is the declaration of his will, and whatsoever I do, is the operation of his power. Believe me, that the Father and I are one; and if ye refuse to believe my own affirmation, yet, as my works carry in them undeniable evidences of divine power, let them convince you.

You then surely have matter sufficient to comfort and support your spirits under the thoughts of my departure from you. Ye have abundant reason to believe, that I have power to perform all the promises I have made you, and the design of my departure is actually to perform them. When I am returned to my Father, ye shall soon receive sufficient pledges of my care and remembrance of you: ye shall be endued with power not only to perform the same works ye have seen me do, as healing diseases, giving sight to the blind, casting out devils, and the like, for the conviction of the Jews, but even to do greater things than those; to speak with all kind of tongues, and to propogate my religion through all the nations of the earth, even amongst the the Gentiles.

As being my disciples, and in order to promote the work of the gospel, whatsoever ye shall ask of my Father, in my name, shall certainly be granted you that God may be greatly glorified, by the extraordinary success and spreading the religion of his Son, I say, that whatsoever ye shall ask, I will take care, after my return to the Father, that it shall be granted you; only ye must remember, as the necessary condition upon which all depends, that ye be careful above all things to continue steadfast and immovable in your obedience to my commands: this is the only true mark ye can give of the sincerity of your love towards me; it is more than your grieving at my departure.

I say, the Father shall send you another advocate and comforter; even his Holy Spirit, the author and teacher of truth, who shall guide and direet, assist and comfort you in all cases. The Spirit, the sensual and corrupt world cannot receive, having no knowledge of him, nor disposition to be governed by him; but ye know him, and are disposed to entertain him: he is already in you, by his secret and invisible efficacy; and shall hereaf ter appear in you openly, by great and visible manifestations of himself. Thus, though I must depart from you, yet I do by no means leave you comfortless: I leave with you a promise of the Holy Spirit; and I leave you in expectation of my own return: for though, after a very little while, I shall appear no more to the world; yet, as I shall live again, and ye also shall live with me, to you I will appear.

Therefore, when I have conquered and triumphed over death, ye shall understand more fully, and it shall appear more visibly by great and manifest effects, that I act, in all these things agreeable to my Father's will, and am perfectly invested with his power; and that ye in like man ner have my power and commission communicated to you: so that there is a perfect unity and community between us; only ye must remember that the one necessary condition, on which all depends, is, that ye continue steadfast and immovable in your faith in me, and in your obedience to my commands. He and he only, who embraces my doctrine, and obeys, and practises it, shall be judged to be sincere in his love towards me: "And he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love. him, and will manifest myself to him.".

Judas Thaddeus here interrupted his Master, saying, "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world ?"

To which Jesus replied, I have already told you the reason for my aeting in this manner; because the generality of the world are not dispos ed to obey my commandments, the necessary condition of maintaining communion with me: but ye are disposed to embrace my doctrine, and to obey it and therefore, I manifest myself to you. And whoever else ill so love me as to keep my commandments, hira also will I and my ther love, and will maintain communion with him, and all spiritual

Messings shall be poured down upon him, and he shall be made partaker of happiness and eternal life. On the contrary, whoever loves me not, that is, obeys not my commandments, shall have no intercourse or com munion with me; neither will my Father love or honour him, or make any manifestations of himself to him: for as my commandments are not my own, but the Father's commandments, therefore, whoever dishonours me, my Father will look upon him as dishonouring himself.

I have briefly spoken these things unto you now, according to the shortness of the time I am to continue with you, and to comfort you' for the present, against my departure. But when the comforter whom I promised you is come, even the Holy Spirit, whom my Father shall send you on my account, shall instruct you more fully, recalling to your remembrance what you have forgotton, explaining what is yet obscure, and supplying what is further necessary to be taught you, and to be understood by you. In the mean time, I take my leave of you, and my blessing I leave with you; not formally, and after the common fashion of the world, but affectionately and sincerely, retaining a careful remembrance of you, and with an earnest desire and intention of returning again speedily to you. Wherefore, be not overmuch grieved for me and my departure, not fearful of what t may t y then befall yourselves: I go away from you, but it is with an intention, as I have already told you, to return to you again: If you loved me with a wise and understanding affection, ye would rejoice instead of grieving at my present departure; because I am going to the Supreme author of all glory and happiness, even to my Father.

I have now told you these things before they came to pass, that when ye see them happen, your faith in me, and your expectation of the performance of all my promises, may be confirmed and strengthened; the time will not allow me to say much more to you at present; my end draweth near; the ruler of this world, the prince of the p e power of darkness, is at this instant employing all his wicked instruments to apprehend and destroy me: not that either the power of the Devil, or the malice of men, dan all prevail over me, but because the time of my suffering, according to the appointment of Divine Wisdom, is arrived and that I may demonstrate to the world my love and obedience to my Father, I willingly sub mit myself to be put to death by the hands of sinful and cruel men. Rise up, let us be going, that I may enter on my sufferings. See John, chap. xiv. ver. 1. to the end.

Thus having spoken, they finished the passover with singing a hymn, and went out to the Mount of Olives. The hymn which they sung was probably that which the Jews call the Hallen, or great hymn, which con sisted of the hundred and thirteenth and five subsequent Psalms; part of which was sung at the beginning of the solemnity, and part at the end.

When they arrived at the place which was to be the scene of his sufferings, he desired them to fortify themselves by prayer, and forewarned them of the terrible effects his sufferings would have upon them ; they would make them all stumble that very night, agreeable to the prophecy of Zacheriah: "I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep' of the flock shalt be scattered, abroad." Therefore, he not only mentioned his own resurrection, but told them they should see him in Galilee, after he was risen from the dead, in order to strengthen their faith.

Peter, on our blessed Saviour's mentioning the offence that his disciples would take at his sufferings, recollected what had been said to him in particular, before they left the house. Grieving therefore afresh, to find his Master entertain such thoughts of him, and being now armed with a sword, the vehemence of his temper urged him to boast the second time of his courageous and close attachment to his Master: "Though all men," said he, should be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended." But Jesus, knowing that confidence and security are great enemies'

to virtue, thought proper to forewarn him again of his danger and told him, that the cock should not crow before he had denied him. Peter however, still continued to repeat his confidence, I will die with thee; but never deny thee. The disciples all joined with Peter in professing their fixed resolution of suffering death, rather than they would deny their Master; but the event fully confirmed the prediction of our Saviour. From whence we may learn, how ignorant men are of themselves.

Our dear Lord, not willing to lose one single moment of the short time of his ministry that yet remained, continued to instruct his disciples in the great truths he came into the world to explain; and from the vines, which were growing round him on the Mount of Olives, he began his excellent discourse with the parable of the vine, which we shall endeavour to explain in the following manner.

Hitherto, said the compassionate Redeemer of mankind, the Jewish church and nation have been the peculiar care of Providence; as a choice and a goodly vine likely to bring forth much fruit, is the especial care of the husbandman: but from henceforth, my church, my disciples, and the professors of my religion, of whatsoever country or nation they be, shall become the people of God, and the peculiar care of Divine Providence: I will be to them as the root and stock of a vine, of which my Father is the husband man and vine-dresser, and they are the branches.

As the skilful vine-dresser, in the management of a choice vine, euts off all barren and superfluous branches, that they may not burden nor exhaust the tree, and prunes and dresses the fruitful branches that they may grow continually, and bear more fruit: so in the government of my church, all useless, wicked, and incorrigible members, my Father, by his just jndgment cuts off and destroys; but those who are sincerely pious and good, he, by the various and merciful dispensations of his providence towards them, tries, purifies, and amends that they may daily improve and be more and more abundant in all good works. Now ye, my apostles, are such members as these, being purified in heart and mind, and prepared for eve ry good work, by your lively faith in me, and sincere resolutions to obey my commands. Continue steadfastly in this state, and then you may be sure of deriving all spiritual blessings from me, as the branches receive sap and nourishment from the vine: but as a branch, without continuing in the vine, cannot bear any fruit, but presently dries up and perishes; so ye, unless ye continue steadfast in your communion with me, by a lively faith and obedience, so as to receive grace and spiritual blessings, can never bring forth any good fruit of true holiness and righteousness, but will fall into vanity, superstition, and wickedness, and will utterly per ish at last. I say, I am, as it were, the root, and stock of the vine, whereof ye are the branches: he that continues to adhere to me, by con stant faith in me, by imitating my example, and by obeying my commands, shall bring forth much fruit, of true virtue and holiness, unto everlasting life; even as a branch which continues to grow in a vine, and receives sap and nourishment from it: but he that does not continue his relation to me in this manner, is a false and useless professor of my religion, and shall be cast out from me, and perish forever; even as a fruitless branch is cut off from the vine, and left to wither and dry, and is at last burnt in the fire: but if ye continue in me, by delivering my words, and holding fast what ye believe, and obeying and practising it, no power, or malice, either of man or d evils, shall be able to hurt you, or oppose your doctrines: for though I be absent from you in body, yet 1 will hear your prayers, and my Father himself also will hear you; and whatsoever ye shall ask, for the glory of the Almighty and the propagation of my true religion in the world, shall certainly be granted you but, above all things, carefully remember to demonstrate your continuance in me, by abounding in all good works of holiness, righteousness, and charity. This is the honour which my Fa

ther desires and expects from you, even as it is the glory and desire of a vine-dresser, that his vine should bring forth much fruit ; and this is the honour that I myself expect from you, that ye should prove yourselves to be really and indeed my disciples, by imitating my example and obeying my commands: this ye are bound to do, not only in duty, but in gratitude also; for as my Father hath loved me, so have I also loved you, and ye in like manner ought to love me again that you may continue to be loved by me : but the way to express your love towards me, and to continue to be loved by me, is to keep my commandments; even as I, by keeping my Father's commandments, have expressed my love towards him, and continue to be loved by him.

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I have spoken to you these things before my departure, that the comfort ye have taken in my presence, may be continued in my absence, and even increased at the coming of the Holy Spirit, as it will be upon this condition, which I have so often repeated to you, that you keep my commandments : and the principal of these commandments is, that ye love one another, not after the common fashion of the world, but in such a manner as I have loved you; nor can you be ignorant what sort of love that is, when I tell you that I am now going to lay down my life for you; this is the highest instance, in which it is possible for a man to express his love towards his greatest friends and benefactors; and this 1 am now going tɔ do for you, and for all mankind: I do not consider you as my benefactors, but as my friends, upon this easy condition only, that ye keep my commandments. I might, indeed justly call you servants, considering the infinite distance between me and you, and the obligation ye have to obey. my commandments; but I have not treated you as servants who are not admitted into their master's councils, but as friends, revealing to you, with all freedom and plainness, the whole will of my Father.

I say, I have behaved myself to you, as to the nearest friends; not that you first obliged me, or did any acts of kindness for me, but I have freely, and for my own good pleasure, chosen you to be my apostles, and the preachers of my gospel, that you may go and declare the will of God to the world, and bring forth much and lasting fruit, in the conversion of men to the knowledge of the truth, and to the profession and practice of true religion and virtue. In the performance of this work, whatsoever ye shall ask of my Father in my name, it shall certainly be granted you, in order to enable you to perform it effectually, and with full success,

In all these things which I have spoken unto you concerning the great+ ness of my love towards you, in choosing you to be my apostles, in revealing unto you the whole will of my Father, and in laying down my life for you; I have urged and inculcated upon you this reason chiefly, as 1 at first told you, that ye may learn, after my example, to love one another, The world, indeed, you must expect, will hate and persecute you upon my account; but this you ought not to be surprised or terrified at, knowing that I myself have met with the same treatment before you.

But the reason why the generality of the world have opposed and persecuted me, is because my doctrine is inconsistent with the lusts and passions, their covetousness and unjust ambition; and, for the same reason there is no doubt but they will oppose and persecute you, also. If yo were of the spirit of the world, flattering men in their sins, and teaching doctrines consistent with the lusts and passions, the world, `doubtless, would love and honour you: but since I have chosen you out of the world, to reprove it's vices, and to preach the necessity of reformation, and of men amending their lives, if the world hate and persecute you, wonder not.

Therefore, be not surprised, when ye meet with opposition; nor think to find better treatment in the world, than I myself have done. Remember what I have already told you, that the disciple is not above his Master,