience, who perfectly understood what meaning his expressions were suited to convey.
The Jews were taught by God himself to be particularly jealous on the subject of idolatry; and to put to death any person who should, whether openly or in secret, attempt to seduce them to it. When therefore they heard our Lord arrogate to himself divine honours, they resented it, as they had done repeatedly before, by taking up stones to stone him as a blasphemer0. We do not say, that they were right in expressing their abhorrence of idolatry in this way ; because they should have had the matter examined before a magistrate, and have acted according to evidence, and not according to the impulse of their blind passions : but we do say, that Jesus was justly accused of blasphemy, if he was not God ; and that there was just cause for the indignation which his audience expressed.
But perhaps they were mistaken in their construction of his words : in which case we may be assured that Jesus would carefully rectify their error. But do we find that he did dis- claim the assertion which they called blasphemy ? No ; In his answers to them we find only,]
2. His confirmation of it — [They had just complained that he kept them in sus- pense ; and had desired that he would tell them plainly, who, and what, he was. He, in reply, declares that he had told them, and that they would not believe"1. Had he told them
b ver. 32, 33. c John v. 17, IB. and viii. 58, 59.
ll ver. 25.