APPENDIX. L ECT. IV. P. 90. "I speak here of those "celebrated words &c." I beg leave to submit here my reasons for this affertion somewhat more at length; yet not pretending to compose a formal or complete defence of it, but rather offering them for the purpose of exciting others to attend to this and the paffages fimilar to it in the New Testament. I shall begin with a review of the whole preceding conversation in this 8th chapter of St. John, which terminates in the folemn affertion before us. The chief question of the whole, we are to obferve, is concerning the nature of Christ, as appears from the beginning of the dialogue, ver. 12 &c. where his argument for the validity of his own fingle teftimony respecting himself is, that he alone knew the place of his birth and proper P 3 proper refidence. On the mention of his Father, ver. 19, the Jews having asked where he was, he replies "Ye neither know me nor my Father" who we are. I am his Son (i.e. really and ftrictly fo, for otherwise the reasoning feems inconclufive) and therefore if ye had known my nature, ye would confequently have known his, because the natures of a father and fon are the fame.* This topic of his nature, as implied by his place of refidence, is resumed immediately afterwards, (v. 21.) from which he draws the conclufion, that the Jews, remaining ignorant of them, would die in their fins; fc. if they did not believe that he was, ot! εyw aus. This expreffion therefore, fecondly, if we refpect the force of the preceding affertions, which, I think, fhould determine its extent, cannot mean less than that. he was the true divine Son of God, who came from heaven to fave the world: i. e. immediately meaning that he was the Meffiah; and, under that affertion, farther implying the truth concerning his divine nature: or meaning the whole truth together. For the phrafe is fingular, and implies fome very high pretenfions; and, I think, meant that pretenfion which he did not choose, as it was to no purpose and was improper, to declare more explicitly. The Jews therefore, ask him, (v. 25.) "who art thou?" to which * Such is alfo the true purport of Joh. xiv. 7-11. the αμι the anfwer, even the fame that I faid unto "you from the beginning," leaves them in their wilful ignorance. The fame affertion follows in the 28th verfe, where refers to the fame declaration concerning his divine nature, which is confirmed by the following words," and that I "do nothing of myself," &c. fignifying that he acted not from any will of his own, but acted only through the communication of the Spirit without measure, which none but himself ever had, speaking and doing as this influenced him. It is true indeed that the Jews here ftill less understood the whole force of his words; for it appears that he had now changed his addrefs to them, (from ver. 26) having broken off the for mer converfation at the words "I have many "things" &c. And in confequence of the style next adopted, where he uses the phrase « Son "of man," refers them to a future time at which they should be able to judge of his pretenfions, whatever they were, and appeals to his holiness and goodness of life, thus recommending him❤ felf to their regard, (ver. 28-30) many of the Jews believed on him. Thefe he then again tries to lead unto a higher notion of him than that of a Prophet which they had thus en tertained; and begins by a promise of freedom, which gives him an opportunity of de claring himself to be as properly the Son of God, as they profeffed to be his fervants (ver. 35.) 涯 At length, (ver. 51.) urged by their refiftance to declare the whole truth more explicitly, he breaks out into a folemn affertion, which brings round the conversation to the fame point from which it began. (ver. 12) The dialogue becomes now more warm and express on both fides. He next affirms that he is so far fuperior to Abraham that a great part of the happiness of the latter confifted in having feen his day; which, as the Jews understood it, implied his having feen Abraham. This appearing to be abfurdity and falfhood which they might lay hold of, they instantly taxed him with the effrontery of it; to which his reply is given with the form of a folemn affeveration, "Verily, verily I fay unto you, "Before Abraham was, I am." The Jews at this declaration immediately took up ftones to kill him. If we allow this plain account of the whole converfation to be juft, I do not fee how we can, confiftently with evident propriety, conceive this laft affertion to be fhort of any preceding one, or rather not ftronger and more exprefs than any of them. And the behaviour of the Jews upon it seems evidently to point out that it amounted to blafphemy, as appears from the *It will not be impertinent here to remark that between verfes 34 and 35, there feems to be an ellipfis of fuch a sentence as, 6.6 ye then are fervants.” parallel |