Accordingly, drinking of His Now, we dwell in us when we that it might dwell in us. If, by means of the flesh, Christ hath much profited us, how profiteth the flesh nothing? But the flesh was the means whereby the spirit acted for our salvation. The flesh was a vessel: mark what it had, not what it was. The apostles were sent did their flesh nothing profit us? If the flesh of the apostles profited us, can it be that the flesh of the Lord profited nothing? For whence came to us the sound of the Word, but by the voice of the flesh? Whence the pen of the writer, whence the writing? These all are works of the flesh, but by the spirit actuating, as one may say, His organ. It is the spirit,' then, that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing;' so as those Jews understood the flesh, not so give I my flesh to be eaten. The words,' saith He, which I have spoken to you are spirit and life.' For we have said, that what the Lord hath given us to understand in the eating of His flesh and blood, is, that we should dwell in Him and He in us. in Him when we are His members, and He dwelleth are his temple. But, that we should be His members, unity doth knit and compact us together. That unity may knit us in one, what save love effecteth? And the love of God, whence is it? Ask the apostle : The love of God,' saith he, is shed abroad in our hearts, by the holy spirit which is given us. Therefore it is the spirit that quickeneth:" for the spirit maketh living members. Nor doth the spirit make to be living members any save those which the spirit itself doth find in the body which it quickeneth. For the spirit which is in thee, O man, whereby it consisteth that thou art man, doth it make alive a member which it shall find separated from thy flesh? By thy spirit I mean thy soul; thy soul quickeneth not, save the members which are in thy flesh; if thou take away one, now is it no more quickened of thy soul, because it is not coupled to the unity of thy body. These things are said, that we may love unity, and fear separation. For there is nothing that a Christian ought so to dread as to be separated from the body of Christ. Since, if he be separated from the body of Christ, he is not a member of Him; if not a member of Him, he is not quickened by His spirit for whoso,' saith the apostle, hath not the spirit of Christ, the same is none of His. The spirit,' then, it is that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing. The words which I have spoken unto you, they are spirit and life.' What meaneth this, are spirit and life?' Are spiritually to be understood. Hast thou spiritually understood? They are spirit and life.' Hast thou carnally understood? Even so those are spirit and life, but not to thee. APPENDIX I. DR. CLAGGETT'S PARAPHRASE ON ST. JOHN VI. THE following paraphrase of the sixth chapter of St. John's Gospel, appears to me so important and valuable, that I have given it entire. It enters into the spirit of the conversation, seizes on the salient points, and, by uniting all the parts, throws a flood of light over the whole. But I will not detain the reader from the Paraphrase itself: THE ARGUMENT. This chapter begins with a narrative of the miraculous feeding of five thousand in the wilderness, and consisteth wholly of those passages that happened upon this occasion. The people were so overjoyed with the miracle, that they resolved to make Jesus a king; which he avoided, and secretly went to Capernaum. But they, not so satisfied, followed him thither the next day; when he took another course to prevent their design; and that by reproving their worldly-mindedness, and by calling them off from the cares and pleasures of this life, to mind heavenly things and everlasting life: which so turned their stomachs against him, that they fell to cavil at his sayings, and to disparage his miracles, by setting up the manna wherewith Moses had fed their fathers, against his feeding them the day before. Whereupon he inculcated two things upon them with great earnestness: the one was this, that they might gain eternal life by him and his doctrines; which he therefore called the "bread of life," and the "bread that came down from heaven;" and therefore that it was a vain thing in them to challenge him with Moses' giving their fathers that bread from heaven, which served only to sustain a mortal life. The other was this, that they had sufficient evidence of his coming from God; but that they believed not, because m of their worldly prejudices against him. Whereupon he tells them, that God had committed no other persons to his effectual care, to convince and save them, but such only who were disposed to receive the truth by an honest mind; and that himself was not bound to conquer the obstinacy of unteachable men. Notwithstanding all which, they proceeded to cavil at his sayings; and because, in allusion to the loaves he had multiplied, and to that manna which they boasted of, he had called himself the bread of life; and in pursuance of such figurative speeches, he did also express believing in him, and trusting in his death, &c., by eating his flesh and drinking his blood: they exclaimed against him, as if he had, in the literal sense, offered his flesh to be eaten; some of his own disciples also understanding him in that manner. To whom, indeed, he explained himself; but for all that, upon his free reproof of their insincerity, they left him. And then he proved the constancy of his twelve apostles, permitting them also to go, if they were not willing to stay; shewing withal, that he understood who were sincere, and who were not. THE CHAPTER. THE PARAPHRASE. Ver. 1. After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 1. I shall not mention those miracles which Jesus wrought between the passover last mentioned (c. v., ver. 1), and that which was now at hand (v. 4 of this ch.), saving that only of the loaves; which, though it be reported by all the other evangelists, yet they have omitted that discourse upon it which he had with the Jews. The occasion of it was this: he went in a boat with his disciples over that part of the lake of Genezareth in Galilee, which washeth the city Tiberias. 2. And a great multitude followed him on foot (Matt. xiv., 13) through Tiberias, some of them being diseased persons, whom he cured in the desert where they overtook him (Luke ix., 10). 6. And he took his disciples with him to a mountain in that desert, to instruct them. 4. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5. When Jesus then lift up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? 6. (And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.) 7. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. 8. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, 9. There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes; but what are they among SO many ? 10. And Jesus said, Make the en sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down in number about five thousand. 11. And Jesus took the loaves, and when 4. But the people now hastening from all parts towards Jerusalem, because of the approaching passover. 5. The company that came to Jesus in this desert place, was greatly increased; which he observing, was desired by his apostles to speak to them to depart, and to provide for themselves whereupon he said to Philip, Dost thou think it possible to procure meat for this multitude in the wilderness? 6. (Which he said, not that he was at a loss what to do, but to prove the faith of the man, who was none of the forwardest to believe.) (c. xiv., ver. 9.) 7. Philip, not expecting a miracle, answered, All the stock we have will not buy bread enough for every one of these so much as to taste a little of. 8, 9. But Andrew presently interposed, saying, That they have five loaves and two small fishes; by which he seemed to expect that his Master would do some extraordinary thing, but what he knew not, the provision being so very little. 10. Then Jesus commanded the twelve to dispose the men in order upon the grass, of which there was great plenty at that time of the year (see ver. 4), and so they did (not distrusting the event), and found the men to be about five thousand. 11. And when Jesus had blessed the little food that was there, by thanking the great he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13. Therefore they gathered them to gether, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 14. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle which Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet which was to come into the world. 15. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king, he departed again into Creator and Preserver of all things; he with his own hands delivered so many portions of it to the twelve, and commanded them to divide themselves to administer to the multitude: and the bread and the fish were SO marvellously increased as it went through their hands, that every one of that great company had as much as he desired to eat. 12, 13. And when they acknowledged that they had eaten enough, he bade the twelve gather up the fragments, &c. And every one of them filled his basket with what was left; so that there were twelve baskets full of broken food, which was an evidence of the unquestionableness of the miracle, and that no juggle had been put upon the people's stomachs, since there remained so much to be seen after they had all eaten. 14. And this miracle was so plain, every one of them having his belly filled with it, that they called to mind (ver. 31), how Moses gave their fathers manna in the wilderness, and foretold that God would raise up a Prophet like unto him out of their brethren; and now they concluded that this was that Prophet, and the person that was to deliver them from the Romans, as Moses delivered their forefathers from the Egyptians, &c., since he, as well as Moses, could, in the greatest extremity, supply them with what provisions they should need. 15. And of this they talked so vehemently, that at last they resolved to make him their king, whether he would or not; which Jesus perceiving, he first sent away his own disciples, almost forcing them into the boat that brought them thither, and promised to be with |