(a hats trouble conceived for the want of his bodily preſence wirh them. Fom the certanty of his return to them, and the end and Conftgqurnt of big return : The end was tO receive them to himſelf; bs Confiquent, their eternal abiding with Chriſt where he was. |
4 And whitheil go ye know, and the way ye know &. £ Chrift, 4cr433. cf the former Chapter, had dignified his Diſci- is with the familiar loving title of Lirele Children, Ir is pleatant to <cntider bow be contigu=th his Giſccurſe to them in ſuch a DialeR as +. mother would ſpezk to a lit]: chi'd crying after her, ſeeing her pieparing her {elf to go ab1ozd : The child cries; the mother bids 1; be il}. ſhe is but going to ſuch a friends houſe ; it till cries, ſhe rel!s it, ſhs is but going fo prepare a place for it there where it ſhall be mnch hppier than it is at home : it is nor yer ſarisfied ; the tells ji «gzin, th:t tho! ſhe gocs, ſhe wiil come again, and then 1t ſhall go along with her, and ſhe will part no more from it: the child 1s yet impatient ; ſhe agen endeavoureth to (ti!) it, telling it, that it know- eh whither ſhe gocth, and it knows the way, by which ifneed ve, nt m1y come to her. ; 5 Thomas faith unto him, Lord, we know not wht-
ther thou goeſt, and how can we know the way /? _
1 Reaſon tells every one, that he who knoweth not the zerm, whi- ther a perſon is going, muſt needs be ignorant of the way. It 15 plain, chat Thomas, and ſo (probably) divers others of rhe Apoſtles, notwithſtanding what our Saviour had ſo plainly rold rhem wer. 2. yet dreamed of ſome earthly motion our Saviour was making, which makes Thomas to ſpeak thus ; ſo dull are we, and hard to conceive of fpiricual chings But will ſome ſay, Doth not Thomas here contradit bis Maſter, who had told them, wer 4. that they both knew whither he went, and the way alſo? Anſwer, Some think that our Saviour meant no more than they ought to have known, both whither he went, and the way alſo. AFrve verbs in Scripture phraſe, often ſig- nifying no more than duty, or ab:liry. But poſſibly others anſwer bet- ter; they had ſome knowledge, but it was more confaſed and general, not diftin, particular, or certain.
Father, but by me p. F - Chriſt was his own way to his Father, Heb. 9.12. By his own od he entred in once into the Holy place. See Luke 24. 25. Phil. 2.8, bur both the former words, where the Apoſtles ſpake of the way they ſhould go, and the following words hint to us, that Chriſt is here ſpeaking 6f their way, not his own. As to them, he ſaith, 7 an; the way; that is, the way by which thoſe muſt ger to Heaven who will ever come there, Chriſt is our way to Heaven by the Nofrine which he taught ; by bts Death, by which hepurchaſed this heavenly inhe- ritance for us 3 by hrs holy life and Converſation, ſetting us an example, that we ſhould follow his ſteps ; by the influence of his Spirit, guiding us to, and afliſting us in thoſe holy aQtions by which we mult come unto glory. » He is the Truth ; that is (ſay ſome) the true way to life eternal: but he is the Tr«t4 as to his NoAtrine, the Goſpel being the Word of Truth. Eph. 1. 13. And as truth ſignifies reality and ac- compliſhment, in oppoſition to the Propheſies and Promiſes all being but words till chey were in him fulfilled ; in which ſenſe we read of the ire Tabernacle, and the true holy plates, Heb.8.2. and 9. 24. Or as ruth 15 oppoſed to falſhood, as Truth is taken, John 8. 44. Rom. 3.7. o And he1s the Life, the Author and Giver of Eternal Lite, Zo/n 11. 25. I John 5, 11. and rhe purchaſer of it by his Death ; he who by his DoQtrine ſheweth the way to it, and by his holy Spirit begins ir, and carrieth it on to perfeQtion. The Jews thought the way to it was by the Law of Moſes 3 but our Saviour beateth his Diſciples our of that Opinion ; for if the Law could have given Life, Chriſt had died in vain (as the Apoſtle argueth) p Therefore ſaith he, here is no coming to the Father, but by me ; no way for you, or any other, tocome to Heaven. but by receiving, and embracing, and believing in me.
7 If ye had known me, ye ſhould have known my Father alſo q: and from henceforth ye know him, and have ſeen himr.
9g If ye had known me as you ought to have known me, as Tam in- deed the eternal Son of God, ſent by my Father into the World, you ſhould have known my Father, with whom I am equal, and one and the ſame God, foasin knowing one of us, you mnſt have known both : bur vou ſtick in my Qutward form and appearance, while I appear to you in the form of a Man; and you ſtick in your prejudices ſuckt in from the Notion you have of the M:ſſiab, expeRting | know not what Tempora] Prince : Theſe things blind you as to my Divine Nature (perſonally united ro my Humane Nature) that yeu ſee nothing of my Godhead," hich if you had clearly known and believed, you would not have been art a Joſs ro know the Father, the brightnefs of whoſe glory, and the expreſs Image of whoſe perſon I am, tho' my glory be vai.'d by my Humane Nature. r. And if you will yet believe what I fav, from henceforth, you do know the Father, and you have ſeen the Father ſo oft as you have ſeen me.
8 Philip ſaith unto him, Lord, ſhew vs the Father and it ſufficeth us -s.
s Still P/ilip underſtandeth not our Saviour, and further diſcover- et a very groſs conception of the Divine Being, as if it could be ſcen with mortal Eyes ; whereas God had told ſes, Exod. 33. 20 Thou canſt not ſee my face ; for there ſhall no man ſee me and live. It is an hard thing ro determine what degrees of ignorance are conſiſtent or iaconfiitent with ſaving Grace in ſouls, the Reſolution of which doth much depend upon thoſe degrees of Revzlation, and means of knowlelge which men have.
9 Jeſus faith unto him, Have I been fo long time
ſayeſt thou cher, Shew us the Father w ?
© Our Saviour jtili infiſteth apen the Oneneſs of himſelf with his Father, and the perſonal Union of the Divine and Humane Nature in
S. FOHN
* He that hath ſeen me hath ſeen the Father «: and how NE hnſa MO comen in the
Chap , XIV [
time, and known him, and yet znot haveſeen nor known the Fath w Bur that {uppoſed,none that had ſeen Chriſt, but muſt have ſeen Fi Father alſo, there being but one God. te