rerence 10 atcuſe, and either to diſcredit him with the People, or , expoſe hum C0 the Diſpleaſure of the Superior Powers. If he had directed 10 ſend ker to be Puniſht by the Roman Governours, who adninitired Jaftice in Capital Cauſes, rhe People would be fir'd with Indignation ; for they lookt upon them as Invaders of the Rights of Government th-t belonged to the Iſraelires. If he bad adviſed chem to Pur her *o Death by their own Power, they would have ac- cuſed him of -edition, as an Enemy of the Roman Authority. If he had diſmii: her as not worthy of Death, they would have accuſed im ro the S.-nhedrim, as an Infringer of the Law of Mey/es, as a Fa yourer of Diſloluteneſs, an Enemy to crvil Society, and worthy of univerſal H tred. This malicious Deſign, fo craftily concerted, our $2yiour caily diſcovered and deteared ; whereas they thought ir would require his mott artennve Contideration to extricate himſelf from the 5nare. k He ſeemed nor at all toatrend ro what they ſaid; kurt itooping down wrought on the Ground ; what he wrote. or how he coulo write upon the Floor of the Temple (which was of Stone} xe v-ry idle Queſtions ; the fir{t nor potlible to be reſolved, the fe» cond impertinent ; for it 1s not ſaid, that he made any Impre.uwon upon the Ground tho" it be ſaid, he wrote upon zt. It appeareth
lainly ro have been bur a Civert've Action, by which our Saviour ignited, that he gave no car to them.
7 So when they continued asking him, he lift up himſelt, and ſaid unto.them, 1 He that is without fin among you, let him firſt caſt a Stone at her m,
| They will not ler our Saviour alone, but importune him to an Anſwer. m He faith. He thar hath no Sin, let him firſt caſt a Stone at her, The Liw of God was, Deur. 17. 7. That in the £xecurtion of Malefators, The-Havds of the Wirneſies ſhould be firft upon him, 40 pict him £0 Death. In reaſon, thoſe who are zealous for the Pu- niſhment of otheis, ſhou'd neirher be guilty of the ſame. nor of great- er Cr me themſelves By this faying of our Saviour, .we mutt not under'{and it the Wiil of God, that thoſe who are Magitltrates, and employed in executing the Lord: Vengeance on Malefa&tors ſhould themiclves be free from all Guilt, for then no Juſtice ſhould be done. The Vengance is Gods. not theirs : Ir is the Law of God which they execute. He only by this minds them of that Com- pa:tion which onzht to be found in Perſons proſecuting others jultly, thai they may execute Judgment with Compatlion and Tenderneſs, and ſach Moderation as the Law will allow them ; confidering, that they arenor free from Guilt, but as obnoxious to the Juitice of God for other Sins, as thoſe poor Creatures whom God hath ſuffered ro fall inco Sins punithable by Humane Judges.
$ And ag.1ia he ſtooped down, and wrote on the
ground ms.
n When our $ :viour had ſaid this, he rerurneth ro his former Poſture and Action, Cir being not a thing wherein he was concerned, who was not ſent into the World to be a Secular Judge) as not at al regarding them.
S.F0 HN.
her, Neicher do I condenin theer ; go and fin no moreſ/. .
r He replyerh, Nezeher do I, He did not Acquit her, for he way not to make void the Law of God ; nor did he Condemn her : He was netthera Wirneſs in the Caſe, nor yet a Secular judge, to whoni ſuch Judgments did belong ; he was only to ſpeak ro her, as the Mediator and Saviour of Man. [Go, 1 diſcharge thee, as being Co- ram non Fudice, before one, who in my preſent Capacity am no Judge to hear this Cauſe, and to give Sentence in ir. Sin no more ; what ever becomerh of thee as ro mans Judgment, thou haſt reaſon to
Sin. Nor dorh he fay, Commit Adultery no more, but Siz no more. No partial Repentance, or Sorrow for any particular Sin will ſuffer a Penirenr that hopes for any Mercy from Cod ; bur a leaving off all Sin, of what kind ſocver it be.
12 T Then ſpake Jeſus again unto them, ſaying,
me, ſhall not walk in darkneſs s, light of life w
& This is whar Fohn the Baprift had faid of Chriſt before, Chap.r. 4. 5- and what Chriſt fairh of himſelf afterward, Chap. 9g. 5. It was propheſied of him, chat he ſhould be a lizht to the Gentiles and Gods Salvarzon to the ends of the earth. And old Simeon ſaith of him, Luke I. 32. That he was tobe, A Light co lighten the Gentiles, "and the Glory of his People Iſrael- Light is a thing glorious in it ſelt,and com- municarive of it felt unto others, ro guide them. So as Chriſt is moſt aptly compared to Lighr, and ſpoken of under that Notion ; as for his own innate Glory, ſo for the communicativeneſs of himſelf ro Creatures ; which latter appearerh to be chiefly here intended # For he ſaith, that he who followed him, believing his Doctrine,and obey- ing his Precepts, living according to his Direction, and his Exarhple ſhould not be at a loſs how to guide himſelf, nor remain in the dark- neſs of Sin, Ignorance, and Spiritual Death ; w bur ſhould have that Light, which bringerh Life along with ir, and is ſufficient to guide a _ in all _ Works of a Spiritual Life, and ar laſt bring him to
ife eternal.
beareſt record of thy ſelf, thy record isnot true x,
x It was a known Rule of Law, That none ought ro he believed upon a Teſtimony given ro himſelf ; rhis is thar they object to onr Saviour, that tho' he ſpake greac things of himſelf, yer he was noc to be believed in his own Cauſe. I4 Jeſus anſwered and faid unto them, Though T bear record of my ſelf, yet my record is true y, forT know whence I came, and whither I go z, but * ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I goa.
I There is a ſeeming Difficulty to reconcile the words of our Savi- our, Chap. 5. 31. If I bear witneſs of my ſeif, my wnrneſi # not true;
s true : Bur the Reſolution of it 18 clear,by conſidering that he peaks in the former Chaprer, of his own ſingle Te!timony with reſpect ro them,as not of ſufficient validity ro Authorize his Divin- Vocation,ac- cording to the Rule of their Law, that required a double Tettimony for Confirmation of things ; but here he ſpeaks of the veriry of itin it ſelf: For I know whence I came, and whither I go, That is,I know from whom I have received my Commigion, ( tho' ſecret ro the World ) even from the Father. And yer after the accompliſhing of my Embaſly tor his Honour, I ſhall return to Heaven, and be glori- fied with the Glory I had with him betore the World was, Chap. 17. 5- The Reaſon alledged, implies his being the Son of God ; and