I have said these things, that no one might be seduced by these and the like examples; though Jerom, who was himself plunged into that sink, most highly praises and extols them, and knew not how to praise them enough. I hope, however, that another light of faith shone into the heart of this good Father during the last moments of his life. I, for my part, would not and durst not die trusting to such words of commendation; nor would I willingly be his companion therein. For if any one had put these questions to him, Why, our dear Father, dost thou so long live in the woods, feed on roots and herbs, and lie naked on the bare ground? Thinkest thou that God will give thee eternal life for so doing, and reward thee with a signal crown in heaven?' He would certainly not say, No! but would confess that he hoped, that God would not suffer any thing that he did to be in vain. For, (he would answer) to what other end have I thus so severely afflicted myself with the greatest labours, watchings, fastings, prayings, and the like, here in the desert?'-Behold then where is now Christ with his works and merits? Here, as you see, all those things are to be accounted as nothing at all, which Christ did for the obtaining of eternal life and giving it unto us, and it is to be bought of him by us first of all with our own works! Wherefore, such legends (as they call them) and examples of the fathers, are the most deadly poisons; by which, faith and the knowledge of Christ are suppressed and extinguished. Whereas, (without these,) we are all by nature contaminated with this evil, and it drives many to despair because they have not done so and so, or, because they cannot do it.

6

Here then, you see how necessary it is diligently to exercise and inculcate these words, as the sum and substance, and so, the foundation of our doctrine: that is, how we are to become Christians, and to attain unto eternal life. And this indeed is a sublime and wonderful: knowledge, and an arduous thing it is to hold this knowledge pure, and to trust wholly unto it. We have indeed, (thanks be to God!) this doctrine in word, but we have it but in a small degree and weakly in our hearts. But

the rest, that is, the Papists, and the fanatical spirits, have lost both the word and the knowledge together; and, in addition to that, draw away both themselves and others by their own cogitations.

Thus then, you have this full and golden sentence, as an article, asserting that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and moreover, teaching and setting forth the benefits and blessings of him; that we might know what we have in him, and might through him rightly know God and learn the way that leadeth unto him; in order that, we might with a glad and joyful mind trust in him only; which is what no other doctrine under heaven ever taught.

I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

We have here then three gloryings. He prayed above, that the Father would glorify him; in order that, by that glorifying or magnifying he might again come forth powerful and glorious: these are two glorifyings. And he now here says that he has glorified the Father; and then, (directly afterward,) asks that the Father would glorify him with himself. What the two former glorifyings signify has been already sufficiently explained: by which this text also is rendered quite clear and plain. Christ our Lord during his life upon earth glorified the Father by highly preaching, and extolling his praise and glory; of which there are testimonies to be found every where throughout the Gospels, where he continually teaches, and glories that he was sent of the Father, and refers to the Father, and ascribes to the Father, the whole of his life and all that he possesses or has power to do. And the whole life of a Christian, ought to be just as we behold this life of Christ to have been. He ought to praise God alone, and to acknowledge and implore, with a thankful heart, his grace and merits.

This work and this glorifying are now accomplished, saith he, and now, glorify thou me. This seems to be nothing else than if he had said again what he said above. If thy glory, praise, and honour are to be

proclaimed abroad, and declared by me, then I must of necessity be buried in darkness and ignominy.' For all the time that he was doing the will of the Father by preaching and working signs and miracles, and was engaged in those works which were approved of God, and well-pleasing unto him, the world was bitterly enraged against him, and could not endure him. Therefore, for the Father's sake he was oppressed, obscured, and condemned to the most ignominious death. And it was thus that he finished the work which was given him to do. While therefore he knew and felt, that for the praise, honour, and glory of the Father, he must lose all the greatness of his own name; he prays and asks that the Father would not permit him to be buried in darkness, but would rescue him from ignominy and death, and would bring him forth to the light crowned with the highest honours: that is, that he would make him King and Lord. And then the third thing ought to follow, for which he prayed at the beginning, that he might glorify the Father throughout the whole world in his Christians, that his praise might become much more widely extended than it was before his death.

Hence, you see that all these three things agree in one. First, that he might glorify the Father in his life; and, on account of this glorious office of teaching, come to an ignominious death, that he might be in turn glorified by the Father; in order that, he might be able to extend the glory of his Father still more widely, and render it still more great by his kingdom and Gospel. For if Christ, as has been observed before, had remained unglorified, the Father's glory would not have been more widely extended, but would have perished with Christ. Therefore the glory of Christ and of the Father are intimately connected together, so that the Father in glorifying the Son, glorified himself; and, when Christ was glorified, then was the Father also glorified. For the glory whereby the Father is glorified by the Son, and the Son by the Father, are inseparable.

And now, as Christ our head prays, so ought we also who cleave to him to pray, that he would glorify

himself in us. For as it was with him on earth, so also it is with us; that, for his sake, (when we glorify him, and exalt his name by our life and doctrine,) we must submit to be loaded with ignominy, and to be condemned to, and punished with, death: even as for our sakes, his most holy name and word suffer persecution, and are loaded with every reproach and insult. But that he might retain his honour and dignity, and defend his word against vile calumniators and blasphemous accusers, he must rescue us, and quite reverse the scene, making the world to be unjust and condemned to the deepest shame, while we are translated into glory and eternal life. And then, his glory comes to light, beams forth, and is spread throughout the world by the Holy Spirit and the mouth of Christians. And this is what he calls the work which the Father gave him to do—to load himself with all reproaches and insults, endure dreadful tortures, and suffer death for the glory of the Father; and all this for our sakes, that we might be delivered from death and from the devil, and might have eternal life; as we have shewn before.

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Here again, is a great and expressive text concerning the divinity of Christ, against the Arians: though even here, they have found a gap or chink through which to escape. Here Christ expressly says, that he had honour, and was glorious with the Father, before the foundation of the world. What the meaning of this is, those who believe can easily see.-" Before the world was," nothing could have existence but God only, for there is no medium between the world and God, or between the creature and the Creator. Thus, the mouth of the Holy Spirit speaks simply, without any colouring of words, and yet speaks things so great and sublime, that no mortal whatever can comprehend them. For what else is here said, than that which others might have expressed with a multitude of words thus- Dear Father,

glorify me who am thine only Son from everlasting, of the same divinity, essence, and glory with thyself.' It is this that he says here and includes it in his prayer; that he might show, how he wishes to be glorified, that is, manifested, preached, and believed on ; namely, as being he who had his glory from all eternity; that is, as being truly God, and naturally Son of the Father.

But heretics have cast their clouds over, and perverted this text also, as they are accustomed to pervert the whole scripture. And although this same heresy may break out again hereafter (which may God prevent!) I have entreated and I entreat again and again, that we exercise ourselves in this Evangelist most diligently, that by his help we may withstand such heretics: for they will artfully and wickedly pervert all such passages of the scripture, and will say as they have done before, It is true that Christ had his glory before the world was; but it does not from that follow, that he is therefore to be considered eternally and naturally God. He might have been some creature, higher and exalted above all the rest of the creatures, before the world was, and so, a medium in the world between God and all other creatures.' For when they see that they cannot answer these plain words, they are driven to the necessity of framing the thought, that Christ is the highest and most exalted of all creatures, and in dignity and excellence surpassing the greatness even of the angels, and that he was created before all other creatures. Thus must the daub of colouring be thrust upon and cast over the scriptures, that they may agree with our cogitations, lest those impious cogitations and figments should be detected. And thus does it deservedly happen unto them who wish to unravel the mystery in those sublime articles by their own reason, and to be considered masters of the scriptures.

And moreover, as we handled this article above, and proved that Christ must be truly God, since he alone has the power of giving eternal life, and this is obtained alone through the knowledge of him; so, we most stedfastly believe and rest on the present words also, not suffering men to wrest the words from us, nor to maliciously