©. .2 petore ihe temple of the houſe, twenty Cubits long, and ten cubits "4 "This was the place where they walked in winter, though this ".. dftroyed when Jeruſalem was deſtroyed by the Babylonians ; yet - -emeth that there was one builded thar was like ir, and kept thar ie |: ſhovld ſeem that it was a place better defended from the -exther thanthoſ? other parts ofthe Temple where in Summer time they uſed to walk. ;
24 Then came the Jews round about him, and ſaid
into him, How long doeſt thou || make us to doubt ?
” Or this $o/crm0ns porch we read, 1 King.6. z that Solomon built the
» Our Saviour was at this time within three months of his Cruci- fying; he had often before told chem that he was the /iz ht of the world, che true Shepherd , he had preached Dottrin to them, from whence
they might eaſily have concluded what he was ; he had wrought works
:mong them which none could do but a Divine power ; bur he had been very wary of telling them In plain terms that he was the Meſſiah, the Chriſt 3 when at any rime he had fo declared himſelf to hisdiſci- ples or they had owned him as {uch, he ſtill Jaid a charge upon them, ro tell no man of it, Marh. 16. 20, ©. They therefore come to him. demanding a plain refolution in the caſe ; ſome of their minds were in ſome ſutpenſe about it. It was bur a captious queſtion, for had he denied it, beſides that it had been the denial of a truth which he came (0 bear a Teſtimony unto; they had had a grear advancage to have leſſened his reputation amongſt thoſe who had believed on him as ſuch, Had he affirmed it he had brought himſelf in danger of the Roman Grverwor, for the Jews indeed expetted a Meſiah, a Chriſt, bur to be 2 T:mporal prince, to deliver them from their Enemies ; and for him to have declared himſelf ſuch a Chriſt, as they expe&ed, had becn fatal to them. He therefore anſwers wich his uſual prudence ind warinels to this queſtion.
25 Jeſus anſwered them, I told you, and ye believ- ed not 2: * the works that I do in my fathers Name o, | they bear witneſs of me.
n Thave in effect told it you more then once;l have told you, that Iam ſent of the Father, c. } have ſaid enough for you to con- clude it ; but you will not underſtand, you will not receive it, you will not believe what 1 ſay. o What need you any further witneſs of t, than thoſe works which I do by divine power ? by virtue of my oneneſs with my father, and of that power and Authority which he
hath committed to me, that by chem I might confirm the Doin which 1 have taught you p.
;., 26 But * ye believe not becauſe ye are not of. my ſheep, as 1 ſaid unto you p.
p Ads 13. 48. As many as were ordained to life, believed. Here our Saviour giveth this as one reaſon of the Few; unbelief, that they were 10 of his ſheep; were they not lſ-aelites? yes, but all are not 1/-a- eh, that are deſcended of 1/rae/, It ſeems a very hard interpreration that ſome would put upon theſe ' words; ye believe not, becauſe you are wt teachable, and fit to be made my ſheep; the words are, vs ae 1x TeCaroy F duov. Nor can ſuch interpretation be paral- lelled from any other Scripture. That by /hzep,here, cannot be meant members of the Church, is plain ; for they were of the Church of 1ſra- t, hom the Lord led as a flock ( as the Pſa/mi/? ſpeaks, Pſal. 80.1. ) That Believers, and ſuch as are truly called and ſanRified, are nor meant, is as plain; for then the ſenſe would be, you believe nor becauſe j!2 blieve not ; beſides, our Saviour had before {1id,he had orher ſheep toat were not of that fold(by which he meant the Genriles ) ſuch, for hom he prayed, Chap.17. 20. being ſuch as ſhould believe on him By ſeep therefore he meaneth, certainly, ſuch as were ordained to 1; fe, as
$13. 48. nor will it therefore follow, thar Gods not ordination of them to life, was the near and immediate cauſe of their not believing ; bur their own ſtubborn, and perverſe wills in not repenting, that they mig4t believe, AS our Saviour tells them Matth 21. 32. that 1s, not
i. and becauſe of rhe ſpecial preſence of God, promiſed to the 1; nblies of his people in his Name, and for his publick Wor-| 17. rt, 12. And belicy
w My Father and I are one, not only in, Conſe] and M77, is 797 ers are {a1d to be of one heart, AFs 4. 32.) bur in Nature, Power, and Eiffence ; for it is plain, thar our Saviour here aſcribeth the preſervation of his ſheep, nor ro the Will, bat to the Power of his Father. None 5; able to pluck them nr of my Fa- thers hand. And it is plain by what follows, char th- Fows this uns derſtood our Saviour : Some eminent Proteſt ant Interpreters expound this of an onene(s 1n Conſent and Will, doing the ſame things, and gri- ving the ſame deſign, both agreeing to preſerve the Sheep unto Ecer- na] Life ; bur ( with all reſp<& unto them ) 1 think the context im- plieth more, though this be not excluded. '
31 Then the Jews took up ſtones again to ſtone him x.
x Tumulruouſly, as we read they did once before, Cha», 8. 59. From whence we may learn with what deſign they came tg Chriſt, ver. 24. plainlv ro tell them whether he were the Chriſt. Bv the Law of God the falſz Prophet was to be ſtoned ; but he was firſt to be ju - dictally trved and judged: This was but a Tumultuous ation of an inraged Mulritude.
32 Jeſus anſwered them, Many good works have 1 ſhewed you from my Father : for which of thoſe works do you ſtone me y ?
y The word Tranflated good, is of a very large ſignification; ſigni- fying, Excellent, Uſeful, Proficable, Beauteous, &c. Whatſoever in common ſpeech comerh under the Notion of Good : I ( faith our Saviour ) never did harm to any of you, but I have been the inſtru- ment of a great deal of good ro you. I have given ſight to rhe Blind, hearing to the Deaf, healed many that were Sick of grievous dileaſes, caſt our many Devils our of thoſe which were infeſted wich, or potie(- fed by them. Do any of theſe deſerve any ſuch uſage at your hands ? Whar maketh you in ſech rage againſt me ?
33 The Jews anſwered him ſaying, For a good work we ſtone thee not, = but for blaſphemy, and be-