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they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be

one, as we are.

12 While I was with them in the

[disciples.

world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled. (A)

13 ¶ And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

CHAP. XVII.

EXPOSITION.

(A) Ver. 1–12. Christ's prayer, both for himself and his disciples.—Supposing, as we are much inclined to do, that our Saviour left the supper-room, when he said (chap. xiv. 31), "Arise, let us go hence," we are not to conceive of the conversation in chap. xv. and xvi. taking place in the streets of Jerusalem; but rather that our Lord hastened without the walls with his disciples, while the Jews were all busily engaged within; and choosing the most retired way, by the side of the brook Kedron, he might walk to some distance before he found it conveniently fordable (as there was often much rain about this season), and during that time might hold this conversation with them; and in some secret and retired spot (possibly in some house of prayer-sec Luke vi. 12, Expos.) close it with the following prayer, to which, as it was undoubtedly offered in their hearing, and contained much instructive and consolitary truth, they might listen with a pious pleasure.

It has been properly remarked, that our Lord, having in the preceding discourses

discharged the office of a prophet, is now commencing his priestly office, by praying for his disciples, previously to offering his atoning sacrifice.

The opening of the prayer shows the earnestness and solemnity with which it was uttered. The Jewish High Priest had to offer, "first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people (Heb. vii. 27); his own to atone for; yet he prayed for but our great High Priest had no sins of himself as man and Mediator, as well as for his apostles and disciples. Nor must his petitions be confined to his disciples of that age or country, any more than the Holy Spirit which he promised, as we shall fitul clearly expressed in verse 20. We shall, however, consider the petitions as they

occur.

The first petition is, in substance, that as the Son had glorified the Father while on earth, so, that the Father would glorify the Son with the glory which he had enjoyed with him "before the world was," that is, with heavenly glory; for we can no way reconcile this with the notion of Christ having no existence previous to his

NOTES-Chap. XVII. Con.

Ver. 10. Thine are mine.-Compare chap. xvi. 15. Ver. 11. And now I am no more.-Doddr. "No longer." Compare ver. 4.-That they may be one. Not one person, but thing. See Note on chap. x. 30.

Ver. 12. But the son of perdition" The son of perdition," is one who deserves to be destroyed: soa son of death" is one who deserved to die; 2 Sam. xii. 5. The use of the particle (ci me) "but," here deserves some attention. We have given Doddridge's remark above; and may here add, that

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incarnation. 2. Our Lord prays that he may be glorified on earth also, by the diffusion of his gospel through the world. "As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life" not to all flesh, but-" to as many as thou hast given him." Calvinistic expositors generally explain this expression of the decree of election; or refer it to the stipulations of the covenant of redemption, as the excellent Dr. Doddridge-" That he may give eternal life to all that thou hast given him by that covenant, to be redeemed and saved." But others think, if we allow our Lord to be his own interpreter, his words may more directly intend, all those who had been "drawn" by the Father's grace to believe on him, chap. vi. 44. (See Expos. p. 289.) This, in the first place, intends the apostles; and in the next, those other disciples who had been drawn by the same grace also to believe on him. To them he had manifested the Father's name, and to them delivered the Father's message, and they had kept his words. But the petition is afterwards extended to all who should believe in him throughout the world, and to the end of time.

Unitarian writers lay great stress upon the third verse, as appropriating the term "true God" to the Father only; but as most of the august epithets applied to God the Father (including every thing great, and wise, and good) are also applied to the Son (See, for instance, John xxi. 17; Rev. ii. 23; Matt. xviii. 20; xxviii. 20, &c.), so we conclude that the term only was not intended to exclude the Son of God, but merely the false gods of the Gentiles, who had no just title to the name. This may seem a little strange to us, who "know that an idol is nothing in the world;" but it must have appeared different in that age, when the far greater part of the world were accustomed to apply many of the same epithets to Jupiter, and other "gods major" of the heathen. But, surely, if Jesus Christ be not truly God, to associate the knowledge of him with that of the Father, and to make it equally essential, is highly indecorous; and is, if we may be allowed to use a commercial term, putting the Creator and the creature in the same firm.

But how is this knowledge "life eternal?" Of scientific knowledge it has been said, that "knowledge is power," because it enables men to effect what mere bodily strength never could: much more so is the knowledge of the true God, and Jesus Christ his Son. This directs the conduct, and purifies the heart: this guides us in every difficulty, and supports us under every trial; and when death draws his black veil over every object of earthly comfort or enjoyment, this opens to us a view into the celestial world, and points to him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb. This knowledge prepares us for eternal life, and directs us thither.

In connexion with our Lord's prayer for his disciples, occurs this remarkable expression, which has occasioned much theological debate:-" I pray for them: I pray not for the world; but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine." The question is, Who constitute the world for which Christ did not pray? We apprehend it intends the unbelieving Jewish nation, out of which his own disciples had been selected; and, in this view, we may see a reason why he refused to pray for them, for he had charged them with the sin against the Holy Ghost, which, in its own nature, is unpardonable (Matt. xii. 31, 32, &c.); and concerning which sin, as many think, the same Evangelist (1 John v. 16) has this remarkable expression-"I do not say that he shall pray for it." These men also (many of them at least) had, in the most awful manner, imprecated upon themselves the vengeance of the Almighty-" His blood be on us and on our children" (Matt. xxvii. 25); and our Lord accordingly tells them, that upon them should come the punishment of "all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias." (Matt. xxiii. 35.)

This, however, does not exclude from our Saviour's prayers, or from the Father's mercy, all who were then unbelieving, but only the finally impenitent; for we know that he prayed for his murderers while on the cross; and we know also that St. Peter preached the doctrine of pardon to them on the day of Pentecost; when many " looked on him whom they had pierced," and

NOTES.

Ver. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth.-Som ancient MSS. and versions read, "the truth ;" anl

Mills and other critics reject the pronoun as unnecessary.

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18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast

sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are

one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that

[his disciples.

they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. (B)

EXPOSITION-Chap. XVII. Continued.

mourned for him (Zech. xii. 10), and were consequently forgiven, and received into the bosom of his church; but of the mass of Scribes, and Pharisees, and Priests, it is much to be feared that, with few exceptions, they died impenitent, and perished. "Our Lord knew (says Dr. Boothroyd) that they were to be rejected for their hardness of heart, impenitency, and unbelief; and hence submitted to the will of the Father, in this as on all other occasions."

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There is, however, another difficulty in this section of Scripture, which, as it is an essential part of our plan to obviate difficulties, we cannot pass unnoticed. Speaking of his Apostles more particularly, our Lord says, "I kept them in thy name,' and none of them is lost but the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 1. We cannot suppose that this has any reference to the divine decrees, or that any one soul could be lost whom God had predestined to salvation; nor 2. does it appear that Judas ever gave any proof of being drawn by the Father's grace: his character, though artfully concealed, was perfectly consistent, and was most decidedly that of a worldly-minded man. The text is, therefore, thus judiciously

paraphrased by Dr. Doddridge-" None of them is lost, unless it be counted, as a kind of exception, that the son of perdition perishes by his iniquity-that the Scripture might be fulfilled." (See Ps. cix. 8; Acts i. 20.) For this man, therefore, Christ offered up no prayer.

For the faithful eleven, however, and for all other sincere disciples associated with them, our Lord presents this simple and earnest petition: "Holy Father, keep, through thine own name, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are;" united in heart, in object, and design but the full import of this prayer we can never comprehend till we under stand the union between the Father and the Son. It is enough that we know, that to be like God, and to be conformed to the image of the Saviour, constitute complete and eternal happiness.

(B) Ver. 13-26. Our Lord continues to pray for his disciples, that they may be preserved in peace, and truth, and loveOur Lord here gives his disciples to understand that the reason of his praying for them thus audibly was, the comfort and satisfaction they might derive from hear ing the interest which they had in his af

NOTES-Chap. XVII. Con.

Ver. 19. Sanctified through the truth.-Marg. "truly sanctified:" but we here prefer the text.

Ver. 24. Father, I will.-Camp. "I would." So Beza, Witsius, &c, and compare Mark vi. 25; x, 35,

Doddridge includes both senses-" I importunately ask, and in consequence of the mutual transactions between us, am bold to claim." It is a petition founded on a previous engagement,

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fections and his prayers; that their joy in Lim might be complete and perfect. (See Note ver, 13.)

The term sanctify, in the following verses (17 and 19), as applied to Christ and to his people, must be somewhat differently explained. Christ being himself without sin, could need not to be sanctified, in the usual meaning of the term: but for their sakes, who were sinners, as we are, he sanctified, devoted, or (as some express it) consecrated himself as an atoning sacrifice to God in their behalf, that, through their cordial belief in this truth, they might be sanctified, both in their personal experience, and in their ministerial character be devoted to the circulation of the truth and the conversion of the world.

Our Saviour then extends his prayers beyond his present disciples-beyond the limits of the then present age, and beyond the boundary of the Jewish church :"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also that shall believe on me through their word: that they be one-that is, perfectly united in heart and affection, in a like holy and mysterious manner as thou, Father, art with me; "that they also may be one in us that the world [Gentile as well as Jewish] may believe that thou hast sent me."

This passage presents some very interesting enquiries, which we have only room to suggest to the meditations of our readers.. How does the word of God become the means or instrument of our sanctification? Undoubtedly by the perusal and contemplation of the Scriptures, under the influences of the Holy Spirit.

The doctrines of Scripture show its nature and indispensable necessity; the precepts urge and enforce it on us; the promises animate and encourage us to pursue it; and its histories present us with the purest and most instructive examples. David was sanctified thereby, as he informs us at large in the 119th Psalm. 2. How do love and unity among Christians promote the conversion of the world? Certainly nothing has a more direct tendency thereto, if we consult either reason or matter of fact. Love and union are things in themselves so estimable, that they are readily acknowledged by all men to be divine: and what did the heathen say when they saw this in the lives and conduct of the primitive Christians? "See how these Christians love!" And it is much to be feared that the schisms and animosities among Christians have made more infidels than the writings of all the sceptical philosophers in the world. Few men can argue deeply, but all men can read our lives.

But to proceed with our Exposition.-It may be asked, "What is that glory which the Father gave to Christ, and which he in like manner gave to his apostles? (ver. 22.) Some refer this to the miraculous powers with which, as man, Jesus was endued, and which he conferred on his apostles; others to that Christian love and unity spoken of in the preceding verse, and which, wherever they prevail, are truly the glory of Christianity; but we are inclined to think it should be understood more literally, of that glory to which Christ himself was about to be advanced; to which he had promised to advance them, and

NOTES.

CHAP. XVIII. Ver. 1. The brook Cedron-Ked.on, or Kidron, is a rivulet running between Jerusalem and Mount Olivet, which empties itself into the dead sea. It is a narrow stream, with little water, except in the rainy season, when it carried of all the filth of the city and temple into the dead sea. The name signifies dark or black, and it was so called, as some suppose, from the darkness of the narrow valley through which it runs; but others

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went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?

5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them.

6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

7 Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

9 That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.

10 Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the High Priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus.

11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?

[ear of Malchus.

12 Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him,

13 And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the High Priest that same year.

14 Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people.

15 And Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple: that disciple was known unto the High Priest, and went in with Jesus into the palace of the High Priest.

16 But Peter stood at the door without. Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the High Priest, and spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.

17 Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not.

18 And the servants and officers

EXPOSITION-Chap. XVII. Continued.

concerning which he thus speaks in the next verse: "Father, I would that they whom thou hast given me be with me where I am [going], that they may behold [and participate] my glory." For wherever our Lord speaks of his disciples beholding his glory, it is, we believe, always with the understanding that they were to participate in the glory which they beheld and this glory is here expressly stated to be that which our Lord himself enjoyed with the Father "before the foun

dation of the world." This most interesting prayer concludes with requesting that the love which the Father had shown to him, as Mediator, might also be shown to them, and that they might enjoy the indwelling residence both of the Father and of the Son-according to his former promise: "If any man love me he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (ch. xiv. 23.)

NOTES-Chap. XVIII. Con.

Ver. 5. Judas.... stood with them.-Judas was probably aware of Peter's rashness, and thought it safest to shelter himself among the officers.

Ver. 9. Have I lost none.-This shows that Judas was not one whom the Father had really given to Christ. See Note on chap. xvii. 12.

Ver. 11. Put up thy sword.-See Matt. xxvi. ver. 52, 53-The cup. See Note on Matt. xxvi. 39. Ver. 12. The captain.-The Greek (Chiliarkos) is properly the commander of 1000 men, and answers to our term Colonel. The Romans called them Military Tribunes.

Ver. 13. And led him away, &c.—In the margin of our larger Bibles, verse 24 is here introduced, which seems to be its natural place, with the omission only of " had."

Ver. 15. The palace-(Gr. aulen), which means an open court or hall; which the late Mr. Taylor understood of a part of the temple appropriated to his use. Compare our Notes on Matt. xxvi. 58; and Luke xxii. 55.

Ver. 16. Her that kept the door.-Among the ancients (and probably the Jews), women were often employed as door-keepers. Orient. Lit. 1372. Or perhaps it was one of the door-keeper's family, in his absence.

Ver. 18. A fire of coals-Not pit-coal, we suppose, but wood or charcoal. Camp. reads, "Now the servants and officers stood near a fire which they had made, because it was cold," &c. The nights at this season were often very cold, though the days were hot.-Harmer.

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