For he exposed all their glorying and boasting in their own righteousness and holiness, (from their reliance on which they persecuted Christ,) to everlasting shame and contempt. For, since it is most certain that he alone is Lord of the heavenly kingdom and of eternal life, it follows without a doubt, that the world who persecute both him and his Christians, cannot attain unto it, although they desire with a foolish presumption of mind to become partaker of it by great efforts, and by their own powers and works. And where Christ freely gives eternal life, there, of necessity, must be eternal greatness and glory and on the contrary, where Christ gives not eternal life, there can be nothing else but eternal shame, ignominy, and contempt.-Wherefore, knowing these things, let us suffer our enemies to blaspheme and revile as long as they can, since the rage and fury of their reviling will shortly come to an end: for neither thirty, nor forty, nor sixty years, are to be compared to eternity, even as the twinkling of an eye is not to be compared to the whole of this life which we live upon earth.

But observe what words John here uses, who has a particular manner of confirming this article above the rest of the Evangelists, that Christ is truly God equally with the Father. For these words, "As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life," &c. will not admit of the conclusion that he is only man for such power, even of ruling over all flesh and of giving eternal life, can be given to no creature; a creature can receive and lay hold of eternal life, but, to give eternal life unto others, is the work and power of God alone. For the angels, although they enjoy immortality, yet cannot communicate the same to any other. When therefore Christ confesses that he has the power of giving eternal life unto his own, and that he has received the same from the Father, he indicates with sufficient clearness, that he is of the same power and essence with the Father, though their persons are different.--And that he might set this still more clearly before our eyes, he adds,

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

In these words, Christ shews what eternal life is, and what the nature of it is. For since he testifies that he has received the power to give eternal life; some one may ask, in what eternal life consists, or, how we can receive it. To this objecting inquiry, Christ, by a certain anticipation, gives an answer; and says, Eternal life is thus, and my disciples shall receive it in this way, "that they might know thee the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." This passage was powerfully brought forward by the fathers and teachers of old against the heresy of the Arians, who denied the divinity of Christ, and the passage is indeed beautiful and incontrovertible.

Every Christian, indeed, ought to give all diligence to read over the Gospel of St. John most carefully again and again, in order that he may rightly compréhend and understand it, and may arm and fortify himself with such mighty scriptures, on account of the heresies that will come. For in every age, the Jews, the Turks, and the heretics, have fought against this article; and the same devil is beheld in many at this day; and, (may God avert such an evil!) if he could find an opportunity and the power of breaking forth, he would burst forth directly with intolerable fury.

Wherefore, let him who would walk safely, flee and avoid all those things which natural reason and human thoughts are accustomed to advance concerning this article; for there is no counsel or wisdom that can avail against the seducing delusions of the devil, nor any thing but our having a steady faith in the plain and simple words of the scripture, not at all relying upon our own thoughts and speculations; but saying, Whatever Christ has said must be true, although it may be beyond the comprehension of me, or of any other mortal, how it can be true. He knows well what he himself is, and how

to speak of himself.' He that does not this, stumbles and falls into errors, and at last rushes headlong to perdition, For, it is utterly impossible that human reason should apprehend even the least article of faith. Nor can any mortal have any right thought or sure knowledge of God whatever, without the Word of God; and that, even the gentiles are compelled to confess. For they relate this particular of an excellent poet of theirs, named Simonides.-On a certain day Hiero, tyrant of Syracuse, asked him what, or what kind of an object, God was; or what opinion he held or received concerning God. Upon which he requested to have three days allowed him to consider of it. And when, at the expiration of three days, the tyrant asked him the same question, and he had to give the answer, he requested another three days to think upon it more deeply. When these three days had expired, he repeated the same request again and again, until he could delay the answer no longer, nor find any farther means of evading it. And when Hiero wondering, asked him why he did so, he said, Because, the longer I consider it, the more deeply obscure the matter appears to me.' From which example, we derive this proof-that the farther and the more deeply human reason goes in the investigation of God, his works, his will, and his counsel, the farther it gets from the knowledge of them, until it comes at last to know nothing and to believe nothing of God at all. Of which kind of men, not a few are found among the wise and prudent in this day. And this ought to be the lot of all, who, leaving the Word, follow the guidance of reason, and bring her first of all into their counsels on all articles of faith, that they might see how they agree with her.

Therefore, since we have here a text so powerful and so plain, we must take heed that we wilfully obscure it not by the blinded eyes of reason, nor wrest it, nor suffer it otherwise to be interpreted. For here you see the words are plain, and any one may comprehend and understand them.-Christ giveth to all that believe eter

nal life: but, no one can give eternal life save God only wherefore, it must incontrovertibly follow, that Christ is truly and naturally GOD.

And moreover, as he saith that eternal life stands in our knowing him and the Father; it plainly follows, that no one can attain unto eternal life without the knowledge of him. And therefore, the knowledge by which both himself and the Father are known, must be the same. And hence, it must also follow, that he is of the same essence and nature with the Father: that is, that he is equally God with, but of a different person from, the Father. These things are so clearly proved in this text, that even reason herself cannot deny or gainsay them.

But the worst of all is here-that reason is not content with the words, but, leaving them, rashly runs into another direction. She refuses to believe at once that the words themselves are true, but wishes to search out and comprehend how they can be considered as true and possible. And when she cannot comprehend that, she leaves the words, and forms out to herself new imaginations; and then, wrests the words themselves according to her own pleasure, and interprets them according to the imaginations she has formed.

Hence, the Arians also have wickedly and maliciously twisted and perverted this text, while they laid the stress upon that part of Christ's words where he said, "that they might know thee the one true God," as though he excluded himself and ascribed divinity to the Father only. But this is not proving or making plain, but interpreting the scripture falsely, and not observing what the sense of the words is in their proper connexion with each other. We also affirm that it is truth and rightly said, that there is none other God but him only. But they will not see what is immediately subjoined to it, that Christ makes himself in all things equal to the Father, and so expresses himself as though he himself were the true God: seeing that, (as it is there said,) he places eternal life in the knowledge of himself and of the Father equally, and thus of the two makes one.

And when he orders his words thus," thee the one true God;" he does it, that he might always give honour unto the Father, as having received all things from him; and that he might thus lead and draw us unto the Father through himself. Of this, there are testimonies to be seen throughout St. John. And he unites himself to the divine essence, assuming to himself the same and an equal power, when he says, that he will be known together with the Father as the giver of eternal life; which is the work of God alone.

Wherefore, these words make the most powerful of all against the Arians and all other heretics, and also against the Jews and infidels; who say, and boast, that they believe in the one God only that made the heavens and the earth; and who, on account of this their faith, condemn us Christians as adoring another God, &c.For Christ's intention is to shew, that they know not the true God, how strongly soever they may be of that opinion, and may glory in it; and that they do not apprehend who he is, nor understand how he is to be known; seeing that, he alone is the one true God, who "sent" Jesus Christ. In which his intention is to say, that he who would not err in the one true God, must seek him only in Christ the Lord; for that none other is the true God, but he who sent Jesus Christ. Hence, he who has not this Christ, errs from the true God, (although he may know and believe that there is only one true God,) because he does not believe in him who sent Christ, and who by him giveth eternal life. Wherefore, all the force lies in the word "thee"-" that they might know thee the one true God." Which "thee?"-Who "sent" Jesus Christ! As though he had said, The Jews and many others have, as they imagine, the one only true God; but "thee," who art the only true God, they know not; because they know not Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. And yet, they all the while paint out to themselves a God according to their own imaginations: which is not the true God, but a mere nothing at all! Hence you see that Christ does not here use the word one," that he might separate himself from the Father,