to remain with it under the power of the devil, nor to perish with it. Wherefore, let every one for himself give eternal thanks unto God, who has been brought to bow to the hearing of Christ, and to delight in his Word. And let each one hope with a glad and believing mind, that God will by no means ever permit us to perish, seeing that he has given unto us his only and beloved Son Christ, and has, in giving us him, most abundantly and fully poured forth upon us all grace.

Thine they were, and thou gavest them me.

These words he speaks for the more full consolation and up-raising of our weak and trembling conscience. For when he uses so many words, he does it not that his prayer might be the more effectual to obtain his request of the Father, (for the Father knew all things before, and also, whatsoever Christ asks and prays for, he certainly obtains,) but, that he might fill our mind, which is always trembling and afraid of God, with an emboldened trust, that we might look upon him with joy and reliance, and run up to him with all confidence, and be able to stand in his sight. And this, no man upon earth can do of himself, for whenever he properly thinks on God, he trembles, and would run out of the world if he could; nay, he is filled with alarm at the very hearing of his name. I am not now speaking of those ungodly and inordinately living brutes and beasts; but, of those whose heart is touched, and who feel their sins; for it is to them only I am making known these things. For the conscience is always in arms, feeling and knowing that God is wrath against sinners, and that he will condemn them. It sees, moreover, that it cannot escape the wrath of God; and therefore, it trembles and despairs, and is so astounded and deathy as if thunderstruck. Therefore, we should apply all diligence after Christ, that he would speak unto our heart these sweet, friendly and consolatory words, and by them take away those heavy, bitter, and horrible temptations, and that he would sweetly teach us of the Father, according to the desires of each mind. Let us, then, with all dili

gence impress these words on our minds, unto the consolation and salvation of our souls.

"Thine they were," saith he. This is as if we should say, He who hears the Word, who opens his heart and ears, and receives the manifestation concerning the Father, he no longer belongs to the world, but is mine. And as it is certain that they are mine, and that I am their Lord, Master, and Saviour; then, this also is certain, that they are also thine, nor are they thine now only, but were thine also from the beginning, and came now unto thee by me. Thus, by the Word only, all wrath is taken away, and whatever is dreadful or terrible in the thoughts either in heaven or in earth; so that, a heaven full of grace and blessing is open from above. If, therefore, thou cleave unto Christ the Lord by faith, then it is the greatest of all certainties that thou art of the number of those whom God from the beginning chose unto this," that they may be thine:" otherwise, they could not be brought to hear and receive such a manifestation.

Behold, thus, this greatest of all temptations, and all dispute about secret predestination, are removed; with which, not a few so torment and distress themselves, that they are not far from madness: and yet they do nothing else by all this anxiety of mind, but put themselves under the power of the devil, to draw them through desperation into hell. For I would have thee fully persuaded of this, that all thoughts and mental disputa tions of this kind concerning predestination, arise from the devil as the author of them. For those things which are delivered down to us in the scripture, concerning this matter, are not delivered to that end, that they should fill their miserable and trembling mind with distress and rack them with terror, who feel their sins and desire to be delivered from them, but that from these scriptures they might receive consolation. Therefore, let these troubles fill them with distress who have not the Gospel, and who do not willingly hear Christ. But do thou know, that there is not in all the world a greater consolation than this which Christ here opens up and

puts into thy hands; namely, that thou art God's, and his beloved child; seeing that, his Word is thy pleasure, and thy heart is sweetly devoted to him. For if Christ be sweet to thee, and thy friend, and comfort thee, then God the Father himself comforts thee. Therefore, thou hast not an angry God, but one full of fatherly love and grace, which is testified by these his works whereby he has given thee unto Christ the Lord. In these stand with perseverance as a brazen wall, suffering nothing else to be taught thee, than how the Father may reveal and manifest himself unto thee by the Word of Christ. For he has for that end manifested himself, that thou mightest not have need to seek any thing else, nor to make any anxious and curious inquiries, as to what he has decreed concerning thee; but that thou mightest be able to see and know at once in this Word his whole will concerning thee, and all other things that are necessary unto thy salvation !

Thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.

Here he binds (as they say) both in one bond-that they are both the children of the Father, and the portion of Christ. They are my disciples, (saith he,) and yet they were thine from all eternity. And how are they known to be so? Because, "they have kept thy word." And what are we to understand by this? Why does he not say, rather, they have kept my Word? For they would justly be said to be mine, (as we are accustomed to speak,) because of their keeping my Word. But Christ minding to make the Father and himself one, and to draw himself wholly unto the Father, speaks as though he had said, 'In that they are my disciples and hear me, they hear and keep not my word but thine.' From which, we are certain of this consolation-that no word proceeds out of the mouth of Christ, than that of our heavenly Father, and all those things whereby he most sweetly and lovingly calls and allures us unto him. This may be seen every where in the Gospel, so that thou mayest not dread any wrath, but promise to thyself, with all thy heart, the greatest grace, goodness, love,

consolation, and refuge; and that thou art the Father's child that lies in his bosom, and possesses all things that Christ gives; as now immediately follows. And see if he could speak to thee with more kindness and consolation! What man could express such great things in such plain and simple words? And where is the heart that could comprehend and believe them?

Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

All these things are to be referred to that which I have before said, and are intended only to the raising up of our fearful and heavy conscience, (with which we are more burthened than if we were carrying the heaviest load,) and to the lightening and gladdening of our heart, that it might not fear to draw near unto God.-Having the Word, (saith he,) and keeping it, and being my disciples, they know that all things whatsoever I have to do, perform, and give, are from thee. That is, they receive them as given and freely bestowed by thee, and doubt not that they are chosen by thee, and drawn unto me. For, (saith he,) all, all, who are united unto me by faith, and hear me, know for a certainty, that thou art their Father and their merciful and propitious God. For they could neither hear me nor keep my Word, unless thou thyself hadst given it unto them, and hadst chosen them unto it. And this is the fruit of the Word where it is received and kept: for, through the benefits of it, we attain unto the knowledge of all the graces and heavenly blessings which are given unto us of the Father by Christ; on which, we may rest with a happy and assured mind and that is what no human reason or wisdom, no, nor even the doctrine of the law can effect. And this is that true and blessed light and glory whereby we behold God with open face without any veil and covering; as Paul saith, 2 Cor. iii.

For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me.

In these words lies the whole force of the matter.

For here we have all things, and know that all are the words of the Father which Christ speaks, to whose mouth alone we are to listen, all other thoughts being cast behind us. And behold how plainly he speaks of the external Word, which is pronounced by the corporal voice through Christ, and received by the ear; that no one might set this at nought, or consider it as unnecessary: as many new and mad spirits do, seducing themselves, and thinking that God ought to deal in some other way with them; that is, by secret revelations of the Spirit; whereby, they draw away themselves from God and Christ unto the devil. For hear thou hearest of no other means or way than the Word, which Christ has spread abroad by his living preaching, and yet calls it the Word of the Father, which he received of him from heaven, and brought down unto us; and he declares, that its power is such, and that it produces such fruits, that, by it, we know the will and mind of the Father, and have in it all things that are necessary to our salvation; as the following words more fully shew.

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

Only observe how many words he employs in setting forth this one same thing; and that, because he considers it of the greatest importance, that we should see how willing and desirous he is to refresh weak consciences; knowing so well, how much labour and distress he must undergo, who, in the midst of temptations, would raise up his heart so as to behold God with a serene countenance. And, therefore, let us not be tired of hearing the same thing so many times repeated, nor of deeply pondering them again and again. But let every one set these words before him to be most diligently meditated on,-why, and for what cause, Christ said these things; namely, that he might set plainly before us the heart and love of the Father, and might enable us in all things to trust confidently in him. The meaning, therefore, of these words is the same as that of the preceding, that the