unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, 28 neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my 29 Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it come to pass, that when it is 30 come to pass, ye might believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you; for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.‡ 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence. CHAP. XV. 1 I AM the true vine, and my Father is the 2 husbandman.§ Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit, he purifieth it, that it 3 may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are Peace of conscience, not external and temporal peace. + Though I exercise a divine power in performing miraeles, and claim great authority, yet I derive all this power and authority from God. He is Almighty. In him ye believe. Be certain, then, of his favor and aid in support of my cause, and in the fulfilment of my promises. I am soon to be tried by worldly power, though nothing can be alleged against me. However, the world will know that I love the Father. See Jeremiah ii. 21. I am the Head of the church: The root, from which every good man is to derive spiritual instruction and comfort. Those who improve their privileges will receive aid and assistance from God. 1 1 clean through the word which I have spoken 4 unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye 5 abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He who abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye 6 can do nothing.* If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered : and men gather them, and cast them into the 7 fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.t 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved 10 you; continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's command 11 ments, and abide in his love. These things have spoken unto you, that my joy might main in you, and that your joy might be co 12 plete. This is my commandment, thou 13 love one another, as I have loved you. m go man hath greater love than this, that a man lay 14 down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. • Christ here teaches the necessity of considering him a divine teacher, and his doctrines as essential to uniform virtue. If we set aside his gospel, we have no support to virtue, and no assurance of divine favor. If ye are faithful to me, whatever ye may ask of God, he will hear and answer you. See Acts iv. 31. It is by our virtues, then, and not by our sins, as some vaiuly pretend, that we honor and glorify God. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made 16 known unto you. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may 17 give it you.* These things I command you, 18 that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated 19 you. If ye were of the world,† the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, and I have chosen you out of the 20 world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they xnow not him that sent me. If I had not come, and spoken unto them, they had not had sin :‡ but now they have no excuse for their sin : 23 He who hateth me, hatcth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no other man did, they had not had sin : but now they have seen, and hated both me 3 *See chap. xvi. 24th verse. That is, worldly in your views and dispositions. 25 and my Father. However, the word is thus fulfilled which is written in their law, They 26 hated me without a cause. But when the Comfortert is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth. which proceedeth from the Father, he shall 27 testify of me. And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. CHAP. XVI. 1 THESE things I have spoken unto you, 2 that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whoever killeth you, will think 3 that he doeth God service. And these things they will do unto you, because they have not 4 known the Father nor me. But these things I have told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. I did not mention them to you at the begin5 ning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him who sent me, and none of you 6 asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because * Christ was actuated by the Spirit of God-and whoever dislikes the doctrines and precepts of Christ, must be a bad man. + Advocate: The same word which is used in John's first epistle, chap. ii. 1. That is, I have thus forewarned you of the treatment which you will receive, that you may not hereafter be offended, and desert my cause. § Paul thought he was doing service to the cause of religion, when he persecuted the apostles and first Christians. I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath 7 filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send 8 him unto you. And when he is come, he will convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, 9 and of judgment: of sin, because they believe 10 not on me; of righteousness, because I go to 11 my Father, and ye see me no more ;* of judgment, because the prince of this world is judg 12 ed. I have yet many things to say unto you, 13 but ye cannot bear them now.† But when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of 15 mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore I said that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it 16 unto you. A little while, and ye shall not see me and again, a little while, and ye shall see 17 me, because I go to the Father. Then some of his disciples said among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me and again, a little while, and ye shall see me : and, Because I go By the miraculous gifts of the Spirit, the gospel was proved to be the cause of righteousness; and the power of Satan destroyed. The apostles were expecting Christ would exert great temporal power; and were not prepared for the idea of persecution and sufferings. |
