» The Servant of fin o abideth not in the Church, (which is the Houſe of God) tor -ver. Look as it is with Slaves and Servants, they are no fixed Members of Families, they may be rurned out, they mav be fold over to others,they abide in Families according as in them rt:.y behave themſelves, ſo you who are Abrahams ſeed,asz you boaſt «2; olory, are now Servants in the Church of God, yet it you con - tnuero be ſervants of Sin, you ſhall nor for ever abide in Gods-boulſe, it you be not caſt our ot the Church Milirant,you fhall certainly be | out of the Church Triumphanr, that is, you ſhall never come there: p But the Son, ( ſome think he ſpeaks of himſelf, who was the erernal Son of God} he abides for ever ; bur I rather think he ſpeaks of him that is a Son by Adoption, Fo/. 1.12. Rom. 3. 16,17. So as this Text ſheweth us the .remarkable difference, berwixt a nominal Profetlor, and one who 1s a true Believer, the one is but as a Servint in Gods Houſe, ro whom belonzetk no Inheritance, tho' while he is 1n the Family, he enjoyeth fome - common Priviledges which a. meer Stranger hath no rizar to: The other 1s a Son, and hath right to the Inheritance, and fo ſhall never be cait our of the Family, bur abideth :n it for ever.
g, 36 * Ifthe Son thereto: ſhall make ye free 9g, ye ſhall be free indeed 7,
7 if thar term (the Son} in this Verſe be the ſame with rhe Son mentioned in the former Verſe, rhey mu't both be underitood of Chrill 3 tori 's molt certain, that here (the Son} can fizmifie no more thin Chrilt, zo whom alone it belonyerh ro mike Souls free from the {lavery of tne Law, Sin, Death, Hell. Gc r Now faith our Saviour, this 18 1he trve freedom. Alas! what is the treedom you bot of cad glory m? Tr 1s not the freedom of yuur inward Man ; 3: you were 112 Lhe foſlett actual Polietiton of it, many a one in that ſnſe fr-e, hath a baſe, ſervile, Navith Mind, and 1s a ſervant to Cor- raption and Luits, Its only the Freedom which I give unto Souls. tals a true and perfect Liberty, and 1s alone worthy the name of ir.
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37 76a declare by yout Adticns. that yoa are very far fron; :
virnde ro their Conquerors. / This made them angry, | Sp 1rit and Temper of /6r4hame 4 am one who heing ſcent of (344, wonom you own as your Father, have faithfully revealed the Will of God to you, and have never told you any thing bur the Truth, 4414 this 1s all my Crime, for which you ſeek ro Murder me, a this was
none of your Farher Abrahams praftice ; fo asrtho? 191 have ſom thing of Abrabams Mood, yer yuu kaye notaing of Alrahams Spill
in you. 41 You do the deeds of your father b. Then {cid
b You imitate him who is indeed your Fathor, by « hom our $1- viour (as we ſhall hear more afterwards) meaneth the Devil. c This they fume ar, and tell him, tney were 120k horn of For !21C4tyON, v hich
Is in our Ezg/:ſk Dialect,as much as, He are wo Brſter ds. brit it hack
another ſenſe in this place, as «ppzarern by the nexe words. 7's
bave one Fatier even God, thatis We own and Woritp ons God, who 1s our Faiher 5 which wakes very good Interirycters think that their meanng in thoſe Words, Ie are not born of Fornication, is, We areno [dolarers ; Idolatry in Holy Writ beins very ordina- rily compared to Whoredom and Fornications. 2 Jelu; laid-uito them, If God were your fathc:
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ye would love me d, for I proceedcd forth, and came
mee.
d This agreeth with wiat we have,1Foh. 5. 1. Every one that lcy- eth tm thet begat, lovet him alſo that i bezotten of him. e But here our Savtour rather ſeemerh to ſpeak of his proceeding torth,and com: ing from God, as fent into the World to fultilthe Will of God as to the Redemprion of man, rhan of his proceeding from his Father by erernal Generation. Ir 1s true, That he who loves the Father, wilt alſo love the Child, fo far forth as he reſembleth lis Father, and aCcterh like unto bim; and it is as true, that he who loveth him thar ſends a Meiſenger, will allo love the Meiſenger, executing the Com. million of him that ſent him
43 Why do ye not anderfha my ſpeech ? ever be. cauie y2 cannot hear my word f.
F It is manifeſt all along this Diſcourſe, that Chrilt ſpake R:iddls: to the Fewws, and that they underfiood not the import and ſenſe of bis Diſcourſe-; now (faith our Saviour ) the reafon 1s, becauſe you Cannot hear, that is, believe my word, they coal and did hear ti! with their Ears, they heard the found of it. bur they could nor dil- cern the ſpiritual Senſe and Meaning of it. Ir was nor given to them to know the Myſteries of the Kinzdom of God. Mar. 13.11. And the reaſon was, becauſe they ſuffered themſelves to be blinded by prejudice, and by their own Lults and corrupt Atffections, till God gave them upto a judicial B'indneſs, that hea: ing they heard, and did nor underſtand, and ſceing they faw, and did nor. perceive.
from the beginning, z and abode not in the truth, be- caule there is no truth in him ; when heſpeaketh a lie, he ſpeaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it &.
g Our Saviour now plainly tells them whar he meant by therr Fa- ther, mentioned v. 3$. viz. the Devil, whole Children tho" rhey
27 I know that ye are Abrahams feed {} but ye ſeek t9 kill me, becauſe my word hath no place in your.
s According to the fleſh you are deſcended from Avravam, thar I know, but of what Advantage 1s, or can this be toyou ? & While In the mean time you are umplacable enemies to me. and teek ro Mur- der me, who am not only an Innocent Perſon, bur am the Lord of Life, and came to ſave the Werld, and the roor of this is your unhe- bef. Did you receive and believe rhe word that I have ſpoken to you, you would do otherwiſe ; bur altho* rhe ſound of my word prrceth your Ears, and then youreceive a l:ttle of ir, yer it paſſerh nt into your Hearts, it hath no place wirhin you, you do not be. leveir, you arent affected with ir, it doth not dwell in you as it cuprt to JO, fo that you are not turned into rhe [ikeneſs and ohedi- ence ct it, Men may be Profeſſors and Members of the Church of 623, in whom yer the word of God hath no rooting, and findeth no true place, io as that their Condition may be fad enough.
5 35 * I {peak that which I have ſeen with my father 2, ard ye UO that which ye have ſeen with your ta-
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