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

a ch. xii. 23: & xiii. 32.-6 Dan. vii. 14. Mat. xi. 27; & xxviii. 18. ch. iii. 35; & v. 27. I Cor. xv. 25, 27. Phil. ii. 10. Heb. ii. 8.-c ver. 6, 9, 24. ch. vi. 37.-d

-y ch. xviil. 9. 1 John ii. 19.-z ch. vi. 70; & xiii. 18.a Ps. cix. 8. Acts i. 20.- ver. 8.-c ch. xv. 18, 19. I John iii. 13.- ch. viii. 23; ver. 16.-e Mat. vi. 13. Gal.

1.4. 2 Thes. ii. 3.-1 Jolin v. 14.- ver. 14.-g ch. xv.

3. Acts xv. 9. Eph. v. 26. 1 Pet. i. 22.-h 2 Sam. vii. 23. 2, 50. I Thes. iv. 7. Heb. x. 10.-|| Or, truly sanctified.

Ps. cxix. 142, 151. ch. viii. 40.-i ch. xx. 21.- 1 Cor. i.

READER.-Glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. - The transcendent and supreme end of all, is the glory of God; all things returning in a most beautiful circle to this, as the original source from The end of true religion, as far as it which they at first took their rise.

nected with the former, and serves regards us, which is immediately conin a most glorious manner to promote it, is the salvation and happiness of mankind.-LEIGHTON.

This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.-God calls us from carnal and temporal things, to mind heaven and eternal glory. He sees and observes how eager we are in prosecuting of the world's vanities, and therefore calls upon us to leave doting upon such transitory and unsatisfying trifles, and to mind the things that belong to our everlasting peace; not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we "may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God," Rom. xii. 2. To "set our affections upon things above, and not upon things that are upon the earth," Col. iii. 2. To "seek the kingdom of God and his

ch. iii. 34; & v. 26, 37; & vi. 29, 57 ; & vii. 29; & x. 36: & xi. 42.-g ch. xiii. 31; & xiv. 13.-h ch. iv. 34; & v. 36; & ix. 3; & xix. 30—í ch. xiv. 31; & xv. 10.- ch. i. 1, 2; & x. 30: & xiv. 9. Phil. ii. 6. Col. i. 15, 17. Heb. i. 3, 10.-/ver. 26. Ps. xxii. 22.-m ver. 2, 9, 11. ch. vi.37, 89; & x. 29; & xv. 19.-n ch. viii. 28; & xii. 49; & xiv. 10.-o ver. 25. ch. xvi. 27, 30.-p 1 John v. 19.-q ch. xvi. 15.-7 cb. xiii. 1 ; & xvi. 28.-si Pet. i. 5. Jude 1.- ver. 21, &c.-u ch. x. 30.- ch. vi. 39: & x. 28. Heb. ii. 13.

first place. Hence it is styled "an heavenly calling," Heb. iii. 1; and an "high calling," Phil. iii. 14, be

cause we are called by it to look

after high and heavenly things. He that made us hath so much kindness for us, that it pities him to see us moil and toil, and spend our strength and labour about such low and pitiful, such impertinent and unnecessary, things, which himself knows can never satisfy us, and therefore he calls and invites us to himself, and to the enjoyment of his own perfections, which are able to fill and satiate our immortal souls.BEVERIDGE.

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.Christ is glorious, in the very same degree with his Eternal Father; coequal and co-essential with him; arrayed with light and majesty; controlling all the powers of heaven: who, with an awful reverence, bow at his dread commands, and, with a winged speed, fulfil his pleasure. Yea, the Apostle hath almost racked and tortured language for an expression of it: Heb. i. 3. He is "the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person." Why! what is glory, but the lustre of excellence? Brightness itself is but the streaming forth of glory. So that, to be the brightness of his Father's glory, is to be the glory of his glory. It was a high and excellent conception of that philosopher who said, That light was but the shadow of God: if then, God's shadow be so pure and radiant, how infinitely illustrious is his brightness; and the brightness of that which is most illustrious in God, his glory? And yet, this bright and glorious God was

pleased to eclipse his light, lay aside his rays, and immure himself in a house of clay. He, who was "in the form of God," took upon him “the form of a servant." He, who "thought it not robbery to be equal with God," thought it no shame to be made inferior to the angels, by becoming man; yea, and inferior to man, by becoming a curse for them.

And, certainly, if our love be commended and heightened by the great advantages we quit for the sake of others, how infinitely inexpressible must the love of Christ towards us be! who, being the ever-blessed God, by whose power all things were created and do subsist, dwelling in unapproachable light and glory, attended with legions of angels—that he should be pleased to forsake his palace, discard his retinue, shrink up himself into a poor helpless infant, shroud and veil all his Godhead, but only what sometimes displayed itself in the miracles which he wrought, and scarce more in these than in his patient suffering-what could persuade him to so great an abasement, but only the greatness of his love? for love is of an assimilating and transforming nature: and therefore, saith the Apostle, Heb. ii. 14; "Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself took part of the same; that, through death, he might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage."-HOPKINS.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.-The word sancti

fies both by particular exhortation to the study and exercise of those graces, sometimes pressing one, and sometimes another, and by right representing to them their objects. The word feeds faith, by setting before it the free grace of God, his rich promises, and his power and truth to perform them all, shews it the strength of the new covenant, not depending upon itself, but holding in Christ, in whom all the promises of God are yea and amen; and drawing faith still to rest more entirely upon his righteousness. It feeds repentance, by making the vileness and deformity of sin daily more clear and visible. Still as more of the word hath admission into the soul, the more it hates sin, sin being the more discovered and the better known in its own native colour: as the more light there is in a house, the more anything in it that is uncleanly or deformed is seen or disliked. Likewise it increaseth love to God, by opening up still more and more of his infinite excellency and loveliness. As it borrows the resemblance of the vilest things in nature to express the foulness and hatefulness of sin, so all the beauties and dignities that are in all the creatures are called together in the word, to give us some small scantling of that Uncreated Beauty which alone deserves to be loved. Thus might its fitness be instanced in respect to all other graces.

But above all other considerations, this is observable in the word as the increaser of grace, that it holds forth Jesus Christ to our view to look upon, not only as the perfect pattern, but as

the full fountain of all grace, from "whose fulness we all receive." The contemplating of him as the perfect image of God, and then drawing from him as having in himself a treasure for us, these give the soul more of that image in which consists truly spiritual growth. This the Apostle expresseth excellently, 2 Cor. iii. 18, speaking of the ministry of the Gospel revealing Christ, that "beholding in him," as it is, ch. iv. ver. 6, "in his face," "the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord:" not only that we may take the copy of his graces, but have a share of them.— LEIghton.

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.-That which Papists fabulously say of some of their saints, that they received the impression of the wounds of Christ in their body, is true, in a spiritual sense, of the soul of every one that is indeed a saint and a believer: it takes the very print of his death by beholding him, and “dies to sin;" and then takes that of his rising again, and "lives to righteousness." As it applies it to "justify," so to "mortify," drawing virtue from it. Thus said one, "Christ aimed at this in all those sufferings which, with so much love, he went through; and shall I disappoint him, and not serve his end ?"-LEIGHTON.

HYMN.

Saviour, hail! enthroned in glory,
There for ever to abide;
All the heavenly hosts adore thee,
Seated at thy Father's side."

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 in them, and I in them.

be

I ver. 11, 22, 23. ch. x. 16. Rom. xii. 5. Gal. iii. 28. m ch, x. 38; & xiv. 11.-n ch. xiv. 20. 1 John i. 3; & iii. 24.-o Col. iii. 14.-p ch. xii. 26; & xiv, 3. 1 Thes. iv. 17.-q ver. 5.-r ch. xv. 21 ; & xvi. 3.-s ch. vii. 29; & viii. 55; & x. 15.-t ver. 8. ch. xvi. 27.-u ver, 6. ch. xv. 15.- ch. xv. 9.

READER. That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.-In all the main principles of religion, there is an universal and unanimous consent of all Christians, and these are they that constitute a Church. Those that agree in these, Christ is pleased to admit, for matter of doctrine, as members of that body, whereof he is the head: and if they admit not of each other as such, the fault is in the uncharitableness of the refusers, no less than in the error of the refused. And if any vain and loose stragglers will needs sever themselves, and wilfully choose to go ways of their own, let

them know, that the union of Christ's Church shall consist entire without them; this great ocean will be one collection of waters, when these drops are lost in the dust. In the mean time, it highly concerns all that wish well to the sacred name of Christ, to labour" to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph. iv. 3.—HALL.

In case there happen to be differences of opinion, concerning points not essential, not necessary to salvation; this diversity may not breed an alienation of affection. That charity, which can cover a multitude of sins, may much more cover many small dissensions of judgment. We cannot hope to be all, and at all times, equally enlightened. At how many and great weaknesses of judgment did it please our merciful Saviour to connive in his domestic disciples! they, that had so long sat at the sacred feet of him that spake as never man spake, were yet to seek of those Scriptures, which had so clearly foretold his resurrection, John xx. 9; and, after that, were at a fault for the manner of his kingdom, Acts i. 6; yet he that breaks not the bruised reed, nor quenches the smoking flax, falls not harshly upon them for so foul an error and ignorance, but entertains them with all loving respect, not as followers only, but as friends, John xv. 15. And his great Apostle, after he had spent himself in his unwearied endeavours upon God's Church, and had sown the seeds of wholesome and saving doctrine everywhere, what rank noisome weeds of erroneous opinions rose up

under his hand in the churches of Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Colosse, Philippi, and Thessalonica! these he labours to root out with much zeal, with no bitterness, so opposing the errors, as not alienating his affection from the churches. These, these must be our precedents; pursuing that charge of the prime Apostle; "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous." 1 Pet. iii. 8.—HALL.

This resemblance is often used in Scripture, and holds excellently well, but is little learned. Our temper and carriage correspond not to it. Who is there almost that finds it, the Spirit of Christ in them, knitting them to him as the common head, and one to another, as one in him, each busy to advance him, and to seek his glory, and to promote the good of one another? but alas! rather each for self, accursed self, as of an independent divided substance; yea, worse, hating and tearing one another; a monstrous sight, as if one limb of the same body should be pulling another to pieces. It signifies little to tell men what mutual tenderness is in nature; for a thorn in the foot the back bows, the head stoops, the eyes look, the hands feel, and seek it and pull it out. Christians are still so rigid, so unchristian to each other, they drive one another with the thorn sticking in, forcing their brethren to ways against the persuasions of their consciences.-LEIGHTon.

And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them.-How little do those men know, who are ambitious of