Annotations Upon the New Testament, John · Chapter 16 – Chapter 17
CHAP. XVI.
Vers. 2. THey shall put you out of the Synagogues] Of the manifold significations of Synagogues, their use, originall and antiquity, see Tolet on this place, and my Annotations on Matth. 4.23. and 6.2. and on Luke 7.5.
Vers. 7. It is expedient for you, that I go away] Expedient,Reinolds on 110. Ps. p. 136. And for v. 10. see him ib. p. 30. and for 21. v. ib. p. 50. to seale and secure our full and finall redemption unto us, and expedient, to prepare a place for us.
Vers. 16. The comforter will not come] John 14.16. This Greek word is attributed to Christ, 1 Iohn 2.1.
Vers. 8. Reprove the world] Or convince. Austin takes the word pro reprehendere, *The word in the Originall signifies the refuting of an opinion that men had before drunke in and were possessed of. Vide Bezam in v. 8.Chrysostome and Cyrill, pro convincere; the last is the better, reprove by preaching. Act. 2.
The Greek word more properly signifieth to convince than reprove,Verbum Graecum foreign quod latine est arguo, est convincere alterum contraria opinantem, quod Paulus optimè ostendit Tit. 1.9. arguere mùndum de peccato, est mundum opinantem se à peccato immunem convincere & ostendere esse in peccato, secundo convincere est alterum opinantem contraria ita adstringere ut non habeat quod rationabiliter respondeat, nec quo suam tueatur opinionem, nec quo se defendat. Toletus. in loc. Evidentibus argumentis ac probationibus docebit, ita ut tergiversari non possit, ita ut nihil habeant quod praetexant. Sic accipitur arguendi verbum etiam supra, 8. v. 46. & alibi. Lucas Brugensis. to reprove is onelyonly to discover a fault; to convince is to take away all reasons that can bee alleged for it.
The Spirits convictions are never single, Satans voyce is to cry sin, sin, the voice of the Spirit is to cry grace and the righteousnesse of Christ onelyonly. Convincing is a cleare and infallible demonstration which takes away all the cavils of the soule, when one shews a thing to be impossibly otherwise than he represents it.
There is a twofold conviction of sin. 1. Rationall, when a mans reason is non-plust, and he cannot deny the truth of it. 2. Spirituall, when a mans heart stoopes under it, and he takes the shame to himselfe.
Of sinne] It discovers 1. the nature and filthinesse of sin, shews the contrariety of it to the holy will and pure nature of God 2. the danger of it, that thou art under the undoing power of sin, as long as thou art short of faith in Christ. John 3. ult.
Vers. 10. Of righteousnesse] That is, 1. Of the sufficiency of Christs righteousnesse. 1 Iohn 1.7. 2. Of the possibility of it,Because if any part of righteousnesse had been to be fulfilled, Christ should have been still in the grave, and not gone to heaven, his going thither argues all is done. Of inherent righteousnesse which is imperfect, Matth. 22.26. Sanctification. so Matth. 12.18. because the Devils power and sins strength to them is subdued. that his righteousnesse shall be effectuall to all purposes for us; because he goes to the Father, and we shall see him no more, therefore God is fully satisfied. 1 Tim. 1.16.
Vers. 11. Of judgment] That Christ hath erected a judicatory in the conscience. Oracles are ceased, Satan in part is cast down. 2. Makes men submit to his judgement, Matth. 12.20. Observe the method of this conviction. 1. Of sin, to cure the presumption which is in men, and bring us to a selfe-despaire. 2. Of righteousnesse, to prevent despaire in the mercies of God, when our presumption is cured. 3. Of judgement and sanctification, to prevent that loosenesse we should else fall into; we are convinced of sin by the Law, of righteousnesse by the promises of the Gospell, of judgement by the Evangelicall commands.
foreign, id est, ducet recta via ad veritatem quasi dux viae. Vide Cameronis Myroth. Evang.Vers. 13. He shall guide you into all truth] Guide] By inward motions, moving and perswading. 2. Changing the mind and will. 3. Kindling the affections. Guide you, As a man is led by the hand into a place, for we are not onelyonly blind but lame too; shall lead you into the practise of them. That promise was directly and primarily made to the Apostles. All truth] Not simply all, but all necessary and saving truths; to be led into all truths, is to know and beleeve them. Leade them into all truth] That is, reveale Gods will unto them, and assure their hearts, that the same is true.
He shall not speake of himselfe] Hence the Arrians blasphemously inferred (as Jerome witnesseth) that the Holy Ghost was inferiour to the Father and Son,Hieron. Dial. adversus Luciferianos. Dicttum est foreign intelligendum autem foreign. Est sermo dispensatorius. Iansen. they said the Father onelyonly was true God, our Saviour a creature, and the Holy Ghost a servant of both. Christ speaks of the Holy Ghost as some Messenger and Embassadour whose fidelity is seen in saying nothing himselfe, but onelyonly in relating that he hath in charge.
Vers. 16. Shall not see mee] When he lyes in the grave, Theoph. Caiet. Rupertus. Shall see mee] In heaven Aug. not see him at his ascention, but at judgement. Beda.
Vers. 20. Weepe and lament] foreign you would be inwardly dejected, foreign and outwardly declare it. These words are not onelyonly meant of his Disciples, but of all beleevers,Perkins. who upon consideration of the sins, and their spirituall want of Christ, do mourne and lament.
But your sorrow shall be turned into joy] If Christ had onelyonly promised that their sorrow should he mitigated or shortly ended, it had been a great comfort, but this ministreth abundant consolation.Dr. Taylor.
Vers. 23. Whatsoever ye shall aske] Non quaecunque whatsoever onelyonly, but quotcunque too, how many things soever; The Greeke word is pregnant, may meane both, doth meane both.Dr. Clerke.
Vers. 33. Be of good cheere] The word signifies boldnesse, implying that our confidence in God causeth holdnesse and courage.
CHAP. XVII.
THis Chapter is an Epitome of that intercession which Christs makes in heaven for his people, for though the prayer here was in the time of his humiliation; yet the matter of it belongs to his State of glory.That is, the cause and beginning of life eternall.
Vers. 3. This is life eternall] By eternall life understand grace by a metonymie of the effect, quia vitam efficit. Piscat. It workes life, quia radix & origo vitae, because it is the roote and originall of our life. Cyrill. Gustus vitae aeternae, the tast of eternall life. Brentius.
That they might know] That is, beleeve in.
v. 4. See Dr. Reynolds, the life of Christ. p. 420.Thee the onelyonly true God] Hence the Arrians inferred that the Son was not true God, and the Macedonians, that the Holy Ghost was not true God. The exclusive word only here doth not exclude the Son and the Holy Ghost, but Idoles and false Gods. See Rom. 9.5.
Vers. 9. I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given mee] Our Saviour prayed for those onelyonly that his Father had given him,Oravit & pro mundo, ut resipisceret & veniam acciperet peccatorum. Luc. 23.34. Imo & mox ut credat 21. Sed haec quae nunc orat, de protectione paterna, de spiritu, de concordiâ, non nisi ad credentes pertinent. Grotius. Vide plura ibid. and for those whom hereafter he should give unto him. v. 20. And that with exclusion from the world, as here, and for their sakes he sanctified himselfe. v. 19. Which in like manner is to be understood with exclusion of the world. Now by sanctifying himselfe, is understood the offering up of himselfe upon the Crosse, by the unanimous consent of all the Fathers whom Marlorate had read, as himselfe professeth in his commentaries on that passage in Iohn. And he had seen very many as there he signifieth, viz. Chrysostome, Cyrill, Augustine, Leontius, Beda, Theophylact, Euthymius, Rupertus.
Vers. 10. All mine] All that I make intercession for, and am to redeeme, that are to have benefit by mee, are thine] Thine elect and chosen people, and thine are mine] All thine elect shall have benefit by mee, and, I am glorified in them] The glory and honour that I have in the world, is in and by them, and them onelyonly.
Vers. 11. That they may be one as we are] The unity of the will is common to all v. 20.21.Vers. 12. foreign distne…a…ura a foreign, ita ut foreign referatur ad conservationem in bono, foreign ad praeservationem à malo, foreign ad media foreign ad finem: qui enim ab exitio praeservari debent, filios oportet in vera Dei agnitione & fide servari. foreign ad Christi fidelitatem, foreign ad ipsius diligentiam. Gerh. Her.
Vers. 13. These things I speake in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves] That is, I have made this prayer in the world, and left a record and pattern of it in the Church, that they feeling the same heavenly desires kindled in their owne hearts, may be comforted in the workings of that Spirit of prayer in them, which testifieth to their soules the quality of that intercession which I shall make for them in heaven. Dr. Reynolds on 110. Psal. 4. p. 437. See him ibid on verses 5, 6. p. 491.
Vers. 19. I sanctifie my selfe] In this Chapter where he refused to pray for all, hee professeth that he sanctified himselfe for their sakes for whom he prayed;Sanctifie here is not to make holy, and purge from fi…thine…se, but to separate himselfe to all that worke hee undertook. now this sanctifying *Dr. Twisse. That is, he offered himselfe a sacrifice as the place is expounded by Cyrill and Chrysostome, or consecrated himselfe to be a sacrifice. Vide Bezam. & Grotium. Christ was Priest, Altar and Sacrifice, Sacrifice in his humane nature, Altar in the Divine, and Priest in both.of himselfe was unto his death and passion by the unanimous consent of all the Fathers, as Maldonate acknowledgeth; therefore Christ died not for all and every man.