selves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." (James iv. 7, 8.) LECTURE XXXII. The conclusion of our Lord's discourse with the Jews, and their attempt to stone Him. CHAP. VIII. 48. 48. Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? An evil spirit. This was said in bitter reproach; as we read in the 4th chapter, "the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans :" they hated and despised them. And perhaps they cast this reproach upon Jesus, because He went to that people, after He had converted the woman of Samaria; Ch. 4. 39-42.and for a short time dwelt among them and preached to them. 49. Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 50. And I seek not mine own glory: there is one, namely, the Father, that seeketh and judgeth. He will vindicate and glorify Me, and judge you for despising Me. 51. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Shall never see everlasting death, everlasting punishment. The word "death" is often used in this sense: Thus St. Paul says "The wages of sin Rom. 6. 23. is death" by which he evidently means the loss and misery of the soul after the death of the body. And Solomon says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Pro. 14. 12. 52. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, Zech. 1. 5. If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. They thought He was speaking of the death of the body. 53. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? 54. Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55. Yet ye have not known him; but I know him and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. : If I did not acknowledge and appeal to Him in all that I do, I should not declare nor love the truth I should be as false as yourselves, who pretend to honour Him, and yet dishonour His will and His work; refusing to own and accept Me, to whom He is so manifestly bearing witness. 56. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see Heb. 11. 13. my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Rev. Abraham saw by faith the coming of Jesus into the world, distant as the day was; and the glorious prospect caused him to rejoice: and it worked in him a willing obedience, and made him to submit cheerfully to the severest trials. 57. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham ? You see how ready they were to turn the words of our Lord to their own account: He did not say, that He had seen Abraham, but that Abraham had seen His day, which was quite another expression. Jesus had been born only about thirty-three years. He now takes occasion to deliver from their words a most important doctrine, to shew that He was in being before the days of Abraham, and therefore before He appeared in the flesh. 58. Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, John 17.5,24. I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. The common form of speech would have been, "Before Abraham was, I was ;" and probably our Lord used the phrase "I Am," as alluding to the name of Jehovah (that is, of Himself) "God said unto Moses, I Am that I Ex. 3. 14. am; and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." But however this may be, this 58th verse clearly shews, that Christ had a Being before He came into this world, before the time of Abraham; and therefore, we may conclude, from all eternity. 59. Then took they up stones to cast at him, thinking that He spoke blasphemy: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so Luke 4. 30. passed by. It seems, that He conveyed Himself away in an unseen and miraculous manner. This reading sets before us the nature and office of Christ our Lord; in a very striking light. And it is of great importance for us to obtain right views of this, as of all the other great doctrines of the gospel. A right faith will lead us to a right practice: unless we think and believe of the Saviour as we ought, we shall not feel towards Him and follow Him as we ought. And the view of Christ, here held forth to us, may increase our humility, our admiration, our devotedness, as also our reverence and adoration of Him. Here we have one amongst the many proofs, of His existence, as a spirit, before He took upon Him our flesh; and from this we infer that He was "with God and was God." Here we see, that He was the Head of the church in all ages, from the foundation of the world for as Abraham looked forward to His day, to His coming, with holy faith and joy, we cannot doubt that the other fathers of old did the same likewise; (See Heb. xi.) that Abel and Enoch and Noah and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and David and all the prophets, rested upon the same foundation, were under the same Head, looked in faith to the same Deliverer. From the very period therefore of the fall of our first parents, the church and kingdom of Christ began then did that merciful scheme of redemption commence its operation, which was before laid in the eternal counsels of the Godhead: and every believer, from the beginning of time, who has found acceptance with God, has been accepted through the same Redeemer through "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday and to-day and for ever." (Heb. xiii. 8.) Before His coming, His holy servants, and members of His church, looked forward to the great sacrifice for sin; since His coming, they look back upon it; all with the same eye of faith, and with the same interest in His spiritual and heavenly kingdom. What a noble view does this open to the redeemed of the Lord; to the enlightened understanding and the spiritualized heart! To think that we are members of the great family of all the faithful, of all that ever lived and ever died; and that we hope to join them in heaven, in the church triumphant above. It is an overpower |