each PERSON difinc7ly. 7t 1. The preface to them, (t.) The hrff word xT.nx is an adverfative; not excepting to any thing of what himfelf had fpoken before, but to their apprehenfion ; I know you have fad thoughts of thefe things; but yet, uerertbelefs, (2.) 'Eyd rì áhflQenw) íyo 61.0,, I tell you the truth. 11e words are ex- ceeding emphatical, and denote force great thing to beuthered in by them. Pirfl, t j , I tell it you, this.that fhall now be fpoken ; I who love you, who take care of you, who am now about to lay down my life for you ; They are my dying words, that youmay believe me; I whoam troth itfelf, I tell you. And, Ty.)Tin iOaílaer?lye, Itellyou the truth you have in your fad mifgiving hearts many apprehenlons of things ; you think if I would abide with you, all thefe evils might be prevented ; but alas l you know not what is good for you, nor. what is expedient, I tell you the truth; this is truth itfelf, and quiet our hearts in it. There is need of a great deal of evidence of truth to comfort their fouls that are dejec±ed and difconfolate under anapprehenfion of the abfence of Chrift from them, be the appre- lienfion true or falfe. And this is the firft part ofthe words of our Saviour, the preface to what he was to deliver to them, by wayof a weighty convincing affeveration, to difentangle thereby the thoughts of his difciples from prejudice, and to pre- pare them for the receiving of that great truth which he was to deliver. 2. The affertion itfelf follows; aoves';cr úuw ¿u 4,4, iwall-x, Ir is expe- dient for youthat Igo away. There are two things in the words; Chrift's departure, and the of fulnefs of it-to his difciples. (i.) For his departure, it is known what is intended by it : the with- drawing his bodily prefence from the earth after lais refurreftion, the hea- vens being to receive him, until the time of the reflitzstion of all things, Alts iii. as. For in refpec& of lais Deity, and the exercife of love and care towards them, he promifed to be with them to the endof the world, Mat. xxviii. Tall, Of this, faithhe, ov aptioa û¡rty, it conduceth to your good; ft is profitable for you, it is for youradvantage, it will anf;ver the end that you aim at ; that is the fenfe of the word which we have tranflated expe- dient; it is for your profit and advantage. This then is that which our Sa- viour aflirts, and that with the earnefinefs before mentioned, defiring to con- vince lais forrowful followers of the truth of it, namely, that his departure, which they fó much feared, and were troubled to think of, would turn to their profit and advantage. (a.) Now, although it might be expelled that they fliould acquiefce in this affeveration of truth itfelf; yet becaufc they were generally concerned in the ground of the truth of it, he acquaints them with that alto ; and that we may confefs it to be a great matter, that gives certainty and evi- dence to that propofition, he expreffes it negatively and pofitively, If Igo not away, he will not come; but if I depart, Iwill fend him. Concerning thegoing away of Chrift, 1 have fpoken before : of the Comforter lais coin- ing and fending, 1 fhall now treat, as being the tiring aimed at. `O rraózr?ates, the word being of fundry lignifications, many tranflations have thought fit not to refrain it, but do retain the original word para- cdetus, fothe Syriakalto; and, as .force think, it was a word before in life among the Jews ; whence the ChaldeeParephrafl makes efe of it job xvi.. 20 and amongft them it fignifies one that fo taught others, as to delight them alío in his teaching, that is to be their Comforter. - In f ripture it liatlatwo eminent fignifications, an Advocate and a Comforter ;. in the tirft fenfe our Saviouq
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