Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

--It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of GOD. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of GOD, he hath seen the Father.

[ocr errors]

Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. :

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from hea. ven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

I am the living bread, which came down from hea ven if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

The Jews therefore strove amongst themselves, say. ing, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

Then JESUS said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For flesh is meat indeed,. and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

my

As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so, he that eateth me, even he shall live by me...

This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manną, and are dead; he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. GI

Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying, who can hear it?

When

When Jesus knew in himself, that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?

It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life :

But there are some of you that believe not. For JESUS knew from the beginning, who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

E

And he said, Therefore said I unto you, That no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of the Father.

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

Then said JESUS unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

Then Simon Peter answered him, LORD, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

And we believe, and are sure, that thou art that CHRIST the son of the living God.

JESUS answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

He spake of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

By the meat that perisheth is to be understood mere worldly advantages of every kind, which are certainly of a perishable nature, and must have an end. By that meat which endureth for ever, our LORD evidently meant Salvation. By calling himself the Son of Man, he, in fact, declared that he was the MESSIAH, who, in respect

[ocr errors]

to his human nature was sealed by GOD the FATHER, or separated from the rest of human kind, to be in union with the ETERNAL SON OF GOD. Our LORD's answer to those who asked him, what shall we do that we may work the work of GOD? plainly teaches, that FAITH, or belief in the MESSIAH, was not only to supersede the ceremonial works of the law, but to supply the defici. ency of that perfect obedience to the divine will which was required of man in a state of innocence.

[ocr errors]

When the Jews intimated a wish that JESUS would prove the truth of his doctine by giving them manna as Moses had done, our Lord taught them that manna was’ no more than a type or figure of the MESSIAH, who might justly be called the true bread of life, because all who believed in him should, through him, receive a prin ciple of life, which should never be destroyed; nor would they ever have occasion to go to any other but him for spiritual nourishment. By those whom the FATHER would give him, we may understand all who were to be saved under the CHRISTIAN COVENANT, namely, those who should testify a true faith; these CHRIST will own as his members, and as such they will have a glorious resurrection, and will assuredly enjoy everlasting life.

The words, No man can come to me, except the FATHER which has sent me draw him, may be understood to signify, that none but those who have a sincere desire to please God, and to be taught of GoD, can become Christians. Whoever willingly receives our SAVIOUR'S doctrine, and believes in him, may be said to be taught of GOD, for CHRIST is truly GOD, and his doctrine is heavenly. It is not necessary to see and converse with the ALMIGHTY FATHER, in order to be taught of Him: for divine instruction is communicated to mankind from the FATHER by the WORD OF THE LORD, the ETER

NAL

THE

NAL SON OF GGD, and by the HOLY GHOST. SON is the true Bread of Life, for everlasting life comes by Him alone. To eat of the Bread of Life, in a figurative sense, signifies, to receive with Faith the doctrine of Salvation through CHRIST. To eat the flesh and drink the blood of CHRIST, may be understood to allude to the SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER, which our SAVIOUR designed to ordain. This part of our LORD's discourse was quite unintelligible to the Jews, and it was not clearly understood even by his disciples till after his resurrection, though calculated to furnish instruction and comfort to sincere Christians, to the end of the world. All might however perceive that the general design of it was to teach them to prefer spiritual to worldly things, and to expect eternal life, through CHRIST, and Him alone. Our LORD's words concerning the Son of Man's ascending where he was before, certainly alluded to the pre-existence of His divine nature, and to His ascension into heaven after His resurrection. Such doctrine as our LORD here taught was entirely of a spiritual nature; it had no reference to this mortal life; and those whote minds are engrossed by worldly desires cannot comprehend it. The disciples who left our SAVIOUR upon this account, must have been those who followed him with the expectation of his establishing an earthly instead of a heavenly kingdom. From the words, he knew from the beginning who it was that should betray him, we may infer that before CHRIST entered upon his ministry, he was made acquainted with every circumstance relating to his sufferings, and that he willingly undertook the salvation. of mankind. Our LORD's question to the twelve was a very affecting one, Will ye also go away? Peter's answer was that of a true Christian, LORD, to whom should we go? thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe.

and

and are sure that thou art that CHRIST, the Son of the living God.

Our LORD spoke of the disciple who he knew would betray him as a devil, because he foreknew that, instead of being drawn of GoD, or having a due regard to the divine will, he would yield to the suggestions of the devil. This discourse of our blessed LORD, abounds with the most important instruction, and calls for the serious consideration of all who are desirous of eternal life; as it shews the way of obtaining it, namely, by spiritually eating the true Bread of Life. Let us not reject our Saviour's doctrine, and go away from him, like some of his first disciples, because it does not fall in with our worldly desires, but rather let us imitate: the example of Peter, whose reply leads us to consider the miserable condition of those who forsake CHRIST, having no other to trust in; the excellency of his religion, and the certain means it affords of obtaining a blessed life after this; and the authority and divine. commission of CHRIST, on which our faith and confidence in him are built. And let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for then will divine grace, co-operating with our own will, draw us nearer and nearer to our SAVIOUR, who will finally reward us with everlasting life *.

SECTION LVI.

JESUS HEALS THE IMPOTENT MAN AT THE POOL OF

BETHESDA.

From John, Chap. v..

AFTER this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

See an admirable Sermon of Bishop Sherlock's on this subject.

Now

« ForrigeFortsæt »