the glory as of ' and God who had ſpoke to the ſame ſenſe, Exod. 33. 11. ſaith , 2, | _ { Thou canſt not ſee my face, for there is no man ſhall ſee me and live, Ngy b þ The Son of Sod, called the Word, for the reaſons before ſpecifi- ' to whom he did not diſcover his face, he certainly did not diſcoyer ed, was made truly man, as fieth often iigaifieth in Holy Writ, Gen, | all his ſecret Counſels. a But he who is the only begotten and 2. Not a vile, deſpicable, mor- } loved Son, hath ſuch an intimate Communiog with him in his N;.
he was made Fleth, than he | ture, and ſuch a free Communication of all hi: Counſels, as it may he
would ſpeak unto him mauth to month, even apparently , but he tell y; how in the ſame Verſc, and the ſemilitude of the Lord ſhall he teh; ;
; faid, he 15s continually in his Boſom. * Hath declared him, not on. ly as a Prophet, declareth the Mind and Will of God, but as the X24.
Chriſt aſſumed Humane Nature in common, not the particular na- - vens declare the glory of God; and the Firmament ſheweth his handy withs, ture, of any, to commend the Love of God, and to let us ſee, That { Pſal. 19. 1. Being the brightneſs of hjs fathers glory, and the exp his Plaiſter was proportioned to our Sore, it reached all Fleſh. The ; Image of his perſon, Heb. 1. 3- $0.as the Father can only be ſeen inthe
Evangeliſt ſaith not, he was changed into Fleſh; but, by aſſuming he was made Fleſh. / And he Tabernzcled amongſt us ; amongſt us men, or amongſt men that were his Diſciples : The word fignifieth properly, he made no long ſtay. m And we beheld the ſigns and ct-
fefts of his Glory ; mary of which were ſeen, both at the time of |
| Son 3 nor 16 ſo full a Revelation of the Fathers Will to be expetteq from any, as from the Son.
19 And this is * thexecord of John, when the Jews fent'C Prieſts and Levites from Jeruſalem, to ask him, Whoar
his Transfiguration, and at his Paſſion, Reſurre&ion and Aſcenſion ; thou b ?
the Glory of his Grace, Holineſs, Truth, Miraculous Operations, Fc. , nWhick Glory was the Glory of the only begotten of the Father ,
for the particle [ as ] here doth not ſignifi Likeneſs, but Truth ; Nehemiah 7. 2. Job 24. 14. 0 Full of Grace an Truth, as he was God manifeſted in the fleſh. Grare fignifieth Love and Good Will, out of which it was that he delivered us from the Curſe and Rigour of the Law (to which Grace is oppoſed.) He was alſo full of Truth, both as Truth is oppoſed to Falſhood, and 1s oppoſed to the Shadows and Figures of the Law ; and Chriſt was full of Truth, as he was the Antitype to all the Ceremonies, and all the Promiſes had and have their complement and reality in him, See Chap. 14. 179. 2 Cor. 1. 20. Rom. 15. 8, Truth alſo may fignifie the ſrncerizy and integrity of Chriſt's Life, as he was without guile. ; 15 4 John bare witneſs of him, and cryed, fſayingp : * Ver. 27.* This was he of whom [I ſpake q: He that cometh af-
30. & ChaP- ter me is preferred before mer; for he was before 3: 31- me /.
p John was not he, but only a Witneſs to him, and he continucth to bear Witneſs, (the Verb is in the prefent Tenſe) nor did he give an obſcure or cold Teftimony, but an open, and plain, and fervent Teſtimony, zccording to the Prophecies, his Teſtimony was the Voice of one crying in the Wilderneſs. q He firft teſtified that Chriſt was he of whom he had beforc ſpoken ; poſſibly when he was Preaching in the Wilderneſs, and Chriſt came to him to be Bap- tizcd-of him, Matth. 3+ 11, 14+ Y He that cometh after me, in or- der of time, or in the Miniſterial Office and Employment, or, as if he were my Diſciple, John 18. 2. is become, or is made before me. f For he was before me, doth in the Etcrnal deſtination, and in re- ſpe& of his Divine Nature ; as alſo in Dignity and Eminency, confi- dered as a Prophet; 7.e. one that Revcaleth my Fathers Will, This Jsbr ſaid before, though not in- terms, yet 1n effe&t ; when he faid, Matib. 3. 11. He that cometh after me, #s mightier than 1, whoſe ſhoes T ain not worthy to bear, &c. $0 Mark 1. 7. Lake 3. "16. This is the firſt thing which is here mentioned, as John's Teſtimony concerning Chriſt, reſpeRing the Excellency of his per- ſon.
16 And of his * fulneſs have all we received ?, and grace for grace *,
z Of that plenty of Grace which Chriſt hath, (who hath not the Spirit given him by mezaſare, Chap. 3. 34» as other Saints haye, Atis 2. 4, 6,8.) #e who by Nature are void of Grace, whether taken for the favour of God, or gracious habits, have received as the Skirts of Aaron's Garment received the Oil which was plentifully poured out on Aaron's head. * Nor have we received Drops, but Grace wpom Grate; not only Knowledge and Inſtruftion, but the Love and Favour of God, and Spiritual hits, 1a. proportion to the Favour and Grace which Chriſt hath (allowing for our ſhort capa- cities 3) we have reccived Grace freely and- plentifully, all from Chriſt, and forhis ſake 3 whch lets vs tee how much the Grace re- ccivivg Son is bound to acknowledge and adore Chriſt, and may be confirmed in the recciving of further Grace, and the hopes of Eternal Life 3 and it may mard all { according to that of the Apoſtle, 2 Cor, 6. 1.) to take heed that they recejve net the Grace of God in
& Col. 1. 19. & 2, 9, IO.
V&il.
|
b John's former Teſtimony was more private to the common peo. ple; this Teſtimony was given to a publick Authority. The Jes (moſt probably the Rulers of the Fews who made up their Sanhediin, or great Court, anſwering a Parliament with us, for the cogniſance of falſe Prophets belonging to them) ſent Priefts and Levites, whichu, 24. - were Phariſees of the ſtrifteſt Se of the Fews, as to Rites and Ceremonies z theſe came from Feruſalem, where the Sanhedrim con- ſtantly ſatez and the Chief Prieſts were (if the Meſſage were not from the Sanhedrim it ſe'f) to ask Jobn Baptiſt who he was ; that is, by what Authority he Preached and Baptized ; what kind of Prophet he was? for they could not but know his Name and Family, he def cending from a Prieft amongſt them z and this appeareth to be their
: ſenſe from what followeth.
20 And he * confeſſed c, and denied not d ; but confel- +hy 28,
c He being asked openly and plainly, profeſſed, and d did not dif- At ſemble, nor halt in his Speech. Theſe Negatives are in Scripture 25:
ſed e, I am not the Chriſt .