,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,st4 ,,john4 ,illustration3 ,publisher's ,mark ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,st4 ,,john4 ,a ,series of ,discourses4 ,by ,,frederick ,,denison ,,maurice1 ,m4,a41 ,,professor ,,of ,,moral ,,philosophy ,,in ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,cambridge4 ,johannes redet schlecht und einfltig wie ein ,kind1 und lauten seine ,worte 7wie die ,weltweisen sie ansehen7 recht kindisch4 ,es ist aber eine solche ,majestt drunter verborgen1 die kein ,mensch1 so hoch er auch erleuchtet ist1 erforschen noch ausreden kann4--,,luther1 ,auslegung des ,evangel4 ,johannis1 #a1 #e4 ,,new ,,edition4 ,london3 ,,macmillan ,,and ,,co4 #ahhb4 ,the ,right of ,translation and ,reproduction is ,reserved4 ,london3 ,r4 ,,clay1 ,,sons1 ,,and ,,taylor ,,bread ,,street ,,hill1 ,e4,c4 ,,preface ,,to ,,the ,,second ,,edition4 ,a valued friend1 to whose judgment on a critical question ,i shall always defer1 has sent me the following observations upon certain passages in the #aath and #afth ,discourses of this volume4 ,i have made no alterations in the text4 ,john v4 #c1 #d4 ,it is implied at page #adc that certain honest and earnest men are unwilling to believe that ,st4 ,john wrote the verse relating to angelic interposition in the cures wrought by the pool of ,bethesda1 merely because they consider the doctrine unworthy of him4 ,it may be so3 but it is at least possible to assent fully to the doctrine1 and yet reject the verse1 along with the last clause of the preceding verse1 on purely outward and critical grounds4 ,of the six most important ,greek ,,mss4 two 7and those1 perhaps1 the best7 omit the whole passage1 --1 two the clause1 --1 and two the verse1 --3 not more than one or two tolerable ,greek ,,mss4 support the received reading4 ,of important early versions three omit the whole passage 7including the recently discovered ,curetonian ,syriac1 probably the earliest and most important of all71 another 7and two ,,mss4 of a second7 omits the verse1 and two others omit or obelize part of the verse4 ,of early patristic evidence there is hardly any either way4 ,origen's commentary between iv4 #ed and viii4 #ai is unfortunately lost4 ,tertullian in one place shows an acquaintance with the belief about the angel1 and probably with the whole passage4 ,with this exception1 the passage appears to be known in either form to no ,father previous to ,st4 ,ambrose1 no ,greek ,father previous to ,st4 ,chrysostom3 they and their successors follow the common text4 ,the only important early authority in its favour is the ,old ,latin version1 7with which must be taken ,tertullian27 and yet its ,,mss4 differ surprisingly in the details of the verse1 presenting it for the most part in a shorter form than the ,greek ,,mss41 which likewise differ considerably among themselves4 ,in short1 all the familiar phenomena of interpolation are present in the most flagrant shape4 ,in all probability the passage was added by degrees in the second century in the ,western ,church1 and passed over to the ,east in the fourth century4 ,john vii4 #ec-viii4 #aa4 ,at page #bbi some of the ,fathers are said to have disliked the moral of the story of the woman taken in adultery1 and therefore to have been glad to believe it not genuine4 ,it is needless to go into the overwhelming critical evidence against its genuineness1--a matter quite distinct from its truth and authority4 ,but surely the charge here made is founded on an oversight4 ,the earlier ,fathers 7with the doubtful exception of ,eusebius1 who has been reasonably supposed to allude to the same incident1 as recorded by ,papias1 and in the ,gospel according to the ,hebrews7 nowhere refer to the narrative1 apparently for the simple reason that it was entirely unknown to them4 ,origen's commentary on this part of the chapter is lost2 but in a minute recapitulation1 included in his remarks on verse #bb1 he passes at once without observation from vii4 #eb to viii4 #ab4 ,st4 ,chrysostom and ,st4 ,cyril ignore the passage in the same manner4 ,there is really no reason whatever to suspect fraud here4 ,st4 ,ambrose warns his readers of the danger of reading the story carelessly 7otiosis auribus71 but does not appear to doubt its genuineness4 ,st4 ,augustine1 arguing against an excessive rigour on the part of injured husbands1 rebukes certain persons 7modic fidei vel potius inimicis ver fidei71 who1 as he fancied1 banished it from their ,,mss4 because it seemed to be more lenient to women than to their guilty selves4 ,st4 ,jerome states that it was found in many ,greek and ,latin ,,mss41 and proceeds to rest an argument upon it4 ,surely these three ,fathers1 if any1 would have been glad to believe it not genuine4 ,both passages are pretty fully discussed by ,dr4 ,tregelles 7,account of the printed ,text of the ,greek ,new ,testament1 pp4 #bcf-bdf71 with the help of some evidence not before accessible4 ,,preface4 ,i made many attempts to write a commentary on the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 ,all of them proved abortive2 though each of them made me more alive to the duty of endeavouring to impart to others some of the lessons which ,i had received from it4 ,at length ,i was convinced that unless ,i studied the ,gospel first of all with reference to my own congregation1 and used it as a lesson-book for them1 ,i never should be able to express what was in my mind to men whom ,i did not know4 ,critics1 ,i doubt not1 will know excellent reasons why a book of ,scripture cannot be satisfactorily expounded in pulpit discourses4 ,i certainly shall not dispute their opinion4 ,no one is more aware than myself that ,i have not satisfactorily expounded this book of ,scripture4 ,i have not hoped to do that4 ,but ,i believe ,i may have given my hearers and my readers some encouragement to seek a better ,expositor of it than ,i or any much wiser teacher can be4 ,if a few have been led by my words to hope for that guidance1 and to place themselves under it1 ,i trust they will ask for themselves and for me1 that we may never desert it for any other1 least of all for our own4 ,,contents4 ,,discourse ,i4 ,,page ,,st4 ,,john ,i4 #a4--;,in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 and the ,word was ,god4 ,the ,ages of the ,church--,st4 ,john the ,theologian--,accounts of him in the first ,three ,evangelists--,his ,jewish feelings--,the opening ,sentence of the ,gospel--,what ,psalmists and ,prophets mean when they speak of the ,word of ,god--,how ,alexandrian ,jews spoke of the ,living ,word--,confused opinions at the end of the ,first ,century-- ,how the opening of this ,gospel meets them #a ,,discourse ,,ii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,i4 #ad4--;,and the ,word was made flesh1 and dwelt among us1 7and we beheld ,his glory1 the glory as of the only-begotten of the ,father17 full of grace and truth4 ,the same subject continued--,how the ,living ,word was implied in all the teaching of the ,old ,testament--,the ,word1 the ,creator of the ,world--,the ,word enlightening human beings--,the testimony of ,john to ,him in this character #ae ,,discourse ,,iii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,i4 #bi4--,the next day ,john seeth ,jesus coming unto him1 and saith1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world4 ,john the ,baptist an ,old ,testament teacher--,how ,st4 ,john the ,evangelist learnt his wisdom from him--,his dialogue with the ,pharisees--,wherein the ,jews were wrong in their apprehension of the ,christ--,how ,john's message concerning ,him that was before him met these confusions--,his testimony to his own disciples concerning the ,lamb of ,god #bh ,,discourse ,,iv4 ,,st4 ,,john ,i4 #df4--;,and ,nathanael said unto him1 ,can there any good thing come out of ,nazareth8 ,philip saith unto him1 ,come and see4 ,the same subject continued--,the ,scape-,goat and the ,lamb--,why the last is a more satisfactory image than the first--,the ,lamb identified with the ,man--,the ,spirit and the ,dove--,john's ,disciples following ,jesus--,nathanael confessing the ,man of ,nazareth to be the ,son of ,god--,what was promised him hereafter #dc ,,discourse ,v4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,ii4 #aa4-,this beginning of miracles did ,jesus in ,cana of ,galilee1 and manifested forth ,his glory2 and ,his disciples believed on ,him4 ,miracles and ,signs--,the change from the desert to the feast--,the dialogue between ,mary and her ,son--,effects of the ,sign upon those who had not1 and those who had1 believed ,jesus to be the ,christ-- ,christ giving ,his blessing to ,marriage--,christ the spring of ,life and ,joy--,the beginning of ,signs--,object of ,st4 ,john in recording them--,their message to us #eg ,,discourse ,,vi4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,ii4 #af4-,take these things hence2 make not my ,father's house an house of merchandise4 ,difference between ,st4 ,john and the other ,evangelists in reference to ,galilee and ,jerusalem--,the ,two ,purifications of the ,temple-- ,jewish feelings respecting the ,temple1 easily understood by ,englishmen--,the ,temple-,market--,the impression of our ,lord's ,zeal on the minds of the ,disciples--,the ,words ',my ,father's ,house'--,the ,temple raised in three days--,double senses #gb ,,discourse ,,vii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,iii4 #c4--;,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 ,effects of the signs at the ,passover on the crowd--,their impression on ,nicodemus the ,pharisee--,seeing the ,kingdom of ,god--,the ,new ,birth--,the perplexity of the ,pharisee--,the ,spirit and the ,wind-- ,earthly ,things and ,heavenly ,things--,the ,son of ,man from ,heaven and in ,heaven--,the ,brazen ,serpent--,consciousness not the basis of ,god's ,kingdom--,the ,will of ,god #he ,,discourse ,,viii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,iii4 #cj4--;,he must increase2 ,i must decrease4 ,return to ,john the ,baptist--,what ,john's ,disciples say of the new ,teacher--,john's answer--,the ,gift from above--,the ,royal ,bridegroom-- ,the friend of the ,bridegroom--,the joy of ,john in his insignificance-- ,the ,earthly and the ,heavenly ,speech--,how the ,divine ,testimony is received--,the ,difficulty of believing in ,god--,the new ,revelation of the ,father and the ,son--,the ,wrath of ,god #aja ,,discourse ,,ix4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,iv4 #aj4--;,jesus answered and said unto her1 ,if thou knewest the gift of ,god1 and who it is that saith to thee1 ,give me to drink2 thou wouldest have asked of ,him1 and ,he would have given thee living water4 ,water a ,sign of ,purification and a ,sign of ,life--,jesus in ,samaria-- ,the ,gift of ,god--,the ,well of ,life within--,the woman revealed to herself--,the ,place of ,worship and the ,object of ,worship-- ,spiritual and superstitious tendencies of the ,samaritans--,christ declaring ,himself to the woman #aae ,,discourse ,x4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,iv4 #dh4--,then said ,jesus unto him1 ,except ye see signs and wonders1 ye will not believe4 ,the woman's ,message to her countrymen--',is not this the ,christ8'-- ,wonder of the disciples--,the ,reapers and the ,harvest--,what rewards ,christ promises--,the ,samaritan ,faith--,the ,galilan ,faith--,how the ,nobleman's ,faith was affected by the ,cure of his ,son #abh ,,discourse ,,xi4 ,,st4 ,,john ,v4 #af-ah4--;,and therefore did the ,jews persecute ,jesus1 because ,he had done these things on the sabbath-day4 ,but ,jesus answered them1 ,my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work4 ,therefore the ,jews sought the more to kill ,him1 because ,he had not only broken the sabbath1 but said also that ,god was ,his ,father1 making ,himself equal with ,god4 ,jesus at ,jerusalem--,the ,pool--,the ,angel--,whether the story interferes with ,science--,records of ,angels in the ,old ,testament--,how the cure of the ,man concerned the doctrine respecting ,angels--,the ,sabbath-day--,how the ,pharisee regarded all the commandments--,reasons of their conflict with ,jesus respecting this commandment--',my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work' #ada ,,discourse ,,xii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,v4 #dc4--;,i am come in my ,father's name1 and ye receive me not3 if another shall come in his own name1 him ye will receive4 ,the charge against ,jesus of making ,himself equal with ,god--,how ,jesus refuses to exalt ,himself--,how ,he discovers the true ,idea of ,godhead--,the ,son quickening the dead--,all judgment committed to the ,son--,the ,light which that ,language throws upon our ,experiences--,the ,son ruling and judging in the unseen ,world--,the ,testimony of ,john--,the ,testimony of the ,father--,the ,scriptures and the ,word #aef ,,discourse ,,xiii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,vi4 #ce4--;,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,i am the bread of life3 he that cometh to me shall never hunger2 and he that believeth on me shall never thirst4 ,jesus feeding the multitude--,the ,prophet and the ,king--,jesus walking on the ,sea--,use of that ,sign--,the crowd seeking ,jesus--,the ,bread of ,life--,the ,son of ,man and the ,father--,the ,manna falling from ,heaven--',my ,father giveth you the ,bread'--,the ,will of the ,father--,christ promised to the ,race and to each ,man #agb ,,discourse ,,xiv4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,vi4 #fb4--,what and if ye shall see the ,son of man ascend up where ,he was before8 ,how to give thanks for a ,peace--,how the ,nation of ,israel was taught that it did not live by ,bread alone--,how ,jesus interpreted that ,language--,the ,teaching of the ,father--',the ,bread that ,i will give is my ,flesh'--,whether ,st4 ,john was speaking of the ,lord's ,supper-- ,spiritual ,eating not metaphorical ,eating--,how the ,history of the ,church explains the ,words1 ',except ye eat the ,flesh of the ,son of ,man1 and drink ,his ,blood1 ye have no ,life in you'--,how the ,ascension is connected with these words--,the ,faith of ,peter--,the ,unbelief of ,judas--,how connected with this subject--,its relation to modern events--,christianity and ,mahometanism #ahf ,,discourse ,,xv4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,vii4 #cg-ci4--;,in the last day1 that great day of the feast1 ,jesus stood and cried1 saying1 ,if any man thirst1 let him come unto me1 and drink4 ,he that believeth on me1 as the ,scripture hath said1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 7,but this spake ,he of the ,spirit1 which they that believe on ,him should receive3 for the ,holy ,ghost was not yet given2 because that ,jesus was not yet glorified47 ,meaning of the ,feast of ,tabernacles--,why the brethren of our ,lord wished ,him to go to ,jerusalem--,the ,jewish ,world--,christ teaching in the ,temple--,doing ,god's ,will and knowing ,his ,doctrine--,the ,sabbath-day and ,circumcision--,in what ,sense ,christ's ,life was mysterious1 in what ,sense open--',ye shall seek me1 and not find me'--,the ,gift of the ,holy ,ghost #bji ,,discourse ,,xvi4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,viii4 #bi4--;,and ,he that sent me is with me3 the ,father hath not left me alone2 for ,i do always those things that please ,him4 ,bethlehem and ,nazareth--,the division in the ,sanhedrim--,the ,story of the ,woman taken in ,adultery--,jesus declaring ,himself the ,light of the ,world--,the ,two ,witnesses--,the ,descent and the ,ascent--,the ,answer to the ,question1 ',who art ,thou8'--,the ,son of ,man lifted up--,how ,st4 ,john preaches the ,trinity #bbf ,,discourse ,,xvii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,viii4 #dc4--,why do ye not understand my speech8 even because ye cannot hear my word4 ,the repelling and attracting ,power of ,christ's ,words concerning ,his ,father--,the ,promise of ,truth--,the ,promise of ,freedom--,the ,servant in the ,house and the ,son--,abraham's ,seed--,the ,desire to murder the ,prince of ,life--,the claim of ,god as a ,father--,the charge of being children of the ,devil--,the ,speech and the ,word--,the ,temporal and the ,eternal--',before ,abraham was1 ,i am' #bdj ,,discourse ,,xviii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,ix4 #ci4--;,and ,jesus said1 ,for judgment ,i am come into this world1 that they which see not might see2 and that they which see might be made blind4 ,how the story of the ,blind ,man is connected with the previous discourse--,final causes of bodily disease--,the obligation upon ,jesus to work--,process of the cure--,the debates in the ,synagogue--,the ,doctors and the ,beggar--,his arguments and their answer--,what his blindness had done for him--,the ,revelation of the ,son of ,god #bei ,,discourse ,,xix4 ,,st4 ,,john ,x4 #bg-bi4--,my sheep hear my voice1 and ,i know them1 and they follow me3 and ,i give unto them eternal life2 and they shall never perish1 neither shall any man pluck them out of my and4 ,my ,father1 which gave them me1 is greater than all2 and no man is able to pluck them out of my ,father's hand4 ,the ,mount of ,olives--,the sight of the ,sheepfold--,the ,wicket-,gate-- ,why the ,pharisees could not understand the symbol--,st4 ,john's ,parables--,the robbers and murderers who claimed to be ,christs in the ,old ,time--,application to ,modern ,times--,how is it true that the ,sheep did not hear them--,the ,good ,shepherd and the ,hirelings--,communion between the ,shepherd and the ,sheep--,communion between ,christ and ,his ,father--,the other ,sheep--,why ,jesus did not say1 ',i am the ,christ'--',my ,father is greater than all'--',i and my ,father are one'--',i have said1 ,ye are gods' #bgd ,,discourse ,,xx4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xi4 #be4--;,jesus said unto her1 ,i am the resurrection1 and the life3 he that believeth in me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live4 ,jesus and the ,disciples again in the ,wilderness--,the common feeling respecting the ,resurrection of ,lazarus1 the true one--,the ,sisters and the ,brother--,the ,message concerning ,lazarus--,the hours of ,night and ,day--,our ,friend sleepeth--,how the ,two ,sisters endure their ,comforters--,the ,resurrection in the ,last ,day--',i am the ,resurrection1 and the ,life'--,the ,groaning of ,jesus--,the ,glory of ,god--,lazarus returning to his ,home--,resurrection not a ,break in a ,man's ,history--,the ,renewal of ,family ,bonds--,deliverance from ,unbelief #cjj ,,discourse ,,xxi4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xi4 #di1 #ej4--;,and one of them1 named ,caiaphas1 being the high priest that same year1 said unto them1 ,ye know nothing a all1 nor consider that it is expedient for us1 that one man should die for the people1 and that the whole nation perish not4 ,why the ,sadducees did not wish to stone ,jesus--,the ,prophecy of ,caiaphas--,the ,romans and the ,cross--,the ,feast at ,bethany--,the ,box of ,ointment--,its ,effect on ,judas--,jerusalem during the ,passover--,when the ,disciples learnt the meaning of ,christ's ,entry into the ,city--,the ,greeks at the ,feast--,the ,seed falling into the ,ground and dying--,the ,moment of ,agony--,the ,son of ,man drawing all ,men to ,him--',who is this ,son of ,man8'--,how that ,question is asked and answered in our day #cba ,,discourse ,,xxii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xii4 #dd-ej1 and ,,xiii4 #a4--;,jesus cried and said1 ,he that believeth on me1 believeth not on me1 but on ,him that sent me4 ,and he that seeth me1 seeth ,him that sent me4 ,i am come a light into the world1 that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness4 ,and if any man hear my words1 and believe not1 ,i judge him not2 for ,i came not to judge the world1 but to save the world4 ,he that rejecteth me1 and receiveth not my words1 hath one that judgeth him3 the word that ,i have spoken1 the same shall judge him in the last day4 ,for ,i have not spoken of myself2 but the ,father which sent me1 ,he gave me a commandment1 what ,i should say1 and what ,i should speak4 ,and ,i know that ,his commandment is life everlasting3 whatsoever ,i speak therefore1 even as the ,father said unto me1 so ,i speak4 ,now before the feast of the passover1 when ,jesus knew that ,his hour was come that ,he should depart out of this world unto the ,father1 having loved ,his own which were in the world1 ,he loved them unto the end4 ,the last ,signs to the ,jewish people--,how ,isaiah had explained their inefficacy--,the ,glory of ,men and the ,glory of ,god--,the ,words which closed ,christ's public ,ministry--,the ,last ,supper--,the ,washing of the ,feet--,what had to be washed away--,why the feet only had to be washed--,christ's ,example--,how one ,man can purify another--,the ,disciple not above his ,master--',he that receiveth you receiveth ,me'--,the trouble of ,spirit--,the ,disciple whom ,jesus loved--',that thou doest1 do quickly'--,the ,son of ,man glorified-- ,the ,new ,commandment--,the prophecy of denial #cda ,,discourse ,,xxiii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xiv4 #be1 #bf4--,these things have ,i spoken unto you1 being yet present with you4 ,but the ,comforter1 which is the ,holy ,ghost1 whom the ,father will send in my name1 ,he shall teach you all things1 and bring all things to your remembrance1 whatsoever ,i have said unto you4 ,the two causes of ,trouble--,the double support under them--,why ,jesus did not speak of dying--,the message concerning a ,father's ,house--,jesus the ,way--,to what the ,way leads--',have ,i been so long time with you1 and hast thou not known me8'--,the greater ,works--,praying in the ,name of ,jesus--,the promise of the ,comforter-- ,loving and obeying--,how the ,disciples learnt their need of a ,spirit--,the gift of the ,spirit the gift of ,peace--,the ,prince of this ,world--,the love of the ,father to the ,world #cfe ,,discourse ,,xxiv4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xv4 #a4--;,i am the true vine1 and my ,father is the husbandman4 ,allusions to vines in the old ,scripture--,the interpretation of them here--',abide in me'--,ground of the union of the ,disciples to ,christ--,the gift of ,joy--,servants and friends--,the command to love--,the world's hatred a hatred of ,god #chc ,,discourse ,,xxv4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xvi4 #a4--,these things have ,i spoken unto you1 that ye should not be offended4 ,effect of ,christ's words upon ,his ,disciples when they met with persecutions--,method of ,his education--,the conviction of the world by the ,spirit--,the ,spirit not speaking of ,himself1 but of the ,son and the ,father--',a little while and ye shall not see me'--,the birth of the ,man into the world--,the ,apostles' belief--,the world overcome #cif ,,discourse ,,xxvi4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xvii4 #a4--,these words spake ,jesus1 and lifted up ,his eyes to heaven1 and said1 ,father1 the hour is come2 glorify thy ,son1 that thy ,son also may glorify thee4 ,words1 their power and their weakness--,how to connect ,christ's prayer with other prayers--',glorify thy ,son1 that thy ,son may glorify thee'--,the gift of eternal life--,the order of the prayer--,the part of it which refers to the ,disciples--',i pray not for the world'--,the son of perdition--,truth and sanctity-- ',that they all may be one'--,the world which has not known the ,father #daa ,,discourse ,,xxvii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xix4 #cg4--;,and again another scripture saith1 ,they shall look on ,him whom they have pierced4 ,arrangement of our services in ,passion ,week--,agreement of ,st4 ,john with the other ,evangelists--,why all dwell upon the arraignment of ,jesus--,peculiarities of ,st4 ,john--,the night-scene with the officers--,jesus before the ,high ,priest--,the dread of defilement--,jesus before ,pilate--',art thou a king8'--',behold the man6'--',whence art thou8'--',we have no king but ,csar'--,the title on the cross-- ,rending the garment--,the ,son and the ,mother--',a bone shall not be broken'--',they shall look on ,him whom they have pierced'-- ,nicodemus at the sepulchre #dbd ,,discourse ,,xxviii4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xx4 #cj1 #ca4--;,and many other signs truly did ,jesus in the presence of ,his disciples1 which are not written in this book3 but these are written1 that ye might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that believing ye might have life through ,his name4 ,reasons why ,st4 ,john should record the history of the ,resurrection carefully--,how far he or the other ,evangelists cared to produce evidences--,peter and ,john at the sepulchre--,how ,john could find in the ,scripture that ,jesus should rise again--,appearance of the angels--,differences of the ,evangelists--,jesus speaking to ,mary--',i am not yet ascended'--',peace be unto you'--,the commission to bind and loose--,thomas the ,doubter--,the conclusion of the narrative--,the resumption of it--,the ,apostles returning to their nets--,jesus on the shore--,the fish and the bread--',simon1 lovest thou me8'--,the two ,apostles--,john tarrying till ,christ came--,the things which ,jesus did1 and is doing1 and will do #ddc ,,notes4 ,,note ,i4--,on ,barn's theory of the ,gospels #dfi ,,note ,,ii4--,on the construing of the #c;d1 #dth1 and #ith verses of the #ast chapter #dge ,,note ,,iii4--,on ,origen's notion of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel in connexion with the knowledge attributed to ,john the ,baptist #dgg ,,note ,,iv4--,on the relation of the words1 ',the ,lamb of ,god1' to the ,passover1 and to the passage in the #ec;d chapter of ,isaiah #dgi ,,note ,v4--,on the objections to a revision of the ,scriptures #dha ,,note ,,vi4--,extract from ,gregory of ,nyssa #dhd ,,note ,,vii4--,on the resurrection of the body and the judgment-day #dhd ,,note ,,viii4--,comparison of the teaching in the ,sermon on the ,mount with that in the #hth chapter of ,st4 ,john #dhh ,,note ,,ix4--,on the doctrine of ,atonement--,scotch and ,english divinity #dib ,,note ,x4--,on corporate holiness #dih ,,note ,,xi4--,a translation of ,john viii4 #b #eja ,,discourse ,i4 ,,the ,,jewish ,,fisherman1 ,,the ,,christian ,,divine4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 ,septuagesima ,sunday1 ,january #bj1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,i4 #a4 ,in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 and the ,word was ,god4 ,an eminent man1 who died not long since in ,germany1 was wont to divide the life of the ,church into three periods4 ,that before the ,reformation he called the ,petrine2 the three centuries since the ,reformation1 the ,pauline2 one he maintained was at hand1 which would last to the end of this dispensation--that he named the ,johannine4 ,the classification is perhaps too ingenious to be true2 and there are many reasons why we ought not to treat all the years before the sixteenth century as belonging to the same division4 ,nevertheless1 there is something in the observation concerning ,st4 ,john which has commended itself to minds of a very different order from his who put it into this shape4 ,some have supposed that ,st4 ,john is to displace the earlier writers of the ,new ,testament1 because his teaching is more profound1 or more charitable1 or more simple than theirs4 ,some suppose that he was especially appointed to explain1 unfold1 bring out into their fullest light1 all that previous ,prophets and ,apostles had presented under different aspects1 in forms suitable to their own times and circumstances4 ,wide as this difference is1 both may agree that the writings of ,st4 ,john1 much as they may have been studied hitherto1 deserve a fresh and a more earnest study4 ,both may hope that if they have been intended for the illumination of our days1 the meaning of them may come forth to us with greater clearness than it did to our forefathers2 not because we are wiser than they1 but because a larger experience1 perhaps an experience of more intense doubt and ignorance1 may make us more ready to welcome the divine interpreter1 and less eager to anticipate his discoveries by the conclusions which ask to be corrected by them4 ,there are three books in our canon which we attribute to ,st4 ,john1 besides the two short letters to ,gaius and the ,elect ,lady4 ,of these1 his ,gospel appears to me a perfect summary of ,christian ,theology1 his ,first ,epistle of ,christian ,ethics1 his ,apocalypse of ,christian ,politics4 ,i do not despair of seeing even this last book come forth1 out of the hands of soothsayers and prognosticators1 as a real lesson-book respecting the dealings of ,god with the nations1 respecting the method and the issues of ,his righteous government4 ,the craving there is in the minds of men for a faithful history of the past1 which shall be also a faithful guide to the future1 will surely be satisfied some day2 this book may teach us how it shall be satisfied4 ,it requires even less faith to expect that when we are tired of speculations about the maxims and principles of morality1 which do not make our morality better1 while yet their very failure convinces us that there are principles which we did not create and which must bind us1 we may turn to an old and simple document1 which sets forth the commandment that has life--which tells us what the end of our existence is1 what has deranged it1 how each man may recover all that he has lost1 and be what he was created to be4 ,i had thought at first that these ,bible ethics might be more suitable to a congregation of men1 busy in the world and valuing higher maxims only as they can test them by their application to its daily occasions1 than what ,i have called by the more imposing name of ,theology4 ,i should have acted upon that thought if ,i had believed that ,st4 ,john's theology was of that stamp which has made the word agreeable to schoolmen1 offensive to those who would turn words into acts4 ,if theology is a collection of dry husks1 the granaries which contain those husks will be set on fire1 and nothing will quench the fire till they be consumed4 ,it is just because ,i find in ,st4 ,john the grain which those husks sometimes conceal1 for which they are sometimes a substitute2 it is just because theology in his ,gospel offers itself to us as a living root1 out of which all living powers1 living thoughts1 living acts may develop themselves2 it is just because there is nothing in him that is abstract1 because that which is deep and eternal proves itself to be deep and eternal by entering into all the relations of time1 by manifesting itself in all the common doings of men2 it is therefore1 ,i believe1 that he makes his appeal1 not to the man of technicalities1 not to the school doctor1 but to the simple wayfarer1 and at the same time to the man of science who does not forget that he is a man and who expects to ascertain principles only by the honest method of experiment4 ,to all such1 ,i am sure1 the careful study of the fourth ,gospel will prove of unspeakable worth and interest4 ,a preacher may do much to hinder such study2 he may also do something to promote it4 ,he will hinder it if he seeks to make texts give out a sense which he has first put into them4 ,he will hinder it if he seeks to stifle any doubts which the words themselves may excite2 any that are suggested by the contradictions of the world1 and the perplexities of the reader's own mind4 ,he will hinder it if he breaks the continuity of the narration by taking a passage here and there to inculcate a particular moral1 without considering how it is related to the passages that precede and that follow it and to the general scope of the ,evangelist4 ,he may promote it so far as he believes that he is a fellow-learner with those whom he is teaching2 so far as he is convinced that the words of the ,evangelist are clearer and diviner than any which he1 of his own wit or by the help of inferior books1 can put in their place2 so far as he desires that his own eyes1 and those of all students1 may be purged that they may see what is actually in the words2 so far as he believes that there is ,one who is above the words1 above the writer of them1 to whom they point1 and from whom all the wisdom that is in them comes2 so far as he trusts for himself1 and encourages all to trust1 that this ,teacher wills us to come to the knowledge of ,his truth1 and will withhold no help that we need in the pursuit of it4 ,beseeching the ,holy ,spirit of ,god to keep alive this temper in your minds and in mine1 ,i would begin the examination of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel to-day1 desiring1 if ,god permit1 that we may go through with it to the end4 ,when ,i talk of ,st4 ,john as a ,theologian1 ,i adopt the title which was given to him at a very early time4 ,in our own day that title has awakened a suspicion about the genuineness of this ,gospel4 ,he is spoken of by the other ,evangelists as a fisherman mending his father's nets2 as one of two ,apostles whom our ,lord called ,sons of ,thunder2 as giving some warrant for that designation by desiring to call fire from heaven upon a ,samaritan village2 as showing signs of a special ambition by his prayer that he himself and his brother might sit one on ,christ's right hand and one on ,his left in ,his kingdom2 as exhibiting the sectarian and exclusive temper of his nation1 by forbidding a man to cast out devils in ,christ's name who did not follow with ,his ,apostles4 ,was there anything in these early characteristics to prepare one for expecting that he would be the divine1 not of a ,jewish synagogue but of a ,christian ,church8 ,true1 he is spoken of as being present on the ,mount of ,transfiguration1 and in the ,garden of ,gethsemane4 ,on both occasions his eyes were heavy1 like those of the other disciples1 with the sight of glory and the sight of suffering4 ,when others forsook and fled1 he did so likewise4 ,in the ,acts of the ,apostles he appears1 no doubt1 in a conspicuous position1 but it is still expressly as a ,jewish ,apostle4 ,if he is joined with ,st4 ,peter in healing the sick man1 it is when they are going up to the ,temple at the hour of prayer4 ,he endures the reproaches and the scourges of the ,sanhedrim4 ,but after the preaching of the ,gospel to the ,gentiles1 we hear no more of him2 he vanishes out of sight4 ,st4 ,paul calls him one of the ,apostles of the ,circumcision1 but alludes to him no further4 ,when we meet with him again1 not in the sacred record but in the mist of ecclesiastical traditions1 there are reports of him as adhering to the ,jewish observance of the ,passover1 as in some sense representing the dignity of the high-priest4 ,how could we suppose from such intimations that he would open a ,gospel with the words ,i read to you in the text1 words which seem to intimate an acquaintance with heathen speculation1 even with a high philosophy8 ,does that language belong at all to the simplicity of the first century8 ,is it not much more in accordance with the spirit of the next age1 when plain narratives were combining themselves with curious speculations1 and ,christian teachers were introducing what they had learnt in the porch or the academy among the doctrines and the exhortations which had been uttered to fishermen on the lake of ,tiberias or to the crowds who were gathered round the mount8 ,from what ,i said of my reasons for selecting this ,gospel as a subject for discourses in the pulpit1 you will anticipate part of the answer which ,i should give to these suggestions4 ,if the ,gospel is what those who make them1 say that it is1 they are right4 ,if its theology is of an abstract1 artificial character1 compounded of elements drawn from all heterogeneous sources1 let it be attributed to an age--,i do not determine whether the second century was or was not such an age--in which an artificial habit of mind prevailed1 in which system-building had become a profession4 ,if there are no traces of such a disposition in the fourth ,gospel1--if it is1 in its language1 in the construction of its sentences1 in the style of its narrative1 the simplest of all the ,gospels1--then we may have good cause to think that it savours more of the fisherman to whom it has been for so many ages ascribed1 than of the learned convert from some ,gentile school1 the ingenious blender of ,jewish and ,gentile dogmas1 whom critics of this age have imagined to be its manufacturer4 ,i do not1 however1 desire to avoid a part of the inquiry which these remarks may not seem at first to meet4 ,all the accounts of ,st4 ,john in the ,new ,testament1 all that we can guess of him from other sources1 certainly lead us to think of him as one whose mind had been cast in the ,hebrew mould1 who had learnt the lore of a child of ,abraham1 who had not1 in the same sense that ,st4 ,paul did1 thrown himself among the inhabitants of the ,greek cities1 and become as 'one without law1 that he might gain those that are without law4' ,st4 ,john's position in the city of ,ephesus1 during his latter years1 does not affect the opinion that he was essentially a ,jew4 ,jerusalem had fallen1 or was about to fall2 nowhere1 perhaps1 would he be more likely to find a colony of men attached to the customs of his forefathers than in that city4 ,confessedly1 he had no part in founding its ,church or converting its ,gentile inhabitants2 that had been ,st4 ,paul's work4 ,and we may admit without scruple the evidence1 imperfect though it be1 that ,st4 ,john in that city did preserve some of the characteristics of his childhood and of his education1 even when the world to which those strictly belonged was passing away4 ,how do these admissions affect our belief that he was the writer of the sentences which introduce the ,gospel that bears his name8 ,i believe they strengthen that belief exceedingly4 ,i can conceive nothing more thoroughly ,hebrew than these sentences4 ,i pass over the resemblance1 which will strike you all upon this day1#a between these verses and those at the commencement of the ,book of ,genesis2 though the correspondence between their style and the style of ,moses1 is one of those internal correspondences which we feel the more strongly the more we reflect4 ,but ,i would beg you to notice the essential difference between this kind of writing and that of any person who had been brought up in any school of philosophy whatsoever1 whether one purely ,greek1 or where ,greek and ,hebrew elements were mixed as they were at ,alexandria4 ,would you expect in such a person the broad1 simple1 assertive tone1 ',in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 and the ,word was ,god'8 ,would not the true philosopher try to vindicate his name by proving that he was a seeker after wisdom8 ,would not the false philosopher1 if he were ever so much inclined to dogmatise1 at least produce some plausible arguments in support of any statements which he advanced8 ,where1 but in the writings of the ,old and ,new ,testament1 do you meet with such an adventurous proclamation as this8 ,where1 even in the ,books of the ,old and ,new ,testament1 do you meet with one that is quite a parallel to it8 #a ,septuagesima ,sunday1 when the first chapter of ,genesis is read4 ,schleiermacher1 who is not likely to exaggerate the resemblance of the ,new ,testament to the ,old1 dwells on this point4 ,see ,homilien ber das ,evangelium ,johannis2 edited after his death by ,sydow4 ,and then look at the contents of the sentence4 ,what have you been hearing of1 all through the ,psalms and the ,prophets1 but of ,god's word1 which was to give ,joshua courage1 which ,david delighted in and fed upon1 which was a fire in the heart of ,jeremiah8 ,on the surface of the ,bible this language encounters you4 ,i mean1 that your eye cannot wander over a page without being arrested by expressions of the kind2 you become so familiar with it that you forget the peculiarity of it4 ,but if you stop for a moment to think1 you will perceive that whenever the word of ,god is spoken of1 something most vital and most inward is intended4 ,it is a quick1 penetrating power1 entering into the man1 affecting his heart and his reins1 standing out in the sharpest contrast to the idols which speak to the eye4 ,the 'word of ,god' is the favourite expression in the writers of the ,old ,testament1 because they are testifying of an invisible ,lord who speaks to man's spirit2 because they are denouncing all attempts to make the objects of men's senses into their lords4 ,how frightful1 then1 to an old ,prophet would have been the thought of confounding the mere letters of a book1 which could be seen1 handled1 copied out1 with the words of the ,lord6 ,no doubt these words might have characters found for them2 they might be handed down in these characters from age to age3 it would be a glorious witness of their enduring quality if they were so4 ,but it would remain unalterably true1 that as words coming forth from the mouth of ,god1 and not to return to ,him void1 they addressed themselves to the wills1 hearts1 consciences of men2 into these only could they enter4 ,whence did they proceed8 ,solomon1 the wise king1 had spoken of a divine ,wisdom1 from which his was derived4 ,he had spoken of that ,wisdom as brought up with ,god--as ,his counsellor--as an object to be sought for1 embraced1 loved by men4 ,the ,prophets had spoken of the ,word of ,god coming to them4 ,the ,word ruled them1 searched them1 judged them4 ,they were not the speakers2 the ,word was the speaker4 ,could such language be uttered continually in the ears of earnest men and be disregarded8 ,it was not disregarded2 it moulded the very heart of all true ,israelites4 ,but soon it was forced upon them in another way4 ,after the ,babylonian captivity1 they were brought into contact with heathens2 they were obliged to learn what heathens had been thinking of4 ,elsewhere they heard of great mythological conceptions1 of the ,lion1 the ,eagle1 the ,ox1 the ,man1 which represent different aspects of the ,divinity4 ,but in the city of ,alexandria they heard how ,greek sages1 in their struggle to get rid of mythological fancies1 had spoken of a ,logos or ,reason in themselves1 which lifted them above themselves4 ,it was strangely connected with the power of speech2 it pointed to the very source of speech and thought4 ,it was often described as an eye1 blinded in most1 and yet of which those in whom it was open could only say1 ',it makes us know what the privilege is of being men1 what the responsibility4 ,now we are sure that man has something to do with the ,divinity1 as all the traditions of our fathers tell us that he has4 ,but what he has to do with the ,divinity1 who can inform us8 for the traditions only bewilder us when they try to explain4' ,was it strange that a ,jew should say to himself1 ',why1 my oracles have been telling me from the very first of a ,word that speaks to men1 a ,word of ,god2 a ,word that withdraws them from the idolatry of sense1 and the pursuit of sensible things2 a ,word that has taught them how to rule themselves2 a ,word that has taught them how they may seek after their ,creator1 and hold converse with ,him4' ,men of cultivation as well as of honesty might be easily overwhelmed by this twofold discovery2 they might vacillate between their ,gentile lore and their ,jewish2 they might mix them sometimes confusedly together2 they might resort to allegories for the sake of explaining the connexion1 which the simpler student of either would reject as unsatisfactory and frivolous4 ,these descriptions apply1 in some measure1 to those commentaries on the ,old ,testament which are contained in the ,apocryphal books called ',the ,wisdom of ,solomon1' and ',ecclesiasticus4' ,the characteristic of these books is their recognition of a divine ,wisdom1 which the writers sometimes speak of as if it were abstract1 quite as often as if it were personal and substantial4 ,these modes of speech are confessedly derived from the ,scriptures4 ,they speak of no history but the ,hebrew history2 probably they were acquainted with no other4 ,still it is probable that they were holding intercourse with ,gentiles1 perhaps were explaining the ,hebrew books to them4 ,but all the peculiarities ,i have mentioned became far more marked and definite in ,philo the ,alexandrian1 who was an old man when he went on an embassy from the ,alexandrian ,jews to ,caligula4 ,in him the idea of a divine ,word1 who unites ,god and man1 and holds converse with the spirit of man1 becomes the ground of all his thoughts4 ,every book in the ,bible speaks to him of such a ,being4 ,the belief in ,him alone explains to him the life of patriarchs1 lawgivers1 prophets4 ,yet he admits that such a ,being must also have been the source of all wisdom to ,gentile philosophers4 ,it is his privilege1 as a ,jew1 to explain to them their own conceptions of such a ,being4 ,moses could declare that that was which ,plato felt must be4 ,all must see1 if we had not positive evidence of the fact1 how much such thoughts1 coming forth at such a time1 must have affected ,jews1 may have affected ,gentiles4 ,yet ,philo wrote avowedly for the learned4 ,he wished to put himself at a distance from all others4 ,it was a satisfaction to him that he could1 by the use of dark allegories1 keep the profane vulgar at a distance4 ,how1 then1 could his thoughts blend with those of the men who came preaching that ,one who was called a carpenter's son1 ,one who had chosen fishermen as ,his disciples1 was the ,king of men and the ,son of ,god8 ',to the poor the gospel is preached1' was the maxim which they were to exhibit in their lessons and their lives4 ,how could such doctrines as ,philo's be addressed to the poor8 ,and yet the disciples were obliged to speak of ,jesus as the ,son of ,man who sowed the word in men's hearts1 which sprang up and bore fruit1 thirty and sixty and an hundredfold4 ,they were obliged to speak of ,jesus1 the ,son of ,man1 as opening a kingdom of heaven which was within men4 ,they were obliged to speak of that kingdom as the kingdom of ,his ,father4 ,they were obliged to say that the ,son of ,man had opened it to all1 because ,he was also the ,son of ,god4 ,they were obliged to say that they could only testify of this kingdom because ,he had given them the ,spirit of ,his ,father4 ,and when ,st4 ,paul learnt that he1 the ,hebrew of the ,hebrews1 was called to be the ,apostle of the ,gentiles1 it was 'by a revelation of the ,son of ,god in him' ,whom he was 'to preach to the ,gentiles4' ,to the ,corinthians1 among whom he had determined to know nothing but ,jesus ,christ and ,him crucified1 he still spoke of ,jesus ,christ as the ',wisdom of ,god' and the ',power of ,god4' ,to the ,ephesians he spoke of their having 'been chosen in ,him before the foundation of the world1 that they might be holy1 and without blame before ,him in love4' ,what was the consequence8 ,jews said1 ',you are exalting a man into the place of ,god2 you are denying the words which you were taught on your mother's knee1 ,the ,lord our ,god is one ,lord4' ,gentiles said1 ',you are robbing us of the belief we have had of friendly beings of another world1 who have sympathised with ours1 who have had loving converse with sages and heroes1 who have mixed with us as men among men4' ,philosophers said1 ',what has your teaching to do with all those glimpses of light in the reason which wise men have spoken of1 which they have been sure that they received8' ,disciples of ,philo asked1 ',what has this human ,teacher of yours to do with that ,word of ,god whom our master discovered in all the history of the ,old ,testament8' ,disciples of ,john the ,baptist 7still numerous1 and probably much connected with the ,alexandrian teachers1 as in the instance of ,apollos7 said1 ',our master preached repentance and turning to the living ,god4 ,you say he spoke also of a ,teacher who was to come after him4 ,do you mean that he wished us to turn away from the living ,god to this future ,teacher8' ,christian men began to ask themselves whether ,jesus ,christ was not the ,son of ,god1 because ,he was born in a wonderful manner of the ,virgin8 ,they began to dream of ,him as a demigod1 or a superior angel1 half human1 half divine4 ,other ,christians began to boast that they were sons of ,god only because they were baptized men1 and that their sonship was a sentence upon all the world before them and around them4 ,a cloud of opinions--vapours gathered from all quarters--was floating about in the world2 was nowhere1 perhaps1 denser than in the great emporium of ,ephesus4 ,a great convulsion was at hand4 ,st4 ,paul had said a great apostasy was at hand4 ,then1 if we may believe the tradition of centuries1 spoke out the old man of ,ephesus1 the ,galilean fisherman1 the ,son of ,thunder1--he whose brother had been taken by an early death to the right hand of his ,master1--he who was himself to linger till the end of the age1--the passionate ,jew1 who had desired fire to come from heaven2--then spake he who had been on the ,mount1 and in the ,garden1 and at the ,last ,supper3 ',in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 and the ,word was ,god4 ,the same was in the beginning with ,god4 ,all things were made by ,him1 and without ,him was not any thing made that was made4 ,in ,him was life1 and the life was the light of men2 and the light shineth in darkness1 and the darkness comprehended it not4 ,there was a man sent from ,god1 whose name was ,john4 ,the same came for a witness1 to bear witness of the light4 ,he was not that light1 but was sent to bear witness of that light4 ,that was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world4 ,he was in the world1 and the world was made by ,him1 and the world knew ,him not4 ,he came unto ,his own1 and ,his own received ,him not4 ,but as many as received ,him1 to them gave ,he power to become the sons of ,god2 which were born not of flesh1 nor of blood1 nor of the will of man1 but of ,god4' ,except at the close of the first century1 when the ,old ,testament age was passing into the ,new1 ,i conceive these verses could not have been written4 ,except by the most earnest of ,jews1 the most simple of ,christian ,apostles1 ,i believe they could not have been written4 ,but if they are1 as they are sometimes supposed to be1 merely a doctrinal proem to an actual ,gospel1 ,i admit they must have proceeded from some one else4 ,i hope to show you hereafter that they explain every narrative which follows1 as every narrative which follows illustrates them4 ,i hope you will find that the whole ,gospel is a ,theology just as much as these verses2 because it is a ,gospel to mankind1 a ,gospel to the conscience of each man1 from ,god and concerning ,god4 ,,discourse ,,ii4 ,,the ,,word ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,men4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #ast ,sunday in ,lent1 ,february #aj1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,i4 #ad4 ,and the ,word was made flesh and dwelt among us1 and we beheld his glory1 the glory as of the only-begotten of the ,father1 full of grace and truth4 ,when ,i spoke to you last1 ,i proposed to examine ,st4 ,john's ,gospel carefully and in order4 ,it was impossible not to pause earnestly upon the opening sentence1 ',in the beginning was the ,word1 and the ,word was with ,god1 and the ,word was ,god4' ,what does that text say to us8 ',it declares1' some will answer eagerly and decisively1 'the divinity of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4' ,be it so2 but the name ,jesus ,christ is not introduced till the seventeenth verse of the chapter4 ,if we are sitting at the feet of an ,apostle or ,evangelist1 we cannot change his method for a method of our own4 ,the writers of the other ,gospels start from the birth of ,jesus1 or from the preaching of ,john the ,baptist4 ,we cannot understand them unless we go with them to ,bethlehem or to the wilderness4 ,st4 ,john leads us back to the beginning of all things4 ,we cannot understand him1 if we assume events that were to take place in the fulness of the time4 ,acting upon this principle1 ,i reminded you that the expression 'word of ,god' is one of continual recurrence as well as of most solemn import in the books of the ,old ,testament4 ,i could not find that1 in its lowest sense1 it ever meant less than a message from the invisible ,god to the mind and spirit of man4 ,the assertion that ,god speaks to men by ,his word1 and that men are capable of hearing that word1 was the great testimony for the truth which was implied in heathen superstitions1 the great testimony against these superstitions4 ,idolaters were not mistaken in thinking that they needed intercourse with that which was higher than themselves2 they were mistaken in seeking1 in the heaven above1 or in the earth beneath1 or in the water under the earth1 for ,him who was nearer to them than ,he was to all the things ,he had made1 who was the ,lord of their hearts and reins4 ,the more you study the ,law1 the ,psalms1 and the ,prophets1 the more you meditate the earliest and simplest book of the ,bible--that which tells of the ,voice which spoke to ,adam in the garden1 of the ,voice which called ,abram to go forth whither he knew not--the more1 ,i am persuaded1 you will feel that this is the most characteristic peculiarity of these records1 that which connects them with each other1 that which has given them their power over mankind4 ,nevertheless1 the life of the men who were said to receive these communications was eminently practical and manly4 ,they did not pore over their own thoughts2 they went forth and did the work which was given them to do1 feeding flocks1 bringing up children1 fighting enemies4 ,it is evident that their belief in the invisible did not in the least interfere with their business in this visible world4 ,that they were to till and subdue by the same charter which assured them that they were ,god's servants1 and that ,his word was directing them4 ,while they kept their faith in the unseen ,teacher1 the firmament over their heads became a clear daily and nightly witness respecting ,him and themselves4 ,the stars told them what their seed should be2 the sun1 going forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber1 carried the message of their ,god into all lands4 ,it was when the faith in the invisible grew weak1 that they bowed their heads and worshipped the forms which once testified to them of their greater nobleness and sublimer origin4 ,and with this came another idolatry1 in its essence grander1 in its results baser4 ,the man felt that beings of his own kind had more power over him than all the hosts of heaven4 ,he did homage to their goodness1 their wisdom1 their beneficence1 their strength4 ,he confessed the king1 and was raised to a higher sense of his own freedom and kingship4 ,the king became a giant and a tyrant2 he became a dwarf and a slave4 ,what should raise men out of either oppression8 ,what should set them free from the yoke which creatures below their own kind and of their own kind had imposed upon them8 ,the ,jew was taught that the ,lord ,god was his ,king2 that ,he broke the yoke of the ,pharaoh and of the ,pharaoh's gods2 that ,he claimed the most abject slaves as ,his servants4 ,the ,israelite was brought under an order which had this foundation4 ,in the strength of it1 kings were to reign and decree judgment2 they were to preserve the people from lapsing into the idolatry which would destroy their obedience and their freedom4 ,they were to reign by the word of the ,lord4 ,but what was this word of ,god which held men back who had fierce inclinations in their hearts1 and who had swords to execute them in their hands8 ,it could not be a statute2 that had no such power4 ,it could not be a set of moral maxims2 they had no such power4 ,it could not be a promise1 or a threat1 about the world that is1 or the world to come2 neither had such power4 ,the ,prophet1 living amidst the signs of decay and ruin in his own polity1 amidst the earthquakes which were shaking all nations1 under the overwhelming power of empires that sought to put out the life of nations1 began to attach another and deeper sense to the word of ,god1 not incompatible with the older use1 but involved in it2 not a metaphor or allegory deduced from it1 but a higher truth lying behind it4 ,the ,word of ,god came to him1 spoke to him in the very depths of his heart4 ,he spoke to it1 sympathised with it4 ,but dared he say it any longer8 ,no2 in some wonderful manner this ,word must be a ,friend1 a ,person2 ,one who could work with him1 reprove him1 illuminate him4 ,this ,word must be the ,teacher1 the ,friend1 the ,king of ,israel4 ,this ,word must one day prove ,himself to be the ,lord of the whole earth4 ,awful discovery6 which makes him tremble1 and yet which makes him bold2 which sometimes draws forth from him the cry1 ',woe is me6 for ,i am an unclean man1 and ,i dwell among a people of unclean lips2 for mine eyes have seen the ,king1 the ,lord of ,hosts2' which again gives him all his hope both for himself and for his people4 ,at every step of his own experience and of his nation's experience1 new visions unfolded themselves out of this vision4 ,it must be that all those various objects in nature which men were worshipping1 that all the living order of nature in which those things were comprehended1 proceeded from this living ,word4 ,it must be that all the races of men1 all their politics1 were under ,his guidance and government4 ,it must be that all the light that had entered into any man's heart had come from ,him4 ,it must be that the darkness which was in any man's heart had come from rebellion against ,him4 ,in various ways and in different measures this truth was unveiling itself to the ,prophets of old3 ,i have had other opportunities of pointing out to you the steps of its manifestation4 ,when ,i quoted the first fourteen verses of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 at the close of my last sermon1 ,i wished to show you that he had gathered up into one distinct statement1 one full revelation1 that which it had taken ages to spell out4 ,i wished you to feel that there was1 in one sense1 no novelty in his proclamation1 because he was saying that which was implied in all the past history and literature of his people2 yet that there was1 in another sense1 the most important novelty1 because that which had been implied could now for the first time be expressed4 ,i hinted to you that in this case1 as in every case1 the expression did not come1 till all the doubts which called for the expression had been awakened1 and had become clamorous4 ,in fact1 these doubts were leading ,jews1 heathens1 disciples of ,jesus1 very near indeed to the gulf of atheism4 ,was there an absolute ,being dwelling in ,his own perfection8 ,was there a ,word who uttered ,his mind8 ,how was this duality compatible with the unity of the divine nature8 ,here was the first grand difficulty1 one which did not more exercise the ,jew1 who had lived to proclaim that unity as the primary truth of the universe1 than the ,gentile philosopher who had arrived at it as a final result1 as an escape from the polytheism which the vulgar must still be left to believe in4 ,st4 ,john uses no such phrases as unity or duality4 ,we have the broad1 old1 simple ,hebrew language1 the language for human beings1 not for speculators4 ,we hear of a living ,god1 not of a notion4 ,and this ,god is1 as the old record had said1 a ,creator4 ,men had been asking in all countries how is the world related to ,god8 ,did ,he make it as an artificer makes a dead instrument8 ,did it flow from ,him as a thought flows from the meditative man8 ,or is it self-made8 ,is ,god ,himself a part of it1 merely the spring of its movements8 ,st4 ,john answers1 ',the world was made by ,him1 and without ,him was not any thing made that was made4 ,in ,him was life4' ,it was no dead instrument turned forth by a mechanist4 ,it was no part of ,himself4 ,it was no order moving by itself without ,him4 ,it was a world of living1 productive forces1 governed by a ,person4 ,his own life was quickening the movements of ,his creatures2 ,his own wisdom was directing them4 ,the philosophical puzzle is met by words which1 ,i think1 you will find are adapted to the physical science of the nineteenth century1 as much as they were to the theological doubts of the first century2 which show where theology and physical science meet1 how they are distinguished1 how they are reconciled4 ,and yet the language is still the child's language1 the fisherman's language4 ,it is ,moses1 not ,plato1 who is revived in the ,ephesian teacher4 ,then come verses which meet the troubles of the heart and conscience of man1 as those meet the troubles of his intellect1--which speak to him of himself1 as those speak of the world4 ,how simple they are6 ,how entirely they accord with what ,i have been showing you were the thoughts of old ,patriarchs and ,prophets6 ,and yet what worlds of speculation they encounter6 what theories about the conscience they come in contact with6 what webs of mythology they unravel6 ,above all1 how they explain the thoughts of those who cannot reason1 and yet are subject to those laws about which all reasoning is conversant6 ',in ,him was life1 and the life was the light of men3 and the light shineth in darkness1 and the darkness does not take it down into itself4' ,what have not those words been to men1 who have been for years trying to reconcile the contradictory phenomena of their own spirits6 ',word of ,god1 thy light has been shining in me1 flashing into my heart1 discovering the dark places and passages there6 ,the darkness tries to comprehend1 to hide1 to quench thy light6 ,thanks be to ,thee1 it cannot4' ,the transition appears great from this sentence--so general1 yet so individual1--concerning the beginning of the world and the latest days of it--to the words1 ',there was a man sent from ,god1 whose name was ,john4' ,no doubt we are reminded by the change that the writer belonged to a particular age--to an age in which there were many disciples of ,john the ,baptist still alive1 who were inclined to claim for him the very highest honour that could belong to a divine messenger4#b ,the ,apostle was especially likely to know what followers of the ,baptist would say and feel respecting him1 since he had probably been one of them4 ,but he does not forget the subject with which he was occupied before1 when he turns to his old master and to those who were paying him an extravagant homage4 ,he introduces ,john that he may declare what every man sent from ,god in the former times had done1--what every such man in that time1 in all time to come1 must do3 ',the same came for a witness1 that he might bear witness of the ,light1 that all men through him might believe4' ',you who listened to ,john1 if there are any of you yet on earth1 what was the effect of his speech1 his look1 his baptism upon you8 ,i will tell you what it was upon me4 ,as he said ,repent1 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand1 my darkness was revealed to me4 ,that darkness was discovered by the divine light of which he spoke4 ,he came to bear witness of this light1 that you and ,i might believe in it4' ,here was one mighty1 unspeakable cause of gratitude to him4 ,but1 ',he was not that ,light1 but was sent that he might witness of the ,light4' ,so was it with ,john preaching by the side of ,jordan4 ,was the saying less true of ,jeremiah preaching beside the temple that was to be desolate1 of ,ezekiel preaching by the river ,chebar8 ,was it less true of ,st4 ,peter on the day of ,pentecost1 of ,st4 ,paul at ,antioch8 ,was it less true of ,bernard1 of ,francis of ,assisi1 of ,luther1 of any man who in later days has awakened men out of a slumber of death8 ,what can be said of each except this3 ',the same came for a witness1 to bear witness of the ,light'8 ,what would each have said of himself but this3 ',i am not that ,light1 but am come that ,i may bear witness of that ,light'8 #b ,there could be few1 if any1 such left in the century to which the ,gospel is assigned by those who deny it to ,st4 ,john4 ,the ,apostle says this2 but he has something greater and deeper to say4 ,he says1 ',that was the true ,light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world4' ',we may have felt1 when we heard the preacher in the wilderness1 as if there were some new light shining then for the first time into our hearts4 ,we may have supposed it was kindled by the speaker4 ,but no star arose in the firmament at his bidding2 that which struck us with such wonder had been with us from our birth4 ,when any man comes into this order of ours1 he finds the ,word there4' ',he was in the world1 and the world was made by ,him and the world knew ,him not4' ,think of all the strange dreams of immortality that have visited human beings2 their sense of a law of right and wrong2 their acknowledgment of powers which assert the right and avenge the wrong6 ,think how these great facts of humanity have affected the condition of men in every region of the world1--how politics1 legislation1 civil society1 have been shaped by them6 ,think of the confusions respecting immortality1 respecting the boundaries of right and wrong1 respecting the justice and injustice of the invisible kings and judges whose power has been confessed and feared6 ,think of the superstitions1 oppressions1 slaveries1 that have grown out of these confusions6 ,and then read once again this sentence1 ',he was in the world'--,he from whom light came--'and the world was made by ,him1 and the world knew ,him not4' ,see if you have not there the clear1 scientific explanation of these strange facts2 the universal law which tells you how they could exist together4 ,see if that scientific explanation1 that universal law1 is not brought to an experimental test2 so that every man1 every child may know1 from that which has passed in himself1 what it means4 ',he came unto ,his own1 and ,his own received ,him not4' ,the light came into men's hearts1 as into its proper native dwelling-place4 ,the ,word from whom that light issued asserted ,his right over all the feelings1 instincts1 impulses1 determinations of these hearts1 as over ,his own rightful domestics and subjects4 ,but the light was repelled2 the rightful ,ruler was treated as an intruder by these domestics and subjects4 ,there was anarchy and rebellion1 where there should have been subordination and harmony4 ,a usurper had reduced those into slavery who would not have the service which is freedom4 ',but as many as received ,him1 to them gave ,he power to become sons of ,god2 which were born1 not of flesh1 nor of blood1 nor of the will of man1 but of ,god4' ,the last words seemed to speak of an order subverted1 of a creation which had lost its centre4 ,these declare that the order was preserved2 that the centre still proved its power to attract1 and to retain in their orbits1 the bodies which were intended to move around it4 ,there were those that confessed the ,light2 there were those that entertained it1 that sought to walk in it4 ,there were those who submitted themselves to the government of their true ,ruler4 ,and they attained the stature of men2 they learnt themselves1 they manifested to others whence they had come1 what was their parentage4 ',to them gave ,he power to become sons of ,god4' ,they were sons of men1 born to the same condition as others of their kind2 but ,he made them know that in their inmost being they were not born of earthly or human seed1 but had their life from above1 from ,him who liveth and abideth for ever4 ,up to this point1 ,i conceive1 the ,evangelist has not even touched upon any principle or fact specially belonging to the ,christian theology1 to the new dispensation4 ,he has been unfolding the principle of the old4 ,he has been discoursing of that law and government under which all had lived1 whether they were prophets or people1 whether they were true prophets or false1 whether they were ,gentiles or ,jews4 ,he has claimed the high prerogative of a ,jew1 the prerogative of interpreting the condition of mankind2 of declaring in what relation those stood to ,god who had been ignorant of their relation1 or who had seen it dimly1 or had denied it4 ,even when he speaks of ,john1 it is as the ,prophet of the old world2 as winding up the witness which previous ,prophets had borne to the ,word1 from which all the light that was in them had streamed out4 ,he says nothing yet of any future ,teacher to whom ,john pointed4 ,and1 as we shall see hereafter1 when he does come1 in due order1 to the part of ,john's teaching in which he spoke of ,one whose shoe's latchet he was not worthy to unloose1 it is that he may quote the memorable language1 ',he that cometh after me is preferred before me2 for ,he was before me4 ,and of ,his fulness have all we received1 and grace answering to grace4' ,you cannot hear that fragment of a divine discourse without perceiving that the object of the ,evangelist is to carry us into the past before he speaks of the future2 that he regards the especial grandeur of the new time as this1 that it reveals that which had been of old1 that which had been from the beginning4 ,but it was absolutely necessary to the coherency and continuity of the ,apostle's statement that he should not introduce these words of the ,baptist--wonderfully as they illustrate the account of his mission which had been given previously--till he had first made that announcement which is contained in the text3 ',and the ,word was made flesh1 and dwelt among us1 7and we beheld ,his glory1 the glory as of the only-begotten of the ,father17 full of grace and truth4' ,this1 my brethren1 ,i regard not as the text of my sermon1 but of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel4 ,i conceive that ,gospel is nothing more nor less than the setting forth how ,jesus ,christ proved ,himself in human flesh to be that ,word of ,god in whom was life1 and whose life was the light of men1 who had been in the world1 and by whom the world was made1 and whom the world knew not2 how in that flesh ,he manifested forth the glory as of the only-begotten of the ,father2 how ,he manifested the fulness of grace and truth4 ,it is because the theology of ,st4 ,john comes forth in these human facts that ,i affirmed it to be a theology not merely different from the systematic school theology1 but the great deliverance from it4 ,i should1 therefore1 be departing from my object and belying my professions1 if instead of waiting for the gradual discovery of the meaning of these words in ,st4 ,john's story1 ,i began with thrusting my own meaning into them4 ,all ,i ought to do1--and this ,i must do1 for the very purpose of showing you how strict and beautiful the ,apostle's method is1 and how much wrong we do to ourselves and him when we forsake it1--is to point out1 very shortly1 the connexion which ,i trace between this verse and the one that immediately precedes it4 ,the ,evangelist had said of those who received the ,word1 'to them1 gave ,he power to become the sons of ,god4' ,a new expression--to a certain extent1 a new thought--is brought before us here4 ,we had heard of the ,word as ,one in whom is life2 we had heard that ,his life was the light of men4 ,all the language concerning ,him had been such as applies--not to an abstraction1 not to an essence1 but--to a ,person4 ,but now it is said that those who accept ,his government1 who are penetrated by ,his light1 acquire a power which they had not before4 ,they discover a relation which had been hidden from them4 ,it was the greatest of all their earthly blessings that they had fathers according to the flesh4 ,a higher blessing is conferred upon them now2 they can act as if they had a heavenly ,father4 ,as if they had a heavenly ,father6 ,but are they never to know certainly whether they have or not8 ,is the power of becoming sons not to be associated with the clear consciousness that this is their proper and original state8 ',the ,word was made flesh1 and dwelt among us4' ,he became a man among men4 ,we beheld ,him1 and we know that ,he was--what ,he told us that ,he was--not an independent ,being1 but a ,son4 ,he was not merely a ,light of lights4 ,we are sure that ,he was the ground of all human sonship2 that ,he was the only-begotten of a ,father4 ,that higher1 more blessed1 more perfect name thenceforth mingled itself with all our thoughts of that ,god whom no man hath seen or can see2 it turned our thoughts into trust and worship4 ,the ,absolute ,truth and ,goodness shone forth through ,him4 ,the only-,begotten revealed ,him who had been from the beginning4 ,he opened a new dispensation1 because ,he made us know that ,god who had been speaking to us in the old4 ,,discourse ,,iii4 ,,the ,,teaching ,,of ,,john ,,the ,,baptist4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #b;d ,sunday in ,lent1 ,february #ag1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,i4 #bi4 ,the next day ,john seeth ,jesus coming unto him1 and saith1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world4 ,john the ,baptist is represented throughout this chapter as speaking of ,one who had been before him1 though ,he was coming after him4 ,this is the burden of his discourse4 ,it has been asked by the bold critics of another country1 whether such language does not presume a belief in the preexistence of our ,lord1 which might belong to one of his apostles1 but could scarcely belong to his forerunner4 ,english divines ordinarily reply1 that the question is one which cannot be entertained4 ',how can we dispute the right of the ,divine ,wisdom to make a special revelation of this doctrine to one person or to another8' ,this may be the right method of treating such an objection2 but if the remarks which ,i made in my two last sermons were true1 we are not under any necessity of resorting to it4 ,i endeavoured to show you that the principle which ,st4 ,john asserts in the opening verses of his ,gospel1 was far from being characteristically a doctrine of the ,new ,testament4 ,it belongs to the ,old4 ,it is involved in the words1 acts1 lives of the ,jewish ,prophets4 ,it could not indeed be enunciated by them as it is enunciated by the beloved disciple4 ,there is a largeness in it which could not be fully realized till the barrier between ,jews and ,gentiles had been broken down4 ,still it was as a ,jew--as an interpreter of the ,jewish records--that the writer of the fourth ,gospel spoke of the ,word of ,god4 ,he was not using new language1 which would have startled his hearers4 ,he was expressing1 in simple and familiar language1 what others of his countrymen had hidden from the vulgar under learned phrases and dark conceits4 ,why is it difficult to believe that1 in doing so1 he was recording some of the lessons which he had first received from the preacher in the wilderness8 ,was it strange that he1 the last of the ,prophets1 should utter in more distinct terms that which all the ,prophets before him had been imperfectly uttering8 ,external evidence would be in favour of such a supposition4 ,the ,baptist was a contemporary of teachers who notoriously spoke of the light in men's hearts and of the ,word from whom it issued4 ,many of his disciples became1 we know1 afterwards blended with their disciples4 ,there was1 however1 one all-important distinction between him and them4 ,he spoke to the hearts of the multitude1--to the publicans and the soldiers2 they spoke to students4 ,he appealed to those who were conscious of folly and sin2 they spoke of the illumination which was granted to the righteous and the wise4 ,and that is just the difference which we have recognised between the statements of the ,apostle1 the disciple of the ,baptist1 and those ,alexandrian teachers whom some suppose him to have imitated4 ,it is not only that his style is simple and childlike4 ,throughout he speaks of the light as making men aware of the darkness that is in them4 ,throughout he speaks of the light as lightening all men4 ,are these reports of the ,baptist inconsistent with those which we derive from the other ,evangelists8 ,are we not told that he came to level the hills1 and exalt the valleys8 ,are we not told that he bade his countrymen not say within themselves that they had ,abraham to their father1 because ,god was able of the stones to raise up children to ,abraham8 ,what finer commentary can we find on these announcements than the words1 ',he testified of the true ,light1 which lighteth every man that cometh into the world'8 ,still the reader of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel will continue to ask himself1 ',is not the lesson which ,i am taught here1 in some sense or other1 a more advanced lesson than that which was imparted even by the first ,evangelists1-- fortiori1 than that which was imparted before the day of ,pentecost1 before the resurrection1 the death1 even the preaching1 of ,jesus ,christ8' ,i think1 my brethren1 that there is a confusion latent in this word 'advanced'--a confusion which besets other studies as well as theological4 ,we speak of ,bacon's discovery of the true method of physical investigation1 as the greatest step in advance which it was possible for the man of science to take4 ,but in another sense that discovery involved a retrogression4 ,the schoolman1 who had proceeded with the greatest satisfaction to himself in building a tower of speculations respecting nature1 is stopped in his work and bidden to look back to his foundations4 ,classifications and generalizations1 which had appeared convenient and indispensable1 are disallowed1 because they hinder direct intercourse with the facts4 ,and the laborious collector of facts1 though he is commended for his diligence1 is told that every one of them must be submitted to tests before we can know what it is worth4 ,is it not true1 in this and in all similar instances1 that the greatest progress consists in the assertion and elucidation of first principles2 that when they are asserted and elucidated1 all faithful effort is seen to have been directed to the search for them1--all unfaithful1 self-seeking efforts1 to the construction of systems on hypothetical sand8 ,applying this remark to the case before us1 ,i conceive we may freely say1 as some of the early ,fathers said1 that ,st4 ,john's ,gospel is the most spiritual and divine of all the ,gospels4 ,and we may maintain its claim to that honour1 by showing that it leads us to a grand primary truth1 affecting all human beings1 capable of being apprehended by those who have least of what is called culture1 capable of making itself manifest to the consciences of the most guilty4 ,does not his ,gospel1 for this reason1 establish the truth of the other ,gospels and ,epistles1 which had been unfolding the ways of ,god to men8 ,may it not1 for the same reason1 have brought a number of false gospels to the test1 and have scattered a number of windy theories and popular systems1 which1 under philosophical or theological pretences1 were separating ,god from ,his creatures8 ,nor can ,i find anything inconsistent with reason and probability--or with the doctrine of ,scripture that the ,spirit of ,god brings back to the remembrance of those whom ,he is teaching the lessons they received1 the states of mind they passed through in days long past--in the supposition that the ,apostle owed his clear perception of this universal truth1 in a great measure1 to the vividness with which the experiences of his youth were revived in him2 the sixty or seventy wonderful years which had passed over his head since he stood by the ,jordan1 and saw the shaggy form and awful eye of him who first spoke to him of a kingdom of heaven1 helping him to take in the meaning of the words which seized and possessed him then1 though he was not able to seize and possess them4 ,i have been anxious to make these observations1 because it seems to me that the passage of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel of which ,i am to speak to-day will be utterly obscure to us--nay1 that the whole ,gospel will be obscure--if we forget them4 ,st4 ,john can in nowise separate the idea of the ,baptist from that of a witness concerning the ,light1 a messenger to declare the divine ,word that in ,him all men might believe4 ,this he considers the fundamental1 radical meaning of his mission1 apart from which his baptism of repentance had no sense or purpose whatever4 ,but to identify a man as connected with this teaching--as the subject of it--this was the difficulty4 ,to do this the ,baptist needed a special1 formal revelation1 accompanied by an outward sign4 ,the baptism of ,jesus1 and the visible token that the ,spirit was given ,him1 are said to have been the assurance which was required4 ,while he was without it1 he was a preacher of the ,word who was with ,god and was ,god4 ,he was a preacher of a light of men4 ,he was announcing1 as the prophets of old had announced1 that a day of the ,lord was at hand2 that there would be a manifestation of the light4 ,thenceforth he began to mingle his previous message with announcements concerning the ,word made flesh4 ,these announcements are not repeated as if they were parts of a continuous discourse1 like his words to the crowds that had flocked to him from every part of ,palestine4 ,they come forth as if they were the effect of sudden intuitions--lightning flashes which must often have been followed by periods of dimness and darkness4 ,john knew that a crisis was at hand which would try the hearts of all men4 ,he knew that he was sent by ,god to speak to their hearts of ,him1 as being the same now that ,he had been in the days of their fathers4 ,he knew that whatever good was awaiting his countrymen must come from a fuller revelation of ,god4 ,this was the preparation1 the only possible preparation in his own mind1 for the recognition of ,jesus as the ,christ1--the only way in which he could prepare his countrymen for such a ,christ4 ,we are all aware--we dwell upon the assertion--that the ,jews were at this time expecting a ,christ1 but that their expectations were of a wrong kind2 that they pointed to a deliverer different in most respects from the ,one who had been promised them4 ,we cannot1 perhaps1 exaggerate this error1 but we may make considerable mistakes when we try to state in what it consisted4 ,we sometimes say that the ,jews were looking for a great ,prince4 ,undoubtedly they were4 ,if they read the ,prophets1 they must have looked for a king4 ,the other ,evangelists say that ,jesus proved ,himself to be a ,king1 and so fulfilled the words of the ,prophets4 ,we shall find that ,st ,john says the same4 ',yes1' we go on1 'a ,king in a certain sense1 but not a temporal king' ,what6 is not our ,lord said to have been born in the days of ,herod--to have been baptized when ,he was about thirty years old--to have been tempted forty days--to have kept annual feasts--to have risen the third day--to have tarried forty days among ,his disciples after the resurrection8 ,all the acts which are recorded of ,him in the ,gospels were acts done in time4 ',yes1' we resume1 'if you define temporal in this exact manner4 ,but the ,jews thought ,he was to be an earthly king4' ,and were not all the powers by which ,he showed ,himself to be a king1 exercised upon earth for the sons of earth1 for the removal of the plagues and diseases to which earth is liable8 ,we make another experiment4 ,we say1 they supposed that ,he was to be a ,jewish king4 ,could they suppose otherwise8 ,was not ,david to have an heir to his throne8 ,do not the ,evangelists take pains to speak of their ,master as the ,son of ,david8 ,the ,jews of that time cannot be fairly condemned on these grounds2 and yet our conviction that they were under some grievous mistake1 gains strength from all we read of them--nay1 from our very failures to define the quality of it4 ,may not ,st4 ,john himself explain the error which had caused him such unspeakable sorrow1 better than we can8 ,have we not the explanation here8 ,the ,jews looked for one who was coming to be a leader and deliverer4 ,he might come with the manifest tokens of royalty4 ,he might come as one of the old prophets had come4 ,it was not impossible that he might be born in some humble station1 for ,david had been a shepherd4 ,it was probable that he would be born in a lowly village1 for ,bethlehem was associated with the name of ,david4 ,he might be this ,john1 for his coarse food and raiment certainly did not show him not to be an ,elijah1 or an ,isaiah1 or a ,daniel4 ,and ,john had given this proof of power1 that he was drawing multitudes to hear discourses that had no apparent charm--that were stern and terrible4 ,it was not at all impossible1 nay1 it might be presumed1 that when the ,christ came1 ,he would introduce some new ordinance1 or give a new force to one already in use4 ,the river of ,jordan had a sacred historical importance2 to wash men in that might denote that he was preparing ,israelites for conquests like those of ,joshua4 ,no doubt1 other signs might be added to this in due time2 there would probably be strange appearances in the heavens1--some of the tokens which had accompanied the rare visits of angels that are recorded in the ,old ,testament4 ,for who could tell whether the ,christ might not be an angel1 the visitant from another region8 ,who could tell whether ,he might not be an old seer returning to the earth again8 ,there were all these possibilities4 ,one was stronger in this mind1 and one in that4 ,which was the truest1 the scribes hoped in due time to discover1 by studying the letter of the divine oracles1 and ascertaining what particulars of time and place were indicated in them as necessary conditions of the deliverer4 ,what was there faulty in such speculations8 ,what was there to complain of in the test which was applied to ascertain their worth8 ,st4 ,john suggests this answer to us4 ,they were expecting one that should come after all prophets1 not one that had been before all4 ,they were looking for a son of ,david1 a prophet1 an angel2 they were not looking for ,one who had been with ,god1 and was ,god4 ,they were looking for one whom they should recognise with their eyes2 they were not looking for ,one whose light had been always shining in their hearts4 ,they were looking for a king who should reign over men2 they did not think that that ,king must be ,one who had from the beginning been the ,light of men4 ,they thought of one who should be born into the world2 they did not think that ,he who was to be born into the world was ,one who was in the world1 and by whom the world was made1 though the world knew ,him not4 ,it was precisely to bring this information1 in the only way in which it could be brought to any human being1 that we are told the man ,john was sent from ,god4 ,and because the whole mind of the ,prophet was possessed with this conviction1 he was able to receive the communication which told him that a ,man1 without any signs of royalty1 without any signs of prophetical dignity1 ,one who had apparently been born and brought up in ,galilee1 ,one who had given no proof that ,he possessed any power of commanding the services of multitudes or of individuals1--was that ,christ in whom all the characteristics of ,king and ,prophet were to meet4 ,this ,man1 he says1 this carpenter's son1 was ,he of whom ,i spake1 ',he that cometh after me is preferred before me2 for ,he was before me4' ,possibly a better translation of the last clause might be found1 but the one we have is good enough2 it conveys the sense of the original1 though it be a little diluted4 ,the next verse1 as ,i said last ,sunday1 is naturally connected with this4 ,both1 ,i believe1 must be taken as part of ,john's witness4 ,here is that divine ,word of ,god1 out of whom all grace has issued4 ,each right and true man has had some grace1 denoting him to be of divine origin4 ,in ,him dwelt that fulness of grace and glory1 of which these were the scattered rays4 ,then the ,evangelist comments upon this witness1 and connects it with what he had said in the fifteenth verse4 ',for the law was given through ,moses1 but the grace and the truth became through ,jesus ,christ4' ,outward law1 literal commands1 tables of stone1 had been given through a mere man1 a mere servant or messenger4 ,but all the grace and the truth1 which were the essence of the law1 which could not be expressed in letters1 but only in the lives and acts of human beings1--these became parts of any man's character through ,jesus ,christ4 ,for these belonged to the nature of ,god ,himself1--these constituted ,his being4 ,in ,himself they could not be seen3 ',no man hath seen ,god at any time2 the only-begotten ,son1 which is in the bosom of the ,father4' ,he it is who in all ages has brought forth the divine perfection1 in distinct qualities1 and has exhibited them to men1 and in men4 ,so far we have the testimony of ,john1 originally addressed1 it would appear1 to his own disciples--now illustrated and expounded by the matured wisdom of one of them4 ,next we have the record of ,john1 'when the ,jews sent priests and ,levites from ,jerusalem to ask ,him1 ,who art thou8' ,they had a right to know4 ,a new pretender had started up4 ,slight as his credentials seemed to be1 the people were crowding about him4 ,he was baptizing1 not ,gentiles1 but ,jews2 he was treating the most religious and exalted as if they were impure1 as if they needed the same cleansing as those needed who had not been born in the covenant4 ,what did it all mean8 ,the messengers must get some clear distinct satisfaction on this point before they returned to their masters4 ',and he confessed1 and denied not1 but confessed1 ,i am not the ,christ4' ,the questioners must have been surprised4 ,if he did not actually claim a title which so many had claimed1 they might have expected a little hesitation4 ,he might have left the point open2 he might have allowed his scholars to assert the dignity for him4 ,there was another possibility4 ,malachi had said that an ,elijah would come4 ,john certainly had few marks of grandeur about him2 but he dwelt in a desert2 he did not fear the face of kings2 he could have denounced ,ahab and ,jezebel1 as he afterwards denounced ,herod and ,herodias4 ,he evidently understood the question literally1 for the messengers intended it literally4 ,they supposed that ,elijah had been carried away into some invisible region1 and that from thence he himself would descend4 ,seeing1 therefore1 that ,john was not one who trafficked with words in a double sense1 or who would convey a falsehood in the terms of truth1 he answered to this demand also1 ',i am not4' ,but ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 all the ,jewish seers1 had not only spoken of a great ,conqueror1--they had spoken also of a ,sufferer4 ,a few might try to identify the characters4 ,the prevailing opinion among the ,jews was of course then1 as it is now1 that they were separated1--one description denoted a ,king1 the other a ,prophet4 ,if he was not a ,king1 was he that ,prophet8 ,and again he answered1 ',no4' ,the messengers have exhausted their guesses2 they begin to be provoked4 ,it will not do to go back merely with a set of negatives4 ',then said they1 ,who art thou8 that we may give an answer to them that sent us3 ,what sayest thou of thyself8 ,he said1 ,i am the voice of one crying in the wilderness1 ,make straight the way of the ,lord1 as said the prophet ,esaias4' ,you see how carefully he associates his message with that of the old prophets2 how confident he is that he is preparing a way just as they were2 how sure he is that it is the way of the ,lord--that wonderful road between the unseen ,being and the heart of ,his creatures1 of which they had one and all spoken4 ,so far he was using language which belongs to every psalmist and every prophet4 ,in adopting the words in the #djth chapter of ,isaiah1 as the description of his calling and his work1 he proved more distinctly that he was 'sent to bear witness of the ,light1 that all men through ,him might believe4' ,for the burden of that chapter is1 that ,jerusalem should lift up her voice1 and say to the cities of ,judah1 ',behold your ,god2' and it is the beginning of a series of prophetical inspirations1 in which the ,jew is represented as holding up the true image of ,god to all nations1 that the images which they had made of ,him might be confounded4 ,john was preparing the way1 then1 for a declaration or manifestation of ,god2 he was clearing away the thorns and briers which blocked up the path between the ,word of ,god and the conscience of man4 ,st4 ,john significantly intimates how little language of this kind could be intelligible to the ,jewish emissaries1 for he adds1 ',they that were sent were of the ,pharisees4' ,very characteristically they relieved themselves of the embarrassment which the ,scripture always caused them1 when it could not be measured by lines and rules1 when it appealed to the hearts of living men1 by asking1 ',why baptizest thou1 then1 if thou art not the ,christ1 neither ,elias1 neither that ,prophet8' ,they had an excuse for urging that demand4 ,it was an audacious thing for a man to practise such a rite1 to press it upon all1 to speak of it as a baptism for repentance and the sending away of sins1 if he had not some divine authority for what he was doing4 ,yet he had produced none4 ,and now he refused all the titles which would seem to have been the warrants for such an innovation4 ,nor does he tell the ,pharisees when or how he received his commission4 ,his answer is1 ',i baptize with water3 but in the midst of you there standeth ,one whom ye know not2 ,he it is who1 coming after me1 was preferred before me1 whose shoe's latchet ,i am not worthy that ,i should unloose4' ,more is not said here4 ,the messengers are not told what this ,person who is in the midst of them would do1 which ,john could not do2 that announcement is reserved for another occasion4 ,the thought which he still dwells upon is1 that there is a mysterious ,being in the midst of them1 their ,lord and his2 ,one who has power to command1 ,one whom he is bound to obey4 ,by speaking of the latchet of the sandal1 he clearly intimates that this ,person is among them in a visible form4 ,but neither in that form1 nor in ,his own proper nature1 do they know ,him4 ,they would know ,him as little if they were told ,his name1 if ,he stood out before them1 even if ,he exhibited ,his power to them1 as they did then4 ,i am warranted in believing that this is the sense of the words2 for we shall find how continually our ,lord resorts to the same phrase in ,his conversations with the ,jews1 and assures them that though they saw ,him1 they knew ,him not4 ,we have now reached the words of the text4 ,they are carefully separated by the ,evangelist from the discourse with the ,pharisees4 ',these things1' he says1 'were done1 in ,bethabara1 beyond ,jordan1 where ,john was baptizing4 ,the next day ,john seeth ,jesus coming to him1 and saith1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world4' ,but though the sentence formed no part of that discourse1 it is immediately joined to the words which have recurred so often3 ',this is ,he of whom ,i said1 ,after me cometh a ,man which is preferred before me2 for ,he was before me4' ,it is evident1 then1 ,i think1 that we shall never enter into the force of this wonderful sentence1 which has exercised more power over eighteen centuries1 than perhaps any which was ever spoken or written1 if we take it apart from the context of ,john the ,baptist's life and of his preaching4 ,all have felt that the preacher must have meant those to behold the ,taker-away of sin1 who had come confessing their sins1 and to whom he had spoken of the remission of sins2 that upon others the words must have fallen as dull1 dead words1 in which they had no interest4 ,is it not equally true that the words1 'sin of the world1' must have been connected by them with what they had heard of ,one who was in the world1 and whom the world knew not8 and with what they had heard of a light which lighteneth every man who came into the world1 and of a darkness that had not comprehended it8 ,i do not mean that this discovery to each man of his own darkness1 this perception of a light near him which he had resisted1 this conviction in each man that his sin was the sin of the world1 were of themselves sufficient to unfold the infinite mystery which lay in the ,baptist's words4 ,i say of them1 what ,i said of the verse1 ',the ,word was made flesh1 and dwelt among us1 7and we beheld his glory1 as of the only-begotten of the ,father7 full of grace and truth2' all this ,gospel is written to expound them4 ,we must decipher them by degrees1 as the ,apostle and ,evangelist himself deciphered them2 he will lead us along with him1 if we are content to follow4 ,and do not let us be chary and timid in the demands we make upon him4 ,let us endure no half explanations that rob us of any portion of the meaning which must be hid in such an utterance4 ,let us have no imperfect substitute for any syllable of it4 ,for the sake of our own inmost being1 for the sake of our brethren1 we want the whole meaning in its fullest strength4 ,if we are told that there is ,one who takes away sin1 we must not be content that ,he should be shown to take away some accident or consequence of sin4 ,if ,he is said to take away the sin of the world1 we must not be told that the world is a metaphor for a few individuals4 ,we must ask why ,he who takes away sin is called a ,lamb1--why he is called the ,lamb of ,god8 ,if a lamb is associated in our minds with innocence and purity1 we must learn how that idea is fulfilled in this ,lamb4 ,if it was connected in the mind of every ,jew with the sacrifice of the ,paschal feast1 we must ask how this ,lamb includes whatever is expressed in that sacrifice and that feast8 ,i do not anticipate ,st4 ,john's answers to these demands2 but as he has himself excited them1 ,i am sure he will prove himself to be an honest and a ,god-inspired man1 by telling us how they were satisfied for him1 how they may be for us4 ,one thing more he must tell us also1 and may ,god open our hearts to receive his instruction6 ,john the ,baptist says1 that he had come baptizing with water1 in order that ,he might be manifested to ,israel who would baptize with the ,spirit4 ,here is evidently the turning-point of the two dispensations2 here the teaching of ,john melts away into the teaching of ,jesus2 here the witness of the servant is changed for the witness of the ,son4 ,seeing1 then1 that ,st4 ,john takes so much pains to mark this transition2 seeing that the office of ,christ1 as the ,baptizer with the ,spirit1 is evidently that which he will especially dwell upon in the after portions of his ,gospel1--let us not doubt1 but earnestly believe1 that what we have heard respecting the ,word will be a preparation for this more especially ,christian lore1 provided we have not only heard with our outward ear1 but have suffered the light which is shining now1 as it shone of old1 to penetrate our consciences and hearts1 and to turn them from their own darkness to the ,god who dwelleth in perfect light1 in whom is no darkness at all4 ,,discourse ,,iv4 ,,the ,,lamb ,,of ,,god ,,and ,,the ,,son ,,of ,,god4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #c;d ,sunday in ,lent1 ,february #bd1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,i4 #df4 ,and ,nathanael said unto him1 ,can there any good thing come out of ,nazareth8 ,philip saith unto him1 ,come and see4 ,i made no attempt to explain the verse which ,i took for my text last ,sunday4 ,i merely endeavoured to show you how it was connected with those which preceded it4 ,i was sure that it would receive abundance of light from those which come after it4 ,a series of ages1 ,i said1 had confessed the force of the words4 ,we must take care that we do not allow the strength of any one of them to evaporate in our hands4 ,some have been surprised that ,john should speak of a ,lamb who beareth or taketh away the sin of the world4 ,was there not another image which would present itself more naturally to a subject and a student of the law of ,moses8 ,might not the scapegoat1 upon whose head the priest's hands were laid1 over whose head the sins of the people were confessed1 be said more strictly to bear away sins than the ,paschal ,lamb8 ,did not the scenery by which ,john was surrounded far more naturally recal the animal who went away into a land not inhabited8 ,why should the man whose food was locusts and wild honey go to a feast for his emblem8 ,why should the preacher in the wilderness think of the ,paschal feast1 which belonged to the city and the family8 ,a modern preacher would attach great weight to these considerations4 ,as a rhetorician1 he would be careful to choose the topics which are most likely to impress his immediate audience4 ,there can be little doubt that among 7what he would call7 the types of the ,old ,testament1 the scapegoat would seem to him far the most impressive4 ,i am not drawing too much upon your reverence for the man who was 'more than a prophet1' if ,i ask you to believe that he may have had reasons1 almost as good1 for his course4 ,some of these we may see more clearly hereafter2 one of them1 ,i think1 we may divine now4 ,the disciples whom ,john was addressing had heard his call to repentance1 had received his baptism of repentance4 ,they had the sense of a sin close to themselves1 in themselves4 ,to men who have this awakened consciousness1 sin presents itself as a present burden2 as such1 the most ignorant1 the most simple1 feel it and speak of it4 ,we often fancy that the conscience of poor men only responds to palpable pictures of future torments4 ,multitudes of religious tracts and books1 ,romish and ,protestant1 are composed upon this calculation2 they are written for the people4 ,there is one ,english religious book written by a man of the people1 by one who had endured all possible anticipations of future misery himself1 the habits of whose school would have led him to press them as the most powerful motives upon others4 ,the genius of the book has been confessed of late years by scholars2 its power has been felt by peasants in this land1 and in all lands into the language of which it has been translated1 almost since it issued from the writer's gaol4 ,to what is the ,pilgrims ,progress indebted for this influence8 ,certainly to the strength with which the feeling of evil1 as an actual load too heavy to be borne1 is brought home to its readers4 ,it is the man groaning with the burden upon his back1 whom rich and poor sympathise with1 whom each recognises as of his own kindred1 who is suffering something which is incommunicable1 and yet which every other man is suffering from1 or has suffered from1 or should suffer from4 ,so it is with the tinkers and ploughmen of ,england1 when they are aroused out of their sensual sleep2 so it was with the fishermen and publicans who were gathered about the ,jordan4 ,they knew they had a burden1 an actual burden1 upon them4 ,john's baptism had given them a pledge and witness that it might be taken from them4 ,already it seemed to be lightened2 sometimes they could think they were free from it4 ,how could they be delivered from it altogether8 ,to confess themselves to ,god was an infinite relief2 they rose up happier men4 ,but did the confession really ascend to ,god8 ,was it possible in deed and truth to approach ,him8 ,was there nothing to intercept the communion8 ,was there any one who could interpret them to ,him1 and ,him to them8 ,was there any one who knew what they were feeling8 ,was there any one who could bear the burden that was crushing them1 not into an uninhabited land1 but into the very presence of ,god8 ,for was not this burden1 after all1 a sense of separation from a ,being to whom they ought to be united1 apart from whom they could not live8 ,had not the light which had come from ,him into their hearts brought this discovery with it8 ,the scapegoat contained1 no doubt1 a deep lesson to those who pondered it well2 but it was not this lesson--it was not one which those could take in who were feeling sin as an inward torment pressing upon their hearts4 ,the ,paschal ,lamb spoke of a deliverance from bondage2 it spoke of a deliverance as coming from ,god2 it spoke of an offering to ,god4 ,the thoughts which the name suggested might not be distinct2 they might be hard to reconcile with each other4 ,but the cravings which it met1 though importunate1 were also apparently contradictory4 ,it awakened hopes2 the satisfaction of them might come hereafter4 ,but if ,john had merely spoken of an animal1 let it have what associations with ,jewish or with human feeling it might--let it be the aptest symbol in the world--the impression upon disciples who had been stirred in the inmost depths of their souls as his had been1 would have been a very faint one4 ,it was because he pointed to an actual ,man1 and said of ,him1 ',behold the ,lamb of ,god1' that he spoke with power4 ,those who were suffering from a burden might desire to cast it upon ,god1 might doubt if any one but ,he could sustain it4 ,but who could understand their grief1 who could feel its pressure1 except a ,man8 ,all their sympathies and wishes pointed to a ,man4 ,yet hitherto ,john had discoursed of a ,light and of a ,word4 ,to that message their hearts had replied4 ,it was that which had effected all the change within them4 ,was he now altering the tone of his preaching8 ,was he beginning to tell them of some one of whom they had not heard before8 ,he removes that suspicion at once4 ,the old sentence recurs again1 but with a variation3 ',this is ,he of whom ,i said1 ,after me cometh a ,,man which is preferred before me2 for ,he was before me4' ,he goes on3 ',and ,i knew ,him not4' ,this assurance jars with some of the thoughts which pictures that are dear to us have awakened in our minds4 ,we can hardly separate the infant ,christ from the infant ,baptist4 ,we feel as if the reverence expressed in the words1 ',his shoe's latchet ,i am not worthy to stoop down and unloose1' had begun in the earliest years of their sojourn upon earth1 and had been maturing ever since4 ,i rather fancy we weaken the effect which we might derive from the artist's symbols1 by endeavouring to give them an historical value to which they can certainly make no pretension4 ,it is not that these pictorial traditions are based upon passages in the other ,evangelists1 and that they are only at variance with ,st4 ,john4 ,st4 ,luke speaks of ,jesus as being taken by ,his parents into ,galilee after ,his circumcision4 ,he speaks of ,john being in the deserts until the day of his showing to ,israel4 ,st4 ,matthew interposes the flight into ,egypt between our ,lord's nativity and ,his dwelling at ,nazareth4 ,both surely favour1 rather than contradict1 the strictest interpretation of the saying1 ',i knew ,him not4' ,i do not say that we are absolutely obliged to adopt that strictest interpretation4 ,but we are1 ,i conceive1 obliged to conclude that no external acquaintance or relationship had the least effect upon ,john's knowledge of ,jesus1 in that character in which ,he was revealed to him at ,his baptism4 ,the ,apostle is evidently very anxious to impress us with this conviction4 ,few as are the words of his old ,master which he reports1 these are emphatically repeated4 ,it belongs1 ,i think1 to the very design of this ,gospel1 to show us that ,john came to testify1 first1 of the ,light of the world1 then of that ,light as manifested4 ',that ,he should be manifested to ,israel1' he says in the next verse1 'therefore am ,i come baptizing with water4' ,that ,he might be revealed as what ,he is2 that through ,his flesh the glory as of the only-begotten of the ,father might shine forth2 that the inward eye of men might be purged to behold ,him in ,his true character and in ,his true relation to them1--this has been the end of my preaching1 and of the outward rite that accompanied it4 ',and ,john bare record1 saying1 ,i saw the ,spirit descending from heaven like a dove1 and it abode upon ,him4 ,and ,i knew ,him not3 but ,he that sent me to baptize with water1 the same said unto me1 ,upon whom thou shalt see the ,spirit descending1 and remaining on ,him1 the same is ,he which baptizeth with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and ,i saw1 and bare record that this is the ,son of ,god4' ,that there should be an outward sign visible to the eye1 a ,dove lighting upon the head of a ,man1--that there should be a ,voice speaking to ,him1--this is a great scandal to many readers and critics in our day4 ',are not these1' they say1 'the ordinary tokens of mythical narratives8 ,are they not what always awaken our suspicion in the records of the ,old ,world or of the ,middle ,ages8' ,yes1 brethren1 in the ,old ,world and in the ,middle ,ages1 men alike felt the need of outward signs to testify of inward realities4 ,they felt it because they were men1 separated from each other by place1 by customs1 by language1 by religion1--but alike in being men2 alike in their conviction that there must be an outward world which they could see1 and an inward world which they could not see4 ,it is equally true that in the ,old ,world and in the ,middle ,ages1 the sensible thing was confounded with the spiritual1 the sign was substituted for the thing signified2 and that hence arose all kinds of superstition and idolatry4 ,it is true1 also1 that in those days and in later days--in these days most especially--people create for themselves a middle world1 neither sensible nor spiritual1 in which there are no signs1 because there is nothing to be signified2 in which there are only forms and abstractions of the intellect1 some of which are distinguished as religious forms1 some as ethical or philosophical1 pleasant to the vanity of those who have need of nothing1 and can keep themselves alive by talking and disputing1 but vague1 unreal1 utterly tormenting to men who are seeking a home and a father4 ,st4 ,john does not dwell in this limbo of vanity4 ,he is like the writers of legends1 in so far as he assumes that there are signs1 and that there are realities which correspond to the signs4 ,he tells us that when ,god was about to reveal the greatest of all realities to the spirits of men1 ,he vouchsafed a sign of it which was discernible by the eye4 ,he is unlike the writers of those legends1 in so far forth as they rested in signs1 or forgot in the signs that which they denoted4 ,the ,dove is to him the sign of a ,spirit1 which would enable ,him in whom it dwelt without measure1 to rule his own senses and the world of sense4 ,the ,voice was a witness that a ,man who had flesh and blood was really and actually the ,son of ,god4 ,john the ,baptist has still more to declare concerning signs1 and that which they signify4 ,he had baptized with water4 ,the water had spoken in language clearer than any which can be put into letters1 of cleansing1 of purification4 ,those who had received it had come to it because they were sure that they needed the blessing of which it testified4 ,they had come because they believed1 more or less clearly1 that ,god had ordained the rite1 and that ,he alone could bestow the blessing4 ,but the preaching of repentance for the remission of sins had made them aware that the evil was in a region which the water could not reach4 ,had it1 then1 been all a delusion8 ,was this rite1 new at least for ,jews1 a mere phantasy1 less powerful even than the rite of circumcision which had not prevented them from being treacherous to each other1 and from blaspheming the name of ,god8 ,was the stern speaker of truth a mere mocker1 trifling with the consciences which he had himself aroused8 ,if his baptism was from himself1 he was4 ,if it was bearing witness of ,one who had come to men in past days1 and given them power to become sons of ,god1 the baptism was good because it was ,his sign and instrument4 ,but the sign of what8 ,surely the sign of some process that was taking place in the spirits of men4 ,and if so1 would not that process be declared whensoever ,he was declared8 ,would not the baptism thenceforth be the assurance that a power adequate to the purification of that which was defiled1 to the restoration of that which was decayed--adequate to the renewal of the whole man--was bestowed by ,him who had in all times given those who received ,him power to become sons of ,god8 ',upon whom thou shalt see the ,spirit descending1 the same is ,he which shall baptize with the ,holy ,ghost4' ',again1 the next day after1 ,john stood1 and two of his disciples1 and looking upon ,jesus as ,he walked1 he said1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god4' ,the words1 'which taketh away the sin of the world1' are not repeated1 at least not in the best manuscripts4 ,they had been spoken once4 ,now the ,lamb of ,god had been connected with a new and higher name4 ,john had borne record that this was the ,son of ,god4 ,all the dignity and wonder of the former title were attached to ,him still4 ,there was an awe about this which must have made the disciples wonder1 but yet which attracted them4 ',they heard him speak1 and they followed ,jesus4' ,the story of their intercourse is most simple4 ,there is no mysterious concealment2 there are no surprising incidents4 ',jesus turned1 and saw them following1 and saith unto them1 ,what seek ye8 ,they said unto ,him1 ,rabbi1 7which is1 being interpreted1 ,master17 where dwellest ,thou8 ,he saith unto them1 ,come and see4 ,they came and saw where ,he dwelt1 and abode with ,him that day2 for it was about the tenth hour4' ,what is there in such a record to detain us for an instant8 ,only this1 brethren2 it is the beginning of the history of ,christendom1 of the whole new world4 ,this meeting of these two men--one of whose names we do not know1 the other whom we do know to have been a ,galilan fisherman--with ,jesus of ,nazareth is the first step in a movement which has in some way or other changed the life1 polity1 relations of mankind4 ,if it is so1 we may consider with ourselves1 in some quiet hour1 why it is so8 ,perhaps we may find some other explanation than that which ,st4 ,john gives--that the ,man to whom these disciples came was the ,light of men1 and that ,he proved1 by contact with those who had least light of their own1 that ,he was their ,light4 ,or perhaps we may find that interpretation1 on the whole1 the best3 and then we shall not seek further1 but lay that to heart4 ,the three next verses bring us a step further in the history2 they are still of the same character4 ',one of the two which heard ,john speak1 and followed him1 was ,andrew1 ,simon ,peter's brother4 ,he first findeth his own brother ,simon1 and saith unto him1 ,we have found the ,messias1 which is1 being interpreted1 the ,christ4 ,and he brought him to ,jesus4 ,and when ,jesus beheld him1 ,he said1 ,thou art ,simon1 the son of ,jona3 thou shalt be called ,cephas1 which is by interpretation1 ,a stone4' ,we found how hard it was for the ,pharisees to make out a conception of the ,christ1 though they pored continually over the ,scriptures1 and had a series of interpreters to assist in divining the sense of them4 ,and here this unlettered fisherman--unlettered probably in the strictest sense--boldly tells his brother that he has found the ,christ4 ,he is sure that he has4 ,he can bid him come and see whether it is a mistake4 ',what fanatical confidence6' every scribe would have exclaimed--nay1 did exclaim--as soon as he learnt what these fishermen were believing4 ,should not most of us say the same if we spoke our minds8 ,for what had ,andrew to convince him8 ,he had seen none of the miracles upon which we say the evidence of ,christ's mission rests4 ,we may be sure that he had not heard ,jesus say that ,he was the ,christ2 for ,he scarcely ever did say so4 ,and on what1 then1 was his faith grounded1 that faith which ,england has accepted for somewhat more than a thousand years8 ,i do not know1 unless the ,light of the world made him feel that ,he was the ,light of the world--unless the ,king of men made him feel that ,he was his ,king4 ,but ,i also do not know1 brethren1 upon what your faith and mine is founded--on what the faith of all the men that have believed during the last eighteen hundred years has been founded--upon what the order and civilization of all the earth has been founded1 except it be upon that same revelation of a ,light and of a ,king1 which made ,andrew say these words to his brother ,simon4 ,and now ,he who has received this name from a disciple1 bestows a name upon a disciple3 ',thou art ,simon2 thou shalt be called a ,stone4' ,the creatures were brought to the first ,adam1 that he might say what was the name of each4 ,if this was the second ,adam1 ,he could say to any one of ,his human creatures1 ',that is thy name2 understand by it what is the work ,i have given thee to do4' ,simon ,peter1 after many perplexities and falls1 did learn fully the meaning and force of his new name4 ,he declared to the ,jews at ,pentecost1 he declared to ,cornelius the heathen1 that ,jesus had been proved to be both ,lord and ,christ4 ,a society of ,jews and ,gentiles grew up which recognised ,jesus as its ,corner-stone4 ,lest they should fancy that he or any mere man could be a rock or resting-place for them1 he wrote an ,epistle specially to show that his ,master is the ,corner-stone1 elect1 precious1 on which men are builded together a spiritual house2 that such a spiritual house cannot be overthrown2 that any spiritual house which is built on any weaker foundation1 which has any other stone or rock1 must be destroyed4 ',the day following ,jesus would go forth into ,galilee1 and findeth ,philip1 and saith unto him1 ,follow me4 ,now ,philip was of ,bethsaida1 the city of ,andrew and ,peter4 ,philip findeth ,nathanael1 and saith unto him1 ,we have found ,him1 of whom ,moses in the law1 and the prophets1 did write1 ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the son of ,joseph4' ,philip does not go in search of the ,lamb of ,god1 as those did who heard ,john speak4 ,jesus is said to find him1 and to speak the words1 ',follow me1' which he obeys4 ,the effect is the same as in the former case--only ,philip is1 perhaps1 a little more courageous3 he speaks confidently of this as the ,person to whom all the holy men of old were pointing4 ,he speaks so even while he makes the offensive announcement1 ',he is ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the son of ,joseph4' ,from what place the new teacher came1 was nothing to the young disciple4 ,he had proved ,himself to him to be the ,king over his heart4 ,whose son ,he was called was nothing4 ,in the most living sense ,he must be what ,john had called ,him--the ,son of ,god4 ,hereafter doubts and questions might arise upon these points2 the ,prophet's words respecting the city of ,david might have to be reconciled with this apparently ,galilan origin of the new ,teacher2 explanations might be given respecting ,his parentage4 ,for ,philip all this was premature and unnecessary4 ,the deepest knowledge must come first2 the other would follow when it was wanted4 ,the same truth forces itself upon us still more mightily in the answer of ,nathanael to his friend3 ',nathanael said to ,philip1 ,can there any good thing come out of ,nazareth8 ,philip saith unto him1 ,come and see4 ,jesus saw ,nathanael coming to ,him1 and saith of him1 ,behold an ,israelite indeed1 in whom is no guile6 ,nathanael saith unto ,him1 ,whence knowest thou me8 ,jesus saith unto ,him1 ,before that ,philip called thee1 when thou wast under the fig-tree1 ,i saw thee4 ,nathanael answered and saith unto ,him1 ,rabbi1 thou art the ,son of ,god1 thou art the ,king of ,israel4' ,nathanael1 who was apparently a ,galilan1 might not have the same prejudice against ,nazareth which would have been natural in an inhabitant of ,juda4 ,but there is another prejudice1 often hinted at by our ,lord1 which is quite as hard to overcome4 ,can a prophet appear in our neighbourhood1 close to us8 ,must he not come upon us from some more sacred region8 ,the ,galilans1 who were despised by others1 must have learnt to despise themselves4 ,all their habits of mind must have prepared them to expect that ,jerusalem1 or some place near it1 would be the seat and birthplace of the great ,king4 ,there was1 therefore1 at least as much ground for doubt and unbelief in this man's mind as in that of any learned scribe4 ,nevertheless he comes1 and he is hailed a genuine ,israelite1 an ,israelite without guile4 ,the first title might seem only to claim the dweller in any part of ,palestine as of the same stock1 a true child of ,jacob2 but that which is joined to it marks out the man himself as a wrestler with ,god--one who had sought to purge his soul from deceptions--one who believed that ,god desired truth in his inward parts1 and would make him to know wisdom secretly4 ,it was a wonderful commendation2 but what was the warrant for it8 ,till then ,nathanael supposed that his face had not been known to the speaker2 how much less his heart4 ,had they met for the first time8 ,had he never sat and kneeled beneath the fig-tree1 the favourite place of secret devotion to the pious ,israelite8 ,had he never wrestled for light to himself1 for blessings to his country8 for the scattering of its worst enemies--which were also his own--covetousness1 pride1 falsehood8 for the revelation of its promised ,deliverer8 ',there1 before ,philip called thee1 ,i saw thee2--,i had conversed with thee4' ,nathanael heard and wondered2 there was no more debating within him about ,galilee or ,juda1 ,nazareth or ,bethlehem4 ,a flood of light was poured into his soul1 not through chinks and apertures in the prophetical oracles1 but from the clear heaven where ,god dwelt4 ',rabbi1 ,thou art ,he whom ,i have sought after with cries and tears1 that none but ,thou hast known of4 ,thou hast often been with me before4 ,i behold ,thee now4 ,thou art the ,son of ,god2 thou art the ,king of ,israel4' ,and then came a promise and assurance of a mightier blessing1 of a fuller revelation hereafter to him1 and to multitudes unborn1 ',because ,i said1 ,i saw thee under the fig-tree1 believest thou8 ,thou shalt see greater things than these4 ,and ,he saith unto him1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,hereafter ye shall see heaven open1 and the angels of ,god ascending and descending upon the ,son of ,man4' ',faithful and true ,israelite6 the vision to thy progenitor who first bore that name shall be substantiated for thee1 and for those who trust in me in lonely hours1 through clouds and darkness1 as thou hast done4 ,the ladder set upon earth and reaching to heaven1--the ladder upon which the angels of ,god ascended and descended1--is a ladder for thee and for all4 ,for the ,son of ,man1 who joins earth to heaven1 the seen to the unseen1 ,god and ,man in one1 ,he is with you2 through ,him your spirits may arise to ,god1--through ,him ,god's ,spirit shall come down upon you4' ,,discourse ,v4 ,,the ,,marriage ,,feast4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #dth ,sunday in ,lent1 ,march #b1 #ahef4 ,,john ,,ii4 #aa4 ,this beginning of miracles did ,jesus in ,cana of ,galilee1 and manifested forth ,his glory2 and ,his disciples believed on ,him4 ,the word ',miracles1' which our translators have adopted in this verse1 gives little trouble to a reader4 ,he thinks of some singular1 glaring effect1 which makes men wonder1 and which they can refer to no known principle4 ,that effect he calls a miracle4 ,to produce astonishment is the immediate object of him who works it2 to convince those who see it1 and those who are told of it afterwards1 that he is not subject to ordinary laws1 and has the power of setting laws aside1 is his ultimate object4 ,such thoughts1 ,i say1 are suggested naturally enough by the word ,miracle4 ,it is otherwise with the word ',sign' 771 which ,st4 ,john uses himself4 ,that word is simpler in sound than the other1 but it gives rise to a longer and more troublesome inquiry4 ,outward display1 the excitement of wonder1 departure from rule1 have no necessary or natural connexion with it4 ,the name drives us to the question1 ',a sign of what8' ,and all these qualities--supposing they were present in the sign--would not help us to answer the question4 ,in the case before us1 the act of turning water into wine--in which the miracle is supposed to consist--cannot be separated from the other parts of the narrative3 together they constitute the sign4 ,and to find the signification of the sign1 we must have recourse to the first chapter of the ,gospel2 we must ask ,st4 ,john himself to tell us why he has introduced it1 and how it bears upon the subject of the history4 ',on the third day there was a marriage in ,cana of ,galilee2 and the mother of ,jesus was there4' ,on the third day1 no doubt1 after the events which we were speaking of last ,sunday4 ,what were those events8 ,a preacher who had drawn crowds by his word1 who had attached to him some devoted disciples1 had spoken of ,one mightier than he1 who was coming after him1 but had been before him4 ,he had pointed to a certain man4 ,he had said of ,him1 ',behold the ,lamb of ,god1 that taketh away the sin of the world4' ,he had said that he came baptizing with water1 on purpose that this person might be manifested to ,israel as the ,son of ,god1 who would baptize with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,two of those who heard these words1 we are told1 followed ,jesus4 ,they invited others1 saying that they had found the ,christ4 ,one or two more ,jesus ,himself called to come after ,him4 ,what expectations were these men likely to form of their new ,master8 ,all their deepest impressions had been received from ,john4 ,would not ,he whom ,john declared to be greater than himself exhibit all ,his characteristics in a higher degree8 ,they had first seen ,jesus in the desert4 ,might not that be ,his favourite home8 ,would not ,he be more of a solitary1 more of an ascetic1 than ,his predecessor8 ,would not ,he1 whose origin was said to be heavenly1 be more withdrawn from the things of earth1 than the man who said he was not worthy to unloose the latchet of ,his sandal8 ,this was a reasonable supposition4 ,there was another1 which would strike many as even more reasonable4 ,the ,christ was associated with thoughts of royalty4 ,he might be the very reverse of ,john2 not one who could converse familiarly with disciples2 not one who could speak words of friendly admonition to publicans and soldiers2 but one who would walk aloft1 asserting the dignity of ,his descent1 claiming to rule the people1 impatient of even seeming to belong to them4 ,on the third day came a sign which showed how far either of these expectations corresponded to the truth4 ,there was a marriage in ,cana of ,galilee1 and ,jesus was sitting there beside ,his mother4 ,this is the appearance ,he made to those disciples who had heard ,him described by such magnificent titles1--to those disciples who had learnt to look upon the desert life1 the life that is withdrawn from all family relations and sympathies1 as the specially holy and prophetical life4 ,and yet it is clearly no august regal marriage which is taking place at ,cana4 ,a homely1 rustic wedding1--one in which there is feasting and merriment1 but no pomp4 ,to this ,he is bidden2 and those fishermen who had joined ,him are bidden too4 ,they are called ,his disciples4 ,they had but lately seen ,him or known ,him1 but they are already fast bound to ,him4 ,as ,his disciples they go with ,him1 not into a far-off desert1 but to a wedding-feast in a little town4 ,here is surely the sign of a change1--a change the very reverse1 perhaps1 of what we were looking for4 ,we are coming nearer to the common earth1 to those bonds which connect the inhabitants of earth with each other1 to those which touch all earthly feelings and earthly interests4 ,the next incident surely does not weaken this impression4 ,the wine at the feast is said to have failed4 ,we might easily have formed some vague notion of a festival that was different from all others1 marked by no vulgar events2 at least we might have wished that these should be kept out of sight--that we should not be informed of them4 ,st4 ,john1 the divine1 the theologian1 does not indulge us in this wish4 ,he is determined that we should understand it to have been an ordinary wedding-feast1 at which men drank as at others4 ',the mother of ,jesus saith unto ,him1 ,they have no wine4' ,whatever meaning we may discover in the words when we know who spoke them and to whom they were spoken1 they are plain words1 the announcement of the plainest fact4 ,some interpreters suppose that ,mary only intended to say1 ',let us withdraw1 that the deficiency may not be apparent4' ,i like their honesty1 their determination to find the simplest sense they can2 but if we consider what must have been the intercourse between ,mary and her ,son for so many years2 if we remember that a crisis had come in ,his life1 which must have appeared to her the fulfilment of all her expectations concerning ,him2 if we remember that ,he was now gathering about ,him a set of disciples2 it surely is most reasonable to suppose that these words expressed her desire that ,he should1 and her belief that ,he would1 put forth some unwonted power which had been latent in ,him hitherto4 ,the old ,scriptures told how ,elisha had used his divine powers for the relief of ordinary necessities1--to heal1 for instance1 the waters which might have poisoned the sons of the prophets4 ,was it strange that a devout reader of these ,scriptures should think that her ,son might prove ,he had divine endowments in like manner8 ,it belongs to the very nature of a woman1 to the finest part of her nature1 to think that power is best exerted in individual cases1 for individual needs4 ,what we are apt to regard as too mean and minute occasions for a divine might1 she measures by a wiser and more loving rule4 ,the distinctions of little and large are forgotten1 as they ought to be1 when the ,eternal is in question4 ,the most blessed of women ought to have exhibited this tendency in its highest degree4 ,in doing so1 she was not degrading ,him whom she loved and reverenced most2 she was judging rightly for what ends ,his powers on earth would nearly always be put forth4 ,but yet there was a weakness in this feminine eagerness4 ,there was a thought that a mere circumstance or necessity could determine the exercise of an internal energy4 ,and this is what ,he appears to rebuke in the next sentence4 ',woman1 what have ,i to do with thee8 mine hour is not yet come4' ,a comparison of this passage with one in the seventh chapter of our ,gospel1 in which ,jesus uses a similar expression to ,his brethren when they urged ,him to go up to the feast at ,jerusalem that ,he might make ,himself known openly1 shows that ,he designed to tell ,his mother that no events or outward motives could decide when it was right for ,him to do a work1--that the ,spirit which ,he had received without measure was regulating ,his acts--that ,he must be always doing ,his ,father's business4 ,such an intimation1 conveyed to the one who in all this world knew ,him best1 who had most inward sympathy with ,him1 was no discouragement to her faith1--rather was certain to awaken it4 ,the power would come forth1 not in obedience to her call1 but to a more lofty1 more divine1 impulse4 ,she could say1 therefore1 to the servants1 without hesitation or anxiety1 ',whatsoever ,he saith unto you1 do it4' ,i believe1 my brethren1 that all these passages in the story just as much belong to the sign1 are quite as essential elements of it1 as anything which follows4 ,nothing can be more simple or brief than the passage which comes next4 ',there were set there six water-pots of stone1 after the manner of the purifying of the ,jews1 containing two or three firkins apiece4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,fill the water-pots with water4 ,and they filled them up to the brim4 ,and ,he saith unto them1 ,draw out now1 and bear unto the governor of the feast4 ,and they bare it4 ,when the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine1 and knew not whence it was3 7but the servants which drew the water knew37 the governor of the feast called the bridegroom1 and saith unto him1 ,every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine2 and when men have well drunk1 then that which is worse3 but thou hast kept the good wine until now4' ,it cannot have escaped you how carefully ,st4 ,john informs us that not even the ruler of the feast1 the taster of the wine himself1 knew whence the wine came2 he merely makes an idle1 merry observation about it4 ,most of those who sat round him were probably just as ignorant and as little concerned about the matter as he was4 ,the servants may have wondered at what they saw2 but their wonder had so little to do with the intention of the act that the ,apostle does not stop to notice it4 ,very little1 then1 of the notion which we affix--honestly and etymologically affix--to the word miracle has any application here4 ,there was no effort to produce surprise2 if surprise was produced1 it led to no conviction4 ,not one of those who tasted the water that was made wine1 simply on that ground believed that ,jesus was the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,what1 then1 was signified by this act8 ,what force lay in it8 ,i can only beg ,st4 ,john to tell us4 ,he says1 ',this beginning of signs did ,jesus in ,cana of ,galilee1 and manifested forth ,his glory2 and ,his disciples believed on ,him4' ,what glory did ,he manifest8 ,in all fairness and reason1 we must again consult the writer of the words about the sense which he puts upon them4 ,he had said1 ',and the ,word was made flesh1 and dwelt among us1 7and we beheld ,his glory1 the glory as of the only-begotten of the ,father17 full of grace and truth4' ,i said1 when we met with this passage in the last chapter1 that it was evidently the text of the whole ,gospel4 ,the ,gospel would either show how the ,word made flesh manifested ,his glory to those among whom ,he dwelt1 and how that glory was as of the only-begotten ,son full of grace and truth1 or it would fail of its purpose1 it would belie its name4 ,of the ,word it has been said before1 'that all things were made by ,him3 that in ,him was ,life1 and the ,life was the ,light of men4' ,the manifestation of ,his glory1 we might surely then expect1 would include a manifestation of ,him as one who exercised creative power1 as one in whom the ,life that quickens all things dwells inexhaustibly4 ,one might expect that this ,life1 if it was exhibited upon things1 would still be in some very remarkable sense an illumination of men4 ,but one would be certain that that illumination could not be outward to the eye4 ,as life is internal1 as all its movements and operations are secret1 though its effects are so palpable2 so the ,light which proceeds from this ,life--that which is emphatically the ,light of men1 as distinguished from mere animals--must be light penetrating into the inner being1 filling the heart1 reason1 and conscience1 scattering darkness in them1 preparing them hereafter1--since the ,light is not put into any one to be hid under a bushel1 but to be set upon a candlestick1--to show forth what had so marvellously affected and changed them1 to the world4 ,now1 if we consider the sign in ,cana of ,galilee with these thoughts in our minds1--which we have not invented for ourselves1 but derived straight from the ,evangelist1--,i cannot doubt that all its different aspects will come out very harmoniously before us4 ,the first aspect of it is that which is brought before us in our own ,marriage ,service4 ,christ is said to have 'adorned and beautified the holy estate of matrimony with ,his presence and first miracle that ,he wrought in ,cana of ,galilee4' ,this has been the conclusion at which the reason of the most thoughtful men has arrived1 and to which the instinctive feeling in all has responded4 ,if ,jesus was the ,word made flesh1 if the order of the world was established by ,him1 then ,his acts upon earth would be done for the purpose of vindicating this order4 ,by them ,he would claim it as ,his4 ,by them ,he would say that it did not belong to the evil one4 ,marriage1 as one of the fundamental parts of this order1 as one of the earliest institutes of humanity1 as one that had suffered most from abuse1 would be one of the first over which ,he would assert ,his dominion4 ,and because the ordinance is one in which all are interested1 we should look for the assertion to come in some distinct and yet very general way2 not1 ,i mean1 in a broad proclamation1 or in a maxim which is forgotten speedily or frittered away in the application to each individual instance2 not again in some case clothed with circumstances that take it out of the common range of cases1 not the wedding of a king or of a saint1 but one of which every peasant as well as every king might say1 ',this tells me to whom ,i must look to bless my wedlock1 because ,he is the ,author of it4' ,then1 again1 that part of the story which refers to the mother of ,jesus becomes1 ,i think1 clearer when we contemplate it in this light4 ,romanists are puzzled by it1 ,protestants exult in it1 because it seems to put a kind of slight upon the ,virgin4 ,but ,protestants and ,romanists agree that ,jesus had a divine ,father and a human mother4 ,if this act was one of the manifestations of ,him as the ,son of ,god1 can anything be more natural or consistent than that it should be introduced by words which declare that ,he could not be in subjection to any earthly authority1 while yet the act itself was an act of ministry to even the commonest necessities of the sons of earth8 ,is not this apparent contradiction the accomplishment of ,his work1 the exhibition of ,him in ,his complete character8 ,he will not be the servant of ,his creatures1 not even of ,his mother2 ,he obeys the ,will1 which all are created to obey4 ,he will be the servant of ,his creatures3 ,he is come into the world for that end4 ,he is doing the will of ,his ,father when ,he is stooping to the lowest of all4 ,but if this be our judgment of two parts of the sign1 it must1 ,i think1 greatly modify1 if not alter altogether1 the apprehensions which we have formed of the third part1 that which concerns the turning of the water into wine4 ,we cannot regard the main characteristic of the marriage and the marriage-feast as being their commonness1 their similarity to what is going on in every part of the world--to what is going on among ourselves2 and then make the essence of that which our ,lord did at the feast consist in its uncommonness1 in its unlikeness to everything that is done elsewhere--to everything that is done among ourselves4 ,we must abandon one habit of feeling or the other4 ,which we shall abandon depends1 it seems to me1 upon the strength or the weakness of our faith in ,st4 ,john's assertion1 that in ,him who sat at that feast was life and that all things were made by ,him4 ,if we take those words literally1 if we suppose the ,evangelist to mean what he says1 then we must assume that what happened then was but an instance of the working of a universal law4 ,we shall conclude that all living processes--be they slow or rapid1 be they carried on in the womb of nature or through the intervention of human art--have their first power and principle in ,him1 that without ,him nothing could become that does become4 ,such a belief undoubtedly carries us into great depths and heights4 ,it increases the wonder with which we regard every dynamical discovery4 ,but it does not interfere with any discovery4 ,it gives solemnity and awfulness to the investigations of science4 ,it forbids trifling in them4 ,it stimulates courage and hope in them4 ,it makes all superstitious dread of them sinful4 ,the ,word1 who is the ,light of men1 will ,himself teach those who seek humbly and diligently to enter into those operations of life of which ,he is the first ,mover4 ,but there are other thoughts connected with this word ,life1 which it is impossible to sever from it in any case1 and which suggest themselves more directly than any others when the subject is a wedding-feast and the turning of water into wine4 ,life has a relation to joy1 which is as close as the relation of death to sadness4 ,our minds become confused upon this point4 ,we talk of the burden of life4 ,we talk of death as delivering us from this burden4 ,but these are careless expressions1 against which the conscience of man rebels4 ,the ,scripture is in harmony with the conscience4 ,it speaks of our carrying about with us a burden of death from which we need to be delivered4 ,if it ever speaks of the moment of departure from the world as a moment of deliverance1 it is because1 as the poet says1 ',death itself there dies4' ,in creating the wine1 then1 which is said in the old ,scriptures to make glad the heart of man1 which had been a symbol of joy as well as of life to the heathen--the symbol of high inspirations even when it was actually acknowledged to be the cause of the lowest animal degradation--the ,son of ,man was claiming to be the ,giver of all joy1 to be the ,redeemer of all joy1 even in its humblest earthliest forms1 from that which had made it base and inhuman4 ,in what sense the ,source of ,joy was also the ,man of ,sorrows1 ,st4 ,john will tell us in due time4 ,there is something which binds this very story of the feast at ,cana to ,his deepest sorrow4 ,mary has not appeared before in this ,gospel2 she never appears again till we meet her beside the cross4 ,she knew that a sword was to pierce through her soul1 at the very time when she was asking her ,son to prove ,himself the ,lord of nature and the ,giver of delights to man4 ,one work did not interfere with the other4 ,he could not be really the ,word made flesh unless ,he fulfilled both4 ,and now1 then1 we may understand why we are told so expressly in the text that ',he manifested forth ,his glory1 and that ,his disciples believed on ,him4' ,who were these disciples8 ,one of them must have been that ,andrew who told his own brother ,simon1 ',we have found the ,christ4' ,one would have been that ,philip who said to ,nathanael1 ',we have found ,him of whom ,moses in the law1 and the ,prophets1 did write4' ,one would have been that ,nathanael who said1 ',rabbi1 thou art the ,son of ,god2 thou art the ,king of ,israel4' ,not one of these had received a sign or a miracle to impart to them these convictions4 ,the witness of ,john concerning the ,light1 met by the witness in their own hearts1 the manifestation to those hearts that ,jesus was the ,light of whom they had heard1--this was their preparation for the marriage-feast and for what passed there4 ,because they had acknowledged ,jesus and had become ,his disciples1 with a feeble1 imperfect1 confused knowledge of course1 but with a desire of the knowledge which they should receive from continual converse with ,him2 therefore the sign of the water being made into wine had a meaning for them which it had not for others2 therefore it was to them a manifestation of ,his glory2 therefore it gave them a belief in ,him1 as answering to ,john's testimony1 which they had not had before4 ,an outward exercise of power strengthened their belief in a power which lay entirely beyond the region of their senses4 ,they were sure that a sign had been given them that ,he who blesses marriage1 ,he through whom all things live1 ,he from whom all men derive their light and joy1 was actually dwelling among them4 ,i have been the more careful in considering this subject1 my brethren1 because ,st4 ,john records it as the beginning of the signs which ,jesus did4 ,it is not recorded in the other ,evangelists4 ,it is told here as if the whole scene had come back to the mind of the old ,apostle2 as if he had been at that feast1 and felt himself transported there again from his chamber at ,ephesus4 ,i think there must have been a reason why that day was brought again to his remembrance1 why he was enabled to describe it so briefly yet with such distinctness4 ,people in that age1 as we know from ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 as we might have guessed if we had not this decisive information1 were prone to set great store by the powers which had been bestowed upon the ,church to manifest the presence of the ,holy ,spirit within it4 ,from magnifying the powers1 they had passed1 by a natural process1 to magnify the outward effects of these powers2 then1 to exult in them because they were strange and peculiar4 ,st4 ,paul had urged the ,corinthians to remember that all gifts were bestowed for use1 and not for show2 that it was better to speak five words which could be understood and might be profitable1 than to speak a thousand words in an unknown tongue1 unless it were interpreted4 ,in spite of these exhortations1 the sign was no doubt gradually losing itself in the miracle4 ,the unseen ,presence1 which could not be recollected without a sense of awful responsibility1 was far less thought of than the display which could be made in the eyes of the ignorant4 ,whenever such a temper begins to prevail1 we may be sure that tricks1 impostures1 lies in the name of ,christ and of ,god1 will spread rapidly2 the spirit of falsehood will creep into the heart which has confessed its allegiance to the ,spirit of truth4 ,ephesus1 we know from the ,acts of the ,apostles1 had been a favourite home of the magician and the enchanter4 ,in the first fervour of their belief in ,him who is the way and the truth and the life1 the ,christians had burnt their books and abjured their lying trade4 ,but ,st4 ,paul1 as he told the elders of the city1 dreaded that after his departure grievous wolves might come in among them4 ,there was no sheep's clothing these wolves were more likely to wear than this4 ,reverence for ,christ's miracles might be made an excuse for practising all old heathen arts and enchantments in ,his name4 ,how suitable a work for the aged disciple of ,christ to lay his axe to the root of this deception6 ,how fitting a thing was it for him to say1 ',you talk of the miracles of the ,christ4 ,i remember the first of them all4 ,i remember what it taught me then1 what it teaches me still4 ,it was not an enchantment2 it was not a wonderment4 ,it was a sign of ,his presence in whom is all grace and truth1 who was manifested that ,he might put down all falsehoods whatsoever1 and who will put them down at the last4' ,it was the beginning of signs4 ,i do not say that our examination of it will save us from the trouble of examining each new sign as it comes before us4 ,by rigorously adhering to that name1 as ,st4 ,john does1 we assume that each has a signification of its own4 ,we shall find them all very different from this in their circumstances1 in some of their internal characteristics4 ,but ,i believe that if we follow out the line of thought into which ,i have endeavoured to lead you this afternoon1 and if we make ,st4 ,john's first chapter the expounder of his object in every subsequent narrative1 we shall be delivered from innumerable difficulties by which the study of miracles generally1 and of each particular miracle is beset4 ,to those who tell us that a ,church which can work miracles is a true ,church--to those who speak of miracles done with a serious purpose in former days1 or of miracles done for the amusement of men that crave for some new thing in our days--we may make the same answer4 ,the ,scriptures teach us to care for no miracles except so far as they are signs4 ,of what are your miracles signs8 ,do they signify that the ,word who was made flesh is not continually acting in the affairs of men now8 ,if so1 they contradict those signs which we confess to be true signs1 those which have signified to us and to our forefathers that all life is in ,him1 that all light is from ,him4 ,or do they say this8 ,then they say what every marriage is saying just as clearly2 what our ordinary food and wine1 what the growth of trees and flowers1 what the plough of the husbandman and the laboratory of the chemist are such pledges of as your miracles can never be4 ,god may perform wonders to break the chains of sense1 to make us aware that ,he is always at work4 ,we are sure that ,he will not enact wonders to rivet the chains of sense upon us1 to turn away our thoughts from ,him to some low earthly agent4 ,only a wicked and adulterous generation seeks for such wonders1 for such signs4 ,the signs which will be given to it1 if it does not repent1 are signs of fire and of blood1 the slaughter of the first-born1 the cry in the ,temple1 ',let us depart4' ,but if we receive the beginning of signs which ,christ gave us in ,cana of ,galilee1 all common things will become sacraments of ,his presence4 ,the husband and the wife will confess that ,he has united them4 ,we shall receive the water and the wine both as ,his gifts4 ,he will drink the new wine with those who come at ,his bidding to give thanks for the blood which ,he poured out for the redemption of the world4 ,,discourse ,,vi4 ,,the ,,cleansing ,,of ,,the ,,temple4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #eth ,sunday in ,lent1 ,march #i1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,ii4 #af4 ,take these things hence2 make not my ,father's house an house of merchandise4 ,the first three ,gospels have been sometimes called the ,galilan ,gospels2 the fourth1 the ,jerusalem ,gospel4 ,the distinction would be a very false one1 if it implied that our ,lord's relation to ,jerusalem was not present to the minds of the earlier ,evangelists1 or that ,st4 ,john overlooked ,his relation to ,galilee4 ,in the ninth chapter of ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel1 we are told that ,jesus set ,his face to go to ,jerusalem4 ,all the chapters which follow refer to events which took place in that journey1 and contain discourses relating to the end of it1 and to the city itself4 ,in the thirteenth1 we hear of ,his sending a message to ,herod1 that a prophet could not perish out of ,jerusalem2 in the nineteenth1 of ,his looking down upon ,jerusalem and weeping over it4 ,the climax of the narrative1 not only of ,st4 ,luke1 but of ,st4 ,matthew and of ,st4 ,mark1 is the entry of ,jesus into ,jerusalem1 to be hailed as a king1 to die as a malefactor4 ,on the other hand1 ,st4 ,john presents his ,master to us in the midst of ,galilan disciples4 ,he carefully omits any allusion to the birth at ,bethlehem2 he records the first manifestation of ,his power and nature as given at ,cana4 ,but though these observations show how easily the supposed difference between these narratives may be exaggerated and perverted1 they do not prove it not to exist4 ,we have no hint in the first three ,evangelists of ,christ's presence at any of the ,jerusalem feasts1 between that in ,his twelfth year and that which preceded ,his crucifixion4 ,the scene of the most memorable acts and discourses recorded in ,st4 ,john1 is laid at ,passover1 ,tabernacle1 ,dedication feasts1 to which ,he had come up from ,galilee4 ,the three ,evangelists speak of ,him continually as teaching in the synagogues2 only at the close of ,his ministry as teaching in the ,temple4 ,the second manifestation of our ,lord spoken of by ,st4 ,john is when ,he drove out of the ,temple those who were selling and buying in it4 ,this narrative is the most signal instance of discrepancy between ,st4 ,john and the other ,evangelists which we shall meet with in our whole course4 ,an act similar1 in nearly every particular1 to that which our ,gospel appears to connect with the period immediately after ,christ's baptism--before the ,baptist's imprisonment--is said in the others to have been performed when ,he was about to keep the last passover4 ',may not these reports1' it has been asked1 'refer to the same transaction8 ,need we suppose that ,st4 ,john troubled himself about chronology8 ,may not his recollections of events at which he was present have been united by some other thread than one of years or days8 ,oftentimes we may have observed how a word evokes a train of slumbering thoughts4 ,why may not he who had just been speaking of the first sign which ,jesus did1 have been led on by that name to the question of the ,jews in the eighteenth verse1 ,what sign shewest ,thou that ,thou doest these things8' ,such a method of removing a grave difficulty might be reasonable enough4 ,but is there a grave difficulty--is there any difficulty--to be removed8 ,there is no internal improbability in the supposition that our ,lord inaugurated ,his ministry by one act of purification1 and wound it up by another4 ,if we accept the one ,evangelist as an authority for the first1 the three for the second1 we gain1 ,i think1 what more than compensates us for an apparent repetition4 ,we acquire a deeper sense of the meaning of the ,temple1 of the relation in which it stood to the ,jews1 to mankind1 and to ,christ4 ,we understand better what the three ,evangelists mean when they say that the disciples thought that the destruction of the ,temple must be the end of the age1 of their world2 what ,st4 ,john means when he speaks of the temple which would be destroyed and raised again4 ,some commentators upon the ,scriptures1 who really wish to understand them1 but who feel entangled by the habits and notions of their own time1 lament that they cannot reproduce the state of feeling which belonged to the ,jew when he gazed upon his temple1 or entered within its precincts4 ',what help1' they say1 'lies in the descriptions of the most accurate and lively travellers8 ,what should we gain by beholding them with our own eyes8 ,we need to annihilate time as well as space4 ,the mind of the people who gazed eighteen hundred years ago upon these spots will not come back to us merely because we are able to receive a tolerably correct impression of the spots themselves4' ,i confess1 my brethren1 that ,i am quite unable to sympathise with these complaints4 ,i do not think it requires any effort of imagination to realize the state of mind of an ordinary ,jew1 as he walked through the city of ,david1 or stood upon the holy hill1 in the days of ,herod and of ,pilate4 ,if we realize the state of mind of an ordinary citizen of ,london1 walking in our streets1 or entering the ,abbey which contains the sepulchres of our kings and poets1 we shall not need any other aid to bridge over the chasm which divides us4 ,occupation with everything that is before us1 with the news of the hour1 with the private business which we have most in hand1 indifference and torpidity about the past1--these would be our general characteristics4 ,they may be varied by our greater or less interest in architecture--our desire to maintain or confute some architectural theory--by national pride1 if we should be making our buildings known to foreigners--by a certain painful sense that we ought to put our minds into a sentimental attitude4 ,do you suppose the case would have been different with the ,jews8 ,do you suppose there was any charm in the outside of the ,temple1 which forced a sensual money-getting race into a more elevated or more serene habit of feeling than that which we drop into8 ,do you suppose that their sacred traditions1 their glorious history1 their divine calling1 must have broken the charm of custom for them1 or have lifted the incubus of the world from their hearts8 ,if you do1 you adopt a notion which the ,scriptures confute in every line4 ,they never tell us that the gravitation of the ,jewish soul to earth was less strong than that of other men4 ,they never represent the ,jew as wanting one bad and base tendency which belongs to you and me4 ,the evidence which the ,bible has produced of its veracity to people of all conditions1 in all countries1 the most unlike outwardly to those of whom it speaks1 is this1 that it shows us creatures in all inward respects like ourselves1 as little capable of being moved by present signs or by records of the past1 out of chillness and death1 as we are4 ,accordingly1 what spectacle is it which the passage ,i am considering brings before us8 ,the spectacle of no appalling crime1 of none of those hideous and revolting acts which we know from the ,jewish historian were perpetrated at the time1 and in which the religious sect of the day had its full share4 ,it is a spectacle which had become familiar to all the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 which every ,pharisee had continually before his eyes when he went into the ,temple to pray1--most glaringly1 it is probable1 during the most sacred festivals4 ,within1 the priests offered the regular sacrifices2 without1 in another part of the house1 there was a market for sheep and oxen2 there were seats for the money-dealer4 ,the practice was so regular1 so sanctioned by prescription1 that no one thought anything of it4 ,the pious ,jew was no more scandalized by it than the pious ,englishman is scandalized by reading an advertisement for the sale of a living4 ,if we have distinctions which satisfy our consciences between the disposing of an actual cure of souls and of the right to endow another with such a cure1--if a line1 sometimes invisible to the naked eye1 separates the sin of ,simony from deeds which laymen may lawfully do1 and by which clergymen may lawfully benefit1--the people of ,jerusalem had distinctions just as recognised1 quite as capable of being defended in argument4 ,the holy place might not be approached by any profane feet2 that was sacred indeed to the ,lord4 ,but the outer court--why might not that be left for ordinary traffic8 ,perhaps the separation of the priests from the mere throng of worshippers--above all1 from the ,gentile who might be found among them--was better marked by the concession of this privilege4 ,at all events1 it was a privilege guaranteed by usage to the trader4 ,if it was disturbed1 would he not probably become disgusted with his country's sanctuary altogether8 ,might he not betake himself to some ,roman temple1--to a worship which was more associated with amusement1 if not with business8 ,i do not know that this calculation was altogether a wrong one4 ,i do not suppose that if the ,sanhedrim had chosen or had been permitted by its masters to prohibit these markets1 any moral benefit would have been gained for the nation4 ,for what had made the ,temple holy and dear to any ,jew of that day or of former days8 ,not its situation1 not its having been built by the wise king1 not its having been restored after the captivity1 not the goodly stones with which ,herod had adorned it4 ,no6 but the sense of an invisible glory2 the belief that ,god--whom no man had seen at any time--had been pleased to meet ,his people there4 ,could any ,jewish laws restore this conviction when it had departed8 ,could regulations to protect a certain enclosure from pollution give rise to anything1 except despicable subterfuges1 except the vilest hypocrisy1 when the only ground and warrant for these regulations was forgotten1 when those who would have made them as little confessed the ,divine presence as those whom they would have excluded4 ,for this--this was the secret of the ,jewish desecration of the ,temple4 ,the priests who ministered at the inner shrine did not1 for the most part1 believe in the ,divine presence more than the people who sold sheep and oxen without4 ,a trade was going on in both places4 ,there it was a traffic with ,god2 here it was a traffic among men4 ,the awe of ,one who dwelt with them1 who revealed ,himself to them1 whose righteousness was their strength1 had been exchanged for the fear of ,one who might call them to account for their treacheries to each other if they withheld their customary and toilsome services from ,him4 ,the preacher in the wilderness had been taught that1 when a nation has reached such a condition of rottenness as this1 it is not enough to lop off withered branches2 the axe must be laid to the root4 ,when the ,scribes and ,pharisees came to him1 he told them to bring forth fruits of repentance1 fruits which would show themselves in the ,temple as well as the market4 ,but he did not visit either the ,temple or the market4 ,jesus concerned ,himself with both4 ',he went into the ,temple1 and found them that sold oxen and sheep and doves1 and the changers of money sitting4 ,and when ,he had made a scourge of small cords1 ,he drove them all out of the ,temple1 and the sheep and the oxen2 and poured out the changers' money1 and overthrew the tables4' ,some who read this story say1 that it offends their notion of our ,lord's dignity4 ,could ,he1 with ,his own hand1 chastise these traders8 ,some say1 it offends their notion of ,his benignity4 ,could the ,all-,merciful exhibit such wrath against a tolerated1 perhaps an unconscious1 profaneness8 ,before we consider these opinions1 it may be well to hear what the disciples felt1 when they saw ,him with the scourge by whom they had sat at the feast1 whom they had hailed as the ,giver of the marriage blessing1 as the ,inspirer of joy4 ',they remembered that it was written1 ,the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up4' ,these words came unbidden into their minds4 ,his look1 ,his voice1 expressed all that they had ever heard of the vehement earnestness with which kings and prophets of old had felt the pollutions of ,god's ,temple1 and had sought to purge it of them4 ,josiah and ,ezekiel revived in ,him4 ,he had forgotten ,himself4 ,he was possessed by the spirit that possessed the men of old4 ,there was a fire burning in ,him that could not be quenched1 till it had consumed all the chaff from the threshing-floor4 ,such was their impression at the moment4 ,looking back upon it after all later events had interpreted it1 ,st4 ,john felt that this was a manifestation of grace and truth1 as much as the making the water wine1 or the healing the sick4 ,for he had learnt that a gracious ,being must be intolerant of that which is ungracious1 that a true ,being must seek to destroy falsehood--that falsehood most which is nearest the heart of a nation1 the altar of ,god4 ,he felt that this wrath must have reached its highest point in the most gracious1 most true ,being1 in ,him from whom all had received their portions of grace and truth4 ,he felt that this wrath must have been least restrained in ,him by any thoughts of what would look well in the eyes of men4 ,what were all the notions which he had formed about dignity or comeliness8 ,the ,word made flesh was making it manifest that every punishment of every wrong doer was administered by ,him2 that whatever agents ,he may employ to purify his ,church1 to inflict vengeance upon those who have defiled it1 the rod is really in ,his hand1--that it is ,he who directs and measures every blow4 ,but ,st4 ,john saw more in the act than this4 ,he had said in his former chapter1 not only1 ',we beheld ,him who was full of grace and truth1 ,him of whose fulness we had all received1' but ',we beheld ,his glory1 as the glory of the only-begotten of the ,father4' ,he teaches us to recognise a manifestation of this glory1 also1 in the driving the money-changers out of the ,temple4 ',jesus said to them that sold doves1 ,take these things hence2 make not my ,father's house an house of merchandise4' ,the zeal which devoured ,jesus was surely a zeal for the house of that ,god to whom ,solomon had prayed1 ',lord1 wilt thou in very deed dwell upon earth8' ,it was for the house of that ,god whom kings and prophets had worshipped between the cherubim4 ,but which of these had dared to use the language which ,he used8 ,which of them had ever said1 ',it is the house of my ,father'8 ,it was a new name1--a wonderful and awful name4 ,and yet the whole force of the testimony which ,christ bore for the old building--for the house in which their fathers worshipped--lay in this name4 ,if that house was not to be a house of merchandise--if it was ever to be that again which holy men had believed and found it to be--this new name must remove its debasement1 this new revelation must restore its greatness4 ,no other could suffice to undo the hypocrisy of the priests1 because that hypocrisy came from their thinking that the house was theirs--from not believing that there was any relation between themselves and ,him to whom they offered their worship and their sacrifices4 ,if there was a man who could call it 'my ,father's house1' heaven and earth were not at the distance they thought and hoped1--their ,judge was very near4 ,on the other hand1 no revelation but this could have brought the outer court once more into union with the inner court1 could have made both parts of the house of ,god4 ,for the reason why the people traded in that court1 and felt they had no business anywhere else1 was that they had no belief that ,god cared for them1 or that there was any fellowship between them and ,him1 except through those priests who were the barriers to all fellowship4 ,if ,jesus of ,nazareth1 the poor man1 one of them1 could say1 ',it is my ,father's house1' the publican might feel then1--even the ,gentile might feel afterwards1--that there was a house for him2 not a place for selling sheep and oxen1 and changing money1 but a refuge from the weariness of merchandise1 from the haggling and lying of the world1 in the presence and heart of a ,friend who giveth to all liberally1 of ,one who is altogether righteous and true4 ,in after days we shall find the ,jews felt the boldness of this language1 and made it their principal charge against ,jesus that ,he dared to use it4 ,on this occasion it seems to have fallen dead upon their ears4 ,their question is not1 ',what sign shewest thou seeing' thou sayest this1 but 'seeing thou doest these things8' ,they meant nothing more1 ,i suppose1 than1 ',why dost thou1 a mere ,galilan stranger1 take upon thee to drive out these oxen8 ,a prophet might do it--perhaps even a zealot1 if he was a ,levite1 and claimed the honours of his ancestor ,phinehas1 might do it--but what sign canst thou produce that such an office belongs to thee8' ,i do not find more in their demand than this2 but the answer of our ,lord refers to ,his previous words as well as to theirs4 ,he could not give them a sign that ,he had a right to cleanse the ,temple1 which would not also be a sign that ,he had a right1 in the strictest sense1 to call the ,temple ',his ,father's house4' ,you must recollect that this was the claim ,he had to make good1 if you would understand ,him when ,he says1 ',destroy this temple1 and in three days ,i will raise it up4' ,the sentence was1 of course1 enigmatical4 ,the ,jews regarded it simply as the language of a fanatic or a madman4 ',forty and six years1' they said1 'was this ,temple in building1 and wilt thou rear it up in three days8' ,st4 ,john evidently indicates that it was not much more intelligible to him and to his fellow-disciples1 when they first heard it1 than to their countrymen4 ,but he says a time came when they did understand it4 ',he spake of the temple of ,his body4 ,when therefore ,he was risen from the dead1 ,his disciples remembered that ,he had said this unto them2 and they believed the scripture1 and the word that ,jesus had said4' ,are we to suppose that the third day of the resurrection was the key which unlocked our ,lord's meaning8 ,no doubt that was an outward help in the discovery of it2 but it would have been a most imperfect help1 if they had not attached a meaning to the resurrection which had nothing to do with days or years4 ,by raising ,jesus from the dead1 ,god declared ,him to be ,his ,son4 ,this was ,st4 ,paul's language to the ,romans1--this was the very substance of his preaching4 ,by raising ,him from the dead1 ,he declared that in ,him all the building fitly framed together grew to be an holy temple in the ,lord4 ,this was his language to those ,ephesians among whom the son of ,zebedee was now dwelling4 ,it was the resurrection1 then1 which taught the disciples that the body of ,christ was that real temple of ,god1 of which all stone temples had been the symbols1--that in this only the fulness of ,god dwelt1--that in this the prayer of ,solomon1 that ,god1 whom the heaven of heavens could not contain1 would dwell with men upon earth1 could be actually fulfilled4 ,some critics say there is an awkwardness in supposing that our ,lord pointed to ,his own body when ,he spoke of destroying the ,temple2 and that if ,he did not1 the ,evangelist would seem to charge ,him with using words in a double sense1--so deceiving ,his hearers4 ,i do not see why we should imagine ,him to have pointed to ,his body2 why ,his eyes may not have been fixed on the building which ,he had called ,his ',father's house4' ,he did mean1 that1 if they destroyed that house1--if their money-worship1 falsehood1 hypocrisy1 brought it to utter ruin1 and it was at last given up to ,roman soldiers1--there was a house not made with hands1 which was all that ,solomon's1 in the very best and noblest conception of it1 had tried to be4 ,he meant certainly more than this4 ,he meant that they might and would try to destroy the outward fabric of this more glorious temple2 but that in three days the dead body would come back from the tomb1 and be proclaimed to the world as ,god's own everlasting habitation4 ,you may call this a double sense of words1 if you like2 but by such double senses deceptions are not caused or promoted--they are cleared away4 ,the ,jew was labouring under a terrible deception2 he was practising a continual equivocation4 ,the ,temple of the ,lord was a sacred place to him1--he gloried in possessing it2 yet he did not in his heart believe that ,god was meeting ,his creatures1 holding any intercourse with them1 caring for them4 ,the building itself1 therefore1 acquired a reverence in his mind which was apart from reverence to ,god1 nay1 fatal to that reverence4 ,god was absorbed in the ,temple4 ,the inward thought of the priest was1 that if it perished ,god would perish4 ,hence arose infinite contradictions in his practice1 alternations of scrupulosity and profaneness4 ,now the money-changer is permitted to sit within it1--now a cry is raised that a ,stephen speaks evil words against the holy place1 and must be stoned4 ,there was but one way of breaking down this habit of mind3 it was to affirm and prove that the ,temple was not a fiction1--that the belief of the elder men respecting it was not a fiction1--that ,god and man were not divided1--that the prophecy of their complete fellowship was not an idle prophecy leading to nothing1--that men might draw nigh to ,god1 as to a father1 on the holy hill of ,zion2 because there was an only-begotten ,son1 whose body was filled with that ,spirit which would raise it out of the grave4 ,no2 our ,lord did not deceive the ,jews when ,he gave them the fullest1 truest sense of their own ,scriptures1 of their own calling and history4 ,if any words1 any acts could have undeceived them1 they would have been ,his4 ,alas6 when money-worship has reached the vitals of a nation1 when it has entered into the house of ,god1 the very words and acts of the ,son of ,god may not purge it of its delusions1--they may take their shape and colour from these delusions4 ,may ,god avert the omen from our land1 from our ,church6 ,may ,he enable us to believe that every building in which ,he permits us to worship ,him1 and to present before ,him the finished sacrifice of ,christ1 is indeed the house of our ,father1 because of ,his ,father6 ,may every chastisement ,he sends to us1 individually or nationally1 be viewed by us as a scourge with which ,he is cleansing ,his temple of them that sell and them that buy in it1--of our corrupt traffickings with our own consciences and with ,him6 ,may ,he help us to believe in ,christ's incarnation and passion1 that we may attain to the full glory of ,his resurrection1 and may find in it the proof that ,his body was the temple of the ,holy ,ghost1 and that ours are to be temples holy and acceptable unto ,him6 ,,discourse ,,vii4 ,,the ,,new ,,birth4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 ,palm ,sunday1 ,march #af1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,iii4 #c4 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 ,it is undoubtedly right to connect the beginning of this chapter with the latter verses of the preceding one4 ',now when ,he was in ,jerusalem at the passover1 in the feast1 many believed in ,his name1 when they saw the miracles which ,he did4 ,but ,jesus did not commit ,himself unto them1 because ,he knew all men1 and needed not that any should testify of man3 for ,he knew what was in man4' ,i must ask you here1 as everywhere else in ,st4 ,john1 to substitute the word signs for miracles4 ,our unfortunate adoption of this last word--which cannot be referred1 as some of our careless translations may be1 to the following of the ,vulgate1 for it has signs--has sadly weakened and perplexed the ,evangelist's statements4 ,here1 for instance1 he does not tell us what the acts of ,christ were which were done at the passover4 ,he does not say whether ,he healed the sick1 or cast out devils4 ,he fixes our attention on this point1--that the acts were received by many of those who were gathered at the feast as signs4 ',they believed on ,his name4' ,the word name1 in every part of ,scripture1 expresses that which is invisible4 ,it is the contrast to an idol1 or that which may be seen4 ,even idolaters recognised the name of the god as that which was expressed by the outward image1 as that which only the mind could recognise4 ,we cannot1 then1 give less force to the phrase1 ',they believed on ,his name1' than this1--they confessed a power within ,him which put forth these outward manifestations of itself4 ,we should not try to be more definite when we are describing the vague feelings of a people4 ,one moment they might think1 ',some divine power is at work in ,him2 ,he is a ,prophet4' ,at another1 ',he is the ,deliverer1 the ,king we are looking for4' ,the passover was a time at which such opinions were most likely to be discussed1 when parties were most likely to be formed about any new leader4 ,the words which follow1 ',but ,jesus did not commit ,himself to them1' indicate1 ,i think1 that such a party was ready to gather itself round ,him4 ,he did not covet their support4 ,he did not show the least desire to make use of their services1 as one claiming to be the ,christ might have done4 ,but the language was capable of another sense4 ,it might denote the caution of a chieftain who was waiting till he had sounded the dispositions of his followers1 till he had assurance from some competent witnesses of their fidelity4 ,the notion of such prudence in ,one who came to give ,his life for the world1 of such need of information in ,him whose life was the light of men1 was utterly revolting4 ,st4 ,john adds1 that the reason of ,his not committing ,himself to this party was1 'that ,he knew all men1 and needed not that any should testify concerning ,man3 for ,he knew what was in ,man4' ,they were not to discern and choose ,him2 ,he was to discern and choose them4 ,he was not a ,king that a faction was to set up2 ,he was the original ,lord of men--ruling them not as a stranger1 not as one who is separate from them1 but as one possessing the most intimate knowledge of that which is distinct and peculiar in each man1 and of the man that is in all4 ,that there should be many in the crowd at the passover--many of the ignorant expectants of a ,christ--who thought that ,jesus had given sufficient signs of ,his right to the name1 is not surprising4 ,they might be all the more willing to recognise ,him1 because ,he seemed to be of their class4 ,but these signs had affected some to whom the thought of a ,galilan peasant must have been utterly scandalous4 ',there was a man of the ,pharisees1 named ,nicodemus1 a ruler of the ,jews3 the same came to ,jesus by night1 and said unto him1 ,rabbi1 we know that thou art a teacher come from ,god3 for no man can do these signs which thou doest1 except ,god were with him4' ,the words express more than an individual opinion4 ,nicodemus must have been conversing with other members of the ,sanhedrim4 ,a suspicion that a new ,teacher--perhaps a ,prophet--with some unusual powers1 had appeared1 might be diffusing itself through the body4 ,whence the powers were derived1 whether the prophet was true or false1 were still questions to be asked4 ,it was a further question whether the ,prophet had any claim to be considered the ,christ4 ,the people might easily arrive at that conclusion2 a ruler would be disposed to reject it4 ,yet it might be the true one4 ,nicodemus would evidently like to know4 ,he could not take the rash step of putting himself under the banner of one who might lead him to rebellion2 but he would ascertain the fact privately1 if he could4 ,the reply meets the thought in the heart of the speaker1 not the words he had uttered4 ',you wish to know whether ,i am about to set up a kingdom4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4' ,the phrase 'kingdom of ,god1' or 'kingdom of heaven1' is one which is continually recurring in the first three ,evangelists2 it may be said to be nearly their most characteristic phrase4 ,it is not characteristic of ,st4 ,john2 he uses it rarely4 ,but if we want a commentary upon every passage in ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke1 in which it is to be found2 if we want to know why we hear of it in connexion with the parables1--why the ,gospel which the ,apostles were to preach is called the ,gospel of this kingdom1--,i should point you to this verse and to the conversation which follows it4 ,nicodemus was expecting1 in some way or other1 to see the kingdom of ,god4 ,signs were to show who the divine ,king was2 ,he would present ,himself in such wise to ,his people1 that they should have no doubt of ,him and ,his authority4 ,all this he thought would be granted by ,god1 if ,he fulfilled ,his promises1 and raised up the ,son of ,david to sit upon ,david's throne4 ,was the hope a wrong one8 ,could less than a clear demonstration be a warrant for accepting any being clothed in human flesh as the divine ,prince and ,deliverer8 ,verily1 nothing less4 ,they must see the kingdom of ,god4 ,it must reveal itself to them with an evidence which they could not gainsay4 ,it must lay hold upon them as its subjects1 de facto and de jure1 with a compulsion not weaker but mightier than that with which the ,roman empire had laid hold of them4 ,the arguments of the ,christ must be as decisive in their own kind as the arguments of the ,csar4 ,but were they of the same kind8 ,our ,lord says1 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4' ,this language does not occur for the first time in our ,gospel4 ,we heard before that the divine ,word 'came to ,his own1 and ,his own received ,him not4 ,but as many as received ,him1 to them gave ,he power to become the sons of ,god2 which were born not of flesh1 nor of blood1 nor of the will of man1 but of ,god4' ,here is the announcement of another kind of birth from that which we call the natural birth4 ,and yet it is not a portentous1 unnatural birth4 ,if the doctrine which is the foundation of this ,gospel is true2 if the ,word that was with ,god and was ,god is ,creator of men2 if ,his life is the light of men2 those who entertained ,his light1 those who did not refuse to be penetrated by ,his life1 became what they were meant to be3 they fulfilled the purpose of ,him who called them into existence4 ,the power which ,he gave them to become sons of ,god was a power to become men1 in the true sense of that word--to rise above the condition of animals4 ,when1 therefore1 our ,lord tells ,nicodemus that only those who were born again1 or born from above 7there is a justification for each rendering--1 perhaps1 unites the force of both71 can see the kingdom of ,god1 ,he tells him that the vision of the true state of man1--of that order which is intended for men1--is only given to those who receive the ,light which lighteneth all men4 ,theirs is the nobler1 better birth--the divine birth2 and theirs is the power of perceiving that kingdom which surrounds all men1 to which all are subject1 but which1 being the kingdom of ,god1 and not the kingdom of the ,csar1 does not act upon men through material armies1 and tax-gatherers at the receipt of custom1--does not manifest its power and majesty to the outward eye4 ,this kingdom is over the man himself1 not over his accidents and circumstances2 he must be a man1 not a creature of these accidents and circumstances1 in order to see it2 and that capacity of being a man he must derive not from flesh and blood1 but from the ,father of his spirit4 ,this conversation by night must have been remembered and recorded by ,nicodemus himself4 ,as he repeated it to ,st4 ,john1--probably long after that day when he came with spices to anoint the body of ,jesus in the tomb1--the words which had been spoken to him1 and the words which he had spoken1 must have come fresh to his memory2 the meaning of the one1 the deep ignorance of the other1 seen by the light that fell upon them from the experiences and the revelations of after years4 ,as he was an honest man1 he did not suppress or soften his own answer to the ',verily1 verily1' of ,christ4 ',how can a man be born when he is old8 ,can he enter a second time into his mother's womb1 and be born8' ,in truth1 he had no cause to be ashamed of himself for having stated his difficulty in that rough way4 ,to veil it under seemly phrases would have been no evidence of enlightenment4 ,the ,jewish doctors1 it is said1 not uncommonly described the ,gentile as one who became a little child1 who began his life anew1 when he was received by baptism into the privileges of their outer court4 ,if so1 ,nicodemus must have been familiar with the expression2 but it must have been to him1 and to most who availed themselves of it1 a mere figure of rhetoric--one of those counters which pass among religious people1 which have a certain value at first1 but which become at length so depreciated that they serve no purpose but to impose on those who take and those who give them4 ,however little ,nicodemus might know of ,jesus1 he did know that ,he was not resorting to figures of rhetoric--that if ,he spoke of a birth1 ,he meant a birth2 and he must have perceived that what ,he said did not apply to sinners of the ,gentiles1 but to him1 the religious ruler of the ,jews4 ,it was1 therefore1 a good and healthy sign1 a proof of the power of the new ,teacher1 that he forgot the conventionalisms of the ,sanhedrim1 and spoke out coarsely and naturally1 as a peasant might have done4 ,our ,lord1 surely1 passed this judgment upon him2 for1 instead of rebuking him for his question1 ,he meets it in the most direct manner possible3 ',jesus answered1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god4' ,the object of ,nicodemus in coming to ask ,him about ,his kingdom1 is still kept prominently forward2 but there is a noticeable change in our ,lord's words4 ,he had spoken of seeing the kingdom of ,god2 ,he now speaks of entering into it4 ,each expression may1 unquestionably does1 involve the other2 still they are distinct4 ,to see a kingdom1 is to have an apprehension of its reality and of its nature2 to enter into a kingdom1 is to become a subject of it4 ,and then the thought forces itself upon us1 ',how can any one choose to become a subject of ,god's kingdom8 ,is he not a subject of it necessarily8 ,if ,god is the ,king of kings and ,lord of lords1 can he escape out of ,his kingdom8 ,is he not bound by the laws of it1 whether he likes them or no8' ,we cannot state this difficulty to ourselves too frequently2 we cannot meditate upon it too earnestly4 ,our consciences tell us that we are the subjects of ,god's kingdom2 that its laws do bind us2 that they avenge themselves upon us when we break them4 ,but our consciences tell us1 also1 that there is rebellion in us against that which holds us so fast1 which executes its decrees so certainly4 ,this is the contradiction1 it exists--it is a fact1 the fact1 of our lives4 ,no theories can get rid of it4 ,but who shall tell us how to get rid of it8 ,before we can understand what could remove it1 before we can even ask with any seriousness to have it removed1 we must know and feel how deep the contradiction is4 ,suppose the government of ,god should be a government over our wills1 rebellion in those very wills must be the most fearful we can conceive of4 ,and the entering into the kingdom of ,god must import the return of the spirit of man to its allegiance1--the claim of a voluntary spiritual being to be under the will with which it is its misery to be at strife4 ,john had come preaching1 'the kingdom of ,god is at hand1' calling men to repentance1 baptizing with water1 proclaiming ,one who would baptize with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,when ,jesus says to ,nicodemus1 ',except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the kingdom of ,god1' ,he takes up the teaching of his forerunner1 ,he expounds his act1 ,he announces the fulfilment of his promise4 ,the being baptized with water1 ,he declares to be the act of submission to the ,father of spirits1--the sign which a man gives that he accepts ,his government1 that he surrenders himself to it4 ,it is a surrender1--that is the only word we can find1--a confession by the human will of its impotency4 ,it must be guided1 governed1 inspired1 or it can do nothing1 it can only struggle against its blessedness4 ,the acceptance1 therefore1 of this water-sign1 by a creature conscious of his own irregular strivings1 of his separation from ,god1 is the expression of a desire that ,god would act upon his will1 would raise it to its proper condition1 would quicken it to the acts and impulses which belong to it1--in other words1 would baptize it with the ,spirit4 ,we see1 then1 how water and the ,spirit are connected with the entrance into the kingdom of ,god1--the kingdom over the spirit of man4 ,our ,lord goes on to explain that ,he had used the word birth in its relation to both1 not carelessly1 but strictly4 ',that which is born of the flesh is flesh2 and that which is born of the ,spirit is spirit4' ,one is as true and actual a birth as the other4 ,the coming forth of the fleshly creature into light1 its beginning to breathe1 the voice which accompanies that breathing1 are not more undoubted facts--very mysterious facts they must appear to all who reflect upon them--than the coming forth of a spirit out of its darkness1 than the sense of light which startles it1 than its breathings1 than its cry4 ,i have introduced this thought concerning breath and the voice of the new-born child1 because it seems to me to connect itself with the words which follow1 and to remove a confusion which our translation of them has introduced into our minds3 ',marvel not that ,i said unto thee1 ,ye must be born again4 ,the wind bloweth where it listeth1 and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh1 or whither it goeth3 so is every one that is born of the ,spirit4' ,the philological objections to this rendering of the words are very numerous4 ,in the first place1 1 not 1 is the proper word for wind4 ,but suppose1 by reducing the wind to a faint low breathing1 we escape from that objection1 there is the second1 that is used twice in the same sentence in different senses4 ,yet this is a slight fault compared with the next4 ,we actually attribute will to the wind2 it blows where it listeth1 4 ,after this flagrant departure from all scriptural and spiritual analogy1 it is scarcely necessary to mention another1 which is1 nevertheless1 not unimportant1 and is of the same kind4 is the articulate voice of a living being2 it is here changed into a natural sound4 ,now1 wherever violence is done to the truth of language1 ,i believe more or less of violence is done to some higher truth4 ,what need have we to introduce the sighing and soughing of the wind1 in order to make our ,lord's explanation more clear and forcible1 if we understand ,him to say1--',all the breathings of ,god's ,spirit are free1 not fixed and fettered by material or mechanical conditions4 ,you hear ,his voice continually2 but whence the ,spirit comes1 whither it is going1 you know not4 ,and so it is with him that is born of the ,spirit4 ,the process of birth cannot be perceived by you2 you hear the voice which indicates birth1 you see the signs and tokens of life2 but how the spiritual being came to be what he is1 you know not4' ,if we take this to be what our ,lord told ,nicodemus1 and what ,he is telling us1 are we not to learn that1 at every moment of the day1 the ,spirit of the eternal ,god is moving around us1 speaking to us1 acting upon us2 but that ,his mightiest operation1 that which alone fulfils ,his purpose towards us1 is when ,he enables us to become the willing servants and children of our ,father in heaven8 ',how can these things be8' asked the doctor of the ,sanhedrim1 in a bewilderment which many of us can well understand4 ,it was1 indeed1 a strange new world into which he was transported2 it seemed to him a world of dreams1 because he had been himself so much amidst dreams1 because he had known so little of realities4 ',art thou a master of ,israel1' was the rejoinder1 'and knowest not these things8' ',what hast thou been learning all thy life8 what hast thou been teaching thy countrymen8 ,hast thou not been reading of an unseen ,god1 who holds converse with men1--of a ,god of the spirits of all flesh8 ,hast thou not believed that this ,god is a living ,god1 as ,he was when ,he appeared to ,moses in the bush8 when ,he touched the lips of ,isaiah with fire in the ,temple8 ,hast thou not understood that ,he is thy ,god1 as much as ,he was the ,god of any ,israelite to whom the commandments were spoken on the ,mount8 ,hast thou not bidden the people of ,israel of this day to believe that ,he is their ,god8' ',verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,that which we have known1 we speak2 that which we have seen1 we testify4' ',this is the characteristic of every true teacher1 of every called prophet4 ,this has been the characteristic of ,john2 this is mine4 ,we do not speak things that we have learnt by report--things that have been transmitted to us2 we speak the truths with which we have been brought face to face4' ',and ye receive not our testimony4' ',these things we tell you of1 because they are about you1 because you are created to know them1 and have fellowship with them4 ,and you turn away from them in search of things that are at a distance from you--of formalities and trifles which you call by lofty names1 which give rise to endless disputings1 but which do not concern you as human beings in the least4' ',and if ,i have told you earthly things1 and ye believe not1 how shall ye believe if ,i tell you of the heavenly things8' ',if these things which have to do with your daily lives1 which bear upon your ordinary business1 which you can test by the experience of your failures and your sins1--if these seem to you incredible1 how will it be if ,i speak to you of ,god ,himself1 of ,his purposes1 of ,his nature8' ,his words imply that ,he has a right to speak of these things also1 that ,he is able to speak of them4 ,on what ground could a power so amazing rest8 ,he goes on to declare the ground of it3 ',for no man hath ascended up to heaven1 but ,he that came down from heaven1 even the ,son of ,man which is in heaven4' ,of all paradoxes1 this appears to be the greatest4 ,and yet if the heart of this ruler--if the heart of any man--has been delivered from the oppressive fears and superstitions that connect themselves with the thoughts of a distant heaven in space1 which looks coldly and drearily down upon earth--of a distant heaven in time1 which stands aloof from all human sympathies2 if ever the belief in heaven has been regarded as a spring of hope and energy to the sons of men2 if ever they have learnt not to think of earth as a place in which they were to cozen and lie for threescore years and ten1 and heaven as a place to which some might escape1 if they made compensations to the ,ruler of it for the evils which they had done in the other region of ,his government2 that deliverance1 those better and nobler thoughts have come from the paradox which is uttered in this verse4 ,poor people--utterly bewildered by all they have heard from divines and masters in ,israel about heaven1 and the way in which they are to obtain heaven--have taken this sentence home to their hearts1--that the ,son of ,man1 ,he who suffered for them and with them on earth1 is ,he who has ascended into heaven1 and who is always in heaven4 ,they have entered into the kingdom of heaven with those spirits which were born of the divine ,spirit1 as they entered into the kingdom of earth when they were born of the flesh2 they have seen the kingdom with the spiritual eye which ,god has opened1 as clearly as they have seen the trees and flowers of earth with the fleshly eye which ,he has opened4 ,how ,he opens that eye1 and what ,he reveals to it when it is opened1 the next words will tell us4 ',and as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of ,man be lifted up3 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have eternal life4 ,for ,god so loved the world1 that ,he gave ,his only-begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,for ,god sent not ,his ,son into the world to condemn the world2 but that the world through ,him might be saved4' ,how can ,i introduce such a passage as this at the close of a sermon8 ,because ,i would not allow my sense of the immense worth and importance of every clause1 of every word1 of which it consists1 to hinder you from tracing the method of our ,lord's discourse4 ,the question about the kingdom of ,god lay at the threshold of the dialogue4 ,here ,he declares how ,he is to claim ,his kingdom1 to what throne ,he is to be raised1 that all men might confess ,him as their ,king4 ,jesus might have spoken of the exaltation of ,david or of ,solomon as the pattern of ,his own4 ,he goes back to an older and sublimer event in ,jewish history4 ,the brazen serpent to which the eyes of those were turned who had been bitten by the serpents in the wilderness1 the common life-giving1 life-restoring object1--this was the sign which ,he chose of that dominion which should stretch from sea to sea1 which should reach to the lowest depths1 and work the mightiest deliverance4 ',you would know if ,i am a ,king4 ,you will see me lifted upon a cross3 there you may learn what ,i am4 ,whoso sees the ,son of ,man1 his ,lord and ,king there1--whoso believes and trusts ,him there1--will rise up indeed a new man1 will be saved from the plague which is destroying him1 will awaken to health and freedom4 ,he will not perish in his wretched1 selfish isolation2 he will have that life which is the common life of all4' ,and why8 ,he will see there the love of ,god to him and to the world4 ,the only-begotten ,son upon that cross will declare ,him as ,he has always declared ,him2 but the revelation will be immeasurably fuller and clearer than it has ever been4 ,he from whom men have turned as their enemy1 as plotting their destruction1 as pledged to destroy the world1 will be manifested as their ,saviour and its ,saviour4 ,that which has been the curse and misery and death of man1 his separation from ,god1 his hatred of ,god1 will cease for those who believe that in this ,son of ,man ,he is making known what ,he wills1 what ,he is4 ,they will have that eternal life of trust and love which is ,his own life4 ,and therefore ,he goes on3 ',he that believeth on ,him is not condemned3 but he that believeth not is condemned already1 because he hath not believed in the name of the only-begotten ,son of ,god4 ,and this is the condemnation1 that light is come into the world1 and men loved darkness rather than light1 because their deeds were evil4 ,for every one that doeth evil hateth the light1 neither cometh to the light1 lest his deeds should be reproved4 ,but he that doeth truth cometh to the light1 that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in ,god4' ,the belief that ,jesus does by ,his cross manifest the tender love of ,god to mankind1 that in ,him ,god's whole will and mind and purpose are revealed to men1--this takes away the condemnation from their consciences2 this restores them to trust and liberty and hope4 ,and therefore1 conversely1 not to believe this1 is to have a sense of alienation and distance from ,god1 to feel that there is an abyss between us and ,him which has never been closed--an abyss into which we are casting our sacrifices and works of devotion1 in the dream that it may at last be filled up2 while all our efforts1 being efforts of discontent and distrust1 efforts to conciliate a foe1 widen and deepen it4 ,our ,lord pronounces this unbelief to be its own all-sufficing punishment4 ',the light is there2 you do not love it2 you fly from it4 ,what worse state can there be than that8 ,you hug the evil deeds from which you might be delivered4 ,you choose the evil which is contrary to the being and nature of the blessed ,god in whose image you are made4 ,what torment can there be so great as that8' ,i spoke of the new birth1 or the birth from above1 by which men are made capable of seeing the kingdom of ,god1 as one of which those may become conscious who are conscious of a rebellious will1 and who would fain submit to their rightful ,ruler4 ,this latter part of the dialogue confirms and enlarges that statement4 ,he who is bitten with serpents may turn to the brazen serpent2 he who has been alienated from ,god may become at peace with ,him4 ,but our ,lord's words also discover to us another truth1 different from this1 nowise inconsistent with it4 ,they show us that our consciousness is not in any sense the foundation of ,god's kingdom1 that ,his love is the foundation of it4 ,they make us understand that the revelation of that ,love is in very deed the reconciliation and regeneration of the world2 that we may claim all as included in that reconciliation and regeneration2 that our baptism of water and the ,spirit1 while it gives all warrant for conscious repentance and faith1 must comprehend the unconscious1 must declare upon what their consciousness is to stand4 ,they are sons of ,god4 ,god's ,spirit is given them1 that they may grow into the knowledge of their sonship1 that they may be able to live in conformity with it4 ,the conclusion of this memorable discourse also takes off all the edge which has been given to those words1 in the earlier part of it1 in which it is said1 'the ,spirit breathes where ,he wills4' ,i have treated that language as expressing the entire freedom of ,his operations1 ,his independence on material agents as well as on the will of the creature4 ,but if any one concludes that the ,spirit does not will that all men should believe and come to the knowledge of the truth1 he must deny that ,he is the ,spirit of that ,god who sent not ,his ,son to condemn the world1 but that the world through ,him might be saved4 ,,discourse ,,viii4 ,,the ,,bridegroom ,,and ,,the ,,bridegroom',s ,,friend4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 ,easter ,sunday1 ,march #bc1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,iii4 #cj4 ,he must increase2 ,i must decrease4 ,we have seen1 in the first chapter of this ,gospel1 how much the work and office of ,john the ,baptist are connected with all the deepest thoughts and announcements of the ,apostle4 ,the more we study him1 the more probable1 ,i think1 the old tradition of the ,church1 that he was a disciple of the ,baptist1 must appear to us1--the more we shall understand the cause of his anxiety to point out the exact relation between his two teachers4 ,i have endeavoured to show you that it is not the superiority of the ,christ to the forerunner which he chiefly dwells upon4 ,that difference had been sufficiently brought out by the earlier evangelists4 ,he insists that the superiority of the ,christ rested on ,his priority2 that the later in order of manifestation was the first in order of being2 that of ,his fulness ,john and all previous prophets had received2 that of ,him1 as the ,word of ,god1 as the ,light of men1 they had all borne witness4 ,whether ,jesus was or was not the ,word made flesh1--whether ,he did or did not prove that in ,him was the ,life of all things1 and that ,he was the ,light of men1--are questions which the ,evangelist undertakes to resolve for us in the course of his narrative4 ,upon that point the ,baptist may at times have had a strong conviction2 at times he might be doubtful4 ,but that there was such a ,word of ,god1 such a ,light of men1 and that ,he would make ,himself manifest1 this was the groundwork of his prophecy2 by this proclamation he proved himself to be of the same class with ,isaiah and ,ezekiel2 by this he showed that a kingdom of heaven must be at hand1 in which the least might be greater than he4 ,how our ,lord spoke to a ruler of the ,jews concerning that kingdom1 and the qualifications for entering into it and seeing it--how he connected it with a birth by water and by the ,spirit--we have heard in the first part of this chapter4 ,the narrative which occupies the remainder of it carries us back to ,john4 ,not long after the passover at which the conversation with ,nicodemus took place1 ,jesus1 we are told1 went with ,his disciples into the country part of ,juda--the land of ,juda being here set in contrast1 not with ,galilee1 but with the city of ,jerusalem1 at which ,he had been during the feast4 ',there ,he tarried with them and baptized4' ,this expression is used loosely2 it is qualified in the next chapter4 ',jesus1' it is said1 ',himself baptized not1 but ,his disciples4' ,still it was regarded1 to all intents and purposes1 as ,his baptism4 ,it was naturally compared with that of ,john2 for he was still at large1 and was 'baptizing in non1 near to ,salim1 where there was much water4' ,perhaps the numbers that went out to him had diminished2 but it is obvious from the context that he was still an object of attraction to many2 'they came to him1 and were baptized4' ',then there arose a question between some of ,john's disciples and a ,jew' 7the plural is evidently quite out of place7 'about purification4' ,we need not inquire into the nature of this dispute1 seeing that the ,apostle tells us no more of it4 ,before that time1 and ever since1 the subject of purification has given rise to thousands of questions1 all bearing more or less directly upon the relation between outward acts and the inner man1--what the former can or cannot do to make the other better4 ,such questions were certain to be awakened by a baptism with water1 and a preaching of repentance such as ,john's2 any of them may have suggested to his disciples the thought whether there was some greater virtue in that of ,jesus1 or whether ,he were merely a rival and imitator of the elder teacher4 ,with surprise and perplexity1 and something of the indignation which was natural in men jealous for the honour of a beloved teacher1 'they came unto ,john1 and said unto him1 ,rabbi1 ,he that was with thee beyond ,jordan1 and to whom thou barest witness1 behold the same baptizeth1 and all men come unto ,him4' ,there was probably a pause before ,john gave his answer4 ,the news which he heard may have stirred up strange thoughts and doubts within him1 not in a moment to be quelled4 ,was his work over8 ,was he to have no more power over men8 ,was he no longer a witness for ,god8 ,the magician says1 when the fabric of his vision is dissolved-- ',now my spells are all o'erthrown1 ,and what strength ,i have's my own2 ,which is most faint4' ,a mournful conclusion1 and yet one to which many a man of high genius has been brought1 and out of which1 perhaps1 in the end he has derived very precious lessons4 ,was this to be the result of the prophet's meditation also8 ,no6 it comes forth in quite other words1 which were a reply both to the questionings in his own soul1 and the shallower perplexities and speculations of his disciples4 ',a man can receive nothing1 except it be given him from above4' ,as if he had said3 ',you need not be careful of my fame4 ,if ,i have ever spoken a word which has entered into you1 and shown you your ownselves1 and has made you truer1 better men1 that word was given me by the ,lord of your spirit and mine2 ,he enabled you to take it in4 ,out of the bosom of ,god1 where that ,word is whose life is the light of men1 did these quickening1 illuminating words proceed4 ,just so far as my words have led you to turn to that ,word who is always with you1 and who has promised that ,he will come and manifest ,himself to you1--just so far have they been wholesome and effectual4 ,you yourselves bear me witness1 that ,i said ,i am not the ,christ1 but that ,i am sent before ,him4 ,as ,i never pretended to be that unseen ,light1 which ,i told you was struggling with your darkness1 so--you know it well--,i never pretended to be the ,christ1 the ,anointed ,one1 the ,king of ,israel4 ,for my message was that this ,christ must be that ,light of the world1 that ,word made flesh4 ,i told you that ,he alone would baptize with the ,spirit1 because ,he alone would be fully baptized with the ,spirit4 ,i am sent before ,him1--sent1 as ,i said1 to baptize with water1 that so ,he might be made known to ,israel who has the higher baptism4' ,and then1 as if he were caught away by a new and diviner inspiration1 as if the very meaning of that word1 ,christ the anointed1 were revealed to him1--as if1 in the light of that meaning1 a thousand old songs and symbols were interpreting themselves to him1--he goes on1 ',he that hath the bride is the bridegroom4' ,the vision of a king was before him2 of a king1 the direct contrast to the tyrants of the earth4 ,in place of a ,deioces1 hidden in the recesses of some ,median palace--in place of a ,tiberius1 governing the world by spies--he sees ,one 'who is fairer than the sons of men1 upon whose lips grace is poured1 whose sword is on ,his thigh1 and who rides on in truth and righteousness4' ,he sees ,him coming to woo and claim ,his bride1 'whose beauty ,he greatly desires1 who is all-glorious within1 whose clothing is of wrought gold4' ,such a ,bridegroom all the prophets had1 in one form of speech or another1 been discoursing of4 ,they had proved that they were dealing in no metaphors--pouring out no ,oriental rhapsodies2 for their revelation of ,him had been connected with the homeliest exhortations to domestic union and purity2 they had affirmed the relation of the particular husband and wife to have its foundation in this higher relation2 they had treated all breaches of the marriage-vow as indications and results of the adultery of the race to its unseen ,husband4 ,and though the race meant in their minds ,israel2 though the people whom ,god had chosen1 and with whom ,he had made a covenant1 were those whom they taught to regard themselves as united in this eternal bond1 of which covenants were but the outward expression1 which existed long before ,abraham or ,noah2 yet their language was always too large for even these limitations--was continually breaking through them4 ,the ,king who was to reign over the ,gentiles must be represented as their ,husband2 whensoever ,he should be revealed as the glory of ,his people ,israel1 ,he would certainly be revealed as the ,light to lighten all the nations2 that is to say1 whensoever he appeared as the ,christ of ,god1 ,he would certainly appear as the ,bridegroom of ,humanity4 ,to speak of ,him1 then1 by this name1 was not1 as some would make out1 to anticipate the discoveries of ,new ,testament ,apostles4 ,it was expressly to endorse and unfold the discoveries that had been made to ,old ,testament ,prophets4 ,it is only when he speaks of his own office in relation to this ,bridegroom1 that ,john looks at all beyond the previous teachers of his land2 and then1 that he may make their office also more intelligible4 ',the friend of the bridegroom1 which standeth and heareth him1 rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice3 this my joy therefore is fulfilled4' ,i know scarcely any words in all the ,scriptures which have a deeper and diviner music in them than these1 or which more express all that a ,christian minister and a ,christian man should wish to understand and feel2 and should hope that some day he may understand and feel as he who first spoke them did4 ,that may seem to us a high ambition2 we ought to consider it a poor ambition4 ,after eighteen hundred years we should be able to understand better1 to feel more intensely than ,john did1 that all the joy which is intended for a human being--nay1 in the strict sense1 which is possible for a human being--comes from hearing this ,bridegroom's voice4 ,i do believe1 brethren1 that by sore experience1 shameful experience1 those of us who have had fewest saintly aspirations may learn that lesson4 ,we have listened for the echoes of our own voices2 we have longed to know what impression they made2 we have tried to feast on the outward praise or the inward consciousness of their power or sweetness4 ,has it not been very miserable1 unsatisfying food8 has not the day's gluttony brought nausea and disgust on the morrow8 ,has not the gratification of that vanity gradually formed in us a craving1 which no indulgence could appease1 which every disappointment made intolerable8 ,how much better has it been1 if we have striven to take delight in the words and deeds of other men1 to feel the praises of them as our own6 ',as our own6 ,then we still are intended to connect what is outside of us with ourselves2 we must1 in some sort1 refer them to a standard within us8' ,here is the puzzle2 one always recurring2 one infinitely more tormenting in the practice of life than it ever can be in speculation2 one that affects all our judgments of our fellow-men2 one that never deserts us when we are alone4 ,it never can be set at rest till we confess a ,lord1 from whom all that is good and dear and worthy to be admired in any human being is derived--a root of all mutual understanding and genial sympathy--a centre of life and joy4 ,if we think that there is a ,bridegroom who is ever bestowing ,his own treasures and loveliness upon the creatures who were formed after ,his likeness1 whose nature ,he has taken1 who is ever drawing those creatures out of their own narrow and dark prison-houses1 to come and claim their rights as spirits1 and to share with ,him the free air and light in which ,he dwells1 then we may begin to claim the place of ,his friends1 and in our own hearts1 as well as in those who have been most estranged from us1 to hear ,him speaking4 ,that speech will not be monotonous2 we shall know why it is said in the ,apocalypse to be as the sound of many waters4 ,in the accents of humiliation and penitence1 in the accents of thanksgiving and praise1 in the confessions upon sick-beds1 in the laugh of children1 in the stillness of the churchyard1 in the noise of cities1 in the cries upon the cross1 in the message1 ,he is risen1--we shall hear the ,bridegroom's voice4 ,it testifies that ,he has come and is coming to us and to all4 ,our joy is fulfilled only if we learn to welcome ,him1 and to bid our brethren welcome ,him also4 ,and therefore ,john proceeds1 most consistently and harmoniously3 ',he must increase2 ,i must decrease4' ,if the words had been spoken only of a new teacher who was baptizing more disciples than he1 there would be a sadness and a kind of murmur in them1 however they might denote a necessary submission4 ,but when it is the ,bridegroom of his own spirit1 the divine ,lord1 from whom alone he had received light1 in whom alone he could see light1 who was to increase1 the ',i must decrease' is not a qualification of the joy he had claimed as the ,bridegroom's friend1 but a principal part of it4 ,how many a one has felt the misery of a self2 has longed to become absorbed in the universe--to be nothing6 ,it was a wish which a holy man such as ,john was did not dare to cherish1 and yet which must have haunted him more than most4 ,to have a glimpse of this annihilation2 to see that it was possible to become less and less1 while ,he in whom he was bound up1 in whom was the spring of his life and joy1 grew greater and greater2 to feel that he might find his own personality in another2--was not this the consummation to which ,god had always been leading him8 ,was not this1 too1 the very meaning and explanation of the work in which he had been engaged8 ,the ,word1 the ,light of men1 of whom he had told his countrymen1 needed no longer his witness2 for ,he was coming forth ,himself to witness of that ,father with whom ,he had dwelt eternally1 to tell mankind of ,him4 ,this higher testimony1 this newer and grander revelation1 is the subject of the verses which follow3 ',he that cometh from above is above all3 he that is of the earth is earthly1 and speaketh of the earth3 ,he that cometh from heaven is above all4 ,and what ,he hath seen and heard1 that ,he testifieth2 and no man receiveth ,his testimony4' ,john had said before1 that a man receives nothing but what is given him from heaven4 ,he does not recal that language1 but affirms it anew1 when he says that every man in himself1 every child of ,adam1 though a living soul1 is 'yet of the earth1 and speaketh of the earth4' ,he is tied to earthly measures and standards4 ,if he applies even the faculties which he has derived from heaven to judge of heaven1 he reduces it to the level of earth4 ,but there is ,one who cometh from above1 ,one who is above all1 ,one who draws ,his light from the ,fountain of light1 ,one whose light in us is not a part of our darkness1 but a divine power to scatter it4 ,he testifies of that which ,he has seen and heard1 of the heavenly things1 of the will and nature and purpose of ,god4 ',and no man receiveth ,his testimony4' ,strange that ,john should say that6 ,what he had heard from his disciples was that ,jesus was baptizing1 and 'that all men came to ,him4' ,we are not told that he doubted their information2 we are not told that he had any different information from more trustworthy sources4 ,and yet he confidently affirms that ,his testimony is not received4 ,why8 ,because he was not speaking of what had happened in the few days or weeks since ,jesus came to ,jordan to fulfil all righteousness1 but of the four thousand years during which ,he had come to ,his own1 and ,his own had received ,him not4 ,that testimony which ,he had borne as the invisible ,word of ,god ,he was bearing still1 now that ,he was made flesh and dwelling among men4 ,it was mightier in degree2 it was not different in kind4 ,it was still a testimony to the heart1 to the inner man1 and must be entertained or rejected there4 ,what1 therefore1 the ,baptist could say of the past1 on the warrant of so long an experience1 he could say surely of the present4 ,the darkness would fight against the light4 ,no man of himself1 without an operation from above1 without a higher baptism than that of water1 whether administered by ,john or by ,christ1 would believe that which the ,son of ,god came to tell him4 ,that this limitation to the expression 'no man' is involved in the very nature of the ,baptist's discourse1 is evident from the next verse3 ',he that hath received ,his testimony hath set to his seal that ,god is true4' ,but what need of a limitation8 ,why should he have made a large assertion in one sentence1 which is to be modified or contradicted in the next8 ,the answer is contained in the words themselves3 ',he who receives this testimony sets to his seal that ,god is true4' ,the ,christ comes to baptize men with the ,spirit1 that they may receive that which of themselves they are both reluctant and unable to receive4 ,the man who accepts that testimony1 confesses his own reluctance and inability4 ,he believes ,god to be strong and true1 though he is weak and lying4 ,and his mind becomes stamped with the impression of ,god's truth4 ,the ,spirit of ,god raises him above himself to know ,him4 ,it was necessary1 then1 to make the one assertion in its breadth and fulness1 that the other might not lose any of its breadth and fulness4 ,it was necessary that no man should suppose himself capable of entering into the mind and kingdom of ,god--that all men might know that ,god was not deceiving them1 when ,he promised to bestow that capacity upon them4 ',for1' ,john continues1 ',he whom ,god hath sent speaketh the words of ,god3 for ,god giveth not the ,spirit by measure unto ,him4' ,he speaks the words of ,god4 ,if ,he proclaimed a doctrine1 a theory1 a scheme of the universe--that might be taken in1--if some thought ill of it1 others would embrace it4 ,but ,he comes speaking the words of ,god--revealing the mind of the ,eternal ,being--showing forth ,him who is truth and who is love4 ,how can we grasp such a manifestation as this8 ,what have our poor beggarly conceits to do with the idea of a ,goodness without bounds8 ,let us understand it well1 brethren4 ,the ,jews rejected the testimony of ,christ1 because it was the testimony concerning such a ,god as this4 ,the difficulty of all difficulties1 whatever we may fancy1 is to believe in ,god1 in a living and true ,god1 in a ,god who loves ,his creatures4 ,it is a difficulty which no arguments can remove2 a difficulty which the progress of ages does not diminish in the least1 but makes stronger2 a difficulty which is often most overpowering to the most religious men4 ,the logician says1 ',the understanding is finite2 you cannot bring the ,infinite within its range4' ,the philosopher of advanced civilization says1 ',the belief in ,god was for little children2 science is for us4 ,physical science does not reveal ,god2 our worship of humanity dispenses with ,him4' ,religious men see evil all about them and within them4 ,they can conceive of a punisher and avenger of evil2 they can conceive that this punisher and avenger1 if he has motive and compensation sufficient1 may exempt some from the destruction which he has decreed for the majority4 ,they cannot believe in ,love4 ,the logician is right4 ,st4 ,john said1 eighteen hundred years ago1 that the ,light had shined in the darkness1 and the darkness had not comprehended it4 ,if we think only of our understanding1 if we refuse to believe that there is a ,word always illuminating it1 we think only of the darkness1 and we may say boldly1 ',it can know nothing of ,god2 we have nothing to do with ,him4' ,the modern philosopher of advanced civilization is right4 ,we cannot discover ,god in the world2 we cannot discover in the world anything higher than ourselves4 ,if there is no ,bridegroom of humanity1 who witnesses to it of a ,father1 and binds it to a ,father1 we can only worship the world1 or worship humanity--that is to say1 worship ourselves4 ,the religious man who exalts evil into the throne of the universe is right4 ,all the witnesses of the conscience that there is a ,god infinitely good1--all the witnesses of the heart that man is made to be in conformity with that infinite ,good1 and can be satisfied with nothing else--are simply mockeries and delusions1 which it is the business of the disciple and minister of ,christ to trample upon1 to confute with words taken out of the ,bible1 till he has succeeded in making young men profligates and atheists1 old men worldlings and hypocrites1--if there has not been in the world an only-begotten ,son full of grace and truth1 who has come forth from the ,father to testify of the ,father1 and to whom the ,father has given ,his ,spirit without measure1 that ,he might baptize with it all who receive ,his testimony1 all who believe that ,god is true1 not false--good1 not evil4 ,to this subject the last and most memorable words of this whole chapter refer1 those in which ,john the ,baptist looks into the promised land which he was not to enter1 in which he winds up the old dispensation1 in which he introduces the new4 ',the ,father loveth the ,son1 and hath given all things into ,his hand4 ,he that believeth on the ,son of ,god hath everlasting life3 he that believeth not the ,son of ,god hath not life2 but the wrath of ,god abideth on him4' ,henceforth we shall hear no longer of a prophet discoursing of a ,word who has come to him1 and from whom his light and the light of all men has been derived4 ,we shall find that ,word discoursing as a ,son concerning a ,father1 conversing with a ,father1 showing forth a ,father4 ,we are to hear how this testimony is received1 especially how it is received by the most religious portion of the ,jewish people4 ,we are to learn that1 though their opposition to ,jesus took many forms1 there was one dark root of all their hostility and hatred4 ,they could not bear to hear ,christ speak of a ,father--of a ,father who loved the world4 ,whenever they thought of ,god1 a dark image of wrath was present to them2 that wrath abode upon them1 settled in them4 ,how was it possible for them1 then1 to see in ,jesus the perfect image of the ,father1--in ,his wrath against all baseness and vileness and hypocrisy1 the true ,divine wrath which is the expression of the deepest love1--in ,his sympathy with publicans and sinners1 the self-same love8 ,how was it possible for them to see in the ,son lifted on the cross1 the ,king whom prophets and holy men had desired1 the ,son of ,god in whom dwelt the fulness of the ,father1 because the fulness of love1 bodily8 ,and1 therefore1 the wrath which they had invoked upon all others1 and cherished in their own hearts1 came upon them to the uttermost4 ,they rejected their ,king and ,bridegroom1 and all the national and spiritual life which had proceeded from ,him perished inevitably4 ,i have come back to the subject of which ,i was speaking last ,sunday4 ,all ,christian preaching should return continually to the ,cross4 ,it can never find any other object so central or so glorious4 ,but the death of ,christ and ,his resurrection are inseparable4 ,i have been preaching you an ,easter sermon to-day4 ,for1 if you think of ,easter as apostles and martyrs thought of it1 you will think of it as the witness that the ,bridegroom of humanity has presented and justified humanity before ,his ,father4 ,you will pray for the ,spirit of the ,father and the ,son1 that you1 believing in that justification1 may rise with ,him to newness of life4 ,and you will join to these prayers another1 that each of us1 when the hour comes in which strength and heart fail1 may be able to say with joy1 ',i must decrease1 that ,he may increase4' ,all that belongs to my own poor and selfish nature must decay and perish1 that ,he1 my ,lord and ,saviour1 may be exalted1--that ,i and all ,his redeemed may see our own blessedness and glory only and for ever in ,him4 ,,discourse ,,ix4 ,,the ,,water ,,of ,,life4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 ,sunday after ,easter1 ,march #cj1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,iv4 #aj4 ,jesus answered and said unto her1 ,if thou knewest the gift of ,god1 and who it is that saith to thee1 ,give me to drink1 thou wouldst have asked of ,him1 and ,he would have given thee living water4 ,the dispute between ,john's disciples and the ,jew1 of which ,i spoke last ,sunday1 was about purification4 ,apparently1 ,john's answer to them1 when they came to tell him that ,jesus was baptizing1 and that all men were coming to ,him1 had little reference to this subject4 ,really his words threw the greatest light upon it4 ,he did not say whether the baptism of ,jesus had a more purifying effect upon those who received it than his baptism4 ,but he spoke of another gift which ,jesus1 if ,he was indeed the ,son of ,god1 would confer upon those who believed in ,him4 ',he that believeth on the ,son hath everlasting life2 and he that believeth not the ,son of ,god shall not see life4' ,it was a mighty thing for men to be purified1 to have corruptions removed from them4 ,but corruption is the consequence of death4 ,where corruption is1 death must have entered4 ,he who is the source and spring of life1 ,he who can restore life1 must have in ,himself the very principle and power of purification4 ,all instruments of purification must derive their virtue from ,him4 ,he must be the ,purifier4 ,accordingly it is to this quality of the divine ,word1 or ,son1 that ,st4 ,john has from the first directed our thoughts4 ',in ,him was life1 and the life was the light of men3' this is the starting-point of his ,gospel4 ,the sign in ,cana of ,galilee was the sign that ,jesus was the communicator of life4 ,his discourse with ,nicodemus turned altogether upon the life from above which the ,spirit of ,god would confer upon men1 and which would enable them to see the kingdom of ,god4 ,the primary announcement of the forerunner1 therefore1 respecting the ,word made flesh1 ',he shall baptize with the ,holy ,ghost1' whatever more it might mean1 could mean nothing less than this3 ',he shall not merely cleanse away defilements2 ,he shall impart the life which those defilements obstruct and seek to extinguish4' ,john did not say for a moment that water should not be the sign of entrance into the kingdom that was at hand--that it should not be ,christ's sign1 as it had been his sign2--but he said that it should be the sign1 not merely of repentance and remission of sins1 but of a higher and eternal life4 ,was this an unusual and arbitrary application of the symbol8 ,surely not4 ,water1 when it is applied outwardly1 suggests only the thought of purification4 ,water1 when it is taken inwardly1 immediately suggests the thought of life4 ,and this1 therefore1 is the point of connexion between the discourse of ,john with his disciples1 which occupied us last ,sunday1 and the discourse of ,jesus with the woman of ,samaria1 which is to occupy us to-day4 ,the ,evangelist points out the relation between the two subjects in his own mind and in the history1 by the first words of the fourth chapter3 ',when therefore the ,lord knew how the ,pharisees had heard that ,jesus made and baptized more disciples than ,john1 7though ,jesus ,himself baptized not1 but ,his disciples17 ,he left ,juda1 and came again into ,galilee4' ,what the disciples of the ,baptist had angrily conjectured1 the ,pharisees would of course take for granted4 ,they would assume that ,john and ,jesus were rival teachers1 and that one was supplanting the other4 ,the thought of this might become the thought of ,christ's own disciples3 if it did1 they would utterly misunderstand the work of their ,master1 and ,his relation to the preacher of repentance4 ,was not this a reason for leaving ,juda1 and going into ,galilee8 ',and ,he must needs go through ,samaria4' ,that was the most natural road4 ,he might no doubt have avoided it2 there was an inward and moral necessity why ,he should not4 ,if ,he was setting up a kingdom in the whole land1 portions of it which had been most separated from the rest must be claimed as belonging to it4 ',then cometh ,he to a city of ,samaria1 which is called ,sychar1 near to the parcel of ground which ,jacob gave to his son ,joseph4' ,this country was connected with the oldest traditions relating to the commonwealth of ,israel1--to the period before the giving of the ,law1 when the life of the fathers of the nation was entirely domestic and pastoral4 ,in these traditions was the link between one part of the people and the other4 ,the local associations with the events recorded in the ,book of ,genesis were witnesses that the rocks had once been united1 however rudely they had in later times been rent asunder4 ,there1 especially1 was the simplest and most faithful token of patriarchal times--a well4 ,it was believed to have been dug by ,jacob4 ,it brought the name of the head of all the tribes1 and the likeness of his mode of existence to their own1 before those who could read no letters1 and had little in their own thoughts to tell them that they were members of a chosen race4 ',jesus therefore1 being wearied with ,his journey1 sat thus on the well3 and it was about the sixth hour4 ,there cometh a woman of ,samaria to draw water3 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,give me to drink4 7,for ,his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat47' ,such a request from a weary and thirsty traveller would not commonly have been refused by a woman of ,palestine2 and certainly we have no reason to think1 from the ,gospels1 that a ,samaritan was likely to be less friendly or courteous than one of the ,southern people4 ,it is not probable that the woman meant to refuse4 ,but she thought she had a right1 on behalf of her country1 to trifle a little with the pride of a ,jew1 who1 in a difficulty1 would ask a favour of those whom he despised1 though he would not hold any intercourse with them1 or meet them upon fair terms4 ',how is it1' said she1 'that thou1 being a ,jew1 askest drink of me1 which am a woman of ,samaria8 ,for the ,jews have no dealings' 7do not traffic7 'with the ,samaritans4' ,that word1 'have no traffic or dealing1' seems to explain the first part of our ,lord's answer4 ',if thou knewest the ,,gift of ,god1 and who it is that saith to thee1 ,give me to drink1 thou wouldst have asked of ,him1 and ,he would have given thee living water4' ,she had come day after day to draw water at that well4 ,had she never known that that water was a gift of ,god8 ,had no thirst on a hot day1 or no failure of the spring1 taught her that8 ,was water a thing to traffic in8 ,did not she recollect that it was a man1 and not merely a ,jew1 who was saying1 ',give me to drink'8 ,did she never think of the gift of water as something very free and universal8 ,this lesson was contained in the opening of the sentence2 and the look and the voice of the ,stranger had1 perhaps1 already carried it home in some degree to the woman's conscience4 ,but the speech suddenly took another turn4 ,there might be an exchange of gifts here also4 ',if thou knewest who it is that saith to thee1 ,give me to drink1 thou wouldst have asked of ,him1 and ,he would have given thee living water4' ,the words conveyed no immediate sense to her mind as to the nature of the gift which was spoken of4 ,but her answer shows that the presence of the ,stranger had not been without its effect4 ,she speaks with less levity than before1 with something of doubt1 if not of awe1--',sir1 thou hast nothing to draw with1 and the well is deep3 whence then hast thou that living water8 ,art thou greater than our father ,jacob1 who gave us the well1 and drank of it himself1 and his children1 and his cattle8' ,i am far from supposing that this question indicates any suspicion in her mind that ,he was greater than their father1 or that ,he could know the country and where to find its secret springs as ,jacob did4 ,but that very reference to ,jacob showed that the feelings of the woman were becoming more serious than they had been4 ,the petty disputes of ,jews and ,samaritans were giving place to those remembrances of the past which make all common spots sacred1 and ennoble even the vulgarest minds4 ,her well1 that well at which she had so often filled her pitcher1 was the one out of which1 eighteen hundred years before1 the patriarch had drunk1 and his children1 and his cattle4 ,it was a step in her education1 a preparation for the words which follow4 ',jesus answered and said unto her1 ,whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again3 but whosoever drinketh of the water that ,i shall give him shall never thirst2 but the water that ,i shall give him1 shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life4' ,i do not say that our version of this passage is in itself an incorrect one2 nothing is harder than to find the most suitable equivalents for the words which are rendered here 'never' and 'everlasting3' but it would1 ,i conceive1 have been most desirable1 by some means or other1 to make the reader feel 7which scarcely any reader of our translation does feel7 that the two clauses answer to each other1--that 1 follows 'shall not thirst1' and that the adjective1 1 is that which qualifies 'life4' ,i shall make no further use of this observation1--for there is enough in this passage to occupy us without any reference to it2 but ,i could not pass it over because the word 'life1' which is the cardinal one of the passage1 and ,i might say of the dialogue1 must be considerably affected by that which accompanies it4 ,i am far more anxious1 however1 that you should consider how our ,lord describes the difference between the water of ,jacob's well and that which ,he would give4 ',the water which ,i shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life4' ,the woman had wondered where ,he would go to discover a fountain deeper and more abundant than that which ,jacob had bequeathed4 ,the answer is1 ',he that drinketh of this water shall thirst again4' ',he must come1 as you do1 to fetch water continually4 ,the supply of to-day will be no supply for to-morrow4 ,but what if each man should have the spring in himself8 ,what if it should be a spring ever renewed1 kept alive by ,him who first opened it8' ',a strange thought1' you will say1 'to set before an ignorant woman6 ,what could she understand about springs or fountains within8' ,very little at first1 if we believe the ,evangelist4 ,her reply is just what we might expect it to be4 ,she relapses into the sort of banter with which she had begun the conversation4 ,the gravity which she had exhibited for a moment has disappeared3 ',sir1 give me this water1 that ,i thirst not1 neither come hither to draw4' ,a sufficient proof1 most would say1 if they dared1 that this kind of mystical discourse was very little adapted to the comprehension of such a person as she was4 ,but1 my brethren1 if we say this1 we must say more4 ,we must say that the whole ,gospel of ,st4 ,john--the simplest1 as ,i have said already1 in language and construction1 of all the ,gospels1 that which ,luther was wont to designate the child's ,gospel--is unsuitable to simple people1 and must be reconstructed according to our notions of simplicity4 ,for that ,gospel begins from the principle that ,christ1 the living ,word of ,god1 is the life and light of men1 the life and light of all men4 ,if that is true1 it must have been the work of the ,son of ,man1 of the ,word made flesh1 to let all manner of people know that ,he was the source and spring of their life1--that apart from ,him they had none4 ,now1 life must be inward2 it cannot come to a man from the world which is about him4 ,that may be full of signs and tokens of the life he wants4 ,each well1 each drop of rain1 may testify of it4 ,but it must spring up within him4 ,whatever is enduring1 whatever he wants to satisfy the infinite thirst within him1 must be there4 ,you say1 an ignorant woman could not enter into such a mystery as this4 ,but there were mysteries that she could enter into4 ',jesus said unto her1 ,go1 call thy husband1 and come hither4' ,it was a curious and startling break in the conversation4 ,what had it to do with ,jacob's well1 or with the living water which she could not find there8 ,very much indeed4 ',the woman said1 ,i have no husband4 ,jesus answered and said1 ,thou hast well said1 ,i have no husband3 for thou hast had five husbands2 and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband3 in that saidst thou truly4' ,here were facts concerning her past and her present history2 here was a revelation of something that concerned her own very self4 ,with this there was no trifling4 ,it was not of ,jacob's well1 or of another well1 that the ,stranger was discoursing now4 ,he was speaking of her1--,he was telling her what she was4 ',in ,him was life1 and the life was the light of men4' ,she confessed it in her way1--',sir1 ,i perceive thou art a prophet4' ,all was not quite right with her2--,he knew it1 and ,he made her know it4 ,she had offended the ,power above1--perhaps ,he could tell her1 also1 how she might appease ,him4 ,her fathers might have taught her wrongly4 ,she would like to know4 ,she would rather like1 moreover1 to make the discourse more general1 less personal4 ,a wish for truth1 and a fear of it1 light and darkness1 in her1 as in all of us1 fought for the mastery4 ,she said1 ',our fathers worshipped in this mountain1'--this venerable ,gerizim1--'and ye say1 that in ,jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship4' ,whether or not she would have been ready at the bidding of a ,jewish prophet to repair her errors1 and earn the favour of ,god by giving up her ,samaritan faith1 and becoming a proselyte of the ,temple1 she had not perhaps asked herself2 how much she would have gained by the exchange1 our ,lord's words in another ,gospel1 about those who became proselytes from heathenism1 may partly tell us4 ,but ,he who had sat by the well did not ask this proof of her desire for reformation4 ',woman1' ,he said1 'believe me1 the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain1 nor yet at ,jerusalem1 worship the ,father4' ,all she had asked--all that most ,samaritans or ,jews would have disputed about--was where they ought to worship4 ,the thought upon which ,jesus fixes her mind1 is the ,being to be worshipped4 ,that new name1 which ,john said the ,son was come to reveal1 is now proclaimed in the ears of a separatist and a sinner4 ,he speaks not of the ,god of ,abraham1 and ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 but of the ,father4 ,such a name the woman might or might not have heard1 as one of the names of ,him who dwelt on ,gerizim4 ,at all events1 it would be but one of them--one that would be lost amidst the various titles by which ,he was invoked--carrying no special significance to the mind of the worshipper4 ,still1 far down in that mind there was that which responded to the word ,father1 which would awake up at the sound when it came from lips that felt all the power and reality of it4 ,she who had had five husbands1 had had a father4 ,to feel that the ,god of the distant hill had anything to do with that human relation1 was the dawn of a new day to her4 ,the sun was rising in her heart1 if there were ever so many clouds concealing it4 ,i have said that our ,lord was drawing the woman's thoughts from the place of worship to the object of worship4 ,he goes on1 in the next verse1 to tell her that ignorance of this object was the special ignorance of the ,samaritan3 ',ye worship ye know not what4' ,and then ,he introduces words that have startled many1 especially in this connexion3 ',we know what we worship2 for salvation is of the ,jews4' ',could ,he1' it has been asked1 'claim this dignity for ,his own nation1 at the very moment when ,he seemed to be breaking down all distinctions of nations8 ,and did the ,jew know what he worshipped8 ,did not ,jesus ,himself say1 ,ye know neither me nor the ,father8' ,i apprehend1 brethren1 that the assertion of this1 as the great calamity of the ,samaritan--that he knew not what he worshipped--is abundantly borne out by history4 ,it was in all times a country of superstitions1 the early home of ,baal-worshippers1 the later home of enchanters and fanatics1 and of sects putting forward pretensions to all kinds of spiritual powers1 appealing to great necessities in the human mind1 always leading it astray from its centre4 ,the hard1 cold ,jew was not half so much open to these impressions4 ,the sects in his land were dry and formal1 bound together by certain notions about the law4 ,becoming more and more selfish1 measuring everything by rules of profit and loss1 he grew at last to be a mere worshipper of ,mammon4 ,how was it possible1 then1 for him to know ,christ and the ,father8 ,but in his debasement1 he still preserved the shadow of the blessing which had been conferred upon his race1 and which his neighbour1 though freer and more open-minded1 had lost4 ,he still clung to a distinct object of adoration4 ,he was a protestant against the worship of spiritual phantasies4 ,this poor shadow showed what the substance was which the ,jew had inherited1 and which was his distinction among all nations4 ,salvation was to go forth from his land4 ,and salvation1 so our ,lord teaches us1 consists in knowing what we worship2 for that knowledge saves men from slavery to the world's idols1 and to the idols of their own hearts1 which is their great curse and misery4 ,but if this is salvation1 it could not be salvation to worship in the temple of ,jerusalem any more than in the temple of ,gerizim4 ,if this salvation was to go forth from the ,jews1 it could not be limited to them4 ,therefore ,he proceeds--',the hour cometh1 and now is1 when the true worshippers shall worship the ,father in spirit and in truth3 for the ,father seeketh such to worship ,him4' ,here was a proclamation which1 in a wonderful manner1 combined the truth that had been partially revealed to the ,samaritan1 and the truth which still subsisted1 though commonly hidden1 distorted1 even inverted1 among the ,jews4 ,the confused sense of a spiritual worship1 of men being spirits1 was that which gave the magicians among the ,samaritans all their power4 ,they did acknowledge some invisible presence and influence acting upon them1 and capable of producing wonderful effects1 though they did not know what they worshipped4 ,the ,jew bowed down before a ,being mightier than himself1 who could lay down laws for him1 who would execute those laws upon him4 ,but he turned that ,being into a selfish tyrant4 ,a double transformation6 ,the tyrant is revealed as a ,father4 ,the enchantments are supplanted by a ,spirit proceeding from that ,father1 a ,spirit of truth4 ,men are not to climb up to that ,father by their offerings on ,mount ,moriah or ,mount ,gerizim1 by their sacrifices or by their enchantments4 ,the ,father is seeking them4 ,he gives them ,his true ,spirit to make them true worshippers4 ,they must not wish to draw ,him down to them2 ,he would draw them up to ,him4 ',for ,god is a ,spirit3 and they that worship ,him must worship ,him in spirit and in truth4' ,in those first words there was1 as will be evident from what ,i have said1 much that was in harmony with ,samaritan feeling1--even with the feeling of an ordinary ,samaritan like this woman4 ,she had heard of spirits2 she thought more about spirits than a ,jew would have done4 ,she did not speculate about them1 but supposed that they might appear to her1 or have some influence over her4 ,but then came that other part of the sentence1 which went to the very root of the tricks and superstitions with which she and her countrymen were familiar2 'they that worship ,him must worship ,him in spirit and in truth4' ,the ,spirit of truth--that must enter into you1 that must govern you1 that must reform your life4 ,a message this meant for the universe1--going to the very root of all religion and all philosophy1 and yet bearing straight upon the conscience of that woman of ,sychar who had come to draw water at ,jacob's well4 ,perhaps there is nothing that strikes us more in this conversation1 which is so very direct and consistent in its purpose1 and yet which follows all the windings of the human heart1 beginning from ',give me to drink1' and ending with a revelation of the nature of ,god2 perhaps1 ,i say1 there is nothing more remarkable in it all than the result of it4 ,you expect to see the woman bowing before the mysterious ,foreigner1 expressing her astonishment at his high doctrine1 lamenting that she had spoken to ,him so uncourteously4 ,not at all4 ,she says1 ',i know that when ,messias cometh1 ,he shall tell us all things4' ',our people speak of ,one who is to be sent from ,god1 of a ,messias4 ,i suppose1 if these things are true about ,god being a ,spirit1 and about our having a ,spirit of truth1 ,he will tell us4 ,we shall know as much of these things as we can know4' ,evidently this part of the conversation has not yet taken hold of her4 ,the part about herself has4 ',the ,messias will tell us all things2 but this ,jew has told me of myself2 ,he has seen what ,i am4' ,and therefore1 when ,jesus answers1 ',i that speak unto thee am ,he1'--so making a more direct profession of ,his name and dignity to this ,samaritan than ,he had made in ,jerusalem1--,he surely meant to fix this impression on her mind3 ',yes1 this is the test of ,messiahship4 ,look for no other4 ,do not ask for some outward signs to tell you when ,he is coming1 or what ,he can do4 ,i that speak unto thee--,i that lay bare thy heart--am ,he4 ,that is the proof of my kingship over human beings2 that is the proof of my being sent from ,god4 ,i know what is in thee--the wrong of thy outward life1 the evil of thy inward life4 ,i know thy deepest necessities4 ,i know thy want of a new spring of life within1 of water of which thou mayest drink1 and not thirst again4 ,thou needest that4 ,all ,samaritans1 all ,jews1 all men and women who shall live1 all nations and generations to come1 will need it4 ,i can give it them4 ,for ,i can give them that ,spirit of truth which the ,father desires them to have1 that they may know ,him and worship ,him4' ,lord1 evermore give us this ,spirit1 that we thirst not1 nor seek to draw the water of life1 which is only in ,thee1 from the wells of earth6 ,,discourse ,x4 ,,the ,,rewards ,,of ,,labour1 ,,and ,,the ,,kinds ,,of ,,faith4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #b;d ,sunday after ,easter1 ,april #f1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,iv4 #dh4 ,then said ,jesus unto him1 ,except ye see signs and wonders1 ye will not believe4 ,distance of time is not always unfavourable to accurate recollection4 ,we often remember a friend's words better1 years after they were spoken1 than the next day2 because we understand them better1 because we see how one of them rose out of another4 ,so1 ,i imagine1 it must have been with the woman of ,sychar4 ,if she had repeated the dialogue with ,jesus to her neighbours1 as soon as she returned to her city1 she would probably have misrepresented it4 ,short as it was1 she would have mistaken words1 she would have changed the order of them4 ,a time will have come when she would be sure of what ,he had said1 and of what she had said1--when she could say confidently to those who were collecting ,his words1 ',this is what ,he told me--this1 and nothing else4' ,at first she seems to have been too full of one part of the ,stranger's speech to care about the rest4 ,she did not say1 ',i have received strange lessons from this ,jewish prophet about ,god being a ,spirit1 and about the water of life2' she expressed far more simply the effect of this speech upon her3 ',he told me all that ever ,i did4' ,was this exaggerated language8 ,at first we are inclined to say so2 then1 perhaps1 to justify her by resorting to some awkward hypothesis of our ,lord having said many things to her which the ,evangelist has omitted4 ,the experience and conscience of human beings justify her far better4 ,one who repeats to us all the passages of our history ever so accurately1 does not tell us all that ever we did4 ,a single flash of light may make the whole past visible to us1 and show us that it is our past4 ,thus was it with her4 ,her inmost self was revealed to the ,stranger4 ,and1 what was wonderful1 she did not wish to escape from ,his gaze4 ,awful as it was1 she was attracted1 not repelled by it4 ,she had the comfort1--the greatest almost that we can experience1--of feeling that she had no longer anything to hide1--that there was ,one who knew thoroughly all that was wrong and all that was right in her4 ,for ,jesus had given her a sense of there being a right in her which she had never had before4 ,she could not have explained how it came to pass2 she was an ignorant peasant2--but it was so4 ,the ,stranger's speech had raised her to a new level4 ,she had never seen the evil in herself as she had seen it now2 but she had never so much risen out of the evil4 ,when do we rise out of our evil but when the truth is told us1 and we like to hear it8 ,and therefore she said1 ',is not this the ,christ8' ',can it be any one else8 ,and must ,he not be the ,christ for you1 my fellow-citizens1 as ,he is for me8 ,must ,he not know all that you ever did1 as ,he knows all that ,i ever did8' ,it was the right sermon4 ,they acknowledged at once that it was such a ,christ they wanted2 not one who could tell them about all things in the world1 but who could tell them all things that ever they did4 ,he who had that power might or might not be such a ,christ as scribes and doctors talked of2 ,he might or might not have the marks by which they discerned the coming ,king and ,deliverer4 ,but ,he was the ,christ for poor people who hewed wood and drew water1 who were human beings1 and who had committed sins4 ,these were the proofs of ,his mission to them4 ,he must give these2 they asked no others4 ,the ,apostle could have been no ear-witness of the conversation with the woman4 ,but he describes with such vividness1 the impression made upon the disciples who returned when she was departing1 that it is difficult to suppose he was not one of them4 ',and upon this came ,his disciples1 and marvelled that ,he talked with the woman3 yet no man said1 ,what seekest ,thou8 or1 ,why talkest ,thou with her8' ,the sense of astonishment which they all felt1--the look which showed to each how the other was sharing it with him1 and yet the awe which restrained them from questioning ,him1--the confidence that ,he had some great purpose1 though they knew not what it was2 all this came back to the old man as clearly as if he were then by the well of ,sychar1 not amidst the merchandise of ,ephesus4 ,and so1 by a single instance1 he makes clearer to us than he could by a multitude of explanations1 what must have been continually in the minds of the disciples1 when they stood in that presence1 and heard words spoken and saw acts done which they could not sound with their plummets1 and which called forth faith in ,him because they could not4 ,but though this was so1 they had no dread of speaking to ,him about common earthly necessities4 ,they knew that ,he had sat down weary on the well2 they knew that ,he hungered and thirsted4 ,he had sent them to buy food1 and they could say1 ',master1 eat1' without any doubt that ,he would partake of it just as any of them did4 ,probably ,he took what they offered ,him1 even while ,he said1 ',i have meat to eat which ye know not of4' ,they had so little suspicion that ,he would ever work a miracle for ,his own support1--they were so inwardly certain that ,he would not1--that they said at once to each other1 ',hath any man brought ,him ought to eat8' ,no4 ,he had waited for their coming4 ,the ravens had carried no nourishment to ,him2 ,he had not commanded the stones to become bread4 ,there must have been a special joy1 an unwonted radiance in ,his face as ,he answered1 ',my meat is to do the will of ,him that sent me1 and to finish ,his work4' ,he had that spring of life within ,him1 of which ,he had spoken to the woman1 from which life might flow forth to her and to all4 ,and yet ,he speaks of it as not an original fountain1 even in ,him4 ,there was ,one from whom ,he was sent4 ,the satisfaction of doing ,his will1 of accomplishing his purpose1--this was ,his food2 this was the sustaining principle within ,him4 ,st4 ,john has taught us already1 and will teach us more completely hereafter1 that the relation of the ,son to a ,father1 with all the trust1 obedience1 communion which it implies1 is the subject of the new revelation4 ,to be doing the will of ,him that sent ,him1 to be in perfect sympathy with the will which is at the root of the universe1 to be fulfilling the purposes of this will1--this ,christ affirms to be meat to ,him in a double sense2 meat1 as that which keeps up the strength of the man--meat1 as that which gratifies and satisfies his desires4 ,one may feel there is great general force in such a sentiment as this2 but what is its special application to the story we are reading8 ,had ,his interview with the woman supplied ,him with what could be called meat in either of these senses8 ,what was there to sustain ,him1 what was there to delight ,him1 in her way of receiving ,his words8 ,the answer is given in the following passage3 ',say ye not1 ,there are yet four months1 and then cometh the harvest8 ,behold1 ,i say unto you1 ,lift up your eyes and look on the fields1 for they are white already unto the harvest4 ,and he that reapeth receiveth wages1 and gathereth fruit unto life eternal2 that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together4 ,and herein is that saying true1 ,one soweth1 and another reapeth4 ,i sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour3 other men laboured1 and ye are entered into their labours4' ,many who have gathered crowds about them1 who have produced a marked impression upon those crowds1 have said1 and said truly1 that such success was meat and drink to them4 ,if it did not feed their vanity1 but sustained them because it showed them they were doing ,god's will and finishing ,his work1 they may have understood something of ,christ's meaning4 ,but the secret food ,he partook of certainly came from no sudden success that followed ,his words4 ,first1 ,he met with a woman who had in general answered ,him with levity2 then a few people of her own rank came at her call4 ,how little would such honours satisfy the ambition of some eloquent disciple of ,christ1 who has the power of influencing thousands6 ,could it satisfy ,him who came to found a kingdom of which there was to be no end8 ,yes2 for in these first sheaves ,he could see the certain pledges of a nation's1 of a world's1 ingathering4 ,the corn-fields which the disciples saw about them would not be reaped for four months2 yet the harvest would appear1 because the seed had been sown4 ,these men whom ,he saw coming showed ,him that the other harvest was nearer still4 ,the fields were white already for that harvest2 the disciples themselves would be reapers in it4 ,he had sent them1 and they would receive the wages of reapers4 ,what wages8 ,he had already told them that ,his own wages were to do the will of ,god1 and to finish ,his work4 ,did they want better8 ,they would gather in fruit1--the fruit of all ,his work and travail1 of all ,god's revelations of ,himself from age to age1 of all the toil of patriarchs1 kings1 prophets4 ,these had laboured1--they were entering into their labours4 ,they were come in at the end of a period when all things were hastening to their consummation4 ,they would have the reward which all these men had longed for1--the reward of seeing ,god's full revelation of ,himself1 of opening the spring of eternal life of which all might drink together4 ,the divisions of time had nothing to do with an eternal blessing4 ,the sower and the reaper would rejoice together4 ,why might not ,jacob1 who had given the well1 and the newest ,samaritan convert who drank of it1 share in those pleasures which are at the right hand of ,him1 who is1 and was1 and is to come8 ,i have only given you a hint or two which may assist you in tracing out the sense of these great words4 ,the ,apostles did not enter into them for many years1--not till they had begun to reap the harvest of which ,he spoke1 not till they had learnt that some of the wages of the reapers were persecution and disappointment4 ,so they understood by degrees how unsatisfactory all promises were but those which ,he had given them2 how miserable a thing it was to hope for any reward but that which had been and is ,his reward4 ,i suppose we must be trained to understand ,christ's doctrine in the same school4 ,till we have been under ,his discipline we shall have the temper of hirelings1 counting ,his work a hardship1 expecting to be paid hereafter for consenting to do it4 ,or else we shall look for instant harvests1--for mighty effects to follow at once from the things that we speak1--for those fruits which least manifest the calm1 patient1 loving will of ,god1 and therefore bring no true and inward satisfaction to the spirit of a man4 ,we must learn to see in the seed that same eternal life which is in the perfect flower and fruit--to believe that ,god will bring the one out of the other2 otherwise we shall have much excitement and much weariness1 but no food which can support us1 no joy which will connect us with the ages that are past and the ages to come4 ,that will not be given to us till we see1 in ,god's revelation of ,himself to one sinner1 the token of ,his love to the world4 ,the whole doctrine concerning the rewards for obedience1 which has been the subject of so many wearisome folios by philosophers and divines1 is contained1 ,i think1 in these eight verses1 and may be drawn out of them for daily use by any who think that the ,apostle has a higher wisdom than can be found in his commentators1 or in their own speculations4 ,the remainder of the chapter contains1 in a form as simple and as available1 the solution of another problem which has exercised the wits of schoolmen and the hearts of wayfarers4 ,who has not been tormented with questions and answers about the nature1 conditions1 kinds1 of belief1--about the force of testimony which produces it1--about the organ which exercises it1--about the security or the insecurity of the person who has it or who wants it8 ,on all these points ,st4 ,john gives us no dissertations4 ,but he tells us a short story about certain ,samaritans1 and then another rather longer story about a certain ,galilan1 which ,i think may supply the place of many dissertations4 ,the first is contained in these verses3 ',and many of the ,samaritans of that city believed on ,him for the saying of the woman1 which testified1 ,he told me all that ever ,i did4 ,so when the ,samaritans were come unto ,him1 they besought ,him that ,he would tarry with them3 and ,he abode there two days4 ,and many more believed because of ,his own word1 and said unto the woman1 ,now we believe1 not because of thy saying1 for we have heard ,him ourselves1 and know that this is indeed the ,christ1 the ,saviour of the world4' ,suppose this was translated into school phraseology about implicit and explicit faith1--suppose each of these terms was laboriously explained1--all the different opinions of ,fathers1 ,medival ,doctors1 ,reforming ,doctors1 ,modern ,doctors respecting each compared1 weighed1 adjusted1--how much learning we should possess6 how much the ,apostle's doctrine would expand in our hands1--how much we should expand in our own estimation6 ,but supposing we had actually to find out what belief is in our own case1 to trace the history of its progress1 how thankful we should be to any one who would translate back the learned language into the language of the ,gospel1 who would let us hear what these ,samaritans--vulgar people of our own flesh and blood--said about their belief and its growth6 ,the first stage of it we have considered already4 ,what the woman told them had a great effect upon their minds1 because she spake of what she knew1 and not of what she did not know4 ,if she had said1 ',he explained the prophecies to me1'--who would have cared8 ,what judge was she of the prophecies1 and what judges would they be8 ,if she had said1 ',he wrought a miracle in my sight1'--there had been enchanters enough among them1 who had imposed upon much wiser people than she was4 ,her fellow-citizens1 if they were not very curious1 would not have deserted their common business for such an announcement as that4 ,but1 ',he told me all that ever ,i did2' then she spoke from her experience4 ,whether she were wise or silly1 a good woman or a bad1 that was worth listening to2 there were signs of truth about that4 ,they came and heard ,him themselves4 ,and then ,he told each of them what he had done1 showed him to himself1 made him feel that he was in the presence of a ,light4 ,the ,light entered into the separate hearts1 and showed them their dark passages4 ,and yet it was a common ,light2 it gave them a sense of fellowship they had never had before2 it gave them a sense of being men1 which they had never had before4 ,and1 moreover1 it was a ,light which scattered confusions1 ignorances1 falsehoods1 that had been dwelling undisturbed within them1 or that had only been disturbed by what they felt must have been a ray of this same ,light4 ,and therefore1 without asking the opinion of any wise man whatsoever1 these bold peasants said out frankly and broadly1 ',we have heard ,him ourselves1 and know that this is indeed the ,christ1 the ,saviour of the world4' ,i cannot tell whether this faith of the ,samaritans is what one class of modern divines would call saving faith4 ,i should imagine not4 ,for these poor men said they knew ,jesus to be the ,saviour of the world2 and it seems to be put forward as the characteristic of saving faith1 that men should believe a ,saviour for themselves who is not a ,saviour for the world4 ,and1 certainly1 their belief had not that groundwork which another class of divines tells us is the only one upon which the claims of a ,christ can rest4 ,he had done no sign or wonder before them2 ,he had only discoursed with them4 ,on this topic1 that other story to which ,i alluded may possibly throw some light4 ,it is introduced by the words1 ',now after two days ,he departed thence1 and went into ,galilee4' ,he was going into ,galilee before4 ,a strange reason is given for ,his spending so short a time among the people who had met ,him so cordially4 ',for ,jesus ,himself testified1 that a prophet hath no honour in his own country4' ,he did not count it good to stay where ,he had honour4 ,the ,galilans were ,his kinsfolk and neighbours1 bound to ,him by human1 and therefore by divine1 ties4 ,there was the token that ,he was to labour among them4 ,more respect ,he might find elsewhere1--that was not what ,he came into the world to look for4 ,his followers often judge differently about this matter4 ,it may be that here1 as elsewhere1 we should act more safely if we thought that ,he had left us an example that we should walk in ,his footsteps4 ',then when ,he was come into ,galilee1 the ,galilans received ,him1 having seen all the things that ,he did at ,jerusalem at the feast3 for they also went unto the feast4' ,they had1 then1 what we are wont to regard as the right foundation of faith2 they had the outward evidence1 while the ,samaritans were only receiving ,him on the testimony of their consciences4 ',so ,jesus came again into ,cana of ,galilee1 where ,he made the water wine4 ,and there was a certain nobleman1'--7a person1 probably1 belonging to the household of ,herod ,antipas17--'whose son was sick at ,capernaum4 ,when he heard that ,jesus was come out of ,judea into ,galilee1 he went unto ,him1 and besought ,him that ,he would come down1 and heal his son4 ,then said ,jesus unto him1 ,except ye see signs and wonders1 ye will not believe4' ,apparently ,his judgment of these two kinds of belief was different from ours4 ,that which we think weak and groundless1 caused ,him inward joy4 ,it was meat upon which ,he could sustain ,himself2 it showed ,him that the ,samaritan fields were white already to the harvest4 ,on the contrary1 that stable belief1 which rested upon signs and wonders1 gave ,him little pleasure2 rather it called forth a rebuke4 ,the nobleman did not answer the rebuke3 ',he saith unto ,him1 ,sir1 come down ere my child die4' ,this was not the response of a man's conscience to one who had discovered his evil4 ,it was not the kind of trust of the ,samaritan woman or the ,samaritan man2 but it was good honest trust1 nevertheless4 ,if the nobleman had been hitherto a mere observer of signs1 he was now something more4 ,he was a parent seeking help for his boy4 ,he was a man who1 in the sight and under the pressure of death1 turns to ,one who can give life4 ,jesus at once confesses the change which ,his own discipline has wrought in him4 ',he saith unto him1 ,go thy way2 thy son liveth4 ,and the man believed the word that ,jesus had spoken unto him1 and he went his way4' ,two steps we have traced in the history of his mind4 ,a third remains4 ',as he was now going down1 his servants met him1 and told him1 saying1 ,thy son liveth4 ,then enquired he of them the time when he began to amend4 ,and they said unto him1 ,yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him4 ,so the father knew that it was at the same hour in the which ,jesus said unto him1 ,thy son liveth3 and himself believed1 and his whole house4' ,here we have1 no doubt1 the account of a sign1 and of its effect upon the persons toward whom it was exhibited4 ,st4 ,john himself connects it with the sign in ,cana of ,galilee4 ,he appears to wish that we should regard both as specimens of ,galilan signs in distinction from ,jerusalem signs4 ,we may1 therefore1 apply here the principles which we discovered with reference to the marriage-feast4 ,there it seemed that the lesson which was taught belonged to all marriage-feasts1--to all the outward signs of life and joy1--to those mysterious powers by which1 in any country or in any age1 physical transformations are effected4 ,in this one instance ,jesus was revealed as giving the blessing which seals the marriage-vow1 wherever it is made1--as everywhere the ,inspirer of gladness1--as ruling all the energies of nature4 ,the circumstances in the ,capernaum story are much changed2 it touches more nearly on the funeral than on the bridal4 ,but in one1 as much as in the other1 ,christ is revealed as the ,word of ,life4 ,in one1 as much as in the other1 human relationships are beautified and hallowed by ,christ2 the relation of the husband there1 of the father here4 ,one1 as much as the other1 applies to ,england as well as to ,galilee4 ,and what was said there of the faith that followed the sign1 is even more strikingly developed here4 ',he manifested forth ,his glory1 and ,his disciples'--those who had already confessed ,him to be the ,christ upon another ground--'believed in ,him4' ,it was a discovery to them of ,his inward power4 ,it deepened a conviction that had been imparted to them already4 ,the ,capernaum nobleman had already believed in ,christ1 with the belief of one who wants help1 and thinks he has found the person who is able and willing to bestow it4 ,the sign unfolds that faith1 and makes it more profound4 ,the man becomes not more a seeker of marvels1 but less4 ,he desires no longer1 casual1 flitting exercises of power2 he bows to power as inward1 continual1 moral4 ,he is always in the presence of ,him who spoke the word at the seventh hour4 ,at every moment1 he and his son and all his household are receiving fresh life from ,him4 ,to know ,him1 to be in fellowship with ,him1 to be doing ,his will--which is the will of ,him who sent ,him3 this he finds to be eternal life4 ,,discourse ,,xi4 ,,the ,,pool ,,of ,,bethesda4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #c;d ,sunday after ,easter1 ,april #ac1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,v4 #af-ah4 ,and therefore did the ,jews persecute ,jesus1 because ,he had done these things on the sabbath-day4 ,but ,jesus answered them1 ,my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work4 ,therefore the ,jews sought the more to kill ,him1 because ,he had not only broken the sabbath1 but said also that ,god was his ,father1 making ,himself equal with ,god4 ,the scene changes again at the opening of this chapter4 ',after these things there was a feast of the ,jews2 and ,jesus went up to ,jerusalem4' ,what feast it was1 the harmonists may settle2 as ,st4 ,john has not told us1 ,i am content to dwell upon the fact1 which he evidently thought of great importance1 that ,jesus did go up to the feasts1 and that ,his acts had a special reference to the state of mind which ,he found among the inhabitants of the capital2 above all1 among its religious teachers4 ',now there is at ,jerusalem1 by the sheep-market1 a pool which is called in the ,hebrew tongue ,bethesda1 having five porches4' ,jerusalem might or might not have been compassed with ,roman armies when ,st4 ,john wrote4 ,i do not know that its independence or its capture would affect the position of the pool or the sheep-market2 they might be still just what they had been when the ,apostle knew them4 ,perhaps the pool was no longer visited as in former days2 perhaps the tradition of its virtues still drew to it people from the country round4 ,at all events1 the sight which had been before his eyes thirty or forty years before1 was not one which he would forget4 ,it is not one which we need much effort of imagination to bring before ourselves4 ',in these' porches 'lay a multitude of sick folk1 of blind1 halt1 withered1 waiting for the moving of the waters4' ,if we look at the separate figures in the picture1 they belong as much to the ,west as to the ,east--to the nineteenth century as to the first4 ,nor can any frequenters of an ,english or ,german spa consider the motive which brought together so many of different ages and with different ailments1 a strange or an obsolete one4 ,even the notion that at certain times the water would possess a virtue which at other times it would want1 may be justified by modern experience1 perhaps may be explained by modern science4 ,but experience and science1 it will be said1 are both set at nought by the announcement in the next verse3 ',for an angel went down at a certain season1 and troubled the water3 whosoever1 therefore1 first after the troubling of the water stepped in1 was made whole of whatsoever disease he had4' ,here a reason is given for the virtues of the pool2--not1 it will be said1 a medical reason2 not one which can connect the waters of this pool with those which intelligent people frequent for qualities which are1 on fair evidence1 known or believed to be in them2--but rather one which connects them with the holy wells which in the villages of ,england1 ,wales1 and ,ireland1 are supposed to have received a blessing from some local saint4 ,to find ,st4 ,john adopting or endorsing such legends1 causes no pain to those who assume him and his brother ,apostles to be the propagators of superstition2 ignorant ,jews1 who were steeped in all the prejudices of their countrymen1 and who added to them some of their own invention4 ,there are some who1 with a general respect for him and them1 can yet give him credit for following the traditions of his country when they were ever so vulgar and false2 excusing him on the plea that he knew nothing of physics1 and that his business was not with them4 ,there are men of a better and nobler stamp1 who1 though they do not claim for him any acquaintance with natural science1 yet are sure that he lived to scatter delusions1 not to foster them2 and that he would not have been permitted by the ,spirit of truth to claim for lies the name of ,him who came to bear witness of the truth4 ,i do not wonder that some of these honest and earnest men should have been able to persuade themselves that the verse ,i have just quoted has nothing to do with the general narrative of the cure at ,bethesda2 but has crept into the text from the gloss of some writer who understood ,jewish opinions1 not the mind of ,st4 ,john4 ,i respect the motives of these interpreters1 but ,i think their conclusion is a rash and a wrong one4 ,i am convinced that the words which they would omit are a vital part of the narrative1 and that our ,lord's act loses very much of its meaning if we overlook them4 ,i am equally convinced that these words contradict no truth of science2 that1 if taken by themselves1 they do not meddle with it1 and are only supposed to meddle with it through a logical confusion1 from which1 for the sake of science and of our own intellectual clearness1 it is well that we should be delivered2 that1 if taken in conjunction with the whole story1 they help to scatter a superstition which was very injurious to the ,jewish people1 and is equally injurious to people in this day4 ,what ,st4 ,john affirms is1 that a certain invisible angel or minister--an intelligence1 as we are wont to speak--was the instrument of making the water of the ,pool of ,bethesda beneficial to the persons who went down into it4 ,he accounts1 in this way1 for its operation being more useful at one time than another4 ,that assertion1 you say1 interferes with the doctrine that there were certain properties in the water itself which affected the condition of human beings4 ,how does it interfere8 ,you hold that the vaccine matter has in itself the property of counteracting the virus of the small-pox4 ,but you hold also that the intelligence of ,jenner had something to do with making this vaccine matter available for the actual cure of patients afflicted by the small-pox2 you hold that the intelligence of different medical men has something to do with bringing the preventive power to bear on particular cases4 ,you know this for a fact2 but physical science tells you nothing of the way in which the intelligence cooperates with the natural agent4 ,the notion that it does is an excusable fallacy2 yet it is a fallacy4 ,in no instance whatever can the mere study of physics help you to determine anything respecting moral or intellectual forces2 though at every turn the study of physics compels you to the acknowledgment of such forces4 ,it will save us from innumerable confusions1 if we take this proposition in the length and breadth of it4 ,through neglect of it1 the physician and the metaphysician are perpetually stumbling against each other1 when they might be the greatest helpers to each other4 ,but1 it will be said1 that notion of an angel which connects it with the intelligence in a man1 is a modern one1 not the one which we should naturally derive from the ,old ,testament4 ,i think1 if we study those passages in the ,old ,testament which refer to angels1 we shall find that it is exactly this notion which is the result of them1 and that any other is a modern one1 either derived directly from heathen sources1 or from a mixture of heathen feelings with the lore of the ,new ,testament4 ,in the patriarchal times1 we hear of angels appearing to ,abraham to tell him of blessings which were coming upon his descendants2 of angels seen by ,jacob in a vision1 of one who wrestled with him till the break of day4 ,the stories leave upon us the impression that there are beings who minister to the unseen ,lord of the whole earth2 who are interested in the well-doing of men2 who are different from men1 but not so different as to be incapable of converse with them--not so different that they may not present themselves even to the human senses4 ,the effect of those visions and revelations was to take away from the old shepherds the feeling that they were merely surrounded by natural forms or by animal existences which were beneath them2 that there was a world near them1 though not visible to them1 which might have fellowship with them1 and which elevated them above their flocks and herds4 ,in the next age1--the age of legal and national life1--there are intimations of an angel going with the people through the wilderness2 angels admonish warriors that they should be courageous in fighting the battles of the ,lord2 angels remind the people of their departures from the law of ,god2 angels arouse humble men to deliver their people from idolatry and from slavery4 ,here the lessons respecting the nature and work of angels are not changed1 but expanded4 ,these messengers communicate more with the spirit of men1 present themselves more rarely to the eye4 ,they are witnesses of a permanent divine order1 belonging not to the individuals to whom they come1 but to their race2 of an order from which they have departed1 and into which it is the ,divine will that they should be brought back4 ,in the regal period1 the war or the pestilence1--the direction of natural agencies to the punishment of human crime1--is referred to angels4 ,the effect of this teaching upon the thoughtful ,jew was1 that he could never suppose himself the mere sport of outward influences of earth1 or of air1 or of fire4 ,all these had a purpose2 all were directed by the wisdom of ,him who had entered into covenant with the nation4 ,in the ,book of ,psalms1 which illustrates this period1 ,he is said to 'make ,his angels spirits1 ,his ministers a flame of fire4' ,all natural powers are felt to be angels of ,god1 because they are under the direction of an intelligent and righteous ,ruler4 ,in the ,books of the ,prophets1 before the captivity1 the angel is not lost sight of2 but the ,word of ,god who comes to the ,prophet1 more and more gathers up all powers and ministries into ,himself1 while the human teacher to whom he speaks is himself treated as a messenger of the ,most ,high1--as no less ,his angel than any creature who has not the weeds of mortality4 ,in the ,prophets1 after the captivity1 new functions are assigned to angels4 ,they watch over different lands2 provinces of the earth are committed to them by the ,lord of all2--it is hinted that some of them may have failed in their trust1 as human sovereigns fail in theirs4 ,these lessons seem especially appropriate to the time when the ,jew was to feel his connexion with other nations1 and to find that each of them supposed itself to be governed by some divine king or demigod4 ,is not the doctrine of this chapter entirely consistent with the lessons which ,st4 ,john had learnt from his fathers8 ,those lessons1 ,i have urged1 can neither be confuted nor confirmed by physical science4 ,but the analogy which we derive from our ordinary experience is all in favour of them4 ,it is a shock to the conscience and reason of man to feel that he is indebted to moral agents1--to spiritual agents1--in a very great degree1 for the health and comfort which he enjoys here2 but that the whole world which lies beyond his ken is only peopled with physical forces which act upon him blindly and care nothing for him4 ,men never have been able to persuade themselves of this4 ,the people have always held the opposite faith4 ,surely it is time to ask ourselves whether that faith must be merely set at nought1--whether its manifest falsehoods and mistakes do not conceal precious truths1--whether those truths can be at variance with any others1--whether we are not bound to bring them into light1 as the only means of dislodging the errors to which they have given countenance1 and also of overthrowing some of those idols of the cave which the student worships no less ignominiously than the multitude worships the idols of the market-place8 ,i believe ,st4 ,john tells us how his ,master did this work at the ,pool of ,bethesda3 ',a certain man was there which had had an infirmity thirty and eight years4 ,when ,jesus saw him lie1 and knew that he had been now a long time in that case1 ,he saith unto him1 ,wilt thou be made whole8 ,the impotent man answered ,him1 ,sir1 ,i have no man1 when the water is troubled1 to put me into the pool3 but while ,i am coming1 another steppeth down before me4 ,jesus saith to him1 ,rise1 take up thy bed1 and walk4 ,and immediately the man was made whole1 and took up his bed and walked4' ,this was a sign indeed1--a sign addressed to a man who had been waiting day after day1 perhaps year after year1 for some outward accident to make him well1--that health and disease are dependent upon no accidents2 that the power of life is an inward power2 that there is ,one in whom it dwells2 that ,he in whom it dwells is near to the weakest1 the most helpless1 even the most sinful4 ,it would seem1 from the words which our ,lord spoke to this man afterwards1 ',go1 and sin no more1 lest a worse thing come upon thee1' as if ,he had selected a man in whom all these conditions met1 who was the oldest and most powerless of all the sufferers there1 and had brought the sufferings upon himself by his misdoings4 ,the demonstration1 therefore1 was complete4 ,men--the very lowest men--are not the dependants upon outward things1 no1 nor upon the visitations of angels4 ,such visitations may be appointed2 but there is ,one who has a right to call ,himself a ,son--,one in whom the mind and purpose of the ,lord of angels is expressed--,one who fulfils1 not occasionally but continually1 ,his purposes of health and restoration to men--,one who is the ,son of ,man--who has sympathy with men1 and can take away their infirmities1 because ,he knows them1 enters into them1 suffers them4 ,thus this cure is bringing us to the point to which ,st4 ,john has been bringing us in all the previous passages of his ,gospel4 ,this sign at the ,pool of ,bethesda1 like all the other signs we have been considering1 reveals to us the ,word who is the ,source of life and health to all creatures4 ,we are led from the messenger1 visible or invisible1 to ,him who was with ,god and was ,god4 ,we are led from the mere friends or helpers of man to that ,word made flesh1 the ,son of ,man4 ,we are led finally to a ,son who has come to reveal a ,father4 ,i have chosen my text from the latter part of the chapter1 because it brings this subject so directly before us1 and because ,i believe that in doing so it gives us the real moral and explanation of the narrative of which ,i have just been speaking4 ,two cures are recorded by ,st4 ,john as done by our ,lord in the city of ,jerusalem3 one is that at the ,pool of ,bethesda2 the other1 that of the blind man at the ,pool of ,siloam4 ,they are very different in their incidents and their object3 the latter we shall have to consider attentively hereafter4 ,but they have this in common1--both were wrought on the ,sabbath-day4 ,in both cases1 ,st4 ,john fixes our thoughts upon this point2 in both1 this circumstance is the cause of the bitterest indignation against ,jesus2 here it is said to be the motive of a conspiracy against him4 ',immediately the man was made whole1 and took up his bed1 and walked3 and on the same day was the sabbath4 ,the ,jews therefore said unto him that was cured1 ,it is the sabbath-day3 it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed4 ,he answered them1 ,he that made me whole1 the same said unto me1 ,take up thy bed1 and walk4 ,then asked they him1 ,what man is that which said unto thee1 ,take up thy bed1 and walk8 ,and he that was healed wist not who it was3 for ,jesus had conveyed ,himself away1 a multitude being in that place4 ,afterward ,jesus findeth him in the temple1 and said unto him1 ,behold1 thou art made whole3 sin no more1 lest a worse thing come unto thee4 ,the man departed1 and told the ,jews that it was ,jesus which had made him whole4 ,and therefore did the ,jews persecute ,jesus1 and sought to slay ,him1 because ,he had done these things on the sabbath-day4 ,but ,jesus answered them1 ,my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work4 ,therefore the ,jews sought the more to kill ,him because ,he not only had broken the sabbath1 but said also that ,god was ,his ,father1 making ,himself equal with ,god4' ,two points present themselves to us here1 and demand some earnest consideration4 ,the first is1 ,why should the ,sabbath-day have been especially chosen by our ,lord for these acts of healing8 ,the second is1 ,what connexion was there in the ,jewish mind1 or in our ,lord's own words1 between the charge of breaking the ,sabbath and the charge of calling ,god ,his ,father8 ,the belief in angels had a good effect upon the people of the ,jews1 in so far as it led them to believe that the ,most ,high cared for them individually as well as nationally1--that ,he ,himself1 and not some outward thing1 was the ,author of their blessings1 the ,restorer of their health4 ,it was perverted to a bad use by the people1 in so far as it led them to depend upon accidental interferences1 not upon a continual living ,helper4 ,how ,christ's sign brought out the good1 counteracted the evil1 of this faith1 ,i have endeavoured to show you4 ,but the belief of angels and spirits1 which distinguished the ,pharisees from the opposing sect1 had most of the mischief1 little of the truth1 which clung to it among the crowd whom they despised4 ,the tenet1 that angels had interfered and might interfere1 did not make them think that ,god was concerned for ,his creatures1--that ,he loved them4 ,it only suggested the thought that there were certain persons and certain places that might receive favours which were withheld from others4 ,it did not bring them to believe that any union between ,god and man existed or was possible4 ,rather angels were the dispensers of those laws1 and the executors of those punishments1 which marked the separation between ,god and ,his creatures1 and the wrath of ,god against them4 ,god was the ,author of statutes which had been written in tables of stone1 and could not be changed4 ,god was the ,judge and ,condemner of those who broke these statutes4 ,god might dispense with the punctual fulfilment of them1 or accept sacrifices as a compensation for the breach of them1 in the case of ,his favourites4 ,but one claim to be such favourites would be the rigorous enforcement of them1 as ,his commandments1 against the nation generally1 and the ignorant1 miserable1 sinful portion of it particularly4 ,was not this zeal for the laws and ordinances of the ,most ,high a good zeal8 ,did not ,christ come to fulfil the law8--did ,he wish to set it aside8 ,consider1 my brethren1 what the law was4 ,i do not speak of any spiritual interpretation of it2 ,i refer merely to the letter of the ,ten ,commandments4 ,they begin with these words1 ',i am the ,lord thy ,god1 which brought thee out of the house of bondage4' ,the zeal of the ,pharisees for the law of ,god forgot this foundation of the law altogether4 ,they did not tell the ,israelite that the ,lord was his ,god2 they did not proclaim the ,lord as a ,deliverer from bondage1 but as the ,author of bondage4 ,therefore1 every commandment was denied in its very essence4 ,the first said1 ',thou shalt worship the ,lord1'--that is1 the ,lord the ,deliverer1 the ,lord thy ,god1--'and ,him only shalt thou serve4' ,but the ,pharisee worshipped any god rather than this only ,god2 worshipped a god who was directly the reverse of this only ,god4 ,everything in heaven or earth or under the earth--money1 the meanest thing of all--was more an object of worship to him than this only ,god4 ,he could not help taking ,his name in vain4 ,every time he pronounced it he took it in vain2 he substituted another name for that of the only ,god2 he cherished another name in his heart4 ,but then came the command to keep the ,sabbath-day4 ,here1 at all events1 he could be strict to the letter2 that he could keep as ,god had wished it to be kept4 ,what6 when that commandment says1 ',man shall rest because ,god rests2 man shall work because ,god works8' ,what6 when the commandment announced the ,sabbath-day as a blessing to the man-servant1 and the maid-servant1 and the cattle8 ,a ,pharisee construe this commandment literally8 ,a ,pharisee keep this commandment strictly8 ,impossible4 ,there was none which he must distort more1 in which he must suppress more vital words1 which he must more habitually disobey4 ,the denial of the sentence which introduces the commandments--the determination to regard the ,lord as a forger of chains1 when ,he declares ,himself to be the breaker of them--necessarily led to a greater and grosser violation of this statute and ordinance of the ,lord than of all the rest4 ,and yet there were obvious reasons why the ,pharisee should take his stand on the fourth commandment rather than on any other4 ,as our ,lord tells him elsewhere1 he made it part of his religion to set aside the honour of fathers and mothers4 ,to bear false witness against a neighbour1 if he was not a religious man1 not one of their sect1 was a merit rather than a crime4 ,covetousness is spoken of in the ,gospels as the very principle of their acts towards men and towards ,god4 ,and--without inquiring how far they were guilty of secret treasons against life1 against marriage1 against property--since the enforcing of punishments on open crimes1 which disturbed the peace of society1 was taken out of their hands1 there was no way left them of signalizing their care for what they called ,god's law and ,god's honour1 but by a pitiless rigour in enforcing the customs and traditions which had connected themselves with the ,sabbath-day1 the reason and the purpose of the day having been forgotten4 ,here was the ground which the ,jewish teachers had chosen for the exhibition of their morality and religion2 it was on this ground that ,jesus encountered them4 ,to the first question1 then1 ,i answer1 that ,he selected the ,sabbath-day above other days for healing the sick1 because ,he came to vindicate the law and make it honourable2 because it had been made dishonourable1 and the whole sense of it destroyed1 by the notion of the ,pharisees that it proceeded from an arbitrary ,being1 who had made it to coerce ,his creatures1 and not from a loving ,being who had formed them in ,his image1 and desired that they should be sharers of ,his blessedness2 because1 unless the day of the rest could be reclaimed from their perversions1 and restored to its right place and dignity in ,god's gracious economy1 the law never could be a schoolmaster to bring men to ,christ the ,son of ,man1 but must always be a hard taskmaster to keep them from ,him4 ,it was not a single point of truth which was involved in this controversy--least of all the question1 whether a commandment might be relaxed in one particular4 ,the whole truth of the old covenant was involved in it2 the whole life and work of the ,son of ,man was involved in it2 the purpose for which the ,son of ,god had taken flesh was involved in it4 ,the other ,evangelists make these assertions sufficiently clear4 ,they tell us how ,christ claimed to be the ,lord of the ,sabbath1 because 'the sabbath was made for man2' and1 because ,he was the ',son of ,man2' how ,he was more angered at the hardness of heart which displayed itself in the apparent zeal of the ,pharisees for the ,sabbath1 than at all their other exhibitions of the same hardness2 how the ,jewish rulers met ,his divine anger with theirs1 and decided that the only adequate answer to the demand1 ',is it right to do good on the sabbath-day1 or to do evil8' must be a conspiracy to put ,him to death4 ,st4 ,john could not say more on these points4 ,but there was a subject which it was his especial office to handle4 ,he shows us how ,jesus made the defence of the fourth commandment1 in its letter and its spirit1 a means of asserting ,his own relation to ,god4 ',my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work4' ,man was bidden to work because ,god worked4 ,had ,,god ceased to work1 then1 on the day of rest8 ,was ,he not nourishing the earth1 and causing it to bring forth and bud on that day8 ,was ,he suspending ,his labours for ,his creatures on that day8 ,the argument1 like those about the ox and the ass falling into the pit1 was broad1 simple1 direct2 one of those which men who have lost their life1 their humanity1 their godliness1 in their books1 are tormented by hearing2 one which opens the deepest abysses of thought and consolation to those who are seeking for a living ,god1 for a ,father of their spirits4 ,but such seekers cannot be content with a command to work because ,god works1 to rest because ,god rests1--they must know how the command can be obeyed4 ,they must know on what foundation the command stands4 ,if there is a ,son of ,man who can say1 ',i work because ,he works2 ,i do as my ,father does2' ,he may give the sons of men power to work and power to rest4 ,his union to them and to ,god is the foundation of both4 ,i have replied1 then1 to our second question as well as to the first4 ,i have showed you how the act by which ,christ1 in the judgment of the ,jews1 broke the ,sabbath-day1 naturally led to what was in their judgment an act of blasphemy4 ,it was not that ,he dispensed with a law of ,god because ,he was the ,son of ,god4 ,it was not that ,he put a new sense into the law of ,god because ,he was the ,son of ,god4 ,it was that ,he could interpret the law of ,god fully4 ,it was that ,he could accomplish the law fully4 ,it was that ,he could unfold the ,gospel which was hidden in the law4 ,it was that ,he could show in what ,god's rest consists1 by showing in what ,his own rest consisted2 what ,god's work was1 by the works which ,he did ,himself in the might of ,god's ,spirit4 ,and thus1 by one sign1 ,he declared that men are not the servants of angels1 and that they are the children of a ,father4 ,o brethren1 may those to whom ,god has given a better and a nobler ,sabbath1 which commemorates ,god's rest in the risen ,son of ,man and ,son of ,god1 never forget the truth which ,he taught the ,jewish people respecting their ,sabbath1 or repeat the ,jewish sin by making it a mere legal day instead of ,his day6 ,,discourse ,,xii4 ,,the ,,son ,,doing ,,the ,,father',s ,,work4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #dth ,sunday after ,easter1 ,april #bj1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,v4 #dc4 ,i am come in my ,father's name1 and ye receive me not3 if another shall come in his own name1 him ye will receive4 ,i spoke to you last week upon these words1--',therefore the ,jews sought to kill ,jesus1 because ,he not only had broken the sabbath1 but said also that ,god was ,his ,father1 making ,himself equal with ,god4' ,i tried to ascertain what connexion there was in their minds between these two offences2 ,i tried also to show you how their feelings respecting the ,sabbath-day were involved in their general feelings respecting the ,law and respecting the dominion of angels4 ,if there was a ,son who was higher than angels1 who could express the very mind of ,god--if that ,son was actually in the nature of man--all their thoughts of ,god and of man must be changed2 they must regard ,him whom they worshipped as something else than a mere lawgiver1 removed to an immeasurable distance from ,his creatures1 only holding occasional intercourse with them through beings of a different order from their own4 ,they must look upon human beings1--that is to say1 not only upon themselves1 but upon publicans and heathens1 upon those whom they regarded as utterly cut off from ,god1--as standing in a very near and close relation with ,him4 ,this1 therefore1 was the most horrible of all conceptions to them1 one which struck at the root of their pride1 of that which they called their faith4 ,they might suspect ,jesus before1 they might despise ,him2 but the moment ,he called ,god ,his ,father1 suspicion and contempt gave way to hatred4 ,it was clear enough why ,he was setting institutions at nought2 it was clear enough why ,he claimed to heal sick men1 whom the ministrations of angels could not heal4 ,by ,his words and ,his acts ,he was bringing ,god and man into the most dangerous proximity4 ,he1 'being a man1 was making ,himself equal with ,god4' ,this last charge ,i did not dwell upon2 ,i reserved it for our consideration to-day4 ,the discourse of our ,lord which follows in this chapter has reference to it4 ,no words throw more light upon it than those which ,i have taken as my text from one of the latest verses4 ,the answer to the charge begins in the nineteenth verse4 ',then answered ,jesus1 and said unto them1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,the ,son can do nothing of ,himself but what ,he seeth the ,father do3 for what things soever ,he doeth1 these also doeth the ,son likewise4' ,you will feel at once that this sentence is the expansion of that plea which ,jesus put forth for the cure which ,he had wrought on the day of rest1--',my ,father worketh hitherto1 and ,i work4' ,but1 ,i think1 you will feel also how wonderfully it meets the other more awful accusation1 that ,he was raising ,himself to a level with ,god4 ,if it had been true1 it would not have been a new charge4 ',ye shall be as gods1' was the first temptation presented to human beings1--the temptation to which they yielded4 ,the ambition had never ceased in any age or in any man4 ,jesus would have been but the ,person who exhibited it in its highest power1 who expressed it with the greatest boldness4 ,but if the doctrine which ,st4 ,john asserts at the beginning of his ,gospel1 which he has been working out in every passage of it since1 is a sound one2 if there is a ,word who was with ,god and was ,god2 if that ,word was made flesh1 and the glory of the ,only-begotten of the ,father shone forth in ,him2 then ,jesus was the one ,person in the world to whom this charge did not apply2 the one ,person in whom there was no ambition of making ,himself equal with ,god4 ,and this is what ,he declares here3 ',you think ,i am exalting myself2 on the contrary1 this proclamation which ,i am making of a ,father1 this claim which ,i am putting forth to be ,his ,son1 is the abdication of all independent greatness1 the denial that ,i am anything in myself4 ,i can do nothing of myself but what ,i see the ,father do4' ,here is the new revelation1 the discovery of the real ground upon which all things stand1--the will of a ,father commanding1 the will of a ,son submitting4 ,here is that idea of ,godhead which men had been seeking for1--if haply they might feel after it and find it1--in which they had been living and moving and having their being1 yet which they had always been rebelling against and contradicting1 and which every thought and act of self-will and pride had been putting at a distance from them4 ,the lowliest of all1 ,he who was called the 'carpenter's son1' was able to speak it out1 to translate it into language1 as ,his whole life translated it into act4 ,and this union of wills1 this inward substantial ,unity1 ,he declares to have its basis in love1 the underground of ,deity1--',for the ,father ,,loveth the ,son1 and sheweth ,him all things that ,himself doeth4' ,we must not forget that all this bears reference to the primary subject of the discourse4 ,he had been working on the ,sabbath-day4 ,that work ,he justifies as ,his ,father's work1 because it was a work of love1 done to fulfil that mind of the ,father which ,he knew1 with which ,he was in sympathy4 ,now ,he goes on1 ',and ,he will shew ,him greater works than these1 that ye may marvel4' ,the work of healing was ,his ,father's work4 ,in quickening the sick man beside the ,pool of ,bethesda1 ,he had manifested a part of ,his will and power towards ,his creatures4 ,there would be a more august display of that will and power2 ',for as the ,father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them1 even so the ,son quickeneth whom ,he will4' ,since the whole passage refers to one of the signs which ,jesus did1 it is surely most natural to take this also as referring to another of those signs4 ,jesus would not only cure a sick man1 ,he would raise a dead man4 ,as the cure of the sick man was an exhibition in a single instance of all the restoring1 health-giving1 life-giving influences which were at work through the universe2 as its intent was to lead men to trace all these1 not to chance1 not to a dead law1 not to their own merits1 but to a ,father who directs the operations which look most accidental1 from whose mind law has issued1 who alone enables men to work in harmony with ,his law2 so1 by raising a man from the dead1 ,he would show what was continually going on in the unseen world2 what the ,father was doing there with those who were lost to the sight of their fellows1 and who seemed to perish4 ',the ,son would quicken whom ,he would4' ,he would take an instance here and there to illustrate the general course of ,his ,father's government4 ,he would break the bonds of the grave for the widow's son1 or the brother of ,martha and ,mary1 that man might understand how little these chains could bind the whole universe of human beings1 if the ,father pleased to set them free4 ,but the thought of resurrection was associated in the ,jewish mind1 as it was in the heathen mind and as it is in ours1 with the thought of ,judgment4 ,how could ,he speak of raising the dead1 without speaking of a judgment through which the dead would have to pass8 ,he anticipates the objection1 and does much more than answer it4 ',for the ,father1' ,he says1 'judgeth no man1 but hath committed all judgment unto the ,son2 that all men should honour the ,son1 even as they honour the ,father4 ,he that honoureth not the ,son1 honoureth not the ,father which hath sent ,him4' ,these words have been much used in theological argumentation4 ,i am far from saying that they have not been used fairly4 ,but ,i have warned you already1 that if we wish to understand ,st4 ,john1 we must follow his course of thought1 not eagerly snatch at sentences which may serve a temporary purpose4 ,on this ground ,i refused to take the first words of his ,gospel as a dogmatical assertion of the divinity of ,jesus4 ,i said we must begin1 as he began1 at the beginning4 ,we must wait till he spoke to us of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 and declared ,his nature to us4 ,then we should learn much more of ,his divinity than if we were in haste to get proofs of it4 ,for are we not learners1 who want to be told what divinity is and what humanity is8 ,have we not need to sit at the ,apostle's feet1 that he may instruct us in those things which it is most needful for us to know8 ,is there not a danger of our fancying that we know all already--of our taking his divine words merely to confirm propositions of ours1 into the sense and power of which we have never entered8 ,i would apply this rule in the present case4 ,st4 ,john has told us that in the ,word who was with ,god was life1 and that ,his life was the light of men4 ,we have found him illustrating this language in various ways1--beginning from ,john the ,baptist1 as the witness of the light1 afterwards telling us how ,jesus spoke to ,nicodemus of this being the condemnation1 'that light was come into the world1 and men loved darkness rather than light1 because their deeds were evil4' ,in both these passages1 in the last especially1 and in those which ,i have not recalled to your memory1 the ,word or ,son of ,god is described as a ,judge2 as ,one who discovers the thoughts and intents of the heart2 as ,one whom the man confesses to be ,his ,lord and ,king1 whether he shrinks back from ,his clear light1 or asks that he may be penetrated by it4 ,in strict consistency with this teaching1 our ,lord here declares the office of a ,judge to be implied in the relation of the divine ,son to men4 ,in doing so1 ,he clears away confusions that have darkened the conscience and disturbed the practice of all men4 ,we think of the judgment of ,god4 ,it is sometimes a terrible thought2 it is more commonly a vague1 misty thought4 ,it never has been an effectual one in making men inwardly or even outwardly better1 till they could connect it with some human judgment1--till they could attribute to some being of their own race1 even though he were a frail being liable to error1 the function of pronouncing upon their deeds and upon their characters4 ,why has it been so8 ,because 'the ,father judgeth no man1 but hath committed all judgment unto the ,son4' ,because by an eternal1 irreversible law1 involved in the very nature of ,god and the nature of man1 we cannot bring ourselves face to face with the absolute ,being4 ,our consciences tremble at ,his name2 they do not1 they cannot1 bring their secrets directly into ,his light4 ,until they acknowledge ,one close to themselves1 ,one who knows what is going on within them2 until they acknowledge a ,word1 a ,christ1 who is nigh to them and not afar off2 there is no distinction in their minds4 ,good thoughts and evil thoughts lie huddled together4 ,good deeds and bad deeds are only known1 apart from each other1 by some results which they may happen to produce4 ,it is when the man has started like a guilty thing surprised1 at the presence of ,one who brings back to him past passages of his existence2 who tells him all that ever he did2 who shows him that his acts1 his petty words1 are not lost in the sum of all the acts that have been done and the words that have been spoken since the creation-day1 but have all been recorded2 it is when the man understands that ,he who keeps the record is the dearest ,friend he has1 the ,one who has been guiding him1 watching over him1 restraining him from evil1 urging him to good from his birth onward2 it is when he understands that the ,reprover can give him remission of his sins1 can endue him with a new life2--it is then that he can believe1 and rejoice in the belief1 that there is a judgment of ,god--a judgment for the whole universe4 ,for it is then that he honours the ,son even as he honours the ,father4 ,it is then that he confesses these testimonies in his own heart to be the echoes of the ,voice which gave commandment to the sea1 and fixed its bounds that it should not pass1 and ordained laws for all the generations of men4 ,it is then that the ,will which governs him is felt to be the ,will of a ,father4 ,he honours it1 and bows to it1 and delights in it1 because he honours and bows to and delights in the will of the ,son whom ,he hath sent4 ,in the words which follow1 our translators have exhibited an instance of the timidity which ,i have had occasion sometimes to notice before4 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that heareth my word1 and believeth on ,him that sent me1 hath everlasting life1 and shall not come into condemnation2 but is passed from death unto life4' ,there can be no good reason why the word should be rendered judgment in the #bb;d verse1 and condemnation in the #bdth4 ,but from a fear1 ,i suppose1 lest the one should seem to contradict the other1--lest the ,son should be thought not to execute the judgment that had been committed to ,him1--they were unfaithful to the letter1 perhaps even more unfaithful to the spirit1 of the passage4 ,to make the language fit their notion of the sense1 they were forced to change the tense of 'come1'--to make it 'shall not come1' instead of 'doth not come4' ,those who cannot venture these outrages upon the text1 must be content to accept the statement of it simply2 that there is an eternal life in the ,son of ,god1--that eternal life which was spoken of in the dialogue with the woman of ,sychar2 that those who hear ,his voice speaking to them in their hearts1 and receive ,him as the ,witness and ,manifestation of the eternal ,god1 enter into that life2 that they do not come into judgment4 ,the light does not scare them1 but invites them4 ,they fly to it as a deliverance1 not from it lest it should consume them4 ,then the next passage becomes far more intelligible4 ,it is not a mere repetition of what has gone before2 it enlarges and expands the doctrine we have heard1 and applies it to the future as well as to the present4 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,the hour is coming1 and now is1 when the dead shall hear the voice of the ,son of ,god3 and they that hear shall live4 ,for as the ,father hath life in ,himself2 so hath ,he given to the ,son to have life in ,himself2 and hath given ,him authority to execute judgment also1 because he is the ,son of ,man4 ,marvel not at this3 for the hour is coming1 in the which all that are in their graves shall hear ,his voice1 and shall come forth2 they that have done good1 unto the resurrection of life2 and they that have done evil1 unto the resurrection of judgment4' ,there can be no doubt that when the ,jews spoke either of resurrection or of judgment1 they meant merely a resurrection and a judgment after death4 ,jesus teaches us that we can know nothing of a resurrection or a judgment after death1 unless we connect it with the ,son of ,god1 in whom men may believe and rise to newness of life here1--with the ,son of ,god who speaks to us and judges us here4 ,when we acknowledge ,him as the ,word in whom is life1--when we confess that ,his life is our light1--then we shall go on to acknowledge how both ,his life-giving power and ,his judging power extend over the whole universe1 over the dead as well as the quick2 then we shall understand that those who are in their graves are as little beyond the reach of ,his voice1 as little without the sphere of ,his light1 as those who are walking upon the earth4 ,so much is involved in the very idea of a ,son who is one with the ,father4 ,if we believe that the ,father hath life in ,himself1 we must believe that there is a life in the ,son which corresponds with that4 ,if we believe that all thoughts1 and acts1 past and present1 are open to the ,father1 we must believe that they are open to the ,son4 ,and1 as ,i said before1 the scrutiny of our own hearts and spirits must be in the ,son of ,man4 ,we can know nothing of ,god's scrutiny1 except through ,him who is in contact with us1 and knows all the throbs and pulses of our spirits4 ,how dark are all our thoughts of the tomb1 till we believe this6 ,how horrible its abysses seem1 when we think of them as out of the circle of all the laws and relations which exist among us upon earth6 ,what a sunlight there is upon it--what flowers spring from the sods about it--when we believe that the ,son of ,god and the ,son of ,man rules there as here2 that those who have tried to catch the sound of ,his voice here1 recognise it more clearly and fully in the unseen world2 that those who have done evil1 because they have refused to listen to it1 have still ,him1 and no other than ,him1 for their ,judge6 ,it is perilling the sense of the whole chapter1 to separate this passage concerning life and judgment from that concerning the ,father and the ,son1 which introduced it4 ,our ,lord points out1 still more clearly than ,he has yet done1 the relation between the two subjects1 in the next verse4 ',i can of mine own self do nothing3 as ,i hear1 ,i judge3 and my judgment is just2 because ,i seek not mine own will1 but the will of the ,father who hath sent me4' ,they had said1 ',he called ,god ,his ,father1 making ,himself equal unto ,god4' ,he answers1 ',when ,i speak of a ,father1 ,i signify that ,i can of mine own self do nothing4 ,i do not raise myself to the rank of ,king or ,judge over men2 ,i give up all independent power of judgment4 ,i claim to obey a ,will1 to be governed by it4 ,and because that ,will is the righteous and perfect ,will1 my judgment is right4 ,the moment ,i boasted that ,i could judge according to the hearing of my ears1 that moment my judgment would be wrong4 ,i should be denying my ,sonship2 ,i should become false4' ,and as ,he could not judge others except by hearing ,his ,father's judgment1 by following ,his ,will1 so neither could ,he judge ,himself4 ',if ,i bear witness of myself1 my witness is not true4' ,the ,jews had asked ,him already--asked ,him more emphatically afterwards--to tell them if ,he was the ,christ4 ,why could ,he not give the answer8 ,because it would not have been an answer4 ,it would not have shown ,him to be a ,son2 it would have led them to think of ,him as another person altogether than that which ,he was4 ,he therefore refers to the words which had been spoken by the preacher in the wilderness4 ',there is another that beareth witness of me2 and ,i know that the witness which he beareth of me is true4 ,ye sent unto ,john1 and he bare witness of the truth4' ,john had borne witness of a ,word who was with ,god1 of a ,son of ,god1 of a ,lamb of ,god4 ,john had borne witness of a light shining in the darkness1 which the darkness did not comprehend4 ,this was the true witness of ,christ2 to this ,he could appeal1 because it was a witness not to the ear1 but to the heart1--because it was the witness of one who did not claim honour for himself1--and therefore was the fit herald of a ,christ who should come in the name of ,his ,father1 not in ,his own name4 ,john's testimony being of this character was not the testimony of man1 though it came through a man4 ,jesus1 therefore1 does not contradict his former words when ,he adds1 ',i receive not testimony from man3 but these things ,i say1 that ye might be saved4 ,he was a burning and a shining lamp2' 7our translators have lost the distinction between the vessel containing the light1 and the light itself1--a distinction which ,st4 ,john has carefully preserved27 'and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light4 ,but ,i have a greater witness than that of ,john2 for the works which the ,father hath given me to finish1 the same works that ,i do1 bear witness of me1 that the ,father hath sent me4' ,john's lamp was one which ,god had kindled and filled with his light1 that they might be saved from their darkness2 for a while it had played about them1 and they had felt a kind of joy in the thought that ,god had not forgotten them4 ,but ,christ's works1--that latest work1 especially1 which ,he had done on the ,sabbath-day1 to show how and for what end ,his ,father worked on that day1--these contained witnesses of a filial power1 a filial obedience1 a filial communion1--a witness to the hearts of suffering men1--which the words of the ,baptist1 quick and penetrating as they were1 did not contain4 ,he goes on3 ',and the ,father ,himself which hath sent me1 ,he beareth witness of me4 ,ye have neither heard ,his voice at any time1 nor seen ,his shape4' ',in these acts of mine--these wonderful acts--as well as in my ordinary discourse1 in my daily deeds and works1 a ,father is speaking to you1 a ,father is testifying of ,himself to you4 ,he is an invisible ,being4 ,it is not by visible appearances1 by sounds and by shapes1 that ,he communicates with you2 it is by ,his ,word4' ,could it be necessary to say this to a people who were called out of all nations to know the unseen ,god1 to protest against idols2 to a people who had the law and the ,prophets2 to a people who were proud of their calling1 proud of their law2 who detested idols2 who wrote out the ,scriptures continually1 reverenced them1 declared them to be the very words of ,god8 ,yes1 brethren6 it was necessary for this people4 ,jesus declares why it was necessary4 ',and ye have not ,his ,word abiding in you3 for whom ,he hath sent1 ,him ye believe not4 ,search the ,scriptures2 for in them ye think ye have eternal life3 and they are they which testify of me4 ,and ye will not come unto me1 that ye may have life4' ,i think that the late learned ,bishop of ,limerick and others1 who have maintained that the verb 1 in the #cith verse1 would better be translated by the present tense of the indicative than by the imperative1 have produced sound arguments for their opinion1 and that the context is all in favour of it4 ,but if the previous verse and those which follow be heeded1 ,i am quite willing to adopt our version2 the sense will be radically the same2 and any who think that they cannot enforce the duty of studying the ,bible1 if they are deprived of this precept1 may retain it as a motto for their sermons4 ,what the ,word of ,god is in ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 we have not now to learn2 he has been teaching us from the first verse of it onwards4 ,how that ,word must abide in men1 if they are to have any light2 how the rejection of it is the choice of darkness1 he has also been telling us1 not once1 but continually4 ,those who will not have the ,word of ,god abiding in them1 must shut out the invisible world1 must become the slaves of the visible world4 ,they may not have idols of wood and stone2 but they must have idols4 ,besides the grosser idolatry of money1--to which1 as a nation1 they will be driven by the want of any spiritual object1--their religious men will fall into the worship of letters4 ,the letters of the book which testify of a living ,god1 will receive the homage which the only ,god claims in this book for ,himself4 ,this was the condition of the ,jewish people1--especially of the ,jewish teachers1--when our ,lord came among them in the flesh4 ',they searched the ,scriptures2 for in them they thought they had life4' ,and those ,scriptures they made the excuses for rejecting ,him in whom life dwelt1--the living ,word of ,god4 ,this charge our ,lord brings against them here and elsewhere4 ,that he wished them to search the ,scriptures which testified of ,him1 no one1 ,i suppose1 doubts4 ,that ,he commanded them to do so in this place1 ,i am not at all anxious to dispute4 ,and oh6 how rejoiced should ,i be if we ,english ,christians1 heirs of ,jewish privileges1 felt that command as indeed addressed to ourselves6 if we were ready to obey it6 if1 instead of talking about the ,bible as the only religion of ,protestants1 writing its name upon banners1 declaring that we are ready to die for it1 we would indeed search into its treasures1 because it testifies of ,him in whom alone we can have life6 ,i do1 indeed1 desire that we should take the lesson contained in these awful sentences home to ourselves4 ,for ,i do feel that the danger of the ,jews in this case1 as in that of which ,i spoke to you last ,sunday1 is precisely our danger2 that we are likely not to search the ,scriptures1 because they bear witness of the ,word of ,god1 but to turn them into idols1 because we have not the ,word of ,god abiding in us4 ,and ,i feel as if our ,lord had laid bare the inmost root of our disease1 as ,he does of the ,jewish disease1 in the verses which follow3 ',i receive not honour from men4 ,but ,i know you1 that ye have not the love of ,god in you4 ,i am come in my ,father's name1 and ye receive me not3 if another shall come in his own name1 him ye will receive4 ,how can ye believe1 which receive honour one of another1 and seek not the honour that cometh from ,god only8' ,he begins with asserting this as ,his distinction1 that ,he seeks ,his glory from the only ,god 7 71 not from man4 ,he concludes with asking how they can believe ,him1 when they seek honour from each other1 not from this only ,god4 ,and who is this only ,god of whom ,he sought glory8 ,he has told us before1--the ,god who loved the world1 and gave ,his ,son1 that through ,him it might be saved4 ,that love ,he reflected2 of that love1 in ,his words and deeds1 ,he testified4 ,no such love was in them4 ,they did not feel their want of it2 they did not seek it where it was to be found4 ,they flattered each other2 they lived upon each other's praises4 ,and the consequence was1 that they did not believe in ,one who denied ,himself1 who abjured all praises1 who said that ,he could do nothing but what ,he saw ,his ,father do4 ,such a ,being was incomprehensible to them4 ,they could not believe in ,him4 ,they must take ,him to be a blasphemer and a devil4 ,let us remember it and tremble4 ,when religious men open 'a benefit club of mutual flattery1' and live upon the allowances that are doled out from it1 they must deny the ,father and the ,son4 ,there are still some sentences left in this chapter which must not be passed over4 ',do not think that ,i will accuse you to the ,father3 there is one that accuseth you1 even ,moses1 in whom ye trust4 ,for had ye believed ,moses1 ye would have believed me2 for he wrote of me4 ,but if ye believe not his writings1 how shall ye believe my words8' ,however little of the love of ,god there might be in the men to whom ,jesus spoke1 there was a conscience which responded to what ,he said4 ,their conscience said there must be a ,father1--we ought to be ,his children4 ,if so1 and if this man were not a blasphemer1 but the ,son of ,god1 might ,he not charge them before ,his ,father for their denial of ,him8 ,the thought was a natural one4 ,how eagerly a teacher who came in his own name would have profited by the terror it excited6 ,how continually the ministers of ,jesus ,christ have said to unbelievers1 ',what6 dare you question ,his mission8 ,if ,he should be what we say ,he is1 how certainly ,he will accuse you to the ,father for your rejection of ,him4' ,jesus ,himself declares that this is not ,his office--that ,he is not1 and never can be1 the accuser4 ,the law in which they gloried1 in which they trusted1 that was accusing them1--that was telling them how they had resisted the ,god of love1--that was telling them that they needed a ,person to unite them to ,god2 an elder ,brother1 in whom they might meet and behold their ,father4 ,moses the lawgiver was writing of this ,advocate and ,brother4 ,but if those letters of his were boasted of and worshipped1 not believed1 how could they believe the quickening1 life-giving words1 which are written not in tables of stone1 but in fleshly tables of the heart1 by the ,son of ,man8 ,,discourse ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,bread ,,from ,,heaven4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #eth ,sunday after ,easter1 ,april #bg1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,vi4 #ce4 ,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,i am the bread of life3 he that cometh to me shall never hunger2 and he that believeth on me shall never thirst4 ,in general1 the signs or miracles of ,christ which ,st4 ,john records are not the same with those which the other ,evangelists have recorded4 ,the exceptions are found in this chapter4 ,here1 as in ,st4 ,matthew1 ,st4 ,mark1 and ,st4 ,luke1 we have a narrative of the feeding of the five thousand2 here1 as in ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,mark1 we have the narrative of ,jesus walking on the sea4 ,there is no doubt that the events described in all the ,gospels are the same4 ,in time1 place1 numbers1 and in most of the circumstances1 they exactly correspond4 ,the variations in ,st4 ,john1 however1 are very instructive as to his own design4 ,we may learn from them why he repeats his predecessors1 as well as why he so commonly introduces topics which they have not touched4 ',after these things1 ,jesus went over the ,sea of ,galilee1 which is the ,sea of ,tiberias4 ,and a great multitude followed ,him1 because they saw ,his miracles which ,he did on them that were diseased4 ,and ,jesus went up into a mountain1 and there ,he sat with ,his disciples4 ,and the ,passover1 a feast of the ,jews1 was nigh4' ,the addition to the story is in the last verse4 ,it has puzzled the harmonists4 ,it does occasion serious difficulties in the chronology of this ,gospel4 ,yet ,i hesitate to call it an interpolation4 ,the ,jerusalem feasts are continually present to the mind of ,st4 ,john4 ,even when he leads us into ,samaria and ,galilee1 we are never allowed to forget them4 ,i own1 however1 that this notice of the ,passover does not prepare us for a visit to the city2 and that it is quite unnecessary as an introduction to the following discourse1 which1 as we all know1 was suggested by an event which took place near ,capernaum4 ',when ,jesus then lifted up ,his eyes1 and saw a great crowd come to ,him1 ,he saith unto ,philip1 ,whence shall we buy bread1 that these may eat8 ,and this ,he said to prove him3 for ,he ,himself knew what ,he would do4 ,philip answered ,him1 ,two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them1 that every one of them may take a little4 ,one of ,his disciples1 ,andrew1 ,simon ,peter's brother1 saith unto ,him1 ,there is a lad here which hath five barley-loaves1 and two small fishes3 but what are they among so many8' ,the force of the sign is often1 as ,i said before1 to be discerned in these incidents1 quite as much as in what we call the miraculous part of it4 ,we see how our ,lord uses events as an education of ,his disciples2 how part of an event serves to bring out the character of one man1 part of another4 ,and what was true then1 according to the doctrine that goes through the book1 is true always4 ,as the ,teacher does not change--as1 in essentials1 the learner of the ,west is not different from the learner of the ,east--the same method of discipline belongs to both4 ,we may understand1 from the specimens of it which ,st4 ,john gives us1 how our thoughts are awakened--how we are made conscious of doubts1 that they may be satisfied4 ,st4 ,john follows strictly the former ,evangelists till the #adth verse4 ,there the effect of the sign upon the multitude is given in words which we have not elsewhere4 ',then those men1 when they had seen the miracle which ,jesus did1 said1 ,this is of a truth that ,prophet which should come into the world4 ,when ,jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take ,him by force to make him a king1 ,he departed again into a mountain ,himself alone4' ,two names are brought together which are quite distinct1 but which have mingled with each other in all the world's history4 ',he is a ,prophet2 ,god has sent ,him4' ,that is the natural feeling of a crowd which has been conscious of a wonderful power exerted on its own behalf4 ,then comes another3--',how shall we exalt this ,prophet8 ,how shall we show our sense of ,his might1 and our gratitude for ,his benefits8 ,let us make ,him our ,king4 ,none is so worthy to reign over us4 ,he may not be willing to put ,himself at our head2 why should not we take the matter into our own hands8' ,it was no new thing4 ,many a champion had arisen before in ,galilee to rid the people of their oppressors4 ,each had come in the name of ,god4 ,the desert was the ordinary scene of their exploits4 ,was it not the very place for an insurrection in favour of this ,galilan ,prophet to begin8 ,if some compulsion were used1 the mysterious power which had fed them would1 of course1 be ready to support ,his own claims4 ,unless we remember this wild excitement among men who had been hungry and who had eaten1 and the voice of command with which ,he sent them away to their houses--the kingly might coming forth in ,his resolution that they should not make ,him a king--we can scarcely enter into the stillness and awfulness of that night-scene which is brought before us in the following verses3--',and when even was now come1 the disciples went down unto the sea1 and entered into a ship1 and went over the sea toward ,capernaum4 ,and it was now dark1 and ,jesus was not come to them4 ,and the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew4 ,so when they had rowed about five-and-twenty or thirty furlongs1 they see ,jesus walking on the sea1 and drawing nigh unto the ship3 and they were afraid4 ,but ,he saith unto them1 ,it is ,i2 be not afraid4 ,then they willingly received ,him into the ship3 and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went4' ,i believe the conscience of men has received the right impression from this story4 ,it has come to them in dark oppressive hours as the witness of a ,presence that had been with them1 though they knew it not1--of a calm power in which they might trust4 ,this might not be their notion of a miracle4 ,if they had been asked to define its nature and its purpose1 they would carefully limit it to the time in which ,jesus dwelt on earth2 they would say it was a departure from the laws of nature to attest ,his divine mission4 ,they would explain away the faith they had expressed unawares2 they would say they had only been making a moral or personal improvement of the incident4 ,no1 brethren1 it is not so4 ,they discovered the true meaning of the sign at first4 ,the other is the cold intellectual misinterpretation of it4 ,they feel in their hearts that it is not a violation of the laws of nature1 for the ,son of ,man to prove that the elements are not man's masters4 ,they feel that when ,he raised up ,his disciples' hearts to trust in ,him1 ,he was teaching poor1 weak1 ignorant men the true law of their being1 and thereby teaching them to reverence and not to despise the laws which ,he had imposed on the winds and on the waves4 ,they feel that the whole beautiful narrative is not an argumentative assertion of a divine mission which can confute disputants1 but the practical manifestation of a divine kinghood to meet the cravings and necessities of human beings4 ,what does a debater care for ',it is ,i2 be not afraid8' ,what else does a man tossed about in a tempest care for8 ,the words were not spoken to ,scribes and ,pharisees1 and were not heard by them4 ,they were spoken to fishermen out in a boat at night2 and by such they have been heard ever since4 ,st4 ,john tells us this in the next paragraph4 ,if we attach the modern notion to miracles1 we shall1 of course1 conclude that so singular a witness of the ,messiahship of ,jesus must at once have been declared to those who were hesitating about it1 and half ready to believe it4 ,the occasion for announcing it was given4 ',the day following1 when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there1 save that one whereinto ,his disciples were entered1 and that ,jesus went not with ,his disciples into the boat1 but that ,his disciples were gone away alone2 7howbeit there came other boats from ,tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread1 after that the ,lord had given thanks73 when the people therefore saw that ,jesus was not there1 neither ,his disciples1 they also took shipping1 and came to ,capernaum1 seeking for ,jesus4 ,and when they had found ,him on the other side of the sea1 they said unto ,him1 ,rabbi1 when camest ,thou hither8' ,here were the excitement and astonishment all ready4 ,these people had said the day before1--',this is of a truth that prophet which should come into the world4' ,what strength would that conviction gain1 if they heard that ,he did not cross the lake as other men crossed it6 ,he says nothing of this4 ',jesus answered them and said1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,ye seek me not because ye saw signs1 but because ye did eat of the loaves1 and were filled4' ,they did seek ,him because they had seen miracles or wonders2 for it was a wonder that they had eaten and been filled2 it was one which might be repeated4 ,but they did not seek ,him because they saw signs4 ,the signs had not told them who ,he was2 they had not come because they wanted ,him1 but because they wanted something which ,he could give them4 ,he did not then announce any other sign of ,his power2 it could have done them no good4 ,but ,he proceeded to draw out the signification of the first sign2 to show them what there was in it beyond the satisfaction of their immediate hunger4 ,here1 even more than in the case of the woman at the well1 we may wonder at the deep mysteries which ,he revealed to what we should call ignorant sensual people4 ,that they were a crowd of such people1 ,st4 ,john tells us plainly4 ,and yet to what ,jerusalem doctors had ,he spoken of a ,bread of ,life--of a bread of which a man might eat and not die8 ,but let us begin where ,he begins4 ,each sentence1 each clause1 even each word1 that ,he addressed to this rabble at ,capernaum1 is meant for the ears and hearts of the wisest among us4 ',labour not for the meat which perisheth1 but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life1 which the ,son of ,man shall give unto you3 for ,him hath ,god the ,father sealed4' ,to the woman of ,sychar ,he spoke of water1 for she had come to draw water4 ,to these ,galilans ,he spoke of bread1 for they had been eating of the loaves4 ,neither to one nor the other would ,he speak of the spiritual gift without speaking of the sensible gift1--without making them feel that that also was from ,god4 ,he addresses the people of ,capernaum as men working for their food ordinarily1 though for once they had received it without working for it3 and ,he bids them believe that there is another nobler work which is appointed for them1--a work1 however1 which does not prevent the fruit of it from being a gift4 ,they were earning1 by the sweat of their brow1 a food which sustained their lives from day to day1--,god endowing them with both the power to toil and the reward of toil4 ,they might toil for a bread that would sustain another different kind of life in them1--a life not of hours and instants1 but eternal4 ,this bread1 ,he says1 the ,son of ,man will give4 ,after what ,i said last ,sunday of ,his use of this title1--of ,his assertion that the ,son of ,man must be the judge of men1 must be the life-giver to men1--,i have no need to dwell upon it here4 ,i would only lead you to notice how exactly this application of it accords with that in the dialogue at ,jerusalem1 and yet how suitable it is to the ,galilans whom ,he is teaching4 ,in both cases we find men brought directly into contact with ,one who knows them1 who reads their hearts1 who is the source and the standard of all that is human in them4 ,in both1 this ,son of ,man leads them to a ,father from whom ,he has proceeded1 from whose life ,his is derived1 who has given ,him ,his authority1 whose will ,he has come to do4 ,the words1 we saw1 were most provoking to the ,pharisees of the holy city4 ,their inhumanity made it impossible for them to enter into the revelation of a ,son of ,man2 their sense of distance from ,god1 and their conception of ,him as a mere ,lawgiver1 made the name of ,father monstrous and incredible4 ,with these ignorant labourers it was otherwise4 ,a ,son of ,man1--a ,king who was yet a ,brother1--they secretly longed for2 half their wild acts were done in the struggle to find such a one4 ,the thought of ,god was more terrible2--oftentimes they would have wished to hide themselves from ,him under any hills and mountains2 oftentimes they might have been glad to be told that there was no such ,being4 ,but there was that in them which owned ,him as the ,giver of all that they had2 as worthy of the trust which their fathers put in ,him2 as associated with the graves of their parents and the faces of their children4 ,to hear ,him called a ,father1--however little they might understand in what sense ,he could be a ,father1--to hear that there was ,one whom ,he had sealed as a giver of ,life to men1--this answered to some of the dreams which they had dreamed in their happiest hours3 to some of the necessities which had been awakened within them in their saddest hours4 ,but these were vague1 half-realized thoughts4 ,the word 'labour1' or 'work1' was familiar to them4 ,jesus meant1 they thought1 that ,god would not give them anything which they did not earn4 ',what shall we do1' said one1 who was the spokesman of the rest1 'that we may work the works of ,god8' ,as often happens1 the language was accurate beyond the conscious intention of the person who used it4 ,he desired to know what work they should work for ,god1 whereas it was really a work of ,god that was demanded4 ',jesus answered1 ,this is the work of ,god1 that ye believe on ,him whom ,he hath sent4' ,god was working upon them2 ,he was calling them to trust their ,king and their ,friend2 to give up their hearts to the ,lord of their hearts--to ,him who could alone quicken them to any good and fruitful work4 ,of course1 they understood by the expression1 ',him whom ,he hath sent1' that ,jesus was claiming to be ,messiah1--the sent from ,heaven4 ',they said therefore unto ,him1 ,what sign shewest ,thou then1 that we may see1 and believe ,thee8 ,what dost ,thou work8 ,our fathers did eat manna in the desert2 as it is written1 ,he gave them bread from heaven to eat4' ,jesus had fed them in the desert when they were fainting4 ,that was a strange and great act1 no doubt1 worthy of a ,prophet1 perhaps of a ,king4 ,but the manna had actually dropped from heaven out of the clouds4 ,if ,he came from ,heaven1 would ,he have merely taken the bread in ,his hands and blessed it8 ,would there not have been a sign like that which showed ,moses to be indeed the messenger of ,god8 ,would there be no appearance in the sky8 ,it was the question of people whose minds were perplexed about ,heaven1 and who1 happily1 had not found out seemly phrases in which to veil their perplexity4 ,a material heaven--a heaven of sky and clouds--was what they saw and confessed4 ,they had a dim vision of something beyond this4 ,their hearts yearned for a ,heaven as calm as that upon which their eyes gazed2 as full of light1 as productive of life1 but yet altogether different from that4 ,what it was1 where it was1 they could not tell4 ,do you think we should have helped them if we had talked to them about an intellectual ,heaven or a subjective ,heaven8 ,do you think such nonsense can be of much help to ourselves8 ',then ,jesus said unto them1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,moses gave you not that bread from heaven2 but my ,father giveth you the true bread from heaven4 ,for the bread of ,god is ,he which cometh down from heaven1 and giveth life unto the world4' ,they had a feeling that1 in some way1 the manna was a gift from above4 ,they had an equally strong feeling that1 in some way or other1 it came to them from ,moses4 ,the impressions were confused2 yet each was right in itself4 ,the records in the ,book of ,exodus encouraged each4 ,those records taught them to regard the water which started from the rock1 when it was struck by the rod1 as bestowed by an unseen ,giver4 ,if the manna was found upon the trees1 that book would teach them that it was just as much a gift as if it fell from the clouds4 ,our ,lord brings this sense out of the old story4 ',moses1' ,he said1 'gave you not that bread from heaven4' ,and then ,he pronounces the higher ,name--the new ,name1 the ,name which ,he had come to reveal--',my ,father4' ,it was ,he who gave that bread in the wilderness1 and it was ,he who was giving them1 then and there1 'the true bread from heaven4' ,what that ,bread is1 ,he goes on to explain4 ,it is a ,person whom they want to connect ,heaven with earth1--themselves with ,god4 ,the glory they gave to ,moses showed they needed a ,man to bring ,god nearer to them4 ,their eagerness to assert that the manna came from ,heaven1 showed that this was not enough for them--there must be a direct connexion between them and the higher world into which ,moses ascended2 their food must denote it4 ,the name of ,father told them that it was even so4 ,that ,name turned the material heaven into a spiritual ,heaven1 more real than the material heaven--a ,heaven from which the best good could come1 not to lawgivers or prophets1 but to hungry ,galilans2 for they could not really enter into that name of ,father without acknowledging a ,son who came to them as their ,brother4 ,they could not receive ,him in these characters without believing that ,he had come to bring life--common life and the highest life--not to a few select men1 but to the world4 ',then said they unto ,him1 ,lord1 evermore give us this bread4' ,the parallel words to this1 in the dialogue with the woman of ,samaria1 were spoken1 ,i thought1 with the levity which characterised her till she discovered that ,jesus knew all things that ever she did4 ,i do not perceive a similar levity in these words4 ,the people may have taken in very little of ,his meaning2 but ,i think they were serious and awed4 ,and surely the words in which our ,lord answers them are very different indeed from those which ,he spoke to the woman2 very different1 also1 from those in which ,he spoke afterwards to people who had none of her frankness1 and who had a crust of intellectual and spiritual pride to break through4 ,before ,i quote ,his words1 ,i will explain why ,i think that they wind up one division of this chapter1 and that the remainder of it1 though a continuation of the subject1 introduces us to new topics and new persons4 ,it is evident that the conversation commences on the border of the ,lake of ,tiberias1 with the people who had just crossed and found ,jesus there4 ,but it is said in the #eith verse--',these things said ,jesus in the synagogue1 as ,he taught in ,capernaum4' ,there must be a break1 therefore1 somewhere4 ,i can have no doubt that it occurs at the #dast verse4 ,in it we are told that the ,jews murmured at ,him4 ,the word ,jews we have not met with before2 the moment it occurs1 the character of the narrative changes4 ,instead of the simple1 confused observations of a crowd1 'which did eat of the loaves and were filled1' we have murmurs and reasonings of such men as were sure to be found in the synagogues--men who represented the sentiments of the ,scribes and ,pharisees of ,jerusalem4 ,they are evidently1 ,i conceive1 discussing a strange phrase which had been reported to them as having proceeded from the lips of the ,nazarene teacher4 ,all the controversies which have been raised about this chapter1 arise directly out of the latter part of it4 ,i shall not enter upon any of them to-day4 ,we shall be far better qualified to consider them1 if we dwell for a few moments upon that wonderful ,gospel to the poor which is contained in the reply to their half-unconscious prayer--',lord1 evermore give us this bread4' ',you ask me to give it to you3 it is given already4 ,the ,father has given ,me to ,his creatures4 ,i spoke of a ,son of ,man whom the ,father had sealed4 ,i1 that ,son of ,man1 am that bread of life4 ,but how can such bread be eaten8 ,he that cometh to ,me shall never hunger2 and ,he that believeth on ,me shall never thirst4' ,if coming to ,him was going to ,him on their feet1 they had done that already2 if believing on ,him was acknowledging ,him as the ,prophet that should come into the world1 they had already fed on ,him in the sense that ,he intended4 ,yet it was clear that their hunger was not satisfied--that it was only beginning to be excited4 ,he goes on--',but ,i have said unto you1 ,that ye also have seen ,me1 and believe not4' ,if ,jesus was merely a ,prophet of ,nazareth1 who could be shown by visible miracles to be sent from ,god1 the distinction of seeing and believing is incomprehensible4 ,let a sufficient amount of probative evidence be addressed to the eye1 the act of believing must follow4 ,but if ,he was the ,word who had in all times been the ,light of men2 if those who judged by the sight of their eyes had resisted this ,light1 and become idolaters2 if those who received it1 received it into their hearts1 and so rose to the stature of ,sons of ,god2--then it was certain that ,he would speak to another organ than the eye1 or than any of the senses2 as much when ,he stood before them in an actual body1 and spoke with fleshly lips1 as when ,he was only their invisible ,teacher and ,reprover4 ,it must be their faith1 not their sight1 which must now1 as ever1 see ,him and answer to ,him4 ,they might touch ,him1 and yet not come to ,him4 ,but ,he proceeds3--',all that the ,father giveth to ,me shall come to ,me2 and him that cometh to ,me ,i will in no wise cast out4' ,the apparent advantage of being on earth at the time of ,his appearing--of being in the streets in which ,he walked1 of sitting with ,him1 of conversing with ,him--would be nothing4 ,all these privileges might belong to those who would reject ,him1 hate ,him1 betray ,him4 ,but all that the ,father of spirits gives to ,him--all that yields to the ,father's will--shall confess ,him as its true ,lord2 and him that so cometh1 in one place or another1 in one age or another1 ,he will not thrust away4 ',for ,i came down from heaven1 not to do ,mine own will1 but the will of ,him that sent ,me4' ',i have not come forth to save some choice favourites of ,mine1 but to fulfil the will of ,him who created the universe--of that ,father to whom ,i said your spirits are yielding when they turn to ,me4' ',and this is the ,father's will which hath sent ,me1 that of all which ,he hath given ,me ,i should lose nothing out of it 7 1 71 but should raise it up at the last day4' ,i dare not paraphrase these words4 ,they are too large and too deep for any conception ,i can form of them4 ,the adjective and the pronoun1 you will perceive1 are in the neuter1 as if the promise was to include not only humanity1 but all that is related to humanity--the body through which the spirit speaks and acts--the whole frame of nature1 which has shared man's decay and death4 ,the final day cannot come till all that the ,father has redeemed is raised to its proper life4 ,but yet the neuter could not satisfy the intention of ,jesus4 ,he was speaking to distinct persons2 ,he must add--',and this is the will of ,him that sent ,me1 that every one that seeth the ,son1 and believeth on ,him1 may have everlasting life3 and ,i will raise him up at the last day4' ,thus we are brought back to the original proposition2 only it has gained immeasurably in strength and fulness4 ,to each man in that crowd who had eaten of the loaves and been filled1 and had followed ,christ for no better reason than that1--to each man upon whom ,his light shined in the days before ,his incarnation1--to each man who has been born into the world since1--to each ignorant peasant of this land1--to every miserable dweller in the streets and alleys of this city1--to each one of us who may have been tempted by wealth1 luxury1 false philosophy1 false religion1 to seek some food that cannot nourish us1 does ,he say3 ',it is the will of ,my ,father that this man should triumph over all the enemies that are drawing him down into death1 and that he should be raised up at the last day by the might of ,him who died and rose again2 that he should enter into that eternal life of righteousness and truth1 which was with the ,father1 and which has been manifested to us in ,his only-begotten ,son4' ,,discourse ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,true ,,life ,,of ,,nations ,,and ,,of ,,man4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 ,sunday after ,ascension 7,thanksgiving-day71 ,may #d1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,vi4 #fb4 ,what and if ye shall see the ,son of man ascend up where ,he was before8 ,on this day the order of our ,services would lead me to speak of our ,lord's ,ascension4 ,on this day the ,queen commands us to give thanks for the restoration of ,peace4 ,my text will tell you that ,i need not break the order of my discourses on ,st4 ,john1 if ,i desire to speak on the ,church ,festival4 ,i believe there are lessons in the passage which would naturally come under our notice this afternoon1 that belong equally to the ,national ,festival4 ,as long as we think of the ,peace without any reference to ,god1--we mean by ,peace1 the ,treaty of ,peace2 we question whether such and such articles in it are commensurate with the cost and success of the war1--whether boundary lines are fairly and wisely drawn1--whether new concessions might not have been obtained by a longer struggle8 ,or perhaps we mean by ,peace merely the cessation of those hostilities by which all the nations that have taken part in them are more or less exhausted4 ,or perhaps we identify it with the material prosperity of the classes which have money1--a prosperity that seems to some closely connected with social and intellectual progress1 if not the source of it4 ,all these subjects deserve our most serious consideration4 ,i believe that a ,thanksgiving-day is to increase the earnestness with which we reflect on them1 to take away the looseness and levity of our thoughts respecting them4 ,but it must do this by opening to us another view of ,peace1--not as based upon treaties and conventions1--not as being sustained by these2 but as deriving its ultimate strength from the mind and will of ,him who rules the universe1 its subordinate security from our conformity to ,his mind and will4 ,such a day teaches us to look upon ,peace not merely as the end of a war1 but as the normal state of a ,christian and human society2 a state which is interrupted by the lusts that war in our members1--the interruption being most terrible when it exhibits itself in internal strifes and hatreds4 ,such a day calls upon us to reflect that what1 in the dialect of the money-market1 is called prosperity1 is not one of those symptoms of ,peace which we are to rest in with confidence1--not one which we are ever to contemplate without trembling4 ,for it does not mean the growth and vital energy of the whole body1 but an unnatural swelling and bloating of certain portions of the body4 ,it often leads to ignoble aims1 frantic speculations1 systematic fraud1--to everything that destroys the force of a people1 and makes it a silly1 gambling1 slavish people4 ,it compels wise men frequently to regard war1 with all its horrors1 as an inevitable punishment2 nay1 even as a positive blessing4 ,therefore such a day as this obliges us to seek diligently for the springs of the moral life of societies1--for the secret of their inward peace and coherency4 ,the ,lawgiver of the ,jewish people had told them that all the discipline they passed through in the wilderness had been to teach them that 'man does not live by bread alone1 but that by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god1 doth man live4' ,he was speaking to them as the members of a nation4 ,he was telling them that the endurance of their national polity from age to age would depend not upon material bread1 but upon another kind of nourishment and strength which it would derive from an unseen ,presence4 ,the lesson was repeated by every prophet1 ratified by the darkest and the brightest passages of ,jewish history4 ,they were a wise and understanding people1 strong and united1--however poor in numbers and physical appliances1--just so far as they believed in a ,one ,god1 who watched over them1 in whom they might confide4 ,they were a contemptible people1 essentially weak1 full of elements of strife and dissolution1--however numerous they were1 however rich1--when numbers and riches became the objects of their worship1 when the righteous and living ,king was forgotten4 ,do you think that this1 which is the maxim of the ,old ,testament1 is forgotten in the ,new8 ,do you think that ,jesus introduced a new law which set this law aside1--a law that had reference to individuals merely1 and not to societies8 ,i believe that the great misery and sin of the ,jews1 in the time when our ,lord appeared among them in the flesh1 was that they had lost the feeling of national unity1--that they had become mere covetous individuals1 herding together in sects1 knit to each other by opinions and antipathies1 not by the sense of a common origin1 a common country1 a common ,lord4 ,jesus came to gather together the lost sheep of the house of ,israel under their true ,shepherd4 ,jesus claimed publicans and sinners as part of the same nation1 as heirs of the same covenant with the most devout4 ,jesus was in continual conflict with the sects1 because they were substituting a self-seeking religion for the faith of ,israelites4 ,it is true that ,he was unfolding the faith of ,israelites into a human and universal faith2 but in doing so1 ,he was establishing1 not undermining1 that which sustained the nation1 and must sustain every nation4 ,when1 therefore1 ,he answered those who spoke to ,him of the manna which their fathers ate in the wilderness1 by telling them of the true ,bread which came down from ,heaven1 ,he was1 ,i conceive1 expounding the words of ,moses1--those which ,he had used in ,his own temptation4 ,he was showing that neither the life of ,israel nor the life of humanity can be sustained by earthly bread2 that both demand another food2 that ,he could tell them what that food was1 whence it came1 how it might be received4 ,by keeping this thought in our minds through the latter part of this wonderful discourse1 ,i believe we shall do something to rescue it from the fangs of systematisers and controversialists1 as well as to deduce needful instruction from it for ,england on this day4 ,the #djth verse of this chapter appears1 as ,i observed last ,sunday1 to close our ,lord's dialogue with the people who had crossed the lake to see ,him1 because they had eaten of the loaves on the previous day4 ,an interval has passed before the #dast verse4 ,then we hear of certain ,jews who were murmuring at the words1 ',i am the bread that came down from heaven4' ,these ,jews1 ,i conjectured1 were ,scribes belonging to the synagogue of ,capernaum1--men who had caught the notions and habits of the ,scribes in the capital1 and yet could avail themselves of the local prejudices of ,galilans4 ,their temper is clearly indicated in the #db;d verse3--',and they said1 ,is not this ,jesus the son of ,joseph1 whose father and mother we know8 how is it then that ,he saith1 ,i came down from heaven8' ,the difficulty about ,heaven1 of which ,i spoke last week1 was really not less for the ,scribe than for the peasant1--only the one could talk learnedly about a second1 or third1 or seventh heaven1 while the other1 more honestly and more wisely1 did not pretend to know about anything but the actual firmament which was over his head4 ,yet the consciousness which man has of some better heaven than this1 was indicated by the confused experiments of the former to conceive one1 and dwelt in the heart of the latter1 awaiting some divine touch to call it forth4 ,the spring was touched when our ,lord spoke of a ,father2 the new heaven which the spirit of man in each man craves for1 is contained in that name2 where the ,father is1 it is4 ,if we demand a more accurate definition1 we may try our skill in framing it1--,god's revelation will not help us4 ,for that revelation does not cheat us with formulas when we are in want of realities2 does not give us stones when we ask for bread4 ,jesus1 therefore1 told the cavillers just what ,he had told the crowd4 ',murmur not among yourselves4 ,no man can come to me1 except the ,father which hath sent ,me draw him3 and ,i will raise him up at the last day4' ,all their reasonings and debatings would not bring them nearer to ,heaven or to ,him1 than the feet and the eyes of the people who had eaten of the loaves had brought them4 ,the ,father of spirits must draw their spirits to ,him who was the source of their life and light1 whom ,he had sent to raise their spirits out of their darkness and death2 when they were drawn1 when they did embrace ,him as their deliverer and friend1 no death of the body1 no darkness of the grave1 should have power over them2 ,he will raise them up to the fulness of life in the last day4 ,was this new doctrine8 ',was it not written in their ,prophets1 ,ye shall be all taught of ,god8' ,was it not the very promise1--the highest promise1--to the people of ,god's covenant1 to those who were circumcised and withdrawn from fleshly idols1 that they should hear ,his voice speaking to them8 ,what did that promise imply but that ,god was a ,father who was educating the creatures who are formed in ,his image to know that image8 ',every man therefore that hath heard and learnt of the ,father1 cometh unto ,me4' ',he comes to ,me as that ,word who was in the beginning with the ,father1--as that ,word who has been1 and is1 and will be always1 the light of men4' ',not--,he goes on--that any man hath seen the ,father1 save ,he which is of ,god1 ,he hath seen the ,father4' ,it is not that any man has had a vision of ,him who1 by a thousand mysterious influences1 is every hour acting upon him1 and whom he has either obeyed or resisted2 only ,he who is of ,god--only the ,son1 who has come forth from the ,father--has had this vision2 only ,he has entered into that ,love which has been guiding the universe1 and penetrating into the hearts of human beings4 ,this doctrine respecting the ,father and the ,son1 which we have been tracing through every passage of this ,gospel--which we have found to lie beneath all its other announcements--is the necessary preparation for the answer which ,he makes to the murmurers3--',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that believeth on ,me hath everlasting life4 ,i am that bread of life4 ,your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness1 and are dead4 ,this is the bread which cometh down from heaven1 that a man may eat thereof1 and not die4 ,and the bread which ,i will give is ,my flesh1 which ,i will give for the life of the world4' ,this contrast between these two kinds of life has gone with us through this discourse1 as well as through all our ,lord's previous discourses3 we ought by this time to be sufficiently familiar with it4 ,the eternal life we have found is the life of the spirit2 the life which is supported by material bread is the life of the flesh4 ,faith or belief is here1 as elsewhere1 described to be the proper act and exercise of the spirit1 as feeding upon bread is the natural act or exercise of the flesh4 ,that which is presented to the spirit must be as real as that which is presented to the flesh4 ,the spirit cannot provide its own nourishment2 faith cannot create its own object4 ,jesus says1 ',he that believeth hath eternal life4' ,he adds1 ',i am that bread of life4' ',i am the ,word of ,life to man at all times1 whether he knows it or not--whether he desires a heavenly life1 or is content with an earthly life4 ,and as your fathers received manna from ,god to sustain the life of that body which was to die at its appointed season1 ,i1 the ,word of ,life1 have come from ,god to sustain the life of the spirit--to keep that from perishing1 to give it the immortality which ,he intended for it4 ,i am the living ,bread which came down from ,heaven2 ,i am that ,word1 in whom is life1 made flesh4 ,if any man acknowledge ,me as that ,word of ,life--if his spirit participates of that life which is in ,me--he shall live for ever2 and this flesh which ,i have taken1 which ,i have united to ,my living and eternal substance1 ,i will give for the life of the world4' ,i keep closely to the letter of the ,evangelist4 ,i dare not depart from it2 and ,i dare not seek the interpretation of it anywhere but in himself4 ,there are a hundred scholastical interpretations of the reason why the ,son of ,god was made ,man--why ,his death was necessary for the deliverance of men4 ,those who think these explanations better than ,st4 ,john's may make what use they can of them4 ,i find in ,st4 ,john all that ,i want--infinitely more than ,i can embrace4 ,i will try1 with ,god's help1 to learn what the ,spirit is saying to us by him before ,i look elsewhere4 ,when ,he says1 ',the bread that ,i will give is my flesh1 which ,i will give for the life of the world1' does ,he speak of ,his death on the cross8 ,does ,he speak of some mysterious life which ,he will communicate to those who truly believe in ,him8 ,does ,he speak of that ,sacrament which we believe that ,he has commanded us to receive8 ,you know how these questions have been debated in all times--how they are debated now4 ,perhaps we are on the point of a tremendous conflict on this very subject--a conflict which1 however slight in its beginnings1 may in its issues be more serious and practical than the one from which we have just escaped4 ,do not1 therefore1 let us evade the question1 or any of the great moral difficulties which are involved in it4 ,do not let us strive to discover a poor unsatisfactory compromise upon it4 ,do not let us treat with contempt or indifference any of the earnest feelings which are enlisted on one side or another of it4 ,one man or another may be condemned2 there may be shouts of party triumph1 or groans of defeat4 ,what are all these when the question is about the life of the world1 the life of eternity--about that which is to be when we are all standing together before an all-righteous ,judge1 to answer for the idle words we have spoken against each other1 and for our mockeries of ,his ,name8 ,if we are giving thanks to ,god for peace1 in the ,name of ,god let us be labouring for peace--such peace as ,he only can give us6 ,let us be sure1 then1 that when ,christ speaks of giving ,his flesh1 ,he does mean1 as all have supposed ,him to mean1 that ,he would give up ,his body to die upon the cross4 ,let us be sure that1 when ,he speaks of giving ,his flesh for the life of any1 ,he must speak of a real1 hidden1 divine life1 such as he has been speaking of throughout4 ,let us be sure1 lastly1 that when ,he speaks of giving up ,his flesh for the life of the world1 ,he must mean that the blessing which ,he would confer by giving up ,his flesh would be one for mankind--for the whole earth--not for a little portion of mankind1--not for a few inhabitants of the earth4 ,whether ,i can grasp these truths or not1 ,i must acknowledge them all to be true1 if ,i acknowledge the ,gospel to be true2 ,i must believe that ,god understands them1 if ,i do not4 ,and this is what ,i mean when ,i come to the ,sacrament of the body and blood of ,christ4 ,i do come to give thanks there that in ,him is the life of the world1 and that ,he gave ,his flesh for the life of the world4 ,i do not want a separate life either here or hereafter4 ,i come to renounce that separate life1 to disclaim it1 to say what a wretch ,i have been for pretending to have it1 for trying to create it4 ,i come to say that ,i find a separate life to be a detestable and damnable life--another name for death4 ,i come to say1 that if ,god leaves me to that separate life1 ,i know that ,i am doomed to the second death1--the eternal death2 but that ,i understand that the ,son of ,god1 by sacrificing ,himself1 has given me a share and a property in another life--the common life1 the universal life which is in ,him2 and that1 understanding this1 ,i have come to give ,god thanks for it--thanks for myself1 thanks for my brethren1 thanks for the universe2 and ,i have come to pray that1 through ,his ,son1 ,he will deliver me1 and my brethren1 and the universe from that separate and selfish life which is the cause of all our woes and miseries1 spiritual and fleshly1 inward and outward4 ,in this way1 brethren1 ,i reconcile the faith in that sacrifice which was made once for all--the full sacrifice1 oblation1 and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world--with that faith in each man to which ,christ promises eternal life4 ,in this way1 ,i believe that the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper explains and justifies both truths1 not because there is some strange mingling in the elements of a body which must be received1--whether there is a spiritual organ to receive it or not1--but because it testifies to man of the eternal ,lord of his spirit--of the ,word who is his life1 of the ,word who was made flesh for the life of the world4 ,i regard that ,sacrament as looking backward to the beginning1 onward to the end of all things--as speaking of ,him from whom all things have proceeded1 and in whom all shall be gathered up1 whether things in heaven or things in earth4 ,i do not think ,st4 ,john had anything new to tell us respecting the ,lord's ,supper3 it was already adopted in all the churches4 ,though he dwells so much on the last passover1 he does not record again the breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the wine4 ,he had a different task4 ,he had to show why that act was not a formal religious ceremony1 the badge of a profession2 he had to show the eternal law upon which it rested--the ground there is for it in the relations of ,god and man4 ,if you ask me1 then1 whether he is speaking of the ,eucharist here1--,i should say1 ',no4' ,if you ask me where ,i can learn the meaning of the ,eucharist1--,i should say1 ',nowhere so well as here2 for here ,i find the very signification of the sign4 ,here ,i may discover what the ,eucharist has been to ,christendom--what it has been to each man who has desired to be one of the great ,christendom family--what it may be as a means of binding that family together--how it may become a bond to nations which are as yet lying beyond the circle of that family4' ,but1 first1 we must learn how hard it is to acknowledge either the sign or its signification4 ',the ,jews therefore strove among themselves1 saying1 ,how can this man give us his flesh to eat8' ,that strife which began in the synagogue of ,capernaum has gone on1 in every nation of the modern world in which the name of ,christ has been proclaimed1 even to this day4 ,some think they can quiet their own minds1 and settle all debate1 by saying1 ',of course1 the eating is metaphorical4' ,but ,i do not find that the use of that phrase has brought much contentment to any living soul4 ,i do not think that any man's spirit can be satisfied with the bare imagination of a feast any more than his body4 ,when vain men feed upon praises1--when angry men feed upon the acts which provoke them to rage1--when men who have received kindnesses feed on these kindnesses1--when earnest patriots feed upon the deeds that have been done by those who have saved their country1--you may1 if you please1 call this fantastic1 imaginary1 metaphorical feeding4 ,i know that the results are real2 that the vain man does vain acts1 and acquires a vain character2 that the angry man does acts of revenge1 and becomes in spirit1 if not openly1 a murderer2 that all gentle acts come from that upon which the grateful man has nourished himself--all that is most blessed to mankind1 from the courage and self-denial which the lover of his country has cultivated in himself4 ,these skilful intellectual explanations of facts--the haughty and self-complacent formula1 ',this only means'--may serve very well the purposes of those who write books2 for those who have to live and die1 they are good for nothing4 ,they take for granted that which the conscience of mankind denies1--that which every language on the face of the earth denies1--that the words which represent acts of the senses1 needs of the senses1 the satisfaction of the senses1 do not also represent acts of the spirit1 needs of the spirit1 the satisfaction of the spirit4 ,they introduce an unreal middle world between the senses and the spirit--a world of shadows1 from which the most absolute materialism is a deliverance2 because that1 at least1 is honest1 and because against that there must be a re-action4 ,the mere animal people1 who had eaten of the loaves and were filled1 did not strive and fight as these intellectual people of the synagogue did4 ,they wanted actual food2 they had real hunger1 if the deeper and nobler hunger had not yet been awakened in them4 ,to them ,christ could offer ,himself as the ,bread of ,life4 ,he does so also to these2 but it is in sterner and more terrible language4 ',then ,jesus said unto them1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,except ye eat the flesh of the ,son of man1 and drink ,his blood1 ye have no life in you4 ,whoso eateth my flesh1 and drinketh my blood1 hath eternal life2 and ,i will raise him up at the last day4 ,for my flesh is meat indeed1 and my blood is drink indeed4 ,he that eateth my flesh1 and drinketh my blood1 dwelleth in me1 and ,i in him4 ,as the living ,father hath sent me1 and ,i live by the ,father3 so he that eateth me1 even he shall live by me4 ,this is that bread which came down from heaven3 not as your fathers did eat manna1 and are dead3 he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever4 ,these things said ,he in the synagogue1 as ,he taught in ,capernaum4' ,our ,lord does not argue with these men4 ,he makes an assertion1 appealing to the after-history of the world for the confirmation or refutation of it4 ,i believe the history of ,christendom1 from beginning to end1 is nothing else than a commentary on these words2 that we may read it by the light of them4 ,immediately after the age of the ,apostles1 if not in the age of the ,apostles1 there arose sects which affirmed ,christ to be a spiritual being1 an emanation from ,god1 but which utterly denied that ,he was the ,word made flesh1--which were utterly scandalized at the notion that ,he actually and literally died upon the cross4 ,the leaders of these sects were1 many of them1 very able men2 they had perceived some high principles of the ,gospel1--they had perceived the relation of those principles to the doctrines that were current both in ,jewish and ,heathen schools4 ,they were not put down by the persecutions of their brethren1 for they existed before the ,church could persecute1--when it was the object of persecution4 ,they were not in themselves offensive to the ,roman empire1 for they were like the religious or philosophical sects which it always tolerated2 they were not politically dangerous4 ,and yet these sects came to nothing4 ,they had no cohesion1--they had no relation to humanity2 in our ,lord's simpler and higher language1 'they had no life in them2' for though they dwelt upon ,his spiritual nature1 they did not feed upon ,his flesh and drink ,his blood4 ,look on through all the centuries which follow4 ,you find divisions1 hatreds1 secularity1 hypocrisy in the ,church2 you find strifes about its doctrines1--about the relation of its ministers to each other1--about its relation to civil governments1--about its sacraments4 ,what is it that has held this strange divided body together8 ,what is it that enables us to say there has been such a thing as ,christianity in the world1--that it has had an influence upon the civilization and order of the world8 ,i can find but one answer4 ,i do discover through all these ages the recognition of a ,son of ,man who actually took human flesh and blood1--who actually offered up that flesh1 and poured out that blood upon the ,cross4 ,i do find that there has been here a common centre of life to all these ages1--something that has held them together in spite of their divisions and hatreds1--something that has been stronger than the division of castes1 and classes1 and sects1 of the lord and the serf1 of the prelate and the beggar4 ,i do find the ,cross the source of all that was noble1 chivalrous1 self-denying in the ,middle ,ages1--of all that was not base1 tyrannical1 superstitious4 ,i do find the flesh and blood of ,christ the strength of the ,reformers1 the bond of ,protestants1 the spring of all in them that has not been sectarian1 disputatious1 selfish1 hateful4 ,i cannot explain this in any other way than by believing that this flesh and blood of the ,son of ,man has been a divine food and drink1 which has been ministered by ,god1 in ways ,i know not1 to ,christian society1 to ,christian men1 through all these times4 ,i cannot but believe that there is a spiritual and eternal life in that flesh and blood which has given them this quickening power4 ,i cannot account for that quickening power by any faith1 or wisdom1 or virtue which ,i see in ,roman ,catholics or ,protestants1--in the members of one nation or ,church or another4 ,whatever faith1 or wisdom1 or virtue1 ,i do discern in them1--and1 thank ,god1 there is no corner of the earth1 no moment of history1 in which they may not be seen by those whose eyes are open1--,i must trace to a higher source4 ,i can find the only interpretation of it in the words1--',as the living ,father hath sent me1 and ,i live by the ,father3 so he that eateth me1 even he shall live by me4' ,i must refer the ,bread itself which has come down from heaven1 and all the life of faith1 and hope1 and love that it has sustained1 not to the creature1 but to the ,creator2 not to the child1 but to the living ,father4 ,i must suppose that ,he has been drawing men into the state for which ,he created them2 that ,he has been proving that they were originally formed in ,his ,son2 that to be separated from the ,son of ,man is an unnatural1 inhuman condition3 that every good and blessed fruit which has grown on the soil of human nature1 has been produced from union with ,him4 ,it is the next passage which contains the words that ,i have chosen for my text4 ',many therefore of ,his disciples1 when they had heard this1 said1 ,this is an hard saying2 who can hear it8 ,when ,jesus knew in ,himself that ,his disciples murmured at it1 ,he said unto them1 ,doth this offend you8 ,what and if ye shall see the ,son of man ascend up where ,he was before8 ,it is the spirit that quickeneth2 the flesh profiteth nothing3 the words that ,i speak unto you1 they are spirit1 and they are life4 ,but there are some of you that believe not4 ,for ,jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not1 and who should betray ,him4 ,and ,he said1 ,therefore said ,i unto you1 that no man can come unto me1 except it were given unto him of my ,father4' ,why does the allusion to the ,ascension occur here8 ,what has it to do with the previous discourse8 ,i think brethren1 that here again the history of ,christendom is the interpreter of the words of ,christ4 ,it has been a 'hard saying1' that we must eat the flesh and drink the blood of ,christ1 in order that we may have life in us4 ,to make that 'hard saying' easier to the understanding1 easier to the flesh1 various devices have been resorted to4 ,one has been that to which ,i alluded just now1 of representing the saying as only metaphorical4 ,another has been that of supposing that we may eat the flesh and drink the blood of ,christ1 provided ,he descends into the bread and wine of the ,eucharist1 and transmutes them into ,his body and blood4 ,i call this hypothesis an experiment to make the words which were hard1 easier to the carnal understanding4 ,i fully admit that there has been a ,nemesis of that understanding4 ,that which was framed to aid its conceptions1 has become the most intolerable bondage to it4 ,decrees must compel it1 under awful penalties1 to accept the explanation which its impatience craved for4 ,and what has been the consequence8 ,the blessed and elevating mystery which this week speaks of1 has been practically lost sight of4 ,the ascended ,christ1 at the right hand of the ,father1 has been thought at a hopeless and incredible distance from the suppliant upon earth4 ,the glorified ,humanity has been entirely overshadowed by the thought of the cradle at ,bethlehem4 ,one vast section of ,christendom has acknowledged the words1--',except ye eat the flesh of the ,son of man1 and drink ,his blood1 ye have no life in you4' ,but it has denied that other sentence which proceeded from the same lips1--',it is the spirit that quickeneth2 the flesh profiteth nothing3 the words that ,i speak unto you1 they are spirit1 and they are life4' ,the spirit in man is as impatient of those fetters that bind it to the earth1 as the carnal understanding is of all that is not of the earth1 earthy4 ,the message which ,christ brings from the living ,father to that spirit is1--',i can raise you above the earth2 ,i can enable you to share those treasures of wisdom1 and righteousness1 and love which are the treasures of the kingdom of heaven4 ,i can make you partakers of that ,divine ,humanity which ,i have redeemed and exalted to the ,father's right hand4' ,and our gospel to the spirit of man is2 ,either you must feed metaphorically upon ,christ's flesh and blood1 or you must force yourselves to think that ,he is come down again into lower and baser conditions than those which ,he took when ,he 'did not abhor the ,virgin's womb6' ,but1--as the last words of the passage ,i have quoted remind us1--no power of man can awaken in us that faith1 however greatly we may want it1 which thus ascends to ,christ1 and dwells with ,him where ,he is4 ,it must be given us of the ,father4 ,that mighty drawing1 which has been spoken of so often in this chapter1 must lift individuals1 must lift nations1 out of the death of notions and opinions1 into the life and freedom which the ,son of ,man came to bring them4 ,is that a reason for despondency1 brethren8 ,is it not a reason for all hope8 ,if we had nothing better to look for1 than that the disciples of ,christ1 of one ,church or another1 should discover the meaning of ,his words1 the power of ,his life1 the last verses of this chapter would cause us the deepest despondency4 ',from that time many of ,his disciples went back1 and walked no more with ,him4 ,then said ,jesus unto the twelve1 ,will ye also go away8 ,then ,simon ,peter answered ,him1 ,lord1 to whom shall we go8 ,thou hast the words of eternal life4 ,and we believe and are sure that ,thou art that ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god4 ,jesus answered them1 ,have not ,i chosen you twelve1 and one of you is a devil8 ,he spake of ,judas ,iscariot the son of ,simon3 for he it was that should betray ,him1 being one of the twelve4' ,those sentences which declared what is the very life of the ,church1 drove back the first disciples from ,christ4 ,they could believe in a prophet1--they could believe in any notions or doctrines2 they could not believe in a ,divine ,word who would give ,his flesh for the life of the world4 ,there is a sadness1 a human sadness1 in our ,lord's question to ,his own apostles1 which proves that even they might have been staggered by the thought that they must eat ,his flesh and drink ,his blood1 and that even they might desert ,him4 ,and though ,peter's answer was a noble one1 because it showed that he would cling to his ,master1 in spite of all ignorance and confusion1--because it showed that he trusted in ,him as a ,person1 and that he was sure there was eternal life in ,him1 however little he might understand the way in which that life was to be received1--yet the allusion to ,judas1 at the close of all1 has in it a depth of sorrow and of meaning which no one can fathom4 ,it is quite evident1 ,i think1 that the sin of ,judas is in some way connected by our ,lord with unbelief in that lesson which ,he had been teaching in the synagogue of ,capernaum4 ,but how could that unbelief convert him into a devil8 ,i answer with trembling4 ,judas is represented elsewhere as a covetous man4 ,in following ,christ1 he was seeking not ,christ but himself4 ,he could believe in ,one who would give him a place in the ,church below or the ,church above4 ,he could not believe in a ,son of ,man who came to give life to the world4 ,but a person who has lived with ,christ1 and been a minister and an apostle of ,christ1 and yet sinks into a separate selfish existence1 answers to the ,scripture definition and idea of a devil4 ,if the early disciples deserted ,christ1--if ,his own apostle betrayed ,him--because ,he said that ,he would in very deed prove ,himself to be the ,son of ,man1 by pouring out ,his blood for men1 and by feeding the spirit of man1 why may not ,his latest disciples forsake ,him2 why may not ,his priests now betray ,him because they1 too1 desire a ,christ for themselves1 and not for the universe8 ,but if our trust is not in them1 but in the living ,father1 we shall see all things working together for the manifestation of the ,son in this ,his true and proper character1--for the discovery of ,him to all nations as the source of their highest life4 ,the war which we have just passed through has brought us1 the most exclusive of nations1 into strange proximity with nations with which we have had no previous sympathy4 ,we have fought side by side with one which was called for ages our natural enemy2 we have fought for one who has been regarded as the enemy of ,christendom4 ,the alliance will have done us harm1 if it has made us value our position as ,englishmen less1--if it has made us understand less the position which our fathers in the seventeenth century occupied1 when they struggled against ,louis ,,xiv4 for ,protestantism and for national life4 ,it will have done us good1 if it has made us feel that our fathers were fighting against a tyranny which was hostile to ,protestantism and nationality because it was hostile to humanity1--that there is a ,son of ,man who is ,lord of ,frenchmen as well as ,englishmen1 whom both in their creeds confess1 whom both in their acts are continually denying1 for whom each is disposed to set up some other ,lord4 ,our struggle in behalf of ,turkey will have done us harm1 if it has led us to think less than our fathers did of that which divides the ,crescent from the ,cross1--the symbol of mere power1 and the symbol of strength perfected in weakness4 ,it will have done us good1 if it has taught us that we are bound to resist injustice and wrong as much when it is done to ,mahometans as ,christians1--if it leads us to remember that the ,son of ,man gave ,his flesh for the life of the world1--for ,mahometans1 therefore1 as well as for ,christians4 ,a phrase has gone forth1 and has become almost proverbial among us1 which was spoken by one who was our enemy--spoken1 we thought1 with no honest intention1 but one which has been recognised as containing a reasonable prophecy4 ,it concerned the sickness and coming death of that empire for which we have been fighting4 ,if sickness has overtaken1 if death is to overtake1 that once vigorous kingdom1 this1 ,i believe1 is the explanation3--,it bore at one time a strong and terrible witness for a living ,god1 a ,ruler of men1 a ,destroyer of idols2--,god endued it with strength to bear that witness4 ,it bore no witness for a ,son of ,god and a ,son of ,man4 ,it put humanity at a hopeless distance from ,god4 ,therefore seeds of weakness were latent in it when it was mightiest4 ,they were certain to develop themselves in it more and more4 ,they were certain at last to make its belief in ,god ineffectual1 because it denied ,him to be a ,father4 ,to adopt the modes of ,european civilization--to tolerate enemies of the prophet--may delay or may hasten the dissolution which has been foretold ,certainly there is not in any of these things a power to restore life4 ,would the acceptance of ,christianity restore it8 ,if ,christianity is taken up just as these changes have been taken up1 as part of a new system--as the condition of admission into fellowship with more powerful states1 ,i can conceive nothing so worthless1 so detestable4 ,the old ,mahometan fanaticism is worthy of reverence2 for it was real and honest4 ,this profession of ,christ would be a pretence and a mockery4 ,the faith in ,jesus which the ,moslem does cherish is better than this2--he does confess ,him as a great1 though an inferior1 ,prophet4 ,this would be to degrade ,him into the head of a rival sect1 which it is convenient for state purposes to make supreme4 ,but how can we teach them to regard ,jesus in any other light than this8 ,the first step to such a consummation is1 to see that we do not degrade ,him to this level ourselves4 ,let our ,christianity be something more than a surface thing--more than an exclusive thing--more than a particular form of opinion2 then those that are without our circle may feel its power1 because then it will be a power4 ,we need not1 as some fancy1 reduce the ,gospel into a set of moral maxims1 that we may meet the believers in the ,koran on a common ground4 ,by taking that course1 we enter into a foolish competition with the ,koran2 we do set up our religion against the ,mahometan religion1 and so insult the prejudices of those who profess it4 ,we need not bring proofs that ,mahomet was an impostor1 or that ,jesus was the ,messiah4 ,but starting from that which is the strong and vital truth of ,mahometanism--proclaiming mightily an unseen ,god and a living ,god--we may go on to declare that which is the specially ,christian truth1--that this ,god is united to ,his creatures in a ,son2 that this ,son has taken man's flesh1 and has given ,his flesh for the life of the world4 ,the deepest mystery of our faith is the most universal2 when we are most ,christian1 we are most human4 ,only we must not stop short at the ,incarnation2 we must go on to the ,ascension2--so we do justice to the ,mahometan demand that we should not exalt manhood above ,godhead2 so we escape the danger which ,mahometans too justly imputed to ,christians1 that they turned the flesh of ,christ into an object of idolatry2--when ,christ ,himself said1 ',it is the spirit which quickeneth4' ,there is a design of establishing an ,english ,church at ,constantinople4 ,if it is accomplished1 ,god grant that the ,gospel which is preached there may be the same which has been preached already by ,english lips and ,english hands in the hospital at ,scutari6 ,god grant that we may not seek there or here to set up an ,english religion1--for that cannot be the religion of ,jesus ,christ2 that must be a denial of the ,son of ,man6 ,if we fulfil the obligations which our ,church lays upon us1 we shall tell all men that there is a life for them in ,him who died for all4 ,we shall show the ,turks that we hold the ,second ,commandment as sacred as ,mahomet held it2 that we are ,islamites1 confessing the will of ,god to be the only foundation of all the acts and energies of man4 ,we shall show the ,greeks that we regard the ,son of ,man as the one universal ,bishop of ,his ,church4 ,we shall show the ,latins that we are members of a one ,holy ,catholic ,church1 to which all nations belong1 and which1 by its unity1 is to testify of the ,unity of the ,father and the ,son in one blessed ,spirit4 ,and so we shall vindicate our own position as ,englishmen2 so the ,church which we build on a foreign shore will prove that the countrymen whose bones lie on that shore have not died in vain4 ,they will have fallen in war that there might be the sacrament of a true and eternal peace between the nations4 ,and whensoever the bread is eaten and the wine is drunk which testifies that the ,son of ,man has given ,his body and ,his blood for the life of man1 their thanksgivings will be joined with those of the ,church militant1 for the sacrifice and oblation that was once made for all1--their prayers will rise with those of their brethren to the ,father of spirits--through ,him who has ascended on high1 leading captivity captive--that all tyranny1 and oppressions1 and wars1 may cease for ever upon that earth which ,he has redeemed4 ,,discourse ,,xv4 ,,the ,,feast ,,of ,,tabernacles4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 ,whit-,sunday1 ,may #aa1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,vii4 #cg-ci4 ,in the last day1 that great day of the feast1 ,jesus stood and cried1 saying1 ,if any man thirst1 let him come unto me and drink4 ,he that believeth on me1 as the scripture hath said1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 7,but this spake he of the ,spirit1 which they that believe on him should receive3 for the ,holy ,ghost was not yet given2 because that ,jesus was not yet glorified47 ,if the words in the last chapter--'the ,passover1 a feast of the ,jews1 was at hand'--are genuine1 it would seem as if ,jesus did not go up to that feast1 or to the ,pentecost which must have followed it4 ,at all events1 nothing is recorded of any visits to ,jerusalem2 and the inference from the opening of this chapter clearly is1 that ',he did not walk in ,jewry' from the time that the ,jews had sought to kill ,him at the feast spoken of in the fifth chapter4 ,i did not think it was necessary to make guesses respecting the name of that feast4 ,what this was the ,apostle has told us4 ,i have no doubt that he wished us to remember why it was instituted2 what it should have meant to them who were celebrating it2 what it did mean to ,him whom they had sought to kill1 because ,he had said1 ',god was ,his ,father4' ,it said to the ,jews who were living then1--',your fathers dwelt in tabernacles in the wilderness2 they had no houses which they could transmit to their children1 as you have4 ,but the unseen ,god went in a tabernacle before them4 ,that was the secret of their strength2 that bound them together as a nation1 before they had conquered a single walled town of ,canaan4 ,your houses are as little stable as theirs were4 ,if your national strength and union consist in your walled cities1 the ,romans in a year may lay them all waste4 ,but the living ,god dwells with you as ,he did with your fathers4 ,the ,romans cannot take that ,presence from you4 ,you may forget it2 you may disbelieve in it3 then the tabernacle of ,god will not cease to be with men1--but it will cease to be with you2 you will not be ,his stewards or witnesses any longer4' ,even we can feel that there was this significance in the festival2 events which1 we know1 were soon to happen1 reveal it to us1 if the ,law and the ,prophets do not4 ,how much more than we can divine or dream of must ,he have seen in it6 ,but the persons who were about them1 ,his own kinsfolk1 had no such thoughts4 ,to them the feast was an unusual gathering of men together1--the occasion which one who professed to be a prophet or leader of the people should take for showing ,himself to them4 ',now the ,jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand4 ,his brethren therefore said unto ,him1 ,depart hence1 and go into ,juda1 that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest4' ,looking at this advice from the point of view which we commonly take1 we should speak of it as most sensible4 ,we suppose that ,christ wrought ,his signs to convince the unbelieving ,jews of ,his mission2 what more strange than that ,he should not take pains to display them8 ,looking at the advice from his point of view1 ,st4 ,john says1 ',for neither did ,his brethren believe in ,him4' ,they expected ,him to make a startling exhibition of ,his power to the eye4 ,they did not believe in ,him1--for faith rests upon that which is not seen2 it confesses an inward1 vital power4 ,the words1 'show thyself to the world1' were doubtless used by these brethren of ,christ in a very broad1 vulgar sense4 ,jerusalem was the great world to them2 there all ,jews met2 there were the learned men who decided what others were to think and believe2 there were the rulers of the people4 ,but they had used the right word4 ,a ,mantuan1 speaking of great ,rome1 and wondering what he should do there1 would not have been more correct in calling that the world1 than these ,galilans were in giving the name to the city of ,david4 ,the ,italian metropolis might1 in one sense1 be the centre of the world's government and the world's wickedness2 the ,csar might be the world's god4 ,but a society which was organized on the confession of a living and true ,god--which had retained its organization1 and believed in that instead of in ,him--is more exactly the world1 in the sense in which the world is opposed to ,god1 than the ,roman society1 or any other existing at that time1 could possibly be4 ,jesus1 therefore1 adopts the expression of ,his kinsmen in answering them4 ',then ,jesus said unto them1 ,my time is not yet come3 but your time is alway ready4 ,the world cannot hate you2 but me it hateth1 because ,i testify of it1 that the works thereof are evil4 ,go ye up unto this feast3 ,i go not up yet unto this feast2 for my time is not yet full come4 ,when ,he had said these words unto them1 ,he abode still in ,galilee4' ,there is a greater sense of loneliness and oppression in this language1 than in any which we have met with thus far1--the loneliness which comes from being altogether misunderstood2 the oppression which comes from a work to be fulfilled1 which those whom it was meant to bless would abhor4 ,the ,son of ,man feels all the difference between those 'whose time was alway ready1'--who could go up to the feasts whenever it pleased them1 merely with the expectation of meeting friends1 and mixing in a crowd1--and ,him who had the straitening consciousness of a message which ,he must bear1 of a baptism which ,he must be baptized with4 ,and the ,son of ,god feels that ,he is to bear witness of a ,father to a world which was created by ,him1 and did not know ,him--which longed to rid itself of the sense of ,his ,presence--which conceived of ,him as a tyrant and an enemy4 ,the world cannot hate those who fancy that the business of a divine ,prophet is to persuade it to admire him and follow him4 ,the world must hate those who tell it that the ,creator of all good and truth is close to it1--that it has no good apart from that ,creator1--that its works will always be evil while it is not owning ,him4 ,the world must hate ,him in whom the glory of the central and eternal ,good and ,truth shone forth as in an 'only-begotten ,son1 full of grace and truth4' ',but when ,his brethren were gone up1 then went ,he also up unto the feast1 not openly1 but as it were in secret4 ,then the ,jews sought ,him at the feast1 and said1 ,where is ,he8 ,and there was much murmuring among the people concerning ,him3 for some said1 ,he is a good man3 others said1 ,nay2 but ,he deceiveth the people4 ,howbeit no man spake openly of ,him for fear of the ,jews4' ,we are carried at once into the bustle of the feast4 ,two or three lines give a clearer and livelier impression of the feelings of the crowds who were assembled at it1 than the longest description could have given4 ,they wonder if the ,teacher from ,galilee is there1 or is coming4 ,there are various thoughts about ,him4 ',he has done many kind acts2 surely ,he is a good man4' ,so says this man and that1 as they talk in the streets4 ',yes2 but the multitude1--the ignorant people1 who are expecting a king1--what strange1 dangerous notions ,he is filling them with6 ,can you doubt that ,he is plotting to be their chief8' ,so others whisper1 correcting the charitable judgments of their neighbours4 ,but it is a hum of voices4 ,there is a fear of something1 the people do not well know of what4 ,it is a fear of the ,jews1 the ,apostle says4 ,each fears the other4 ,there is a concentrated ,jewish feeling in the ,sanhedrim1 among the rulers1 which all tremble at4 ,till that has been pronounced--above all1 while there is a suspicion that it will come forth in condemnation--it is not wise for any to commit themselves4 ,brethren1 do we not know that this is a true story8 ,must it not have happened in ,jerusalem then2 for would it not happen in ,london now8 ',now about the midst of the feast ,jesus went up into the temple1 and taught4 ,and the ,jews marvelled1 saying1 ,how knoweth this man letters1 having never learned8 ,jesus answered them1 and said1 ,my doctrine is not mine1 but ,his that sent me4' ,he went up to the feast in secret2 but ,he goes into the ,temple openly4 ,he has as little wish to hide ,his doctrine as ,he has to display ,himself4 ,his testimony is to the world4 ,it is borne at this time to a letter-worshipping world1--to a world which believed that certain letters had come long ago from ,god1 but which utterly disbelieved that ,god could hold converse with men in their day4 ,such people have lost all sense of the meaning of letters4 ,they are no longer the blessed media of intercourse between soul and soul1 witnesses of spiritual communication2 they are dead things1 to be committed to memory1 to be learnt most readily by those to whom they express least4 ,how natural their wonder was that ,he who spoke with authority1--,he who uttered living words1 and adopted all the living symbols of nature to illustrate them1--should know letters1 when there was no evidence that ,he had gone to any school6 ,and though a scribe may have first spoken of ,his ignorance1 it is quite probable that the crowd will quickly have caught the phrase1 and have manifested the same astonishment that one of themselves should dare to teach them4 ,the answer is in accordance with all that ,he has said before4 ,there is a fountain within1 from which ,his words flow4 ,they are not ,his own4 ,he speaks what ,he has heard4 ,he is a ,messenger from the ,unseen2 ,he is a ,messenger to human beings4 ,he can make ,himself understood by them2 ,he can prove ,his commission to them4 ,and this is the way ,he will prove it4 ',if any man will do ,his will1 he shall know of the doctrine1 whether it be of ,god1 or whether ,i speak of myself4 ,he that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory3 but he that seeketh ,his glory that sent him1 the same is true1 and no unrighteousness is in him4 ,did not ,moses give you the law1 and yet none of you keepeth the law8 ,why go ye about to kill me8' ,i have taken these three verses together4 ,i believe we lose the force of the first1 if we separate it from the other two4 ,oftentimes we hear the first clause of the #agth verse quoted without the second4 ,by that violent proceeding this meaning is extracted from our ,lord's words1--that if a man keeps ,god's commandments1 he arrives at a correct apprehension of doctrinal propositions3 an assertion which is surely not always borne out by evidence1 and which is likely to produce quite as much self-righteousness as humility4 ,nay1 it leads to far more doubt than satisfaction4 ,the question is raised1 whether ,a1 or ,b1 or ,c keeps ,god's commandments best1 and therefore which may be trusted best as an expositor of doctrine4 ,the unknown is to be ascertained by the more unknown3 for who1 except the ,judge of all1 can answer this question8 ,who would attempt to answer it that reverenced ,christ's words1--',judge not1 that ye be not judged8' ,our ,lord most carefully guarded ,his sentence against this construction4 ,our translators have honestly and righteously preserved the singular phrase1--',if any man will 7or wills to7 do ,his will4' ,supposing a man really recognises a will as higher than his own1 and wishes1 above all things1 to be conformed to that will1 then ,christ's words about ,his coming to do a ,father's will1--,his whole doctrine1 which is grounded upon ,his relation to ,his ,father1 and ,his fulfilment of ,his will1--must become by degrees intelligible to that man4 ,he may be confused about phrases1 he may blunder in his statements1 but he will enter into the meaning of the teaching2 there will be a continual interpretation of it in his own thoughts and acts4 ,for self-glorying1 self-seeking1 self-will is that which he will be continually dreading in himself1 from which he will be continually flying in himself4 ,he will know that that has been and is the cause of all falsehood in his words1 his deeds1 his thoughts2 and therefore he will acknowledge that ,one in whom there is no such self-seeking1 self-glorying1 self-willing1 who was entirely seeking the glory of another1 and doing the will of another1 must be true altogether1 must be right altogether1--that there can be no falsehood1 no wrong in ,him4 ,here is our ,lord's famous test1 which has never been superseded1--which has never failed in the case of any generation or of any man4 ,jesus applies it at once to those who were about ,him4 ,they had a law1--they boasted of a law4 ,but did they bow to the law1 as expressing the will of ,one higher than themselves8 ,no2 it was a document which they could call theirs1 which belonged to them--not a power which was to rule them2 therefore this law which forbade killing was to be the very excuse for killing4 ,they went about to kill ,jesus1 out of love to the law4 ,a more tremendous illustration of a principle--tremendous1 because its force has not been spent in eighteen centuries--cannot be conceived4 ,it is possible to make ,god's commandments an occasion for boasting over others1 for self-glorying2 and so it is possible to make ,god's law a perpetual barrier between us and all knowledge of ,his will--even a reason for resisting it in our acts4 ,perhaps the people at large were not aware that there had been any plot to kill ,jesus at the former feast2 for 'the multitude answered1 ,thou hast a devil3 who goeth about to kill thee8' ,without apparently heeding the interruption--addressing ,himself to those who did know what had happened at the ,pool of ,bethesda1 and what charge had been brought against ,him for healing on the ,sabbath-day--',jesus answered and said unto them1 ,i have done one work1 and ye all marvel4 ,moses therefore gave unto you circumcision2 7not because it is of ,moses1 but of the fathers27 and ye on the sabbath-day circumcise a man4 ,if a man on the sabbath-day receive circumcision1 that the law of ,moses should not be broken2 are ye angry at me1 because ,i have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath-day8 ,judge not according to the appearance1 but judge righteous judgment4' ,he was enforcing in these words what ,he had said at the other feast4 ,the feeling of the ,jews about the ,fourth ,commandment illustrated their feeling about the whole law4 ,they were glorying in it as their day1--they were not receiving it as ,god's day2 and1 therefore1 they were not perceiving the will of ,god in reference to that day4 ,nay1 they were contradicting the very customs which they were themselves practising4 ,they believed they were obeying ,moses when they circumcised a man on the ,sabbath-day2 they believed they should be breaking the law if they failed to do so4 ,circumcision was the sign of a covenant which ,god had made with their fathers before ,he gave them the law--a covenant of grace and blessing4 ,and yet so much were they misled by mere appearances1 that they thought it an actual sin to make a man whole on the ,sabbath-day4 ,the act which inflicted pain must please ,god2 that which gave health must offend ,him6 ,there is more in the contradiction which ,he thus brought home to their minds than it is possible to express by any commentary upon ,his words4 ,this misunderstanding of the very meaning of all ,god's dealings with them--this degradation of the law into a cruel letter--of the covenant into the mere sign or form of the covenant--was that proof of inward radical atheism 7nay1 as we shall find in the next chapter1 of something worse than atheism7 which our ,lord was convicting them of in ,his discourses1 which they were hereafter to manifest by the wickedest deeds that had ever been done upon the earth4 ,but1 besides this witness against them1 ,he was giving a lesson to all ages and to all teachers respecting the duty and the method of piercing through the outward shell of an institution into the principle which is embodied in it--respecting the danger and the sin of omitting to do this through any affected reverence for the institution itself4 ,in the two pregnant instances of the ,sabbath-day and of circumcision1 ,he showed that if1 in any case whatever1 we judge according to appearances1 instead of seeking for the meaning and purport of the divine signs1 we shall be likely to repeat the sin of the ,jews1 and to deny ,god when we fancy we are honouring ,him most4 ',then said some of them of ,jerusalem1 ,is not this ,he whom they seek to kill8 ,but1 lo1 ,he speaketh boldly1 and they say nothing unto ,him4 ,do the rulers know indeed that this is the very ,christ8 ,howbeit we know this man whence ,he is3 but when ,christ cometh1 no man knoweth whence ,he is4' ,these inhabitants of ,jerusalem were likely to know more of the anger which ,jesus had provoked by ,his cure1 than the mere multitude which was collected from all quarters4 ,they knew that their rulers had sought to kill ,him4 ,their wonder was1 that ,he should be allowed to go at large1 and should show so little fear of any mischiefs that might befal ,him4 ,they thought that some change must have taken place in the sentiments of the ,sanhedrim4 ,could they have discovered that ,he was not an impostor and blasphemer--that ,he was the very ,king they were looking for8 ,surely that was impossible4 ,they knew exactly from whence this ,man had sprung1 where ,he dwelt1 who were ,his kindred2 but who could declare the generation of the ,christ8 ,when ,he came1 no one would be able to say from what region ,he came4 ,there would be a mystery about ,him1 which would sever ,him from all other beings4 ,there was a mixture of error and truth in this thought4 ,jesus distinguished them in the following words3--',then cried ,jesus in the temple as ,he taught1 saying1 ,ye both know me1 and ye know whence ,i am3 and ,i am not come of myself1 but ,he that sent me is true1 whom ye know not4 ,but ,i know ,him3 for ,i am from ,him1 and ,he hath sent me4' ,there was1 in one sense1 no mystery about ,him2 all was simple1 natural1 open4 ,he affected no reserve2 ,he disclaimed no human relationships4 ,he walked with fishermen2 ,he did not avoid the company of rulers2 ,he ate and drank with publicans or with ,pharisees4 ,the absence of strangeness and singularity was what was most characteristic of ,him4 ,he was like all other men2 ,he did nothing to raise ,himself above them4 ,where1 then1 was the mystery8 ,he was not come of ,himself4 ,that ,god who had dwelt in the ,tabernacle1 who had guided them through the wilderness--that ,god who1 they said1 dwelt in that ,temple1 whom they were celebrating in that feast--was with ,him1 was speaking by ,him4 ,of ,him ,he was bearing witness4 ,they did not know that ,being1 because ,he was true4 ,their falsehood kept them from ,him2 there was no sympathy between them4 ,but ,he knew ,him2 ,he was from ,him2 ,his truth ,he was come to show forth4 ,there was something in these words very like those which had called forth their first indignation against them--',my ,father worketh1 and ,i work4' ,perhaps they thought ,he was again speaking blasphemy2 perhaps they were only indignant at ,his discovery of their untruth4 ,at all events1 we are told they sought to take ,him4 ,some out of the crowd1 it would appear--not officials1 for they are spoken of afterwards--gave signs of an intention to seize ,him2 'but no man laid hands on ,him1 because ,his hour was not yet come4' ,the ,apostle keeps us in mind that an hour was to come when they would have their way2 and that1 when it did come1 the will of the ,lord of all would be more fully manifested than it was now in restraining them4 ',and many of the people believed on ,him1 and said1 ,when ,christ cometh1 will ,he do more miracles than these which this man hath done8 ,the ,pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning ,him2 and the ,pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take ,him4' ,the desire to treat ,jesus with violence seems to have been confined to a few4 ,but what are we to think of those many who are said to have believed on ,him8 ,what kind of belief was it8 ,i do not know that we can answer any question of this kind1 except as ,st4 ,john answers it4 ,he calls the sentiment of these people belief4 ,we have a right1 therefore1 to assume that a spiritual power was acting on their minds1 and that they confessed it4 ,the visible signs spoke to them of that which was invisible4 ,on the other hand1 we are told that they talked of the number of signs which the ,christ might be expected to work4 ,this was the gossip of men upon whom ,his words had taken no mighty or secure hold4 ,those who can deliberate how much evidence ought to convince them1 have never yet surrendered themselves to the full force of a conviction4 ,but the chief priests and ,pharisees were not the least competent to judge what were deep and what were superficial impressions4 ,all murmurs and questionings sounded dangerous2 they ought to be suppressed1 if it were possible ,we have heard of their plotting against ,jesus2 but it is the first time that we have been told of any messengers being sent formally from the ,sanhedrim to take ,him4 ,he appears to have received it as the foretaste of that apprehension which would take place at another feast2 for--',then said ,jesus unto them1 ,yet a little while am ,i with you1 and then ,i go unto ,him that sent me4 ,ye shall seek me1 and shall not find me3 and where ,i am1 thither ye cannot come4' ,i connect these words with the appearance of the messengers2 ,i look upon them1 therefore1 as a prophecy of ,his death4 ,but the further we read1 the more we shall find that the language in which ,he speaks in this ,gospel of ,his departure out of the world1 is at least as applicable to ,his ascension as to ,his passion4 ,his going is always a return4 ,he is here for a little while2 then ,he must be with ,him from whom ,he came4 ,i beseech you1 do not pass over these expressions as if they were commonplaces1 or as if you were sure you understood them4 ,they are as difficult to us who keep the festival of the ,ascension every year--who say every day1 ',i believe that ,jesus ascended on high'--as they were to those who heard them first4 ,nay1 unless we seize strongly the first words of this ,gospel--unless we believe that the ',word was with ,god1 and was ,god1' and that ,jesus was the ',word made flesh'--,i believe they may be often more difficult2 that our familiarity with the mere name and notion of an ascent into heaven may make us less able to feel than they were1 'that no man hath ascended into heaven save ,he which came down from heaven1 even the ,son of ,man that is in heaven4' ,the guesses of the ,jews respecting our ,lord's meaning1 when ,he said they should seek ,him but not find ,him1 were wide of the mark--were as outward and material as we should expect them to be4 ,yet there is in them one of those curious anticipations of the truth--one of those unconscious prophecies which sometimes occur in the language of the most thoughtless or evil men4 ',then said the ,jews among themselves1 ,whither will ,he go1 that we shall not find ,him8 will ,he go unto the dispersed among the ,gentiles1 and teach the ,gentiles8 ,what manner of saying is this that ,he said1 ,ye shall seek me1 and shall not find me3 and where ,i am1 thither ye cannot come8' ,he had broken down the barriers between different classes of ,israelites--between ,galilans1 ,samaritans1 and ,jews4 ,why might not ,he carry ,his designs further8 ,why might ,he not go to the dispersed tribes in heathen lands8 ,why might ,he not preach to the heathens themselves8 ,they were right3 this would be the effect of ,his going away4 ,this was a part1 a great part1 of what ,he meant by it4 ,and it is not till we realize this sense of the words--till we regard the ,ascension as the redemption and glorification of ,humanity at the right hand of ,god1 and therefore as the necessary step to a ,gospel which should include the dispersed among the ,gentiles1 and the ,gentiles themselves--that we perceive how it bears upon that great passage which ,i took as the text of this sermon3--',in the last day1 that great day of the feast1 ,jesus stood and cried1 saying1 ,if any man thirst1 let him come unto me1 and drink4 ,he that believeth on me1 as the scripture hath said1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 7,but this spake ,he of the ,spirit1 which they that believe on ,him should receive3 for the ,holy ,ghost was not yet given2 because that ,jesus was not yet glorified47' ,the passage through the wilderness was commemorated by the whole of this festival4 ,this great day of it would seem to have been especially devoted to the striking of the rock1 and perhaps to the celebration of those wells by which the thirst of the pilgrims was quenched4 ,that same truth1 therefore1 which had been taught the woman of ,samaria1 as she brought her own single pitcher to ,jacob's well1 could here be drawn out of the history of the nation4 ,a whole host had cried for water4 ,god had told ,his servant1 the shepherd of the people1 where it was to be found4 ,god had shown them that ,he causes the springs to flow from the hills2 that ,he cared for the cattle who drank of them2 that ,he cared more for the wants of the creatures whom ,he had made in ,his image1 and redeemed from the oppressor4 ,prophets and holy men had discovered--all men had in some measure discovered--that there are cravings which no fountains on earth can satisfy4 ,the ,jewish nation existed to declare that in ,god ,himself is the fountain of life2 that the spirit can only find its life in ,him4 ,john the ,baptist had said that ,he who had been before ,him1 and was coming after ,him1 would baptize with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and now ,he who had declared that ,he was sent from the ,father1 and was a short time with them1 and would return to ,him1 declares that whoever believed on ,him should not only be satisfied out of the fulness of ,god ,himself1 but 'that from him should flow rivers of living water2' that he should receive only to give2 that his blessing should be to communicate1 because that is the blessing of the divine nature1 of which he is admitted to participate4 ,had these words stood by themselves1 we might interpret them as they are so often interpreted of the individual believer4 ,we might say1--',these are the choice gifts1 the peculiar treasures1 which ,christ bestows upon ,his most favoured servants1--upon them whose faith is the most simple and the most full4' ,there is a true1 a most important1 meaning in such language2 and we should have no right to complain of any one who deduced it1 and it alone1 from our ,lord's discourse at the ,tabernacle1 if ,his own beloved disciple had not gone out of his way to point out another signification of that discourse1 not inconsistent with this1 but certainly far wider and deeper1 and1 ,i conceive1 most necessary to save this from a perilous abuse4 ,when he tells us that ,he spoke this of the ,spirit1 'which was not yet given1 because that ,jesus was not yet glorified1' he evidently connects the fulfilment of the promise with one of the acts which ,christ was to do for mankind4 ,the ,spirit had before spoken by the ,prophets2 when ,he was exalted on high1 'the tabernacle of ,god was indeed to be with men1 and ,he was to dwell among them1 and to be their ,father1 and they were to be ,his children4' ,no doubt a man must have faith in ,jesus before rivers of living water can flow from him which shall bless human beings and make the world fruitful4 ,but it must be faith in ,him as the ,head of man1 as the ,redeemer of the race2 it must be faith which raises the man above self-seeking and self-glorying2 it must be faith that refers its own origin to this very ,spirit1 which ,he gives because ,he is glorified4 ,such a faith1 ,jesus taught the ,jews at the feast of ,tabernacles1 was implied in those services and thanksgivings in which they were engaged4 ,if they understood the dealings of ,god with their fathers1 this was the blessing to which they must look forward2 if they were content with less1 all that had been given them would be taken from them4 ,such a faith1 brethren1 is for us who are keeping another feast to-day4 ,call that the ,christian ,pentecost1 if you will2 but it substantiates this promise4 ,christ ascended on high2 ,christ poured out ,his ,spirit upon fishermen and tent-makers4 ,out of them flowed rivers of living water that have made the earth glad4 ,a family gathered out of all kindreds and nations was declared to be the ,tabernacle of ,god1 in which ,he would dwell4 ,so ,whitsuntide testifies4 ,but1 oh6 if it should be kept by us as the ,tabernacle feast was kept by the ,jews2 if there should be the same self-seeking1 hardness1 ,atheism1 in us1 as there was in them2 what can we expect but that these words will be spoken to our nation and to the whole ,church8--',yet a little while ,i am with you1 and then ,i go away4 ,and ye shall seek me1 and shall not find me3 and whither ,i go1 ye cannot come4' ,,discourse ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,true ,,witness ,,of ,,christ4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 ,trinity ,sunday1 ,may #ah1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,viii4 #bi4 ,and ,he that sent me is with me3 the ,father hath not left me alone2 for ,i do always those things that please ,him4 ,the belief which was expressed in the question1--',when ,christ cometh1 will ,he do more miracles than this man doeth8' appeared not to be a very stable belief4 ,the effect of the words which ,jesus spoke on the last day of the feast must have been greater1 if not more lasting4 ',many of the people 7the crowd7 therefore1 when they heard this saying 7these words71 said1 ,this is the ,prophet2 others said1 ,this is the ,christ4' ,there was no sign1 no outward indication of ,his power4 ,there was an appeal to a thirst in men's spirits2 there was a promise that those spirits should drink1 and that living waters should flow from them4 ,those who discovered the ,prophet--the representative of all prophets--in the one who spoke thus to their hearts1 were confessing a ,divine and living ,word4 ,those who discovered the ,christ in the person who made this promise had learnt1 by some means or other1 that the ,christ is ,he who is anointed with the ,spirit that ,he may bestow the ,spirit4 ',but some said1 ,shall ,christ come out of ,galilee8 ,hath not the scripture said1 ,that ,christ cometh of the seed of ,david1 and out of the town of ,bethlehem1 where ,david was8 ,so there was a division among the people because of ,him4' ,as ,i hinted before1 the occurrence of this schism is no unimportant incident in ,st4 ,john's ,gospel4 ,much of the meaning of the narrative turns upon the question which produced it4 ,was the ,christ to prove ,his right to the homage of ,his subjects by establishing ,his lineal descent from ,david1 by showing that ,he was born in the place from which ,micah had intimated that the ,shepherd of ,israel would come8 ,or was ,he at once to address ,himself to the conscience of human beings8 ,was ,he to claim a sovereignty over them by an elder title8 ,were ,scribes and ,pharisees to bow down when they had satisfied their understandings1 by spelling over texts1 that ,jesus possessed certain outward marks and tokens which were described in those texts8 ,or were publicans and sinners to hear that there was ,one who could give them the bread and water of life2 that they might own ,him1 and eat1 and drink1 and live8 ,some will say that the first three ,evangelists maintain the one doctrine1 the fourth ,gospel the other4 ,to me it seems that ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke1 who give our ,lord's genealogies from ,abraham or from ,adam1 rest as little upon those genealogies as ,st4 ,mark or ,st4 ,john1 in whom they are not found2 that all alike appeal to a different kind of evidence from this1--to that evidence which ,pharisees and ,scribes could not understand1 'because they had not repented at the preaching of ,john1'--because they had not come to that living ,lord1 of whom the ,scriptures testified1 but 'thought they had life in them4' ,but ,i do not doubt that in ,st4 ,john's day1 ,christians had begun to dwell on the evidence of genealogies and of outward marvels1 as the ,jews had dwelt upon them2 that this was a time of infinite peril to those ,christians1 and to the society of which they were members2 that it was an especial function of the beloved disciple to show1 not only that the craving for this evidence was not healthy1 but that it was a principal cause of the rejection of ,jesus by the people of ,god's ancient covenant4 ,this truth is strongly brought out in the last verses of the #gth chapter4 ',and some of them would have taken ,him2 but no man laid hands on ,him4 ,then came the officers to the chief priests and ,pharisees2 and they said unto them1 ,why have ye not brought ,him8 ,the officers answered1 ,never man spake like this man4 ,then answered them the ,pharisees1 ,are ye also deceived8 ,have any of the rulers or of the ,pharisees believed on ,him8 ,but this people who knoweth not the law are cursed4 ,nicodemus saith unto them1 7he that came to ,jesus by night1 being one of them17 ,doth our law judge any man1 before it hear him1 and know what he doeth8 ,they answered and said unto ,him1 ,art thou also of ,galilee8 ,search1 and look3 for out of ,galilee ariseth no prophet4 ,and every man went unto his own house4' ,all here is wonderfully living and characteristic4 ,the faint effort of the officers to execute the command of their masters2 the awe which held them back2 their simple confession of the power which they found in the words of ,jesus2 the surprise of the ,sanhedrim that the infection should have reached even their servants2 their terror lest there might be traitors in the camp1--lest any ,pharisee or lawyer 7probably some eyes were turned on ,nicodemus7 should have been carried away by the impulse to which the crowd1 naturally enough1 had yielded2 their scorn of the people1 as wretched1 'accursed1' men utterly ignorant of the law2--who does not feel as if he were present in that convocation of doctors8--as if he were looking at their perplexed and angry faces8--as if he were hearing their contemptuous words8 ,but the debate turns ultimately on the impossibility of a ,galilan ,christ4 ,nicodemus timidly suggests that those who boast of the law1 and call the people cursed for not knowing it1 should adhere to the law in their treatment of an accused person4 ,he is at once put down by the demand1--',art thou of ,galilee8' ,all arguments of conscience1 even the formalities of law1--so much more precious than such arguments1--are nothing1 unless1 after searching and looking1 he can find that a prophet could come out of ,galilee4 ,whether he did search and look we are not told2 but we are told that he found a prophet in the tomb of ,joseph1 if he failed to satisfy himself about ,his coming from ,nazareth4 ,then follows the story of the woman taken in adultery4 ,that story has approved itself to the conscience of ,christendom4 ,i feel it to be most dear and venerable4 ,some of the ,fathers disliked the moral of it1 and therefore were glad to believe it not genuine4 ,i wish ,i were as sure that their conclusion was wrong1 as that their reason for wishing the story away was unsound4 ,but impartial critics seem to be agreed that there is not sufficient justification for retaining it1 at least in this place4 ,i dare not dispute their authority on a question respecting the weight and value of ,,mss4 ,i dare not allow affection for the passage to interfere when truth is at stake4 ,thoughtful students maintain that the story belongs to this ,gospel1 though they cannot tell to what part of the book it should be transferred4 ,were it a question of internal evidence simply1 ,i should say that it does not seem to me an interpolated fragment here2 that it supplies a link between thoughts which otherwise it is less easy to connect4 ,if the story is withdrawn1 the #hth chapter opens with the words1--',then spake ,jesus again1 ,i am the ,light of the world3 he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness4' ,perhaps ,i may be deceived by habit and old association2 but ,i feel as if these words explained how it was that1 when ,christ said1 ',let him that is without sin cast the first stone1' the 'accusers went out one by one4' ,i see in them also an answer to the charge that ,he was tolerating sin when ,he said1 ',go1 and sin no more4' ,they show that the sharpest judgment upon sin is exercised by ,him who delivers from it4 ,and the story appears to unite that exposure of the law-worshippers--who punished breakers of the law1 but did not keep the law--which we found in the last chapter1 with the revelation of a ,will1 working in us that we may keep the law in the fullest sense of it1 which we shall find in this4 ,nevertheless1 ,i am afraid of using these pleas4 ,if the story is genuine1 it will defend itself2 if not1 the divine ,oracles can do without it4 ,the more sacred we consider them1 the more we must be sure that ,god would have us receive them in purity1 and that ,he will take better care of them than we can4 ,whatever be the introduction to the words1 ',i am the ,light of the world3 he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness1' we perceive at once that they are in harmony with all that we have been reading in ,st4 ,john4 ,but we ought also to perceive that they are not mere repetitions of the sentences in the opening of the ,gospel1 and in the third chapter4 ,the ,light of the world comes forth here detecting1 indeed1 and manifesting the darkness in each man1 but with a promise and assurance that it will prove itself mightier than the darkness4 ,the ,word made flesh says to the man who sees nothing but mists all around him1 ',i can bring you into the clear sunshine4' ,he says to the man whose breath is stifled1 whose limbs have suffered as much from the atmosphere he has dwelt in as his eyes1 ',i am the ,light of ,life'--that which illuminates1 quickens4 ,there is certainly a progress and an order in all our ,lord's teachings1 whether we can trace it or not4 ,the words on the last day of the feast1 which could not be fulfilled till ,christ was glorified1 seem to make the conversation upon which we are now entering necessary4 ,we want to know how the ,water of ,life is connected with the ,light of ,life2 we want to know whence the ,light and the ,life are both derived4 ,the answer of the ,pharisees to our ,lord's words--',thou bearest record of thyself2 thy record is not true'--leads us on in this path of discovery4 ,this answer was no doubt suggested by a recollection of that which ,he had said ,himself at the former feast 7,john v4 #ca74 ,they thought they were confuting ,him out of ,his own mouth2 for surely to call ,himself the ,light of the world was as great a pretension as to call ,himself the ,christ4 ,could ,his own testimony be accepted for one assertion more than for the other8 ,it was an all-important inquiry4 ,the more earnestly the ,pharisees pursued it--the more determined they were not to be content with any half solution of it--the better4 ,if they had been in earnest1 they would have been compelled to ask themselves--',and what evidence can we have that will satisfy us whether such a claim as this is well-founded or not8 ,what can convince us whether one who says he is our ,light1 and the ,light of the world1 is uttering the most profound truth1 or the most portentous falsehood8' ,they would then have been driven to plain facts4 ,they must have considered how the sun proves itself to be a light to any man1 or a light to all men2 and what comfort there would be in learning from books that that is the function which it ought to perform1 the blessing which men ought to receive from it4 ,they were not in earnest2 they would not grapple with facts4 ,facts were for that cursed people which did not know the law4 ,what had doctors to do with such common things as the sun8 ,what had the sun to do with the letters which they copied out8 ,something1 perhaps1 with the letter of that #aith ,psalm1 which begins with the light in the firmament1 and ends with the law that enlightens the heart4 ,but that was metaphorical language1 poetical language--very beautiful1 and sacred1 and divine--but to be treated as if it meant nothing4 ,to this test1 however1 our ,lord1 who preached a ,gospel to men1 was bringing ,his own assertions1 ,his own character1 ,his own office4 ,he did not1 like those ,prophets and ,christs who bore witness of themselves1 produce evidence to show how much ,he was above human beings4 ,he did not1 like the doctors of the law1 judge and condemn4 ,but ,he came speaking of a ,father from whom ,he had proceeded1 and to whom ,he was returning4 ,he came speaking to men's consciences1 making them judges of themselves4 ,either he had come from a ,father1 or ,he had not4 ,if ,he had1 that ,father would bear witness of ,him2 that ,father would show whether ,he knew ,him1 and was testifying truly of ,him4 ,it was not ,jesus of ,nazareth saying1 ',i am the ,christ2' it was a ,father speaking of a ,son1 a ,son of a ,father1 to beings who could not live without either4 ,i have translated1 as nearly as my poor language can1 ,his mighty words4 ,read them and meditate upon them till you find depths in them of which ,i have only caught the faintest glimpse4 ',the ,pharisees therefore said unto ,him1 ,thou bearest record of thyself2 thy record is not true4 ,jesus answered and said unto them1 ,though ,i bear record of myself1 yet my record is true3 for ,i know whence ,i came1 and whither ,i go2 but ye cannot tell whence ,i come1 and whither ,i go4 ,ye judge after the flesh2 ,i judge no man4 ,and yet if ,i judge1 my judgment is true3 for ,i am not alone1 but ,i and the ,father that sent me4 ,it is also written in your law1 that the testimony of two men is true4 ,i am one that bear witness of myself1 and the ,father that sent me beareth witness of me4' ,everything1 you will perceive1 turns upon this relation of a ,son to a ,father--upon their eternal distinctness1 upon their eternal unity4 ,the word ',father' was now1 as before1 that which at once confused the ,jews1 and filled them with horror4 ',they said therefore to ,him1 ,where is thy ,father8' ',what dost ,thou mean8 ,dost ,thou mean that the ,god there in those heavens is ,thy ,father8' ,no6 ,surely the ,jupiter tonans1 whom they worshipped under the name of the ,jehovah the ,god of ,abraham1 was not the ,father of whom ,he spake4 ,he said therefore1 ',ye neither know me1 nor my ,father3 if ye had known me1 ye would have known my ,father also4' ,it was a fuller1 bolder assertion than was contained in the words1 ',my ,father worketh1 and ,i work4' ,it affirmed that they could know the ,father of all in a ,man2 that they could not know ,him except in a man4 ,this was the answer to their ',where8' ,this overthrew their notion of ,godhead--the frightful intellectual idol to which they were bowing down4 ,but if ,he had spoken blasphemy before1 ,he had spoken it more clearly and terribly now4 ,st4 ,john felt this2 for he thinks it necessary to explain why ,jesus was not stoned for using such language3--',these words spake ,jesus in the treasury1 as ,he taught in the temple3 and no man laid hands on ,him2 for ,his hour was not yet come4' ,then ,he repeats the words which ,he spoke before at the feast1 but with an addition which deepens their force4 ',then said ,jesus again unto them1 ,i go my way1 and ye shall seek me1 and shall die in your sins3 whither ,i go1 ye cannot come4' ,he would go away from them1 and they could not follow ,him4 ,but how is that departure and that incapacity connected with their dying in sin8 ,i believe the sense will become clearer as we read on in the chapter2 but we shall not understand what follows1 if we leave this question unconsidered4 ,throughout ,he has been teaching that the coming to ,him with the feet1 that the seeing ,him with the eyes1 was not that coming and that seeing which could do them any good1 which could make them truer men4 ,that belief which is not dependent upon sight--that belief which was in ,him as the same yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever--that belief which would be in ,him when ,he had gone away from the world--that1 and that only1 would raise them above themselves1 would unite them to the ,father1 would make them partakers of ,his true and eternal life4 ,sin1 the separation from ,god1 must be the state of their spirits1--those spirits must gravitate to earth1 and claim their portion with the flesh1--unless they could look upwards1 and assert their share in their ,lord's ascension1 in ,his victory over the grave and hell4 ,the next verses will show1 ,i think1 that this is the force of the one upon which ,i have been commenting4 ',then said the ,jews1 ,will ,he kill ,himself8 because ,he saith1 ,whither ,i go1 ye cannot come4 ,and he said unto them1 ,ye are from beneath2 ,i am from above3 ye are of this world2 ,i am not of this world4 ,i said therefore unto you1 ,that ye shall die in your sins3 for if ye believe not that ,i am ,he1 ye shall die in your sins4' ,the ,jews did not now suppose that ,he was going to the dispersed among the ,gentiles4 ,they perceived that ,his words pointed to a departure out of the world4 ',but how could ,he know that ,he was going to leave it8 ,would ,he take the matter into ,his own hands8 ,did ,he mean that disappointment and anger at their rejection of ,him would drive ,him to self-murder8' ,the suggestion was not a serious one2 merely the mock of some priest1 thrown out for the sake of degrading ,him in the minds of the people4 ,our ,lord's words are not an answer to it1 but an exposition of the sentence which had provoked it1 and of the cause which had made that sentence unintelligible to them4 ,they could only think of leaving the world as a descent1 by one means or another1 into the grave4 ,the idea of an ascent1 of a return of a spirit to its proper home1 was utterly strange to them4 ,this was a proof that they needed one to come from above1 that they might be delivered from their downward1 earthbound nature4 ,this was a proof that they needed one who was not of this world to come1 who might lift them above it2 that they1 too1 might find their way to their ,father's house4 ,if they would not believe in ,him as such a ,messenger from the ,father1 as such a deliverer from the world1 they must become the victims of sin1 the heirs of death4 ',they said therefore to ,him1 ,who art thou8' ',what kind of being dost thou claim to be1 who pronouncest judgment upon us1--who tellest us that we are to die in our sins8' ,there is a mixture1 it seems to me1 of indignation and of curiosity in the question4 ,they want ,him to tell them what ,he is1 and what ,his right is to censure them and prophesy death to them4 ,the reply1 according to our translators1 was1 ',the same which ,i said unto you from the beginning4' ,i do not suppose they were satisfied with this rendering themselves1 or that any one ever has been4 is more properly to speak than to say4 must be the present tense1 not the past4 ,yet ,i do not think we can better their version by giving1 as some have done1 a mystical force to the words 2 as if that was a name which ,christ claimed for ,himself4 ,some of the ,gnostics1 and some of the ,fathers1 no doubt1 supposed that ,christ is called ,the ,beginning in the first chapter of this ,gospel1 as ,he is1 undoubtedly1 in the first chapter of the ,apocalypse4 ,but1 were that so1 ,i do not see what room there would be for this meaning here1 or how the sentence could be construed if we introduced it4 ,if we follow the order of the words1 we may perhaps preserve the grammar of the sentence1 and its connexion with the verses which follow1 without deviating very widely from the signification which it conveyed to the minds of ,king ,james's translators4 ',that in the beginning of which ,i am speaking to you4 ,i have many things to speak and to judge concerning you4 ,but ,he that sent me is true2 and the things which ,i have heard from ,him1 those ,i speak to the world4' ,the answer may be either a direct one to the question1 ',who art thou8' ',i have always been that ,light of the world of which ,i am speaking now2' or the emphasis may be on the word 'speak4' ',i am not speaking to you any different words from those which ,i have been always speaking to you4 ,i am not pronouncing any judgment upon you which you have not heard pronounced in your consciences long ago4 ,there are many dark spots in those consciences which ,i must bring to light2 many harder speeches still which you must hear from me4 ,i am come from a true ,being2 from ,him who is true4 ,i speak to the world that which ,i know to be ,his mind and will4' ',they did not understand1' says the ,apostle1 7this was their misery17 'that it was the mind and will of a ,father ,he was proclaiming to them2 that it was from ,him who loved them they were shrinking and turning away4' ',they understood not that ,he spake to them of the ,father4 ,then said ,jesus unto them1 ,when ye have lifted up the ,son of ,man1 then shall ye know that ,i am ,he1 and that ,i do nothing of myself2 but as my ,father hath taught me1 ,i speak these things4' ,as ,he speaks of their lifting up the ,son of ,man1 it is clear that ,he means here what ,he meant in the conversation with ,nicodemus4 ',as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 so was the ,son of ,man to be lifted up4' ,they would be the means of raising ,him to that throne4 ,they would place ,him on that cross which should declare in letters of ,greek1 and ,latin1 and ,hebrew1 ',this is the ,king6' ,but as ,he adds then ye shall know1 it is clear also that ,he must allude to the events which would succeed the crucifixion1 and not to it merely4 ,the cross would say1 ',this is the ,son of ,man2 one with all men4' ,the resurrection and ascension would say1 ',this is the ,son of ,god2 one with the ,father4' ,the ,cross would afterwards be felt to gather the whole message into itself1 to be the witness of the love of the ,father to the world2 of the eternal union of the ,son with the ,father2 of the might of that ,spirit which dwells in them1 and proceeds from them1 to bind all things into one4 ,but what ,i said before applies also here4 ,when ,christ speaks of ,his departure from the world1 the idea of ascension1 of a return to the glory which ,he had with the ,father before the worlds were1 is always coming forth through the darkness of the passion4 ,and even that idea is not sufficient1 unless this be added to it3--',and ,he that sent me is with me3 the ,father hath not left me alone2 for ,i do always those things that please ,him4' ,his going to the ,father is not enough without the assurance of ,his continual abiding in the ,father4 ,no change of place or circumstance1 no progress in the world's history1 no development of the ,divine purpose1 must interfere with the calm belief of a unity of the ,father and the ,son in the ,spirit1 which was in the beginning1 is now1 and ever shall be1 world without end4 ,it is of this unity1 brethren1 that this day testifies2 which is therefore a more wonderful and glorious day than that which testifies of the ascension of the ,son to the right hand of the ,father1 or of the descent of the ,spirit to fill the earth and the hearts of men with rivers of living water4 ,but we can know little of the depth and sweetness of this day1 if we forget how ,christ revealed the mystery of it2 how ,he both said and proved that to know ,him is to know the ,father6 ,for that blessed doctrine1 upon which ,fathers and ,reformers lived and died1 we are fast substituting one which seems to put the ,son at an infinite distance from the ,father2 which seems to make the will of the ,son not the revelation of the ,father's will1 but the contrast to it4 ,nay1 our orthodoxy--so strangely like what would have been called heresy in other days--is even daring to affirm that we may believe anything dark or malignant respecting the character of the ,father1 if only we gather from the ,bible that that is its testimony concerning ,him4 ,frightful contradiction6 to set up a book against ,him whom we believe to be its author6 to say that a book1 which is from first to last a denunciation of false and cruel gods1 may possibly proclaim to us a false and cruel ,god1 and that we should be bound to accept its message if it did6 ,gracious ,father1 deliver thy ,church from doctrines which teach us that we are not to hallow thy name above all books and letters which thou in thy mercy hast bestowed upon us6 ,deliver us from those who teach us that we can see ,thee anywhere except in thy ,only-begotten ,son2 or that1 if ,thou art revealed in ,him1 ,thou canst be anything but ,light without darkness1 ,truth without falsehood1 ,love without cruelty4 ,teach us to hate all counterfeits of ,thee2 all notions of ,thee which are derived from our darkness1 our falsehood1 our cruelty4 ,teach us to worship the ,eternal ,trinity1 the ,one ,god of perfect charity blessed for ever4 ,,amen4 ,,discourse ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,two ,,fathers4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 ,first ,sunday after ,trinity1 ,may #be1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,viii4 #dc4 ,why do ye not understand my speech8 ,even because ye cannot hear my word4 ,those words of which ,i spoke to you last ,sunday seem to have taken a sudden hold of some who listened to them4 ',while ,he was speaking these things1 many believed on ,him4' ,when we recollect what those words were1 we may at first wonder at this impression4 ,he spoke of 'the ,father being always with ,him2 of ,his doing always those things which pleased the ,father4' ,was not ,his discourse concerning a ,father that which provoked ,his hearers most2 that which shocked some of them most8 ,undoubtedly4 ,and yet1 if ,he spoke truly1 if ,he did come to bear witness of a ,father1 if the ,father did bear witness of ,him1 this must have been the discourse which attracted ,his hearers most--which had most power over them4 ,the revelation of a man who was always in the presence of ,god1 who delighted in ,him1 in whom ,he delighted1 was the revelation which the heart and conscience of every man was waiting for4 ,the heart and conscience might be closed against it by sensual indulgence1 still more by spiritual pride2 but it could break through both2 it could prove itself true by overcoming both4 ,in this case1 then1 as in like cases which have occurred before1 ,i should be very loth to explain away ,st4 ,john's words1--to criticise the quality of the faith which he attributes to these hearers of our ,lord4 ,if we say1 as some people would1 that it was mere head faith1 ,i do not think we shall make our own minds clearer2 ,i am sure we shall be in great danger of denying the facts which the ,apostle reports to us4 ,our ,lord's words did not appeal to the understanding2 they were not argumentative2 we cannot account for their influence by any processes of logic4 ,so far as one can judge from a very simple statement1 they went straight to the heart2 the faith which they called forth was a faith of the heart4 ,does it appear1 then1 that the men who thus believed in ,christ were satisfactory to ,him8 ,let us follow the narrative4 ,it will tell us all upon that subject that we need to know4 ',then said ,jesus to those ,jews which believed on ,him1 ,if ye continue in my word1 then are ye my disciples indeed2 and ye shall know the truth1 and the truth shall make you free4' ,this expression1 ',if ye continue or abide in my word1' denotes very clearly1 ,i think1 that they had not merely listened to a saying which went forth from ,his lips1 and been affected by it2 that they had confessed the force of a word1 which entered into them as light enters into the eye1 as heat makes itself felt through the body4 ,and if they traced this word to its source2 if they acknowledged the living ,word from whom it flowed2 if they turned to ,him as to one who was near them and with them1--not for a moment1 but always2 if they trusted in ,him1 and not in themselves2 then they should be--what8 saints8 divines8 doctors8 ,no2 but what is much better than any of the three1--what all the three should wish to be raised into1--disciples4 ,they will then be learners1 learners sitting continually at the feet of the true ,teacher4 ,and this shall be the result of that daily1 hourly learning1 of that change from the condition of men who know everything to the condition of men who know nothing4 ',they shall know the ,,truth4' ,the ,word shall guide them1 counsel them1 encourage them1 scourge them4 ,he shall prepare them to see that which is4 ,he shall lead them away from fleeting shadows to the eternal ,substance1 to ,him who changes not4 ,here is a promise1 the highest that the highest ,being can make to man2 for it is the promise of sharing ,his own nature1 of dwelling with ,him and in ,him4 ,and there is another appended to it1 which1 though not greater in itself1 comes nearer to human experience2 commends itself more directly to our sense of oppression and misery4 ',the truth shall make you free4' ,truth and liberty are inseparable companions2 neither can live long apart from the other4 ,the bondage to appearances1 the bondage to death1 the bondage to the unseen horrors which haunt the conscience1--how shall this be broken8 ,our ,lord says1 ',the truth shall make you free4' ',if you abide in my word1--if you adhere to me as the ,lord of your spirit1 you shall come to know ,him who is truth1 and ,he shall break every chain from your neck2 ,he shall give you the freedom of the sons of ,god4' ,however unintelligible ,his other words may have been to them1 surely this magnificent promise will have looked most inviting to the ,jews2 to those1 at least1 of them who were not vehemently prepossessed against the speaker1 who did not count ,him an impostor4 ,the next sentence seems to say that it was not so4 ',they answered ,him1 ,we be ,abraham's seed1 and were never in bondage to any man3 how sayest thou1 ,ye shall be made free8' ,who were they who said this8 ,we should certainly gather from the previous passage1--'those ,jews who had believed on ,him4' ,at any rate1 ,st4 ,john takes no pains to distinguish them from the rest4 ,if they were not the only objectors to our ,lord's words1 they must have joined in the objection4 ,there is deep instruction in the thought that they did4 ,the voice of ,jesus had reached them4 ,it had not merely floated about them1 but had penetrated within them4 ,he stood before them who did always the things that pleased ,his ,father4 ,the first sense of having discovered the ,divine ,man must have been one of delight1--the greatest1 keenest delight which they had ever experienced4 ,then this ,divine ,man points upwards to a truth in which ,he ,himself is believing and resting4 ,he says ,he can make them inheritors of that4 ,but at the same moment ,he looks down into them4 ,he detects a hollowness within them1--a quailing at the thought of this truth1--a secret dislike of it--a preference for that which is hostile to it4 ,they are conscious of a chill4 ,the keen pleasure has been succeeded by a pain as keen4 ,the hope which ,he holds out to them they cannot grasp4 ,the evil which ,he has laid bare is near and present4 ,their pride is awakened2 they think of the glory of their descent2 they cannot bear to be spoken of as slaves4 ,we often treat their words as a mere outrageous contradiction of fact4 ,they had been in bondage1 we say1 to ,babylonians and ,persians2 they were in bondage to the ,romans2 they complained of the yoke2 it was fretting them continually4 ,how monstrous to say1 ',we have never been in bondage6' ,i believe that in speaking so we are not doing them justice1 and that we are likely to miss the force of our ,lord's answer to them4 ,a modern ,roman1 in the sight of ,french or ,austrian bayonets1 might deny indignantly that he was a slave4 ,he might say1 ',i belong to the city which has ruled the world4 ,i am one of those citizens whom it was a shame and wickedness to beat with rods4 ,how dare you speak to me as if ,i were like an ,american ,negro1 liable to be bought and sold1 at the mercy of an owner or a driver8' ,we should not be astonished1 ,i think1 at such language4 ,we should understand it1 and not feel ourselves justified in replying to it by referring to a foreign tyranny1 which may be all the more galling to him because he loathes the name of bondsman4 ,and there was another sense in which a ,jew might affirm that he1 being a son of ,abraham1 had never been in bondage4 ,as our ,lord had spoken of truth1 ,he might think of his privilege not to be the servant of any false god4 may serve for this sense as well as for the other4 ,he would exclaim indignantly1 ',the truth shall make us free8 ,to what abomination1--to what lying idol have we ever yielded ourselves8' ,our ,lord does not complain of them for affixing too strong a meaning to the word bondage4 ,he does not appeal to the places for the receipt of custom1 as proofs that the seed of ,abraham had lost their independence4 ,but ,he convicts them of having fallen into a slavery1 domestic1 personal1 abject4 ,he says that this slavery1 though it may have caused their subjection to the ,romans1 would not be removed or abated if that were to cease4 ,and1 further1 ,he affirms that slavery to a false god--that which lies beneath all idolatry--might be more justly attributed to the seed of ,abraham than to any descendants of ,ham4 ,the first of these allegations is contained in the words which contain also the justification of ,his assurance that ,he can break their fetters1 and give them a higher liberty than they had ever attained or dreamed of4 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin4 ,and the servant abideth not in the house for ever3 but the ,son abideth ever4 ,if the ,son therefore shall make you free1 ye shall be free indeed4' ,it is common to quote the first of these verses without the second4 ,preachers tell their hearers that they have committed sin1 and are therefore the servants of sin4 ,they say nothing of the ,son who abideth in the house into which sin has intruded itself4 ,i believe1 brethren1 that by making this separation1 we put the sense of ,scripture1 as well as the honesty of our minds1 in the utmost peril4 ,i might use stronger language1--,i might say we all but destroy both4 ,we try to conceive of evil apart from good1 of disobedience apart from obedience4 ,we cannot do it4 ,god's eternal law will not let us do it4 ,if you want me to understand the corruption and depravity of my nature1 you must tell me from what it is drawing me aside4 ,you do me an infinite injury1 if you tell me that sin is close to me1 unless you tell me also that the great ,enemy of ,sin is close to me1 and that ,i am violently tearing myself from ,him when ,i give myself over to it4 ,it is possible1 no doubt1 to find1 in the height or the depth1 another sense for these words than this1 as it is possible to find another sense for any words1 if the one which is nearest and most obvious should for some reason be disagreeable to us4 ,and ,i am certain1 brethren1 that we shall all seek for some new1 ingenious1 and elaborate interpretation1 or shall embrace it when it is presented to us--,i am certain that we shall call the literal interpretation mystical1 and shall persuade ourselves that the one we have put in the place of it is literal--unless we perceive that it corresponds both with the context of the ,new ,testament and with our own necessities4 ,i call upon you to see whether what ,i am saying is not true of each one of us4 ,let each man ask himself1 ',is not the sin of which ,christ speaks1 with me8 ,is not the ,son of whom ,he speaks1 with me8 ,has not the usurper of the house separated me from the ,lord of the house8 ,is not the ,lord of the house ready to put down the usurper1 and to make me free indeed8' ,the next words have led some to suppose that our ,lord cannot have been speaking to those ,jews who believed on ,him3--',i know that ye are ,abraham's seed2 yet ye seek to kill me1 because my word hath no place in you4' ,these1 it will be said1 were not the men who were seeking to kill ,him2 they had confessed ,his authority2 ,his word1 it is admitted1 had made its power felt by them4 ,i will not evade the objection by saying1 that so far as these men took their stand upon their position as ,abraham's children1 so far it might fairly be said to them3 ',you see what ,abraham's children do2 their parentage does not save them from this crime4' ,i believe that is not the meaning of the charge1 or at any rate that it is only one very small part of the meaning4 ,i think our ,lord was speaking to the consciences of those whom ,he addressed of a sin of which they had been guilty4 ,i think that if those consciences had been aroused to confess ,his power--in some measure to own ,his goodness--they will have been more ready than any other to own the charge2 and if they did not own it1 to be stung by it4 ,they had not participated1 it is probable1 in the plots of the ,scribes and ,pharisees to put ,jesus to death4 ,they might not then1 they might not afterwards1 take up a stone to cast at ,him4 ,but why were those plots conceived8 why were those stones raised8 ,to get rid of a ,judge and a ,reprover2 to put out a light which was shining into the heart1 and making its darkness visible2 to destroy the ,son of ,man1 the ,king of man2 that each man might be his own king--might live undisturbed by any obligations to his fellow-men2 to destroy the ,son of ,god1--the witness of ,god's truth and ,god's love2 that men might claim the inheritance as theirs1--that they might take credit to themselves for all goodness and truth1 and give themselves no credit for their wickedness and lies4 ,now1 did not each one of those to whom ,jesus spoke1 know inwardly that he had sought to put out the light that was shining into him1--to kill his ,judge and ,reprover8 ,the living ,word was there1--the ,son was claiming to be the ,lord of the house4 ,but ,he was not allowed ,his place there4 ,a certain sense there was of ,his presence4 ,certain acts of homage were rendered to ,him4 ,but ,he was not permitted to reign4 ,they would find a divided allegiance more and more impossible4 ,the good ,lord or the evil must be absolute4 ,the one who was rejected must be slain4 ,at each turn1 this conversation becomes more profound and awful4 ,the next verse leads us into a depth into which we may well tremble to look1 and yet from which it is most unsafe to turn away3--',i speak that which ,i have seen with my ,father3 and ye do that which ye have seen with your father4' ,jesus had spoken of ,his ,father as the root of all ,his loving acts1--of the wisdom1 and truth1 and love which were expressed in ,his words and in ,himself4 ,if there is a root to which all good that appears in a human life can be referred1 must there not be a source to which all evil is referred8 ,can it be the same8 ,if healing1 restoration1 life1 are from the ,father of ,jesus1 from what father come murderous thoughts1--the wish to destroy the ,son of ,man8 ,to fly from any thought which presses closely upon the conscience to some external truism1--even if it is one which has been proved to be inapplicable1--is the ordinary desire of us all4 ',they answered and said unto ,him1 ,abraham is our father4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,if ye were ,abraham's children1 ye would do the works of ,abraham4 ,but now ye seek to kill me1 a man that hath told you the truth1 which ,i have heard of ,god3 this did not ,abraham4' ,the question is about the paternity of certain purposes in their minds4 ,these purposes were near to them1 to their very selves4 ,they determined their acts and their habits4 ,did they take these by descent from the father of the faithful8 ,were these his progeny8 ,of course1 they would have answered1 as many of us would have answered1 ',that is using words in a double sense4 ,you mean one kind of fatherhood1 we mean another4' ,no6 it was they who were guilty of this duplicity4 ,they were calling ,abraham their father1 in the notion that they were deriving some spiritual privileges from him4 ,if they only intended that they could trace up their pedigree1 according to the flesh1 to him1 let them say that frankly to themselves4 ,it was just what our ,lord was urging them1 in this part of ,his conversation1 to do4 ,but if he was their parent in any other sense1 then let them remember what he was1 what he did4 ,the living and true ,god spake to him1 and called him4 ,he heard the voice2 he yielded to it4 ,that same voice was speaking to them4 ,he was 'telling them the truth2' and therefore 'they sought to kill ,him4' ,he repeats1 then1 the former words1--',ye do the deeds of your father4' ,and now they ventured what sounds a bold defence3--',then said they to ,him1 ,we be not born of fornication2 we have one ,father1 even ,god4' ,had they not a right to say so8 ,were they not almost quoting the words of ,malachi8 ,what is more1 were they not using the very words of ,jesus8 ,had ,he not spoken to publicans and sinners1--to the very outcasts of the people1--of a ,father who was seeking to bring home the prodigal son1 as the shepherd went after the lost sheep8 ,would ,he deny to any ,israelite the right to claim ,god as his ,father8 ,what had ,he taken flesh for1 but that ,he might assert that claim1 not for ,israelites only1 but for men8 ,alas6 brethren1 we can understand too well what the ,jews understood when they used this language1 ',we have one ,father1 even ,god1' because we are continually using the like ourselves4 ,how commonly do we say1 ',oh1 yes2 in a general sense1 all of us are ,god's children4' ,that general sense is no sense4 ,the word 'children' is used to signify creatures4 ,we say men are ,his1 as we say the cattle are ,his4 ,in fact1 we attach nearly as little significance to creation as to fatherhood4 ,how can we1 when we think of ,god as a mere ultimate explanation of our existence and the existence of the universe2 when the idea of a ,father of spirits--of one who has to do first of all with us1 because we are spiritual1 voluntary beings--is almost banished from our minds8 ,to say that ,god is our ,father1 or any man's ,father1 when we conceive of ,him as a distant power1--who ceases to be imaginary only when ,he puts forth ,his wrath1--is to practise a deception upon ourselves4 ,it is a commoner deception with us than with the ,jews1 because ,jesus has taught us to say1 ',our ,father1 which art in heaven2' and every little ,christendom child learns the words1 and1 thanks be to ,god1 takes in something of their inward living sense4 ,but when we become men1 that sense which should have grown brighter and clearer with every day's joy and sorrow1 has become utterly clouded by the world's mists1 till the vision at last fades almost entirely4 ,then one here and there seizes the force of the word1 discovers that he has really1 and not in name1 a ,father1 to whom he can pour out his whole heart4 ,for a while he longs to persuade all that they have the same ,father1--that they may cast their burdens upon ,him too4 ,he finds a few who understand him4 ,they associate together2 they speak of themselves as believers2 they begin to think that they are ,god's children1 because they believe that they are4 ,their ardour to convince men generally that they have a ,father1 becomes changed into an ardour to bring men into their society4 ,as that passion increases1 other lower and baser passions increase with it4 ',the believer' contracts more and more of those habits which are of the earth1 earthy4 ,he contracts1 oftentimes1 a bitterness and a malice which are not of the earth1 but come from beneath4 ,these he gives himself credit for as springing from his zeal for religion1 or he merely pities himself for them as the remains of indwelling sin4 ,he has not courage to say1 ',these spring from another father1 not from the ,father in heaven4 ,so far as ,i identify myself with them1 ,i become the child of a father in hell4' ,but he goes on assuming he is ,god's child4 ,he tells other men that they are only children in the secondary signification2 that is to say1 he cherishes in them the most dangerous of all falsehoods4 ,he prevents them from turning to their true ,father1 and seeking of ,him a true and divine life4 ,these ,jews qualified the assertion1 that they were all ,god's children1 even in the lowest1 most unreal1 sense of that word4 ,these were so who 'were not born of fornication4' ,children not born in lawful wedlock they seem to have thought of as having some dark1 infernal parentage4 ,it must have been most startling to them when the words at last came forth which appeared to fix that parentage upon themselves4 ',jesus said unto them1 ,if ,god were your ,father1 ye would love me3 for ,i proceeded forth and came from ,god2 neither came ,i of myself1 but ,he sent me4 ,why do ye not understand my speech8 even because ye cannot hear my word4 ,ye are of your father the devil1 and the lusts of your father ye will do4 ,he was a murderer from the beginning1 and abode not in the truth1 because there is no truth in him4 ,when he speaketh a lie1 he speaketh of his own3 for he is a liar1 and the father of it4 ,and because ,i tell you the truth1 ye believe me not4 ,which of you convinceth me of sin8 ,and if ,i say the truth1 why do ye not believe me8 ,he that is of ,god heareth ,god's words3 ye therefore hear them not1 because ye are not of ,god4' ,the ,jews were proud of not worshipping false gods4 ,the true ,god1 then1 what was ,he8 ,the moment truth confronted them1 they shrunk from it4 ,they were proud of not worshipping evil gods4 ,the good ,god1 then1 what was ,he8 ,the moment goodness confronted them1 they hated it1 and wished to extinguish it4 ,they shrunk from the ,man who did not speak ,his own words1 but ,god's4 ,they hated the ,man who did not show forth ,his own goodness1 but ,god's4 ,whence came this mind in them1 this will1 this spirit8 ,jesus tells them plainly4 ',there is a mind1 a will1 a spirit1 which from the beginning has been a man-slayer--has compassed the destruction of the man in each man4 ,there is a mind1 a will1 a spirit1 who has been from the beginning a liar1 who would not stand in the truth4' ,i know well--we all know--what use has been made1 and is made1 and will be made1 of this expression1 'from the beginning4' ',so1 then1' the objector exclaims1 'there is a second god1 another creator1 coming into existence with the good ,god4 ,if this is not ,manichism1 what is8' ,the answer is simply an appeal to the words as they appear on the face of the book1--',he stood not in the truth4' ,there was1 then1 a truth to stand in2 there was a truth to revolt from4 ,the name 'murderer' implies a life to be taken away2 the name 'liar' implies a contradiction of that which ,,is4 ,yes2 it implies that the evil spirit is this1 and only this2 it implies that the murderer is the author of no life2 it implies that the liar has called nothing that is into existence4 ,you ask1 ',what is ,manichism but this8' ,i answer1 ',it is exactly the reverse of this4 ,it affirms that the evil power does produce some life2 that some part of creation may be ascribed to him4' ,and those who shrink from speaking of 'him'--those who will not admit a devil at all--do1 unawares1 let this ,manichism continually into their thoughts1 into their acts1 into their words4 ,they may talk of universal benevolence1 but facts are too strong for them4 ,they meet evil everywhere2 they meet it in themselves4 ,they do not like to say1--',it is an evil will to which ,i am yielding up my will4 ,because men are obeying this evil will1 therefore there is misery and ugliness in this blessed and beautiful world4' ,they try to escape from that confession4 ,they talk of evil in nature1 of evil in themselves4 ,unawares1 they have introduced it among the works of the good ,god4 ,they have either made ,him answerable for it1 or they have said that there is some creator besides ,him4 ,the last alternative is very dreadful2 but the former is1 it seems to me1 infinitely more dreadful4 ,in accepting what our ,lord said to the ,jews in this discourse1 ,i escape from both4 ,i am able solemnly and habitually to deny that any insect or blade of grass is the devil's work2 ,i am able to regard the whole universe as very good1 even as it was when it came forth at the call of the divine ,word2 ,i am able to declare that humanity1 standing in that divine ,word1 is still made in the image of ,god1 as ,he declared that it was2 and that there is no one faculty of the human soul1 no one sense of the human body1 which is not good1 and blessed1 and holy in ,god's sight4 ,i am able1 at the same time1 to look facts in the face1 and confess that sin has entered into the world1 and death by sin2 that there has been from the beginning of man's existence on this earth1 and that there still is1 a murderer1 who is seeking to sever him from his proper life3 that there has been from the beginning of man's existence upon earth1 and that there still is1 a liar1 who is seeking to persuade men that ,god is not all good2 that ,he is not all true2 that ,he is not the ,father of their spirits2 that it is not ,his will that they should know ,him1 and be like ,him4 ,i can admit that this liar has been listened to1 and is listened to2 and that men may enter into such communion with him--may become so penetrated with his false and mendacious spirit1 that they shall become in very deed his children1 entirely fashioned into his likeness1 understanding no lessons but his4 ,our ,lord speaks of the ,jewish people--of the most religious part of them especially--as having passed1 or as rapidly passing1 into this condition4 ,he declares1 in the words which ,i have taken as my text--and which embody1 ,i think1 some of the deepest lessons of the chapter--that they could not 'understand ,his speech2' that that sounded strange1 monstrous1 deranged to them1 because they 'could not hear ,his word'--because their hearts and consciences were closed against that which was every moment knocking and craving for admission there4 ,they did 'not hear ,god's words1 because they were not of ,god'--because their whole minds and wills were given up to another ,god1 because they had become ,devil-worshippers4 ',then answered the ,jews1 and said unto ,him1 ,say we not well that thou art a ,samaritan1 and hast a devil8 ,jesus answered1 ,i have not a devil2 but ,i honour my ,father1 and ye do dishonour me4 ,and ,i seek not mine own glory3 there is one that seeketh and judgeth4' ,it is certainly most unfortunate that our translators--who had just rendered by ,devil1 in our ,lord's discourse--should take the same word for 1 in the discourse of the ,jews4 ,i need not say that they did not mean what ,he meant1 or anything like what ,he meant4 ,they called ,him a ,samaritan1--evidently alluding to the ,samaritan passion for enchanters4 ,he was a possessed man1 like one of those who appeared so often among the worshippers on ,gerizim1 and drew so many disciples after them4 ,the reply of ,jesus is1 that ,he had not a dmon2 that ,he was speaking the words of no subordinate spirit or angel2 that ,he was 'honouring ,his ,father'--,him whom they called their ,god1 the ,father of spirits4 ,he did not seek ,his own glory1 as those did who came boasting that they were possessed by a spirit or dmon1 of which no others could partake4 ,he came seeking ,his ,father's glory1 promising to make all partakers of ,his ,spirit4 ,the next words are only a part of this promise4 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,if a man keep my saying1 he shall never see death4' ,why the translators1 who have been careful in adhering to the common rendering of thus far1 should suddenly have forsaken it here1 and dilute it into 'saying1' ,i cannot conjecture4 ,certainly they have done much to make the whole passage unintelligible by that wilfulness4 ,he has taken pains to distinguish the speech or saying which enters the ear from the word which is lodged in the heart1 and is to be cherished there4 ,that ,his word brings life1 because in ,him the ,divine ,word is ,life1 ,he has asserted again and again4 ,when the man loses his hold on that word1 death overtakes him2 if he hold it fast1 he is united to that which is stronger than death2 and he shall not taste of death4 ,when it comes to his soul and body1 he shall defy it4 ,he shall rise above it1 and they shall be raised with him4 ',then said the ,jews unto ,him1 ,now we know that thou hast a devil4 ,abraham is dead1 and the prophets2 and thou sayest1 ,if a man keep my saying1 he shall never taste of death4 ,art thou greater than our father ,abraham1 which is dead8 and the prophets are dead3 whom makest thou thyself8 ,jesus answered1 ,if ,i honour myself1 my honour is nothing3 it is my ,father that honoureth me2 of whom ye say1 that ,he is your ,god3 yet ye have not known ,him2 but ,i know ,him3 and if ,i should say1 ,i know ,him not1 ,i shall be a liar like unto you3 but ,i know ,him1 and keep ,his saying4' ,the sense of eternity1 of a relation to the eternal ,god1--to a ,father of spirits1 had almost forsaken these ,jews4 ,the sense of time1--of a series or succession of years1--had displaced every other in their minds2 they could contemplate nothing1 except under conditions of time4 ,to the mere trader1--to him who lives in calculating when so much money will become due--any conditions1 except those of time1 seem impossible4 ,he laughs at those who hint at any other4 ,but the reverence for ancestry1--the affection that binds us to a family and a nation1 does not belong to time4 ,it brings past and present into closest proximity2 it leaps over distinctions of costume and circumstance1 to claim affinity with the inmost heart of those who lived generations ago4 ,for all family feeling1 and all national feeling1 has its root in a living ,god2 therefore it defies death2 it treats death as only belonging to the individual4 ,the ,jews knew that ,jesus had a dmon1 because ,he spoke of men who believed ,his word not tasting of death4 ,for ,abraham to them was dead2 the prophets were dead4 ,they had no sense of a life which united them to ,abraham and the prophets2 they did not really confess a ,god who was a ,god of the living and not of the dead4 ,jesus probes this state of mind to the quick4 ,he tells them first1 that it is their want of knowledge of ,god which makes what ,he says incredible to them1--the lying1 atheistical temper which they were cultivating under the name of religion4 ,because ,he knows ,god1--because ,he keeps ,his word1--because ,he lives in communion with the truth1 therefore ,his speech seems to them that of a possessed man4 ,but he was to seem to them worse than a possessed man before the dialogue ended4 ',your father ,abraham rejoiced to see my day3 and he saw it1 and was glad4 ,then said the ,jews unto ,him1 ,thou art not yet fifty years old1 and hast thou seen ,abraham8 ,jesus said unto them1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,before ,abraham was1 ,i am4' ,the ,jews1 ,i said1 were utterly entangled in thoughts of time4 ,it was necessary to break these bonds at once and violently asunder4 ,the ,word who had been in the beginning with ,god1 who was the ,light of men1 declares that ,he conversed with ,abraham2 that ,abraham heard ,his voice2 that ,abraham saw ,his light2 that this was the source of all his gladness4 ,this was the reason why men in after days1 who had heard the same voice1 who had seen the same light1 could rejoice with ,abraham1--could feel that years did not sever those whom ,god had made one4 ,the ears that were dull of hearing1 the obtuse mammonized hearts1 were proof against this paradox2 it excited only a grin4 ,then came the other words1--',before ,abraham was1 ,i am4' ,they were too familiar1 too awful1 not to arouse even those who were most petrified by worldliness and pride4 ,the name which had been spoken in the bush had been spoken to them6 ,the ,man who stood before them was calling ,himself the ',i ,am4' ,a flash of light broke in upon them4 ,he had meant this4 ,the blasphemy was now open4 ',then took they up stones to cast at ,him3 but ,jesus hid ,himself1 and went out of the temple1 going through the midst of them1 and so passed by4' ,and oh1 brethren1 may the meaning of those words flash upon us too6 ,may they come to us not as dull sounds1 but as if they proceeded fresh from ,him who spoke them then6 ,they do proceed from ,him4 ,each day and hour ,he repeats them to us4 ,when all schemes of human policy crack and crumble2 when we discover the utter weakness of the leaders and teachers we have trusted most2 when we begin to suspect that the world is given over to the spirit of murder and lies2 ,he says to us1 ',the foundations of the universe are not built on rottenness3 whatever fades away and perishes1 ,i ,,am4' ,,discourse ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,eye1 ,,and ,,the ,,light ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #b;d ,sunday after ,trinity1 ,june #a1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,ix4 #ci4 ,and ,jesus said1 ,for judgment ,i am come into this world1 that they which see not might see2 and that they which see might be made blind4 ,the reading of the last verse of the #hth chapter1 which our version has adopted1 connects it directly with the first verse of the #ith4 ',jesus hid ,himself and went out of the temple1 going through the midst of them1 and so passed by 7 74 ,and as ,he passed by 7 71 ,he saw a man blind from his birth4' ,possibly the former verse ought to end at the word 'temple4' ,but if we lose that link between the incidents recorded in the two chapters1 the internal relation between them will remain as strong as ever4 ,the discourse of ,jesus1 which we have been considering on the two last ,sundays1 began with the sentence1 ',i am the light of the world4' ,every subsequent passage unfolded itself out of this opening one4 ,the story which forms the subject of this chapter is introduced by the same announcement4 ,can we doubt that the words and the act had the same origin and the same object8 ,can we safely sever what ,christ has joined together8 ,i am aware of the motive which induces us to sever them4 ,i have had occasion to speak of it more than once already1 and to acknowledge that an honest feeling is lurking in it4 ,we are afraid of confounding what is sensible with what is spiritual4 ,we are afraid of using light in two senses1 and of fancying that they are the same4 ,i complain of no desire to be religiously accurate in the use of language4 ,scrupulosity in this matter is far less dangerous than indifference4 ,we are in continual peril of falling into confusions and equivocations2 let all our faculties be awake to the risk1--let them all watch against it4 ,but they will not be awake1 they will not watch1 unless they do homage to the fact1 that light has been used1 is used1 must be used1 in every dialect in which men express their thoughts1 to denote that which the eye receives1 and that which the mind receives1--the great energy of the eye1 the great energy of the mind4 ,instead of repining at this fact1 as if it were a hindrance to our perceptions of truth1--instead of labouring to reconstruct speech according to some scheme of ours1--instead of fancying that we have done a good work when we have got a scholastical or technical phrase substituted for a popular one1--let us earnestly meditate upon the principle which is latent under these forms of discourse1 from which we cannot emancipate ourselves4 ,let us thankfully accept them as proofs that the sensible world and the spiritual1 though entirely distinct1 are related2 and that the last is not closed any more than the first against the wayfarer and the child4 ,this1 at all events1 is the doctrine which goes through ,scripture1 and which has made its words so mighty to those who can understand no others--so full of relief and discovery to those who do not wish to be separate from their kind1 and who have convinced themselves that the deepest truths must be the commonest4 ,such is the doctrine implied in every parable of our ,lord2 such1 above all1 is the doctrine of ,st4 ,john1 who does not report many parables1 but who takes us into the inmost heart of them1 and shows us the divine law which is involved in the use of them4 ,i find an unspeakable blessing in following the order of ,st4 ,john's narrative4 ,it is the true order of human life4 ,after we have listened to the divinest discourse1 there is a sense of vacancy in the heart4 ,we feel as if we were out of communion with the business and misery of the world1--as if the words had not proved themselves till they could be brought into collision and conflict with these4 ,when we are in the midst of action1 we want to know that it is not merely mechanical action1--that it is in conformity with some principle1 and springs out of a principle4 ,when ,jesus has finished ,his discourse with the ,jews1 by assuming a name which lies beneath all discourse1--when they have finished their arguments by taking up stones to cast at ,him1--,he meets a man blind from his birth4 ,he proceeds at once to do him good4 ,but before ,he can enter upon that work1 ,he must encounter a metaphysical doubt which has occurred to the fishermen who are walking with ,him4 ,a metaphysical doubt to fishermen6 ,yes2 and if you go into the garrets and cellars of ,london1 you will have metaphysical doubts presented to you by men immeasurably more ignorant than those fishermen were1 even before ,jesus called them2 the very doubts which the schools are occupied with1 only taking a living1 practical form4 ,unless you can cause men not to be metaphysical beings--that is to say1 unless you can take from them all which separates them from the beasts that perish--they must have these doubts4 ,thanks be to ,god1 ,he awakens them6 ,and thanks be to ,god1 ,he1 and not priests and doctors1 must satisfy them for every creature whom ,he has made in ,his image6 ,the doubt which troubled the disciples is one that has exercised all generations--none more than our own4 ',master1 who did sin1 this man1 or his parents1 that he was born blind8' ',he came into the world under this curse4 ,was it for some sin he committed in another world1 in some older state of existence8 or is this an illustration of the doctrine1 asserted in the second commandment8 ,are the sins of the father and mother visited on the child8' ,the former hypothesis has always connected itself closely with the sense of immortality in man4 ',am ,i merely to be hereafter8 ,does not the future imply a past8 ,do not shadows of that past pursue me8 ,can ,i interpret the facts of memory if ,i deny its existence8' ,the second doctrine is not more asserted in the law than it is justified by experience4 ,the facts from which it is deduced belong to physiology as much at least as to theology4 ,every one who thinks of hereditary sickness and insanity confesses them and trembles4 ',jesus answered1 ,neither hath this man sinned1 nor his parents3 but that the works of ,god should be made manifest in him4' ,a dogmatist who ventured1 on the strength of this answer1 to say that the bodily condition of this particular man1 or of any man1 had not been affected by the misdoings of his parents1--who should venture even to pronounce the other opinion respecting a pre-existent state a false and heretical one1--would speedily find himself at fault4 ,to be consistent1 he must take the sentence according to the letter of it1 and say that the parents of this man had not sinned at all before he was born4 ,one who really reverences our ,lord's words will not trifle with them after this fashion4 ,he will seek from them actual guidance for his own life1 not an excuse for suppressing evidence or condemning the conclusions of other men4 ,and if this is his object1 he will not be disappointed4 ,in a single case ,he gives us the hint of a law which is applicable to all cases4 ,that law remains true1 whatever may be the truth respecting our own sins or the sins of our parents4 ,that law is one which reveals the mind of ,god1 and removes all dark surmises respecting ,his government of the world4 ,that law is one which we may use for the regulation of our own conduct4 ,the disciples were speculating about final causes4 ,they would not have understood what any one meant who had told them they were doing so2 they were doing it nevertheless4 ,jesus met them with the most final cause4 ',i can give you a better reason for this man's blindness than those you have imagined4 ,his blindness will be a means of showing forth the power and purpose of ,god4 ,he will learn himself1 he will be a teacher to the world through this blindness1 whence light comes1 who is the ,father of light4' ,it was not the mere announcement of a principle4 ,every principle ,he delivered embodied itself in an act4 ,he added immediately3 ',i must work the works of ,him that sent me1 while it is day3 the night cometh1 when no man can work4 ,as long as ,i am in the world1 ,i am the light of the world4' ,he declares that what ,he was going to do ,he must do4 ,he did not choose ,his own way4 ,when ,he was most exercising power1 ,he was obeying a power1--',he was working the works of ,him that sent ,him4' ,and every such work was a revelation4 ,it showed forth the ,will and the ,mind that had been creating and ruling all things4 ,that ,will was proving itself to be a ,will of absolute goodness1--that ,mind1 a light in which is no darkness4 ,but there is a sorrow for ,him who is about to impart joy4 ,his countrymen had taken up stones to cast at ,him4 ,he has a vision of a time when they would have their way4 ,the light for a while would be quenched4 ,but as long as ,he was in the world1 ,he must illuminate it4 ,here1 again1 we have the feelings of the ,man1 the presentiments of the ,sufferer--not drawn out1 but just indicated--that we may have a glimpse into the heart from which they came4 ,they cannot be divided from the divine truth ,he is enunciating2 they are the media through which that truth is exhibited to us4 ,the ,word is indeed made flesh2 it is in the ,son of ,man that we know the ,son of ,god4 ',when ,he had thus spoken1 ,he spat on the ground1 and made clay of the spittle1 and ,he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay1 and said unto him1 ,go1 wash in the ,pool of ,siloam 7which is by interpretation1 ,sent74 ,he went therefore1 and washed1 and came seeing4' ,every one has remarked that this cure is distinguished from most others that are recorded in the ,gospels1 by the careful use in it of intermediate agencies4 ,he does not merely speak the word1 and the man is healed4 ,there is a process of healing4 ,and ,i think you must confess that the use of these agencies is a part of the sign to which ,st4 ,john wishes to draw our attention4 ,if ,christ's other signs testified that there is an invisible power at work in all the springs of our life1--that there is a ,fountain of life from which those springs are continually refreshed and renewed1--did not this sign testify that there is a potency and virtue in the very commonest things2 that ,god has stored all nature with instruments for the blessing and healing of ,his creatures8 ,the mere miracle-worker who draws glory to himself wishes to dispense with these things1 lest he should be confounded with the ordinary physician4 ,the great ,physician1 who works because ,his ,father works1 who comes to show what ,he is doing in ,his world1 puts an honour upon earth and water as well as upon all art which has true observation and knowledge for its basis4 ,he only distinguishes ,himself from other healers by showing that the source of their wisdom and renovating power is in ,him4 ,we have put our faith and our science at an immeasurable distance from each other4 ,may not the separation lead to the ruin of both8 ,but we are not allowed to lose ourselves amidst these general characteristics of this cure4 ,the words1 ',he came seeing1' remind us that one special malady is brought before us2 that we have to do1 not with a sick man1 but with a blind man2 and that it is as the ,restorer of sight that the ,lord of man is declaring ,himself to us4 ,that object is kept before us as we proceed in the story4 ',the neighbours therefore1 and they that before had seen him that he was blind1 said1 ,is not this he that sat and begged8 ,some said1 ,this is he3 others said1 ,he is like him3 but he said1 ,i am he4 ,therefore said they unto him1 ,how were thine eyes opened8 ,he answered and said1 ,a man that is called ,jesus made clay1 and anointed mine eyes1 and said to me1 ,go to the ,pool of ,siloam1 and wash3 and ,i went and washed1 and ,i received sight4 ,then said they unto him1 ,where is ,he8 ,he answered1 ,i know not4' ,i do not introduce this passage for the sake of commenting upon it 7a commentary would be very superfluous and out of place71 but that we may be reminded continually how this theologian--he who has been supposed to be writing a learned1 dogmatical treatise1 he who has been supposed to live in an age in which plain facts had been forgotten in profound speculations--tells a story4 ,we feel at once that to talk about its dramatical character is to spoil its effect4 ,it is dramatical1 as every childlike narrative is dramatical4 ,the people who were alive at the time speak to us because they actually presented themselves to the writer as living beings1 and because he did not want to thrust himself into their places4 ,i do not say that these qualities belong only to a divine teacher4 ,they belong1 in their measure1 to every simple narrator and poet4 ,but they certainly do not belong to the builder up of a system2 and they are precisely the gifts which we should expect would be imparted to one who had seen and handled the ,word of life1 and was bearing a message concerning ,him to his brethren4 ',they brought to the ,pharisees him that aforetime was blind4 ,and it was the sabbath-day when ,jesus made the clay1 and opened his eyes4 ,then again the ,pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight4 ,he said unto them1 ,he put clay upon mine eyes1 and ,i washed1 and do see4 ,therefore said some of the ,pharisees1 ,this man is not of ,god1 because he keepeth not the sabbath-day4 ,others said1 ,how can a man that is a sinner do such miracles8 ,and there was a division among them4' ,i observed before1 that the only two acts of healing which are recorded in this ,gospel1 as done by our ,lord in ,jerusalem1 were done on the ,sabbath-day4 ,in the story of the man at the ,pool of ,bethesda1 this was the most prominent circumstance2 the subsequent discourse bore upon it2 the strongest1 and to the ,jews the most offensive1 proclamation by ,jesus of ,god as ,his ,father1 arose out of it2 the purpose to kill ,him was first suggested by it4 ,apparently what ,he said then1 and had said since at the feast of ,tabernacles1 was not quite lost even upon the ,pharisees4 ,there were some in this particular synagogue1 if not in the ,sanhedrim1 who thought that to do a good act on a ,saturday might not be a sin against ,god4 ,the next verses show that they were a strong enough minority to force their fellows into a further inquiry respecting the fact of the cure4 ',they say unto the blind man again1 ,what sayest thou of ,him1 that ,he hath opened thine eyes8 ,he said1 ,he is a prophet4 ,but the ,jews did not believe concerning him1 that he had been blind1 and received his sight1 until they called the parents of him that had received his sight4 ,and they asked them1 saying1 ,is this your son1 who ye say was born blind8 ,how then doth he now see8 ,his parents answered them and said1 ,we know that this is our son1 and that he was born blind3 but by what means he now seeth1 we know not2 or who hath opened his eyes1 we know not3 he is of age2 ask him2 he shall speak for himself4 ,these words spake his parents1 because they feared the ,jews3 for the ,jews had agreed already1 that if any man did confess that ,he was ,christ1 he should be put out of the synagogue4 ,therefore said his parents1 ,he is of age2 ask him4' ,the answer of the man1 that ,he who healed him was a prophet1 was the simplest of all forms of expressing his belief that he had been brought into contact with a ,person who was higher than himself1 who was sent from ,god4 ,this passage would show1 if it stood alone1 how little even the commonest ,israelite identified the prophet with the mere predicter of events4 ,foretelling had surely no direct connexion with opening the eyes2 but one who could do that was naturally felt to be the bringer of a message and a blessing from another and a better region4 ,these words1 as we have seen before1 lay very near to the others1 ',he is the ,christ2' only in the last the king was blended with the prophet1 the ,son of ,david with the successor of ,elijah4 ,it is probable that the rulers of the synagogue would draw a much sharper distinction between the names than the people did4 ,the belief in ,him as a ,prophet might be tolerated2 those who owned ,him as ,christ were interfering with the authority of the priests or of ,rome4 ,positive exclusion from worship and fellowship1 therefore1 might be restricted to that4 ,the parents of the blind man feared1 that he had approached the borders of offence4 ,if they made a false step1 it might be passed2 therefore it was prudent to keep as nearly as possible to the mere fact of his blindness4 ,perhaps they had no opinion about the ,person who had healed their son4 ,if they had1 is it worth while to run risks for an opinion8 ,a belief is another thing altogether4 ,if a man has that1 he must run risks for it4 ,his belief makes this demand upon him1 and perishes if the demand is not complied with4 ',then again called they the man that was blind1 and said unto him1 ,give ,god the praise3 we know that this ,man is a sinner4' ,the two parties had probably come to a compromise4 ,the cure was to be admitted as good2 it was to be ascribed respectfully and devoutly to ,god2 only the instrument of it must be declared to be evil4 ,it was1 of course1 assumed that such an adjustment would be satisfactory to the beggar2 he would not rebel against the authority of his betters4 ,nor did he4 ',he answered and said1 ,whether ,he be a sinner or no1 ,i know not3 one thing ,i know1 that whereas ,i was blind1 now ,i see4' ,was not his as fair an adjustment as theirs8 ,he left them all their probable conclusions1 all their traditional wisdom4 ,he vindicated to himself only his pin-point of personal experience4 ,no6 it was not fair2 the doctors demurred to it1 as they had a right to do4 ,theirs was a fantastical airy possession1 which every hour might diminish2 he was standing on solid ground2 every day he might add something to that ground4 ,nothing frets men like a discovery of this kind4 ,the rulers of the synagogue showed their irritation by repeating their question4 ',then said they to him again1 ,what did ,he to thee8 how opened ,he thine eyes8' ,the beggar became bolder as the doctors became feebler4 ',he answered them1 ,i have told you already1 and ye did not hear3 wherefore would ye hear it again8 will ye also be his disciples8 ,then they reviled him1 and said1 ,thou art his disciple2 but we are ,moses' disciples4 ,we know that ,god spake unto ,moses3 as for this fellow1 we know not from whence he is4' ,their self-complacency has returned4 ,of such people as this blind beggar did the disciples of ,jesus consist6 ,they had a law and a history4 ,moses had been sent to them from ,god fourteen hundred years before4 ,about his mission there could be no doubt2 they had it in the book4 ,what help had they to determine the pretensions of the new ,teacher1 but ,his own words8 ,the beggar thought they must have some means of finding out what ,he was1 if they were learned men and guides of the people4 ',the man answered and said unto them1 ,why herein is a marvellous thing1 that ye know not from whence he is1 and yet he hath opened mine eyes4 ,now we know that ,god heareth not sinners3 but if any man be a worshipper of ,god1 and doeth ,his will1 him ,he heareth4 ,since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind4 ,if this ,man were not of ,god1 he could do nothing4' ,it was very simple1 childish logic1--the logic of a man who had convinced himself that ,god was living then1 and was ruling the world then as in the days of old4 ,he had done what the synagogue bade him4 ,he had given ,god the glory4 ,he had confessed a good ,god1 who cared for him an outcast4 ,jesus had brought him to that confession1 and therefore he could not1 at the bidding of any synagogue1 call ,him a sinner4 ,there was only one safe and conclusive reply to a man who spoke as he did4 ',they answered and said unto him1 ,thou wast altogether born in sins1 and dost thou teach us8 ,and they cast him out4' ,a strange process had been going on in this man1 one worthy of all study4 ,the world of flowers and trees1 of earth and sky1 and of human faces1 had burst upon him2 a vision too wonderful to take in1 which might have crushed him with its strangeness and its excess of beauty4 ,but with that had come another vision1 for which his hours of darkness had not been unfitting but perhaps preparing him1--the sense of a loving ,power near him1 sympathising with him1 caring to restore him2 the assurance that this ,power must be ,his who made the trees and flowers1 the sky and earth1 and had stamped on the human face an expression that was not of the earth4 ,this sense1 this confidence1 came to him not suddenly1 but gradually1 by a discipline scarcely less hard than that to which he had been subjected hitherto4 ,it came to him1 in part1 through that strange conflict with creatures of his own flesh and blood1--with men of whom he had asked alms and whom he reverenced as his masters1--into which he was brought almost as soon as he could look into their countenances4 ,it came through their denial of facts1 of which he felt as sure as he was of the existence of those things which he had begun to see4 ,it came to him with a feeling of his own duty1 of his own power1 to declare that ,god did not forget beggars1 and that the man who had raised him out of misery must be from ,god4 ,but this inner revelation was not overwhelming like the outward1--it was sustaining4 ,the man who could look upon sun and stars found that he was more than they4 ,god was nearer to the beggar than to them4 ,a light was shining into him which did not come from them4 ,was it not a light which would go with him and cheer him1 whatever synagogue cast him out2 yes1 if sun and stars were to disappear for ever8 ,he had been under a marvellous education4 ,it was not completed4 ',jesus heard that they had cast him out2 and when ,he had found him1 ,he said unto him1 ,dost thou believe on the ,son of ,god8 ,and he said1 ,who is ,he1 ,lord1 that ,i might believe on ,him8 ,and ,jesus said unto him1 ,thou hast both seen ,him1 and it is ,he that talketh with thee4 ,and he said1 ,lord1 ,i believe4 ,and he worshipped ,him4' ,an incomprehensible1 incredible record1 if all that we have been hearing of a ,life-giver and a ,light of the world is untrue2 if all communications come to human beings from without2 if the ,son of ,god is only revealed to us in letters2 if there is not a conscience in man to which ,he manifests ,himself4 ,but how consistent and harmonious and consolatory a story is it1 if this ,gospel is indeed what it professes to be1 if it does not mock us with idle sounds when it tells us of ,one who was with the ,father before all worlds1 whose light always shined in the darkness1 which did not comprehend it1 who came into the world to show men of this ,father1 and to restore them to fellowship with ,him6 ,how the narrative concerning this beggar1 and the way in which the ,son of ,god led him to the knowledge of ,himself1 becomes then a narrative for each of us6 ,we need not trace any outward sorrow that has been ordained for us to the sin of our parents or to sins of our own done in some former state4 ,accepting in either case the punishment1 we may refer it to the will of a ,father1 that through it we may perceive how the blank in our sensible perceptions and in our hearts may be filled1--that through it we may be led to the ,son1 the ,life-giver and ,light of the world4 ,the like calamities in our brethren are to be the instruments through which we convey to them a message concerning the same ,son4 ,if we claim them as opportunities for showing forth ,god's healing power2 if we own the science and the art which are needful for the exercise of that power as ,his gifts2 if we thus work ,his works1--others will find1 we shall find more and more1 that the riddle of the world has a solution1--that ,christ has solved it4 ,and what is true of outward sorrows--of the want of sight1 the greatest of all--is true also of moral evils1 of the moral blindness from which they spring and in which they terminate4 ,our ,lord's words1 those ,i took for my text1 lead us into the heart of this mystery also2 they explain some of the greatest contradictions in our own lives1 and in the world's life4 ',and ,jesus said1 ,for judgment ,i am come into this world1 that they which see not might see2 and that they which see might be made blind4' ,how is ,he come into the world for judgment when ,he came not to judge the world1 but to save it8 ,he has answered the question before4 ,he answers it more fully here4 ,what we want to be saved from is our darkness4 ,we can only be saved from it by ,his light4 ,that light brings us into judgment4 ,it distinguishes--it condemns6 ,it distinguishes between that in us which seeks light1 and that in us which flies from light4 ,it does not condemn us for being dark2 it condemns us for not owning our darkness4 ,it does not condemn us for not having a power and virtue in us to escape from the darkness2 but for refusing to entertain the light which would raise us out of it4 ,our eyes are not formed to create light1 but to receive it2 if they will close themselves to that which is always seeking to open them and illuminate them1 that is the sentence--that is the condemnation4 ,the blind beggar washes in the ,pool of ,siloam1 and comes seeing4 ,he hears of the ,son of ,god1 and says1 ',lord1 who is ,he that ,i might believe on ,him8' ,the ,pharisee grudges eyesight to the beggar1--denies that ,god may work good on ,his own ,sabbath-day4 ,he is satisfied with his power of seeing2 and the light that would open ,god's glorious kingdom to him puts out the eyes that he had4 ,dear brethren1 may ,christ give us honesty and courage to confess our blindness1 that we may turn to ,him who can make us see6 ,may ,he deliver us from all conceit of our own illumination1 lest we should become hopelessly dark6 ,,discourse ,,xix4 ,,the ,,shepherd ,,and ,,the ,,sheep4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #c;d ,sunday after ,trinity1 ,june #h1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,x4 #bg-bi4 ,my sheep hear my voice1 and ,i know them1 and they follow me3 and ,i give unto them eternal life2 and they shall never perish1 neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand4 ,my ,father1 which gave them me1 is greater than all2 and no man is able to pluck them out of my ,father's hand4 ,a recent traveller in the ,holy ,land1 who has looked on all its localities with honest and reverent eyes1 and has enabled his readers to see them almost as clearly as himself1 has suggested that the ,mount of ,olivet was the scene of the conversation1 in which ,jesus declared ,himself as the ,son of ,god to the man whose eyes ,he had opened4 ,the man whom ,he had healed at the ,pool of ,bethesda ,he found in the ,temple2 but an excommunicated ,israelite would not have been allowed to enter those precincts4 ,if we suppose our ,lord to have met him on that other ground which ,he visited so often1 the interview may have been secret4 ,and the words1 ',for judgment am ,i come into the world1' which are so evident a commentary upon it1 may have been addressed to persons1 ,his disciples and others1 whom ,he joined afterwards4 ,then it will appear how the concluding verses of the #ith chapter may have formed part of the same dialogue with the opening verses of the #ajth1--how much closer a relation there is between them outwardly and inwardly than we at first perceive4 ',and ,jesus said1 ,for judgment ,i am come into this world1 that they which see not might see2 and that they which see might be made blind4 ,and some of the ,pharisees which were with ,him heard these words1 and said unto ,him1 ,are we blind also8 ,jesus said unto them1 ,if ye were blind1 ye should have no sin3 but now ye say1 ,we see2 therefore your sin remaineth4' ,these ,pharisees may have fallen in by chance with ,jesus and ,his disciples as they walked down the mount1 or may have come expressly to catch ,him in ,his words4 ,they must have heard that ,he had spoken of blind leaders of the blind4 ,they knew1 at all events1 that ,his strongest language had been directed against them1--the guides of the people1--those to whom the humble ,israelites turned for light and teaching4 ,the question1 ',are we blind also8' may have been asked in recollection of these former passages between them1 or in mere scorn that a ,galilan who had learnt no letters should presume to judge them4 ,the answer struck at the principle of the ,pharisaic character4 ',alas6 if you only felt that you were as blind as any of those whom you are professing to teach and show the right way1 there would be no complaint to make of you4 ,you would turn to the ,source of light2 you would allow the light that lighteth every man to illuminate you4 ,but now ye say1 ,we see4 ,you are satisfied with the light that is in yourselves4 ,you think that you have a light that does not belong to these poor wretches who know not the law4 ,therefore your sin remaineth4 ,you stumble1 and you cause those whom you guide to stumble4' ,if this conversation took place at eventide1 on the slope of the hill1 no spectacle 7as the traveller to whom ,i have referred remarks7 would be more likely to meet the eyes of our ,lord and these ,pharisees than that of a flock of sheep1 gathered from the different pastures in which they had been wandering1 and entering1 one by one1 through a little wicket-gate into their resting-place for the night1--the shepherd1 as was and is the custom in that country1 going through it before them1 and leading them in4 ,there may have been a pause after the words on which ,i have just commented1--then ,jesus may have said1 pointing to the sheepfold3 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold1 but climbeth up some other way1 the same is a thief and a robber4 ,but he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep4 ,to him the porter openeth2 and the sheep hear his voice3 and he calleth his own sheep by name1 and leadeth them out4 ,and when he putteth forth his own sheep1 he goeth before them1 and the sheep follow him3 for they know his voice4 ,and a stranger will they not follow1 but will flee from him3 for they know not the voice of strangers4' ,as if ,he had said1 ',look there2 see how that shepherd is behaving4 ,the sheep are not going through one door1 and he through another4 ,of any one who took another nearer way you would say at once1 not1 ,he is doing so because he is a man and is wiser than the sheep1 but simply1 ,he is not the shepherd2 the sheep do not belong to him2 he is come to steal them1 and to kill them4 ,the sign of the shepherd--that which the porter at the gate owns at once--is1 that he goes with the sheep4 ,but it is not only the porter that makes this distinction4 ,the sheep know their own shepherd as well as he does4 ,they do not in the least confound his voice with those of other men4 ,whether he is1 as now1 leading them in for the night1 or leading them out in the morning1 still it is the same4 ,he knows each of them2 each of them knows him4 ,he leads them because he does not stand aloof from them4' ',this parable1' says ,st4 ,john1 ',jesus spake to them3 but they understood not what things they were which ,he spake unto them4' ,they did not feel the application of it2 they did not see what shepherds and sheepfolds had to do with them4 ,they could hardly have given a greater proof how little they understood the things which were written in the books they prized most1--how their worship of the divine letter had destroyed all commerce between their minds and the realities which it is setting forth4 ,for is not the ,old ,testament1 from first to last1 a book about shepherds8 ,was not ,abraham a shepherd1--,moses a shepherd1--,david a shepherd8 ,is not the shepherd of sheep1 throughout1 connected with the ,shepherd of men8 ,that name belongs to ,greek poetry as much as to ,hebrew2 it is found as often in ,homer as in ,isaiah2 it is the most universal and human of all emblems4 ,but the ,hebrew seers are the great and consistent expounders of it2 they carry it from the lowest ground to the highest4 ',the ,lord is my shepherd2 ,i shall not want1' is the song of the individual ,israelite4 ',he shall feed ,his flock like a shepherd3 ,he shall gather ,his lambs in ,his arms1 and carry them in ,his bosom2 and shall gently lead those that are with young1' contains the highest vision which the ,prophet could see of the ,divine care over his nation4 ,and no applications of this language are so numerous as those which are directed against 'the shepherds of ,israel who feed themselves1 and will not feed the flock4' ,these passages might have occurred to those who knew them so well as the ,pharisees4 ,but they were divine texts merely1--they never connected themselves with the sheep and the shepherds that wandered over the hills in their day4 ,the sheep would sell for so much in the market2 the shepherds were hired for so much by the day or the week4 ,there was no other measure of their worth4 ,clever teachers might1 perhaps1 resort to them occasionally for rhetorical illustrations4 ,secular and vulgar things might be converted1 as the phrase is1 to the service of religion4 ,but it would always be felt that they were in themselves secular and vulgar things4 ,god had nothing to do with them till they had been reclaimed4 ,thus the faith that all creation is divine1--that all occupations are divine1--that ,god has written ,his mind and purpose both upon the natural and the civil order of the world1 had disappeared4 ,men no longer walked the earth as a holy place1 filled with the presence of their ,lord ,god2 it had become utterly separated from ,him1--sold and sacrificed to ,mammon4 ,then came the ,son of ,man1 interpreting the world which ,he had made1 and which knew ,him not2 drawing forth out of it treasures new and old2 deciphering the hieroglyphics which wise men had perceived in every rock and cave1 in every tree1 and in every grain of sand2 showing that in ,himself was to be found the solution of that sphynx-riddle by which all ages had been tormented4 ,but even ,his parables might be turned to an evil use4 ,it might be supposed that we can only reach the kingdom of heaven through the forms of earth2 that they are not the likenesses of the invisible substances1 but that the invisible substances are the likenesses of them4 ,this danger is of such continual recurrence1 it belongs so essentially to the idolatrous nature which is in us all1 that it must have exhibited itself in the ,christian ,church before ,st4 ,john wrote4 ,long allegories--which seem invented rather to hide the truth from common eyes than to bring it forth that it might be a possession for the wayfarer--began to be produced immediately after the apostolical age1 if not within it4 ,nothing like them is to be found in this ,gospel4 ,those parts of our ,lord's teaching in which the parable was not used are brought into most prominence4 ,yet the parable is justified2 all ,his acts are shown to be signs4 ,and a proverb 77 is introduced here and there1 which enables us to understand in what the worth of these natural likenesses consists1 and how much the divine art which draws out the spiritual truth that is latent in them differs from the elaborate artifice of the allegorizer4 ',then said ,jesus unto them again1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,i am the door of the sheep4 ,all that ever came before me are thieves and robbers3 but the sheep did not hear them4 ,i am the door2 by me if any man enter in1 he shall be saved1 and shall go in and out1 and find pasture4 ,the thief cometh not1 but for to steal1 and to kill1 and to destroy3 ,i am come that they might have life1 and that they might have it more abundantly4' ,the formal interpreter of parables would at once decide1 that the most important object in the picture which is presented to the eye1 must represent ,christ the ,son of ,man4 ,the supposition is a natural one2 perhaps it may ultimately prove to be true4 ,but our ,lord's first words seem to confute it4 ,his conversation with the ,pharisees leads ,him to speak of the gate through which both the sheep and the shepherd enter into the fold1 before ,he speaks of the shepherd4 ,and that gate1 ,he says1 is ,himself4 ,all kings1 prophets1 priests1 teachers1 had brought light and life into the minds of men1--had served to bind men into one1--just so far as they had confessed a light and life from which theirs was derived1 just so far as they had identified themselves with the people4 ,and all that had come claiming to be the sources of life and light1--to have an independent authority1--to have a right to rule1 because they were in themselves stronger1 or wiser1 or better than others1 had been thieves and robbers1 the tyrants and destroyers of the earth4 ,there is no commentary on history1 the history of the whole world1 ancient and modern1 so grand as this1--so perfectly able to abide the test of facts4 ,every prophet1 and monarch1 and priest of the ,jews brought strength and freedom into his land1 while he was the witness of an invisible ,prophet1 and ,monarch1 and ,priest higher than himself1 living then1 one day to be made manifest4 ,every prophet1 monarch1 and priest was the cause of superstition1 idolatry1 and slavery to his land1 when he exalted himself1--when he strove to prove that he had some rights of his own which were not conferred on him for the sake of his race1--which were not conferred that he might be a witness of the glory belonging to his race4 ,if we read ,pagan history and literature by the light of ,scripture1 we should find abundance of proofs that the maxim is equally true and satisfactory with reference to them2 that every ,greek or ,roman patriot and sage1 whom we ought to love1 and whom only a heartless1 atheistical religion can hinder us from loving1 did good and was good1 so far as he did not seek his own glory1--so far as he did not attribute his wisdom and power to himself1--so far as he was in communion1 amidst whatever confusions1 with the ,light that lighteneth every man2 and that every oppressor and invader of freedom1 whose character it is our duty to hate1 was so because he came in his own name1 claiming to be a king1 a ,christ1 a god4 ,with tenfold momentum do the words bear upon the ages since the incarnation1 and declare to every priest1 pope1 emperor1 philosopher1 and master of a sect or school1--',in so far as thou hast assumed to be the ,son of ,man1--in so far as thou hast set thyself to be something when thou art nothing1--in so far as thou hast claimed to have light1 which has not come from the ,fountain of light1--and power1 which is not imparted by the righteous ,power1--so far thou hast been a thief and a robber1 caring for nothing but to steal1 and to kill1 and to destroy4' ,but if in this sense it is true now1 and has been true always1 that ,christ is the only ,door through which any man enters1 whose designs towards human beings are good and not murderous2 can it be equally true that 'the sheep did not hear' the voices of false prophets1 of usurping tyrants1 who climbed up some other way8 ,how then have they prevailed so mightily8 ,dare we say that no true men have given heed to them8 ,dare we judge all that have yielded to impostors1--all that have welcomed them as deliverers8 ,shall we not certainly be judged if we do8 ,assuredly we shall4 ,and1 therefore1 let us proceed to judge ourselves first1 and at once4 ,we have listened to impostors1--have we not8 ,we have been beguiled by men who we thought were to give us life1 and really took life from us4 ,well1 but was there nothing in us which refused to hear these teachers1--to follow these guides8 ,was there no inward protest against them8 ,where some strong external evidence1 some evil fruits in ourselves1 showed that a pernicious juice had issued from the tree1 did we not feel that we might have known it before--that if we had been true to the light which was shining into us1 we should have known it8 ,and1 even when the enchantment was strongest upon us1 was there no crying for another guide1--no bleating after a better shepherd8 ,here1 then1 is the confirmation of our ,lord's sentence2 we need go no further to understand what ,he means4 ,something in us did follow the strange voice1 but the sheep--the true man in us--did not4 ,that could make no answer to the counterfeit voice2 that detected the thief in the shepherd's dress2 that was certain that there must be one who had a right to command1 and whom it could obey4 ,i say again1 this sheep is the 'true man in us4' ,each of us in himself knows that it is2 we may know it also by the echo which the history of our race makes to the witness in our consciences4 ,why have the oppressors of mankind been so short-lived8 ,how is it that1 though there may be a succession of lies1 each lie wears itself out in a generation1--in much less than a generation8 ,how is it that what seems for a while the weakest possible testimony against it waxes stronger and louder1 till at last the world gives into it1 and the lie and the liar are indignantly trampled underfoot8 ,how is it1 but because the spirit of humanity does not and cannot hear the voices of those who break into the fold by the wrong way8 ,how is it1 but because all their temporary power is only derived from the tones of the true ,shepherd1 which they are able to mimic8 ,how is it1 but because they bear witness1 by their reign and by their downfal1 that they do not rule the earth1 and that ,he does8 ,yes1 brethren1 ',he who comes1 that ,his sheep might have life1 and that they might have it more abundantly1' does not teach us to talk of ourselves as ,his sheep1 and of other men as having no part in ,him4 ,this is the teaching of robbers and destroyers1--of those who would sever us from our kind1--of those who would persuade us that it is a privilege to have a selfish1 separate life1--to have selfish1 separate rewards4 ,this selfish1 separate life is what ,christ promises to save us from4 ,the wide1 free pastures into which ,he would lead us1 are those upon which we can only graze1 because we are portions of a flock2 the fold into which ,he would bring us is for those whom ,he has redeemed from their separate errings and strayings to rest together in ,him4 ,we cannot1 therefore1 make a more deadly misapplication of this discourse1 than when we turn it into an excuse for drawing lines of separation between those for whom ,christ has died4 ,while we draw these lines1 we never shall discover the deep line in ourselves between that which can only follow the ,deliverer1 and that which can only follow the destroyer4 ',i am the good ,shepherd3 the good shepherd giveth ,his life for the sheep4 ,but he that is an hireling1 and not the shepherd1 whose own the sheep are not1 seeth the wolf coming1 and leaveth the sheep1 and fleeth3 and the wolf catcheth them1 and scattereth the sheep4 ,the hireling fleeth1 because he is an hireling1 and careth not for the sheep4' ,you will say1 ',the image is changed4 ,christ was the wicket-gate2 but now ,he has become the person who passes through that gate4' ,yes1 and if you have followed the course of the thought2 if you have seen why ,he is described as the door through which shepherd and sheep must enter in1--why the shepherds of ,israel are reproved when they will not pass through that door1--you will see the necessity of the double image4 ,you will feel that ,he whom all shepherds are bound to acknowledge1 if they would have the sheep hear them1 must be ,himself1 in the highest sense1 the ,shepherd4 ,and the test that ,he is this ,shepherd1 explains the perpetual worth and significance of the other symbol4 ',he gives ,his life for the sheep4' ,the false shepherds wish to find out a way for themselves1 which is not the way that the sheep take4 ,they do not like the thought of stooping--beings of another and higher race as they are--to the conditions of these silly creatures4 ,he identifies ,himself with them4 ,they have to die4 ,he dies4 ,that is the first and obvious view of the sentence2 and it is the one to which we come back at last1 as the deepest and most wonderful of all4 ,but before we can take it in its full force1 we must recal the old sentence1 ',in ,him was life2' and the other which ,he has just uttered1 ',i am come that they might have life more abundantly4' ,the property of death is1 that it is solitary and incommunicable2 the property of life is1 that it must be communicated1--that from him in whom it dwells most it must be poured forth most4 ,he in whom the source of life is1 from whom all the streams of it have issued1 comes into the world to encounter death1 which appears to have got the mastery1--to claim them whom ,he has created capable of life1 for life4 ,but how can ,he give life8 ,how can ,he overcome death8 ,he must give up life4 ,he must die4 ,the highest life is the life that sacrifices itself4 ,all older shepherds had shown that it was4 ,for their country and their brethren they had poured out their life2 that men had received as the proof that they were from ,god1--that they were quickened by ,him4 ,the good ,shepherd1 the ,shepherd of shepherds1 justifies the belief4 ,he shows that they had done what they did by inspiration from ,him4 ,he shows that1 in this instance also1--in this instance especially1--they were receiving of ,his fulness1 and grace for grace4 ,the ,word takes flesh and blood1 because the children are partakers of flesh and blood4 ,the ,shepherd dies1 because the sheep die4 ,thus1 the doctrine which ,he has been preaching to the ,pharisees is brought out in all its power4 ,they claimed to be shepherds of the people1 because they were above them1--because they did not share their weakness and blindness4 ,his claim to be the ,shepherd of the people was1 that ,he would not be above them2 that ,he would bear what they bore1 and sink as low as they had sunk4 ,and this not from some great effort1--in virtue of some arrangement1--but because ,he had the most intimate and original sympathy with them1 because they had always been ,his1 and because ,he had made ,himself one with them in all things4 ,this is the contrast which ,he draws between the good shepherd and the hireling4 ,the one shepherd does his work because he looks to be paid for it4 ,he feels altogether aloof from his sheep4 ,he regards them as beings of a different nature from his own4 ,he is to be very great and condescending to them4 ,he is to fold them carefully at night1--to do all needful services for them by day2 not because he cares for them1 but because he has sold his work for so much1 and he may lose his wages if he commits any serious oversight4 ,and this motive serves him well enough till some great danger threatens the sheep1 till the wolf breaks into the fold4 ,then the hireling feels rightly that life is more precious than money2 it is wiser to lose his pay than to run the risk of being devoured4 ,from whom do these hireling shepherds expect their wages8 ,i do not think it signifies much whether they expect them from man or from ,god1--in this world or in another4 ,the temper is the same2 the result which our ,lord prophesies must be the same4 ,for he who does his work in hope of getting a reward hereafter for what he has done1 will1 in general1 regard ,god as an uncertain1 capricious ,being1 whom it is very hard to please1 who may punish as well as reward4 ,therefore he will pause before he will risk death for the sake of his work4 ,death may bring him into the presence of the ,being whom he dreads4 ,death may surprise him before he has done all that he ought to have done4 ,if there is nothing better in us than this expectation1 we shall never throw away ourselves as soldiers do on the battle-field2 we shall1 perhaps1 give ourselves credit for being better and holier than they are1 because we do not4 ,but are we not to serve the sheep from a sense of duty to ,god8 ,are we only to serve them from certain feelings of affection for them8 ,let us hear what our ,lord tells us of ,himself1 then we shall know better what we are to be4 ',i am the good ,shepherd1 and know my sheep1 and am known of mine4 ,as the ,father knoweth me1 even so know ,i the ,father3 and ,i lay down my life for the sheep4' ,there are heights and depths in these verses which no man may look into2 but the principle which is declared in them is needful for the daily practice of life1 profound as it is4 ,christ declares that ,he knows ,his sheep4 ,he opposes this knowledge to the motives and feelings of the hireling4 ,let us think of these4 ,we can describe them to you2 for1 brethren1 which of us may not say1--should not say1--in dust and ashes3 ',they have been mine4 ,i have felt cold and estranged from those ,i was seeking to guide2 out of communion with their fears1 their sorrows1 their doubts1 their temptations2 ready to reprove the rich for being rich1 and the poor for being poor1 the tradesman for his basenesses1 the lawyer for his2 ready to condemn all the sins which ,i had no mind to commit2 but not knowing them individually1 not bearing their burdens1 not feeling them as my own4 ,and1 therefore1 when the wolf has come1 which is always ready to divide the flock1--to rend them from each other1--to take away the life that should unite them1--,i have not been ready to encounter him4 ,how much less should ,i have been ready if he had come in the form of some terrible persecution1 scattering them hither and thither6' ,we know the hireling's mind all too well2 that we do not learn from report4 ,and oh6 that we might understand something of that other mind which is opposed to it1--of that which is expressed in the words1 ',i know my sheep1 and am known of mine6' ,if you would think rightly of the ,son of ,man1 think of the ,person who knows thoroughly everything that each one of you is feeling1 and cannot utter to others or to himself1--every temptation from riches1 from poverty1 from solitude1 from society1 from gifts of intellect1 from the want of them1 from the gladness of the spirit1 from the barrenness and dreariness of it1 from the warmth of affection and from the drying up of affection1 from the anguish of doubt and the dulness of indifference1 from the whirlwind of passion and the calm which succeeds it1 from the vile thoughts which spring out of fleshly appetites and indulgences1 from the darker1 more terrible1 suggestions which are presented to the inner will4 ,believe that ,he knows all these1 that ,he knows you4 ,and then believe this also1 that all ,he knows is through intense1 inmost sympathy1 not with the evil that is assaulting you1 but with you who are assaulted by it4 ,believe that knowledge1 in this the ,scriptural sense of it1--the human as well as the divine sense of it1--is absolutely inseparable from sympathy4 ,but it is added1 and 'am known of mine4' ,i am sure we should fix our minds upon those words which express ,his knowledge before we come to these1 else they will either drive us to despair1 or lead us to great presumption4 ,when we have done this1 we may say that the highest knowledge of ,christ which any1 the holiest1 man1 has attained1--that which we attribute to an ,kempis or to a ,leighton1--is what is meant for the sheep of ,christ1--their proper characteristic4 ,but having said this1 we should also say that every apprehension1 which any man struggling with ever so much of evil1 ever so much overcome by it1 has of a higher and better life1 of a ,divine ,teacher and ,reprover1 is part of this knowledge1--is in kind like theirs4 ,we should say that to be absolutely without this knowledge is a dreadful possibility1 which is threatening every one of us1--which those who are most occupied with divine mysteries must often feel to be near to themselves--but which is a reprobate condition1 one into which we have no right to suppose that any person has sunk1 so long as he has any perception of that which is good and true1--any1 the faintest1 desire to lay hold of it4 ,truly1 the voice of him who was a liar and murderer from the beginning is speaking to us and in us all1--is tempting us all down into death4 ,but the voice of the true ,shepherd is also speaking to us1 inviting us1 claiming us as ,his sheep4 ,and there is not one who has not at times heard that voice1--who has not been sure that he had a right to follow it1 and that no man or devil had a right to say1 ',thou art not ,his2 thou hast not a claim on ,him2 and ,he does not desire thee to follow ,him4' ,brethren1 if shepherds and sheep made more of an effort to understand each other1--if the shepherds were more sure that they could enter into all that is drawing the sheep astray1 because the same evil is in themselves1--if the sheep thought that they might give the shepherds credit for knowing all that is worst in them1 not as judges1 but as fellow-sinners and fellow-sufferers1--we should each and all of us have more communion with the ,chief ,shepherd4 ,those who guide would be driven1 by the sense of their own ignorance and coldness1 to seek for light and warmth from ,him2 those who are guided would feel that the pastor on earth did not intercept their communication with the heavenly ,pastor1 but existed to show them what ,he is1 and how near ,he is to them4 ,all has gone wrong in ourselves from our losing this fellowship with each other1--from our forgetting that the ,highest of all was the lowest of all1--that ,he proved ,his right to rule us by becoming one of us1 and one with us4 ,and yet there is a deeper error still at the root of our selfishness and want of sympathy4 ,we do not confess the ground of ,christ's own sympathy1 of ,his own sacrifice4 ,he declares to us here that ,his knowledge of the sheep1 and the knowledge which the sheep have of ,him1 rests upon the ,father's knowledge of ,him and ,his knowledge of the ,father4 ,he has been telling us the same thing in previous discourses4 ,this union of the ,father with the ,son1--this dependence of the ,son upon the ,father1--has been the mystery which the whole ,gospel has been discovering to us4 ,those words1 in which ,he tells us that this relation is at the basis of our relation to ,him and to each other1--of all our social and spiritual sympathies1--do but carry us one step further in the revelation4 ,those words1 in which ,he tells us that ,he lays down ,his life for the sheep1 because ,he is one with ,his ,father1 do but bring out more fully that love of the ,father1 of which ,his life and death were testimonies2 a love to which ,he yielded ,himself in simple obedience1 when ,he gave the greatest proof ,he could give of love to the sheep4 ,this is the answer to the question which was asked before1 whether duty to ,god is not as good and powerful a motive as love to man8 ,yes1 brethren1 a more powerful motive1 a deeper and safer ground to stand upon1 if we accept what our ,lord says here4 ,he boasts of no love to man as dwelling in ,himself1--it is all derived from ,his ,father4 ,he merely submits to ,his will1 merely fulfils it4 ,and because that will is a will of absolute love1 the mere submission to it1--the mere consenting that it should be accomplished upon ,him and in ,him1--involved the most perfect love to men1--the most entire communion with them1--the dying for them4 ,he says this expressly in the #agth and #ahth verses1 though there is one interposed between them and that which ,i last quoted1 which it would be shameful indeed to pass over4 ',and other sheep ,i have1 which are not of this fold3 them also ,i must bring1 and they shall hear my voice2 and there shall be one fold1 and one shepherd4 ,therefore doth my ,father love me1 because ,i lay down my life1 that ,i might take it again4 ,no man taketh it from me1 but ,i lay it down of myself4 ,i have power to lay it down1 and ,i have power to take it again4 ,this commandment have ,i received of my ,father4' ,our translators have carelessly substituted fold for flock in the last clause of the first of these verses4 ,but most readers1 ,i think1 have of themselves restored the true reading1 and perceived that the ,gentiles were not to be brought into the ,jewish fold1 but to form one flock with the ,jews after the temporary enclosure of their fold had been broken down4 ,perhaps they have been more puzzled to understand why what we describe as the calling in of the ,gentiles should be spoken of in connexion with ,christ's laying down ,his life4 ,the second1 modern theology represents as an event necessary for the salvation of individual men2 the first1 as an event connected with the outward economy of the world4 ,and so1 modern theology is out of harmony with the language of the ,scriptures to which it appeals4 ,for that represents the death of ,christ as the uniting power which breaks down the barrier between man and man1--as the deliverance of each man from the selfishness which sets him apart from his fellows1 and apart from ,his ,father in heaven4 ,if it is this1 it is surely nothing strange to speak of the union of the two different classes into which the world was divided as the mighty effect of the death of ,christ4 ,if it is this1 the calling in of the ,gentiles belongs not to outward history1 but to the most inward and spiritual part of ,god's dispensation4 ,the recognition of ,christ's other sheep as ,his sheep1--the acknowledgment of the heathen as having been always ,his1 no less than those who had been called out to be a blessing to all the families of the earth1--was the mightiest witness that the ,brother and ,lord of man had met the wolf who was destroying the fold1 had redeemed all from death by sharing their death4 ,it was the witness1 too1 of that other profound truth which the #agth verse announces1 that there was a ,man in whom the ,father was perfectly satisfied1 and that the ground of ,his satisfaction was that this ,man entirely loved men--entirely gave ,himself up for men4 ,he could be satisfied with nothing less than this2 for nothing less than this was the expression of ,his own mind and will4 ,in no act of less love than this could ,his love declare itself4 ,the thought is so wonderful1 the mystery is so deep1 that men have shrunk from it as incredible1 and have invented any reason to account for ,christ's death but that which ,he gives ,himself4 ,that an entirely voluntary act should be yet the fulfilment of a commandment1--that the highest power of giving away life and taking it should be realized in the most perfect obedience2 this idea clashes so much with our natural pride and self-glorification1 that we would rather think ,christ died because ,he was not one with the ,father1--that it was not the ,father's love that was satisfied1 but ,his wrath and fury1--than accept a statement which shows us that ,his thoughts are not as our thoughts or ,his ways as our ways2 that ,he is not made after our image1 though ,he would have us conformed to ,his4 ,but seeing that all our morality1 all our relations to one another1 depend upon the question1 what ,he is and what ,he has made us to be1 we must ask for strength to cast away the schemes and theories of man's devising1 and to receive simply1 as little children1 the teaching of ,him who is the brightness of the ,father's glory1 our ,brother and our ,judge4 ',there was a division therefore again among the ,jews for these sayings4 ,and many of them said1 ,he hath a devil1 and is mad2 why hear ye ,him8 ,others said1 ,these are not the words of him that hath a devil4 ,can a devil open the eyes of the blind8' ,i do not know whether the ,jews who held these different opinions were the ,pharisees to whom ,he originally spoke1 or whether ,his sayings were reported to those who were gathered at the feast of ,dedication4 ,the opinions themselves are exactly what one would expect that such sayings would call forth4 ',how can you listen to a madman1 a demoniac1 who says that ,he shall lay down ,his life and take it again1--who denounces our teachers1 and calls ,himself the good ,shepherd8' ,this is the language of the respectable citizen of ,jerusalem1 the representative of the feeling of the ,jewish religious world4 ',but do we not want a ,shepherd who shall guide us to something better8 ,are we satisfied with our present state8 ,may not ,he who can give sight to the blind be the ,light of men1 as ,he says that ,he is8' ,these would be the cautious suggestions of those in whom some cravings had been awakened1 which the teachers of the day could not stifle4 ,we may suppose that the former party would press this argument upon the others2 ',but if ,he is the ,christ1 why has ,he not courage to call ,himself by that name8 ,why does ,he adopt these phrases1 ,shepherd1 ,light of the world1 ,son of ,man1 which we do not understand1 instead of that with which we are familiar1 the purport of which we know8' ,of some such suggestion the question in the following verses may have been the fruit3 ',and it was at ,jerusalem the feast of the dedication1 and it was winter4 ,and ,jesus walked in the temple in ,solomon's porch4 ,then came the ,jews round about ,him1 and said unto ,him1 ,how long dost thou make us to doubt8 ,if thou be the ,christ1 tell us plainly4' ,the demand seemed most reasonable1 ',tell us plainly4' ,what an honest sound there is in those words6 ,what can be better than plain speaking8 ,why should ,he who denounced all lies have shrunk from it8 ,the question is not a new one4 ,to have said1 ',i am the ,christ1' would have been to deceive them1 unless ,he showed them what the ,christ was1 unless ,he made them understand that ,he was in nearly all respects unlike the ,christ they had imagined for themselves4 ',may we not then1 after ,his example1 avoid direct answers8 ,may we not use expressions which people call ambiguous8' ,yes1 if the answers we give are more perilous to ourselves than those we avoid1 as ,his were2 if the expressions that are called ambiguous bring the hearers more face to face with facts1 than those which are called straight4 ,this is our ,lord's example4 ,let all who dare follow it4 ',jesus answered them1 ,i told you1 and ye believed not3 the works that ,i do in my ,father's name1 they bear witness of me4 ,but ye believe not1 because ye are not of my sheep1 as ,i said unto you4 ,my sheep hear my voice1 and ,i know them1 and they follow me3 and ,i give unto them eternal life2 and they shall never perish1 neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand4 ,my ,father1 which gave them me1 is greater than all2 and no man is able to pluck them out of my ,father's hand4 ,i and my ,father are one4' ,he had told them that ,he had come from the ,father2 ,he had testified by acts what ,his ,father was4 ,he had shown them that the ,father was working for them on common days and ,sabbath-days to bless them4 ,this act had begotten no faith in them2 would the words1 ',i am the ,christ1' beget faith in them8 ,neither words nor acts1 so long as they were not seeking as sheep for the true ,shepherd4 ,he had said to them before1 that instead of looking for a shepherd who should point the way to them and the humblest ,israelite1--who should fold them together1--they were aspiring to be independent shepherds2 they were refusing to enter by the same door as the sheep4 ,those who were sheep1--those who needed a shepherd1--would own ,his voice4 ,they did not want ,him to tell them that ,he was the ,christ4 ,a sure and divine instinct would tell them1 that ,he who gave up ,himself1 ,he who entered into their death1 must be the guide they were created to follow1--that there could be no other4 ,and ,he would justify their confidence4 ,they were longing for life1--for the life of spirits1--for the life of ,god2 nothing less would satisfy them4 ,he would give them that life1--that eternal life of love1 in which ,he had dwelt with the ,father4 ,they were surrounded by enemies who were seeking to rob them of life1 to draw them into death4 ,he was stronger than these enemies4 ,they should not perish2 neither man nor devil should take them out of ,his hands4 ,the eternal will which ,he came to fulfil was on their side4 ,the ,father who gave them to ,him was greater than all4 ,those who were seeking to separate them from their ,lord and ,shepherd were at war with this ,father2 for ,he had owned them1 they were ,his4 ,to this mighty declaration all ,his discourse concerning the sheep and the shepherd has been tending2 but at the ground of it lies a mightier still3 ',i and my ,father are one4' ,all that ,he has been teaching is without foundation1 if it has not this foundation4 ,the unity of the ,father and the ,son is the only ground of the unity between the shepherd and the sheep2 undermine one1 and you undermine both4 ,and when ,i say this1 ,i mean you undermine all unity among men1 all the order and principles of human society4 ,for if these do not rest upon certain temporary conventions2 if they have not been devised to facilitate the exchange of commodities1 and the operations of the money market2 if there is not a lie at the root of all fellowship and all government1 which will be detected one day1 and which popular rage or the swords of armed men will cut in pieces2--we must recognise1 at last1 the spiritual constitution of men in one ,head and ,shepherd1 who rules those wills which every other power has failed and shall fail to rule4 ,we must recognise it4 ,the existence of a ,christendom either means this1--either affirms that such a constitution is1 and that national unity and family unity imply it1 and depend upon it2--or it means nothing1 and will dissolve into a collection of sects and parties1 which will become so intolerable to men1 and so hateful to ,god1 that ,he will sweep them from ,his earth4 ,do you think sects would last now for an hour1 if there was not in the heart of each of them a witness for a fellowship1 which combinations and shibboleths did not create1 and which1 thanks be to ,god1 they cannot destroy8 ,the true ,shepherd makes ,his voice to be heard1 through all the noise and clatter of earthly shepherds2 the sheep hear that voice1 and know that it is calling them to follow ,him into a common fold where all may rest and dwell together4 ,and when once they understand that still deeper message which ,he is uttering here1 and which the old creeds of ,christendom are repeating to us1 ',i and my ,father are one2' whenever they understand that the unity of the ,church and the unity of mankind depends on this eternal distinction and unity in ,god ,himself1 and not upon the authority or decrees of any mortal pastor1 the sects will crumble to pieces1 and there will be1 in very deed1 'one flock and one ,shepherd4' ,but1 that we may enter thoroughly and deeply into the meaning of these words1 we should meditate earnestly upon those which followed them1 those especially in which our ,lord justified what the ,jews declared to be blasphemy4 ',then the ,jews took up stones again to stone ,him4 ,jesus answered them1 ,many good works have ,i shewed you from my ,father2 for which of those works do ye stone me8 ,the ,jews answered ,him1 saying1 ,for a good work we stone thee not2 but for blasphemy2 and because that thou1 being a man1 makest thyself ,god4 ,jesus answered them1 ,is it not written in your law1 ,i said1 ,ye are gods8 ,if he called them gods1 unto whom the word of ,god came1 and the scripture cannot be broken2 say ye of ,him1 whom the ,father hath sanctified1 and sent into the world1 ,thou blasphemest2 because ,i said1 ,i am the ,son of ,god8 ,if ,i do not the works of my ,father1 believe me not4 ,but if ,i do1 though ye believe not me1 believe the works3 that ye may know1 and believe1 that the ,father is in me1 and ,i in ,him4' ,we are eager to quote these words of ,jesus1 as a proof that ,he is ,god4 ,i fear that1 very often1 we only mean1 that ,he took to ,himself the name of ,god4 ,we associate with that name a certain idea of power and absoluteness2 we believe that ,he vindicated that power and absoluteness to ,himself4 ,no1 brethren4 ,he came--if we may believe ,his own words--to show us what ,god is2 to deliver us from our crude1 earthly1 dark notions of ,him2 to prevent us from identifying ,his nature with mere power and sovereignty1 as the heathens did1 as the ,jews in that day were doing4 ,he came to show us the ,father4 ,instead1 therefore1 of eagerly grasping at the divine name1 and appropriating it to ,himself1 the method which ,he takes of proving ,his unity with the ,father is1 to humble ,himself1 to identify ,himself with men1 to refuse to be separate from them4 ',you charge me with calling myself ,god4 ,but did not he call them gods1 to whom the word of ,god came8' ,we are startled at the defence4 ,we ask ourselves whether ,he was not abandoning the very claim which ,he had put forward2 whether ,he was not allowing others to share the incommunicable glory with ,him8 ,no6 but ,he was showing that a dignity and a glory had been put upon men by the word of ,god itself1 which proved that there must be a ,son of ,man who was indeed the ,son of ,god4 ,it was not only heathen sages who had spoken of man's divine faculties1 divine origin1 divine destiny4 ,the ,scriptures had called those whom ,god had set over men1 gods4 ,psalmists1 who were most jealous for the honour of ,jehovah1 had not feared to use the language4 ,prophets could not maintain the truth of their own mission--could not declare that the word of ,god was speaking by them and in them--without falling into it4 ,there was the greatest peril of men becoming ,lucifers1--of their setting themselves up in the place of ,god4 ,it is the very danger of which ,christ has been speaking in this discourse1--the temptation into which kings1 prophets1 priests1--even teachers who pretended to no inspiration1 who merely stood on the ground of their traditional greatness1 or of men's preference for them1--had fallen4 ,nor was there any deliverance from such pretensions1 and from the robberies and murders which were the consequence of them1 unless ,one came who did not exalt ,himself1 who did the works of ,his ,father1 who simply glorified ,him4 ,such a ,one could justify all the high words that had ever been spoken of our race1 and yet could lay low the pride of those who had aspired to be the lords of it4 ,he could show what the true man is2 and1 in doing so1 could show what the true ,god is4 ,by putting ,himself into the position of the lowest of the sheep1 by enduring the death to which each one of the sheep had been subjected1 ,he could prove that the glory of man is to serve2 ,he could show that the true sons of ,god had been the true servants of men2 ,he could show that the perfect servant of all must be the ,son of ,god4 ,all titles1 honours1 dignities among men1 had derived their virtue and efficacy from ,him4 ,their virtue and efficacy lay in ,his ,sonship4 ,he was content to be a ,son1 to be nothing else than a ,son4 ,so ,he showed forth ,his eternal consubstantial union with the ,father4 ,if ,god is merely absolute ,power1 then all this ,christian theology is a dream and a falsehood1--then there is no ,son of ,god or ,son of ,man1 in any real sense of the words4 ,but if ,god is absolute ,love1 then ,he who died for the sheep must be ,his perfect image and likeness1 the 'only-begotten1 full of grace and truth2' then to separate ,him from the ,father1 to seek for the ,father in any but ,him1 must lead to the denial of both1 ultimately to the glorification of an evil spirit1 a being of absolute selfishness1 in place of both4 ,from which frightful consummation1 brethren1 may the ,father1 the ,son1 and the ,spirit1 the one ,god1 whose name is ,love1 preserve us and ,his whole ,church6 ,,discourse ,,xx4 ,,the ,,raising ,,of ,,lazarus4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #dth ,sunday after ,trinity1 ,june #aeth1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xi4 #be4 ,jesus said unto her1 ,i am the resurrection1 and the life3 he that believeth in me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live4 ,the words1 ',i and my ,father are one2' ',the ,father is in me and ,i in ,him1' which were spoken in the porch of the ,temple at the feast of ,dedication1 had the same effect as the words1 ',before ,abraham was1 ,i am1' which were spoken after the feast of ,tabernacles4 ,in both cases the ,jews sought to take ,jesus that they might stone ,him2 in both ,jesus escaped out of their hands4 ,on the last occasion we are told whither ,he retired3 ',he went away again beyond ,jordan into the place where ,john at first baptized1 and there ,he abode4' ,the disciples who had been with ,him in the crowd of the city found themselves in the lonely place where they had first heard ,him proclaimed as the ,lamb of ,god4 ,since that time there had been a whirl of new thoughts and strange hopes in their minds4 ,the kingdom of ,god had appeared to be indeed at hand2 they had seen their ,master exercising the powers of it2 they had exercised those powers themselves4 ,some day ,his throne would be established2 they should sit beside ,him4 ,the vision had passed away2 they were the companions of a fugitive2 they were in the desert where they had first learned1 not that they were princes to sit and judge1 but sinners wanting a ,deliverer4 ,i cannot doubt that ,he who was educating them1 not only by ,his speech but by all ,his acts1 had devised this lesson for them1 that it was just what they needed at that time4 ,how often do we all need just such a discipline2 the return to some old haunt that some past experience has hallowed2 the return to that experience which we seem to have left far behind us1 that we may compare it with what we have gone through since6 ,how good it would be for us if when circumstances take us back to the past1 we believed that the ,son of ,man had ordered those circumstances1 and was ,himself with us to draw the blessing out of them6 ,others beside the disciples were profiting1 the ,evangelist tells us1 by this choice of a place4 ',and many resorted unto ,him1 and said1 ,john did no miracle3 but all things that ,john spake of this ,man were true4' ,they had perhaps contrasted ,john the preacher in the wilderness1 with ,jesus who ate with publicans and sinners2 ,john1 who said1 ,repent1 with ,jesus1 who opened the eyes of the blind4 ,now they were reminded of the likeness between them4 ,jesus drew them away from earthly things1 as ,john had done4 ,jesus made them conscious of a light shining into them1 as ,john had done4 ,only what ,john had said was true4 ,they needed a baptism of the ,spirit1 that the baptism for the remission of sins might not be in vain4 ,they needed a ,lamb of ,god and a ,son of ,god1 who should do for them what no miracles could do4 ,was ,he not here8 ',and many believed on ,him there4' ,i can conceive no diviner introduction than this to the story of the raising of ,lazarus4 ,it prepares us to understand that what we are about to hear of1 is not one of those signs which ,jesus rebuked ,his countrymen as sinful and adulterous for desiring2 not one of those wonders which draw men away from the invisible to the visible1--from the object of faith to an object of sight2 but just the reverse of this1--a witness that what ,john spake of ,jesus was true1--a witness that in ,him was ,life1 and that this ,life always had been1 was then1 and always would be1 the ,life as well as the ,light of men4 ,with what care the story is related so that it shall leave this impression on our minds--how all those incidents contribute to it which would have been passed over by a reporter of miracles1 nay1 which would have been rejected by him as commonplace1 and therefore as interfering with his object--,i shall hope to point out as we proceed4 ,and ,i would thankfully acknowledge at the outset1 that1 on the whole1 the mind of ,christendom has responded to the intention of the divine narrator2 that whatever scholars and divines may have made of the story1 the people have apprehended its human and domestic characteristics1 and have refused to be cheated of its application to themselves under the pretext that it would serve better as an evidence for ,christianity if its meaning were limited to one age4 ,i am still more thankful that the ,church1 by adopting the words of my text into her ,burial ,service1 has sanctified this rebellion4 ,an attempt1 therefore1 to discover the exact meaning of the ,evangelist will not introduce novelties1 but will deepen old faith4 ,and ,i cannot help feeling that unless we do seek to deepen that faith1 unless we are willing to learn again from ,st4 ,john some of the lessons which we may think we know very perfectly1 or have left behind us in our nurseries1 we shall find that we have less of belief than many ,jews and many heathens had before our ,lord came in the flesh4 ',now a certain man was sick1 named ,lazarus1 of ,bethany1 the town of ,mary and her sister ,martha4 7,it was that ,mary which anointed the ,lord with ointment1 and wiped ,his feet with her hair1 whose brother ,lazarus was sick47' ,the story of ,mary and the alabaster box of ointment has not yet been told by our ,evangelist4 ,but he had too distinct and high an object to care for preserving the conventional proprieties of a narrator4 ,he never pretended to be giving those who read him their first information about the events that happened while our ,lord was upon earth4 ,their memories1 he knew1 were stored with these events4 ,what they wanted was to see further into the meaning of them2 to see how they exhibited the life of the ,son of ,man and the ,son of ,god4 ,he will tell us afterwards what is the context and significance of ,mary's act4 ,here he assumes that it was known at ,ephesus1--as it was to be known wherever the ,gospel was preached1--and he uses it to identify ,lazarus4 ,but how could ,lazarus need to be identified8 ,must not his name and his fame have been spread as widely as his sister's8 ,was any other more likely to be preserved in the first century1 by tradition1 if not by record8 ,the answer is contained in the narrative4 ,lazarus1 as a man who had been in a grave and had come forth out of it1 might be spoken of then as he is spoken of now4 ,a glorious halo might surround him4 ,it would be shocking to connect him with ordinary feelings and interests4 ,a like halo would encircle her head who had anointed the ,lord's body for the burial4 ,men would refuse to look upon her as one of the common children of earth4 ,it was just this which ,john dared to do1 which it was essential to his purpose that he should do4 ,he would have us know that ,mary dwelt in the little town of ,bethany2 that she had a sister ,martha2 that ,lazarus was her brother4 ,the story is stripped of its fantastical ornaments4 ,the hero and heroine have passed into the brother and sister4 ,if they have to do with an unseen world1 it is not with a world of dreams1 but of realities2 not with a heaven that scorns the earth1 but with a heaven that has entered into fellowship with earth4 ',therefore his sisters sent unto ,him1 saying1 ,lord1 behold1 he whom thou lovest is sick4' ,the man who was healed at the ,pool of ,bethesda1 the blind man who was sent to wash in the ,pool of ,siloam1 were merely suffering ,jews2 the bread at ,capernaum was given to five thousand men gathered indiscriminately2 the nobleman of ,capernaum seems to have heard for the first time of ,jesus2 the guests at the marriage-feast may have been ,his neighbours1 or even ,his kinsmen1 but we are not told that they were4 ,this message is the first which directly appeals to the private affection of the ,son of ,man1 which calls ,him to help a friend because he is a friend4 ,the words which follow of our ,lord and of ,his ,apostle are worthy of all study in reference to this point4 ',when ,jesus heard that1 ,he said1 ,this sickness is not unto death1 but for the glory of ,god1 that the ,son of ,god might be glorified thereby4 ,now ,jesus loved ,martha1 and her sister1 and ,lazarus4 ,when ,he had heard therefore that he was sick1 ,he abode two days still in the same place where ,he was4' ,he had a work to do4 ,this was the first thought of all4 ,the sickness was to glorify ,god1 just as the blindness of the man to whom ,he restored sight was to glorify ,god4 ,the ,son of ,god who had been revealed as the ,light of the world1 was to be revealed as the ,restorer of life4 ,death was not to be conqueror here1 any more than darkness there4 ,all other thoughts must give way to this4 ,yet ',jesus loved ,martha and her sister1 and ,lazarus4' ,the individual sympathy was not crushed by the universal1 but grew and expanded in the light and warmth of it4 ,he did respond to the message in ,his inmost heart4 ,the love which it assumed to be there--the love for that particular man--was there4 ,and in spite of it1 yea1 because of it1 ,he continued in the desert1 and made no sign of moving towards ,bethany4 ,these sentences enable us to enter into the ,divine humanity of ,jesus1 as a thousand prelections and discourses would not enable us to enter into it4 ,they do not present to us first the ,divine side of ,his life1 and then the human1 as if they were opposing aspects of the same ,being4 ,they make us feel that the one is the only medium through which we can behold the other4 ',then after that ,he saith to ,his disciples1 ,let us go into ,juda again4 ,his disciples say unto ,him1 ,master1 the ,jews of late sought to stone thee2 and goest thou thither again8 ,jesus answered1 ,are there not twelve hours in the day8 ,if any man walk in the day1 he stumbleth not1 because he seeth the light of the world4 ,but if a man walk in the night1 he stumbleth1 because there is no light in him4' ,i suppose many persons have asked themselves1 ',what does this sentence mean just here8 why was it introduced8' ,i do not know that we1 who are living easy and comfortable lives1 can quite solve the question4 ,but many a patriot and confessor1 who has been concealing himself from the anger of those whom he wished to bless1 has1 ,i doubt not1 learnt the meaning of the sentence1 and has felt the support of it4 ,if he tried to rush forth into danger1 merely in obedience to some instinct or passion of his own1 he was walking in the night1 and was sure to stumble4 ,if he heard a voice in his conscience bidding him go and do some work for ,god1--go and aid some suffering friend1--he would be walking in a track of light2 it signified not what enemies might be awaiting him1 what stones might be cast at him1 he could move on fearlessly and safely4 ,the sun was in the heavens1--the stones would miss until his hour was come4 ,if it was come1 the sooner they struck the better4 ',these things said ,he3 and after that ,he saith unto them1 ,our friend ,lazarus sleepeth2 but ,i go1 that ,i may awake him out of sleep4 ,then said ,his disciples1 ,lord1 if he sleep1 he shall do well4 ,howbeit ,jesus spake of his death3 but they thought that ,he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep4 ,then said ,jesus unto them plainly1 ,lazarus is dead4 ,and ,i am glad for your sakes that ,i was not there1 to the intent ye may believe2 nevertheless let us go unto him4 ,then said ,thomas1 which is called ,didymus1 unto his fellow-disciples1 ,let us also go1 that we may die with him4' ,these words1 ',our friend sleepeth1' recal what was said1 in the other ,gospels1 of the daughter of ,jairus2 and they point onwards to the language of the ,epistles to the ,thessalonians and to the ,corinthians1 concerning those that are fallen asleep in ,jesus4 ,our ,lord is evidently teaching ,his disciples a new language2 a language drawn from nature and experience2 one which had mixed itself with other forms of speech in the dialect of all nations2 but yet which was not easy for them to learn1 and which we understand very imperfectly yet4 ,it might not help them much then1 but it helped them afterwards1 that ,he did not speak merely of a man having fallen asleep1 but of 'our friend' sleeping4 ,they might not have seen ,lazarus for weeks or months1 or heard any tidings of him4 ,all the outward tokens by which the existence of friendship is ascertained1 might have ceased4 ,they might never meet again4 ,would1 therefore1 the name lose its meaning or its power8 ,what limit would you fix for that meaning or that power8 ,surely there is something immortal about the name2 it prepares us for understanding how thin the thread is which separates death from taking of rest in sleep4 ,the words1 ',i go to awake him out of sleep1' could1 of course1 convey little sense till the event interpreted them4 ,but the expression1 ',nevertheless let us go to him1' must have had a strange sound4 ',go to one who was already dead1--what could that mean8 ,what did it all mean8' ,thomas1 the greatest doubter among them1 assuredly could not tell4 ,but he was willing to die with his ,master2 and that was the best preparation for understanding whatever ,he had to teach4 ',then when ,jesus came1 ,he found that he had lain in the grave four days already4' ,the commentator takes this opportunity of saying a word about ,eastern customs1 and the need of a burial immediately after death4 ,does he suppose that that necessity makes the story less near and dear to the sorrower of the ,west8 ,the longer he is permitted to look at a face which appears often as if it had lost its restlessness1--not its beauty or its life1--the more dark and terrible must be the grave which is to hide it from him altogether1 the more earnestly he must ask1 ,can light ever penetrate into that darkness8 ,it is because the story of ,lazarus has been believed to meet this question2 because it comes into contact with the fact which speaks most directly to the senses and to the imagination of every one of us1 that we cling to it when the topics of ordinary consolation are wearisome1 unintelligible1 even hateful1 to us4 ,by such topics the sisters of ,lazarus were tormented2 for ,st4 ,john says1--',now ,bethany was nigh unto ,jerusalem1 about fifteen furlongs off3 and many of the ,jews came to ,martha and ,mary1 to comfort them concerning their brother4' ,they endure the visitation impatiently or patiently1 according to their different dispositions4 ',then ,martha1 as soon as she heard that ,jesus was coming1 went and met ,him3 but ,mary sat still in the house4' ,the impulse of the first is to find a ,friend to whom she can dare to make complaints1 because she trusts ,him2 the other retreats into herself1 and1 perhaps1 finds that same ,friend there1 teaching her another kind of lore than that which the well-meaning comforters are pouring into her ear4 ',then said ,martha unto ,jesus1 ,lord1 if thou hadst been here1 my brother had not died4' ,it is the language of reproach2 but it is the kind of reproach which has faith and confidence for the ground of it1--which comes from a longing that the person who is the object of it should clear himself1 and prove that he has not failed in the office of friendship1 however he may have seemed to do so4 ,and then1 as if ,his face had already answered the uneasy suspicion which her words had expressed--had given her a hope of some unknown1 inconceivable blessing--she adds1 ',but ,i know that even now1 whatsoever thou shalt ask of ,god1 ,god will give it thee4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,thy brother shall rise again4' ,the words sound grand and glorious2 they were really disappointing4 ,what else she thought ,he might ask of ,god she could not say2 but it was not this4 ,she had heard often of a resurrection2 the ,jews1 who had come to ,bethany1 had1 no doubt1 been telling her many good discourses of the elders concerning it4 ,ages hence he would1 she thought1 awake out of the dust2 in the meantime1 the light in their house had been quenched2 he was gone from them4 ,she said1 ',i know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day4 ,jesus said unto her1 ,i am the resurrection1 and the life3 he that believeth in me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live4' ,if ,he intended to give back ,lazarus to her at once1 could ,he not have told her so8 ,might ,he not have said1 ',in thy special case1 for my love to ,lazarus and ,mary and thee1 ,i am about to break through ordinary laws1 and to raise a body out of the grave1--not at the last day1 but now4' ,why not8 ,because1 if ,he had said so1 ,he would have contradicted ,his own words1 ,his own acts1 the whole tenor of ,his life4 ,he did not come into the world to show special favours1 but to assert and manifest universal truth4 ,he did not come into the world to break ,god's laws1 but to establish them1 and to show forth the will which was at the foundation of them4 ,therefore1 instead of limiting ,martha's words about a resurrection in the last day1 ,he expanded her words1--,he uttered what was a more general proposition than that one1--not bounded to a certain moment in the future1 but extending over the present and the past4 ,the resurrection in the last day1--vague and loose as ,martha's thoughts were about it1--was still practically bounded by the feeling which occupied her soul in that hour4 ',i know that my brother shall rise again1' did not mean very much to her2 the rising of any besides her brother meant nothing4 ,but ',i am the resurrection and the life1' were words that applied to herself as much as to ,lazarus1--to her sister as much as to either4 ,she could not apprehend them1 even in the slightest degree1 without feeling that they were spoken of human beings1--not merely of that being who had been lying in the grave four days4 ,and yet how immeasurably more they met her own case1 her own sorrow1 than the others6 ',i am the resurrection and the life4' ',you have a ,friend1 an almighty ,friend1 who restores life1 who is the ,giver of life4 ,do not task your poor1 feeble1 sorrow-stricken fancy to conceive of some distant world-gathering4 ,there may be such a one2 but1 if you are to know anything of it1 know ,me first4 ,trust in an actual person2 leave yourself and the world to ,him4' ,and ,he went on3 ',he that believeth in me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live3 and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die4' ,i do not say that she could understand this1 or that we can4 ,but ,i am sure she did understand that she was meant to believe in ,him--to rest in ,him2 and that this belief and this rest might be exercised1 not only by those who could look into ,his countenance and hear sounds coming from ,his lips1 but by those who were out of sight1--who had passed into the unseen world4 ,the dead might hear ,his word speaking to them4 ,the dead might believe in ,him4 ,the dead might be quickened by that word and that faith4 ,therefore1 when ,he asked her the question1 ',believest thou this8'--though she could not dare to say1 ',i believe it all2 ,i take it in just as ,thou hast spoken it1'--she could say1 ',yea1 ,lord3 ,i believe that ,thou art the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 which should come into the world4' ,she could trust absolutely1 unreservedly in ,himself1 whatever ,his language might or might not import4 ',and when she had so said1 she went her way1 and called ,mary her sister secretly1 saying1 ,the ,master is come1 and calleth for thee4 ,as soon as she heard that1 she arose quickly1 and came to ,him4' ,martha went into a presence which she felt to be dear1 with a confidence that she should be welcome1 with a certain sense that she had a right to speak2 ,mary must wait in silence and awe till she had some intimation that ,he was seeking for her4 ,this difference of characters is as marked in the nineteenth century as in the first2 it affects all the common subordinate relations of life2 it reaches to the highest and most divine4 ,each has its own worth1 and its own temptations4 ,we have no business to disparage either2 for ,christ has imparted both1 and has made each a way to ,himself4 ',now ,jesus was not yet come into the town1 but was in that place where ,martha met ,him4 ,the ,jews then which were with her in the house1 and comforted her1 when they saw ,mary1 that she rose up hastily and went out1 followed her1 saying1 ,she goeth unto the grave to weep there4 ,then when ,mary was come where ,jesus was1 and saw ,him1 she fell down at ,his feet1 saying1 ,lord1 if thou hadst been here1 my brother had not died4' ,the good-natured comforters can give their victim no peace1--even the grave is not too sacred a place for their persecutions2 her only safety is where her sister had sought it and found it4 ,the words ,mary uses are the same as ,martha's2 they are the simplest expressions of the thought which must have been in both of them1--the thought which each must have understood the other to be vexed with1 if nothing was spoken1--the thought which ,martha will have been able to utter1 and which ,mary will probably have kept closed within her till that moment4 ,and is there anything in that thought to make a chasm between the household in ,bethany1 and any ,english household in the nineteenth century8 ,is not the feeling the very same1 in the heart of every one who has lost a friend or brother8 ',he might have been saved2 ,christ might have ordered this differently4 ,in this and in that case ,he did2 why not in mine8' ',when ,jesus therefore saw her weeping1 and the ,jews also weeping which came with her1 ,he groaned in the spirit1 and was troubled1 and said1 ,where have ye laid him8 ,they said unto ,him1 ,lord1 come and see4 ,jesus wept4 ,then said the ,jews1 ,behold how ,he loved him6 ,and some of them said1 ,could not this ,man1 which opened the eyes of the blind1 have caused that even this man should not have died8' ,the strength of these words1 which has been so great for those who have taken them simply and naturally1 has often been diluted4 ',what need had ,he to weep1 seeing that ,he was about to remove the cause for weeping8' ,but what if that grief of ,mary was in kind the grief of every sister that had lost a brother1 since death entered into the world1--of every sister who shall lose one1 till death be finally swallowed up in victory8 ,what if the grief of those about her1 though less earnest1 yet was at least a testimony that each of us has a share and a right in that which any other is afflicted with8 ,would the ,son of ,man1 who had taken man's flesh1 who had entered into man's sorrows1 sympathise less with her who was beside ,him then1 because ,he knew the depth and cause of her grief better than she knew it herself2 because ,he knew that it could not be cured by the smile of a brother1 or the pressure of his hand1 if that were granted her again2 because ,he knew in ,himself the mystery of the death of every man1 and was to bear it ,himself for every man8 ,surely it would have been a woful thing for us1 and for the world1 if ,he had not groaned in spirit at the sight of that cave1 merely because ,lazarus was to come out of it2 if ,he had not wept when ,he saw ,mary and the ,jews weep1 merely because a sudden joy was to succeed their tears6 ,and was it not a cause for groaning1 that those who saw how minute1 and tender1 and personal ,his affection was for this one man1 should take so poor a measure of ,his love as to suppose that ,he cared for him1 and not for them1--for ,mary and ,martha1 and not for every human sorrower1--that ,he might from partiality have caused that this man should not have died1 but had no power of delivering all from death8 ',jesus therefore again groaning in ,himself cometh to the grave4 ,it was a cave1 and a stone lay upon it4 ,jesus said1 ,take ye away the stone4 ,martha1 the sister of him that was dead1 saith unto ,him1 ,lord1 by this time he stinketh3 for he hath been dead four days4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,said ,i not unto thee1 that1 if thou wouldest believe1 thou shouldest see the glory of ,god8' ,he had said to her1 ',thy brother shall rise again4' ,he changes the language now1 that ,he may convey a deeper sense4 ,it was ,god's glory that was to be revealed in that act4 ,hereafter she would know how much more it concerned her1 and her sister1 and her brother1 that ,jesus should manifest that1 than that ,he should have caused her brother not to have gone into the grave1 or to come forth from it again4 ',then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid4 ,and ,jesus lifted up his eyes1 and said1 ,father1 ,i thank thee that thou hast heard me4 ,and ,i knew that thou hearest me always3 but because of the people which stand by ,i said it1 that they may believe that thou hast sent me4 ,and when ,he thus had spoken1 ,he cried with a loud voice1 ,lazarus1 come forth4 ,and he that was dead came forth1 bound hand and foot with grave-clothes2 and his face was bound about with a napkin4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,loose him1 and let him go4' ,the thanksgiving to ,his ,father for the power which ,he felt ,he had been endued with to finish that work1 unfolds the mystery of ,his life2 the sense of filial dependence and trust that was at the root of it2 the pressure of human misery and death which turned ,his confidence into cries and groans for deliverance and help2 the quickening energy which answered the cry2 because1 as ,he tells us so often1 ,he was not doing ,his own will1 but the will of ,him who sent ,him4 ,this time it was needful that the cry should be heard by others4 ,they must be taught that ,he was not exercising some rare and unwonted privilege to serve a partial end1--that ,he could bid ,lazarus come forth1 because ,he was in the beginning1 is now1 and ever shall be1 the resurrection and the life4 ,st4 ,john1 who has told us the story with such care and minuteness1 does not stop for an instant to comment upon it1 or to utter any expressions of astonishment2 he merely tells us3 ',then many of the ,jews which came to ,mary1 and had seen the things which ,jesus did1 believed on ,him4 ,but some of them went their ways to the ,pharisees1 and told them what things ,jesus had done4' ,could he have spoken otherwise1 brethren8 ,did he not wish us to consider this act as the sign of a truth1 as the exercise of a power1 which circumstances cannot affect1 which is proving its vitality from age to age8 ,why should he comment8 ,why should he wonder8 ,the commentary was to be in the history of the world2 the wonder was to be renewed in the case of every brother1 whom ,christian hands were to lay in the grave1 'earth to earth1 ashes to ashes1 dust to dust1' in sure and certain hope that ,christ is 'the resurrection and the life1 and that whosoever believeth in ,him1 though he were dead1 yet should he live4' ,when we think of the return of ,lazarus to his house at ,bethany1 it is not with an unmixed delight4 ,we ask whether he could have welcomed the world's confusions which he had escaped8 whether the thought must not have haunted him1 that after a little while he should be in the same cave again8 ,these are questions which it may be well for us to consider2 though1 perhaps1 they are not different in kind from those which arise when any one who has been on the borders of the unseen world1 who has taken leave of kinsfolk and friends1 who has had glimpses of another country1 suddenly recovers1 and has to adapt himself once more--for a time probably with a strange sense of awkwardness and incoherency--to the business and intercourse of the earth4 ,in one case as in the other1 ,i conceive there is but this solution of the difficulty4 ,the man must be glad to be placed where it pleases ,christ that he should be placed4 ,he will not certainly be nearer ,him by complaining of his destiny1 or by not desiring exactly the work which has been given him to do4 ,if he has dreamed of a heaven above where he shall be under some other law than that1 or where his will must not be in conformity with that law1 the dream will never be realized4 ,so1 doubtless1 ,lazarus was taught by his discipline4 ,and this may have been to him1 if he could take it in1 a greater comfort than even his appearance again beside the old hearth1--a compensation for all he might suffer then or afterwards1--that through him multitudes unborn were to learn the meaning of their own death1 the secret of their own life1 and who is the ,friend that interprets them both4 ,to each man who has been near the grave1 and has come back to ever such commonplace duties1 something of the same blessing may be given4 ,he may think of ,one who hallows the common feast as well as the grave1 who binds both worlds together4 ,to the question-- ,where wast thou1 brother1 those four days8 ,there lives no record of reply1 ,which telling us what it is to die1 ,had surely added praise to praise4 ,so we think very naturally4 ,and yet1 if we reflect1 we shall perceive that those four days can only have been a part of the education of ,lazarus1--that they cannot have been separate from all his previous and all his later experience4 ,the first cry of life1 when he came out of the womb1 as much testified of ,one in whom is life1 who is the ,source of life1 as the look with which he greeted his sisters or his ,lord1 when he was commanded to come out of the grave4 ,the opening of every sense to take in the sights and sounds of the world around him1--the opening of every affection which apprehended his human relations1--testified of the same living ,word4 ,the revival of past acts and scenes in the memory1--the awakening of the conscience1 which bound those acts and scenes to his own individual self1--declared that there is ,one who not only gives life1 but brings it back1 who is the resurrection as well as the life4 ,as the years of manhood brought him into converse with beings of his own race1 whom he must meet on equal terms1 whom he must recognise as having powers1 affections1 and responsibilities like his own1--as creatures looking before and after like himself1--he had a witness that there must be a common life1 a common resurrection4 ,as intercourse with ,jesus gradually brought him to the knowledge of ,one who was a friend1 and more than a friend1--a ,master to whom he could submit1--an inspirer of strange thoughts1--a deliverer from infinite perplexities1--the discerner of mysteries which eye could not see1 or ear hear2 there was a more and more direct witness to his heart and reason3 ',thou hast found the ,christ4 ,thou hast found the resurrection and the life4' ,when one looks at the subject in this way1 ,i am not sure whether one cares so much to know what passed in those four days4 ,let death and the grave claim their rights and keep their secrets1 as long as they can4 ,they were to assert a higher right than they asserted over this man of ,bethany4 ,within a few days they were to claim dominion over ,him who said1 ',i am the resurrection and the life2' they were to try whether they could not hold ,him as their thrall for ever4 ,if they succeeded1 it does not much concern us what has happened elsewhere in the universe2 there is one thick impenetrable cloud over it all4 ,if they failed1 life must have fuller and more perfect dominion in the unseen region than it has in ours4 ,nothing which seems to die here can be under the sway of death there4 ,and ,christ1 by raising one poor man before ,he was raised ,himself1 testified that death shall have no power1 that the grave shall have no power1 to extinguish one faculty of the soul1 one sense of the body1 in any creature whose nature ,he has taken4 ,brethren1 here is the doctrine of the resurrection of the spirit and of the body taught in ,christ's own manner1 not in words1 but in an act4 ,and here1 too1 is that doctrine of a general resurrection at the last day1 which ,martha had learnt from the ,pharisees1--which1 separated from the words1 ',i am the resurrection and the life1' is the hardest and most unpractical of all opinions1--which1 united to them1 as it is in the ,burial ,service of our ,church1 is the most consolatory4 ,a particular resurrection for individual men1 without a general resurrection of our race1 without such a restitution of all things as has been spoken of by prophets since the world began1 would be utterly unsatisfactory1 because it would not set forth the glory of ,god and the love of ,god4 ,the general resurrection in ,scripture is described in various forms of speech1 all answering to deep human necessities4 ,it is spoken of as a revelation of the ,son of ,god2 it is spoken of as a revelation or unveiling of the sons of ,god in ,him2 it is spoken of as a gathering together in ,him of all things in heaven and all in earth4 ,i cannot read this story without feeling that1 among those things in heaven and earth that are so to be restored1 the sympathies and affections of the family are some of the chief4 ,i know not why ,st4 ,john should have dwelt so much upon the sorrow of the sisters of ,lazarus1 and upon ,christ's feeling for them1 if he had not meant us to understand this4 ,martha1 ,i suppose1 thought before she came to ,jesus1 that her brother would ascend some time or other on angels' wings into a place somewhere above the stars2 but that all the threads which1 from their childhood upwards1 had been winding round them and binding them to each other1 should be broken2 that the associations of home should cease for ever4 ,i am sure she learnt a different lesson after she had seen her brother again1 and had understood the declaration1 ',i am the resurrection and the life4' ,then she will have known that if1 in the resurrection1 'they neither marry nor are given in marriage1'--if no fresh ties are formed like those which bind us together on earth1--yet that the old relationships1 the old affections1 are to have a new and higher life4 ,what is sown in corruption is raised in incorruption2 what is sown in weakness is raised in strength2 what is sown a natural relationship is raised a spiritual4 ,but in this case1 as in every other1 the change does not alter the substance of that which has been1 only brings it forth in its might and purity4 ,towards this resurrection all creation is groaning and travailing4 ,and that groan which burst from ,christ at the grave of ,lazarus1 was the expression of ,his sympathy in that groan of ,his creatures2 even as ,his own travail hour1 in the garden1 on the cross1 in the tomb of ,joseph1 showed that the path of the ,shepherd is the same as that of the sheep1 to victory and rest4 ,why cannot we enter into ,his sufferings8 why cannot we look forward hopefully to ,his triumph8 ,there are some fearful words in the text ,i have taken to-day--fearful in the midst of all their consolation--which explain the secret4 ,it is said1 ',he that ,,believeth in me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live4' ,do we not feel sometimes as if all power of believing in anything that is great and noble were departing from us8 ,do we not feel as if to believe in ,him who is goodness and truth1 were the hardest effort of all8 ,does it not appear as if a second death were coming upon us1--a death of all energy1 of all trust1 of all power to look beyond ourselves8 ,oh1 if this numbness and coldness have overtaken us1 or should overtake us1--if we should be tempted to sit down in it and sink to sleep1--let the cry which awakened ,lazarus awake us4 ,let us be sure that ,he who is the resurrection and the life is saying to each of us1 however deep the cave in which he is buried1 ',come forth6' however stifling the grave-clothes with which he is bound1 ',loose him1 and let him go6' ,,discourse ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,death ,,for ,,all ,,nations4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #eth ,sunday after ,trinity1 ,june #bb1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xi4 #di1 #ej4 ,and one of them1 named ,caiaphas1 being the high priest that same year1 said unto them1 ,ye know nothing at all1 nor consider that it is expedient for us1 that one man should die for the people1 and that the whole nation perish not4 ,we naturally ask ourselves why ,caiaphas should have taken this tone in speaking to his colleagues in the ,sanhedrim8 ,what did he wish them to do which they had not shown themselves ready to do8 ,had they not sent officers to take ,jesus8 ,had they not encouraged the impulse of some amongst ,his hearers to stone him1 if they had not issued a formal decree that ,he should be stoned8 ,the explanation lies1 ,i think1 in the fact that ,caiaphas was a ,sadducee4 ,it might be straining the words1 ',then gathered the chief priests ,,and the ,pharisees a council1' to conclude from them that the priests in general were not ,pharisees4 ,but there are other good reasons for thinking that the accession of ,caiaphas to the office of ,high ,priest marks the commencement of a ,sadducean ascendency4 ,now1 the views of these schools respecting ,jesus1 however they might ultimately coincide1 must have been determined by their other opinions4 ,the ,sadducees will have been much more disposed to regard ,him as a fanatic than as a blasphemer2 they will have dreaded ,his doctrine much less than the belief of ,his kingship among the multitude2 consequently1 they may have thought the experiment of putting ,him to death by stoning very unwise4 ,it was making a trial of their native jurisdiction which was1 at least1 hazardous2 it might lead both to a tumult among their countrymen1 and to interference from their masters4 ,in the council which was held after the raising of ,lazarus1 it is evident that the indignation against ,jesus for 'making ,himself equal with ,god1'--even the indignation at a ,galilan for pretending to be a prophet--has been merged in the fear1 lest if 'they let ,him alone1 the ,romans should destroy both their place and nation4' ,caiaphas takes advantage of the feeling1 by whomsoever it may have been expressed1 to state and defend his own policy4 ',ye know nothing at all'--'you who are trying to punish ,him by your own laws4 ,you do not consider that if we are in the danger you apprehend1 it is expedient that one man should die for the people3 that we should give ,him up to the ,romans1 as a rebel against them2 gulping down our scruples about our dignity and our reluctance to ask aid from the ,csar for crushing an enemy1 rather than that the whole nation should perish1 through our obstinacy in maintaining an ancient and doubtful privilege4' ,this was genuine ,sadducean language1--precisely what one would expect to come from such a mouth4 ,but it was also triumphant language4 ,the ,pharisee must yield to it1 or else forego the gratification of his own chief desire4 ,he might very much have preferred to assert ,jewish law4 ,he might have been willing to run some risk in enforcing it4 ,to do otherwise was to stoop to the maxims of a sect which he detested4 ,but a compromise was the only possible course4 ,by adopting it1 he could ensure a general agreement among the rulers in bringing about the death of ,jesus at the next ,passover4 ,and there would be some compensation4 ,the death would be more ignominious than the national customs would have made it4 ,we are told1 therefore1 that 'from that day forth they took counsel to put ,him to death4' ,there was now no division1 either about the end or the means4 ,pilate was to be the judge2 the death they were to aim at was the death of the ,cross4 ,such1 ,i suppose1 was what ,caiaphas himself understood by the words1 ',it is expedient for us that one man should die for the nation1 and that the whole nation perish not4' ,a narrow meaning enough1--one in which there was nothing of patriotism1 in the vulgarest sense of that word4 ,caiaphas would save his nation by binding the chains of foreign domination more strictly upon it2 he would put on a new badge of slavery1 that it might be permitted to exist4 ,but then1 as now1 men utter words--made1 as they think1 to fit an occasion--intended to express only some paltry device of their minds--which are pregnant with a signification that ages unborn will confess and wonder at4 ,st4 ,john does not say to his ,ephesian readers or to us1--',we can see another force in the words of the ,high ,priest than that which he put on them2 we can translate them in our way and to our use4' ,but he says1 ',there was that force in them always4' ,caiaphas had not the power to contract his speech to the dimensions of his wit4 ',being high priest that year1 he prophesied4' ,the grandeur of the office1 which had witnessed the relation of ,god to ,his people for fourteen hundred years1 manifested itself through the poor creature1 who could look no further than the expediency of the moment2 to whom the past and the future were as nothing4 ,he who believed in no angel or spirit was compelled to be the spokesman of the ,divine ,word1 even when he was plotting ,his death4 ,strange and awful reflection6 ,and yet so it must be1--so experience shows us continually that it is4 ,our words are not our own1--we are not lords over them1 whatever we may think4 ,is it not well for us to ask who is ,lord over them2 how such terrible instruments--so immeasurably more terrible than swords or rifles--may be used lawfully1 for the protection1 and not the destruction1 of our brethren2 how we may be the willing1 and not merely1 like ,caiaphas1 the unconscious1 proclaimers of a ,divine purpose2 how we may execute it by obeying it1 not by the crimes which strive1 vainly1 to defeat it8 ,caiaphas prophesied1 says ,st4 ,john1 that ',jesus should die for that nation2 and not for that nation only1 but that also ,he should gather together in one the children of ,god which were scattered abroad4' ,it is not chiefly the form of the ,high ,priest's sentence which suggests this thought to him2 he does not play upon the words of it4 ,the proposition1 that ,jesus should not be tried for violating ,jewish law1 but should be given up as a treasonable subject of ,rome1 involved the breaking down of barriers between the nations4 ,the cross was emphatically a message to mankind1--to all tribes and races within the circle of the empire that had appointed this punishment for rebels and slaves4 ,it is a thought which possessed the minds of all the apostles1--of none more than ,st4 ,john4 ,the cross was to do what the eagle had tried to do4 ,it was to bind men in one society4 ,i shall not dwell upon the words that announce that doctrine here1 because it forms the most prominent subject in the following chapter of which ,i am going to speak4 ,we shall find1 ,i think1 that every discourse and narrative in it is penetrated with the idea of crucifixion4 ,so it becomes the suitable close to the records of our ,lord's public ministry1--the right preface to those private interviews of which ,st4 ,john is the only historian4 ,we are now arrived at the point in which the narratives of the different ,evangelists coincide4 ,all the others lead us from ,galilee to ,jerusalem at this ,passover4 ,st4 ,john1 who has taken us so often to ,jerusalem at other feasts before1 yet prepares us1 by many significant intimations1 to feel the special grandeur of the present4 ',jesus therefore walked no more openly among the ,jews2 but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness1 into a city called ,ephraim1 and there continued with ,his disciples4 ,and the ,jews' passover was nigh at hand2 and many went out of the country up to ,jerusalem before the passover1 to purify themselves4 ,then sought they for ,jesus1 and spake among themselves1 as they stood in the temple1 ,what think ye1 that ,he will not come to the feast8 ,now both the chief priests and the ,pharisees had given a commandment1 that1 if any man knew where ,he were1 he should shew it1 that they might take ,him4' ,he had walked the twelve hours of the day1 and no stone had reached ,him4 ,but the night was closing in4 ,the ,jews were about to take the great step of confessing ,csar to be the only king2 therefore the ,king must prepare to be the ,sacrifice4 ,the story which follows connects the two characters together3--',then ,jesus six days before the passover came to ,bethany1 where ,lazarus was which had been dead1 whom ,he raised from the dead4 ,there they made ,him a supper2 and ,martha served3 but ,lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with ,him4' ,i spoke1 last ,sunday1 of the domestic tone which pervades the history of the resurrection of ,lazarus2 how ,st4 ,john refused to regard death except as the breaking of a family bond--resurrection except as the renewal of it4 ,the same tone is preserved here4 ,the family feast is the resurrection feast2 it is the union of the several limbs of a body which had been torn asunder4 ,there is no change of relation or of sympathy2 the old ways of expressing it are retained4 ,only service has been ennobled4 ,he who sits at meat1 and she who serves1 are brother and sister4 ,for there is a ,guest at the table whose life has been a service1 and yet whose acts are all kingly4 ,the awe of ,lazarus1 who has known the secrets of the grave1 does not interrupt fellowship2 for ,he must know them better1 and ,he is with them1 sharing in their gladness4 ',and what is ,he8 ,is ,he only the elder brother of one household8 ,may ,he not be the elder brother of all households8 ,has ,he only done acts of mysterious grace and power for us8 ,may ,he not be the ,ruler everywhere--over the whole earth1 and over those who are in the region from which ,lazarus has come back8' ,such thoughts may have been in the minds of both sisters4 ,martha cannot express them save by fulfilling her simple household duties2 they are done for ,him4 ,he can translate them into heavenly ministries4 ,mary must find some other way to utter what is working in her heart1--what no words can give expression to4 ',then took ,mary a pound of ointment of spikenard1 very costly1 and anointed the feet of ,jesus1 and wiped ,his feet with her hair3 and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment4 ,then saith one of ,his disciples1 ,judas ,iscariot1 ,simon's son1 which should betray ,him1 ,why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence1 and given to the poor8' ,mary was probably puzzled by this question4 ,she could not the least have defended her act1 or even have explained what she meant by it4 ,she had heard of the anointing of kings1 and of the anointing in tombs4 ,the thought of royalty and of burial would become associated in her mind4 ,but why she should have done this thing1--why she had not reserved the money for those who needed it1--she could not have told4 ,judas may have seemed to her a prudent and religious man for rebuking her4 ,and the other ,evangelists say that he was not alone in the complaint4 ,the ,apostles generally seem to have agreed in it1 and felt its reasonableness4 ,later knowledge led ,st4 ,john to say1 ',this he said1 not that he cared for the poor2 but because he was a thief1 and had the bag1 and bare what was put therein4' ,but at the time he may have shared the feeling of the others4 ,the covetousness of the betrayer may have been quite concealed by his judicious charity2 ,mary's act may have been measured by his rules4 ,if it were so1 ,john and his fellows showed that there was in them that mind which was rapidly becoming the only mind in ,judas4 ,it might become victorious in them2 it might be overcome in him4 ,this perhaps was a very critical moment in their lives4 ,mary's act was essentially a woman's act4 ,no man would be commended for it2 a man who imitated it would not be doing what he could1 but attempting awkwardly to do what he could not4 ,to rough men1 therefore1 it was a trial to understand her and sympathise with her4 ,they had need to pass through many hard processes themselves--to be purged of the covetous spirit1--to be under the guidance of a ,spirit who was not yet given1--before they could enter into the worth of services which they were not called to perform1 before they could judge them by their origin1 not by their immediate results1 before they could see what a force love may put into symbols1 and how that force may be felt from generation to generation by the humble and meek1 whom words and notions affect very little4 ,but there was one who knew ,mary's meaning not only better than they knew it1 but better than she knew it4 ',then said ,jesus1 ,let her alone3 against the day of my burying hath she kept this4 ,for the poor always ye have with you2 but me ye have not always4' ,what the day of ,his burying was1 must have been unintelligible to the disciples generally2 but the reference to it1 and to a time when ,he should not be with them1 may have had a solemnising effect upon them2 they will have been less ready to judge1 more inclined to honour those whom ,he honoured4 ,mary may have divined a little more of ,his meaning4 ,the thought of ,his burial might perplex her4 ,but it could not cause her despair4 ,she knew that a body which had lain in the grave four days had been safe there4 ,surely some anointing1 better than hers1 would keep ,his body if it was laid in any tomb4 ,in her the instinct of love made the thought of death and sacrifice1 however wonderful1 not incredible4 ,on ,judas it is evident that the sight of ,mary's devotion had a withering effect4 ,first1 it led him to hypocritical professions about the poor1 that he might persuade himself he had some benevolent feelings2 then1 when ,christ drove him from this ground1--when he was reminded that he might always help the poor if he chose1--a conscious hatred against goodness began to unfold itself in him4 ,he went away from that feast a traitor in heart1 prepared to accomplish the prophecy that ,jesus had uttered concerning ,himself4 ,he was to be present at one more feast1--to take one more sop1--then all would be dark within him4 ,the ,evangelist leaves a strong impression upon our minds of the hurry and confusion in ,jerusalem at that feast2 the curiosity of the people to see ,jesus and to see ,lazarus2 the questionings of the council whether the excitement could be removed without the death of both2 the half-formed thought1 which might soon take shape and lead to some act1 that perhaps the king was among them after all4 ,and then follows the story of the entrance into ,jerusalem1 which is told at less length than in the other ,evangelists2 but to which there are two additions that are worthy of note4 ,st4 ,john quotes1 as ,st4 ,matthew has done1 the prophecy of ,zechariah3--',thy king cometh1 meek1 and sitting upon an ass3' and then adds1 ',these things understood not ,his disciples at the first3 but when ,he was risen from the dead1 then remembered they that these things were written of ,him1 and that they had done these things unto ,him4' ,the illumination of his own mind1 and of the minds of his fellow ,apostles1 respecting the sense and connexion of the ,scriptures1--how they learned to connect with ,him the descriptions of a ,king reigning in righteousness1 which the ,old ,testament contained1--how the resurrection from the dead identified ,him as the fulfiller of them1--how it linked ,his relation to ,god with ,his relation to man1--this we learn more clearly from ,st4 ,john than from all the other apostolical writings4 ,they take the matter1 in a certain degree1 for granted2 he enables us to see the process of it4 ,i have spoken of this subject in considering the passage1--',the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up4' ,the more we meditate upon it1 the more1 ,i believe1 we shall be able to trace lines of thought running through the ,old ,testament1 by which the formal critic is puzzled1--the more we shall find how little the word written in letters could profit1 if the ,living ,word did not expound it to the heart and reason1--the more we shall be sure that the laws which governed men in the old time are those which govern us2 that we must have the same ,teacher as they had2 or that while we seem to know everything we shall know nothing4 ,the other addition is this3--',the ,pharisees therefore said among themselves1 ,perceive ye how ye prevail nothing8 behold1 the world is gone after ,him4' ,the words may indicate a doubt whether the new scheme which ,caiaphas had devised was likely to succeed so well as their own2 whether the feeling of the people for the ,christ would not prove stronger than their submission to the ,romans2 whether it was not better1 therefore1 to accuse ,him of breaking a law which the multitude did regard as sacred and ,divine1 however little they might understand it4 ,at any rate1 they show how much men1 who have lost all sympathy with truth1 are apt to overrate the power of mere numbers1 and to underrate the effects of one simple1 humble1 brave act4 ,the crowds that shouted ',hosanna6' alarmed the ,pharisees4 ,yet1 in a few days1 the temper of those crowds was changed2 they could cry that ,barabbas might be released1 and ,jesus crucified4 ,the mere coming into ,jerusalem royally1 yet without the outward signs of royalty1 was nothing in their eyes4 ,yet therein lay the real effective message to their city2 that was the hour of its visitation2 that has been received by generations of men1 in the most cultivated nations of the earth1 as the warning of its doom4 ',and there were certain ,greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast3 the same came therefore to ,philip1 which was of ,bethsaida of ,galilee1 and desired him1 saying1 ,sir1 we would see ,jesus4 ,philip cometh and telleth ,andrew3 and again ,andrew and ,philip tell ,jesus4' ,the event seemed to the disciples a little one4 ,they were used to see ,greek proselytes at the great festivals2 it was not strange that some of them should have heard of the ,teacher from ,galilee2 or that1 if they had heard of ,him1 they should wish to judge of ,him for themselves4 ,coming with such feelings1 to perform what must have seemed to them so easy a request1 how they must have been astonished to see the emotion which it caused their ,lord1 and to hear ,him answer them thus3--',the hour is come1 that the ,son of man should be glorified4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die1 it abideth alone3 but if it die1 it bringeth forth much fruit4 ,he that loveth his life shall lose it2 and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal4 ,if any man serve me1 let him follow me2 and where ,i am1 there shall also my servant be3 if any man serve me1 him will my ,father honour4 ,now is my soul troubled2 and what shall ,i say8 ,father1 save me from this hour3 but for this cause came ,i unto this hour4' ,it is impossible1 if we are not utterly loose in our mode of interpretation1 not to connect these words with the ,greeks who had come to the feast1 whether we suppose that they were present and heard them1 or that the answer was simply addressed to ,philip and ,andrew4 ,and then the questions arise1--,why should this be such an hour of trouble and of glory8 ,how should the appearance of a few strangers have led to a discussion respecting the falling of wheat into the ground1 and its death1--respecting the saving of life and the losing it8 ,you will remember that when our ,lord spoke of those other sheep ,he had1 which were not of the ,jewish fold1 and whom also ,he must bring1 ,he connected the formation of the one flock with the death of the one ,shepherd4 ,he signified clearly that the union could take place only upon this condition4 ,the assertion is in strict harmony with the comment of the ,apostle upon the words of ,caiaphas to which ,i have alluded already4 ,the death upon the cross was to take place that ,he might gather together in one those scattered children of ,god4 ,if you turn from ,st4 ,john to ,st4 ,paul1--from this ,gospel to the ,epistle to the ,ephesians1--you will find the breaking down of the middle wall of partition between ,jews and ,greeks is said to be effected 'in the body of ,christ's flesh1 through death2' that ,he is said to have 'nailed the enmity to ,his cross4' ,if you reflect on these passages1 you will perceive 7as ,i said in my discourse on the #ajth of ,john7 that what we sometimes speak of very lightly1 as if it were only an accident of the ,new ,testament1--the calling in of the ,gentiles--the unfolding of a universal society out of the ,jewish national society1--is treated by our ,lord ,himself1 and by ,his ,apostles1 as that wonderful event to which all ,god's purposes1 from the beginning of the world1 had been tending4 ,you will perceive that they looked upon this reunion1 or reconciliation1 as unveiling a deep mystery--the deepest mystery of all--in the relations of ,god to man1 in the being of ,god ,himself4 ,without sacrifice1--so the ,jews had been taught from the beginning of their history1--so the other nations had believed just in proportion as they were nations1--without sacrifice1 there could be no unity among the members of a race4 ,sacrifice must bind them to ,god4 ,sacrifice must bind them to each other4 ,this great political and ,divine truth had been confirmed by the human conscience1 even when it protested most against some of the inferences which priestcraft had deduced from it4 ,only he who can give up himself--so the heart of mankind testified--is a patriot2 only he obeys the laws2 only he can save his country when it is falling4 ,there had been then a sure conviction expressed by prophets and holy men1 planted deep in men's hearts1 that any larger union--any union which should be between all nations1 which should really be for mankind--must involve a mightier and more transcendent sacrifice2 a sacrifice in which there should be no blemish4 ,as the conscience was awakened by ,god's teaching more and more clearly to perceive that all resistance to ,god lies in the setting up of self--that this is the great barrier between ,him and ,his revolted creatures--it began to be understood that the atonement of man with man must have its basis in an atonement of ,god with man1 and that the same sacrifice was needed for both4 ,one thing yet remained to be learnt1 the most wonderful lesson of all2 and yet of which ,god had been giving the elements1 line upon line1 precept upon precept1 from the beginning4 ,could sacrifice originate in ,god8 ,could it be made1 not first to ,him1 but first by ,him8 ,could the sacrifices of men be the effect1 not the cause1 of ,his love and free grace to them8 ,all our ,lord's discourses concerning ,himself and ,his ,father1--concerning ,his own acts as being merely the fulfilment of ,his ,father's will1--concerning the love which the ,father had to ,him because ,he laid down ,his life for the sheep1--had been bringing these mysteries to light2 had been preparing the humble and meek to confess1 with wonder and contrition1 that in every selfish act they had been fighting against the unselfish ,god1--that in every self-sacrificing act they had been merely yielding to ,him1--merely submitting to die1 according to the law of ,his ,eternal ,being1 which ,he had created men to show forth4 ,and so far as they had any glimpses of the accomplishment of ,god's promises1--that ,he would bring all into one1--that the ,gentiles should wait for ,his law1--that ,he would be a ,father of all the families of the earth1 and that they should be ,his children1--so far they had the vision of a transcendent and ,divine sacrifice4 ,there was ,one1 at least1 who lived in the assurance that ,god's will would be done in earth as in heaven1 and whose soul was straitened till that will was accomplished4 ,to ,his inward eye1 the ,greeks1 who had come to claim their share in ,jewish privileges and ,jewish knowledge1 and who wished to see ,him1 represented all those who should believe in ,him1 when ,his ,apostles should go forth to baptize the nations in the name of the ,father and of the ,son and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,they represented the human race of which ,he was the head1 which should be at last gathered together in ,him4 ,how emphatically1 then1 did that moment speak to ,him of the glory of the ,son of ,man1--of the end of ,his travail for the race of which ,he was the brother6 ,it was the sign of that coming victory and glory4 ,but how could ,he see that final issue1 and not feel in ,himself all the conflict which was to precede it8 ,there was to be a mighty harvest3 but the seed1 from which it was to spring1 must 'first fall into the ground and die1 else it would abide alone2 it would give birth to nothing4' ,yes6 that was the law2 ,he knew it1 ,he realized it in ,his own inmost being1 that ,he might bring the world under it4 ,he who would not give up his life1 must lose his life2 he who was content to cast it away1 to surrender it wholly1 should have the ,life which is in ,god1--the eternal life--the life of truth and love1 which cannot be destroyed4 ',if any man serve me1 if he call himself after my name1 let him go along with me in this path of sacrifice2 let him be content to die with me2 then where ,i am1 he shall be2 he shall share the presence and the love which are my joy and my reward2 him shall my ,father honour4' ,but then comes the agony4 ,the death ,he called upon others to die with ,him1 ,he must taste in its bitterness4 ,he must tread the winepress alone4 ,he was treading it at that very moment4 ,the sense of the glory of the ,son of ,man--of the work that ,he would achieve for humanity--brings on the unutterable sorrow4 ,the whole man sinks within ,him1--,he can only say1 ',father1 save me from this hour4' ,and yet ,he adds1 ',for this cause came ,i to this hour4' ,it is not often that these actual signs of the struggle within ,him are declared to us4 ,how wise and necessary that we should have only rare and occasional discoveries of it6 ,but of what unspeakable worth have these discoveries been to the hearts of sufferers in every age6 ,the agony must be passed through2 the death-struggle--which is most tremendous after the vision of coming good has been the brightest4 ,but the sting of solitude1 which is the sharpest of all1 is taken out of it4 ,christ has cried1 ',save me from this hour4' ,christ has ,himself said1 ',that all ,he had passed through before1 had been to prepare ,him for that hour4' ,and ,christ changed this cry into another4 ',father1 glorify thy name4 ,then came there a voice from heaven1 saying1 ,i have both glorified it1 and will glorify it again4 ,the people1 therefore1 that stood by1 and heard it1 said that it thundered3 others said1 an ,angel spake to ,him4 ,jesus answered and said1 ,this voice came not because of me1 but for your sakes4 ,now is the judgment of this world1 now shall the prince of this world be cast out4 ,and ,i1 if ,i be lifted up from the earth1 will draw all men unto me4 ,this ,he said1 signifying by what death ,he should die4' ,i have heard speculations about this voice from heaven4 ,it seems to me that ,st4 ,john's words1 taking them just as they stand1 convey a much clearer impression to our minds than all commentaries upon them4 ,there is a sound4 ,the people take it for thunder4 ,some1 seeing perhaps a sudden radiance in ,his countenance1 think that an angel has brought ,him strength and consolation4 ,he hears in it the voice of ,his ,father1--the sure witness that that name has been glorified1 and shall be glorified4 ,to ,him the mere voice1 the outward sound1 is nothing4 ',that came for their sakes4' ,it was the outward witness to them of the reality of that which ,he received into ,his heart4 ,and surely the message has done its work4 ,the struggle is over4 ,he can see victory in ,his death4 ,sentence is passed on the tyrant of the world1--the ,destroyer of the world4 ,the trial-hour of the ,son of ,man is the hour of his defeat and overthrow4 ',and ,i1 if ,i be lifted up from the earth1 will draw all men unto me4' ',i will draw all men unto me4' ,how can we explain these words8 ,first1 let us listen to those which followed them1 and then let us consider how far we dare explain them4 ',the people answered him1 ,we have heard out of the law that ,christ abideth for ever3 and how sayest thou1 ,the ,son of man must be lifted up8 ,who is this ,son of man8 ,then ,jesus said unto them1 ,yet a little while is the light with you4 ,walk while ye have the light1 lest darkness come upon you3 for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth4 ,while ye have light1 believe in the light1 that ye may be the children of light4 ,these things said ,jesus1 and departed1 and did hide ,himself from them4' ,yes1 brethren1 we must either take those words1 ',i1 if ,i be lifted up1 will draw all men unto me1' as they stand1 trying to learn a little of what they mean from the past history of the world1 waiting for ,god to explain them to us more perfectly in the future2 we must either confess that there are depths in ,god's purposes of love which no creature has sounded1 heights which no creature has reached1 but of which the ,cross gives us the fullest glimpse we are capable of2 we must either do this1 or we must ask just as the ,jews did1--',who is this ,son of man8' ,they could dream of a ,christ who should exalt the chosen people1 who should set them over their enemies4 ,they could anticipate with a kind of faith the coming of such a ,christ1 and they could be sure that when ,he came ,he would abide for ever4 ,but one who identified ,himself with men1 they would not1 could not confess4 ,i use both phrases1 for the ,bible uses them2 ,st4 ,john uses them at the close of this chapter4 ,there is a hardness of heart1 an inhumanity1 which makes it impossible for men1 for the most apparently religious men1 to receive ,jesus as the ,son of ,man4 ,and therefore it is impossible for them really to receive ,him as the ,son of ,god1 as revealing the mind and character of ,his ,father in heaven4 ,and the ,atonement of heaven and earth1 of ,god and man2 the ,atonement through a sacrifice made once for all2 the ,atonement by the blood of ,one who has taken the manhood into ,god1--who has raised1 purified1 redeemed1 glorified the earthly nature by joining it to the ,divine1--is changed into a cold1 formal arrangement for delivering certain men from the punishment of a sin which has itself not been purged away4 ,for sin is no longer that root of bitterness1 that selfishness1 which has poisoned the universe1 and poisons the hearts of each one of us--that deadly thing which betrays ,christ1 and which divides us from the ,father2 sin becomes the violation of an arbitrary rule1 drawing after it the endurance of an arbitrary and infinite penalty4 ,those who boast of their religion think they can have a ,christ who is not a ,son of ,man2 a ,god who is their ,father1 and not the ,father of men in ,christ2 a ,spirit who sanctifies them1 but who does not dwell in the ,church1--who is not the witness of a fellowship for all creatures whatever who bear the nature which ,christ bore1 who die the death which ,christ died4 ,nay1 the cross of ,christ--of ,him who gave up ,himself--is actually so presented to men1 that they suppose it is the instrument by which self-seeking men may secure the greatest amount of selfish rewards6 ,then other men1 who know that such a scheme must be subversive of all pure morality1 abandon the ,gospel of ,god for what they call the ,gospel of humanity4 ,they fancy there can be a society of men without a ,shepherd who dies for them2 without a ,father who loves ,him because ,he dies4 ,and the world begins to be divided between those who deny a ,son of ,man1 because they think only of a salvation for themselves1 and those who deny ,him1 because they worship the body of which we declare ,him to be the ,head instead of ,him4 ,brethren1 this division will not last4 ,the ,pharisees and ,sadducees1 much as they hated one another1 came to understand that they had a common enemy when ,christ walked the earth4 ,they will do so again4 ,the creeds of the ,catholic ,church1 all our prayers and thanksgivings1 bear witness that there is a ,son of ,man1--that ,he died for mankind1 and that ,he lives for mankind4 ,do you not think there will be a combination against these8 ,do you think their antiquity will save them8 ,or do you think there is a heart in our people to say1--',these witnesses are dearer to us than our lives4 ,life would be nothing to us without them4' ,i dare not trust to such a feeling4 ,i know that the cry of ',hosanna' may be followed very soon by the cry of ',crucify4' ,and we have dealt so unfaithfully with these witnesses1 they have been such dead letters to us1 that ,i dare not hope the people know the worth of them4 ,oh that they may not be tolerated any longer because they are regarded as doing no harm6 ,oh that they may become real torments to those who deny a ,son of ,man1--real messengers of life to those who seek for one6 ,and to you brethren1 ,i say1--or rather ,christ says1--',walk in the light while you have the light1 that ye may be the children of the light4' ,cling to these prayers1 and thanksgivings1 and sacraments1 while you have them4 ,bind the meaning of them to your hearts4 ,live it out in your families4 ,serve ,christ in your daily tasks4 ,follow ,him in simple1 hearty1 self-sacrifice4 ,and then1 when the dark hour comes1 and the open witnesses of ,him disappear1 and even two or three are scarcely gathered together in ,his name1 you may await the time of ,his full revelation2 the time which shall show that ,he died indeed to gather into one all the children of ,god who are scattered throughout this divided world2 the men of every age1 tongue1 clime1 colour1 opinion2 that by the might of ,his cross ,he has drawn all to ,himself4 ,,discourse ,,xxii4 ,,the ,,world ,,and ,,the ,,disciples4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #fth ,sunday after ,trinity1 ,june #bi1 #ahef 7,st4 ,peter's-day74 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xii4 #dd-ej1 and ,,xiii4 #a4 ,jesus cried and said1 ,he that believeth on me1 believeth not on me1 but on ,him that sent me4 ,and he that seeth me seeth ,him that sent me4 ,i am come a light into the world1 that whomsoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness4 ,and if any man hear my words1 and believe not1 ,i judge him not2 for ,i came not to judge the world1 but to save the world4 ,he that rejecteth me1 and receiveth not my words1 hath one that judgeth him3 the word that ,i have spoken1 the same shall judge him in the last day4 ,for ,i have not spoken of myself2 but the ,father which sent me1 ,he gave me a commandment1 what ,i should say1 and what ,i should speak4 ,and ,i know that ,his commandment is life everlasting3 whatsoever ,i speak therefore1 even as the ,father said unto me1 so ,i speak4 ,now before the feast of the ,passover1 when ,jesus knew that ,his hour was come that ,he should depart out of this world unto the ,father1 having loved ,his own which were in the world1 ,he loved them unto the end4 ,i said1 in my last sermon1 that we were approaching the end of our ,lord's public ministry4 ,the verses which ,i have just read to you are those which close it4 ,i have connected them with the opening of the #acth chapter1 because ,i wish you to mark the transition from this part of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel to that which records ,christ's private interviews with the disciples4 ,hitherto the ,apostles have had less prominence in ,st4 ,john's ,gospel than in the others4 ,we have had narratives of discourses with ,nicodemus1 with the woman of ,samaria1 with the ,jews at the feast1 with the ,galilans at ,capernaum1 with the blind man1 with ,mary and ,martha1--only now and then1 7chiefly to introduce these dialogues or to link them together17 with the ,twelve4 ,the contrast1 therefore1 in him is far more marked than in ,st4 ,matthew1 ,st4 ,mark1 or ,st4 ,luke1 between the ,paschal supper and all that goes before it4 ,and since inferences have been drawn from this contrast which ,i think are not true1 ,i am anxious that you should feel how the words to the multitude1 and the words to the chosen few1 are connected1 and in what the difference between them consists4 ,i must begin with some words which occur before those ,i have read to you3--',but though ,he had done so many miracles before them1 yet they believed not on ,him3 that the saying of ,esaias the prophet might be fulfilled1 which he spake1 ,lord1 who hath believed our report8 and to whom hath the arm of the ,lord been revealed8 ,therefore they could not believe1 because that ,esaias said again1 ,he hath blinded their eyes1 and hardened their heart2 that they should not see with their eyes1 nor understand with their heart1 and be converted1 and ,i should heal them4 ,these things said ,esaias1 when he saw ,his glory1 and spake of ,him4' ,st4 ,john speaks here of the signs which ,jesus did1 as he has spoken of them from the first4 ,they were signs of a divine presence1 a divine power1 a divine goodness4 ,they were mighty1 in so far as they revealed ,his presence1 and power1 and goodness4 ,they were utterly ineffectual to any who esteemed them for their own sakes1--who merely wondered at them4 ,these signs1 he tells us now1 had not produced belief4 ,was it to be expected that they would8 ,had not an old ,prophet1 who spoke the word of ,god1 testified that they would not8 ,had he not complained for his predecessors1 for himself1 for all that should come after him1 that the report of the care of ,god for men would be believed by very few2 that only by very few would it be felt that the arm of a living ,god was stretched forth8 ,and ,isaiah1 so the ,apostle goes on1 has not merely told us the effect which he witnessed1 but has laid bare the cause4 ,the inner eye which should see the divine arm is blinded1 the heart which should take in the tidings of goodness and love is hardened3 this was the reason why men with all outward advantages1--with a law1 and a history1 and a covenant1--chosen out of all nations to know ,god and be witnesses of ,him1 made all these privileges the very excuse for not turning to ,god1 for not receiving ,his healing virtue4 ,but this is not the whole explanation4 ,we must not forget that ,st4 ,john says1--',,he hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts4' ,we must not dare to cancel these words1 because we may find them difficult4 ,st4 ,john himself interprets them in the next verse4 ,he reminds us that ,isaiah spake these words when he had the vision of the ,king who was sitting upon a throne and filling the temple with ,his glory4 ',that1' he intimates1 'was a vision of the true ,lord of the nation1 of that same ,ruler who now that ,he was called ,jesus of ,nazareth was rejected1 just as ,he had been in the days of old when ,he was revealing ,himself to ,his subjects in personal and in national judgments4' ,in both cases it was the goodness1 the beauty1 the glory1 which blinded the eyes and hardened the hearts4 ,we know it is so4 ,experience tells us that goodness has this effect upon minds in a certain condition4 ,the bad that was in them it makes worse4 ,the sight of love awakens and deepens hatred4 ,if we believe and are sure that love has another power than this1 that it is stronger than hatred1 and can overcome hatred1 let us cherish that faith4 ,st4 ,john certainly will not discourage us in it4 ,no one demands it of us so much4 ,but we must arrive at it1 not through the denial of any facts1 only through the fullest and frankest acknowledgment of them4 ,this blinding1 destructive effect of goodness and love upon the evil will1 is a fact which we are bound to confess1 and to tremble4 ,it will force itself upon us1 it will explain itself to us in ourselves1 if we pretend to dispute it4 ,if we own the danger1 ,god will reveal to us the arm which can avert it2 ,he will enable us to take in the mighty report of that power and love which can subdue all enemies4 ,the next words are also of the ,evangelist4 ,they contain partly a limitation of the former1 partly an illustration of them4 ',nevertheless among the chief rulers many believed on ,him2 but because of the ,pharisees they did not confess ,him1 lest they should be put out of the synagogue3 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of ,god4' ,only two verses before1 the word which we render praise here had been rendered glory4 ,i do not know why the connexion should not have been kept up for the ,english reader1 seeing that it must certainly have been present to the mind of the ,apostle4 ,a vision of glory1 he seems to say1 did dawn upon the hearts of these rulers4 ,it was not the notion of an outward ,christ which presented itself to them4 ,there came to their inmost consciences the sense of a ,king who was over them1 of a ,word who was enlightening them4 ,but there rose up beside this vision another which seemed to be nearer1--the vision of human glory1 human reputation1 respectability in the class to which they belonged1 the smile and good opinion of the ,pharisee1 the comfort of being called members of the synagogue4 ,brethren1 which of us does not understand how this image might displace and banish the other1--how the hearts of these poor rulers1 because they were like ours1 might reject the noble to fondle and embrace the vile8 ,let us submit to be judged ourselves by the ,apostle's words1 instead of judging others4 ,and let us ask that what we believe with our hearts we may confess with our lips2 knowing that there is no condition so miserable as that of those who are enemies both to ,god and to ,his enemies2 knowing that such must be1 above all1 enemies to themselves4 ,here is the remedy against this state of mind3--',jesus cried and said1 ,he that believeth on me1 believeth not on me1 but on ,him that sent me4 ,and he that seeth me1 seeth ,him that sent me4 ,i am come a light into the world1 that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness4 ,and if any man hear my words1 and believe not1 ,i judge him not2 for ,i came not to judge the world1 but to save the world4 ,he that rejecteth me1 and receiveth not my words1 hath one that judgeth him3 the word that ,i have spoken1 the same shall judge him in the last day4 ,for ,i have not spoken of myself2 but the ,father which sent me1 ,he gave me a commandment1 what ,i should say1 and what ,i should speak4 ,and ,i know that ,his commandment is life everlasting3 whatsoever ,i speak therefore1 even as the ,father said unto me1 so ,i speak4' ,this was the summary of all that ,he had been teaching hitherto4 ,yet with what new force must it have come upon those who were halting between ,jesus and the ,pharisees1 who were convinced that ,he was the true leader1 and yet clung to the leaders of their sect6 ',belief in me is not belief in a chief of your choice4 ,it is belief in the ,god of ,abraham1 and ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 in the ,father of your spirits4 ,in me you see ,him4 ,i find you in darkness1 ignorance of yourselves1 of your relation to each other1 of your relation to ,god4 ,i am come a ,light into the world1--a ,light to show you what you are1 where you are1 what you have to do with your fellows1 what you have to do with ,him apart from whom you have no life4 ,you can refuse that ,light2 you can treat what ,i say as vain babbling1 as coming from the inspiration of an evil spirit4 ,i judge you not4 ,i have come not to judge the world1 but to save it out of its darkness2 to bring it back to ,god4 ,but the word that ,i speak1 which is echoed in your consciences1 which is testifying of ,god in them1 that word will judge you in the last day2 that will tell you who has been with you1 who has been binding you to ,himself when you have been tearing yourselves away4 ,for ,i have not been uttering a word out of my own heart2 ,i have not been setting up my own will4 ,i have been obeying my ,father's will1 fulfilling ,his commandments4 ,and ,i know that ,his commandment is life eternal4 ,i know that it is life in itself1 and that its effect is life4 ,these words which ,i speak1 do themselves issue from that ,fountain of life2 they are the words of the living ,father2 therefore1 they are living and life-giving words4' ,if we consider well the force of this parting testimony to the ,jewish world1 we shall be prepared to understand the words3--',now before the feast of the ,passover1 when ,jesus knew that ,his hour was come that ,he should depart out of this world unto the ,father1 having loved ,his own which were in the world1 ,he loved them unto the end4' ,the ,jewish sects had refused to believe in a ,father4 ,they had refused to believe in a ,son of ,man4 ,they had refused to believe in a ,lord of their own hearts4 ,for a ,father they had substituted a lawgiver1 who hated all ,gentiles1 and to whom ,jews could only look up with terror1 not with confidence4 ,for a ,son of ,man they had substituted their sect and its leaders4 ,for a ,lord over their hearts they had substituted the notion of an outward ,christ1 who was to be identified by certain particulars of place and time1 which must be ascertained by studying the letters of a book4 ,the hour was come when all these contradictions would reach their highest point1 when the sects would combine to show what was the real point of their agreement2 to ,whom they were equally opposed4 ,the feast of the ,passover was to be the crisis which would reveal the dark thoughts that were in them2 which would show what they were1 and what ,jesus was4 ,he knew that the moment was come when the question was to be decided1 whether men have a ,father1 or are orphans2 whether they have a living ,head1 or are the loose1 broken limbs of a body which has none2 whether they are to be governed as horses and mules are governed1 by bit and bridle1 or as spirits are governed1 by a higher ,spirit4 ,he had chosen ,his ,apostles to testify to their own nation1 and to all nations1 of ,him and of ,his ,father4 ,he had held them together by ,his own love1 when there was that in the world1 and that in themselves1 which would have separated them4 ,had anything happened to break this bond between them and ,him8 ,if ,he left the world1 if ,he returned to ,his ,father1 would it be broken8 ,these were the questions which that ,passover-night was to answer4 ,perhaps you will think that as ,i have spoken so much of ,christ's love to the world1 of ,christ as the ,son of ,man1 ,i may shrink from what seems the exclusive tone of this sentence3 ',he loved ,his own2 ,he loved them to the end4' ,shrink from it6 ,no1 brethren1 ,i would do the utmost to bring forth the full force of these words2 to impress their meaning upon you4 ,i would have you observe how carefully we are told that these disciples were chosen by ,him2 that ,his love to them did not depend upon their faith1 but their faith upon ,his love4 ,i would have you observe how this love was manifested to them all as a body--to one and another of them individually2 how they were taught that it was only this love which was sustaining them then1 or could sustain them afterwards4 ,unless we do that1 we shall never understand how they were witnesses against that religious world out of which they were called1--that world of sects and parties1--that world where all were choosing for themselves1 and none were acknowledging a loving ,will which was ruling them2 where all were striving for their own views and opinions1 and none were confessing their relations to each other2 where each was fighting for ascendency1 and none was content to be a servant4 ,we shall never understand how these ,apostles were witnesses for the original calling of their nation1 how they really represented the tribes in which ,god had put ,his name1 and through which all the families of the earth were to be blessed4 ,we shall never understand what that ,church was which they were to bring out of these twelve tribes to be a witness to the world what its relation to ,god was1 and how1 by forgetting that relation1 it had sunk into a poor1 dark1 divided1 selfish world4 ,if we look upon ,his last supper as the special education of the ,apostles for that work which they had to do in the world1 we shall prize the part of this ,gospel upon which we are now entering2 we shall perceive how all the discourses of our ,lord that are recorded in the other ,evangelists1 from the time that they left their fathers' ships1 or the receipt of custom1 till the time that ,he entered with them into ,jerusalem1 find their fullest illustration1 their deepest root1 in the dialogues and in the prayer which ,st4 ,john has reported to us2 we shall perceive how the institution of the ,eucharist--which1 as ,i said when ,i was speaking of the discourse at ,capernaum1 it was no part of ,st4 ,john's function to announce--is more perfectly explained1 both in its principle and its effects1 by these specially sacramental interviews1 than it is in any other part of the ,new ,testament4 ,and we shall begin to enter--it can be but the beginning of a lesson which must last to our life's end--into the purport of that sign which1 whether it preceded or followed the giving the bread and the pouring out of the wine1 teaches us how they are to be received4 ',and supper being ended1 the devil having now put into the heart of ,judas ,iscariot1 ,simon's son1 to betray him2 ,jesus knowing that the ,father had given all things into ,his hands1 and that ,he was come from ,god1 and went to ,god2 ,he riseth from supper1 and laid aside ,his garments2 and took a towel1 and girded ,himself4 ,after that ,he poureth water into a bason1 and began to wash the disciples' feet1 and to wipe them with the towel wherewith ,he was girded4' ,two hints are given to us which may assist us in entering into the meaning of this act1 though1 at first1 they seem as if they had little connexion with it4 ,first1 ,st4 ,john speaks of what had taken place and was taking place in the mind of ,judas2 secondly1 of the knowledge which was in the mind of ,jesus1 that ,he was come from ,his ,father and was going to ,him4 ,what has the condition of the betrayer's heart to do with this washing8 ,we are to learn1 ,i apprehend1 that the very corruption which was in that heart1--the very evil which had ripened into the darkest of all purposes there1--was that from which all the disciples had need to be cleansed4 ,whatever else the washing symbolized1 it certainly imported the existence of this defilement1 and that there was ,one who could remove it4 ,who could take the deep stain of covetousness1 of selfishness1 away from the heart of man1 away from a human society8 ,only ,he who had come from the ,father of love1 that ,he might enter into the strictest and closest fellowship with human beings in their lowest estate1 in all their peculiar and individual misery4 ,only ,he1 who was going to the ,father1 that ,he might unite all in ,himself4 ,and ,he1 knowing that ,he had come for this end1 and was going away that ,he might accomplish it fully1 ,he gives a pledge to the disciples that when ,he was seemingly absent from them1 ,he would always be with them to do this work for them4 ,he would be always near them to cleanse them from that pride and selfishness which would hinder them from being at one with each other1 and from showing forth ,his mind to the world4 ',then cometh ,he to ,simon ,peter3 and ,peter saith unto ,him1 ,lord1 dost thou wash my feet8 ,jesus answered and said unto him1 ,what ,i do thou knowest not now2 but thou shalt know hereafter4 ,peter saith unto ,him1 ,thou shalt never wash my feet4 ,jesus answered him1 ,if ,i wash thee not1 thou hast no part with me4 ,simon ,peter saith unto ,him1 ,lord1 not my feet only1 but also my hands and my head4' ,on ,st4 ,peter's-day you will not suppose that ,i could pass over these words2 they illustrate so strikingly1 as other parts of this chapter do1 the character of him whom we are commemorating4 ,they illustrate the particular education to which he was subjected2 the education which is needed for the impatient and self-confident man1 who must be kept waiting1 that his eagerness to know1 which is in itself a blessing1 may not become a curse2 who must often have the very thoughts and convictions which are most honest and appear most indisputable1 turned upside down1 that he may not exult in them as his thoughts and his convictions1 and so change the truth that is in them into falsehood4 ,but the lesson1 though peculiarly applicable to him1 is a universal one1 and shows the universal worth of ,christ's sign4 ,it is true of all symbols1 that we can know little of them at first4 ,the experience of life interprets them4 ,and it is the hardest thing for all of us to believe that the ,highest must wait upon the lowest2 that it is not humility1 but pride1 to refuse the service4 ,wonderful thought to take in6 ,god must stoop1 or man cannot stoop4 ,we must set ourselves up as gods1 unless we believe that ,god's glory is shown in doing the lowest offices of a man4 ,but why was not ,peter right in that other prayer of his1--',not my feet only1 but also my hands and my head8' ,did he not want a thorough cleansing8 ,does not each of us want it8 ,the question is one which requires the most careful answer4 ,if the ,bible did not give it in the most express terms1 we should be utterly at a loss where to find it4 ,but from first to last the ,jewish nation is spoken of as a pure and holy nation by those lawgivers and prophets who complain of its members for being stiff-necked and rebellious4 ,there is nothing which the prophets are so earnest in as in persuading their countrymen that they are the people of ,god's covenant1 and are therefore a holy people2 that they are forgetting ,his covenant1 and so are making themselves unholy4 ,they call upon the people to repent and turn to ,god1 and then ,he will restore them1 ,he will purify them2 the hearts which are red as scarlet1 shall become as white as wool4 ,the ,jewish sects did not in the least understand this truth4 ,they looked for an individual holiness1 an individual cleanness1 apart from the holiness of their nation4 ,each member of them wanted a holiness of his own2 he regarded his race as unholy4 ,he did not repent of the sins which kept him from sharing in the holiness which they all had in ,god4 ,now our ,lord was educating ,his disciples out of this falsehood into which their age had fallen1 this falsehood which was so natural to every one of them4 ,he came to show them on what ground the holiness of their nation stood4 ,it had been called and chosen in ,him4 ,it was ,his righteousness1 and not the righteousness of its individual members1 which justified the titles that had been bestowed upon it4 ,these members were righteous only so far as they rose out of themselves2 as they submitted to the righteousness of ,god4 ,it was1 therefore1 ,his first lesson to ,his disciples that1 as a body1 they were clean and holy because ,he had called them and they were complete in ,him4 ',jesus saith to him1 ,he that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet1 but is clean every whit3 and ye are clean1 but not all4 ,for ,he knew who should betray ,him2 therefore said ,he1 ,ye are not all clean4' ,they were clean as a body1 as a family4 ,each had need to be purified from his own individual selfishness which kept him apart from the family1 which kept him from claiming the common righteousness of his ,lord4 ,but they were not all clean4 ,there was one who had wrapt himself up in his individual nature1--one solitary1 selfish being1 who would have nothing to do with the family1--who would have nothing to do with the common ,lord1 the ,son of ,man2 one who had sold his heart to the divider1 to the spirit of selfishness and evil4 ,i do not know anything which illustrates more clearly the sense in which the ,apostles1 as a body1 were clean than this terrible exception2 or anything which explains more clearly what need they would have for that daily cleansing of the feet of which ,he had given them a pledge4 ',so after ,he had washed their feet1 and had taken ,his garments1 and was set down again1 ,he said unto them1 ,know ye what ,i have done to you8 ,ye call me ,master and ,lord3 and ye say well2 for so ,i am4 ,if ,i then1 your ,lord and ,master1 have washed your feet2 ye also ought to wash one another's feet4 ,for ,i have given you an example1 that ye should do as ,i have done to you4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,the servant is not greater than his ,lord2 neither ,he that is sent greater than ,he that sent ,him4 ,if ye know these things1 happy are ye if ye do them4' ,in the last century1 preachers were wont to speak continually of our ,lord as an example4 ,in our time there has been a kind of revolt against that phrase as a hard and even as an unpractical one4 ',it is very well1' we say1 'to have an example2 but can we follow it8 ,christ is divine1 and we are human4 ,no doubt ,he was human1 too1 in a sense2 but then surely ,his divinity helped ,his humanity1 so as to put all ,his acts at an immeasurable distance from ours4' ,i believe there is a genuine feeling at the bottom of this complaint4 ,i believe it is a very wearisome and a very useless thing to talk to men about examples1 unless you can show how that he who exhibits the example has some connexion with them1 and some power over them4 ,but1 on the other hand1 we are bound to inquire what has been the effect of example upon the world1 how the men whom we meet with that are better than ourselves operate upon us1 how it is that we can be impressed by the records of men who have departed4 ,christ's divinity is not a hindrance to our understanding the might of ,his example2 it rather explains to us the whole doctrine and law of example4 ,are not that doctrine and law to be found in this passage8 ,if ,he were not the ,master and ,lord1 if the disciples did not say well in calling ,him so1 then ,his act would have been a solitary one1 belonging to ,himself1 one which they could not imitate2 but if ,he were their ,lord in the highest sense of the word1 in that sense which ,john has been setting forth to us throughout his ,gospel1--if ,he were the ,word in whom they had been created1 the ,word who was their life and their light1 the ,word from whom every energy of their spirits was derived1--then everything which dwelt in ,him could descend upon them2 whatever shone forth in ,him could be reflected in them4 ,and this would take place1 not by their raising themselves to contemplate a lofty ideal1 but by their submitting to a gracious and loving ,will4 ,the ,highest of all showed ,himself to them in washing their feet4 ,all they had to do was not to think themselves greater than ,he1 not to think that unworthy of the disciple which was not unworthy of the ,lord4 ,the difficulty to the formal divine is no doubt this3--',if cleansing the feet symbolizes the removing of defilements from the inner man1 is not that ,christ's work alone8 ,can the disciple follow ,his example in doing that work8' ,our consciences tell us that he can4 ,we do know that we may receive purification from one another1 that the tenderness1 and love1 and patience of one man act in a marvellous way upon another1 when those qualities seem the furthest from him1 when he most confesses that they do not belong to him4 ,we do not set ourselves deliberately to follow examples4 ,the examples get the mastery over us2 there is a life in the men who exhibit them which awakens life in us4 ,these are facts not to be gainsaid for the sake of any system4 ,upon them have been built theories about the righteousness of the saints1 and the transference of one man's righteousness to another1 which are1 no doubt1 very immoral and ungodly4 ,but ,st4 ,paul's words1 which are the plea for these theories1 ',i fill up in my body the sufferings of ,christ1' are both moral and godly4 ,for they are grounded upon the idea which ,st4 ,john is setting forth here3 that ,christ1 the ,divine ,sufferer1 is the source of all purification and of all life2 and that all men1 in their proper spheres1 may share ,his sufferings1 and transmit and communicate the purification and life that flow from them to their fellows4 ,all difficulties about example are capable of that solution4 ,if we are members of one body1 if ,he is the ,head1 why should not there be a continual circulation of life from each member of the body to every other8 ,how can the departure of men out of this world hinder that circulation1 or cause us who are here to feel it less8 ,may not their power have become greater as the mortal fetters have been taken from them8 ,may not we feel it more8 ,that is a strange announcement1--',the disciple is not above ,his master1'--to be introduced by a ',verily2' and yet the longer the ,apostles lived1 the more they understood what need they had to be told this truth1 and told it with such solemnity4 ,what follows reminds us that a commonplace in words may become a paradox in action1 and that we never experience either the difficulty of a divine sentence1 or the power of it1 till we put it in practice4 ,all the crimes of ,churchmen from that hour to this1 all their cowardice1 their arrogance1 their baseness1 their violence1 have had this one root3 the servants of ,christ have believed themselves greater than ,christ2 they have counted it a shame and disgrace to do what ,he did1 to endure what ,he endured4 ,here has been the cause of their powerlessness2 the very secret of ,his power has been wanting in them4 ,they have put forth the mock power which ,his real power has come into the world to crush and subdue4 ,does not the ,christian power--the ,church's power--begin when it has been brought to work with this power of ,him who humbled ,himself1 and not against it8 ,do we want another ground for believing that those who have completely washed their robes and made them white from every stain of selfishness in the blood of the ,lamb1 must be mightier than they were here8 ,do we want another explanation of the fact1 that those words of theirs which spoke out the true mind of ,christ in them1 live and are fruitful for generations after their names1 and all the efforts they made to magnify their own names1 have been forgotten8 ',i spake not of you all3 ,i know whom ,i have chosen3 but that the ,scripture may be fulfilled1 ,he that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me4 ,now ,i tell you before it come1 that1 when it is come to pass1 ye may believe that ,i am ,he4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that receiveth whomsoever ,i send receiveth me2 and he that receiveth me receiveth ,him that sent me4 ,when ,jesus had thus said1 ,he was troubled in spirit1 and testified1 and said1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 that one of you shall betray me4' ,how are these verses connected with those that went before them8 how are they connected with each other8 ,sometimes the thought comes to us1--',can we trace the processes of that ,mind in that hour8 ,must not ,his words spring out of depths into which our eyes can never look8 ,must they not follow each other in an order which is altogether unlike that of other men8' ,so far as such a doubt leads to reverence1--so far as it makes us distrust our own perceptions1 eager to learn from others1 certain that we can but see the smallest portion of that which is in ,him1 ,i would cherish it4 ,so far as it puts ,christ at a distance from us1 as it tempts us to think that ,he was not the ,son of ,man feeling perfectly as a man1--that ,he did not mean that the things ,he said to us should be apprehended by us1 and that ,he will not help us to apprehend them1--so far ,i would eschew it1 and cast it off2 because it is fatal to all sincere reverence and sincere humility4 ,i think ,he says plainly1--',i am not speaking to you all when ,i bid you wash each other's feet4 ,there is a sympathy with my mind implied in that act4 ,there is a submission to me1 as one who has chosen you1 implied in it4 ,that sympathy1 that submission1 one of you has shaken off4 ,he sits at my feast2 ,he has disclaimed me4 ,but ,i tell you to do as ,i have done1 that you may know hereafter what the secret of the power you exert over men is4 ,if they receive you1 they will be receiving me2 if they receive me1 they will be receiving my ,father4' ,does it seem to you that such an assurance was likely to counteract the humbling lesson which ,he had just given8 ,i do not wonder that any should entertain that opinion1 because it is undoubtedly true that men may give themselves intolerable airs on the strength of their being messengers of the ,most ,high2 may curse and excommunicate all who do not receive their decrees and confess their dignity1 under pretence that they are setting ,christ at nought4 ,it is true also1 and the records of the world establish the truth1 that none have been so free from pretension1 that none have borne such insults1 and been so ready to die that men might not be cursed and excommunicated1 as those who have given themselves up to speak a word which they were sure was not theirs1 who have felt that they had no goodness or love of their own to show forth1 but that the ,son of ,god was showing forth ,his love to sinners through them1 even as the ,father showed ,his love to men through the ,son4 ,there needed a ',verily' to confirm this sentence as well as the other4 ,they are1 in fact1 parts of the same sentence4 ,the disciple will think himself above his ,master as long as he thinks himself separate from his ,master2 when that thought ceases1 he must accept our ,lord's language in the length and breadth of it3 ',he that receiveth you receiveth me4' ,dare he be an insolent1 usurping1 persecuting priest1 unless he inwardly denies that the meek1 suffering ,jesus1 who washed ,his disciples' feet1 is in him8 ,and is it wonderful that the 'trouble of spirit' which ,st4 ,john speaks of1 should have mixed itself with this thought1 and that the image of the betrayer1 which had been appearing from time to time during this discourse in the background1 should now rise fully and terribly before ,him8 ',there is one who chooses to be separate from me6 one who will stand in his own name6 one who will cast me his ,lord1 and friend1 and reprover1 away6 ,he is one of you1--one of those whom ,i have sent forth as a messenger in my ,father's name and mine4' ,jesus has spoken of the ,scripture being fulfilled in the act of ,judas4 ,it was a ,scripture which ,david felt had been fulfilled in his own case4 ,a friend who had eaten of his bread had lifted up his heel4 ,it had been fulfilled in a thousand cases before ,david1 and since4 ,but this was the fulfilment2 this contained the essence of all treacheries that had been and that were to be2 this explained the principle and author of them4 ,if there is a ,son of ,man1 one in whom all human feelings1 sympathies1 affections1 reach their highest point1 one from whom they have been derived1 one in whom they reflect perfectly that ,god of whom ,he is the image1 then the betrayer of that ,son of ,man exhibits the revolt against these feelings1 affections1 and sympathies1 the strife against this love1 in which every false friend may read the ground and the possible consummation of his own baseness4 ,men1 generally1 have confessed this remark to be true1 and have embodied it even in their careless forms of speech2 therefore they ought to confess1 also1 that whatever pain and inward anguish any have experienced from the insincerity of those who have eaten their bread and lifted up the heel against them1 must have been undergone by ,jesus with an intensity proportioned to the intensity of ,his love4 ,surely this reflection1 if we follow it out1 may help us more to such an apprehension of ,his sufferings1 as it is permitted and possible for us to have1 than any phrases of pompous rhetoric which put ,him at a distance from us1 and make us suppose that ,he did not bear our griefs and carry our sins4 ',now there was leaning on ,jesus' bosom one of ,his disciples1 whom ,jesus loved4 ,simon ,peter therefore beckoned to him1 that he should ask who it should be of whom ,he spake4 ,he then lying on ,jesus' breast saith unto ,him1 ,lord1 who is it8 ,jesus answered1 ,he it is1 to whom ,i shall give a sop1 when ,i have dipped it4 ,and when ,he had dipped the sop1 ,he gave it to ,judas ,iscariot1 the son of ,simon4' ,st4 ,john has not spoken of himself hitherto4 ,why does he introduce himself now8 ,when ,i was quoting1 in my first sermon1 the accounts which are given of him by the other ,evangelists1 ,i did not refer to the name by which he has described himself4 ,do we not sometimes think that it was a kind of indelicacy and presumption in an ,apostle to claim it8 ,was it not setting himself above the others8 ,would it not have been better that he should have let them give him the title8 ,are not those which they do give him less honourable8 ,i do not wish to evade any of these inquiries4 ,let it be remembered that ,st4 ,john was writing in the full knowledge that he had been described as a ,son of ,thunder1 that his ambition and his desire to call down fire had been recorded4 ,these signs of what he was1 of what he had shown himself to be1 could not be separated from him2 they were fixed upon him indelibly4 ,none1 therefore1 could say that he was an object of ,christ's affection because he had shown a gentler disposition than his fellows4 ,could they say1 then1 that the love of ,christ was a partial love1 that it was not directed to mankind1 that it was not the expression of a universal love8 ,st4 ,john is the especial witness against these heresies4 ,he declares that ,god loved the world2 and ,christ came to do ,his ,father's will in saving it4 ,what1 then1 might be--what has been--the effect of the name1 'the disciple whom ,jesus loved1' upon the ,church8 ,it has been felt that the story of ,judas needed this foil4 ,the dark1 solitary1 separate man must be brought into direct contrast to a man who lives only on trust4 ,we understand by the disciple who leant on ,jesus' bosom what his condition was who went out into the night4 ,at the same time1 we must not be allowed to fancy that the love came forth from ,john4 ,he could only be the receiver of it4 ,if he ever fancied himself the disciple who loved ,jesus1 and not 'the disciple whom ,jesus loved1' he would be magnifying himself1 he would be claiming to be better than his brethren4 ,as it is1 he can only regard it as part of ,christ's manifestation of the divine character that this peculiar affection should be displayed to him4 ,in the world of nature the distinctness of each thing is necessary to the harmony of the whole4 ,can it be otherwise in the world of human beings8 ,are they to be merged1 now or hereafter1 in one great chaos of being8 ,must not each form1 each person1 be brought out fully and brightly when the mists that prevent us from seeing the perfect unity have been scattered8 ,personal affections1 gradations of sympathy1 attachments and affinities between this human being and that1 are the barriers which sever the true life of man from that ,pantheistical absorption which is another name for death4 ,should not we expect there to be a witness for these1 a restoration of them to their proper unselfish ground1 in the acts and the life of the ,word made flesh8 ',and after the sop ,satan entered into him4 ,then said ,jesus unto him1 ,that thou doest1 do quickly4 ,now no man at the table knew for what intent ,he spake this unto him4 ,for some of them thought1 because ,judas had the bag1 that ,jesus had said unto him1 ,buy those things that we have need of against the feast2 or1 that he should give something to the poor4 ,he then having received the sop went immediately out3 and it was night4' ,though ,i have spoken of ,st4 ,john as the contrast to ,judas1 the contrast must not be regarded in this sense1--that love was withheld from ,judas4 ,we are occupied with that awful mystery of a human will and its relation to the divine will1 where every step is perilous1 respecting which the truest statements must wear the appearance of contradictions4 ,but it has been the belief of all earnest men of all schools that the sop given to ,judas was a last love-token1 and that the entrance of ,satan into him1 after it had been received1 expresses that last defiance of love1 that utter abandonment to the spirit of selfishness1 which precedes the commission of the greatest conceivable crime4 ,after that perdition has come1 the ,lord speaks words to the man which he can understand1 and he only4 ,they may mean nothing to the bystanders2 they may be capable of the most frivolous construction4 ,to him they testify1--',there is one who knows thy heart2 who knows thee4 ,he restrains thee no longer4 ,nay1 ,he bids thee be quick4 ,it is to be2 thou hast decreed it4 ,go and do thy new master's bidding faithfully4 ,then it will be seen whether he or ,i shall prevail at last4' ,and as ,judas goes out into the night1 a new hymn rises to heaven1 and a new commandment is given on earth4 ',now is the ,son of man glorified1 and ,god is glorified in ,him4 ,if ,god be glorified in ,him1 ,god shall also glorify ,him in ,himself1 and shall straightway glorify ,him4 ,little children1 yet a little while ,i am with you4 ,ye shall seek me3 and as ,i said unto the ,jews1 ,whither ,i go1 ye cannot come2 so now ,i say to you4 ,a new commandment ,i give unto you1 ,that ye love one another2 as ,i have loved you1 that ye also love one another4 ,by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples1 if ye have love one to another4' ,does it not sound tremendous that the ,son of ,man is exalted1 in the voluntary exile of a human being from the society of his fellow-men1 from all communion with his ,lord8 ,it is tremendous2 but must it not be so8 ,is not the spirit of selfishness that which has destroyed human society1 that which wars against the ,son of ,man1 that which declares that man shall not show forth the image of the perfect and unselfish ,god8 ,must it not1 shall it not be cast forth utterly from the ,church of ,god8 ,and ought not all humanity1 all nature1 to join in the ,song of praise of the ,great ,high ,priest1 that ,judas did go out into the night to achieve that purpose1 to bring about that death1 by which ,god was glorified in ,his ,son1 and which led to the glorification of the ,son in ,himself8 ,perhaps the other portion of the passage seems to you plain enough4 ',the command to the disciples to love one another--that sounds so beautiful6 there is nothing in that to which every heart must not respond4' ,brethren1 ,i will tell you plainly3 ,i find far greater difficulty in this commandment than in all the rest of the discourse4 ,the ,church has been trying to construe it for eighteen hundred years1 and has succeeded miserably ill4 ,i will go further4 ,i will say that1 if it is a mere precept written in letters in a book1 it is the cruelest precept that was ever uttered4 ,men say so when they are honest3 they say1 ',tell us to do anything but this4 ,we will give1 if it is necessary1 ten thousand rivers of oil1 the first-born of our body for the sin of our soul4 ,but do not tell us to love4 ,that we can do in obedience to no statute1 from dread of no punishment4' ,even so4 ,if ,god demands that we should bring this offering to ,him or perish1 we must perish4 ,but if ,he says1 ',my name and nature is love2 my ,son has manifested my name and nature to you3 you are created in ,him2 you are created to obey ,him3 you need not resist ,him3 ,his ,spirit shall be with you that you may do ,his will as ,he has done mine1'--then the precept is not cruel1 but blessed and divine4 ,for then in the commandment is life--life for those who first heard it1 life for us4 ,he was going away from them where they could not follow ,him1 that ,he might make it effectual for those who never saw ,him1 but over whom ,he reigns the same ,son of ,man1 the same ,son of ,god1 to-day and for ever4 ',simon ,peter said unto ,him1 ,lord1 whither goest thou8 ,jesus answered ,him1 ,whither ,i go1 thou canst not follow me now3 but thou shalt follow me afterwards4 ,peter said unto ,him1 ,lord1 why cannot ,i follow thee now8 ,i will lay down my life for thy sake4 ,jesus answered him1 ,wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake8 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,the cock shall not crow1 till thou hast denied me thrice4' ,this is the commentary on the new commandment and on the whole discourse4 ,let ,st4 ,peter's-day fix it deeply in our hearts4 ,where lay his error8 ,why was it inevitable that he should fall8 ,he thought he loved4 ,he fancied his love would stand him in some stead4 ,that delusion must be thoroughly purged away from him4 ,the washing of the feet did not cleanse him as long as he gave himself credit for possessing that which was ,god's own possession1 which none can enter into till he gives up himself4 ,the prophecy to ,peter1 fearful as it was to him1 fearful as it should be to every one of us1 is yet the induction to the words1 ',let not your heart be troubled3 ye believe in ,god1 believe also in me1' and to all the depths of consolation which ,christ opened to ,his disciples in ,his ,paschal discourses4 ,,discourse ,,xxiii4 ,,the ,,father',s ,,house4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #hth ,sunday after ,trinity1 ,july #ac1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xiv4 #be1 #bf4 ,these things have ,i spoken unto you1 being yet present with you4 ,but the ,comforter1 which is the ,holy ,ghost1 whom the ,father will send in my name1 ,he shall teach you all things1 and bring all things to your remembrance1 whatsoever ,i have said unto you4 ,the words to ,st4 ,peter1 with which the #acth chapter closes1 must have been a cause of dismay and confusion to all the disciples as well as to him4 ,but it was not the only cause4 ,the words1 ',whither ,i go1 ye cannot follow me1' had called forth his passionate question1 and the expression of his readiness to lay down his life4 ,they were terrible enough in themselves1 even without reference to betrayal and denial4 ,they must have mixed with the prophecies of both4 ,he spoke of going away4 ,he must mean that a death1 a violent death1 was awaiting ,him4 ,why ,he did not say so plainly they could not tell4 ,the darkness of the language added to the gloom of their spirits4 ,then ,he spake again1 ',let not your heart be troubled3 ye believe in ,god1 believe also in me4 ,in my ,father's house are many mansions3 if it were not so1 ,i would have told you4 ,i go to prepare a place for you4 ,and if ,i go and prepare a place for you1 ,i will come again1 and receive you unto myself2 that where ,i am1 there ye may be also4 ,and whither ,i go ye know1 and the way ye know4' ,he addresses ,himself here to all the causes of their trouble4 ,the first was the deepest2 for they had been told that a love which they supposed nothing could shake would be shaken to its foundations4 ,they had believed in themselves2 that belief would be found to rest upon the sand4 ,the refuge was in another kind of belief altogether4 ,our translation assumes that they had a belief in ,god already2 that it was to be fortified by a belief in ,jesus4 ,there is a justification for that rendering2 perhaps it is the right one4 ,but if we take both verbs to be in the imperative1 the sense will be good4 ',for your faith in your own willingness to follow me substitute a faith in me4' ,the result of the two constructions is not very different4 ,the disciples had no doubt a faith in ,god1 however feeble a one4 ,it might be made firm and efficient if faith in ,his ,son was joined with it4 ,they wanted a faith as well in ,god as in ,him4 ,neither could live without the other4 ,and here also is the deliverance from the other source of anxiety4 ,by uniting the belief in ,god to the belief in ,him1 by no longer accepting the first as a tradition from their fathers1 the second as belonging especially to themselves1 by perceiving that the one is involved in the other1 they would enter into the mystery of ,his speech respecting ,his own departure2 they would see that it was not wilfully obscure2 they would know what hindered them from following them1 and how they might follow ,him4 ,he could not talk of going to the grave--that would convey altogether a false impression about ,him and themselves4 ,he had not come out of the grave2 that had not been ,his original home2 and to ,his original home ,he was returning4 ,there was no other mode of speaking3 ,he was going to ,his ,father's house4 ,and that was their house too4 ,he was not entering it to claim it for ,himself1 but for them4 ,there were dwellings in it for them all2 if not so1 ,he 'would have told them4' ,why would ,he have told them8 ,because ,he had been continually speaking to them of a ,father who had sent ,him1 of a ,father whom they were to know1 of a ,father who was drawing them towards ,him4 ,if there was no issue of ,his mission2 if ,he had done all ,his work by merely giving them a glimpse of a divine kingdom2 if they and ,he were not to rest in it together2 would ,he not have scattered the false hopes which they were beginning to form1 which ,his own language had kindled8 ,yes1 brethren6 that awful dream which shook the heart of the ,german poet1--the dream of ,christ coming into the world with the message1 ',there is no ,god4 ,you have no ,father1' must have been realized1 if ,he did not come with the other message1 ',i can declare to you the name of your ,god4 ,you have a ,father4 ,i am come to lead you to ,him4' ,he himself shows us that this is the alternative4 ',i would have told you1--,i would have sent you to tell the world1--that all the thoughts it has ever entertained of an intercourse between earth and heaven1 of a ladder by which man may ascend to ,god1 are lying thoughts1 inspired by the spirit of lies2 unless ,i could have said1 ,there is a ,father's house2 there are many mansions in it2 and ,i am going to prepare a place for you4' ,oh6 let us consider it well4 ,our ,christianity must either sweep away all that has sustained the life and hopes of human creatures to this hour2 it must become the most inhuman1 the most narrow1 the most ,god-denying system that the world has yet seen2 it must prepare the way for a general atheism2 or it must proclaim a ,son of ,man who unites mankind to ,god1 who is a way by which the spirit of every man may ascend to the ,father who is seeking it4 ,he had a right then to say1 ',whither ,i go ye know2' for the knowledge of a ,father was that which ,he had been all along imparting to them4 ,it was that which the whole heart of humanity1 expressing itself through songs1 myths1 forms of worship1 had been aiming at4 ,doctors might have crushed it out of their hearts2 peasants could not4 ,and had not the disciples heard of a way to ,god8 ,what had ,john the ,baptist come for but to prepare such a way8 ,what had the call to repentance1 what had the message concerning a kingdom of heaven at hand1 and a ,word who is the light of men1 been1 but an opening of this way8 ,the difficulty was to connect this way with that by which ,jesus said ,he was going4 ,thomas gave utterance to the difficulty with singular frankness4 ',thomas saith unto ,him1 ,lord1 we know not whither thou goest2 and how can we know the way8' ,would that we were all as honest in asking questions as he was2 then we should be prepared to receive the answer4 ',jesus saith unto him1 ,i am the way1 and the truth1 and the life3 no man cometh unto the ,father1 but by me4 ,if ye had known me1 ye should have known my ,father also3 and from henceforth ye know ,him1 and have seen ,him4' ,are you so familiar with the first of these verses that it leaves no impression upon you8 ,connect it with the second1 from which1 in general1 it is widely disjoined1 and you will see how much of its meaning we have all still to learn4 ,we think of a way to heaven4 ,christ1 we say1 is that way4 ,even so4 ,but the old question which we saw was so intensely puzzling to the people of ,capernaum--which is not less so to us--recurs at each step1 ',what is heaven8' ,jesus answers by saying that ,he is the way to the ,father4 ',no man cometh to the ,father but by me4' ,so the words1 ',i am the truth1' acquire an infinite significance4 ,christ is the way to the eternal truth1 which makes free4 ,he is both the way and the truth1 because ,he is one with the ,father1 who is that eternal truth4 ,and the words1 ',i am the life1' are but the same1 proceeding from ,his own lips1 which we heard before from the lips of ,his ,evangelist--',in the ,word was life4' ,they are but the gathering up of all the signs which have manifested ,him as the ,life-giver to the bodies of men1--as ,giver of a divine and eternal life to their spirits4 ,but if we forget that ,christ's work is to bring men to their ,father2 and that ,he is distinct from the ,father1 as well as one with the ,father3 if we exchange this evangelical statement for some miserable one of our own1 about 'the happiness of a future state1' the announcement of ,christ as the way and the truth becomes a mere self-contradiction4 ,our ,lord's teaching was not in vain4 ,one of the disciples perceived that to know the ,father was all in all1--that he wanted nothing but this4 ',philip saith unto ,him1 ,lord1 shew us the ,father1 and it sufficeth us4' ,we are now1 surely1 ready for the reply1 wonderful as it is3 ',jesus saith unto ,him1 ,have ,i been so long time with you1 and yet hast thou not known me1 ,philip8 he that hath seen me hath seen the ,father2 and how sayest thou then1 ,shew us the ,father8' ,the revelation of the ,father in the ,son was then the revelation of the kingdom of heaven2 it was the revelation of ,god ,himself4 ,there could be no higher4 ,it was a revelation to that which was highest in man1 to that which really constitutes the man4 ,and for the man really to enter into the knowledge and communion of ,god1 to be able to pass out of the fetters and limitations of mortality into this blessedness1 this eternal life1 must be the consummation of all that ,jesus came to do4 ,he therefore adds3 ',believest thou not that ,i am in the ,father1 and the ,father in me8 the words that ,i speak unto you ,i speak not of myself3 but the ,father that dwelleth in me ,he doeth the works4 ,believe me that ,i am in the ,father1 and the ,father in me3 or else believe me for the very works' sake4' ,perhaps1 when the question took this form1 ,philip might be startled4 ,he might say to himself1 ',do ,i believe this8 ,is this what ,i mean8' ,and he might1 for a while1 be at a loss for the answer4 ,but he could not say1 ',i do not believe it1' without saying1 ',i do not believe this1 and this1 and this1 which ,i have heard ,jesus say1 and seen ,jesus do4' ,however he might wonder at the strangeness and awfulness of the truth1 yet he had been led into it most carefully and gradually4 ,it had seemed to come out of himself2 to be implied in his acts1 and thoughts1 and intuitions4 ,it was not like something new which had been given him1 but something very old1 which he had now for the first time been able to recognise4 ,and his ,teacher still deals with him in the same gentle1 even method4 ',believe this1' ,he says1 'on its own ground1 on its own evidence1 because it explains to you what would be else inexplicable in yourself and in others4 ,or else believe it for the very works' sake4 ,that1 too1 is a legitimate process1--for some minds1 the easiest and most natural4 ,the works lead back to the ,worker4 ,the laws and principles in ,his mind lead back to the original of them in the mind of the ,father4 ,the works lead back to the ,worker4 ,they would do so even when ,jesus was no longer the visible instrument in effecting them4 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,he that believeth on me1 the works that ,i do shall he do also4 ,and greater works than these shall he do2 because ,i go to the ,father4' ,st4 ,luke says1 in the beginning of the ,acts of the ,apostles1 that he had written before a treatise of all that ,jesus began both to do and to teach4 ,he intimates that he is now going to continue that treatise1 to show how much more ,jesus did and taught1 after ,he ascended into heaven1 than when ,he was on earth4 ,here1 in the most solemn manner1 ,jesus makes the same assertion to ,his disciples4 ,the works that ,he did upon earth were only the beginning of what ,he would do--the signs1 as ,st4 ,john has expressed it so constantly1 of a power to be more completely exerted1 of a purpose to be fulfilled4 ,his returning to the ,father is to be the crisis and commencement of a new life to the world1--the pledge that all the influences for health and renovation which the ,son of ,man had put forth1 instead of being exhausted1 were to go on proving their vigour and winning their victories from generation to generation4 ,in the next verse ,he assigns the reason3 ',and whatsoever ye shall ask in my name1 that will ,i do1 that the ,father may be glorified in the ,son4 ,if ye shall ask anything in my name1 ,i will do it4' ,he had taught them to pray1 saying1 ',our ,father4' ,no doubt they had done as ,he had bidden them4 ,and the thought1 ',he taught us so to speak1' must have been a mighty help when the effort was hardest1 when it seemed most impossible to conceive that they had a ,father4 ,but to pray in ,his name1 what a new world was opened to them1 if they might do that6 ,if there was ,one who did bind them all together1 ,one in whom they were one1 what an emphasis was there in that word1 ',our6' ,if this ,son of ,man were indeed the ,son of ,god1 what life1 what reality there was in the word ',father6' ,it was not that the prayer wanted its virtue till the name of ,christ was openly1 formally introduced into it4 ,if that had been so1 ,his own prayer must have been unfit for the ,apostles and for us4 ,all prayer that had ever ascended to ,god had ascended in ,his name4 ,the ,word was with ,god2 the ,word was the light of men4 ,all things were created by ,him1 and in ,him4 ,when ,he had taught ,his spiritual creatures to feel they had need of a ,father of their spirits1 ,he had awakened in them the impulse to pray4 ,the ,father of those spirits was seeking such to worship ,him1 and owned their worship as that of children made in ,his image1 unable to live apart from ,him4 ,in the ,mediator1 ,he could meet those to whom ,he had thus given power to become sons of ,god2 ,he could own them as the spokesmen of humanity4 ,but now it could be declared in what name men had prayed2 how it was that the spirits in them answered to each other2 in whom ,god had looked upon them1 and been satisfied4 ,no such revelation had yet been made1 no such assurance had been given1 that every beggar who desired that ,god's will might be done on earth as it is in heaven1 was praying for that which ,christ ,himself must certainly accomplish4 ,he goes on1 ',if ye love me1 keep my commandments4' ,the ,apostles thought1 as we saw last ,sunday1 that they could suffer for ,christ because they loved ,him4 ,they were right in believing that love is the ground of all action and of all suffering1 but they were utterly wrong in supposing that their own love could be the ground of either4 ,if this love were in any degree an effort of their own1 if it were not ,god's love working in them1 it would prove1 as ,he had warned ,peter that it would1 the weakest of all things2 before the cock crowed1 it might be found good for nothing4 ,but if they loved ,him1 let them keep ,his commandments2 let them submit themselves to the will of ,one in whom love dwells perfectly1 from whom it flows forth freely4 ',and ,i will pray the ,father1 and ,he shall give you another ,comforter1 that ,he may abide with you for ever2 even the ,spirit of truth1 whom the world cannot receive1 because it seeth ,him not1 neither knoweth ,him4 ,but ye know ,him2 for ,he dwelleth with you1 and shall be in you4' ,this promise1 ,i believe1 is the characteristical one of those ,paschal conversations2 it is that which distinguishes them from our ,lord's discourses to the multitude4 ,it is most important1 therefore1 to observe how the subject is introduced1 and how it is connected with the passages we have just been considering4 ,the new commandment1 which we find in the previous chapter1 had been1 ',love one another1 as ,i have loved you2' which was further expounded by the words1 ',as ,i have washed your feet1 you ought to wash one another's feet4' ,it had been a social commandment4 ,each obeyed it in so far as he regarded himself as one of a family1 under a ,master who was his ,elder ,brother4 ,the loss of fellowship was the loss of allegiance2 the loss of allegiance was the loss of fellowship4 ,since ,he had given them this commandment1 ,he had been speaking to them of ,his own union with the ,father1 of ,his own obedience to the ,father4 ,one truth lay beneath the other2 they must be learnt together4 ,their union would be the way to the apprehension of this union4 ,their obedience would enable them to enter into this obedience4 ,but1 on the other hand1 they would find union among themselves impossible till they had a glimpse of the fundamental unity2 they would find human obedience impossible till they believed that there was a divine obedience4 ,but how should they bind these two truths together in their hearts8 ,what would save them from revolving in a hopeless circle1 never knowing whether the divine lesson or the human practice must come first8 ,before they well knew what they wanted1 what deliverer they could have in their infinite perplexity1 ,he1 their ,head1 would pray the ,father1 and ,he would give them a ,paraclete1 one who would be always ready to help when they called for ,him1 one who should not be with them to-day and gone to-morrow1 but with them for ever2 not an external ,teacher1 but a ,guide of their spirits2 not a ,spirit who would obey their fancies or notions1 but a ,spirit of truth1 to whom they must yield1 that they might be freed from their confusions and falsehoods4 ,this ,spirit1 it is added1 'the world could not receive4' ,that world or order which does not own a ,head1 which is made up of sections and parties1 to which the ,word of ,god comes1 and which rejects ,him1--such a world is not capable of a uniting1 fusing ,spirit1 not capable even of conceiving how there can be such a ,spirit1 how ,he can enter into human beings with all their different tastes and propensities1 all their contradictions1 to mould them into one1 how ,he can give them one heart and one soul4 ,but the ,apostles did know it4 ,they had the germs of unity within them2 amidst all their rivalries and discords1 they aspired to be one4 ,the ,spirit was dwelling with them even then2 ,he should be in them4 ,i wish you to observe how every word and every symbolical act of ,christ has pointed to the disciples as a body1 as a family2 how all commandments and all promises have reference to them in this character2 how the difference between them and the world was not that they were individually better than the persons of whom it consisted1 not that they had blessings which the world was not intended to be a partaker of1 but simply that the ,son of ,man had chosen them1 and had constituted them ,his witnesses to the world4 ,and to those who owned ,him as the ,head of their body1 whether they saw ,him or not1 ,he would come4 ',i will not leave you orphans1' ,he says2 ',i will come to you4' ,if they were left without ,him who alone had told them of a ,father1 who was their only bond to a ,father1 they would be in the strictest sense orphans4 ,these last words took off the rough edge of that sentence which1 with all its apparent fulness and richness1 must have sounded sorrowful in the ears of the disciples1 as if there could be a substitute for ,him1 another ,paraclete4 ,in some wonderful manner ,he would ,himself be among them2 in some wonderful manner ,his ,father would be among them4 ,else why did ,he speak of orphans8 ,and the next words made ,his meaning more definite1 if not at once more clear1 to them3 ',yet a little while1 and the world seeth me no more2 but ye see me4 ,because ,i live1 ye shall live also4' ',the world1 which judges only by sense1 which believes nothing1 will have no organ by which to apprehend me4 ,i shall seem to it to be far away4 ,it will proclaim that it has got rid of me4 ,but you will apprehend me through the spirit's organ4 ,your inner life will rest upon my life4 ,in your own selves you will be in contact with me4' ',at that day1' ,he goes on1 'ye shall know that ,i am in my ,father1 and ye in me1 and ,i in you4' ',in that day1 when you shall begin truly to see me1 when you shall know me more fully than you have ever known me yet1 in that day the great mystery of my union with the ,father will come out fully before you4 ,it will come forth to explain another mystery1 which without it would be incredible1 that as ,i am in ,him1 so you are in me2 that as ,he is in me1 so am ,i in you4' ,we shall find how this mystery1 in connexion with the other1 becomes the subject of the subsequent discourse1 till it finds its fullest expansion and expression in the prayer of the #agth chapter4 ,but it was necessary that ,he should set before them once again the nature of the mystery1 and the way to the knowledge of it1 lest they should lose themselves in abortive efforts to embrace it4 ',he that hath my commandments1' ,he says1 'and keepeth them1 ,he it is that loveth me3 and he that loveth me shall be loved of my ,father2 and ,i will love him1 and will manifest myself to him4' ,the love of the ,father for the ,son1 and of the ,son for the ,father1 was the ground of their union4 ,he who would remember ,christ's commandments that they should love one another1 and would watch over them and cherish them in his heart1 he would show his love to ,christ2 and to him the love of the ,father would be manifested1 to him the ,son would manifest ,himself4 ,this idea of a secret manifestation which the world could not share in1 may have seemed merely astonishing to some of the disciples1--may have awakened certain feelings of vanity1 as if they would be ,his exclusive favourites1 in others of them4 ,either feeling might have been in ,jude1 or both might have been mixed1 when he said1 ',lord1 how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us1 and not unto the world8' ,the answer is one which1 if it were taken in1 would destroy all exclusiveness1 but would not diminish wonder3 ',jesus answered and said unto him1 ,if a man love me1 he will keep my words3 and my ,father will love him1 and we will come unto him1 and make our abode with him4 ,he that loveth me not keepeth not my words3 and the word which ye hear is not mine1 but the ,father's which sent me4' ,if a man loved ,christ1 he would hold fast those words of ,his in which ,he said that ,god 'loved the world1 and gave ,his only-begotten ,son for it2' that ,god 'sent not ,his ,son to condemn the world1 but that the world through ,him might be saved4' ,and then1 because these words were dear to him1 and he wished to live in the spirit of them1 the ,father who loved the world would come and make ,his abode with him1 would impart to him ,his own likeness1 and enable him in a measure to enter into ,his love4 ,but one who cared nothing for ,christ1 would not care for these words of ,his1 would not keep them in his heart1 would not really believe them1 would not desire to have his own mind fashioned in accordance with them4 ,and seeing that ,christ's word is not ,his1 but the ,father's who sent ,him1 that ,father would remain to such a person always hidden and unknown4 ',these things1' ,he adds1 'have ,i spoken unto you1 being yet present with you4 ,but the ,comforter1 which is the ,holy ,ghost1 whom the ,father will send in my name1 ,he shall teach you all things1 and bring all things to your remembrance4' ,it may be hypercritical to complain of our translators for rendering by 'being yet present2' but ,i cannot help thinking that 'remaining1' or 'while ,i remain with you1' would have diminished the likelihood of a misapprehension which must make much of what ,he says here and afterwards unintelligible4 ,that ,he was going away ,he had told them2 only one day longer ,he would remain among them as their visible ,teacher4 ,but1 assuredly1 ,he declares solemnly that ,he shall not cease to be present with them2 it is the express object of ,his conversation to give them that assurance4 ,nowhere does it come forth more strongly than in this sentence4 ,what ,he said to them while they could look into ,his face1 while they could see ,his lips moving1 was but poorly apprehended by them2 only a small portion of its meaning passed into them4 ,their real learning would come hereafter1--the vital recollection and understanding of the very words they were listening to then4 ,did they not feel that they wanted some one to fix the sense in their hearts1 before the sounds mingled with the common air8 ,did they not want an interpreter1 who should not translate one set of phrases by another1 but should translate phrases into realities1 and should open the spirit to entertain them8 ,were they not conscious of a hebetude and dulness1 which the divinest wisdom could not penetrate as long as it remained on the outside of them8 ,did not the dulness hinder their intercourse with each other8 ,did any know exactly what the other meant8 ,did they not talk of trifles1 because they despaired of breaking through the ice which enclosed their neighbour's heart1 and had not even learnt the secret of thawing their own8 ,yes2 in this way they were taught that they must have a ,spirit such as ,he spoke of1 to be with them1 not occasionally1 but continually2 to be with them1 not as separate creatures1 but as fellow-men2 to be the ,inspirer of their memories1 their understandings1 their affections2 to be their ,deliverer from shallowness2 to be their ,guide to that well of living water at the bottom of which truth lies4 ,it was thus that they learnt1 however imperfectly1 that this ,spirit must be a ,divine ,person1--could not be a mere vague and floating influence4 ,it was thus that they sprung to the conviction1 however hard it might be1 which our ,lord had expressed1 and which ,he repeated in another form of words here1 that the ,spirit must bring ,him near to them1 must come in ,his name1 must bind them together in ,his name4 ,it was thus they learnt that a ,spirit1 which did not proceed from a ,father and testify of a ,father1 could not be the ,spirit of truth or the ,spirit of peace4 ,he had been described already by one of these names4 ,our ,lord now fixed the thoughts of ,his disciples upon the other4 ',peace ,i leave with you1 my peace ,i give unto you3 not as the world giveth1 give ,i unto you4' ,it was the legacy which they needed above all others4 ,but how could it be received8 ,how can a treasure which all experience proclaims to be open to thefts1 lessened by a thousand accidents1 dependent upon mental and bodily temperament1--how can this be actually left1 not to one1 two1 or three1 upon certain conditions1 but to a whole body permanently and not capriciously1 'as the world giveth8' ,christ's words imported this2 the ,apostles must have felt that ,he was deceiving them if less than this was meant or was performed4 ,only a ,spirit to abide for ever with them2 a ,paraclete to whom they could have recourse when fightings were most terrible without2 ,one whom they might find beneath all the wars and fightings within themselves2 one who could unite them to each other1 because ,he united them to the ,father2--only such a ,spirit could be the gift of peace which ,christ bestowed2 only concerning such a ,spirit could ,he have said1 ',this is my peace4' ,he repeats the words ,he had used a short time before4 ,he said1 ',let not your heart be troubled1 neither let it be afraid4' ,he could utter them now with a new and mightier force2 for now1 far better than before1 ,he could remove that cause of trouble1 the dread that ,he was going away from them4 ',ye have heard how ,i said unto you1 ,i go away1 and come again unto you4 ,if ye loved me ye would rejoice1 because ,i said1 ,i go unto the ,father3 for my ,father is greater than ,i4' ,the explanation of ,his going is the same as before4 ,it is the return to a ,father's house1--a house with many mansions1--a house for them as for ,him4 ,but1 since the promise of the ,spirit has been given1 ,he can say1 ',i come again unto you4' ',it is not merely that you will know ,i am in a home which you cannot see1 in a home which is out of the reach of the tumults and distractions that surround you--a home of peace1 and truth1 and love2 it is that here1 in the midst of this earth1 peace and truth and love shall abide with you4 ,it is that ,i have a kingdom in this world2 it is that my ,spirit will be with you1 to enable you to make continual inroads upon the world which sees me not1 neither knows me1 to bring fresh portions of it under my government4' ,this coming again into the regions of earth--coming as a king and conqueror1 yet still as a fellow-sufferer to bear the cross with ,his disciples1 is a new element of consolation4 ,but it does not displace the former4 ,the celestial house is still to be the object and final resting-place of their thoughts and hopes4 ,they were to rejoice that their ,lord was there1 in ,his proper and eternal dwelling1 united as a ,son to a ,father1 doing homage as a ,son to a ,father1 confessing there1 as ,he did on earth1 ,his own glory to be derived from the ,father4 ,they were to rejoice for ,his sake1 because they loved ,him2 and that rejoicing for ,his sake would be the greatest elevation1 and the highest satisfaction to themselves4 ,they would look through ,christ to the ,father2 they would see all things issuing from ,him1 and tending to their fruition and perfection in ,him4 ',and now1' ,he concludes1 ',i have told you before it come to pass1 that1 when it is come to pass1 ye might believe4 ,hereafter ,i will not talk much with you3 for the prince of this world cometh1 and hath nothing in me4 ,but that the world may know that ,i love the ,father2 and as the ,father gave me commandment1 even so ,i do4 ,arise1 let us go hence4' ,that which was coming to pass1 we can have no doubt1 was the death of the ,son of ,man1 ,his ascension1 the gift of the ,spirit2 for of all these ,he has discoursed1 as if they were inseparably connected4 ,each event would be imperfectly understood till the next came to expound it4 ,when the ,spirit was given1 there would be a flood of light upon all the acts of ,christ2 all the lines of the world's history would be seen to be converging towards ,him4 ,but an hour of darkness must precede this illumination1 an hour in which the living ,word1 the upholder of all things1 would be almost silent2 the hour1 ,he calls it1 of the prince of this world1 the hour when righteousness would seem to be put down for ever1 when the priestly tyrants of ,juda1 and the imperial tyrants of ,rome1 would seem to have established their supremacy4 ,but their master had nothing in ,jesus4 ,the cross upon which they raised ,him would stand forth as the perfect opposite of his selfishness the perfect manifestation of the ,divine love4 ,for the world's sake1 that cross would be set up2 for the world's sake1 ,he spoke these things to ,his disciples4 ,he would have the world know that ,he loved the ,father1 and that ,he was fulfilling ,his ,father's commandment in dying for it4 ,what a wonderful conclusion to a discourse which ,he had addressed to ,his own1 whom ,he had chosen out of the world6 ,what a wonderful preparation for that discourse concerning the vine and the branches1 which ,he seems to have spoken as ,he walked with ,his disciples towards the ,garden of ,gethsemane6 ,,discourse ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,vine ,,and ,,the ,,branches4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #ith ,sunday after ,trinity1 ,july #bj1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xv4 #a4 ,i am the true ,vine1 and my ,father is the ,husbandman4 ,the words1 ',arise1 let us go hence1' with which the #adth chapter concludes1 have been taken by some to indicate that our ,lord was about to lead ,his disciples into a higher region of thought and of hope than they had yet visited4 ,the feeling is a very natural one that everything in these conversations must have a sublime sense1 that no words can be used in them in their common earthly sense4 ,but it is not an altogether healthy feeling4 ,it may lead us to forget that the disciples were sitting in an actual room1 at an actual supper2 it may give us the notion that we have been transported into some fantastical world4 ,that is a heavy price to pay for a refined or spiritual interpretation4 ,it may make the whole life of the ,son of ,man unintelligible to us4 ,from the beginning of the #acth chapter1 our ,lord has been preparing them to 'arise and go hence4' ,he has been leading them towards that ,father's house1 whither ,he is going and to which ,he is the way4 ,we might say that ,he reaches the mountain summit1 in ,his prayer in the #agth chapter2 yet even that must be said with caution1 because ,his death and ascension were yet to come1 and the ,spirit had not yet been poured upon them4 ,but though nothing which ,he ever spoke is deeper1 or has had a mightier effect on mankind1 than the passage of which ,i am about to speak1 we do not conceive of it rightly if we describe it as a departure from earthly facts or earthly images4 ,we are about to be told of the discipline which is necessary for those who are upon earth fighting1 not transfigured1 and how the discipline will be administered4 ,the old form of speaking by parables1 which the disciples might easily have thought was intended only for the multitude1 and might be discarded in the more advanced stages of their education1 is resorted to again4 ,the forms of earth are still claimed as interpreters of the kingdom of heaven4 ,i think it is better1 therefore1 to take the words in their simplest sense1--to suppose that our ,lord and ,his disciples did arise from the supper as ,he spoke1 and that the first object which they saw as they walked towards the ,mount of ,olives was a vine4 ,that tree had been the old lesson-book of ,prophets4 ,they had watched its growth2 had wondered at the life which circulated through its branches2 had thought of the care which was needful in the choice of a place to plant it in2 of the incessant vigilance which must be bestowed upon it after it had grown4 ',thou hast brought1' they said in their songs1 'a vine out of ,egypt1 and planted it4' ',the house of ,israel1' they said in their discourses1 'is the ,lord's vineyard1 and ,judah ,his pleasant plant4' ,then the question arose1 ',why does it bring forth wild grapes8 ,will it never fill the land8' ,which led to the other deeper questions1 ',how is it that these comparisons must be true in spite of all experience which seems to prove them deceitful8 ,what makes our nation one1--what gives it life1 though we seem a mere set of loose1 wretched1 dead sticks1 trying to be separate8' ,here was the answer1 ',i am the true ,vine4' ,as the words1 ',i am the good ,shepherd1' explained all the previous uses of that symbol1 and showed why they were not fictitious1 so this sentence interprets all the passages of the ,old ,testament which connect the life of trees with the life of man4 ',you have been told that you were the branches of a vine2 that ,god was pruning you1 and lopping off dead boughs from you4 ,now1 look into the heart of this mystery4 ,in me you have been made one2 from me you have drawn life4 ,my ,father ,himself has been1 and is1 the ,husbandman4 ,it was over ,his own ,son that ,he was watching4 ,it was the branches in ,,me which were not bearing fruit that ,he was taking away4 ,it was every branch in ,,me that beareth fruit which ,he was purging1 that it might bring forth more fruit4' ,here was the interpretation of the unity of the nation2 for here is the interpretation of the unity of man4 ,we shall find no wider1 or deeper1 or more practical one4 ,the more we apply it to all the circumstances of our lives1 and to all the problems of history1 the more satisfactory it will appear to us4 ,but first1 as always1 ,christ ,himself applies it to the persons immediately before ,him4 ',now ye are clean through the word which ,i have spoken unto you4 ,abide in me1 and ,i in you4 ,as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself1 except it abide in the vine2 no more can ye1 except ye abide in me4 ,i am the ,vine1 ye are the branches4 ,he that abideth in me1 and ,i in him1 the same bringeth forth much fruit3 for without me ye can do nothing4' ,the words in the #acth chapter1 ',ye are clean1 but not all1' led me to anticipate what ,i should say about these1 ',ye are clean through the word which ,i have spoken unto you4' ,i said that ,he treated them as a pure and holy body1 and that the unclean person was he who would not belong to the body1 but chose to dwell in his own isolation4 ,what is added to that statement here is1 that ,christ's word was that which purified them4 ,they had no unity of their own1 or purity of their own4 ,he spoke to them in their inmost hearts1 claimed them as ,his4 ,that quickening1 uniting1 purifying word1 going forth from ,him1 was the source of their life1 their purity1 their unity4 ,what they had to do was not to put forth self-willed efforts for the sake of making themselves better1 or wiser1 or more united1 but simply to abide in ,him1 to believe that they were ,his1 to act as if they were4 ,i resort to other forms of expression1 as if ,i hoped to make that which ,he chose clearer2 but1 in fact1 that is immeasurably plainer1 and fuller1 and deeper1 than any ,i can imagine4 ',abide in me' at once recals the natural analogy1 while it is in strictness appropriate only to the condition of a voluntary being4 ,it implies a possible separation1 an act of adhesion2 and yet it implies that this separation is altogether monstrous and anomalous2 that this adhesion is merely the refusal to break a cord of love with which ,god is actually binding us4 ',abide in me' is doubtless a command2 but it is supported by the other clause1 'and ,i in you4' ',rest in me as if you were united to me2 and a living power shall go forth from me to sustain and quicken you4 ,and all this that you may bear fruit4' ,that part of the symbol is never for a moment lost sight of4 ,the relation of the branch to the stem implies the passage of a productive life from one into the other4 ,the secret processes within are tending to a result which shall be visible4 ,christ tells them that they can bear nothing1 that they will be utterly barren and dry1 unless they retain their attachment to ,him1 unless ,he communicates a sap to them continually4 ,he is not satisfied with the comparison2 ,he again puts the doctrine into a more direct form1 as if to assure them that ,he was not using metaphors1 that ,he was taking the most direct method of bringing before them that which was not real but the reality1 not a fact1 but the fact of their existence4 ',i am the ,vine1 ye are the branches4' ',the energies and powers within you1 when ,i quicken them1 shall bring forth thoughts1 deeds1 words1 that shall be living1 and shall spread life4 ,without me all is dead4' ,the last clause has brought the law home to the disciples themselves2 but the former was more general3 ',he that abideth in me1 and ,i in him4' ,and so is the #fth verse3 ',except a man' 7any one7 'abide in me1 he is cast forth as a branch1 and is withered2 and they gather them1 and cast them into the fire1 and they are burned4' ,that 'any one' gives the sentence a fearful significance4 ,let us think well of it4 ,have we never felt as if1 though no voice had cut us off from the fellowship of our brethren1 we had cut ourselves off8 ,have we never felt an internal withering1 as if the springs of life in us were all dried up8 ,what was the secret of this condition1 which we could trace to no outward violence8 ,or do we ask1 ',what is the cure8 ,how may that separation be put an end to before it becomes fixed and everlasting8 ,how may that secret withering be arrested before it ends in absolute death8' ,the evil is traced to its source when we are told that we have not abided in ,him2 the remedy lies in that command1 and in no other4 ,the dead sticks are gathered into a bundle and burnt4 ,but the sap has not gone out of the ,vine2 that may still make the bough to sprout and bud4 ,the next verses take us a step further4 ',if ye abide in me1 and my words abide in you1 ye shall ask what ye will1 and it shall be done unto you4 ,herein is my ,father glorified1 that ye bear much fruit2 so shall ye be my disciples4' ,he had said1 ',whatsoever ye shall ask in my name1 ,i will do it4' ,he can now give the words1 'in my name1' their full force4 ,it is not the name of one who may have power with ,him to whom they are pleading1 but who is far from them4 ,it is the name of ,him in whom they are actually dwelling1 in whom they are one4 ,and ,his words are the expression of ,his ,father's will4 ,so far1 then1 as those words dwell in them1 and ascend up from them in prayer to ,god1 so far they are asking according to ,his will1 and ,he is doing that will in granting them their petitions4 ,not merely1 as we render the passage1 ',it shall be done for you1' but ',it shall become to you4' ,god's will shall work with your will1 which it is moulding to itself4 ,and so ,god is glorified in the fruit which you bring forth4 ,the more rich you are in love and good works1 the more is ,he ,himself manifested in you1 the more are you ,christ's disciples4 ,thus we are brought back to the ultimate ground of this relation between ,christ and human beings4 ',as the ,father hath loved me1 so have ,i loved you3 abide in my love4 ,if ye keep my commandments1 ye shall abide in my love2 as ,i have kept my ,father's commandments1 and abide in ,his love4' ,this is the continually recurring burden of this divine song4 ,the love of the ,father is at the root of all4 ,the ,son can do nothing but in obedience to that4 ,he believes it1 obeys it1 and so lives in it4 ,the law of the disciples' being is the same4 ,they are to believe in the love which is the manifestation and reflection of this love1 to obey it1 to live in it4 ,and now another gift is bestowed which we expect less1 on this night of sorrow1 than even that gift of peace of which ,i spoke last ,sunday4 ',these things have ,i said unto you1 that my joy may remain in you1 and that your joy may be full' 7or fulfilled74 ,remember that this was spoken after ,he had been 'troubled in spirit' at the thought of ,his betrayal1 not long before ,he was to pass through the agony4 ,if any one says to himself1--who has not said it to himself8--',what is joy to me8 how can ,i ever be partaker of that8' let him think thus4 ',christ knew1 as none of us ever have known or shall know1 what the death and extinction of all joy means2 what it is to be alone2 what it is to feel deserted of men and deserted of ,god4 ,and yet ,he spoke of ,his joy1 and of communicating that joy to the disciples4 ,whence came it8 ,what was it8 ,how could it be communicated8 ,it was obedience to ,his ,father's commands4 ,it came from ,his submitting to those commands1 though they brought ,him to suffering1 and desertion1 and death4 ,it is communicated to men along with that same power of obedience and endurance4 ,his joy was to do a will which ,he knew to be a loving will1 into whatsoever heights or depths it might bring ,him4 ,that obedience with all its consequences1 ,he says1 ,he will impart to us if we will receive it4' ,therefore ,he goes on3 ',this is my commandment1 ,that ye love one another1 as ,i have loved you4 ,greater love hath no man than this1 that a man lay down his life for his friends4 ,ye are my friends1 if ye do whatsoever ,i command you4 ,henceforth ,i call you not servants2 for the servant knoweth not what his ,lord doeth4 ,but ,i have called you friends2 for all things which ,i have heard from my ,father1 ,i have made known unto you4' ,you see how earnestly ,he repeats those words which to many of us have such a paradoxical sound4 ',i command you to love4' ',just the thing1' we say in our hearts1 'which cannot be commanded1 which must come from choice4' ',just that1' ,he answers1 'which cannot come from choice1 which must come from submission4' ,if a loving ,being were not the ,lord of our wills1 were not the ,lord of the universe1 we might make mighty efforts to love1 supposing we had been taught by some visitant from another region what love was2 and every such effort would be a rebellious struggle against our ,master and our destiny4 ,if there is a perfect ,love creating and sustaining all things1 if men have a ,father1 then such efforts cannot be rebellious1 must be in conformity to this law3 ',love as ,i have loved you4' ,i have said this before1 while dwelling on another part of this discourse2 but ,i must say it again and again1 for it is the principle which underlies the whole of it1 and upon which the distinction that is made here between servants and friends entirely depends4 ,christ manifests the greatest love which1 ,he says1 can be manifested4 ,the love which ,he manifests is ,his ,father's4 ,he lays down ,his life in submission to that4 ,they become ,his friends by yielding to that love1 by confessing it1 by allowing it to have dominion over them4 ,he calls them no longer servants1 but friends1 because servants only know what they are to do1 without knowing why they are to do it2 whereas ,he has told them the very secret of ,his ,father's mind1 the ground on which ,his acts and ,his precepts rest4 ,it is not that the friend is less under authority than the servant4 ,it is not that the one does what ,he is bidden1 and the other may do what he likes4 ,it is that the friend enters into the very nature of the command1--that it is a command which is addressed to his will1 and which moulds his will to its own likeness4 ,in strict consistency with this language1 ,he goes on3 ',ye have not chosen me1 but ,i have chosen you1 and have ordained you1 that ye should go and bring forth fruit1 and that your fruit should remain2 that whatsoever ye shall ask the ,father in my name1 ,he may give it you4' ,all sectarianism1 all self-seeking and self-willed religion1 is based upon the idea1 ',we have chosen ,him4 ,by an act of faith1 or an act of love1 we have entered into a relation with ,him1 which but for that act would not be4' ,and the whole ,gospel turns upon the opposite maxim to this3 ',i have chosen you4' ',you are merely obeying a call4 ,you are merely confessing a relation1 with the making of which you had nothing to do4' ,even when this doctrine of election has taken a narrow form1--even when it has been recognised chiefly as exclusive1--it has had a mighty power over the hearts of men4 ,they have given themselves up1 as they never could do when they thought they had selected their own ,master1 or were going upon errands of their own4 ,but when it takes the form which it has here2 when ,christ1 who has loved them to the death1 commands them to love others as ,he has loved2 when ,he tells them that ,he has placed them in their different circumstances that they may go and bring forth fruit1--that fruit being the men whom they shall persuade that they too belong to a race for which ,christ has died1 and which the ,father loves2--there cannot be any principle which is at once so humbling and so elevating1 which so takes away all notion from the disciple that there is any worth in his own deeds or words1 which gives him so confident an assurance that ,god's word1 spoken through him or through any man1 will not return to ,him void4 ,and that1 if ,i am not mistaken1 is the reason why the promise1 that whatever is asked of the ,father in ,christ's name shall be granted1 is again introduced here with the variation1 ',he may give it1' instead of ',i will do it4' ,a man who feels that he is called to a work1 does not therefore feel power to accomplish it4 ,he may feel--as ,moses did1 and as ,jeremiah did--an increased feebleness1 an utter childishness2 but he understands that he may ask the ,father1 whose will he is called to do1 that that will may be done2 so he wins a strength which is and is not his own4 ,we wonder to find the command which we have heard so often1 delivered once more in the #agth verse4 ,but we presently discover that it is as an introduction to a new subject1 and that in relation to that subject the old words have a new force4 ',these things ,i command you1 that ye love one another4 ,if the world hate you1 ye know that it hated me before it hated you4 ,if ye were of the world1 the world would love its own3 but because ye are not of the world1 but ,i have chosen you out of the world1 therefore the world hateth you4 ,remember the word which ,i spake to you1 ,the servant is not greater than his ,master4 ,if they have persecuted me1 they will also persecute you2 if they have kept my word1 they will keep yours also4' ,here the love which ,he commands them to have for one another--the love which is ,his own1 and which ,he inspires--is contrasted with the hatred of the world4 ,the one difference which we have already discovered between the world and those whom ,he chooses out of it1 is that they confess a ,centre1 and that the world confesses none2 that they desire to move1 each in his own orbit1 about this ,centre1 and that the world acknowledges only a revolution of each man about himself4 ,the world1 indeed1 cannot realize its own principles4 ,it must have companies1 parties1 sects1--bodies acknowledging some principle of cohesion1 aspiring after a kind of unity4 ,still1 as a world1 this is the description of it2 and therefore1 as a world1 it must hate all who say1 ',we are a society bound together1 not by any law of our own1 not by an election of our own1 but by ,god's law and election4 ,and ,his law is a law of sacrifice4 ,he gives up ,his ,son2 ,his ,son gives up ,himself4 ,we are to give up ourselves in obedience to ,his ,spirit1 that we may do ,his work4' ,as ,he had so lately called them friends1 not servants1 we may be surprised that here ,he gave them the old name again4 ,but the title1 servant1 is not now a dishonourable title for those whom ,he has called friends4 ,since the ,master became a servant1 ,his friends must be content to be servants1 otherwise they do not know what their ,lord doeth2 they cannot enter into ,his mind4 ,with this service1 too1 they must take the hatred and persecution of the world as part of their endowment1 as one of the treasures which their ,lord shares with them4 ,if it does not hate them1 they must always fear that they are not loving each other1 or loving it as ,god loves it4 ',but all these things will they do to you for my name's sake1 because they know not ,him that sent me4 ,if ,i had not come and spoken unto them1 they had not had sin3 but now they have no cloke for their sin4 ,he that hateth me1 hateth my ,father also4 ,if ,i had not done among them the works which none other man did1 they had not had sin3 but now have they both seen and hated both me and my ,father4 ,but this cometh to pass1 that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law1 ,they hated me without a cause4' ,these are1 perhaps1 the most terrible words in the ,old or ,new ,testament4 ,no descriptions of divine punishment which are written anywhere1 can come the least into comparison with them for awfulness and horror4 ,this gratuitous hatred--this hatred of ,christ by men because they hate ,god1 this hatred of ,god because ,he has manifested and proved ,himself to be love--is something which passes all our conceptions1 and yet which would not mean anything to us if our consciences did not bear witness that the possibility of it lies in ourselves4 ,and do not let us put away that thought1 brethren1 or the other which is closely akin to it1 that such hatred is only possible in a nation which1 like the ,jewish1 is full of religious knowledge and of religious profession4 ,there1 our ,lord tells us ,himself1 was a hatred of ,him and of ,his ,father which could be found nowhere else1--there1 among scribes1 and ,pharisees1 and chief priests4 ,let us ask ,god1 that none of us may say of his brother1 ',this crime may be committed by thee2' but each of himself3 ',god be merciful to me a sinner4 ,keep me by ,thy love1 abiding in ,thy love4 ,help me to keep ,christ's commandment of loving my brother as well as ,thee2 else1 if ,i am left to myself1 ,i may sink into such a hell of hatred1 as would be worse than all other hells that men have ever feared to think of4' ,let us pray this prayer1 and then our ,lord's last words in this chapter will come to us as the most wonderful relief1 as the very answer which we long for4 ',but when the ,comforter shall come1 whom ,i will send to you from the ,father1 even the ,spirit of truth which proceedeth from the ,father1 ,he shall testify of me3 and ye also shall bear witness1 because ye have been with me from the beginning4' ,to have the ,comforter1 the ,paraclete1 with us1 this is the security that the spirit of hatred shall not overcome us4 ,to have the ,spirit of truth with us1 this is the security that we shall not be brought to believe a lie1 or to disbelieve in the ,god of truth4 ,to have ,him testifying of ,christ1 the ,son of ,man and the ,son of ,god1 is the security that we shall abide in ,him who has given the greatest proof of love that can be given1 by laying down ,his life for ,his friends4 ,to be able to testify of ,him because we have been with ,him1 even when ,he was hidden from us1 and we did not know how near ,he was2 to testify of ,him by our words and our deeds2 this is the security that ,he is using us for ,his own gracious purpose1 and that ,he will be glorified in the fruits which ,he will cause us to bring forth4 ,,discourse ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,comforter ,,and ,,his ,,testimony4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #ajth ,sunday after ,trinity 7,morning71 ,july #bg1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xvi4 #a4 ,these things have ,i spoken unto you1 that ye should not be offended4 ,the things which ,jesus had just spoken to the disciples were1 that ,his countrymen 'hated ,him without a cause2' that they 'hated both ,him and ,his ,father4' ,these things were to take away the scandal which it would be to them to find that they made themselves hated by proclaiming a ,gospel of peace and good will4 ',they shall put you out of the synagogues3 yea1 the time cometh1 that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth ,god service4' ,it would be a strange result2 fellowship with their brethren destroyed because they proclaimed the ground of fellowship2 death inflicted upon them because they preached that death was overcome4 ,might not poor ,galilans1 conscious of folly and sin1 often say to themselves3 ',we must be wrong2 the rulers of the land must be wiser than we are4 ,ought we to turn the world upside down for an opinion of ours8' ,but 'these things will they do unto you1 because they have not known the ,father1 nor me4' ',they have not known what the ,lord and ,light of their spirit meant3 do you think they can know what you mean8 ,they have hated my character2 they have hated ,god in ,his own essential nature3 would you expect them to love you who are sent forth to testify what that nature is1 and how it has been manifested8' ,all ,his education had been gradual2 no word had been spoken till it was needed4 ,so it is now4 ',and these things will they do unto you1 because they have not known the ,father1 nor me4 ,but these things have ,i told you1 that when the time shall come1 ye may remember that ,i told you of them4 ,and these things ,i said not unto you at the beginning1 because ,i was with you4 ,but now ,i go my way to ,him that sent me2 and none of you asketh me1 ,whither goest thou8' ,his meaning would only be entered into fully when the events explained it2 but what a difference would it make to them that they could assure themselves then1 ',it is ,his meaning6 ,all this ,he told us of4' ,and this would be no mere act of memory1 at least if memory is only concerned with the past4 ,it would do more than anything else to remove the confusion which beset them1 which ,his own words seemed almost to increase1 as to ,his absence from them1 and ,his presence with them4 ,he had said that ,he was going to the ,father2 ,he had said that ,his going would be an elevation and a blessing to them4 ,he had said that ,he should come to them4 ,they could not see their way through these apparent inconsistencies4 ,they had begun to ask whither ,he was going1 but they had stopped short in the inquiry4 ,the news of ,his departure possessed them2 that was an unspeakable weight upon their minds4 ,they scarcely thought that any knowledge of the 'where' would materially lighten it4 ',nevertheless ,i tell you the truth2 ,it is expedient for you that ,i go away3 for if ,i go not away1 the ,comforter will not come unto you2 but if ,i depart1 ,i will send ,him unto you4' ,it was the hardest of all truths2 the hearts which grief had occupied could afford little room for it4 ',it is expedient that ,i should go away4' ,again the doubt will have come back in its full force3 ',what compensation can there be for ,his absence8 ,what new friend can take ,his place8' ,before1 the promise1 however difficult to comprehend1 ',i will come to you1' had taken away some of the bitterness of their anticipations4 ,now it was necessary that they should face the whole subject2 that they should apprehend the ,comforter as a distinct ,person from ,him who was speaking to them2 that they should rise by degrees to feel how compatible this distinctness was with perfect unity4 ,we1 with our rough blundering dogmatism1 may think that we can teach these lessons at once2 and when we find how difficult it is for men to take them in1 because they are men like ourselves--incapable of seeing more than half a truth at a time--may conclude just as rashly that no processes can ever bring any but a few learned and subtle men to such a discovery4 ,but ,he who knew what was in man1 was content to give ,his disciples line upon line2 to go over the steps of ,his teaching often again2 to make them conscious first of one need of their spirits1 then of another2 to present each by turns with the satisfaction which it demands2 to be indifferent about apparent contradictions1 so long as real contradictions were escaped4 ,he who knew what was in man was sure that it is not the doctor or the systematizer1 but the human being1 who wants to be instructed in the distinction of ,persons and the unity of ,substance2 that our minds rest upon the principles to which these opposing words are the indices2 that the fisherman or the publican feels after them with his heart1 and assumes them in his discourse2 that he and the doctor may enter into them together1 when both are willing to perform the highest demand of science as well as of faith1 by becoming little children4 ,here1 then1 ,he tells them that ,his departure out of their sight was actually necessary in order that the ,paraclete--whom ,he had spoken of as the bond of their union1 as their efficient ,teacher and ,friend--should come to them4 ,you would have supposed1 perhaps1 that ,he would have gone on to tell them what blessings the coming of this ,paraclete would confer upon them1 which ,he would not confer upon the world1 since ,he had said that the world would not receive ,him or know ,him4 ,it may cause us some surprise1 then1 to read3 ',and when ,he is come1 ,he will reprove the ,,world of sin1 and of righteousness1 and of judgment3 of sin1 because they believe not on me2 of righteousness1 because ,i go to my ,father1 and ye see me no more2 of judgment1 because the prince of this world is judged4' ,it is impossible to get rid of this difficulty by any loose interpretation of the word world4 ,it is one of the characteristic and vital words in all this discourse4 ,it is used1 as ,i think1 with great precision and uniformity throughout ,st4 ,john3 to evade its force here1 is to destroy his meaning altogether4 ,on the other hand1 if we will adhere steadfastly to the language as it stands1 we gain a fresh and brilliant illustration of the work to which our ,lord had destined ,his disciples1 and apart from their performance of which they could look for no blessings to themselves4 ,they were to be witnesses to a world which had forgotten its ,centre1 concerning that ,centre2 witnesses to a world which was created by a righteous ,god1 and was meant to show forth ,his righteousness1 in whom this righteousness dwelt1 and how it was to be sought after2 witnesses to a world which had set up a prince of its own1 that his power must come to an end1 that it had been proved to be weakness4 ,how could they fulfil such a mission as this8 ,what could their arguments or their rhetoric avail to bring home such convictions to a single ,jew or a single idolater1 to say nothing of a world of ,jews1 or a world of idolaters8 ,by their very nature1 such convictions must be inward and radical4 ,they could not play about the surface of men's hearts1 but must penetrate into them4 ,whence could come this demonstration8 ,our ,lord tells the disciples at once that they are to despair of its ever coming from them1 that they are to be sure it will come from the ,spirit with which ,he will endue them4 ,not they1 but ,he1 will convince the world2 because1 though the world may not receive ,him neither know ,him1 it has been formed to receive all quickening life from ,him2 it must confess ,his presence1 even if it would hide itself from ,his presence4 ,and the disciples were to go forth in this faith2 in the certainty that wherever they met a man1 ,jew or ,gentile1 there was one whose ,head was ,christ1 who owed his life to ,christ1 who was receiving light from ,christ1 and who only sinned because he did not own this ,head1 confess this ,life1 open his conscience and heart to this ,light4 ,the ,spirit in them would show them this truth concerning themselves1 and would only show it to them concerning themselves1 because they were partakers of the nature which every worshipper of ,jupiter or ,brahm had as much as they4 ,the disciples were to go forth in the certainty that the righteous ,man whom they had once seen upon earth1 in whom they had beheld the grace and truth of the ,father1 was the same when they saw ,him no more4 ,they were to believe in ,him as the ,lord their righteousness2 they were to believe that the righteousness of ,god was in ,him2 so they were to rise up righteous men1 children bearing the image of their ,father4 ,the ,spirit within them would give them this faith2 the ,spirit within them would make them partakers of this righteousness4 ,and that same ,spirit would convince the world of this righteousness1 would bring this standard continually before it1 would make this standard the real measure of its laws1 its polity1 its customs2 the measure of its deflections from right and truth4 ,there would be an inward conviction1 a continually growing conviction among men1 that nothing short of this could be the human standard1 even when they were setting up another1 even when they were pronouncing this to be unattainable1 even when they said that they would rather not attain it if they could4 ,the disciples were to go forth in the belief that when the spirit of selfishness seemed strongest in themselves1 strongest among their fellows1--when they were most disposed to bow to him and acknowledge him as their king1--he was not their king1 but a lying usurper1 whose pretensions ,christ had confounded in the wilderness and on the cross1 whom they could trample underfoot if they remembered that ,christ's ,father was their ,father4 ,the ,spirit would teach them that this prince of the world was not their prince4 ,he would teach them1 therefore1 that he was not indeed1 and by right1 any man's prince1 that all might disclaim him1 that for the sake of all he had been judged4 ,and the ,spirit would convince the world also of this1 that the untruths to which it bows down can have only a brief dominion2 that that which is1 must prevail over that which is not2 that all evil lingers on under a curse which has been pronounced1 and shall be fully and eternally executed4 ,all this they would learn hereafter2 it could only be prophecy to them now4 ,and there were many things which it would be of no avail to utter even in prophecy4 ',i have yet many things to say to you1 but ye cannot bear them now4 ,but1' our ,lord goes on1 'when ,he1 the ,spirit of truth1 is come1 ,he shall guide you into all truth1'--into the whole truth1 not merely into scattered fragments of it4 ,for ,he shall have dominion over your whole being4 ,he shall guide it into that fulness which it longs for1 the fulness of ,god ,himself4 ,but it shall be still a guidance2 ,he will take you by regular steps along the road which leads to this satisfaction4 ',for ,he shall not speak of ,himself1 but what ,he shall hear that shall ,he speak1 and ,he shall tell you things to come4' ,we should not1 perhaps1 be able to make out the force of the words1 ',he shall not speak of ,himself1' if the history of the ,church and the world had not expounded them4 ,again and again there have been teachers in the ,church who have spoken loudly of an illuminating ,spirit4 ,they have said that a dispensation of the ,spirit had come1 which made the old ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ poor and obsolete2 they have said that now the ,spirit was all that men had to think of or believe in4 ,so spoke a portion of the ,franciscans1 in the thirteenth century2 some of the brethren and sisters of the ,free ,spirit1 in the fourteenth2 some of the ,anabaptists1 in the sixteenth2 some of the ,quakers1 in the seventeenth2 so speak not a few who are revolting against ,materialism1 without having found any safe standing-ground from which to oppose it1 in our own4 ,the spirit in such men speaks 'of itself4' ,such a spirit1 our ,lord says1 is not the ,holy ,spirit2 for ,he will speak whatsoever things ,he hears2 ,he will bring to us the message of a ,father1 from whom ,he comes4 ,he will not make us impatient of a ,lord and ,ruler1 but desirous of one1 eager to give up ourselves to ,his guidance1 eager to get rid of our own fancies and conceits1 and to enter more into fellowship with all men4 ,he will not allow us to be satisfied with our advanced knowledge or great discoveries1 but will always be showing us things that are coming2 giving us an apprehension of truths that we have not yet reached1 though they be truths which are 'the same yesterday1 and to-day1 and for ever4' ,that may not be the whole meaning of the words1 'things to come2' the phrase may intimate that foresight which is given to those who study principles1 meditating on the past1 and believing in ,god4 ,the ,spirit which our ,lord promises is assuredly the ,spirit who spoke by the prophets of old1 and has spoken by all ,his servants who have humbled themselves1 and sought light and wisdom from above4 ,but these two senses do not contradict each other2 and the first is1 ,i think1 more directly suggested by the context4 ,it may also imply that the ,spirit1 who does not speak of ,himself1 leads men away from that incessant poring over the operations and experiences of their inner life1 which is unhealthy and morbid1 to dwell upon the events which are continually unfolding themselves in ,god's world under ,his providence1 and teaches them to expect the final issue of those events in the complete manifestation and triumph of the ,son of ,god4 ,the last meaning would connect the #acth verse with the #adth1 ',he shall glorify me4' ',whenever the ,spirit of truth is working most energetically in you1 the effect will be that the glory of the ,deliverer and ,head of man becomes more dear to you2 that you proclaim me more and more earnestly in that character4' ',for ,he1 the ,comforter1 shall take of mine1 and shall shew it to you4' ',he shall1 in your hours of deepest gloom and despondency1 reveal to you ,one who is above yourselves1 ,one in whom you may forget yourselves1 ,one in whom you may see all that perfection of your nature which it will drive you to despair to seek in yourselves4 ,not1 indeed1 that you could be satisfied with even this vision1 if it were only the vision of a ,son of ,man1 of what is most glorious in humanity4' ',but all things which the ,father hath are mine4' ',all the glory of the ,godhead shines forth in the ,manhood2 all that original goodness and truth and love which man is created to long for and to show forth4' ',therefore1 said ,i1 ,he shall take of mine and shall shew it to you4' ,he has returned to the point from which ,he started4 ,his going to the ,father has been the subject of ,his discourse ever since ,he met them in the upper room at the feast4 ,that has led ,him to speak of the ,comforter who should tell them of ,his ,father2 afterwards of ,his own eternal union to them1 as the root of their fellowship1 as the spring of their life2 then again of the ,comforter who should teach them of both ,him and the ,father1 who should make them witnesses of their eternal unity to men4 ,it is no break in the discourse when ,he adds1 ',a little while1 and ye shall not see me3 and again1 a little while1 and ye shall see me1 because ,i go to the ,father4' ,the words which we translate 'see' in the two clauses1 are different4 ,i do not know that ,i can discern the shades of their meaning2 but ,i am sure that there is a reason for the variation1 and that it should not be overlooked4 ,the word may1 perhaps1 intimate that for a time they would lose all perception of ,him1 even an intellectual perception2 the word 1 that they should see ,him again with the eyes of the body as well as of the mind1 may have cheered the disciples afterwards2 at present it added to their confusion4 ',then said some of ,his disciples among themselves1 ,what is this that ,he saith unto us1 ,a little while1 and ye shall not see me3 and again1 a little while1 and ye shall see me3 and1 ,because ,i go to the ,father8 ,they said therefore1 ,what is this that ,he saith1 ,a little while8 we cannot tell what ,he saith4' ,they are like men awakening out of a dream1 full of troubles and of joys mixed strangely together4 ,he was departing from the earth2 ,he was going to the ,father2 ,he was to prepare a place for them4 ,what did it all mean8 ,they thought ,he was about to tell them2 these words 'a little while' seem to throw them back into more than their old perplexity4 ',now ,jesus knew that they were desirous to ask ,him1 and said unto them1 ,do ye inquire among yourselves of that ,i said1 ,a little while1 and ye shall not see me3 and again1 a little while1 and ye shall see me8' ,he knew that they were desirous to ask ,him1 because ,he had taught them to ask4 ,the processes of their minds were under ,his guidance1 as well as the issues of the processes4 ,he determined nothing for them till ,he had led them to feel after it4 ,so their conversations have become lesson-books for all ages2 not resolutions of doubts by peremptory decisions1 but histories of transactions in the hearts of men like ourselves1 whom the ,divine ,word chose as instances of the method by which ,he educates us4 ,and the sentences which follow show us something more of this method1 and make us understand how little even the most celestial food can nourish us if it is taken in without being digested4 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,that ye shall weep and lament1 but the world shall rejoice3 and ye shall be sorrowful1 but your sorrow shall be turned into joy4 ,a woman when she is in travail hath sorrow1 because her hour is come3 but as soon as she is delivered of the child1 she remembereth no more the anguish1 for joy that a man is born into the world4 ,and ye now therefore have sorrow3 but ,i will see you again1 and your heart shall rejoice1 and your joy no man taketh from you4' ,their thoughts of the 'little while' had been half sad1 half frivolous4 ,they supposed that ,he could at once tell them what ,he meant by telling them how long ,he would be absent1 and in what place and under what circumstances ,he would meet them again4 ,he presents the subject in an altogether different light2 for ,he tells them that the little while in which ,he shall be hidden from them will be an hour of travail and of death1 and that the little while of ,his reappearance will be the hour of the birth of a man into the world4 ,we feel at once that these cannot be metaphors2 that if the death of ,christ is anything1 and the resurrection of ,christ is anything1 this must be the language1 the most exact and living which ,christ ,himself could speak1 or we could hear1 to determine the signification of them4 ,here1 as throughout the conversation1 our ,lord connects the world with ,his disciples1 and at the same time contrasts the one with the other4 ,they will mourn that they have lost a friend2 the world will rejoice that it has got rid of an enemy4 ,but their ultimate joy must be that a ,,man1 the ,man for whom the world has been waiting so long1 has been born into it4 ,they can have no joy for themselves which is not a joy for mankind1 which is not a thanksgiving for its victory4 ',and ye now therefore have sorrow3 but ,i will see you again1 and your heart shall rejoice1 and your joy no man taketh from you4' ,they should see ,him returning the ,conqueror of death1 the ,conqueror of man's enemy2 that should be a joy not dependent upon the sight of their eyes1 not dependent upon ,his visible continuance with them2 it should be a joy of the heart1 and it should be a joy which no man could take from them4 ,their own weakness1 or sin1 or death1 could not1 for this joy would raise them above themselves2 this would give them an inheritance in ,one in whom was no sin or ignorance1 and over whom death had no power4 ,the unbelief of others could not1 for the fact of ,his triumph would remain the same whether men confessed it or no4 ,he goes on3 ',and in that day ye shall ask me nothing4 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,whatsoever ye shall ask the ,father in my name1 ,he will give it you4 ,hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name3 ask1 and ye shall receive1 that your joy may be full4' ,this was the secret1 half-understood cause of their grief1 as it is one cause of the grief of all who are about to lose a friend4 ,we can go to him no more2 we can tell him of no more difficulties2 we can ask him no more questions4 ',but in that day1' ,he says1 'when you shall see me again1--in that day of full1 satisfying joy1--you will not feel this want2 you will not be longing to ask that which only concerns yourselves2 you will feel yourselves bound together in my name1 a family of brothers in an ,elder ,brother4 ,the vision of a ,father will open clearly upon you2 and verily whatever you ask ,him in my name1--in the name of ,him who binds you to one another1 and binds you all to the ,father of heaven and earth1--,he will give it you4 ,for you will desire that which ,he desires1 that which ,i have died and risen again to work out1 the glory of ,his name1 the coming of ,his kingdom1 the doing of ,his will4 ,hitherto you have not entered into this joy4 ,your thoughts have been narrow1 weak1 limited to yourselves4 ,when you pray to the ,father in my name1 when you enter into communion with ,him1 your joy will be full2 you will attain the highest blessedness of which man is capable4' ',these things1' ,he continues1 'have ,i spoken unto you in proverbs3 but the time cometh1 when ,i shall no more speak unto you in proverbs1 but ,i shall shew you plainly of the ,father4 ,at that day ye shall ask in my name3 and ,i say not unto you1 that ,i will pray the ,father for you3 for the ,father ,himself loveth you1 because ye have loved me1 and have believed that ,i came out from ,god4 ,i came forth from the ,father1 and am come into the world3 again1 ,i leave the world1 and go to the ,father4' ,this is the climax of ,his discourse1 one may say of all human discourse2 though prayer1 as ,i think we shall find in the next chapter1 may take us into a higher region still4 ,he has been speaking to them in symbols1 proverbs1 parables4 ,he has been showing them how all nature1 how human transactions1 how their own lives1 all implied a kingdom of heaven1 were ladders upon which angels were ascending and descending4 ,the ladder would not be thrown down2 parables and proverbs would remain everlastingly true4 ,but now ,his voice could be heard who was at the top of the ladder4 ,the ,father1 who had been declared through all subordinate relations1 would ,himself be revealed4 ,and though all prayers are ascending up to ,him1 yet ,his love would be discovered as itself the fountain of them all4 ,even the ,son1 the great ,intercessor1 will not say to them that ,he will pray for them1 if they take prayer to mean anything which is to alter the ,father's purpose1 or augment ,his love4 ,for of ,his will ,his own words are the utterance and expression4 ,he came forth from the ,father1 and is come into the world4 ,he is going back to the ,father to unite the world to ,him4 ',his disciples said unto ,him1 ,lo1 now speakest thou plainly1 and speakest no proverb4 ,now are we sure that thou knowest all things1 and needest not that any man should ask thee3 by this we believe that thou camest forth from ,god4' ,it seemed to the disciples as if all clouds were now scattered4 ,they thought the ,man was already born into the world4 ,alas6 it was in their own faith they were still in part believing1 not in ,him4 ,the travail-hour must be passed through by them as by us2 that which would scatter all trust in themselves1 that which would leave them only ,god to trust in4 ',jesus answered them1 ,do ye now believe8 ,behold1 the hour cometh1 yea1 is now come1 in which ye shall be scattered1 every man to his own1 and shall leave me alone4' ,their hour of weakness was at hand4 ,it would be also ,his4 ,they would be deserted1 and ,he would be deserted4 ,and yet ,he adds1 ',i am not alone1 because the ,father is with me4' ',your faith will perish4 ,even ,i shall cry1 ,my ,god1 why hast thou forsaken me8 ,and yet that eternal union which ,i have been declaring to you1 which ,i have come into the world to manifest1 will be unshaken4 ,this desertion will make it manifest4 ,and because that is unshaken1 your union with me will be unshaken also4 ,nothing which ,i have said to you will prove untrue4 ,these things have ,i spoken unto you1 that in me ye might have peace4 ,in the world ye shall have tribulation1--that world which surrounds you1 and in the evils and faithlessness of which you share4 ,but be of good cheer2 ,i have overcome the world4 ,its wars and divisions and hatreds have not vanquished me2 ,i have vanquished them4 ,not the king whom the world has chosen for itself1 but the ,son whom the ,father has set over it1 shall reign in it for ever and ever4' ,,discourse ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,prayer ,,of ,,the ,,high ,,priest4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #ajth ,sunday after ,trinity 7,afternoon71 ,july #bg1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xvii4 #a4 ,these words spake ,jesus1 and lifted up ,his eyes to heaven1 and said1 ,father1 the hour is come2 glorify thy ,son1 that thy ,son also may glorify thee4 ,the more we enter into our ,lord's teaching1 the more profound is our apprehension of the dignity1 the awfulness1 the divinity of words2 the more we confess their insufficiency4 ,if ,he who was in the beginning with ,god is the ,word1 if words have been the expression of ,his mind1 they awaken those thoughts in our minds which they are intended to clothe4 ,but if the ,word has spoken of ,himself as a ,son2 if ,he has said that ,he has come from a ,father2 if ,he has promised a ,comforter1 ,he has taken us out of the region of words into the heart of the realities which they represent4 ,it is the ,son ,himself who reveals the ,father3 what could words effect without ,his ,person8 ,the ,father ,himself1 ,he has said1 draws us to the ,son3 words would be spoken in vain if there were not that wonderful and loving attraction upon the hearts of the creatures whom ,he has formed in the image of the ,son4 ,the ,spirit's work is to produce that inward conviction which words cannot produce1 to act upon the man himself1 to bind those into fellowship whom the diversities of speech and custom have made unintelligible to each other1 to testify to men of the ,father and the ,son1 as the ground of all speech1 thought1 and being4 ,but here1 as throughout this ,gospel1 the deepest revelation is the commonest and simplest4 ,as we enter into the region of the divine relations1 of divine communion1 all must tremble2 none are forbidden to approach4 ,intellectual differences disappear2 here every spirit may find its home4 ,we sometimes ask ourselves1 as we read the prayer in this chapter--and it is good that we should ask ourselves--',is this the model of our prayer8 ,is ,christ giving us an example here that we should follow in ,his steps8 ,or does it stand awfully alone1 separated from every other that ever has been or can be offered2 one which we are to wonder at the more1 because so vast a chasm separates it from all our acts and efforts of devotion8' ,i believe that if we have not understood the acts and discourses on the ,paschal night1 there can be but one answer to this question4 ',the ,son of ,god praying to ,his ,father the night before ,his ,passion1--how entirely isolated1' we should say1 'must such intercourse be from all that ever has been1 from all that can be conceived of6 ,what blasphemy to connect it1 even in thought1 with the petitions of those who have little to do but to confess their sins1 and supplicate forgiveness6' ,but if we have studied these chapters2 if we have learnt that when the disciples saw ,christ they saw the ,father2 if we have understood that ,he is the ,vine1 and they the branches2 if we have known what ,he meant when ,he told them that they were to ask in ,his name1 that their joy might be full2 if we have observed how ,he distinguishes the disciples from the world1 and yet how ,he teaches them that everything they do is to be done for the world1 and as a witness of ,god's love to the world2 then1 ,i think1 we shall feel that it is the greatest of all contradictions to suppose that this prayer does not contain in itself the essence and meaning of all prayer1 that it is not the one which best expresses the wants and longings of every man1 that it is not the prayer of all the children of ,god1 in all places and in all ages1 because it is the prayer of the only-begotten ,son of ,god4 ',these words spake ,jesus1 and lifted up ,his eyes to heaven1 and said1 ,father1 the hour is come4' ,he had spoken to ,his disciples of an hour of travail1 which was to terminate in a new birth for them and for the world4 ,the world knew nothing of this hour2 no one of its works or pleasures was interrupted2 that night was like every other night4 ,the disciples had a dull sense of present oppression1 a vague presentiment of approaching calamity4 ,but they1 as little as the world1 felt what the sorrow was1 still less what joy they had to expect when it was over4 ,he knew it all4 ,he knew inwardly that that was the hour to fulfil the purpose for which ,he was come into the world4 ,the life and death of the world were gathered up into it4 ,the feeling would have been intolerable if it had been a solitary1 separate one2 but the foresight of it had been given ,him by ,his ,father2 the sense that the hour was come was imparted by ,him2 ,his prayer was the acknowledgment of that which had been revealed to ,him1 ,his filial acceptance of that which had been prepared for ,him4 ,and surely1 brethren1 all prayer must be this4 ,it is the acknowledging of that1 be it sad or joyful1 which has been given to us2 it is the casting our experience upon ,him who has brought us into it1 and who understands it1 because without ,him we cannot go through it1 or in the least understand it ourselves4 ,and this is the petition which is grounded upon that confession1 ',glorify thy ,son1 that thy ,son also may glorify thee4' ,every prayer that had been presented since the creation-day had been a prophecy of this4 ,when the ,psalmist cried out of the depths1 ',lord1 hear my voice2' when he said1 ',let not any be offended or confounded because of me2' when he confessed his sin1 that ,god might be justified1 and might be clear when ,he was judged1 he seemed to say1 ',glorify me1 that ,i may glorify thee2' he seemed to pray1 ',let me1 ,david1 be brought out of my ignorance and darkness and sin1 that thy name may be honoured and not blasphemed4' ,he did really pray1 ',glorify thy ,son1 that thy ,son also may glorify thee6' ,he prayed that not he1 but that the ,son of ,man1 might be raised and delivered and exalted1 in order that ,god's own image might be exalted1 and might shine forth upon men4 ,when the ,son of ,man actually in ,his own person prayed this prayer1 ,he was expressing that which was latent and could not be expressed in those earlier petitions2 ,he was bringing them forth into their full clearness and power2 ,he was actually presenting them in ,his own name to ,him who had known and inspired the suppliant4 ',as thou hast given ,him power over all flesh1 that ,he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given ,him4' ,i do not think that when we are occupied with the words of our ,lord ,himself1 spoken in prayer the night before ,his crucifixion1 we have a right to alter them in the slightest degree1 for the sake of extracting from them what may seem to us a more natural and obvious signification4 ,i am quite aware that our translators would have appeared to themselves and to many of their readers to be using an uncouth and strange form of speech if they had rendered the words literally1 ',that all that which thou hast given to ,him1 ,he may give to them life eternal4' ,but ,i think they were bound to encounter any apparent difficulty of construction1 rather than to incur the risk of contracting or perverting this sense4 ,it was not a time to ask themselves whether their understandings could fully measure or take in the words4 ,if they had faith in ,him who spoke them1 they should have given them exactly1 and left ,him to interpret them in ,his own time to those who had need of them4 ,christ says that ,his ,father has given ,him power over all flesh4 ,he speaks1 again1 of all 7everything7 which ,his ,father had given to ,him4 ,and then1 leaving the neuter1 1 ,he uses the masculine plural1 them1 1 surely that ,he may denote the universality of the gift1 as well as the personality of those on whom it is bestowed4 ,it seems to me that we cannot afford to lose either of the truths which ,he thus declares1 because it requires a violation of the technicalities of grammar1 not of its essential laws1 to utter them both4 ,i suppose it was only in prayer that even ,he could have united them2 and possibly it is only in prayer that we can apprehend them1 so that they should not clash with each other4 ',and this is the eternal life1 that they may know ,thee1 the only true ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ whom thou hast sent4' ,if these words came upon us for the first time1 without any preparation1 we should perhaps think them very wonderful1 but should either pass them over1 or try to reduce them under some notions or formulas of ours4 ,but in this ,gospel we have been most carefully educated into an apprehension of their force2 they do not burst upon us suddenly1 though they may be both more full and more distinct than any with which we can compare them4 ,in the night dialogue with ,nicodemus1 by the well with the woman of ,samaria1 in the synagogue at ,capernaum after the feast of the five loaves1 in ,jerusalem on the great day of the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 we have been hearing of a life which the ,son of ,man gives1 a life of the ,spirit1 a life which is not of yesterday or to-day1 a life of communion1 a life of ,god4 ,if what was said there was true1 this must be true2 or rather1 this is the truth which throws back a light upon the words concerning the new life1 and the 'water of life1' and the 'bread of life4' ,this explains the assurance in man that he is born to know that which is above himself1 and his equally strong assurance that he must be known before he can know4 ,the only true ,god knows the creature in all his wanderings and ignorance and falsehood1 knows him in that ,son in whom ,he has created him4 ,when he turns to that ,god of truth1 when he confesses ,him and the ,son1 who is ,his image and the ,light of man1 then comes the true life1 the eternal life1 which ,christ1 who has power over all flesh1 alone confers upon it4 ',i have glorified thee on the earth3 ,i have finished the work which thou gavest me to do4 ,and now1 ,o ,father1 glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which ,i had with thee before the worlds were4' ,it is impossible to say anything which will not weaken the force of these words4 ,all ,i desire is to show you how they fulfil the idea1 which ,st4 ,john has been presenting to us from the beginning of his ,gospel1 of a ,word who was with ,god and was ,god1 of a ,son who had come forth from the ,father to reveal ,his grace and truth to men1 of a ,son who was returning to that ,father as to ,his proper home4 ,all is consistent from first to last2 all has been divine1 and all human4 ,no clashing of the one with the other2 but the human showing forth the divine as the perfect light from which it has been derived2 the human leading on to the divine as that in which it is satisfied4 ,hitherto this prayer has had no special reference to the disciples4 ,he has spoken of ,his power over all flesh1 of eternal life1 of the work which ,he had accomplished4 ,now it turns to them3 ',i have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world3 thine they were1 and thou gavest them me2 and they have kept thy word4' ,we have traced the use of this language through the later discourses of this ,gospel1 and have seen how entirely they are in harmony with the commencement of it4 ,the disciples are taken out of the narrow exclusive sect-world by which they are surrounded1 to be a family of witnesses for the ,father and the ,son2 witnesses of that love which the world--and no part of it so much as the religious world in ,jerusalem--was by its acts1 its words1 its principles1 repudiating4 ,to those ,jesus had manifested the name of ,his ,father4 ,he had shown them what ,he was1 and that they belonged to ,him4 ,amidst all their confusions and errors1 they had kept firm hold of this word4 ,they had yielded to ,christ's guidance2 believing1 when they understood ,him least1 that there was none else to whom they could go2 that ,he had the words of eternal life4 ,and they had now learnt a deeper lore4 ,they had referred ,his calling and guidance to the ,father4 ',now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee4 ,for ,i have given unto them the words which thou gavest me2 and they have received them1 and have known surely that ,i came out from thee1 and they have believed that thou didst send me4' ,this had been the design of all ,his discipline4 ,it had been working gradually upon them and in them4 ,but there had been still a clinging to ,him as their ,master2 the vision of a ,father had only just dawned upon them4 ,now in these last discourses they had learnt the mystery of ,his relation and their relation to the invisible world4 ,their belief might not be strong enough to be proof against all storms1 but it had taken root4 ,their position was that of friends1 not servants2 they were waiting for the ,comforter to tell them fully of the ,father2 already they had the sense of not being born of flesh1 or of blood1 or of the will of men1 but of ,god4 ',i pray for them3 ,i pray not for the world1 but for them which thou hast given me2 for they are thine4' ,it is not because ,i wish in the least to evade the force of these words as they stand in our version1 that ,i plead for a more exact rendering3 ',i am asking concerning them2 not concerning the world do ,i ask1 but concerning those whom thou hast given me4' ,i believe the impression left on many minds by our use of the preposition for1 is that ,christ is indifferent to the world1 and only solicitous on behalf of a certain select circle4 ,i do not say that any one will quite put that thought into words4 ,when he sees it stated1 he will shrink from it4 ,still it lurks in men's minds1 and it is very desirable to remove any prop1 however feeble and unimportant in itself1 which may sustain it there4 ,if any one says1 ',but the force of the words lies not in this for1 but in the expression1 whom thou hast given me1' ,i say at once that1 so far from wishing to make that expression less strong1 ,i would insist upon it vehemently1 as marking the distinction between a family which stands in its calling by ,god1 and a world which attempts to associate on another ground than that calling1 which chooses for itself4 ,christ is here praying concerning those who are to be the lights of this dark world1 the salt of this corrupting earth2 those who are to teach the world1 in ,whom it is constituted1 the earth1 by ,whom it has been created and is kept alive4 ',they are thine4 ,and all mine are thine1 and thine are mine2 and ,i am glorified in them4 ,and now ,i am no more in the world1 but these are in the world1 and ,i come to thee4 ,holy ,father1 keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me1 that they may be one1 as we are4' ,all that has been said in the ,paschal discourses1 concerning the unity of the disciples with ,him and ,his unity with the ,father1 concerning the essential and eternal dependence of the human unity upon the divine1 is here translated into prayer4 ,and yet1 translated is an unsatisfactory word4 ,it rather finds its only root and ground in prayer4 ,for what is prayer but that intercourse of the ,father with the ,son1 of the family with its ,head1 which this unity makes possible8 ,and what is the object and result of all prayer but this1 that what is true in the mind of ,god may be true in the actual condition of men2 all the hindrances which self-will has opposed to the divine ,will being finally and for ever taken away8 ',while ,i was with them in the world1 ,i kept them in thy name3 those that thou gavest me ,i have kept1 and none of them is lost but the son of perdition1 that the ,scripture might be fulfilled4' ,here1 no doubt1 is an unfathomable abyss2 we cannot see down into it2 to attempt it1 is to hazard the loss of our footing4 ,one of those whom the ,father has given to ,christ 7so the passage seems to say1 and we cannot alter the terms of it to fit our fancies or wishes7 perishes in his own selfishness and sin4 ,jesus says so4 ,he says that that which had been written of old had come to pass2 curses had come upon the man who loved cursing2 he who had chosen death had been left to die4 ,it is terrible to think of4 ,but how infinitely more terrible would this fact1 and all the facts that are daily occurring in the world's history1 be1 if they were not associated with the gift of eternal life1 with the cry of the ,son to the ,holy ,father on behalf of all whom ,he has given ,him6 ,what the heights and depths of that prayer are1 none of us can know4 ,it is enough to know who spoke and who heard1 what love is above all and beneath all1 how that love has been manifested and accomplished on this earth of ours4 ,to dwell in it must be eternal life2 to be separated from it must be eternal death4 ',and now come ,i to thee2 and these things ,i speak in the world1 that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves4 ,i have given them thy word2 and the world hath hated them1 because they are not of the world1 even as ,i am not of the world4 ,i pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world1 but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil4 ,they are not of the world1 even as ,i am not of the world4' ,the idea of men living as children of ,god1 members of ,christ's body1 inheritors of the kingdom of heaven1 with a world and a flesh and an evil spirit striving against them which they can renounce and can overcome1 is not one which is strange to any of us4 ,it is only too familiar4 ,we know the sounds so well1 and we have repeated them so often and so idly1 that the words have lost their significance2 we think they are words of art1 or words of course4 ,here we have the beginning and ground of them4 ,throughout1 ,st4 ,john has been speaking of a race born1 not of flesh1 nor of blood1 nor of the will of men1 but of ,god4 ,christ here declares that ,he has founded such a race upon the earth4 ,he prays ,his ,father to keep it in the world1 not to take it out of the world2 to keep it by ,his word1 ,his quickening1 uniting word1 which a world that is divided and is seeking death must hate2 to keep it in the confession of ,him who is not of the world1 but is the ,son of ,god2 to keep it from that evil spirit who would make it selfish1 divided1 hating1 and therefore the worst portion of the world against which it is to bear witness4 ',sanctify them through thy truth3 thy word is truth4 ,as thou hast sent me into the world1 even so have ,i also sent them into the world4 ,and for their sakes ,i sanctify myself1 that they also might be sanctified through the truth4' ,surely1 brethren1 there are no words that we need to meditate on more than these3 for it cannot be denied that sanctity and truth have become strangely separated among those who call themselves by ,christ's name4 ,oftentimes it would seem as if holiness were pursued to the utter denial and dereliction of truth2 nay1 as if it courted an alliance with falsehood4 ,oftentimes1 again1 it would seem as if men who desired truth and pursued it1 regarded it as a dead and abstract thing1 which has no affinity with the life of man1 which has no effect in making him purer or better4 ,nevertheless1 the voice has ascended on high1 ',make them holy by truth1' for truth only can make holy4 ,whatever is contrary to it or mixed with falsehood1 must defile and make base4 ,and the prayer has been heard1 and will be answered completely at last2 for the ,son of ,god1 who is the way1 and the truth1 and the life1 took our flesh upon ,him1 and met falsehood in all the forms in which it presents itself in this world1 and sanctified ,himself1 and kept ,himself from all contact with it1 only by the might and energy of truth1 only by submitting in all things to ,his ,father1 who is the ,god of truth4 ,and these temptations ,he underwent1 and this battle ,he fought1 for the sake of ,his disciples1 that they also might be sanctified by truth and truth only1 that it might be an armour to them on the right hand and on the left1 that they might live for it1 and die for it4 ,in this second part of the prayer1 all has had direct reference to the disciples who surrounded ,him1 whatever ultimate reference it might have to the remotest corner of the universe4 ,but in the third part of it1 ,he says expressly3 ',neither pray ,i for these alone1 but for them also which shall believe on me through their word2 that they all may be one2 as thou1 ,father1 art in me1 and ,i in thee1 that they also may be one in us3 that the world may believe that thou hast sent me4 ,and the glory which thou gavest me ,i have given them2 that they may be one1 even as we are one3 ,i in them1 and thou in me1 that they may be made perfect in one2 and that the world may know that thou hast sent me1 and hast loved them1 as thou hast loved me4' ,here is a prayer for the whole state of ,christ's ,church militant here on earth from age to age2 a prayer offered by the ,head of that ,church to ,his ,father1 offered on the night before ,his sacrifice was to be perfected2 a prayer grounded not upon some wish or high aspiration hard to be realized1 but1 as ,he has just said1 upon truth1 upon the eternal truth that the ,father is in ,him and ,he in the ,father1 and that ,he is the ,head of all men and that all live by ,him4 ,this glory1 ,he says1 ,he has given not to those eleven who were sitting about ,him then1 but to all everywhere who should believe in ,him through their words4 ,he has put this glory upon them2 ,he has given them the name of ,himself1 and of ,his ,father1 and of the ,holy ,spirit the ,comforter1 to be their name1 that they might dwell in it and abide in it4 ,and ,he prays for them1 that they may not choose to be divided when ,he has made them one1 that they may not make themselves the curses of the world by sharing in all its envies and hatreds1 and by pleading ,god's name as the excuse for them1 when ,he has sent them into the world to be the witnesses that ,his own ,son has declared ,his love to it1 and has gone forth from ,him to bring it into the circle of ,his love4 ,he began by saying1 that eternal life was to know the only true ,god and ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ2 ,he ends with saying1 that this is the glory which all are created to seek after1 and which ,he has taken flesh that they may attain and possess with ,him4 ',father1 ,i will that they also1 whom thou hast given me1 be with me where ,i am2 that they may behold my glory1 which thou hast given me3 for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world4 ,o righteous ,father1 the world hath not known thee' 7has not known thy righteousness1 but has supposed thee to be altogether unrighteous like itself2 has not known thee by that name of ,father1 but has taken thee to be hard-hearted and grudging like itself73 'but ,i have known thee1' 7known thee as the image of thy righteousness1 known thee as thy ,son17 'and these have known that thou hast sent me4' ,these have seen thy light shining forth through me4 ,these have beheld my glory as the glory of an only-begotten ,son1 full of grace and truth4 ',and ,i have declared unto them thy name1 and will declare it' 7to the end of all things73 'that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them1 and ,i in them4' ,,discourse ,,xxvii4 ,,the ,,passion4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #aath ,sunday after ,trinity 7,morning71 ,august #c1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xix4 #cg4 ,and again another scripture saith1 ,they shall look on him whom they have pierced4 ,in our services for the earlier days of ,passion ,week we read carefully and at length the narratives of the first three ,evangelists4 ,the narrative of ,st4 ,john is reserved for ,good ,friday4 ,there is great wisdom1 ,i think1 as well as courage in this course4 ,the diversities in these narratives1 instead of being concealed from us1 are forced upon our notice2 we are taught that we shall gain insight into the whole purpose of the writers of the ,gospels1 of ,god ,himself1 by considering them4 ,we are taught1 at the same time1 that it is here we are to look for the unity of the ,gospels2 that all the lines in them have been tending to this point2 that we must learn what they signify at the ,cross itself4 ,the special honour which is given to ,st4 ,john may have been suggested by the name of 'beloved disciple4' ,but it has1 ,i think1 a higher justification4 ,st4 ,john's ,gospel takes us into the very heart of the ,good ,friday mystery4 ,the passages in his narrative of the ,passion1 which do not occur in the other ,gospels1 throw back a light upon them1 while they explain the special end for which he wrote4 ,but they do much more4 ,they show us why the death of ,christ has been1 and must be1 the centre of the ,gospel concerning ,him2 why all ,his discourses1 nay1 even that prayer ,i was trying to speak of last ,sunday1 would be worthless and unmeaning without it4 ,how we should tremble to overlay the record of it with our words6 ,how careful the ,evangelists are that we should not be hindered from seeing the facts1 and the ,person1 even by listening to their words6 ,i shall attempt little more this morning than to seize those points of the narrative contained in the #ahth and #aith chapters of ,st4 ,john1 which are different from the narratives in ,st4 ,matthew1 ,st4 ,mark1 and ,st4 ,luke4 ,but1 that we may feel the force of these differences1 it is necessary to say a word respecting their essential agreement4 ,this agreement is negative as well as positive4 ,in contemplating the passion of our ,lord1 one class of devout persons have encouraged a sentimental habit of mind4 ,they have dwelt upon the seven wounds1 upon the crown of thorns1 upon the circumstances either of mental or bodily anguish which seem to separate this ,divine death from every other4 ,a second class has meditated less upon the suffering and upon the ,person of the ,sufferer2 much more upon the effects which the suffering would produce either upon men or upon ,god ,i do not condemn these courses2 none can tell what good for life or for death may have been extracted from either4 ,i only say1 that the method in the four ,gospels is equally different from both2 and seeing that those who have chosen the one or the other acknowledge the authority of ,scripture as paramount and divine1 ,i cannot offend them if ,i add that the ,gospel method is simpler1 deeper1 and more reverent than theirs1 and that probably any blessing which they have divided between them will be ultimately possessed in fulness by those who follow it4 ,in trying to discover what this method is1 the reader is likely to be struck with the importance which all the ,evangelists attach to the arraignment of ,christ before ,caiaphas and before ,pontius ,pilate4 ,perhaps1 if they were honest with themselves1 they would confess that they have been surprised at finding so much said upon this part of the subject1 so little comparatively of the crucifixion itself4 ,but the more we reflect1 the more clearly we shall perceive that in this1 which seems to them the legal portion of the history1 the ground is laid for that part of it which is most transcendent and divine1 and also which is nearest to the sympathies of all human beings4 ,the charge before the ,sanhedrim was1 that ,jesus claimed to be the ,son of ,god2 the charge before the ,roman governor was1 that ,jesus claimed to be a king4 ,to set ,him forth in that double character1 as the ,witness of the ,father whom ,jewish rulers were denying1 as the true human ,king whose power the absolute emperor was counterfeiting and usurping1--this was the business of the ,evangelists in their records of all ,christ's discourses and acts4 ,and it was this which gave the significance to ,his death4 ,it was the divine death and the human death1 the death which manifested the mind and will of the ,father2 it was the death in which all men were to see their own4 ,in this respect ,st4 ,john does not in the least differ from his predecessors4 ,it was certainly not less his purpose than theirs to exhibit the ,son of ,god and the ,son of ,man4 ,what was spoken against ,jesus1 and what ,he spoke before ,caiaphas and before ,pilate1 could not therefore be passed over or dwelt upon with less emphasis in the fourth ,gospel than in the other three4 ,it must be dwelt on with more emphasis4 ,he can tell us nothing of ,calvary till he has made us understand ,who was brought there1 and why ,he was brought4 ,and as in this main characteristic of the other ,evangelists ,st4 ,john resembles them1 so also he follows them in all the chief incidents which they record4 ,the night scene when ,he is apprehended by ,judas and the band of officers from the chief priests2 ,st4 ,peter's attempt to defend ,him by cutting off the ear of ,malchus2 ,st4 ,peter's denial2 the cry of the multitude for ,barabbas2 the purple robe and the crown of thorns2 ,pilate's efforts to release ,him2 the inscription on the cross2 and the burial in the tomb of ,joseph2 are told as carefully in ,st4 ,john as if no previous narratives of them had been known in the ,church4 ,yet under each of these heads points are brought out by ,st4 ,john to which there is nothing corresponding in the earlier ,evangelists1 and which one feels instinctively would have been out of place in them4 ,the first is this in the story of the apprehension3 ',jesus therefore1 knowing all things that should come upon ,him1 went forth1 and said unto them1 ,whom seek ye8 ,they answered ,him1 ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,i am ,he4 ,and ,judas also1 which betrayed ,him1 stood with them4 ,as soon then as ,he had said unto them1 ,i am ,he1 they went backward1 and fell to the ground4 ,then asked ,he them again1 ,whom seek ye8 ,and they said1 ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,jesus answered1 ,i have told you that ,i am ,he3 if therefore ye seek me1 let these go their way3 that the saying might be fulfilled1 which ,he spake1 ,of them which thou gavest me have ,i lost none4' ,the last quotation is taken from the prayer which ,st4 ,john alone has given us4 ,but ,i think the words1 ',i am' which made the officers stagger as they drew near with their torches in the dark night to the ,nazarene prophet1 have also their interpretation in previous words which belong exclusively to this ,gospel4 ,we are told in the #hth chapter that the ,jews in the ,temple took up stones to cast at ,jesus1 because ,he appeared to them to be claiming the words spoken in the bush as if they were spoken of ,him4 ,was there not a recollection of those words as ,he stood before them now8 ,did not the clear light of righteousness and truth in ,his face carry them home to the conscience of the officers1 and make them feel for a moment that ,one was using them who had a right to use them1 ,one to whom they owed homage8 ,the struggle was soon over2 they had been sent to do a work1 and they went through it4 ,then came that other sentence1 ',let these go their way1' which fulfilled1 ,st4 ,john says1 the words1 ',of them which thou gavest me have ,i lost none4' ,what6 we say to ourselves1 ,were not those words spoken for all time8 ,did not they refer to a deliverance from ultimate perdition8 ,could they be accomplished in the deliverance of the eleven ,apostles from the immediate peril of being apprehended with their ,lord8 ,i answer1 the more we become acquainted with the letter and with the spirit of ,st4 ,john's narrative1 the more we understand that he regards every act done by our ,lord1 to effect ever so temporary a redemption1 for ever so small a body1 or so insignificant an individual1 as a sign of what ,he is1 of the work in which ,he is always engaged1 of the blessing which ,he has wrought out and designs for the universe4 ,if we do not like to take this as a sign that the words of that prayer were uttered on earth and accomplished in heaven1 we may form what sublime notions we will about ,christ's redemption1 but they will be notions only2 they will not belong to reality2 at best they will point to some good which we expect for ourselves2 they will not glorify ,him from whom all good comes4 ,the incident of ,peter smiting the high-priest's servant follows immediately upon this sentence4 ,the sequence is1 ,i think1 significant4 ,the ,apostle begins to defend his ,master2 he does not know that his ,master is defending him4 ,of ,his disciples ,he loses none2 but 'the cup which ,his ,father has given ,him1 ,he must drink4' ,then the vigorous champion is chilled4 ,he must warm himself at the fire1 for it is cold1 while his ,master is in the hall before the high-priest2 the faces of maid-servants terrify him2 he forgets that he was in the garden with ,christ2 he forgets his own violence2 and the cock crows4 ,the story is told with peculiar vividness by ,st4 ,john1 but it is the same in substance with that which the ,hebrew ,matthew told of the ,apostle of the ,hebrews2 which ,mark told of his own kinsman and master1 writing perhaps from his dictation4 ,but the answer of ,jesus to the high-priest is found only in ,st4 ,john4 ',i spake openly to the world2 ,i ever taught in the synagogue1 and in the temple1 whither the ,jews always resort1 and in secret have ,i said nothing4 ,why askest thou me8 ,ask them which heard me1 what ,i have said unto them3 behold1 they know what ,i said4' ,i do not quote these words only or chiefly because they show that ,he who when ,he was reviled reviled not again1 could answer in a way which the bystanders thought offensive to the dignity of the high-priest2 so justifying words that have been pronounced unseemly in many of his followers1 when they have been brought before priests and rulers2 nor because they show how easily affected reverence for an administrator of the law may be joined with an outrage upon the law itself4 ,i quote them much more because they occur in that ,evangelist1 who has been suspected of revealing a secret lore which ,christ had kept back from those who heard ,him in the synagogue and in the ,temple4 ,that inference has been grounded upon those ,paschal discourses which ,i have been considering lately2 discourses especially designed to prepare the disciples for delivering a message to the world2 discourses of which the main characteristic is1 that they contain the promise of a ,comforter who should deliver them from their narrowness1 and who should convince the world4 ,but here is a testimony1 coming after those discourses1 from the lips of ,christ himself1 that ,he had no esoteric lore1 that ,his doctrine may be learnt from that which ,he spoke openly1 and that ,his disciples are teaching another doctrine than ,his1 if theirs is not one which can be proclaimed as good news to the universe4 ,it is ,st4 ,john who tells us that the ,jews did not 'go into the judgment-hall lest they should be defiled1 that they might eat the passover4' ,this most characteristic trait of a religious and godless nation ever put upon record1 should be thought of by each of us in silence and awe1 since every age has brought some terrible repetitions of it4 ,what cautions have not inquisitors taken lest they should be defiled6 what care have they not used to prepare themselves for feasts1 at which their hands were to be dipped deep in blood for the honour of their god6 ,they never fancied that they were copying the ,pharisees of ,jerusalem4 ,we wrap ourselves in our ,protestantism1 and think we are quite secure that we shall not follow them4 ,alas6 there is our peril6 to dream that there is one evil tendency in ,jews or in ,romanists which is not in us1 that there is one crime of theirs which we may not commit6 ,it is from ,st4 ,john that we learn that ,pilate would have wished the people to take ,jesus1 and judge ,him according to their own law2 and that they1 acting in the spirit of the advice of ,caiaphas1 waived the privilege which perhaps they might have asserted1 that ,he might die the ,roman death of the cross1 and perish as a traitor against the ,csar4 ,and it is ,st4 ,john who gives us that dialogue in ,pilate's hall1 of which we are only beginning1 after eighteen hundred years1 to spell out the sense1 though during all those eighteen hundred years the sense has been declaring itself in wonderful ways4 ',then ,pilate entered into the judgment-hall again1 and called ,jesus1 and said unto ,him1 ,art thou the ,king of the ,jews8 ,jesus answered him1 ,sayest thou this thing of thyself1 or did others tell it thee of me8 ,pilate answered1 ,am ,i a ,jew8 ,thine own nation and the chief priests have delivered thee unto me3 what hast thou done8 ,jesus answered1 ,my kingdom is not of this world3 if my kingdom were of this world1 then would my servants fight1 that ,i should not be delivered to the ,jews3 but now is my kingdom not from hence4 ,pilate therefore said unto ,him1 ,art thou a king then8 ,jesus answered1 ,thou sayest that ,i am a king4 ,to this end was ,i born1 and for this cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i should bear witness unto the truth4 ,every one that is of the truth heareth my voice4 ,pilate saith unto him1 ,what is truth8 ,and when he had said this1 he went out again unto the ,jews1 and saith unto them1 ,i find in him no fault at all4' ,the other ,evangelists have spoken to us of a kingdom of heaven1 a kingdom the nature of which might be explained by parables of nature1 the powers of which were manifested in acts of healing and blessing to men4 ,it was a kingdom in the strictest sense1 a kingdom set up on earth to rule over the earth4 ,but it was not of this world4 ,its capacity of blessing men arose from its not being created by them1 or dependent upon them4 ,it was ,god's kingdom1 therefore it was as unlike as possible to the tyrannies by which the world had tormented itself4 ,st4 ,john had gone in his ,gospel to the root of this doctrine4 ,he had spoken of a ,word by whom the world is created1 who is the ,source of its life1 though it knows ,him not4 ,he had spoken of this ,word as the ,light of men4 ,he had shown how the ,word1 being made flesh1 proved ,himself by all ,his acts and discourses to be the same who had taught the hearts and consciences of men in all ages4 ,he had spoken of this ,word as setting forth the ,father from whom ,he came4 ,he had said that in manifesting ,him1 he manifested the truth which would make men free4 ,in this dialogue all these lessons are gathered up4 ,jesus will not tell ,pilate that ,he is not a king1 for that would be to contradict all ,his preaching and all ,his acts2 ,he will not tell him that ,he is a king1 for how could a poor official and slave of ,roman absolutism understand ,him8 ,but ,he says3 ',for this cause was ,i born1 and for this cause came ,i into the world1 that ,i might bear witness 7to ,jews1 to ,romans1 to thee7 of the truth4 ,and ,i know that those who seek truth and love truth will hear my voice4' ,this was that 'good confession' which he witnessed before ,pontius ,pilate1 the ground and pattern of all confessions that were to be borne afterwards in the world2 all these deriving their virtue from this1 all being witnesses of a kingdom which is not of the world1 but overcomes the world2 all being true because ,he is the truth4 ,i have said already that ,jesus is represented in all the ,gospels as wearing the purple robe and the crown of thorns4 ,but the words of ,pilate1 when he brought ,him forth with these signs of royalty1 ',behold the ,man6' occur only in ,st4 ,john4 ,the answer of the chief priests and of the officers was1 ',crucify ,him1 crucify ,him4' ,pilate said1 ',take ye ,him1 and crucify ,him3 for ,i find no fault in ,him4 ,the ,jews answered him1 ,we have a law1 and by our law ,he ought to die1 because ,he made ,himself the ,son of ,god4' ,these words1 like so many of which he speaks in his ,gospel1 may have fallen lightly upon ,st4 ,john's ears at first2 but after that ',jesus was risen from the dead1 then would he have remembered what things were spoken of ,him1 and what things were done unto ,him4' ,then will the sentence1 ',behold the ,man1' have seemed to him the most wonderful inspiration which an evil ruler1 who spoke not of himself1 was ever visited with4 ,then the cry1 ',crucify ,him1' will indeed have meant1 ',crucify the ,man1 the ,son of ,man1 the ,representative of ,humanity4' ,then the attempt of the chief priests to sustain their charge of treason against ,rome when that was failing1 with the charge which ,pilate could not understand1 and which therefore made him the more afraid1 of treason against ,god1 will have appeared to him a startling testimony that they could not crucify the ,son of ,man without crucifying the ,son of ,god4 ,what follows belongs only to ,st4 ,john4 ',pilate went again into the judgment-hall1 and saith unto ,jesus1 ,whence art thou8 ,but ,jesus gave him no answer4' ,pilate may have had a misgiving that he and the prisoner were not in their right relations to each other4 ,there was something in the criminal which judged ,him4 ,he shook off the feeling1 as most would have done1 by boasting of his superiority4 ',speakest thou not unto me8 knowest thou not that ,i have power to crucify thee1 and have power to release thee8' ,no doubt he watched the countenance of ,jesus1 to see if such words did not make ,him quail4 ,the calm answer came3 ',thou couldest have no power at all against me1 except it were given thee from above2 therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin4' ,he did not dispute the authority of the governor or of the empire4 ,it was ,god-given authority4 ,they believed it was their own4 ,he told them whence it was derived4 ,the heavier sin lay with those who boasted that they were chosen by the righteous ,god1 and who sought the aid of the rulers of the world to put down ,right4 ,pilate was convinced that ,jesus was not a rebel1 whatever his words about a kingdom might mean4 ',from thenceforth he sought to release ,him3 but the ,jews cried out1 ,if thou let this man go1 thou art not ,csar's friend4 ,he that maketh himself a king1 speaketh against ,csar4' ,the governor had too much ,roman sense not to see through this petty sacerdotal artifice1 this affected reverence for a ruler whom1 as ,jews1 they hated4 ',when he heard that saying1' probably to indulge his scorn of men who were driving him into an act that he disliked2 perhaps--though ,i think there is over-refinement in attributing that motive to him--because he fancied he should have the people on his side against the priests--',he brought ,jesus forth1 and sat down in the judgment-seat1 in a place that is called the ,pavement1 but in the ,hebrew1 ,gabbatha4 ,and it was the preparation of the ,passover1 and about the sixth hour3 and he saith unto the ,jews1 ,behold your ,king6 ,but they cried out4 ,away with ,him1 away with ,him1 crucify ,him6 ,pilate saith unto them1 ,shall ,i crucify your ,king8 ,the chief priests answered1 ,we have no king but ,csar4' ,if ,pilate had had a deliberate scheme of policy to extract from a turbulent province a solemn recantation of the faith which had kept alive its national existence from age to age1 he could not have effected his purpose more perfectly than he did by this proceeding4 ,for an unusual crowd must have been assembled2 it was the feast which celebrated the deliverance of the land from a foreign tyrant1 and its allegiance to an invisible king4 ,there and then the rulers of the land severed all ties except those which bound them as servants to the emperors4 ,if ,pilate had been 7as indeed he was7 a prophet of ,god1 he could not have proclaimed more solemnly and awfully that the ,jewish people were thenceforth ineffectual for any moral purpose1 as witnesses against human tyranny or human idolatry1 and that there is no real alternative for any people between the acknowledgment of the ,man as ,king and the worship of a military tyrant or ,man-,god4 ,this1 therefore1 is the crisis in the history of that day and of the world4 ',then delivered he ,him therefore unto them to be crucified4 ,and they took ,jesus and led ,him away4' ,all the ,evangelists speak of the title on the cross4 ,st4 ,john dwells upon it with great emphasis3 ',and ,pilate wrote a title1 and put it on the cross4 ,and the writing was1 ,jesus of ,nazareth the ,king of the ,jews4 ,this title then read many of the ,jews3 for the place where ,jesus was crucified was nigh to the city3 and it was written in ,hebrew1 and ,greek1 and ,latin4 ,then said the chief priests of the ,jews to ,pilate1 ,write not1 ,the ,king of the ,jews2 but that ,he said1 ,i am ,king of the ,jews4 ,pilate answered1 ,what ,i have written ,i have written4' ,if we have understood the meaning of this ,gospel1 we shall feel the emphasis of the words1 ',what ,i have written1 ,i have written4' ,the ,jews had declared1 ',we have no king but ,csar4' ,but they cannot prevent the servant of ,csar from declaring1 in bitter mockery1 to all men who could read ,hebrew1 or ,greek1 or ,latin1 ',this ,man1 whom they have forced me to put to death as an evil-doer1 is their ,king4 ,look up1 and see what kind of a king they have4' ,the insult was felt by them2 they must bear it4 ,and that ,hebrew nation has said by the prophets and apostles whom it has sent forth1 has said by all who have believed through their word1 has said in their own tongue1 has said in ,greek and in ,latin to the nations which ,alexander vanquished and civilized1 to the new world of the ,west which ,julius ,csar reclaimed from chaos1 ',our ,king is your ,king2 to this malefactor you must bow down2 by this sign you must conquer1 or be conquered4' ',then the soldiers1 when they had crucified ,jesus1 took ,his garments1 and made four parts1 to every soldier a part2 and also ,his coat3 now the coat was without seam1 woven from the top throughout4 ,they said therefore among themselves1 ,let us not rend it1 but cast lots for it1 whose it shall be3 that the ,scripture might be fulfilled1 which saith1 ,they parted my raiment among them1 and for my vesture they did cast lots4 ,these things therefore the soldiers did4' ,do you ask how ,st4 ,john could speak of that act of the soldiers whilst ,jesus was hanging there8 ,do you ask how he could dwell upon fulfilments of the ,scripture at such a time8 ,think a moment6 ,would anything give you the same impression of horror1 if you were standing by an ordinary deathbed1 as the sight of men contending for the raiment and goods of him who was leaving them8 ,is there anything so horrible as the thought how much death is regarded as only an event which gives the survivors a right to appropriate the things which the man has no more use for8 ,if we had not been told that it was so when the ,prince of the whole earth was dying1 how much less we should know of the indifference which it is possible for human beings to feel6 ,how much less we shall know of what ,he had to bear6 ',these things therefore the soldiers did1' in the sight of the ,cross1 under the eye of the ,son of ,god4 ,we might in their place have done the same2 there was nothing in the mere sight of the suffering to prevent it4 ',they parted my raiment among them2 for my vesture did they cast lots4' ,thus a man of the old world1 dying in desertion and darkness1 expressed a part of his suffering1 not a less intense part of it than the dryness of the 'throat with thirst1 than the melting of the heart like wax4' ,and that suffering was all fulfilled1 all raised to its most intense point in ,him who gave ,himself for all1 that all might be brought within the power of a love which they seemed utterly incapable of perceiving4 ,i am sure there is immeasurably more in these words than ,i can enter into or dream of2 but ,i dare not leave realities for metaphors at such a time4 ,it may be lawful to speak of the divisions in ,christ's ,church as the rending of ,his seamless robe2 they are that1 and much more than that2 they are the rending of ,his body and of ,his heart4 ,but they are too awful1 and the ,cross is too awful1 to permit plays of the fancy4 ,let us ask ,god to keep us from them1 that we may have some faint perception of the truth of ,his grief1 as ,he entered into the inmost experience of ours4 ',now there stood by the cross of ,jesus ,his mother1 and ,his mother's sister1 ,mary the wife of ,cleophas1 and ,mary ,magdalene4 ,when ,jesus therefore saw ,his mother1 and the disciple standing by1 whom ,he loved1 ,he saith unto ,his mother1 ,woman1 behold thy son6 ,then saith ,he to the disciple1 ,behold thy mother6 ,and from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home4 ,after this1 ,jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished1 that the ,scripture might be fulfilled1 saith1 ,i thirst4 ,now there was set a vessel full of vinegar3 and they filled a spunge with vinegar1 and put it upon hyssop1 and put it to ,his mouth4 ,when ,jesus therefore had received the vinegar1 ,he said1 ,it is finished3 and ,he bowed ,his head1 and gave up the ghost4' ,this is all which ,st4 ,john tells us of the ,cross1 and of the words that were spoken upon it4 ,we may think it little2 but it has been found enough for tens of thousands of men and women dying on their beds1 by the sword1 at the stake4 ,when they have doubted1 and have even been led by religious teachers to doubt1 whether human affections did not belong to frail and sinful mortality1 the words1 ',woman1 behold thy son3 son1 behold thy mother1' coming from the ,divine lips1 have testified to them that selfishness only is accursed1 that all which belongs to love is imperishable4 ,when they have felt the intensity of bodily pain1 and have felt how little they could obey the dreary command to think of their souls2 the cry1 ',i thirst1' has bound them to ,him who knew the fulness of their sorrow1 who entered into the wants1 not of souls1 but of men4 ,and when all sight of the future has been shut out1 and there has been in their minds only the sense of evil triumphant and exulting1 a voice which no clamour could drown has said to them1 ',it is finished4' ',the battle is fought2 the victory is won4 ,a little while1 and the hosts which look so mighty now1 shall be seen no more for ever4' ',the ,jews therefore1 because it was the preparation1 that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the ,sabbath-day1 7for that ,sabbath-day was an high day17 besought ,pilate that their legs might be broken1 and that they might be taken away4 ,then came the soldiers1 and brake the legs of the first1 and of the other which was crucified with ,him4 ,but when they came to ,jesus1 and saw that ,he was dead already1 they brake not ,his legs3 but one of the soldiers with a spear pierced ,his side1 and forthwith came there out blood and water4 ,and he that saw it bare record1 and his record is true3 and ,he knoweth that he saith true1 that ye might believe4' ,that some in ,st4 ,john's day had begun to deny that ,jesus ,christ was come in the flesh1 nay1 that he regarded this denial as the anti-,christian doctrine1 we know from his ,epistle4 ,his ,gospel is the answer to this denial1 because it begins from the divine ground1 and shows how impossible it is to maintain that ground1 unless we believe in the ,word made flesh4 ,he that saw the water and the blood then bare record of the fact1 the import of which concerned the life of the ,church and of every man4 ,if we look at the subject from this point of view1 we are not obliged to decide whether ,st4 ,john spoke of the water and the blood in a common sense1 as a point of evidence1 or in a sacramental sense1 as involving a high mystery4 ,the common sense is the sacramental sense2 the evidence of ,christ's actual relation to our nature is the assurance that ,he cleanses it of its defilement1 that ,he endues it with a new and higher life4 ,what more is conveyed by this sign1 or1 rather1 what a force it gives to the whole history of the crucifixion1 ,st4 ,john himself must tell us4 ',for these things were done1 that the ,scripture should be fulfilled1 ,a bone of ,him shall not be broken4 ,and again another ,scripture saith1 ,they shall look on ,him whom they pierced4' ,to understand the fulfilments of ,scripture of which the ,apostle speaks1 by merely fitting the words which he quotes to some fact1 ,i believe to be impossible4 ,there is a fact always answering to the words2 but its import1 its connexion with the life of our ,lord and the life of man1 must be ascertained by meditating on the context3 that context being found1 not always in the letters of a book1 but quite as often in a portion of history1 or in an institution and the purposes for which it existed4 ,here is a type instance4 ,the words1 ',a bone shall not be broken1' are brought to the ,apostle's mind by seeing that the usual custom of breaking the legs of crucified malefactors was not followed in the case of our ,lord4 ,but those words recalled to him and to his countrymen the feast of the ,passover1 and all that is declared respecting it in the #abth chapter of ,exodus4 ,the fulfilment1 then1 of these words was the fulfilment of the whole ,passover service2 the translation of the national deliverance which it spoke of into a complete and universal deliverance2 the substitution of the ,lamb of ,god that taketh away the sin of the world1 for the lamb whose blood was sprinkled upon the door-posts of the houses that the angel of death might not touch them4 ,the other quotation is even more remarkable2 it is taken from the #abth chapter of ,zechariah4 ',and ,i will pour upon the house of ,david1 and upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem1 the spirit of grace and of supplications3 and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced1 and they shall mourn for ,him1 as one mourneth for his only son1 and shall be in bitterness for ,him1 as one that is in bitterness for his first-born4' ,one fulfilment of ,scripture at the ,cross was in the rending of the vesture by the soldiers1 and in the mockery of the priests4 ,the last1 representing the inward hatred of the ,jewish nation1 is more fearful than the mere recklessness of the heathen officials4 ,how utterly overwhelming it would have been to the ,apostle1 if he could have supposed that either the recklessness or the hatred was mightier than the divine love which was manifested there6 ,but the pierced side recalled the words of the old prophet4 ,there was a witness in them that even hatred would prove weak at last2 that even upon the inhabitants of ,jerusalem and the house of ,david a power would come from that ,cross that nothing should resist4 ,it said1 ',the will of eternal ,love may be contended with long4 ,it must prevail at last and for ever4' ,with the assurance that ,scripture shall yet receive this grand and complete fulfilment the history of the crucifixion closes4 ,st4 ,john1 like the other ,evangelists1 records the burial in ,joseph's tomb4 ,he introduces one particular into their narratives which1 for the students of his ,gospel1 is full of interest4 ',and there came also ,nicodemus1 which at the first came to ,jesus by night2 and brought a mixture of myrrh1 and aloes1 about an hundred pound weight4' ,on the night of which ,st4 ,john speaks1 ,nicodemus had heard the words1 ',as ,moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness1 even so must the ,son of ,man be lifted up3 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4 ,for ,god so loved the world1 that ,he sent ,his only-begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life4' ,as the eyes of the ruler turned to the ,cross1 may there not have come to him a sense of divine1 unutterable love1 stronger than death1 which will have made these dark words intelligible8 ,may there not have come to himself1 in that hour1 the pangs of the second birth of which all his ,jewish lore had taught him nothing8 ,may he not have hoped that for the body he was anointing1 there would also be a second birth1 a resurrection morn8 ,,discourse ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,resurrection4 ,lincoln's ,inn1 #aath ,sunday after ,trinity 7,afternoon71 ,august #c1 #ahef4 ,,st4 ,,john ,,xx4 #cj1 #ca4 ,and many other signs truly did ,jesus in the presence of his disciples1 which are not written in this book3 but these are written1 that ye might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that believing ye might have life through his name4 ,this morning ,i went through the narrative of our ,lord's ,passion1 which is contained in the #ahth and #aith chapters of this ,gospel4 ,i propose to examine1 this afternoon1 the narrative of the resurrection1 and of the events that followed it1 which is contained in the #bjth and #bast chapters4 ,those who have formed a vague notion of the fourth ,gospel1 as the ,gospel according to the ,spirit1 the other three being represented as ,gospels according to the flesh1 will expect that ,st4 ,john should attach far less importance than his predecessors did to the resurrection of our ,lord's body out of the grave4 ,they will suppose that he must have sympathised much more in those passages of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,romans1 in which he speaks of our being risen with ,christ1 than with the #aeth chapter of the ,epistle to the ,corinthians1 in which he makes that resurrection1 which many among them denied1 the very centre of his message to mankind4 ,i hope we have not gone thus far in the study of ,st4 ,john without discovering that this conception of his character and purpose is an entirely false one4 ,in whatever sense ,st4 ,john's ,gospel is a spiritual one1 he has spoken of ,christ's presence at feasts1 family and national1 of ,his hunger and fatigue1 of ,his friendship for special persons1 of actual bodily suffering in the hour of death1 at least as much as any of the four4 ,he takes more1 not less1 pains than the others1 in recording incidents4 ,no plain person ever felt that his story1 if it is ever so divine1 is not human4 ,i may have made this observation very often1 but ,i will repeat it even to weariness1 rather than that it should be forgotten1 since upon the recollection of it depends all hope of our understanding the beloved disciple1 or of our gaining anything from him4 ,it is true that he has carried us back to the beginning of all things1 instead of introducing us to the manger in ,bethlehem1 or telling us first of the preaching of ,john in the wilderness4 ,it is true that he has told us of the ,word who was with ,god1 before he has used the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it is true that throughout his ,gospel he has been presenting to us ,jesus ,christ as the ,word of ,god1 the ,giver of light and life to men4 ,it is true that this has been his explanation of the signs which ,jesus did when ,he fed the multitude1 or healed the sick1 or raised the dead4 ,it is true that this has been his explanation of those parables in the natural world1 by which the ,creator of that world revealed to men the mysteries of the kingdom of ,god4 ,it is true that1 by following this method1 ,st4 ,john interprets to us those names1 ,son of ,god and ,son of ,man1 kingdom of ,god1 kingdom of heaven1 which occur so continually in the previous ,gospels4 ,it is true that he brings out in its fulness their declaration1 that the office of the ,christ was to baptize with the ,holy ,spirit1 and to deliver men from the spirit of evil4 ,it is true that the ,name in which ,st4 ,matthew declares that the disciples were to baptize all nations1 is unfolded to us by ,st4 ,john with a distinctness and fulness with which it had never been unfolded before4 ,and therefore ,i think ,st4 ,john must be even more careful than the other ,evangelists to speak of the resurrection as a distinct1 definite event3 to set it before us in language which shall give us no excuse for supposing that he is merely talking of our spiritual nature1 or of ,christ's spiritual nature2 in language which shall fix it upon our minds as a fact that was accomplished upon this earth4 ,of evidence1 as ,i have remarked to you before1 the other ,evangelists give us very little4 ,they assume that it was not possible that the ,son of ,god should be holden by death1 that the marvel which angels desired to look into was that ,he should have submitted to death4 ,only so far as that conviction took hold of men's minds could they believe in a resurrection1 though a body of the most incredulous and learned witnesses should conspire to affirm it4 ,st4 ,john cannot have attached more weight to this kind of evidence than they did4 ,his whole ,gospel has been showing that it is an evidence which the living ,word presents to the hearts and consciences of men1 that alone produces any practical conviction4 ,he must have felt1 even more than his brother-disciples did1 that the ,word of life could not be overcome by death2 that the great contradiction of all1 which could only be explained by the truth that the highest life is the life of love1 was in ,his undergoing death4 ,he1 therefore1 more than any one else1 must have felt the resurrection to be necessary1 to be implied in the relation of ,christ to his ,father4 ,he has again and again told us that the return of ,christ to the ,father was that to which ,he looked forward as the return to ,his natural state and proper home2 at the same time as the consummation of the work ,he had done upon earth4 ,he is so impressed with this conviction1 it was so much his work to impress us with this conviction1 that he will not relate1 as ,st4 ,luke does1 the fact of the ascension in the sight of the disciples4 ,that is taken for granted4 ,all that he has written would be unmeaning1 if his ,master were not gone to the ,father to prepare mansions for ,his disciples4 ,but the victory of the ,spirit over the flesh1 the proof that ,he who was united to the ,father and united to a mortal body1 overcame1 in virtue of ,his divine fellowship1 his fellowship with dust1 and made that body free from its bondage--this must be spoken of as the proper termination of ,his earthly conflict4 ,for by this ,he justified fully the feeling of mankind1 which all the teaching of ,scripture had confirmed1 but which no prophet or saint had been able to justify to himself1 that death is an intruder into this world of ours2 that it is not less an intruder because all have yielded to it1 and must yield to it2 that there is a law of life which is higher than the law of death2 that we cannot be satisfied till that law is promulgated and vindicated1 not for one here and there1 but for the whole race in the person of its ,head4 ,with these thoughts in our minds1 let us consider the following verses3 ',the first day of the week cometh ,mary ,magdalene early1 when it was yet dark1 unto the sepulchre1 and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre4 ,then she runneth1 and cometh to ,simon ,peter1 and to the other disciple whom ,jesus loved1 and saith unto them1 ,they have taken away the ,lord out of the sepulchre1 and we know not where they have laid ,him4 ,peter therefore went forth1 and that other disciple1 and came to the sepulchre4 ,so they ran both together3 and the other disciple did outrun ,peter1 and came first to the sepulchre4 ,and he stooping down1 and looking in1 saw the linen clothes lying2 yet went he not in4 ,then cometh ,simon ,peter following him1 and went into the sepulchre1 and seeth the linen clothes lie1 and the napkin1 that was about ,his head1 not lying with the linen clothes1 but wrapped together in a place by itself4 ,then went in also that other disciple1 which came first to the sepulchre1 and he saw1 and believed4 ,for as yet they knew not the ,scripture1 that ,he must rise again from the dead4 ,then the disciples went away again unto their own home4' ,the points wherein this narrative differs from those in the earlier ,gospels1 are those which refer to the ,apostle himself and to ,st4 ,peter4 ,there is more1 you will perceive1 not less1 of detail than elsewhere4 ,the ,apostles look into the sepulchre2 they see the linen clothes and the napkin4 ,we are told where the napkin is lying4 ,these are not points of evidence1 in the sense in which we commonly use that word4 ,if we repeated them ever so often1 or multiplied them ever so much1 they would not establish the fact4 ,they have served a much higher and more practical purpose4 ,they have brought the fact home to the minds of multitudes as a fact4 ,they have taken it out of the region of mist and shadow4 ,they have connected it with a ,person4 ,their very minuteness leads us to think of ,him1 not of them4 ,they say to us1 as they said to the ,apostles1 not ',there is a resurrection1' but ',he is risen4' ,by speaking of himself1 ,st4 ,john is able to make us acquainted with the process of conviction in one mind4 ,he does not indeed1 dwell upon any mental struggles4 ,he just hints at the dull unbelief with which he began2 at the eagerness1 more of curiosity than of hope1 with which he ran to the sepulchre2 at the timidity or awe which hindered him from going in2 at the dawn of faith when he saw the clothes4 ,it is all very simple and childlike4 ,what surprises some of us most is1 that he should blame himself for not having known the ,scriptures1 'that ,he must rise again from the dead4' ,what ,scriptures could have told him this so clearly8 ,are there any which positively and formally announce it to us who read them in this day1--any1 at all events1 which we could blame a plain wayfarer for not connecting with it8 ,have not learned men of our own1 able and vehement opposers of infidelity1 affirmed that there are no traces of a belief in a future state among the writers of the ,old ,testament1 nay1 urged the absence of such traces as a proof of their divine legation8 ,and has not ,st4 ,john himself produced evidence enough that those who pored over the ,scriptures most could not identify ,jesus as the ,person in whom their prophecies were to meet8 ,we must go back1 ,i believe1 to the language of which ,i have spoken so often1 if we would see our way through this difficulty4 ,if the old ,scriptures said nothing of a ,word of ,god1 of a divine ,lord of men's spirits and bodies1 it was impossible to conclude from them that ,he1 or any one1 would rise again from the dead4 ,as long as ,st4 ,john was blind to the fact that they did speak of such a ,one1 that they were speaking of ,him from beginning to end1 that ,he only gave any unity to their histories or their prophecies2 so long the most incessant diligence could not enable him to discover in these ,scriptures more than dark hints of a triumph over death1--hints which never could support a practical belief1 could never overcome the objections of sense and experience4 ,the moment they found this ,word speaking in all the words of the ,bible1 the moment they believed that ,jesus was the ,word made flesh1 the ,scriptures became full even to overflowing with these tidings4 ,not to see them there was to see there only dead letters4 ',but ,mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping3 and as she wept1 she stooped down1 and looked into the sepulchre1 and seeth two angels in white sitting1 the one at the head1 and the other at the feet1 where the body of ,jesus had lain4 ,and they say unto her1 ,woman1 why weepest thou8 ,she saith unto them1 ,because they have taken away my ,lord1 and ,i know not where they have laid ,him4 ,and when she had thus said1 she turned herself back1 and saw ,jesus standing1 and knew not that it was ,jesus4 ,jesus saith unto her ,woman1 why weepest thou8 whom seekest thou8 ,she1 supposing ,him to be the gardener1 saith unto ,him1 ,sir1 if thou have borne ,him hence1 tell me where thou hast laid ,him1 and ,i will take ,him away4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,mary4 ,she turned herself1 and saith unto ,him1 ,rabboni2 which is to say1 ,master4 ,jesus saith unto her1 ,touch me not2 for ,i am not yet ascended to my ,father3 but go to my brethren1 and say unto them1 ,i ascend unto my ,father1 and your ,father2 and to my ,god1 and your ,god4 ,mary ,magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the ,lord1 and that ,he had spoken these things unto her4' ,there had been differences in the reports of the ,evangelists respecting the appearance of the angels to the women4 ,st4 ,matthew had said3--',and1 behold1 there was a great earthquake3 for the angel of the ,lord descended from heaven1 and came and rolled back the stone from the door1 and sat upon it4 ,his countenance was like lightning1 and his raiment white as snow3 and for fear of him the keepers did shake1 and became as dead men4 ,and the angel answered and said unto the women1 ,fear not ye3 for ,i know that ye seek ,jesus1 which was crucified4 ,he is not here3 for ,he is risen1 as ,he said4 ,come1 see the place where the ,lord lay4 ,and go quickly1 and tell ,his disciples that ,he is risen from the dead2 and1 behold1 ,he goeth before you into ,galilee2 there shall ye see ,him3 lo1 ,i have told you4 ,and they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy2 and did run to bring ,his disciples word4' ,st4 ,mark had said3--',and very early in the morning the first day of the week1 they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun4 ,and they said among themselves1 ,who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre8 ,and when they looked1 they saw that the stone was rolled away3 for it was very great4 ,and entering into the sepulchre1 they saw a young man sitting on the right side1 clothed in a long white garment2 and they were affrighted4 ,and he saith unto them1 ,be not affrighted3 ,ye seek ,jesus of ,nazareth1 which was crucified3 ,he is risen2 ,he is not here3 behold the place where they laid ,him4 ,but go your way1 tell ,his disciples and ,peter that ,he goeth before you into ,galilee3 there shall ye see ,him1 as ,he said unto you4 ,and they went out quickly1 and fled from the sepulchre2 for they trembled and were amazed3 neither said they any thing to any man2 for they were afraid4' ,st4 ,luke had said3--',and they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre4 ,and they entered in1 and found not the body of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,and it came to pass1 as they were much perplexed thereabout1 behold1 two men stood by them in shining garments3 and as they were afraid1 and bowed down their faces to the earth1 they said unto them1 ,why seek ye the living among the dead8 ,he is not here1 but is risen3 remember how ,he spake unto you when ,he was yet in ,galilee1 saying1 ,the ,son of ,man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men1 and be crucified1 and the third day rise again4 ,and they remembered ,his words1 and returned from the sepulchre1 and told all these things unto the eleven1 and to all the rest4' ,i thank ,god that we belong to a ,church which is not afraid to bring these diversities before us1 as it does those in the reports of the ,passion2 a ,church which believes so strongly in ,god1 that it can leave ,him to interpret these differences to us without making any awkward attempts at reconciliation4 ,our faith in the ,resurrection is not affected by them so long as we live upon ,god's word1 and not upon the letters of a book4 ,when we change the one for the other1 it must perish2 no arguments or explanations will keep it alive4 ,st4 ,john1 in some respects1 differs from them all4 ,i think many would have been glad if he had differed more widely4 ,there is a dislike in our day1 in ,protestant countries1 to any notice of angelical visitations4 ,romanists1 and some who are not ,romanists1 would denounce the feeling as a sign that we are losing all faith in the spiritual world4 ,i am not willing to interpret it so harshly4 ,i think there is a feeling amongst us that we ought to be connected with the spiritual world now as much as in the days of old1 and that these reports seem to keep us at a distance from it by drawing a line between us and former ages1 by affirming communications to have been made to them which are not made to us4 ,i partly considered this subject when ,i was speaking of the angel who is said to have troubled the ,pool of ,bethesda2 but ,i must refer to it again1 because we all feel1 ,i think1 that the angels who sang to the shepherds of the ,child who was born in ,bethlehem1 and the angels who spake to the women at the tomb of ,joseph1 must have had a different message to deliver from all others4 ,what was the difference8 ,surely this1 that they came to tell of a union of earth and heaven1 of the spiritual and the visible world in the person of a ,man4 ,if there were no such news to bring1 we should indeed be left under the dominion of angels2 for we should not be able to get rid of the thought--no nation ever has been able--that we are surrounded by invisible creatures1 and that they do in some way communicate with us4 ,but if there was such a truth to be told1 should we not be rather startled to find that there was none to tell it8 ,would not the absence of these stories leave a blank1 not in our imaginations1 but in our hearts and in our reason8 ,was not the appearance of these angels a witness to men that we do not need1 as former ages may have done1 special messengers to come from behind a veil which the ,son of ,god has rent asunder1 but that hosts of such creatures may be working with us1 and ministering to us1 and joining with us1 the sinful spirits1 who present the sacrifice that was made once for all before the ,father of spirits8 ,st4 ,john tells us1 at once1 of another apparition to ,mary1 which was immeasurably more to her than the apparition of any angels4 ,an actual human form stood before her1 the one which she had known best and loved best in the world1 and yet she took it to be the gardener's4 ,it was not1 therefore1 that it was too radiant for her to look upon1 that it had lost the signs and marks that belong to her race4 ,but it was not the figure or the countenance which revealed ,him to her4 ,it was the voice calling her by her name1 it was the voice which had bidden the seven devils depart out of her1 that brought her to own ,him as her ,lord4 ,then came those wonderful words which contain the deepest and most blessed of all truths in the form of the most startling contradiction4 ,she was not to touch ,him1 for ,he was not ascended4 ,that which appeared to invite intercourse was the bar to it2 that which would appear to put them at a hopeless distance would be the beginning of a fellowship that could not be interrupted4 ,the weak1 penitent woman was to learn the lesson which the ,apostles had been taught at the ,paschal supper4 ,he must go to ,his ,father that they might know ,him4 ,the private and exclusive communion into which they had entered so imperfectly1 must be merged in one in which all should share who would take up their lot as brethren of each other and of ,him2 for ,he was to dwell with ,his ,father and their ,father1 with ,his ,god and their ,god4 ,this was a risen life indeed2 and we see at each turn how a risen life implies an ascension4 ',then the same day at evening1 being the first day of the week1 when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the ,jews1 came ,jesus and stood in the midst1 and saith unto them1 ,peace be unto you4 ,and when ,he had so said1 ,he shewed unto them ,his hands and ,his side4 ,then were the disciples glad1 when they saw the ,lord4' ,you think of these as sudden apparitions1 glimpses granted and withdrawn1 of the ,teacher who had once walked with them by day and sat with them by night2 and you think rightly4 ,st4 ,john's words give us that impression of them4 ,but do they give us no other at the same time8 ,is it not the apparition of an actual ,person1 of an actual human body8 ,he may be seen1 and may disappear2 but ,he is4 ,we are not among shadows more than we were before4 ,the air is freer1 the light is clearer4 ,he only does not tarry in that room where the disciples are assembled for fear of the ,jews1 because they are to learn that wherever two or three are assembled in ,his name1 there is ,he in the midst of them4 ,and consider ,his words to them4 ,the last time they had met at the ,paschal supper ,he had said--',peace ,i leave with you1 my peace ,i give to you4 ,and these things ,i have spoken to you that in me ye might have peace4' ,since they heard that language1 they had known more of fightings without and within than in all their lives before4 ,and now ,he repeats it again1 and shows them ,his hands and ,his side4 ,now it comes with power4 ,if there was a moment of intense agonizing excitement1 you might have fancied it would have been that4 ,there is no excitement4 ,there is perfect quietness in them all2 in him who had forsaken the ,master1 in him who had denied ,him4 ,he has spoken peace to them1 and they are at peace4 ,the beloved disciple can only describe what he felt1 what all felt1 in the simplest1 calmest words--',then were the disciples glad1 when they saw the ,lord4' ,what had happened to them8 ,he with whom they had been at war had declared ,himself at one with them4 ,christ had brought that message from the grave4 ,his hands and side assured them of it4 ,their consciences were absolved4 ,they were freed men4 ',then said ,jesus to them again1 ,peace be unto you3 as my ,father hath sent me1 even so send ,i you4 ,and when ,he had said this1 ,he breathed on them1 and saith unto them1 ,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost3 whose soever sins ye remit1 they are remitted unto them2 and whose soever sins ye retain1 they are retained4' ,the connexion between the two passages is too obvious to be overlooked4 ,he had come in ,his ,father's name to bring them peace4 ,he sent them forth in ,his name with the same gift4 ,the ,spirit of peace should go with them1 that they might execute their commission4 ,the pierced hands and side1 which had been the witness and pledge of it to them1 should be the witness and pledge of it to the world4 ,their conscience had been absolved4 ,a chain had been taken from them4 ,they should1 in the name of ,christ and of ,his ,father1 break the chains which bind the consciences of others4 ,they should remit1 or send away1 the sins which keep men the prisoners and slaves of an evil and accusing spirit1 which prevent them from serving their ,father in heaven4 ,but since it was consciences they were to unbind--since they were carrying a message of peace to voluntary creatures--the liberty might be refused1 the rebellion might be persevered in4 ,the very word which looses becomes then a word to bind4 ,it is a tremendous fact1 asserted again and again in ,scripture1 certified by experience4 ,the message of reconciliation and deliverance holds in an iron gripe those spirits which it does not emancipate4 ,they cry out that it has come to torment them2 they have a sense of evil which they had not before2 they are bound by it as they were not before4 ,i cannot see less in the words which were spoken that night--or in the commission which was then given to the ministers of ,christ--than ,i have expressed4 ,if you say that ,i ought to see more1 ,i submit willingly to the rebuke4 ,but ,i deny that it is more to talk of some power of the keys being entrusted to the ,apostles or their successors1 if by that power is meant only some outward authority to withdraw the punishment for sins1 or to enforce it4 ,i cannot1 in any case1 read 'punishment1' where ,i find 'sin' written4 ,i must regard remission of punishment as a very poor and miserable substitute for remission of sins4 ,if it is said that we cannot imagine ministers who have received such a power1 for that remission of sins must belong to ,god only1 ,i answer1 ',most assuredly ministers can neither remit sins nor punishments in their own name4' ,if they assume to do either1 they violate the charter upon which all their authority rests2 they claim to be what ,christ did not claim to be1 to do what ,he did not claim to do4 ,for ,he said that ,he was nothing1 and could do nothing without ,his ,father4 ,his glory was that ,he did not come in ,his own name4 ,but if the ministers of ,christ do confess that they are sent in ,his name1 as ,he was sent in ,his ,father's name1 then ,i say they can1 in ,his name1 speak to the conscience and absolve the conscience1 not from its punishment but from its sin4 ,and ,i say that the consciences of thousands and tens of thousands have waited in all ages1 do wait in our age1 to receive this blessing1 and have actually received it1 and are receiving it4 ,and ,i say that when it is spoken to them1 and they do not receive it1 they bear testimony to the other half of the sentence2 they are bound more closely1 because they will not be loosed4 ,therefore ,i fear it is because ,christ's ministers do not care to exercise ,his powers1 but wish to exercise some powers of their own1 that they fight so stoutly for these rights to punish or forego punishment1 to curse or to take off curses1 which1 when they were most fully acknowledged and produced most terror in the minds of men1 were generally very feeble for any good moral purpose1 and were very dreadful temptations to tyranny and lying in those who exercised them4 ,i am far1 indeed1 from saying that absolution consists only in preaching the ,gospel4 ,the words1 ',peace be to you1'--the hands and the side1--spake to the consciences of the disciples4 ,at what time more than when we are kneeling and confessing1 is the conscience likely to receive the message1 ',he pardoneth and absolveth8' ,what has been more effectual than the ,sacrament of the body and blood of ,christ in carrying home the words to each heart1 ',son1 thy sins be forgiven thee1 rise up and walk'8 ,and in both these cases it is not merely to single hearts that the blessing is imparted4 ,the gathering together in ,christ's name is a witness that we meet as a family just as the ,apostles did2 and that1 as a family1 we want the peace and reconciliation which a ,father only can send us through ,his ,son4 ,did we understand the worth of that communion more1 and how all individual blessings are associated with it and rise out of it1 the power of excommunicating would not be something to boast of1 or to fight for1 or to play with4 ,to cut a man off from the ,church would then1 indeed1 be to deliver one who had sold himself to the service of evil to the master he has chosen1 that he may feel the bitterness of his yoke1 and so may return to his true ,lord1 and his spirit be saved when that ,lord appears4 ,but till we know more of that ,spirit which ,jesus breathed on ,his disciples1 on that first day of the week1 we shall be as little competent to administer censures as we are to testify of reconciliation and absolution4 ',but ,thomas1 one of the twelve1 called ,didymus1 was not with them when ,jesus came4 ,the other disciples therefore said unto him1 ,we have seen the ,lord4 ,but he said unto them1 ,except ,i shall see in ,his hands the print of the nails1 and put my finger into the print of the nails1 and thrust my hand into ,his side1 ,i will not believe4 ,and after eight days again ,his disciples were within1 and ,thomas with them3 then came ,jesus1 the doors being shut1 and stood in the midst1 and said1 ,peace be unto you4 ,then saith ,he to ,thomas1 ,reach hither thy finger1 and behold my hands2 and reach hither thy hand1 and thrust it into my side3 and be not faithless1 but believing4 ,and ,thomas answered and said unto ,him1 ,my ,lord1 and my ,god6 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,thomas1 because thou hast seen me1 thou hast believed3 blessed are they that have not seen1 and yet have believed4' ,by one class of readers1 ,thomas is described as a doubter1 impatient of all evidence but such as amounts to demonstration4 ,by another class1 he is described as a man with the idolatrous tendency which insists upon sensible tokens1 because it has no apprehension of that which is spiritual4 ,by a third1 the moral is drawn from his story1 that those who forsake the fellowship of their brethren1 miss the presence of their ,lord and the grace of faith4 ,there may be much of truth in each of these observations1 and they do not contradict each other4 ,we are all1 at different times of our lives1 greedy for proofs that shall satisfy the logical understanding1 and for signs that address themselves to the senses4 ,we have all thought that we should gain more by lonely study than by intercourse with our fellows and by common worship1 and have been punished for our pride4 ,but ,i do not think that ,thomas should be accused of asking for too complete a demonstration4 ,he asked for too weak a one4 ,he wished to put his hands into the print of the nails4 ,that would not have convinced him4 ,it was another evidence addressing itself not to his eyes1 but to his heart1 which forced him to cry1 ',my ,lord1 and my ,god6' ,and ,i cannot believe that we have any right to cast stones at those who require outward tokens to assist their faith2 for ,christ vouchsafed to this ,apostle the very tokens which he desired4 ,and we ought to remember that we do not bring ,christ amongst us1 or procure graces from ,him1 by frequenting the assemblies of ,his disciples1 but that we should go to them because ,he is there speaking peace1 and revealing ,himself to those who are willing to be members of a body1 and who wish for no privileges which all cannot share with them4 ,whatever reproof ,thomas needed1 whatever encouragement we can desire1 is gathered in our ,lord's last words to him4 ,if he required the aid of seeing to sustain his belief1 it might be afforded him4 ,but faith itself is a higher evidence4 ,things not seen present themselves to it with a force and demonstration as great as that with which the things seen present themselves to the eye4 ,the invisible ,person who is the ,light of men1 makes ,himself known to that organ which is created to receive ,his light4 ,his life1 ,his peace1 are as near to us as they were to those to whom ,he showed ,himself alive after ,his ,passion4 ,our knowledge that ,he is risen may be as certain as theirs1 and essentially of the same kind4 ,with this sign to the unbelieving ,apostle1 ,i suppose ,st4 ,john's narrative originally closed2 for he adds immediately3 ',and many other signs truly did ,jesus in the presence of ,his disciples1 which are not written in this book4 ,but these are written1 that ye might believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that believing ye might have life through ,his name4' ,i have taken these words for my text1 because they express with peculiar terseness the characteristics of the ,gospel as they have come out gradually before us4 ,it is a book of ,signs4 ,every event that has been recorded has been significant4 ,it has been the index to a truth4 ,these signs have been selected out of many others1 all bearing the same import4 ,each of these signs declares--all of them together declare--that ,jesus is the ,son of ,god4 ,their design is to awaken belief in ,him as the ,son of ,god4 ,those who have this belief have life through ,his name4 ,he does not1 then1 merely compile a story of certain acts2 he honours all previous ,gospels which do not bring forth a collection of stories1 but make known a living ,person2 he desires to remove the confusions which had beset those who believed in a ,son of ,god1 but not in an actual man2 in a man who was not a ,son of ,god4 ,he desires that that ,son of ,god should speak to the spirit of man1 to that in man which exercises faith4 ,he wishes us to feel that the ,son of ,god is the one ,source of life1 that only through ,him as the ,son of ,man can men receive life4 ,when ,st4 ,john had been enabled to give this perfect explanation of what he had written1 he might well think that his task was done4 ,if he had been an artist instead of an evangelist1 he would have been afraid to disturb the symmetry of his work by making any additions to it4 ,but he was under other guidance than his own judgment2 what it was good for the world to hear1 the ,spirit within him would not suffer him to keep back4 ,another vision rose before him1 a vision so clear and bright1 that he knew it could not have been given to him for his own sake2 men in distant lands and ages were to be blessed by it4 ,he was again by the ,lake of ,tiberias1 amidst old friends4 ',there were together ,simon ,peter1 and ,thomas called ,didymus1 and ,nathanael of ,cana in ,galilee1 and the sons of ,zebedee1 and two other of ,his disciples4' ,we ask ourselves for what great purpose they were assembled there4 ,the very names are for us full of wonder and mystery4 ,those who bore them had been witnesses of the death and resurrection of the ,son of ,god4 ,he had breathed on them2 as ,his ,father had sent ,him1 ,he had sent them2 they were to loose and to bind4 ,the next verse answers our question3 ',simon ,peter saith unto them1 ,i go a fishing4 ,they say unto him1 ,we also go with thee4 ,they went forth1 and entered into a ship immediately2 and that night they caught nothing4' ,we thought that when ,jesus called them from mending their nets1 that occupation was for ever abandoned4 ,who would have dreamed of their resuming it now8 ,they had been admitted behind the veil2 ,one from the grave had come back to them4 ,were they to become common fishermen again8 ,they evidently go into their boats with no misgiving of conscience4 ,they set about their toil as freshly and earnestly as ever4 ,as freshly and earnestly8 ,was there nothing in that lake1 and in all that had happened to them upon it1 which made every labourer more free and joyous8 ,did not the water speak to them of ,him who had walked upon it8 ,did not the shore beyond tell them of the bread which ,he had blessed8 ,was not the still night full of voices that echoed the voice which had said to them1 ',peace be with you2 my peace ,i give to you'8 ,had not the curse been taken from the earth and from the labour of man1 since ,he had been called 'the carpenter's son1' since ,he had been proved to be the ,son of ,god with power8 ,there must have been the sense of ,his presence everywhere2 and it was not merely the sense of a presence3 ,he was there4 ',but when the morning was now come1 ,jesus stood on the shore3 but the disciples knew not that it was ,jesus4 ,then ,jesus saith unto them1 ,children1 have ye any meat8 ,they answered ,him1 ,no4 ,and ,he said unto them1 ,cast the net on the right side of the ship1 and ye shall find4 ,they cast therefore1 and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes4' ,the old sign is given again4 ,they had been taught that ,he cared for their craft and blessed it1 when they had only a dim notion of ,him as a great ,prophet and ,king4 ,they find that ,he cares for it and blesses it still4 ,the risen ,christ is the same as the ,christ who told them words1 hard to believe1 about rejection and crucifixion4 ,only ,he does not sit with them in the boat1 as if ,he were caring for one particular band of fishermen4 ,he has chosen them to tell all workers everywhere1 that ,he is watching over them1 that their work is not a barrier between them and ,him1 but a means of grace1 a road to intercourse with ,him4 ',therefore that disciple whom ,jesus loved saith unto ,peter1 ,it is the ,lord4 ,now when ,simon ,peter heard that it was the ,lord1 he girt his fisher's coat unto him1 7for he was naked17 and did cast himself into the sea4 ,and the other disciples came in a little ship2 7for they were not far from land1 but as it were two hundred cubits17 dragging the net with fishes4 ,as soon then as they were come to land1 they saw a fire of coals there1 and fish laid thereon1 and bread4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,bring of the fish which ye have now caught4 ,simon ,peter went up1 and drew the net to land full of great fishes1 an hundred and fifty and three3 and for all there were so many1 yet was not the net broken4 ,jesus saith unto them1 ,come and dine4 ,and none of the disciples durst ask ,him1 ,who art thou8 knowing that it was the ,lord4 ,jesus then cometh1 and taketh bread1 and giveth them1 and fish likewise4' ,we must not suffer ourselves to be cheated of the blessing which lies in this simple and minute narrative1 by vulgar efforts of the fancy to give it what is called a spiritual signification4 ,our spirits want to know that they have a ,lord who has shared earthly food1 and does not disdain us for partaking it1 but who ,himself bestows it and blesses it4 ,our spirits do not want to know why the number of fishes caught was one hundred and fifty-three2 they cannot live upon meagre1 childish analogies about those who were to be caught in the ,gospel net4 ,our ,lord had promised ,his disciples that they should be fishers of men1 and they were speedily to become so4 ,but ,he was teaching them and us that the higher duty glorifies1 instead of degrading1 the lower2 that every business in which men can be engaged is a calling and a ministry2 that the bread which sustains the eternal life in man hallows the bread which sustains the life that is to pass away4 ,our ,lord did not allow ,his disciples to forget that grander office to which ,he had destined them1 while ,he was putting this honour upon the one to which for a time they had returned4 ,but instead of taking ,his comparison from the work of the fisherman1 ,he takes another1 with which ,his own lessons and the lessons of the old ,scriptures had made them quite as familiar4 ',so when they had dined1 ,jesus saith to ,simon ,peter1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou me more than these8 ,he saith unto him1 ,yea1 ,lord2 thou knowest that ,i love thee4 ,he saith unto him1 ,feed my lambs4 ,he saith to him again the second time1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou me8 ,he saith unto him1 ,yea1 ,lord2 thou knowest that ,i love thee4 ,he saith unto him1 ,feed my sheep4 ,he saith unto him the third time1 ,simon1 son of ,jonas1 lovest thou me8 ,peter was grieved because ,he said unto him the third time1 ,lovest thou me8 ,and he said unto him1 ,lord1 thou knowest all things2 thou knowest that ,i love thee4 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,feed my sheep4' ,we are wont to dwell1 perhaps1 too much upon the thrice-repeated questions to him who had thrice denied4 ,there is a meaning in all such correspondences2 every hint to the conscience is worth something4 ,but the meaning is always subordinate to a higher one2 the hint brings a train of thought1 or it fails of its purpose4 ,peter had boasted of his love2 his sore discipline had been to show him how little it was good for1 how utterly it must fail4 ,now he was asked1 ',lovest thou me more than these8' ,he had loved ,christ just as he had loved other people2 more intensely1 it might be1 but with a love going out from himself4 ,had he learnt yet that he needed ,one who could bestow love upon him1 ,one in whom he must trust and to whom he must cling1 because he was so poor in that wherein he had fancied he was rich8 ,did he love his ,master now with this dependent1 trusting love1 instead of that self-confident love8 with a love that sought to be always replenished from the ,fountain whence it proceeded1 instead of with a love which he could call his1 and which therefore must continually run dry8 ,simon ,peter appears to answer boldly2 he does answer humbly4 ,he would have said in former days1 ',i know that ,i love thee4' ,he now says1 ',thou knowest that ,i love thee4' ,it is an appeal from himself to his ,master4 ,it is saying1 ',my love is but the fruit of that knowledge which thou hast taken of me4 ,i love thee so long as thou knowest me1 and no longer4' ,and then comes the command which shows that the loving ,him more than these implied anything rather than loving these less4 ,he had been told at the former supper1 that if he loved ,christ1 he was to keep ,his commandments4 ,to obey a loving ,being is to love ,him4 ,his love works in the man who is content to do ,his will4 ,that love must go forth to ,his sheep4 ,here1 then1 was the minister's commission and his power4 ,the ,chief ,shepherd had taken care of the sheep1 and had died for them2 the under shepherd was to do ,his work for them4 ,so far as he did it1 he would feel how scanty and wretched his own love for them was4 ,he could not feed them at all unless he was possessed by his ,master's love4 ,you see how remarkably these commands are in accordance with the doctrine which our ,lord set forth in the conversation which is recorded in the #ajth chapter of this ,gospel1 and also with that language which ,he addressed to the disciples generally1 to ,peter especially1 at the ,passover1 because he had in the highest degree that trust in his own love which was infecting them all3 ',ye have not chosen me2 but ,i have chosen you4' ,and you will see how the idea which is contained in that sentence1 is expressed and expounded in the words that follow the command to feed the lambs and the sheep4 ',verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,when thou wast young1 thou girdedst thyself1 and walkedst whither thou wouldest3 but when thou shalt be old1 thou shalt stretch forth thy hands1 and another shall gird thee1 and carry thee whither thou wouldest not4' ,this doctrine of a divine compulsion acting upon the heart and will of a man1 of a wisdom ordaining every step for him1 of a love imposing upon him duties which of himself he would be least willing to undertake1 bearing him on to sufferings from which he would most shrink1 is the one which ,st4 ,peter needed to learn1 which every minister of ,christ and every ,christian man must1 by one discipline or another1 be taught4 ,st4 ,john intimates that his brother-disciple was to be led along in the exact path which his ,master had trodden before him4 ',this spake ,he1 signifying by what death he should glorify ,god4 ,and when ,he had spoken this1 ,he saith unto him1 ,follow me4' ,but the ,evangelist goes on to show1 by another example1 that ,christ prepares the most different lots for different men2 that two may be standing close to each other1 may be intended during a part of their lives to work together1 who may in the close of their earthly pilgrimage be the most remarkable contrasts to each other1 though they may be following the same crucified ,lord1 and one may be bearing as heavy a cross as the other4 ',then ,peter1 turning about1 seeth the disciple whom ,jesus loved following2 which also leaned on ,his breast at supper1 and said1 ,lord1 which is he that betrayeth thee8 ,peter seeing ,him saith to ,jesus1 ,lord1 and what shall this man do8 ,jesus saith unto him1 ,if ,i will that he tarry till ,i come1 what is that to thee8 follow thou me4 ,then went this saying abroad among the brethren1 that that disciple should not die3 yet ,jesus said not unto him1 ,he shall not die2 but1 if ,i will that he tarry till ,i come1 what is that to thee8' ,st4 ,peter was not to know what was intended for his brother-,apostle2 that ,apostle was to know as little himself4 ,some meaning there was in that intimate communion which he had had with his ,lord on earth4 ,so great a gift could not have been bestowed upon him for his own sake2 it must have been meant to fit him for a work that he had to do in the world4 ,what it was he may have waited long to know4 ,he was not to stay in ,jerusalem with ,st4 ,james2 he was not to travel to the dispersed among the ,gentiles with ,st4 ,peter2 he was not to raise up ,churches among the ,gentiles1 like ,st4 ,paul4 ,he was to stay upon the earth till ,jerusalem had been trodden down by the ,gentiles2 till ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,peter1 and all who had been most dear to him1 had glorified ,god by their deaths2 till a ,gentile society had seemed about to displace the old ,hebrew society2 till the new ,christian ,church had been threatened by the same discords1 the same sins1 the same unbelief1 which were undermining his country and the empire of the world4 ,in some sense he was to tarry till his ,lord came4 ,was he then not to die8 ,that had not been said4 ,yet the words had been spoken by ,him who did not deceive1 and they must be fulfilled4 ,did he not tarry till his ,lord came8 ,was ,he not revealed in flaming fire1 taking vengeance of the unrighteous nation1 of the evil world8 ,was ,he not revealed as the ,alpha and ,omega1 the beginning and the end1 as the faithful ,witness1 as the ,prince of all the kings of the earth1 as the ,lion of the tribe of ,judah1 as the ,son of ,man standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks1 as the ,lamb that was slain in the midst of the throne1 as the ,word of ,god8 ,was it not for this revelation that ,st4 ,john had tarried on earth8 ,was it not that he might declare ,who is the foundation of the new heaven and the new earth which should arise out of the wreck of the world that was perishing8 ,it appears as if the elders of the ,church of ,ephesus had added their attestation to the ,gospel in the words of the #bdth verse3 ',this is the disciple which testifieth of these things1 and wrote these things3 and we know that his testimony is true4' ,i do not profess to decide whether to them or to the ,apostle we should ascribe the last verse4 ',and there are also many other things which ,jesus did1 the which1 if they should be written every one1 ,i suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written4 ,amen4' ,some have wished that the verse were omitted altogether1 because it seems to them a conclusion scarcely worthy of so divine a record4 ,i accept it as a simple and childlike testimony to the truth of which the whole ,gospel has been bearing witness1 that the acts of the ,son of ,god do not belong to the few years in which ,he dwelt visibly upon earth1 but to all ages from the beginning1 when ,he was 'with ,god1 and was ,god1' even to the end 'when ,he shall put down all rule and all authority and power1 and when the ,son also ,himself shall be subject to ,him1 who put all things under ,him1 that ,god may be all in all4' ,i accept it as a testimony that all the books in the world cannot contain the things which ,jesus has been doing and is doing1 in the hearts of human beings1 in the world which ,he made1 in the kingdom which ,he rules4 ,i accept it as a warning to us1 that we can know nothing of the ,book which explains other books1 unless we ask that it may be explained to us by ,him who is1 and was1 and ever shall be1 the ,word of ,god4 ,,notes4 ,,discourse ,i4 ,the scheme of ,baur1 to which allusion is made in this sermon1 is set forth in his ',kritische ,untersuchungen ber die ,kanonischen ,evangelien4' ,the part especially relating to ,st4 ,john is contained between pages #gi and #chi4 ,in the ,first ,part he maintains that there is a leading thought1 a ,hauptidee1 in the ,gospel4 ,he traces this out1 beginning from the prologue2 notices the testimony of the ,baptist1 the comparison of ,jesus with ,john1 the first coming of ,jesus into ,jerusalem1 the conflict between belief and unbelief in its different forms1 the signs and works of ,christ1 the argumentative conflict with the unbelief of the ,jews1 the raising of ,lazarus1 the transition to the history of the passion and death1 the final crisis of the nation's unbelief1 the discourses of ,jesus with ,his disciples and the sacerdotal prayer1 the history of the death and resurrection1--as different points and instances in the development of this idea4 ,he then goes on1 in the ,second ,part1 to consider the relation of this ,gospel to the synoptical ,gospels2 maintaining the absence of any leading idea in them1 and the consequent evidence that1 in spite of the historical confusions which he supposes to be in them1 there is more mixture in them of simple facts related without a purpose4 ,next he enters upon the internal probability of the history in ,st4 ,john4 ,then he considers the relation of the ,gospel to the consciousness of the time4 ,finally1 he maintains the identity of the ,apostle with the author of the ,apocalypse2 dwelling especially upon his sympathies with the feelings of the ,christians in ,asia ,minor respecting the keeping of ,easter2 and regarding the ,apocalypse as the work of a ,jew passionately attached to the traditions of his fathers1 and vehemently opposed to the spiritual doctrines of ,st4 ,paul4 ,perhaps ,i may be allowed to explain in what relation the view ,i have taken of the ,gospels in these ,sermons stands to that of this learned ,tbingen ,professor4 #ast4 ,i have maintained1 as he has done1 that there is a leading idea which may be traced through the whole of the ,gospel2 that what is called the prologue is not an idle introduction to a narrative with which it has no connexion1 but is the key to the meaning of every part of it4 ',this leading idea' ,i have further maintained to be the leading idea of the whole ,bible1 to be unfolding itself through all the ,law and the ,prophets1 to be that which makes the history of the ,jews a coherent history1 to be that which makes that history the exposition of all histories4 ,supposing it entirely absent from the mind of any people on the face of the earth1 ,i hold that people not to be a nation1 but a mere herd of animals1 and its records a mere collection of fragments1 with nothing to bind them together4 ,in proportion as any people has been possessed with this idea1 in that proportion has it been a nation great in itself1 one which could interpret the conditions and destinies of other nations4 ,that the ,jewish people were brought to know that they were under the guidance of a ,divine ,word--their ever-present ,teacher1 and ,king1 and ,judge--is what ,i mean when ,i speak of ,god calling out that nation1 of ,god ruling it and educating it1 of ,god making it a blessing to all the families of the earth4 #b;d4 ,next1 with reference to the synoptical ,gospels4 ,it follows1 from what ,i have said1 that if ,i did not trace any of this ',hauptidee' in them1 ,i should regard them not as histories1 not as ,gospels1 but as that collection of fragments1 partly mythical1 partly historical1 which ,baur and his school suppose them to be4 ,i have contended1 in a book on ',the ,unity of the ,new ,testament1' that there is a ',hauptidee' in the ,gospels of ,matthew1 ,mark1 and ,luke2 that they are not biographies of a certain ,man called ,jesus of ,nazareth1 whom ,his disciples supposed to be endued with supernatural powers1 or to be actually divine2 but that they are the history of the way in which that ,king1 whom the ,jewish prophets had been declaring as the invisible ,ruler over them1 manifested ,himself visibly to ,his subjects1 and claimed their obedience4 ,by a careful examination of all the passages which these ,evangelists have in common1 by an equally careful examination of their differences1 ,i have endeavoured to show that they were all setting forth this ,king of men1 that each was setting ,him forth under a distinct aspect4 ,there may be very little of what is called the higher criticism in such an examination as this4 ,to that ,i do not aspire4 ,we ,english may be content to work on in the stupid old ,baconian method1 trying to find out the meaning of facts1 and not quite indifferent to this fact1 that these ,gospels have exercised an influence over eighteen centuries of human beings in different lands1 which it is not very easy to understand how they could have exercised1 if they had contained a few doubtful records of journeys between ,nazareth and ,capernaum1 of miracles imagined by superstitious wonder-hunters1 of discourses some tenth part of which may possibly have proceeded from a ,nazarene ,prophet4 ,if they set forth a ,person who has been1 and is now1 and will be for ever1 the ,king over men1 there is at least an explanation of the secret of their power2 whether it is the right one may be at least worth some consideration4 #c;d4 ,in the book to which ,i referred1 ,i carefully abstained from any comparison of the three ,gospels with the fourth4 ,i have1 throughout that book and this1 admitted that they are widely different1 and that it confuses our impressions of all four to blend them together as the ,harmonists attempt to do4 ,i have maintained1 indeed1 that the first three ,gospels assert1 as distinctly as the fourth1 that the ,king of men whom they are proclaiming was the ,son of ,god4 ,i have maintained that they would not have proved themselves to be the ,jews that they were1 if they had begun with the records of the life of a ,man1 seeing that every book of the ,old ,testament begins with ,god1 and treats of men only as they testify of ,god or are related to ,him4 ,but ,i have said that in the commencement of the three ,gospels1 in their incidents1 in their whole framework1 there is a marked and characteristic difference from the fourth1 which no faithful expositor can overlook or try to explain away4 ,there can be no doubt about the nature of the difference4 ,the prologue1 as ,baur truly says1 at once denotes it4 ,st4 ,mark speaks of ,jesus as the ,son of ,god in his opening sentence4 ,the use of the name ,word of ,god1 as identical with ,son of ,god1 is found in ,st4 ,john1 and perhaps in ,st4 ,john only4 ,that name belongs1 the ,tbingen ,professor tells us1 to the consciousness of the next age4 ,of course1 we are liable to make mistakes about the meaning of that phrase4 ,it is not a native or natural phrase to us2 and some of us are not eager to import it1 seeing that our home manufacture of cant is quite prolific enough4 ,but if the consciousness of an age is what ,i take it to be1 ,i have maintained that the first century1 even from its very commencement1 was the age which showed itself peculiarly conscious of the truth which is denoted by the expressions ',word1' ',life1' ',light1' and all the others which characterise this ,gospel4 ,the evidence of this fact is so notorious1 that nothing but an elaborate theory could force a man of ,baur's extraordinary learning to cast it aside4 ,supposing all he says of the absence of ,gnosticism in the ,christian ,church in the first century were as true as ,i apprehend it to be unfounded1 would that prove that no such man as ,philo ever existed2 that chronologers have been mistaken by a hundred years about the date of his birth and his teaching2 or that he was a solitary phenomenon1 a person who exercised no influence1 and indicated no consciousness in the country and period to which he belonged8 #dth4 ,the question1 ,i am aware1 when once ,philo is mentioned1 is how far so learned and accomplished a man could have affected1 by his thoughts1 humble fishermen like the ,apostle ,john8 ,the question is raised and answered by two different classes of people4 ,one set is eager to maintain that what they call the ,logos-idea must have been derived from a great mystical speculator1 and cannot have presented itself naturally to an ignorant man4 ,the other is utterly scandalized that an inspired ,apostle should be supposed to have anything to do with that which was passing in the minds of his uninspired contemporaries4 ,on the question of simplicity ,i have spoken at considerable length4 ,whether the writer of the fourth ,gospel was simple or not1 whether his doctrine respecting the ,word affected his simplicity1 must be ascertained from the book itself1 and cannot be learnt from any theories of mine or of any one else4 ,but if ,i am right in thinking that this 7so-called7 ,logos-idea is that which gave simplicity and clearness to the lives of prophets and patriarchs1 because they did not think of it as an idea at all1 but believed that they were ploughing1 and keeping sheep1 and eating and drinking1 under the eye of a living ,person1 then it was surely not an unnatural thing that an ,apostle should be taught to bring out that truth in its simplicity which had been mixed with conceits and phantasies4 ,if it is inconsistent with our notion of the teaching of the ,spirit of ,god that ,he should enable a ,jewish ,apostle--living in a heathen city1 amidst ,jews and ,heathens who were both confused with thoughts upon this very subject1 among ,christians who did not know how to connect their thoughts of ,jesus with the ,divine ,word--to bring forth a ,gospel which should have this special object2 ,i cannot find that it is inconsistent with the promise of the ,comforter which our ,lord ,himself gives us1 or that that promise could have been more perfectly fulfilled to ,his own generation than by such an illumination of an ,apostle's mind and memory4 ,and for those who do not believe that that promise is withdrawn1 who think that the ,spirit which was given to dwell in the ,church dwells in it still1 ,i do not know that there can be a more cheering thought than this1 that ,his revelations of ,himself were gradual to ,his own ,apostles2 that ,he taught those who were nearest to the time of ,his ascension to present ,him as the risen ,son of ,god2 that ,he taught ,his disciples who lived at the end of the age to see in that ,son also the living and eternal ,word who was before all worlds1 who would be manifested as the ,centre of all society1 as the final ,conqueror of all enemies4 ,for there surely may be a gradual unveiling1 in the later times also1 of ,him who has been with us from the beginning2 and it may be given to these later ages1 when kingdoms are falling down1 and ecclesiastical systems are wearing out1 and scholars are finding nothing solid remaining in heaven and earth except their own criticisms and their own conceptions1 to see the ,word of ,god coming forth in ,his living power and majesty as the ,king of kings and ,lord of lords1 the foundation of that heaven and earth wherein dwelleth righteousness4 #eth4 ,i have touched1 in these last words1 on ,baur's doctrine respecting the identity of the ,apostle with the author of the ,apocalypse1 and the essential differences between the ,apocalypse and the ,gospel4 ,it is notorious that many in the ,alexandrian ,church agreed with ,baur in separating the author of the ,apocalypse from the author of the ,gospel2 but that they gave the ,gospel to ,st4 ,john1 and the ,apocalypse to some other author4 ,i am quite willing1 with the ,german ,professor1 to consider the ,apostle as first of all the ',apocalyptiker2' to believe that he was regarded specially in that character by the ,churches of ,asia ,minor2 and to take the vision of the ,son of ,man1 in the first chapter1 as the explanation of that confused tradition respecting ,john which represents him as in some manner keeping alive the office of the high-priest after its representative in ,jerusalem had disappeared4 ,i am most willing1 also1 to admit that the author of the ,apocalypse does regard himself as a true ,jew1 in contradistinction from those who called themselves ,jews1 but did lie and were of the synagogue of ,satan4 ,what ,i contend is1 that the writer of the fourth ,gospel is an ',apocalyptiker1' in the strictest sense of the word2 that the unveiling of the ,son of ,god and the ,son of ,man is the subject of one book as well as of the other2 that the meaning which is given to revelation or unveiling1 in both1 is not at variance with the meaning which it bears in ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 but is the expansion and illustration of that meaning2 that the ,jews who do lie in the ,apocalypse1 as well as in the ,gospel1 were those who were content with a visible high-priest1 and were not asking as their high-priest for ,him whose eyes were as a flame of fire1 who died and was alive2 that as the ,epistle of the ,hebrews1 whether written by ,st4 ,paul or not1 explains the very ground of all ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles and their unity1 so the fourth ,gospel and the ,apocalypse show what is the underground of the doctrine of that ,epistle1 viz4 that the ,high-,priest of the universe is that ,word of ,god who was with the ,father before all worlds1 in whom men may ascend to ,his ,father and their ,father1 to ,his ,god and their ,god4 ,i have expressed1 in this ,sermon1 a hope that the ,apocalypse may some day be proved to be a revelation of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 and not of certain dates and mystical numbers1 because ,i believe that its radical and essential harmony with the ,gospel will be more and more discovered to those who read it1 and because the two books and the ,epistle will then1 ,i think1 explain to us all the former books of the ,bible--how they are related to each other1 how they are related to ,him in whom alone ,god is unveiled to man4 ,i have spoken of the ,gospel as a book of theology1 the ,apocalypse as a book of politics1 not because ,i believe that these artificial distinctions of ours can represent satisfactorily their different objects1 but because ,i am convinced that theology will be a mere hortus siccus for schoolmen to entertain themselves with1 till it becomes associated once more with the ,life of nations and humanity2 that politics will be a mere ground on which despots and democrats1 and the tools of both1 play with the morality and happiness of their fellow-beings1 till we seek again for the ground of them in the nature and purposes of the eternal ,god4 ,,discourse ,,ii4 ,i have not seen my way to adopt the punctuation of the #c;d and #dth verses of the #ast chapter1 7 4 17 which many of the ,fathers approve1 which ,lachmann has introduced into his text1 and which ,mr4 ,bunsen appears to regard as of very high importance4 ,on the question of a various reading1 ,i might have deferred to these authorities2 on a question of pointing1 their judgment is merely that of ordinary students4 ,the simplicity of the ,apostle's style1 it seems to me1 is violated by the change4 ,nor am ,i yet aware what we gain by it4 ,is it the pleonasm in the #ast verse which is objected to8 ,surely we must strike out half the verses in the ,psalms1 if we complain of such pleonasms4 ,i believe we shall find1 when we have done so1 that the force of that which we have retained has not been increased1 but weakened4 ,or is it that the words1 'in ,him was life1' are regarded as a mere commonplace8 ,god give us such commonplaces in exchange for all the rarities and refinements that wise men can present us with6 ,i do not mean that the difference between 'being' and 'becoming' is not involved in all the doctrine of these verses4 ,no one can read them thoughtfully without perceiving it4 ,but need it be thrust upon us in the very terms of school philosophy8 ,does it not come out much more naturally and truly in the old simple ,hebraic forms8 ,those who suppose these forms to be obsolete for us1 cannot suppose them to have been obsolete for the writer of the fourth ,gospel1 unless they accept ,baur's theory concerning him4 ,i have also not been induced to depart from our version of the words1 1 1 in spite of the many objections which have1 in modern times and in old times1 been raised against it4 ,i do not think that ,i have what is called a theological interest in defending it4 ,if the light is said to lighten every man1 ,i can ask no more4 ,give what force you will to the coming into the world1 connect it with what clause of the sentence you will1 that assertion remains good1 perhaps even less qualified than it is in our translation4 ,moreover1 a single text would be a very poor ground on which to rest such a doctrine4 ,a person who finds it in every line of ,st4 ,john--nay1 implied in the whole ,bible--can afford to make a present of one passage to those who find it inconvenient4 ,i contend for the fidelity of our version upon a different ground4 ,if we construe the words1 ',the light which lighteneth every man was coming into the world1' we destroy the order of the ,apostle's discourse1 and we go near to make him contradict himself4 ,he declares that the ,word was in the world1 and that the world knew ,him not4 ,the coming into it1 in the sense of being made flesh1 is reserved for the #adth verse4 ,my great object in this ,sermon has been to assert this order1 and to show how much we mistake the purpose of the ,evangelist when we substitute another of our own4 ,until some rendering of the passage is suggested which does not involve that great mischief1 ,i must adhere to the one with which we are all familiar4 ,,discourse ,,iii4 ,the notion of ,st4 ,john as the teacher who possesses a higher lore than the other writers of the ,new ,testament1 which ,i have considered in this ,sermon1 may be traced especially to ,origen4 ,if the reader is at the pains to consider the opening of his ,commentary upon ,st4 ,john1 he will discover in what sense this ,gospel seemed to him a kind of quintessence of all the previous revelations of ,god4 ,his own emblem is drawn from the first-fruits of a sacrifice2 a better comparison in itself1 but one which does not make its meaning at once evident to the modern reader4 ,i cannot have any wish to speak disrespectfully or disparagingly of ,origen1 with whose mysticism some will accuse me of having only too much sympathy4 ,yet ,i cannot help thinking that his attempt to distinguish between the spiritual and the sensible ,gospel1 has been the source of infinite confusions in the study of the ,evangelist4 ,its other evil consequences--as cultivating a morbid ingenuity in seeking for distant analogies1 and in destroying the force of plain narratives--have been often dwelt upon4 ,i allude to it in connexion with what ,i have said1 in this ,sermon and in the eighth1 of our ,lord's forerunner4 ,even the most earnest seekers after truth are continually perplexed by the question how ,john the ,baptist could have been a guide into what ,origen and his school have taught them to consider the most esoteric part of the ,christian faith4 ',if the least in the kingdom of heaven1' they say1 'was greater than he1 how can he have been possessed of a doctrine which even some of the great in the kingdom of heaven seem very imperfectly to have apprehended8' ,the answer to this question1 ,i believe1 will come to such persons gradually1--at last decisively4 ,what is called the doctrine of the ,logos--the idea of the ,logos--may have been seized and possessed by one here and one there1 at different periods of the ,church4 ,the best of these1 like ,clemens of ,alexandria1 may have been driven to it by the necessities of their position1 by their conflict with the false ,gnosticism1 by the impossibility of preaching the ,gospel to ,heathens without the belief in a universal ,teacher4 ,they may have been often dazzled with their own light--often tempted1 if not to glorify themselves upon the possession of it1 yet to denounce others as carnal or earthly who were without it4 ,i cannot1 indeed1 say that ,i trace as much scorn of others and exaltation of their own wisdom in the ,alexandrian school1 as in that which was most opposed to it1 in the hard dogmatist of ,carthage4 ,but they were tempted to make distinctions which interfere1 it seems to me1 most grievously with all that is truest in their teaching4 ,if the ,word is the ,teacher and ,light of men1 as they represented ,him to be1 the vulgarest men must have been under ,his teaching2 the commonest facts1 the most simple forms of nature1 must be instruments through which ,his learning is communicated4 ,if the ,word has been1 as they say1 made flesh1 fleshly things cannot be despicable1 but must contain those spiritual truths which the wise and prudent who despise them1 and exult in their own intellectual superiority1 cannot find4 ,therefore the simplest men1 the preachers of repentance1 those who have brought a message to the poor1--whether they have talked of the living ,word or not1--have borne the best and fullest witness of ,him4 ,it is so now2 it has been so always4 ,the prophets of old spoke of a ,word because they were preachers of repentance4 ,i contend that ,john the ,baptist spoke of ,him just as they did1 only with more clearness1 with a stronger apprehension of ,his personality4 ,but if ,john was the messenger of a ,word made flesh1 if the ,incarnation is the beginning of a new world1 the opening of a new heaven1 it must needs be that the least of those who are born into that world1 who are permitted to ascend into that heaven1 is greater than ,john4 ,if1 indeed1 he forgets the answer which was given to the disciples when they asked1 ',who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven8' if he begins to exult in his knowledge or in his privileges2 if he scorns the world which ,christ has redeemed2 if he denies that ,christ is the ,light of the world2 he not only puts himself below ,john the ,baptist1 but below every ,jew1 ,mahometan1 worshipper of ,juggernaut2 he more openly sets ,christ at nought than they do4 ,the ,christian world may come to this utter denial of its ,master2 then will come a preacher of repentance1--a preacher of the living ,word to publicans and sinners1--an ,elias to witness of judgments upon ,scribes and ,pharisees1 who will make it evident that the deepest lore is also the simplest2 that that which is most divine has most power over those who have been most given up to the world1 the flesh1 and the devil4 ,to return for a moment to the ,alexandrian divines4 ,i cannot acquit ,clemens of having given encouragement to that esoterical doctrine which led ,origen1 it appears to me1 into such dangerous refinements4 ,but the spirit of his ',pdagogue' is so personal and so practical1 that many of the tendencies to which his pupil yielded were counteracted1 if not wholly overcome1 in him4 ,above all1 there is one passage of ,origen's ,commentary which shows him to have utterly departed from the principle which goes through all the books of ,clemens4 ,he considers 7tom4 i4 c4 #bc7 why the name ,logos should have been especially chosen as a title of the ,saviour4 ,he has been extensively followed by persons who would not like to acknowledge that they have learnt anything from him1 in this mode of speaking4 ,but it is surely fatal to the humble study of ,st4 ,john4 ,we do not suffer him to tell us of the ,word1 and then to tell us how the ,word was made flesh1 and dwelt among men1 and manifested forth ,his glory4 ,we start from an assumption and speculation of our own2 we chain the ,apostle1 as if he were a ,proteus1 that we may compel him to give forth1 not his own oracles1 but those which we have put into his mouth4 ,if ,i could induce but one student of divinity to abandon this perilous and irreverent course1 ,i should believe that ,god had permitted me to be an instrument of some good to ,his ,church4 ,,discourse ,,iv4 ,mr4 ,alford has given it as his opinion that the sentence1 ',lamb of ,god that taketh away the sin of the world1' does not refer at all to the ,paschal feast1 but to the words in the #ec;d chapter of ,isaiah4 ,he raises the natural objection1 of which ,i have spoken in this ,discourse1 that the scape-goat bears away sins1 but that no such association is connected with the ,lamb except in the words1 ',surely ,he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows4' ,i do not venture to affirm that the words of ,isaiah were not in the ,baptist's mind when he uttered this sentence1 or that they did not suggest themselves to the minds of the disciples who heard him speak1 and who followed ,jesus4 ,but supposing that to be the case1 why did the ,prophet connect the lamb that was led to the slaughter1 and the sheep that was dumb before his shearers1 with the exclamation in the fourth verse8 ,why did ,isaiah1 as well as ,john1 think of a lamb instead of a goat8 ,we are all agreed that the scape-goat was the most obvious image1 one specially suggested1 to a preacher in the wilderness4 ,why was it not the one to which that preacher in the wilderness resorted8 ,why did he industriously choose another image1 which no tradition except that of one passage in a prophet seemed to justify8 ,why has all ,christendom accepted and ratified that selection1 the other being thrown quite into the background1 only furnishing an occasional simile to divines1 being scarcely brought within the range of our sympathies even by the earnestness and genius of an adventurous and devout painter of our own day1 while the lamb has been the favourite subject of ,christian art in all ages8 ,surely these questions require to be considered4 ,the ,passover1 ,i admit1 does not suggest the thought of a sin-bearer4 ,that thought is suggested to the conscience by the sense of sin1 or rather is that sense4 ,but did not the ,passover suggest to those who had that thought deeply fixed in their own minds and consciences1 the sense of a deliverer8 ,may not ,john have felt--may not all ,christendom have felt--that the sin-bearer must1 as ,i have expressed it in this ,discourse1 go into the presence of ,god to deliver us from our burden and bondage1 not into a land uninhabited8 ,the intolerable burden which ,luther had felt on his conscience leads him to speak of this verse with intense delight and satisfaction4 7,see ,werke1 b4 vii4 p4 #afcg1 u4 s4 w4 ,walch47 ,starting from his inward experience1 he takes it for granted that ,isaiah's words were the exposition to the ,jew of the inadequacy of the legal lamb offered day by day1 or at the annual feast1 to take away sin4 ,st4 ,john's words1 in that sense1 become1 for him1 the interpretation of ,isaiah's words1 ',surely the ,lamb that was dumb before his shearers hath carried our sins4' ',behold that ,lamb of ,god6' ,but it never occurs to him that the ,jew could have separated the lamb at the feast from the consciousness of evil1 or that it could have suggested any thoughts which did not point to a deliverer from the evil4 ,on many subjects older writers or modern writers may see further than he does2 on this no one1 ,i think1 is so entitled to bear witness4 ,,discourse ,v4 ,note #a4 ,those who maintain that it is dangerous to attempt any revision of our present translation of the ,scriptures are fond of two arguments especially4 ,one is1 that the language which would be substituted1 in almost every case1 for that of the divines in ,king ,james's reign would be less simple and popular than theirs2 the other is1 that no vital or fundamental doctrine of our faith is affected by any errors or inadvertencies into which they may have fallen4 ,these arguments have been illustrated by a large amount of eulogistic and vituperative rhetoric2 but plain readers would rather that they were brought to some practical test4 ,here is one4 ,i have urged that we should put ,signs in nearly all those verses of ,st4 ,john in which we now find ',miracles4' ,is this change likely to affect the simplicity of our version1 to make its 'language not understanded by the people8' ,is 'miracle' one of their ordinary1 homely1 ,saxon expressions8 ,would it be exceedingly difficult for a preacher to make his humble parishioners understand the use and purpose of ',signs8' ,but there is the cui bono objection3--',you unsettle a mode of speech to which we are accustomed4 ,to what end8 ,is there anything vital in the difference8' ,vital means1 ,i suppose1 if it is rendered into our vernacular speech1 that which affects life--the life of individuals or of societies4 ,i venture to think that this change is important to the life of both4 ,the habit of looking for wonderments1 as the decisive and overpowering witnesses of ,christ1 has1 it seems to me1 been most mischievous to the life of the ,church1 is affecting the life of each one of us4 ,those who wish to think and speak of ,him as not only born at a certain time into the world1 but as living before the world1 and as the founder of it1 find themselves perpetually embarrassed by the notion which has worked itself into the minds of our people and of ourselves1 that ,he established ,his claim to be an extraordinary person by doing extraordinary acts in the towns of ,galilee and the city of ,jerusalem1 instead of showing by signs what ,he is and always has been4 ,the ,catholic doctrine is more undermined than we are at all aware by the feeling which this deviation from the original has sanctioned and promoted4 ,we assume ,christ's simple humanity as the ground of our thoughts1 and then add on to it an indefinite notion of divinity4 ,the truth which was so dear to the earnest ,evangelical teachers of the last century1 that ,christ is to be proclaimed as the ,emmanuel1 ',god with us1' that the whole ,gospel is concerning a living ,christ1 suffers scarcely less from the same cause4 ,and how much the whole argument of ,protestants with ,romanists about their miracles is weakened1 and its practical effect destroyed1 by the use of an expression which 7such is the curious ,nemesis upon those who1 for any cause whatever1 trifle with language7 we have derived1 not from the ,vulgate1 but from ,theodore ,beza1 ,i fancy some of our professional anti-,romanist orators might discover1 if they spent some of the time in studying the controversy and the history of the ,church which they spend in constructing denunciations against the superstitions and apostasy of their opponents4 ,i offer these as proofs that in one instance1 at all events1 'vital' benefits may be gained by an earnest and sober consideration of our existing translation1 and that even deadly mischiefs may be averted by it4 ,and ,i am inclined to think that it is a fair instance4 ,among those divines who are most earnest for a revision1 and would be most competent to take part in it1 there is not one1 so far as ,i am aware1 who would not watch with the greatest jealousy over the ,saxon character of our version1 who would wish to substitute for a single venerable phrase a nineteenth century equivalent1 who would not sacrifice anything excepting truth to the preservation of that which is popular and human1 who would not expect1 as the reward of a steadfast adherence to truth1 that the book would become more a book for the ,english people1 and less a book for the schools4 ,and ,i am satisfied that these honest and learned men may look for another--even1 if possible1 a higher--reward for their serious devotion to the book which they love and reverence most4 ,many delusions like that of which ,i have spoken are perpetuated1 ,i am persuaded1 through phrases which crept into our version from carelessness1--which have been repeated and turned into arguments by pulpit rhetoricians1--which often lead honest ,englishmen to doubt the truth of the ,bible4 ,they will be1 in the best sense1 defenders of the faith if they rescue the words which the ,psalmist speaks of as purified seven times in the fire from any earthly dross1 and if they spoil the trade of those who wish it to be mingled with the genuine ore4 ,i will add one word in conclusion4 ,much is said in our day about verbal inspiration4 ,some accuse their brethren of superstition for maintaining it2 some accuse their brethren of infidelity for not maintaining it4 ,i suspect that a common name may cover the most opposite feelings and convictions4 ,a believer in verbal inspiration1 like ,mr4 ,tregelles--who lives laborious days that he may discover the purest text1 so that none of the inspired words may fall to the ground or be perverted--is one of the noblest witnesses for truth ,i can conceive of4 ,may ,god give us more and more of such men1 and hearts to honour them for their works' sake6 ,on the other hand1 those who say they believe in verbal inspiration1 whenever they wish to direct the wrath of their disciples or of a religious mob against men that are more righteous than themselves1 and who then show that they are afraid of trying ,god's words1 and freeing them from insincere mixtures1 lest the minds of the people should be disturbed1 are not exactly those whom one can think of as ',israelites indeed1 in whom is no guile4' ,note #b4 ,my attention has been called by a friend to a very interesting interpretation of the dialogue between ,jesus and the ,virgin1 which is given by ,gregory of ,nyssa1 ,tom4 ii4 p4 #i1 ,b4 c4 ,he makes1 it will be seen1 the words of our ,lord interrogative3 ',is not my hour yet come8'-- 1 1 2 2 2 ,,discourse ,,xii4 ,i have spoken in this ,sermon on two subjects1 of which ,i have spoken at some length in my ,theological ,essays2 the ',resurrection' and the ',judgment4' ,i am not the least anxious to correct any impressions which my remarks in that book may have made on the minds of religious critics4 ,if they have misunderstood me1 nothing which ,i could say would make me intelligible to them4 ,if they have misinterpreted me without misunderstanding me1 ,i am not the sufferer4 ,but ,i shall be very glad if what ,i have said here should remove any difficulty from the minds of earnest and thoughtful men1 some of whom have written their complaints to me in a most kind and friendly spirit1 evidently regarding me as a fellow-inquirer after truth1 and wishing that we should help each other in the pursuit of it4 ,i think they will perceive1 from what ,i have said on the words--',those that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the ,son of ,god1 and they that hear shall live1'--that ,i am not less zealous than they are to assert the absolute identity of the body of humiliation with the body of glory4 ,that truth cannot be asserted in stronger language than it is asserted by ,st4 ,paul in the #aeth chapter of the #ast ,corinthians1 and by our own ,burial ,service4 ,god forbid that any one should make it weaker6 ,what ,i affirm is1 that we do not gain the least strength for this conviction by setting aside ,st4 ,paul's assertion1 that corruption shall not inherit incorruption2 and that the ,burial ,service nowhere gives the slightest hint that what is committed as earth to earth1 ashes to ashes1 dust to dust1 shall be reunited to constitute that body which we have a sure and certain hope will be raised1 and will be made like unto ,christ's glorious body4 ,this attempt to identify the corruption of the body with the body1 the effects of death with the substance which death is unable to destroy1 ,i know has the sanction of great and venerable names4 ,transubstantiation and ,consubstantiation have also the sanction of names which are most dear to the ,church4 ,but if ,bonaventura and ,thomas ,kempis cannot bind us to the one1 or ,luther to the other2 if we have a right to feel that we partake with them of the sacrament of ,christ's risen and glorified body most completely when we forget the theories by which here on earth they limited it2 we are surely not bound by the rhetoric of ,donne or of ,jeremy ,taylor1 however much we may reverence them both1 to adopt what seems to us merely an earthly and sensual explanation of a glorious reality1 directly interfering with the scriptural account of it1 and with many of the most practical and consolatory truths which flow from it4 ,i do not wish to get rid of any passage in the ,new ,testament upon the subject1 or to give it a forced construction4 ,i do wish that we may look straight at all the passages in it1 and not allow a conception which we have formed1--a very natural1 but it seems to me a very low and grovelling conception1--to interfere with the full understanding and reception of them4 ,i would not wish a better argument against the popular theory than the eloquent sermon of ,donne in the support and elucidation of it4 ,let any one see how utterly unrestrained the fancy of a devout and excellent man becomes when it enters into this speculation1 how entirely it loses sight of all scriptural guidance1 how it revels amongst the images of the charnel-house4 ,and then let any one ask himself whether this is the doctrine of that divine passage in ,st4 ,paul1 which reaches indeed from earth to heaven1 which is not afraid of the lowest objects when it is in contact with the highest2 yet in which all is clear and awful1 as if he knew that he was speaking of death and life1 of ,god and man1 and as if the ,spirit who was guiding him abhorred all conceits and trifling4 ,only imagine ,donne's ,sermon substituted for the #aeth of ,corinthians1 when we meet in the church around the coffin of a friend6 ,it is a very simple test2 but ,i think any one who applies it fairly will know what is the worth of the additions which the fancy1 even if it is not ordinarily a vulgar fancy1 makes to the divine testimony4 ,precisely on the same ground do ,i protest against the exercises of this same fancy respecting what is called1 by a phrase which ,i have not met with anywhere in ,scripture1 the intermediate state of disembodied spirits4 ,i am told by a gentleman1 who seems to know1 that they are placed in the moon1 or in one of the fixed stars4 ,any one who can find consolation in such an opinion1 ,i should be very sorry to deprive of it4 ,but ,i must say plainly1 that we are in a world of life and death2 and that if we have nothing better than these dreams to sustain each other with1 we had better hold our peace4 ,in the words of our ,lord in the #eth chapter of ,st4 ,john1 in the comment upon these words at the tomb of ,lazarus1 ,i find what ,i want1 and what ,i believe every one wants1 and more than we shall ever get to the bottom of1 if we meditate upon them from this day till the consummation of all things4 ,while ,i have them ,i will not1 for my part1 build up a world of fantasies which1 seeing that it has no foundation in the nature of things or in the word of ,god1 any physical discovery1 any application of ordinary logic1 may throw down in a moment4 ,da nuces puero4 ,the boyhood of the ,church1 as of individuals1 may have innocently occupied itself in cracking nuts1 and eating the poor kernel in the inside4 ,our faith perishes in such experiments4 ,let us put away childish things1 and try that we may know those blessed things which are freely given us of ,god4 ,that the declarations respecting a general resurrection at the last day are to me of infinite worth1 and that they do not at all clash in my mind with the belief which our ,lord's words in this chapter appear very distinctly to justify1--that men1 at all times and in all ages1 who have been in their graves1 have heard the voice of the ,son of ,man and have lived2 that in their bodies1 and not in their spirits only1 they have awakened at ,his call2 ,i think will be evident from what ,i have said on the resurrection of ,lazarus4 ,and this general resurrection ,i connect1 as ,i think all men connect it1 with a judgment-day4 ,the only question is1 whether we are to follow strictly the assertions of the ,evangelists1 and call that day an unveiling of the ,son of ,man--a discovery to all1 wherever they are1 in one part of the universe or another1 quick or dead1 of ,him who is1 and always has been1 their ,king and their ,judge1 so that every eye shall see ,him1 and the secrets of all hearts shall be discovered2 or whether we shall substitute for this notion of ,his advent to judgment1 one which supposes a gathering together1 in some certain space1 of multitudes that never could be gathered together in any space1--one that reproduces all the pomp and solemnities of earthly courts of justice1--one that supposes ,christ not to be the ,searcher of hearts1 not to be the ,light of men1 but the mere image and pattern of an earthly magistrate4 ,what ,i call for1 is the strict interpretation of the words of ,scripture4 ,what ,i denounce1 is an attempt to substitute the forms and conceptions of our own carnal understandings for that which speaks to a faculty within us which is higher than our understandings1 and which belongs to us all alike4 ,far from agreeing with those writers1 immeasurably superior to me ,i own in learning and insight1 who think that the words of ,scripture do not fit the conditions of modern times1 and that we need to adapt them to our stage of civilization1 or else to cast them aside1 ,i expect no deliverance from the superstitions by which we are tied and bound1 from the confusions which a corrupt and money-getting civilization has introduced into our thoughts on the meanest and on the highest subjects1 but in a return to the more accurate study of those ,scriptural phrases which we use most familiarly1 but in the attempt to bring our theology to the higher and simpler standard which they set before us4 ,earnestly would ,i implore those friends who have so kindly told me that they would gladly agree with me1 in my views respecting the ,resurrection and the ,judgment1 but that they find it impossible--not to trouble themselves about my views at all2 to be sure that they can only be of use to them1 that ,i can only be of use to them1 just so far as ,i can help them to clear their minds of mists which hinder them from seeing that light which must throw all my opinions and those of far wiser men into the shade4 ,,discourses ,,xvi4 ,,and ,,xvii4 ,a friend1 who has kindly looked over the sheets of these ,discourses1 has intimated to me that though ,i may have said enough on the simple and childlike character of ,st4 ,john's narrative1 ,i have not directly encountered an impression which he believes to be very general1--that the discourses of our ,lord which are contained in this ,gospel1 are essentially and radically unlike those in the other three4 ,he thinks that this impression may not be felt by the most humble and devout readers of the ,gospel2 but that it is far from being confined to those who have any knowledge of ,baur's opinions1 or have even the slightest acquaintance with ,german theology4 ,it forces itself upon every one who is only beginning to exercise his faculties of comparison and criticism upon the ,scriptures2 it is especially likely to affect those who have derived their impressions of them from our ordinary ,english commentators and pulpit teachers4 ,my own experience corroborates this opinion4 ,earnest men feel this difficulty more than indifferent men4 ,it is1 therefore1 one which no teacher ought to leave unconsidered4 ,but every reader must feel how hard it is for one man to put himself exactly in another's point of view1 and to discern what the inconsistencies are which seem to him most glaring4 ,to speak about tones and habits of writing1 so as to make oneself intelligible1 so as not to assume canons of criticism which the objector does not recognise1 is possible1 but certainly far from easy4 ,i believe that ,i can only fulfil my friend's wishes on this subject1 with any satisfaction1 if ,i take some special discourse from one of the first three ,gospels1--some one which shall be admitted to exhibit their characteristical manner1--and another from ,st4 ,john1 which shall be admitted to exhibit his manner4 ,for many reasons1 ,i think that the former specimen ought to be taken from ,st4 ,matthew4 ,nor can ,i have much doubt on which passage of ,st4 ,matthew the reader would wish me to fix4 ,all would say1 ',the ,sermon on the ,mount exhibits that purely ethical tone which we trace in the earlier ,gospels4 ,there ,christ speaks with authority1 no doubt1 as a king and a lawgiver2 but it is to proclaim blessings upon the poor in spirit1 the merciful1 the pure in heart4 ,there is little of what in modern times we call doctrine4 ,there is no formal theology4 ,it is a code which saint1 savage1 and sage1 may all recognise as divine1 whether they conform to it or no4' ,what shall we choose as the parallel discourse to this in ,st4 ,john8 ,it would be difficult to find any contrast so marked and striking as that which the #hth chapter offers4 ,the discourse there is argumentative1 not hortatory4 ,it is addressed to disputers in ,jerusalem1 not to crowds about a mountain4 ,those who hear it do not confess its authority1 but canvass every word of it4 ,no passage in ,st4 ,john is more strictly theological4 ,here1 then1 if anywhere1 we may expect to find the radical essential dissimilitude which is spoken of4 ,let us see whether it is there1--whether the opposition which is so manifest upon the surface does1 or does not1 penetrate to the heart's core of the two records4 ,we may amuse ourselves for ever with the words ethical1 theological1 doctrinal4 ,they are evidently mere artificial helps to our conceptions4 ,we can never arrive through them at any safe apprehension of human thoughts or divine4 ,but it is not difficult1 ,i think1 for any earnest reader to ascertain what is the cardinal idea1--at all events the cardinal word in the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,let us take a few passages of it1 that we may be clear on this point4 ',let your light so shine before men1 that they may see your good works1 and glorify your ,father which is in heaven4' ',i say unto you1 ,love your enemies1 bless them that curse you1 do good to them that hate you1 and pray for them that despitefully use you1 and persecute you2 that you may be the children of your ,father which is in heaven3 for ,he maketh ,his sun to rise on the evil and on the good1 and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust4' ',be ye therefore perfect1 even as your ,father which is in heaven is perfect4' ',take heed that ye do not your alms before men1 to be seen of them3 otherwise ye have no reward of your ,father which is in heaven4' ',but when thou doest alms1 let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth3 that thine alms may be in secret3 and thy ,father which seeth in secret ,himself shall reward thee openly4' ',but thou1 when thou prayest1 enter into thy closet1 and when thou hast shut thy door1 pray to thy ,father which is in secret2 and thy ,father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly4' ',be not ye therefore like unto them3 for your ,father knoweth what things ye have need of1 before ye ask ,him4 ,after this manner therefore pray ye3 ,our ,father which art in heaven1 ,hallowed be thy name4' ',for if ye forgive men their trespasses1 your heavenly ,father will also forgive you3 but if ye forgive not men their trespasses1 neither will your ,father forgive your trespasses4' ',but thou1 when thou fastest1 anoint thine head1 and wash thy face2 that thou appear not unto men to fast1 but unto thy ,father which is in secret3 and thy ,father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly4' ',behold the fowls of the air3 for they sow not1 neither do they reap1 nor gather into barns2 yet your heavenly ,father feedeth them4 ,are ye not much better than they8' ',therefore take no thought1 saying1 ,what shall we eat8 or1 ,what shall we drink8 or1 ,wherewithal shall we be clothed8 7,for after all these things do the ,gentiles seek37 for your heavenly ,father knoweth that ye have need of these things4' ',if ye then1 being evil1 know how to give good gifts unto your children1 how much more shall your ,father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask ,him8' ',not every one that saith unto me1 ,lord1 ,lord1 shall enter into the kingdom of heaven2 but he that doeth the will of my ,father which is in heaven4' ,i am sure ,i need not remark that we have not here the mere repetition of a name4 ,all the precepts that answer most to the description that is given of the ,sermon on the ,mount1 when it is praised for its ethical qualities1 for its beautiful morality1 are here made to depend upon the fact that those whom ,he was addressing had a ,father in heaven1 who knew them and desired them to be what ,he was4 ,this is the thread which binds all these precepts together4 ,take it away1 and they lose not only their cohesion1 but all their practical force2 they become a set of cold1 dead1 formal letters in a book1 which we may admire if we like them1 but which have no power over us1 which do not concern human beings at all4 ,this is not only a truth1 but it is the truth which exercises all the charm over those who feel that there is any charm in the ,sermon on the ,mount1 however they may account for it1 or represent it to themselves4 ,a person who has been reading the old ,hebrew ,scriptures asks himself1--',what is the change that ,i experience in passing from them to this document8 ,st4 ,matthew was a ,hebrew2 perhaps he wrote in ,hebrew4 ,he says the law is not to pass away2 but that every jot and tittle of it is to be fulfilled4 ,why1 then1 do ,i call his book a ,gospel8 ,why does it transport me into a world altogether different from that in which ,i have been dwelling1--from that in which ,i have had such wonderful revelations of ,god8 ,christ speaks to me of a ,father2 ,christ reveals a ,father4 ,all other differences are contained in that4 ,this is the new revelation4' ,having made this discovery1 let us turn to the #hth chapter of ,st4 ,john4 ,what is that about8 ,i am afraid of repeating myself2 but ,i will repeat ,st4 ,john without fear4 ',and yet if ,i judge1 my judgment is true3 for ,i am not alone1 but ,i and the ,father that sent me4' ',i am one that bear witness of myself1 and the ,father that sent me beareth witness of me4 ,then said they unto ,him1 ,where is thy ,father8 ,jesus answered1 ,ye neither know me1 nor my ,father3 if ye had known me1 ye should have known my ,father also8' ',they understood not that ,he spake to them of the ,father4' ',and ,he that sent me is with me3 the ,father hath not left me alone2 for ,i do always those things that please ,him4' ',i speak that which ,i have seen with my ,father3 and ye do that which ye have seen with your father4' ',jesus answered1 ,i have not a devil2 but ,i honour my ,father1 and ye do dishonour me4' ',jesus answered1 ,if ,i honour myself1 my honour is nothing3 it is my ,father that honoureth me2 of whom ye say1 that ,he is your ,god4' ,these passages ,i think ,i have shown are the cardinal passages here1 as the others are the cardinal passages there4 ,may ,i entreat the reader1 who thinks there is a radical difference between ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,john1 seriously to meditate upon them8 ,they will show him that there is a difference1 a very great difference1 between these ,evangelists4 ,i think they will show him that the difference is of the kind which ,i have endeavoured to indicate in these ,sermons1 between one whose function it was to declare to men that they had a ,father1 and one whose function it was to show them how it was possible they should have a ,father1 by unfolding the unity of the ,father and the ,son4 ,,discourse ,,xix4 ,a book has recently been published by ,mr4 ,john ,mc,leod ,campbell ',on the ,nature of the ,atonement4' ,i cannot feel too thankful to the pious and excellent writer for the light which he has thrown upon this subject2 for his exemplary charity to those with whom he is at variance2 for his successful effort to reclaim the doctrine from the region of hard scholasticism to the region of practical life and holiness2 above all1 for his vindication of the character of ,god as a ,father1 and for his determination to assert1 that likeness to ,his character1 and communion with ,him1 are the ends which ,god is seeking for us1 and which we are to seek from ,him4 ,in every one of these respects1 ,i wish to be a learner from ,mr4 ,campbell4 ,others may criticise him who feel that they know more than he does4 ,i cannot read his book without perceiving how little ,i do know of the truths which seem to me the most vital and cardinal1 and how impossible it is to know more1 except by having more of the spirit of love1 which is the ,spirit of ,god4 ,in a book written expressly for ,scotland--though admirably fitted to enlarge and deepen the thoughts of ,englishmen--,i cannot wish that he should have followed any other method than that which he has followed4 ,he knows what books are popular among the religious people of his own land2 and of these he has spoken with singular candour and wisdom4 ,i might1 indeed1 wish that ,calvinists knew something of ,calvin as well as of ,edwards1 and that ,scotchmen cared more for the broad1 bold statements of ,knox1 than for the modifications of much feebler men in this country4 ,i can say for myself that ,i have read1 with infinite delight1 ,knox's book on ,predestination2 finding there the fullest and most vehement assertions of ,god as an absolutely righteous ,being1 and the greatest indignation against his opponents for daring to say that a believer in predestination must think of ,him chiefly as a ,sovereign4 ,knox would evidently have died rather than have adopted phraseology which his descendants think that it is heretical to complain of4 ,he would have rejoiced not to limit ,god's grace in any way2 only he could not see how the acknowledgment of it as universal was compatible with the attributing of every good thing to ,god and nothing to man4 ,as an assertor1 as a resistor of ,arminian denials1 we may embrace him and go all lengths with him4 ,and ,i apprehend that even when he was upon earth1 at all events that now1 he would prefer this sympathy to that of men who fritter away his positions1 and only accept his negations4 ,neither ,edwards1 however1 nor ,dr4 ,williams1 nor ,knox1 nor ,calvin1 have much influence upon the mind of ,england in the present day--at all events on the minds of ,english ,episcopalians4 ,luther1 to whose ,commentary on the ,galatians ,mr4 ,campbell has done justice1 commands our sympathy more4 ,it is the man who speaks to us more than his books4 ,i believe if we knew them better1 we should find such a man speaking in them that we should be scarcely able to make the distinction4 ,he whom we suppose to be the assertor of ,justification by ,faith1 is really the poor stricken monk1 overwhelmed by the sense and burden of sin2 grasping the assurance of forgiveness which comes to him from the old ,creed2 believing that assurance as given by the ,god who is the subject of the ,creed2 certain that it cannot mean indulgence for sin1 that it must mean deliverance from sin2 discovering that it involves the actual possession of righteousness2 discovering that he cannot have that righteousness in himself1 and must have it in ,christ2 learning gradually from ,st4 ,paul how ,christ is made unto us righteousness and is the righteousness of ,god2 knocking down every obstacle which stood in the way of the apprehension of this righteousness2 preaching the ,gospel to men that it is theirs as well as his2 anathematizing ,popes1 ,councils1 ,kings1 ,doctors1 ,reformers1 whoever seem to him to intercept the intercourse between the sinner and his ,lord4 ,with such a man--in his strength and in his weakness1 in his gentleness and in his rage--,englishmen1 so far as they are enabled to make his acquaintance1 feel a cordial interest2 they are sure that he was fighting a good fight1 even when the smoke of the cannon1 or his own single-handed rashness1 conceal him from their sight1 and make his intentions perplexing to them4 ,and those who have had any fights in themselves1 and who therefore know that his descriptions are real and not imaginary1 will heartily approve of ,mr4 ,campbell's judgment in putting him foremost among those who have started from the sense of evil in themselves1 and have been led to believe in an atonement as the only emancipation from it4 ,it must not1 however1 be concealed1 that the following of ,luther has had an effect in cramping men's study of ,st4 ,paul4 ,in another book ,i have endeavoured to explain how it seems to me that this effect has been produced4 ,the doctrine of ,justification by ,faith has been assumed to be the ,pauline doctrine4 ,luther said that it was so2 and ,luther surely entered into ,st4 ,paul as no one else has done4 ,persons who followed the course of ,luther's experience thought that the ,epistle to the ,romans must begin from the sense of sin1 as ,luther and as they began4 ,if it did not appear to do so1 then the two first chapters must be treated as prologue1 and it must begin with the third4 ,all questions about the relation of ,jews and ,gentiles must be treated as accidental or subordinate to the primary thesis2 whatever does not concern that1 in the final chapters1 must be resolved into practical exhortations1 introduced1 after the manner of a modern sermon1 when the doctrinal statement has been concluded4 ,those who1 without this experience1 merely desired to elucidate the formal doctrine1 of course subjected the ,epistle to still more formal treatment4 ,its human character disappeared2 and the divinity which was to compensate for that disappearance was of a very dry1 hungry1 uninspired character indeed4 ,both parties agreed to regard the ,epistles to the ,romans and the ,galatians as the specially ,pauline ,epistles1 because there were most allusions in them to justification by faith2 other ,epistles were to be interpreted mainly by reference to these4 ,ultimately1 ,baur1 who wrote a triumphant vindication of the ,lutheran doctrine against ,mhler's ',symbolik1' has discovered that only four of the thirteen ,epistles can be genuine1 because the ,pauline diagnostic is wanting in the rest2 and that there was a deadly antipathy between ,st4 ,paul and the other apostles1 because he was asserting that spiritual doctrine which they were setting at nought4 ,the time1 therefore1 it seemed to me1 had come for re-examining this question about the subject-matter of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 and seeing whether we have a right to limit them as some ,german ,evangelicals have been inclined to limit them4 ,i contended1 in ',the ,unity of the ,new ,testament1' that the words ',it pleased ,god to reveal ,his ,son in me1 that ,i might preach ,him among the ,gentiles1'--words that occur in the ,epistle which was dearest to ,luther1 in the ,epistle on which ,baur grounds his great argument for an opposition between ,st4 ,paul and the other apostles2 words that contain ,st4 ,paul's own account of his conversion1 and therefore begin from what ,lutherans must admit to be the right starting-point of his history1--are the key to the meaning of his life and the object of his mission4 ,i attempted to show that1 if we used this key1 the ,epistle to the ,romans might be read as a whole letter1 not be cut into fragments to meet a certain hypothesis2 and that all the ,epistles which ,baur would reject become the varied and harmonious expositions of a great and divine purpose4 ,using that key1 also1 it seemed to me that a most close and intimate relation would appear between the ,epistle to the ,hebrews and those which bear ,st4 ,paul's name on the face of them2 and that--whether the old tradition or the suspicion of critics respecting that ,epistle has the strongest foundation1 whether or not it actually proceeded from the hand of ,st4 ,paul--it does illustrate and fulfil his intention1 and is a transition point between him and the other ,apostles1 especially between him and the ,apostle ,st4 ,john4 ,why do ,i refer to these points here8 ,because it seems to me that the doctrine of ,justification by ,faith1 either in the practical form in which it presented itself to ,luther1 or in the merely dogmatical form which it assumes in some of his successors1 has determined the thoughts of a number of ,germans1 ,englishmen1 and ,scotchmen on the subject of the ,atonement2 so that their thoughts of the one unconsciously and inevitably govern their thoughts of the other4 ,they start from evil1 from the conscience of evil in themselves1 and then either each man asks himself1--',how can ,i be free from this oppression which is sitting so heavily upon me8' or the schoolman asks1 ',what divine arrangement would meet the necessities of this case8' ,of course1 the results of these two inquiries are very different2 and ,mr4 ,campbell has done an immense service to ,christian faith and life by bringing forth the former into prominence1 and throwing the other into the shade4 ,his book may be read as a great protest of the individual conscience against the utter inadequacy of the scholastic arrangements to satisfy it2 as a solemn assertion1--',this arrangement of yours will not take away my sin2 and ,i must have my sin taken away2 this arrangement of yours does not bring me into fellowship with a righteous and loving ,god2 and ,i must have that fellowship1 or perish4' ,this is admirable2 but if what ,i have said is true1 there is another way of contemplating the subject4 ,we need not begin with the sinner2 we may begin with ,god4 ,and so beginning1 that which speaks most comfort to the individual man may not be first of all contrived for his justification4 ,god may have reconciled the world unto ,himself2 ,god may have atoned ,himself with mankind2 and the declaration of this atonement1 the setting forth the nature and grounds of it1 and all the different aspects of it1 may be the real subjects of those ,epistles1 in which the individual man has found the secret of his own blessing1 of his own restoration2 but which he mangles and well-nigh destroys when he reconstructs them upon the basis of his individual necessities1 and makes them utter a message which has been first suggested by them4 ,the subject belongs to this place1 because the words1 ',other sheep ,i have1 which are not of this fold1' have led me to speak in this ,discourse of the calling in of the ,gentiles as part of that mystery of atonement1 the great act of which was the ,son of ,man's laying down ,his life that ,he might take it again1 the ground of which was the unity of the ,father and the ,son4 ,here ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,john wonderfully coincide4 ,that which must be thrown into the background by those who merely connect the atonement with individual salvation1 becomes most prominent for both ,apostles2 for the one who believed that ,he was an ambassador from ,god to men1 telling them that ,he had reconciled the world unto ,himself1 and beseeching them to be reconciled to ,him2 for the other who taught that ',god sent not ,his ,son into the world to condemn the world1 but that the world through ,him might be saved4' ,if it be asked1 then1 whether there is no difference between the tent-maker of ,tarsus and the old man of ,ephesus1 ,i should answer--this2 that while ,st4 ,paul's main work was to set forth the fact of atonement1 laying its groundwork always in the righteousness of ,god manifested in ,christ1 and ascending1 in the ,epistle to the ,ephesians especially1 to the purpose which ,he purposed in ,christ before the worlds were2 ,st4 ,john's calling was to trace this last idea to its source in ,god ,himself2 to exhibit the original constitution of man in the ,divine ,word2 to set forth atonement as the vindication of that constitution1 and the vindication of the right of all men to enter into it2 to set forth the union of the ,father with the ,son in one ,spirit1 as the ground of the reconciliation of man1 and of his restoration to the image of his ,creator4 ,to those1 then1 who ask me whether ,i hold the doctrine of the ,atonement in some unusual and unnatural sense1 or do not wish to thrust it into a corner1 as if the ,bible had other more important subjects to treat of1 ,i answer1--,my great complaint of the oracles of the ,english religious world is1 that they do give a most unusual and unnatural sense to the word ,atonement2 that they give it a most contracted signification2 that they lead their disciples to form a poor opinion of its effects2 that they do not follow ,apostles and ,evangelists1 in connecting it with the whole revelation of ,god and the whole mystery of man4 ,i answer again1--that they connect it with their own faith and their own salvation1 not with that cross on which ,christ was lifted up that ,he might draw all men to ,him4 ,on many points ,i believe ,i could adopt forms of language usual among ,calvinistical divines1 to which ,mr4 ,campbell1 looking at them from his point of view1 rightly objects as involving fictions2 but ,i would rather be suspected of rejecting all popular modes of speech on the subject1 even when ,i see in them a good and wholesome meaning1 than yield for one instant to those representations of the character and will of ,god which must end with us1 as they did with the ,jews1 in the identification of the ,father of lights with the ,spirit of lies4 ,,discourses ,,xxii4 ,,xxiii4 ,,and ,,xxiv4 ,i have dwelt much in these ,sermons upon the fact that our ,lord treated ,his disciples as a body1 and as a holy body4 ,many persons1 as soon as they hear remarks of this kind1 exclaim--',oh1 yes2 we have often heard that doctrine of corporate holiness set forth before4 ,but it seems to us the very destruction of personal holiness4 ,it involves every ecclesiastical fiction2 ,romanism is at the bottom of it4' ,when statements of this kind are made honestly and earnestly1 ,i am glad to hear them4 ,abhorrence of fictions we should take all pains to cultivate in others and in ourselves4 ,whatever tends to the weakening of personal holiness1 let it have what logical consistency it may1 must be false4 ,and that there is a doctrine about corporate ,christianity1 corporate faith1 corporate righteousness1 which is open to these charges1 ,i1 at least1 can have no doubt4 ,i should not say that ,romanism was at the bottom of it2 but rather that it is at the bottom of ,romanism1 in so far as ,romanism is an immoral system1 and one that deposes ,christ from ,his rightful dignity4 #a4 ,let me explain myself upon each of these points4 ,to suppose a society--call it a ,church or what you will--constituted holy by an arbitrary decree of ,god1 its members remaining unholy1 ,i hold to be a most dangerous fiction2 one which we cannot too vehemently repudiate1 as alike condemned by experience1 by reason1 and by ,scripture4 ,experience testifies that when a nation or a ,church claims a holiness or a righteousness of its own1 it becomes practically most unholy and unrighteous in all its acts and purposes4 ,reason declares that it must be so1 because righteousness is predicable only of voluntary beings1 and that to be made righteous by an arrangement is impossible in the nature of things4 ,scripture declares that it must be so1 because ,god is holy2 and the holiness of man is only possible by the participation of ,his nature4 ,but is it the same thing to assert that ,god has constituted man holy in ,his ,son2 that all unholiness is the result of the selfish desire of men to have something of their own1 and not to abide in ,god's order2 that a ,church is the witness of the true constitution of man in ,christ2 that every ,churchman1 therefore1 by his position and calling1 is bound to say that he is only holy as a member of a body1 and holy in its ,head2 that every ,churchman who does not say this1 who thinks that it is his individual holiness which helps to make up the ,church1 is setting up himself1 and imitating the sin for which our ,lord denounced the ,pharisee8 ,does experience1 does reason1 does ,scripture1 protest against this doctrine8 ,is not experience in favour of it1 inasmuch as it testifies that every true patriot has lived and died for his nation1 and has renounced himself2 that every true ,churchman has lived to claim his own blessings for all men1 to declare that he himself1 as an individual1 was worthy of none of them8 ,is not reason in favour of this doctrine1 seeing that it affirms a voluntary creature to be a mere curse to himself till he confesses a law which is above himself1 and gives up his self-will that he may have a free-will8 ,is not ,scripture affirming1 in every line1 that ,god has chosen families1 nations1 ,churches2 and that these are holy because ,he is holy2 and that those who go about to establish a holiness or righteousness of their own have not submitted to ,his righteousness8 #b4 ,i have anticipated the answer to the second question4 ,personal holiness is weakened1 nay1 is destroyed1 by everything that could lead a man to think that it was fictitious in him1 or that ,god was sanctioning a fiction4 ,and therefore it is greatly imperilled by any notions which speak of the individual man having a righteousness imputed to him1 in consequence of his faith1 which is not truly and actually his4 ,but this fiction is not the consequence of maintaining the doctrine ,i am asserting2 it becomes inevitable when we deny that doctrine4 ,if by the very law and constitution of ,his universe ,god contemplates us as members of a body in ,his ,son1 we are bound to contemplate ourselves in the same way4 ,we have a righteousness and holiness in ,christ4 ,we have no right to deny it2 our unrighteousness is the very effect of denying it4 ,imputation of righteousness then becomes no fiction4 ,it means only that ,god beholds us as we are1 as we have not learnt or do not choose to behold ourselves4 ,the fiction has arisen because the truth has been denied4 #c4 ,when ,i speak of a ,church1 ,st4 ,paul tells me to speak of a body4 ,he pursues the analogy1 we all know1 into its details2 he speaks of head1 and feet1 and hands1 of functions assigned to each1 of sufferings passing from one to another1 of a life circulating through the whole4 ,everything here is living and real4 ,you turn the body into a corporation1 a certain thing created by enactment1 without parts1 functions1 life2 you attribute to the dead thing what is true of the living thing--to the decapitated trunk what was true of that which derives all its strength and virtue from its head2 then1 indeed1 you are involved in a series of falsehoods1 each more monstrous than the last2 or1 to speak more modern and courteous language1 in a series of developments1 each preserving a family likeness to its ancestor1 the very last and most prodigious being able to prove its descent from the notion out of which they all started4 ,once suppose it possible for the ,church to exist out of ,christ1 and for humanity to exist out of ,christ1 and a ,church which thinks this may impose anything it pleases upon those who belong to it4 ,nothing would be restrained from it which it had imagined to do1 if its first maxim were not a falsehood1 if ,christ did not reign in spite of the determination of ,his subjects to set up another ruler4 #d4 ,i have given an outline of what ,i believe to be the ,romish system2 and surely it is a system which may obtain a hold over ,england1 as well as over any country in the world4 ,nay1 must it not obtain a hold if we have nothing to set up against it but the notion of a ,church1 compounded of a number of men believing themselves to be holy1 and despising others8 ,romanism is the fearful parody of ,christian ,unity4 ,this is the absolute denial that any such ,unity exists or is possible4 ,when the ,son of ,god and the ,son of ,man is manifested1 the parody and the denial will perish together4 ,,discourse ,,xxvi4 ,a friend has suggested to me a punctuation of the #b;d verse of the #agth chapter1 which would enable us to translate it3 ',that ,he should give to them all which ,thou hast given ,him1 7even7 eternal life4' ,this version seems to me at least worthy of serious consideration4 ,,the ,,end4 ,,london3 ,r4 ,,clay1 ,,sons1 ,,and ,,taylor1 ,,bread ,,street ,,hill1 ,e4,c4 ,,macmillan ,,co4',s ,,publications4 ,,frederick ,,denison ,,maurice3 ,,his ,,life ,,and ,,letters4 ,a ,memoir1 edited by his son1 ,major ,,frederick ,,maurice4 ,with ,two ,portraits3 by ,,samuel ,,lawrance1 engraved by ,c4 ,h4 ,,jeens and ,,lowes ,,dickinson engraved by ,,francis ,,holl4 ,two vols4 #hvo4 ,in the press4 ,by the late ,,frederick ,,denison ,,maurice1 ,m4,a41 ,professor of ,moral ,philosophy in the ,university of ,cambridge1 c4 ,,social ,,morality4 ,twenty-one ,lectures delivered in the ,university of ,cambridge4 ,second and ,cheaper ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,conscience4 ,lectures on ,casuistry1 delivered in the ,university of ,cambridge4 ,second and ,cheaper ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #es4 ,,dialogues ,,on ,,family ,,worship4 ,crown #hvo4 #fs4 ,,the ,,patriarchs ,,and ,,lawgivers ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament4 ,fourth and ,cheaper ,edition4 ,this volume contains ,discourses on the ,pentateuch1 ,joshua1 ,judges1 and the beginning of the ,first ,book of ,samuel4 ,crown #hvo4 #es4 ,,the ,,prophets ,,and ,,kings ,,of ,,the ,,old ,,testament4 ,new ,edition4 ,this volume contains ,discourses on ,samuel ,i4 and ,,ii42 ,kings ,i4 and ,,ii42 ,amos1 ,joel1 ,hosea1 ,isaiah1 ,micah1 ,habakkuk1 ,jeremiah1 and ,ezekiel4 ,crown #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,the ,,kingdom ,,of ,,heaven4 ,a ,series of ,lectures on the ,gospel of ,st4 ,luke4 ,new ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #is4 ,,the ,,epistles ,,of ,,st4 ,,john4 ,a ,series of ,lectures on ,christian ,ethics4 ,second and ,cheaper ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #fs4 ,,expository ,,sermons ,,on ,,the ,,prayer-,,book1 considered especially in reference to the ,romish ,system2 and on the ,,lord',s ,,prayer4 ,new ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #is4 ,,what ,,is ,,revelation8 ,a ,series of ,sermons on the ,epiphany2 to which are added ,letters to a ,theological ,student on the ,bampton ,lectures of ,mr4 ,,mansel4 ,crown #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,macmillan ,,and ,,co41 ,,london4 ,by ,,frederick ,,denison ,,maurice1 ,m4,a41 7,continued74 ,,sequel ,,to ,,the ,,inquiry1 ,,what ,,is ,,revelation8 ,letters in ,reply to ,mr4 ,mansel's ,examination of ,strictures on the ,bampton ,lectures4 ,crown #hvo4 #fs4 ,,lectures ,,on ,,ecclesiastical ,,history4 #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,theological ,,essays4 ,third ,edition1 with new ,preface4 ,crown #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,sacrifice ,,deduced ,,from ,,the ,,scriptures4 ,new ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #gs4 #f;d4 ,,moral ,,and ,,metaphysical ,,philosophy4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,ancient ,philosophy and the ,first to the ,thirteenth ,centuries4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,fourteenth ,century and the ,french ,revolution1 with a ,glimpse into the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,second ,edition4 ,two ,vols4 #hvo4 #bes4 ,,the ,,religions ,,of ,,the ,,world1 ,,and ,,their ,,relations ,,to ,,christianity4 ,fifth ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #es4 ,,on ,,the ,,lord',s ,,prayer4 ,fourth ,edition4 ,fcap4 #hvo4 #bs4 #f;d4 ,,on ,,the ,,sabbath ,,day2 ,,the ,,character ,,of ,,the ,,warrior2 ,,and ,,on ,,the ,,interpretation ,,of ,,history4 ,fcap4 #hvo4 #bs4 #f;d4 ,,learning ,,and ,,working4 ,six ,lectures on the ,foundation of ,colleges for ,working ,men4 ,crown #hvo4 #es4 ,,law',s ,,remarks ,,on ,,the ,,fable ,,of ,,the ,,bees4 ,with an ,introduction by ,f4 ,d4 ,maurice1 ,m4 ,a4 ,fcap4 #hvo4 #ds4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,lord',s ,,prayer1 ,,the ,,creed1 ,,and ,,the ,,commandments4 ,a ,manual for ,parents and ,schoolmasters4 ,to which is added the ,order of the ,scriptures4 #ahmo1 cloth limp4 #as4 ,,sermons ,,preached ,,in ,,country ,,churches4 ,second ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,friendship ,,of ,,books2 ,,and ,,other ,,lectures4 ,edited1 with ,preface1 by ,thomas ,hughes1 ,author of ,tom ,brown's ,school ,days4 ,new ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,macmillan ,,and ,,co41 ,,london4 ,by the late ,,julius ,,charles ,,hare1 ,m4,a41 ,archdeacon of ,lewes4 ,,the ,,mission ,,of ,,the ,,comforter4 ,new ,edition4 ,edited1 with ,notes1 by ,professor ,e4 ,h4 ,,plumptre4 ,crown #hvo4 #gs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,victory ,,of ,,faith4 ,edited by ,prof4 ,,plumptre1 with ,introductory ,notices by the late ,professor ,,maurice and by the late ,,dean ,,stanley4 ,crown #hvo4 #fs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,communion ,,service ,,from ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,common ,,prayer4 ,,with ,,select ,,readings ,,from ,,the ,,writings ,,of ,,the ,,rev4 ,f4 ,d4 ,,maurice4 ,edited by the ,right ,rev4 ,j4 ,w4 ,,colenso1 ,d4,d41 ,bishop of ,natal4 ,sixth ,edition4 #afmo4 #bs4 #f;d4 ,,guesses ,,at ,,truth4 ,by ,,two ,,brothers4 #ahmo4 #ds4 #f;d4 7,golden ,treasury ,series47 ,by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,,llewlyn ,,davies1 ,m4,a41 ,rector of ,christ ,church1 ,st4 ,marylebone4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,and ,,modern ,,life4 ,with a ,preface on a ,recent ,phase of ,deism4 ,second ,edition1 to which is added ,morality according to the ,sacrament of the ,lord's ,supper1 or ,three ,discourses on the names ,eucharist1 ,sacrifice1 and ,communion4 ,extra fcap4 #hvo4 #fs4 ,,warnings ,,against ,,superstition1 ,,in ,,four ,,sermons ,,for ,,the ,,day4 ,extra fcap4 #hvo4 #bs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,christian ,,calling4 ,sermons4 ,extra fcap4 #hvo4 #fs4 ,by ,,thomas ,,hughes1 ,q4,c41 ,author of ,tom ,brown's ,school ,days4 ,,the ,,old ,,church4 ,,what ,,shall ,,we ,,do ,,with ,,it8 ,crown #hvo4 #fs4 ,,the ,,manliness ,,of ,,christ4 ,crown #hvo4 #ds4 #f;d4 ,,macmillan ,,and ,,co41 ,,london4 ,by ,r4 ,,chenevix ,,trench1 ,d4,d41 ,archbishop of ,dublin4 ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,parables ,,of ,,our ,,lord4 ,thirteenth ,edition1 revised4 #hvo4 #abs4 ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,miracles ,,of ,,our ,,lord4 ,eleventh ,edition1 revised4 #hvo4 #abs4 ,,synonyms ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament4 ,ninth ,edition1 enlarged4 #hvo4 #abs4 ,,studies ,,in ,,the ,,gospels4 ,fourth ,edition1 revised4 #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,sermons ,,preached ,,for ,,the ,,most ,,part ,,in ,,ireland4 #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,the ,,sermon ,,on ,,the ,,mount4 ,an ,exposition drawn from the writings of ,st4 ,augustine1 with an ,essay on his merits as an ,interpreter of ,holy ,scripture4 ,fourth ,edition1 enlarged4 #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 ,,shipwrecks ,,of ,,faith4 ,three ,sermons preached before the ,university of ,cambridge in ,may #ahfg4 ,fcap4 #hvo4 #bs4 #f;d4 ,,commentary ,,on ,,the ,,epistles ,,to ,,the ,,seven ,,churches ,,in ,,asia4 ,third ,edition1 revised4 #hvo4 #hs4 #f;d4 ,,lectures ,,on ,,medieval ,,church ,,history4 ,being the ,substance of ,lectures delivered at ,queen's ,college1 ,london4 ,second ,edition1 revised4 #hvo4 #abs4 ,,the ,,hulsean ,,lectures ,,for #ahde ,,and #ahdf1 ,fifth ,edition1 revised4 #hvo4 #gs4 #f;d4 ,,on ,,the ,,authorised ,,version ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament4 ,second ,edition4 #hvo4 #gs4 ,,macmillan ,,and ,,co41 ,,london4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,charles ,,kingsley1 ,m4,a41 ,canon of ,westminster1 c4 ,in ,crown #hvo4 #fs4 each volume4 ,,the ,,water ,,of ,,life1 ,,and ,,other ,,sermons4 ,new ,edition4 ,,the ,,gospel ,,of ,,the ,,pentateuch1 ,,and ,,david4 ,new ,edition4 ,,good ,,news ,,of ,,god4 ,sixth ,edition4 ,,sermons ,,for ,,the ,,times4 ,fourth ,edition4 ,,village ,,and ,,town ,,and ,,country ,,sermons4 ,new ,edition4 ,,sermons ,,on ,,national ,,subjects1 ,,and ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,the ,,earth4 ,new ,edition4 ,,discipline1 ,,and ,,other ,,sermons4 ,new ,edition4 ,,westminster ,,sermons4 ,new ,edition4 ,,historical ,,lectures ,,and ,,essays4 ,,sanitary ,,and ,,social ,,lectures ,,and ,,essays4 ,,scientific ,,lectures ,,and ,,essays4 ,,literary ,,and ,,general ,,lectures4 ,,health ,,and ,,education4 ,new ,edition4 ,,selections ,,from ,,some ,,of ,,the ,,writings ,,of ,,rev4 ,,charles ,,kingsley1 ,m4,a4 ,new ,edition4 ,crown #hvo4 #fs4 ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,deep4 ,words for the ,sorrowful4 ,from the writings of ,,charles ,,kingsley4 ,extra fcap4 #hvo4 #cs4 #f;d4 ,,macmillan ,,and ,,co41 ,,london4 ,by ,j4 ,b4 ,,lightfoot1 ,d4,d41 ,bishop of ,durham4 ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,galatians4 ,a ,revised ,text1 with ,introduction1 ,notes1 and ,dissertations4 ,sixth edition1 revised4 #hvo4 #abs4 ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,epistle ,,to ,,the ,,philippians4 ,a ,revised ,text1 with ,introduction1 ,notes1 and ,dissertations4 ,sixth ,edition1 revised #hvo4 #abs4 ,,st4 ,,clement ,,of ,,rome4 ,,the ,,two ,,epistles ,,to ,,the ,,corinthians4 ,a ,revised ,text1 with ,introduction and ,notes4 #hvo4 #hs4 #f;d4 ,,st4 ,,clement ,,of ,,rome4 ,an ,appendix1 containing the newly-recovered portions4 ,with ,introduction1 ,notes1 and ,translations4 #hvo4 #hs4 #f;d4 ,,on ,a ,,fresh ,,revision ,,of ,,the ,,english ,,new ,,testament4 ,second ,edition1 revised4 ,crown #hvo4 #fs4 ,,st4 ,,paul',s ,,epistles ,,to ,,the ,,colossians ,,and ,,to ,,philemon4 ,a ,revised ,text1 with ,introductions1 ,notes1 and ,dissertations4 ,fifth ,edition1 revised4 #hvo4 #abs4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,in ,,the ,,original ,,greek4 ,the ,text revised by ,b4 ,f4 ,,westcott1 ,d4,d41 ,regins ,professor of ,divinity1 ,canon of ,peterborough1 and ,f4 ,j4 ,a4 ,,hort1 ,,dd4 ,hulsean ,professor of ,divinity1 ,fellow of ,emmanuel ,college1 ,cambridge3 late ,fellows of ,trinity ,college1 ,cambridge4 #b vols4 ,crown #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 each4 ,,vol ,i4--,text4 ,vol4 ,,ii4--,the ,introduction and ,appendix4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,and ,,the ,,quarterly ,,review4--,a ,,reply4 ,,the ,,revisers ,,and ,,the ,,greek ,,text ,,of ,,the ,,new ,,testament4 ,by ,two ,members of the ,new ,testament ,company4 #hvo4 #bs4 #f;d4 ,,macmillan ,,and ,,co41 ,,london4