John 13

NOw before the feast of the passover That this was the fourth Passover after that he entred upon his publick Ministry, is out of doubt, and the last he ever celebrated. We have taken notice of this Evangelist's mention of the other three: but how long what follows was before the Passover, which is here exprest by [Before the Feast] is a great question: Some will have it the day, others immediately before, as (the very same particle) is used, Luke 11.38. before dinner, and Luke 22.15. before I suffer. The resolution of it much dependeth upon another question as difficult, viz. What Supper it is which is mentioned? Ver. 2. Those who would be satisfied in these cases, may find a collection of what is said by most valuable Interpreters in Mr. Pools Synopsis Criticorum, upon Matth. 26. It is our happiness, that tho some such knots occur in holy Writ, yet they are about things in which our Salvation is not concerned; so as without danger to our Souls, we may be ignorant of what is the truth about them., when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father When Christ knew that the hour (which he had once or twice before said was not come) was now come, that he must die, rise again, and in a short time ascend to his Father;, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end He having loved his Disciples, not with a mutable but with an unchangeable love; he resolveth upon the washing of their feet, as a demonstration of that love..

And Supper being ended Possibly it were better translated, while they were at Supper, or in Supper time, Greek, but the great question is, What Supper is here intended? Our most Learned Lightfoot is very confident, this was not the Paschal Supper. The most Interpreters, Ancient and modern, seem to be of another mind; or it may be rather a common Supper which they ate before the Passover: for whereas some think this Supper was that in the House of Simon the Leper, mentioned Matth. 26.6. It seemeth no way probable, no circumstance inclining us to believe any such thing; and the Evangelist having told us that it was after that Supper, that Christ rode into Ierusalem, and again went from thence, and hid himself, Chap. 12.36. and then reporting this as a thing subsequent to it in this Chapter: It seemeth very clear to me, that it could not be the Supper in the House of Simon the Leper., the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot Simons son, to betray him Concerning the influence of the Devil upon Iudas, to put it into his heart to betray his Master, see Luke 22.8..

Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God Our translating the Greek Participle, knowing, (which properly signifies having known) createth a difficulty, viz. How Christs knowledge of this, that the Father had given all things into his hand, should be assigned as a reason of, or motive to his subsequent action of washing the feet of his Disciples? The sense therefore must certainly be, Tho he knew; and so it does not import a reason of his following action, but only signifieth Christs great humiliation and condescention. Tho he well enough knew, that all power was given him in Heaven and Earth, as in Matth. 28.18. That he was his disciples Lord, that he came from God, and was now going to God again; yet to show how much he loved his Disciples, and to set them a pattern of humility, and teach them brotherly love, and that he came not in the estate wherein he yet was to be ministred unto, but to minister, Matth 20.28..

He riseth from supper, and layeth aside his garments, and took a towel, and girded himself He riseth from Supper, what Supper is the question; We are told, that the Iews had two Suppers upon the Paschal night, which was the 14th. day of the month Nisan. The first, was the Passover Supper, which was a Religious rite in obedience to the Law. The second, a common Supper, (as on other nights) to which our Saviour added a third, which was the Lords Supper. To me it seemeth rather that their common Supper was first, then the Passover Supper; and that Christ arose from this common Supper, to do this act. Augustine understood it of the common Supper; so does Beza, Heinsius, Tarnovius, and others which seemeth to me most probable; tho others understand it of the Passover Supper. Whatever Supper the Evangelist meaneth, Christ rose up from it before it was done. Calvin, Pareus, Beza, Petargus, Tossanus, and divers others amongst the Protestant Interpreters; Tolet, Maldonate, and Iansenius, amongst the Papists, do agree a common Supper this night, beside the Paschal Supper, and the Lords Supper; from which it is most probable that Christ, as is here said, rose up, and laid aside his garment, that is, his outward loose garment, (for such they used) which servants were wont to gird up when they waited at Table, Luke 17.8. Christ laid one aside, and girded up the other, takes a towel..

After that, he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded Poureth water into a bason; beginneth first to wash his Disciples feet, then to wipe them with the linnen cloth he had taken: All this was done in the form of a servant, (so they used to do, as to guests that came to Dine or Sup with their Lords or Masters.).

Then cometh he to Simon Peter: And Peter says unto him, Lord, doest thou wash my feet Christ in the performance of this Ceremony cometh to Simon Peter; whether first, or last, it is not said; (and therefore the Papists argue all from hence, to prove the primacy of Peter over the rest of the Apostles) Peter looks upon it with a modest, but sinful and superstitious indignation. Samuel of old determined, that Obedience to God is better than Sacrifice; it is then certainly better than a Complement. Peter in this case ought not to have contradicted his Master out of a complement to him, but to have suffered him to go on in this act of Ministration. There may be a voluntary Humility, and pretended reverence to Christ, which is indeed but superstition, and can be no other if contrary to any Revelation of the Divine Will.?

Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now: but thou shalt know hereafter Our Lord, seeing Peters general design good, tho he mistook as to this particular Act; tells him, that at present he did not understand his Counsel and design in this Action, but it should be more intelligible unto him afterwards, as indeed he made it by his discourse upon this his Act of humiliation, ver. 13, 14, 15, 16..

Peter says unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me Peter rashly replies, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Here was a seeming Reverence for his Master, but (like the Iewish zeal mentioned by Paul, Rom. 10.2.) not according to knowledge; Christ tells him, that except he washed him, he had no part with him; that is, he should never be saved. But will some say, Was not this too severe for our Saviour to threaten Peter with an exclusion from a Coinheritance with him in Heaven, for modestly refusing to suffer him to wash his feet? Ans. The least disobedience not repented of, is enough to exclude a Soul from the Kingdom of Heaven. 2. But Christ seems to take an advantage here, from this ceremony of his washing their feet, to discourse to him the necessity of his washing his Soul with his blood, from the filth of sin and corruption; and of this washing, it undoubtedly is that Christ here speaketh, the necessity of which is very often inculcated in holy Writ..

Simon Peter says unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head Peter now understande h what washing it is which our Saviour last spake of, and wholly submitteth to the Will of his Lord and Master; acknowledging himself to be wholly defiled, and to stand in need of a washing all over. Lord, says he, not my feet only, but my hands and my head also, that is, my whole man..

Jesus says to him, He that is washed, needeth not, save to wash his feet Look as it is with persons that have been washing themselves in a Bath, when they are washed, yet walking abroad bare-foot, or with thin Sandals, or coverings for their feet, will be again subject to pollute and dirty their feet; so as they will have frequent need to wash them again; but they need not soon again wash their whole bodies: so it is as to Souls that are washed with my blood, washed, and sanctified, justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus, and by the Spirit of God (as the Apostle speaketh, 1 Cor. 6.11.) their state is not to be renewed; they need not be justified a second time, but they will have need to have their feet washed in regard of their remainder of sin, and lust that is in them, and will be so while they are in the World, and the temptations which every where lie in the World, as snares for their feet; they will have need of a daily washing by repentance, and fresh applications of their Souls to my blood, by the repeated exercises of faith, according to their renewed and repeated acts of sin., but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all You, who are my Apostles, are clean, you are washed, you are justified; I have forgiven your sins, accepted your persons, but not all; the most of you are so, but not all..

For he knew who should betray him, therefore said he, Ye are not all clean By these words, the Evangelist expounds only what our Saviour meant in the former verse, when he had told them, they were not all clean; for tho the Disciples did not yet know that they had a Traytor amongst them, Satan had before this, put the design into the heart of Iudas, ver. 2. and Christ who knew all hearts, knew what was in the heart of Iudas, and he soon after (as we shall hereafter in this Chapter read) revealed it; yet at this time he had not revealed it to his Disciples: Now he begins to discover it, telling them, that tho the most of them were clean, justified, and sanctified, yet all of them were not so..

So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments After that our Saviour had finished this Ceremony, and washed his Disciples feet; (some question whether all or no, but I see no reason to doubt it), and was set down again he returned again to the Supper, which (probably) now was near finished, which certainly was the common Supper which the Iews had besides the Passover Supper, and probably before it, tho some think after it., he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you He asketh them, if they knew the meaning of this which he had done unto them; lest they should not fully understand it, he openeth it to them in the following discourse?

Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say well: for so I am The Disciples in their ordinary discourses, called Christ Master and Lord; nor was it a name improper for him, for he was their Master to instruct them, their Lord to rule, guide, and govern them;. now says our Saviour, Disciples ought to obey their Master, Servants ought to obey their Lords, and Disciples also ought to imitate their Master.

If I then your Lord and Master have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one anothers feet I have by this my action taught you to love, and to be ready also to serve one another, and not to think much to serve them even in the lowest and meanest offices by which you can do them good; for we must not think, that these words lay a litteral obligation upon Christians, to wash the feet of others; washing the feet is mentioned but as Species pro genere, a single act of service, but for all other acts by which we can be serviceable unto others; so it is also used, 1 Sam. 25.41. and 1 Tim. 5.10. Some of the Ancients seem to have judged this washing of feet, to have been instituted as a Sacrament, (tho in an improper sense) and from hence, (tho Bellarmine, Maldonate and others, deny it to be a Sacrament as well as we) yet probably is the practice in use amongst the Papists, to wash certain persons feet every Thursday before Easter, (a theatrical Ceremony, rather than any thing of solid and profitable use.) Our Saviour certainly intends no more by ye ought to wash one anothers feet, than ye ought to serve one another in all offices of love, and not to think your selves too good, or too great, to do the meanest services to those who are my Disciples; and this is that as to which he tells them, he had set them an example that they should do as he had done, in other acts of the same kind, tho not as to this specifical act..

For I have given you an example, that ye should do, as I have done to you.

Verily, verily I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord, neither he that is sent, greater then he that sent him The Apostles were to take up a very high station in the Gospel Church, and our hearts are very prone to swell in an high opinion of our selves, for which the nature of man taketh advantage from every thing in which we either really do excel, or can conceit that we do excel our neighbours: Our Lord therefore, tho speaking to the Apostles, (some of the best of men) yet knowing they were (like Elij h) men subject to like passions with other men, addeth this to arm them against any Temptation to Pride; they owned themselves as servants to Christ who was their great Lord; they had seen what he had done; he therefore applieth a proverbial expression to them, which he also made use of in other cases, as Matth. 10.24. Chap. 15.20. in both which places he maketh use of it to arm them against persecutions; here to persuade them to humility, condescention, and brotherly love.

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them he tells them, that it is not the bare comprehension of these things in their Notion, that would do them any good, unless they brought their knowledge into practice; for Iames 4.17. To him that knoweth to do good, and does it not, it is sin. Faith without works is dead, and the Knowledge of our Masters will, (if we do it not) does but expose us to many stripes.. There

I speak not of you I am about to tell you what will make your ears tingle; but be of good comfort, what I shall now tell you, does not concern all of you, it concerneth but one man amongst you. all, I know whom I have chosen I know whom I have chosen to the work of the Apostleship: so some interpret it, as Chap. 6.70 Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a Devil? But the generality of the best Interpreters understand the choosing here mentioned, of a choosing to Eternal Life, and perseverance in the way of God as a means in order to it, as Eph. 1.4. and so understood, here is a greater argument in this Text to prove the Godhead of Christ, as the Author of Eternal Election: tho one of you be a Devil, a Traytor, yet I have chosen the rest of you to Eternal Life: and this is no more than was Prophecied of me, and fulfilled in David as a Type of me: the Scripture must have its accomplishment: that Scripture is now fulfilled in me.: but that the scripture may be fulfilled He that eateth bread with me, has lift up his heel against me.

Now I tell you before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he What I now tell you should be so far from prejudicing your faith in me, that it ought rather to confirm and increase your faith in me as the true Messias; when (the thing coming to pass) you shall understand that I know the hearts, counsels, and secret thoughts of men: and when you shall see the Scriptures have their accomplishment, and those things which were long ago Prophecied concerning the Messias, have their just accomplishment, and fulfilling in me as the person intended in those Ancient Revelations..

Verily, verily I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me See the notes on Matth. 10.24. The words of which place are but here repeated: either to commend to them brotherly love, and offices of love, which he had before recommended to them under the notion of washing one anothers feet: Or else to comfort his Disciples who might think that this treacherous villany of Iudas would make them odious to the whole World: No, says our Saviour, you are my messengers, persons sent by me; I will provide for you, there shall be those who will receive you: and I declare to all the World to incourage them, That I shall take their receiving of you as kindly as if they received me, and it shall turn to the same account, and that is all one as if they had received my Father himself, for he sent me. Some think that by these words Christ aggravateth the sin of Iudas, as being committed against the Father as well as against Christ: and a most treacherous failure as to the duty of an Apostle, or one dignified so much as to be sent out by Christ..

When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit How, and in what sense trouble of Spirit could agree to Christ, was noted before, Chap. 12.27. (see the notes on that Text) this seemeth to have been rather a trouble of grief, that one of his Apostles, one whom he had chosen, should commit so great a villany, than arising from fear of Death., and testified, and said, Verily, verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me For his next words are a further discovery of the person that should betray him: he had said before, that he should be betrayed, and that it should be by one that used to eat bread with him: but now he cometh closer, and tells them that it should be by one of them, that is one of the twelve; this was a closer discovery than he had as yet made..

Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake It seemeth they had no suspicion of Iudas, but our Saviour telling them that it was one of them, they begin to look about one upon another, rather suspecting themselves than Iudas. There may be a great deal of villany, and the greatest villany in the hearts of Professors, in whose conversation appeareth nothing that may give a just suspition to others, and the true Disciples of Christ will have so much candor and brotherly love, that they will not rashly judge and censure their brethren..

Now there was leaning on Jesus bosom This leaning on Iesus his bosom, and the lying on Iesus his breast, mentioned ver. 25. cannot be understood without the understanding of the usual posture the Iews used at their meals, and particularly, at the Paschal Supper: of which we have spoken largely in our notes upon Matth. 26.20. (see the Annotations there) Their posture seemeth to have been kneeling, and resting their bodies back upon their legs, with a leaning upon their left elbow; and this seemeth not to have been so close, but that he that so sate, might use his other hand to take his meat; hence he who sate before any, sate with his back towards him, but leaning towards the bosome of the other, which is here called a leaning on (that is towards) his bosome, and lying on his breast, for it cannot be understood of such a setting, or leaning, as to touch the others breast or bosome, for that would have hindred him upon whom the person so leaned, from any use of his right hand to take his meat or drink. It is apparent from hence, that at this Supper there was none but Christ and his twelve Disciples. Secondly, that they sate in this posture of leaning: These two things make it very probable, if not certain, that the Supper here mentioned was either the Paschal Supper, or a common Supper, which immediately went before, or followed after the Passover Supper. For 1. we have no record of any other Supper, at which were only Christ and the twelve Disciples, and 2. if we may believe the Iewish Writers, tho their ordinary posture at their common meals was Discubiture, that is, a kneeling on their knees, with a resting their bodies backward upon their legs; yet this posture of leaning was constantly added only upon the Passover night, as a further testimony of their liberty; that they were not now servants, (as in the land of Egypt.), one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved The person who sate next to our Saviour, with his back next our Saviours bosome was Iohn, often in Scripture dignified with the title of the beloved Disciple, and him whom Jesus loved, Chap. 19.26. and 20.2. and 21.7, 20..

Simon Peter therefore beckned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake Peter knowing the particular affection that Christ had for Iohn, maketh a sign to him, to ask of Christ which of them he meant; when he said, One of you shall betray me..

He then lying on Jesus breast, says unto him, Lord, who is it Iohn accordingly does propound the question to Christ.?

Jesus answered, He it is to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it We have the same, tho not mentioned (as spoken in particular to Iohn) Matth. 26.23. Luke 22.21. tho neither of them mention Christs own dipping the Sop; but Matthew says, He dipped his hand with him in the dish; and Luke says, His hand was with him on the table. Without question all the Evangelists speak of the same time; for it is not reasonable to think that this discovery should be made, and Iudas gone out, and that afterward he should return again to eat the Passover. This maketh me very inclinable to think, that tho the washing of the feet might be during the time of a common Supper, preceding the Passover; yet the Supper they were now at was the Passover Supper: where, 1. were none but he and the twelve Disciples. 2. It is plain they were in that leaning posture, not used at common meals, but on the Passover nights, (as Dr. Lightfoot tells us from their Writings.) 3. The discourse passed at the Table is the very same (tho not in words, yet in sense) with that mentioned by Matthew and Luke, at the Passover Supper. 4. It is not reasonable to think, that after such a discovery as Christ now made of the Traitor, he should come again to be pointed at, and exposed. Concerning the Sop what it was, has been some question; and a Learned Writer of our own, (but in this point I think much too critical) has increased the difficulty, by affirming the word here used [] signifies a piece of bread, or the lower part or chippings of the bread; for which he quoteth Hesychius, who indeed does say so of but not. The Learned Annotator thinks, is a false Print for, but it cannot be: for 1. there are in Hesychius several words in Alphabetical order, between and this word. 2. Tho be not in Hesychius, yet is, and expounded by him parts; now all know that this, which is but a diminutive derived from or, can signifie no more, than a little part, let it be of what it will; for it is manifest out of Homer, that joined with an adjective, it signifies a mouth of mans Flesh, which came out of the Cyclops his mouth. So as the sense of these words is, He it is to whom I shall give a little part or portion of meat, when I have dipt it:. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot the son of Simon And having dipt it, he gave it to Iudas the Son of Simon: not the Iudas who wrote the Epistle, and who is mentioned, Chap. 14.22. but he that was the son of Simon, called from his place which he lived in [Kiroth] Iscariot, by which he did as perfectly describe the Traytor, as if he had named him..

And after the sop Satan entred into him That the Devil did ever so enter into Iudas as to possess him, as we read of many who were possessed, and violently acted by the Devil, is more than we read any wherein holy Writ; the entrance into him, signifies Iudas his free and willing giving up of himself to the Devils s ggestions and conduct: and in this sense the Dev also before this time was entred into Iudas, Luke 22.3. But as holy men are said to be filled with the Spirit of God, who had before received the Spirit, because the holy Spirit came after upon them with fuller and stronger impulses, and notions: so tho the Devil had formerly been moving Iudas to this vile Act, and had had his consent to it; yet after he had taken this mouthfull, the Devil plyed him with stronger notions, impu ses, and suggestions: and now he had master'd his conscience, and hardned his heart, so as he was more prepared for the Villany about which he had some thoughts before: he had now with an unbelieving, and unthankful heart, been eating the Passover, which was a Type of Christ; and had so mastered his conscience, as to come and do this, with a vile heart, reaking before with treacherous and bloody designs against his Lord and Master: See what is the effect. His heart is more vile, more treacherous, and bloody, he is twice more the servant of the Devil than he was before. The sop given him by Christ, was but an accidental occasion of it; as the Devil took more advantage from his now hardned, and further imboldned heart, and he is twice more the child of the Devil than he was before.. Then Jesus said unto him, That thou doest, do quickly Christ knowing this, does not command, advise, or exhort him, but in a detestation, bids him go and do what he was resolved to do, and which he knew would be quickly; letting him both know, that he knew what was in his heart, and that he was now ready to receive the effects of his malice..

Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him.

For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag How innocent are honest hearts? Charity thinketh no evil, (says the Apostle) altho our Saviour had plainly enough deciphered him as the Traytor, by telling Iohn that he to whom he should give the Sop, was he; and then by giving it to Iudas, yet whether they all did not hear what our Saviour said to Iohn, or did not think of so sudden a Tragedy; they do not suspect that the hour was at hand, when Iudas should perfect his intended Villany; tho they heard our Saviour bid him get him out, and do quickly, what he had to do; yet Iudas being he who carried, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast that little stock of mony which Christ had, Chap. 12.6. they thought that that which our Saviour bid him do, as a work he had undertaken to do, was laying out some monies, either to buy some things which were necessary for them, for the seven days of the Feast of unleavened bread; either for food for them to eat, or for Sacrifices for them to offer.: or that he should give something to the poor Or that it was our Saviours mind, that he should out of this little stock, distribute something to the poor; they little thought that our Saviours words argued a giving him over to perfect the treacherous designs which he had conceived in his heart..

He then having received the sop, went immediately out From hence appeareth, 1. That it is impossible to prove that Iudas was with our Saviour, when he Instituted and Celebrated the Supper; tho if he were, it proveth nothing of a liberty for ignorant and scandalous persons to be there; (for Iudas was not such a one) nor yet of a lawfulness for Ministers of the Gospel, knowing any to be such, to give the Lords Supper to them. For altho Christ knew Iudas his heart, yet he acted not according to his Omniscience but as the first and prime Minister of the Gospel, setting us an example, not to judge of secret things, but of things open only. 2. It also appeareth from hence, that it is not probable, that this was any other Supper than the Passover Supper; for if it were not, the Passover Supper must be after this, and this same Supper preceding it. Our famous Dr. Lightfoot thinks it was a Supper in Bethany, at two miles distance (or near so much) from Ierusalem But then it must follow, 1. That Iohn speaks nothing of the Paschal Supper, or the Lords Supper; and 2. it does by no means appear probable to me, that Iudas after such a discovery of him, should come again to eat the Passover with Christ and his Disciples. These things, together with what I noted before, that here is no mention made of more guests than the twelve; that the posture used (especially as to leaning) was peculiar to the Paschal Supper. That the discourse mentioned by this Evangelist, as had at this Supper about the discovery of the Traytor, is the same in substance, (tho not in terms) with what Matthew and Luke report, as passed at the Passover. All these things confirm me, that it is the Paschal Supper that Iohn speaketh of; whether Iudas was at the Lords Supper, which we know followed the Passover immediately, depends upon the sense of the particle, which we translate immed tely; but does not signifie necessarily such a present departure; but the action of the Lords Supper might be first over, tho in reason it seemeth to me more prob b e, because of those words, having received the sop, he immediately went out: that it should be here Interpreted strictly, and that shame and horror should not suffer him to stay so long, as till the action of the Supper was over: tho whether he were at the Lords Supper (as I said before) sigfieth nothing at all to the questions about mixt Communion, either as to the part of the Minister administring, or the peoples Communicating.: And it was night u.

Therefore when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the son of man glorified He speaketh of that which was presently to be, as if it were already done; the meaning is, Now the time cometh when the Son of man shall immediately be glorified, by finishing the work which God has given him to do, by rising again from the dead, and declaring himself to be the Son of God with Power, by Ascending up into Heaven, to be glorified with the same glory which he had with the Father before the World began:, and God is glorified in him And God will appear to be glorified in him, by his finishing the work which God has given him to do, manifesting his name to the sons of men; and by the many signs and wonders which God will yet further show at the time of his Death and Resurrection, and by the coming down of the Holy Ghost..

If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorifie him in himself, God was glorified in Christ by his Death upon the Cross in obedience to his Fathers Will; thus Peter Chap. 21.19. is said by his Death to glorifie God; and as he was declared to be the Son of God, and as by him the World was brought to the knowledge of God, as by his Spiritual and Heavenly Doctrine, so by the miracles he wrought. From hence our Lord concludeth, that God should glorifie Christ in himself, so as the glory of the Father and the Son are the same, they are mutually glorified each in other: If the Son be glorified, the Father is also glorified; and if the Father be glorified, the Son is also glorified; the Father and the Son are mutually glorified each in other. and shall straightway glorifie him And the Father (says our Saviour) in a short time will further glorifie him, by taking him up into Heaven, and making the whole person of the Mediator glorious in Heaven.

Little children, yet a little while I am with you Our Saviours time of Death being very nigh, (for it was the next day) he beginneth to speak of it to his Disciples more freely, and plainly, and to let them know, that he, tho now dying, bare a fatherly tender affection to them, he calls them little Children; Parents have a natural affection to their Children, a more tender affection to their Children when little, because in their tender age they are more ignorant, and unable to provide for themselves. We find this compellation used by Christs Apostles, Gal. 4.19. and 1 Iohn 2.1, 28. and he tells them, that he had but now a little time to be with them before his Death, and not long after his Resurrection; in which too, his converse was not such with them, as it hitherto had been., ye shall seek me: and, as I said to the Jews, whether I go ye cannot come; so now I say to you He told this to the Iews in Chap. 7.34. and now he tells them the same, that they would miss him when he was gone, and should seek him; but even the Disciples at present could not follow him to Heaven whither he was going: The unbelieving Iews should never follow him thither, but even those who were his Disciples, who were born again, and whom he loved as little Children are beloved by their parents, should not yet follow him; his work in the World was done, but they had yet a great deal of work in it to do..

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another The Commandment of loving one another, is strictly no new Commandment, we find it in the Law of Moses, Levit. 19.18. often pressed in the New Testament, Chap. 15.17. Eph. 5.2. 1 Iohn 4.21. St. Iohn in his first Epistle says, it is no new Commandment, 1 Iohn 2.7. 2 Epist 6. It is therefore called a new Commandment, either because of the excellency of it; as new seemeth to be taken. Psal. 33.3. Isa. 65.17. Matth. 26.29. or because it is expounded in the Gospel in a new manner, pressed more plainly, and in new Arguments, and urged by a new example of their Lord and Master. as I have loved you, that ye also love one another d.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, If ye have love one to another A Disciple has his name either from learning from his Master, or from following his Master, and treading in his steps; take it in either sense: Loving one another is a certain note of being Christs Disciples; for as Christ continually pressed this by his precepts, so he set them his own example, by showing the greatest love to them he could show..

Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now: but thou shalt follow me afterwards Peter yet understood not his Lord and Master, and therefore asked him whither he went? Our Saviour spake of his Ascension into Heaven, after his suffering death upon the Cross; whither he tells Peter he could not at present follow him, but afterwards should. Believers shall be ever with the Lord, but they must wait the Lords time, and first finish the work which he has given them to do upon the Earth..

Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now Still Peter does not understand our Saviour, but fancieth some Earthly motion from the place where he was; but it should seem by what followeth, that he thought our Saviour spake of some motion which might be very dangerous to him.? I will lay down my life for thy sake And therefore he adds, according to his usual courage and mettal, expressed on all occasions, I will lay down my life for thy sake; we had such a resolution of his Matth. 26.33, 35..

Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice Mark says, before the cock crow twice. So the other three Evangelists must be expounded, who say no more than before the cock crow, not mentioning how often; but the history makes it good, that our Saviour meant thrice, for it was not before the second crowing of the Cock, that Peter went out, and wept bitterly..