from the Father, he will testify of me. What proceeds from the divine human [principle] of the Lord is divine truth from divine good; hence it is that the Holy Spirit is the holy [principie] which proceeds from the Lord; for the Spirit himself doth not proceed, but the holy [principle] which the Spirit speaks: That the Holy Spirit, which is also called the Comforter, is the divine truth proceeding from the divine humanity of the Lord, and that holy is predicated of divine truth, is manifest from the Lord's words in John, When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he will testify of me. A. C. 6788. CHAPTER XV. Translator's Notes and Observations. VERSE 8. In this is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and become my disciples. In the common version of the New Testament, what is here rendered, And become my disciples, is rendered, So shall ye be my disciples; but in the original Greek it is expressed, καὶ γενήσεσθε ἐμοὶ μαθηταί, which is literally, And become my disciples, thus inculcating the edifying lesson, that the Father is glorified, or the divine good manifested, in proportion as mankind abound in love and charity, signified by bearing much fruit, and are receptive also of heavenly truth, signified by becoming my disciples, thus in proportion as mankind attain the heavenly marriage of good and truth, so continually pointed at in the Word throughout, as constituting the sum and substance of man's regeneration and salvation. Verse 11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be filled, from which words it is evident that it is not the divine intention to annihilate human joys, but rather to preserve them, by filling them with divine joy. Verse 15. Henceforth I call you not servants, but I have called you friends. It is remarkable that in the original Greek, what is here rendered I call, is expressed by the verb Aéyw, whereas what is rendered I have called, is expressed by the verb eiрnka, from the root pw, whence it is evident that the term ɛïpw is expressive of a more interior idea than the term λέγω. Verse 16. Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and appointed you, that ye may go, and bear fruit, and your fruit remain. These words, in their connected sense, are expressive of the whole of man's regeneration, as being a divine work, yet requiring man's co-operation. For when the LORD says, Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and appointed you, He manifestly meant to teach, that all the love signified by choosing, and all the truth signified by appointing, are from himself alone, and not at all from man. Again, when He says, That ye may go, and bear fruit, and your fruit remain, He as manifestly teaches the necessity of co-operation on the part of man, since to go signifies to live according to the love of truth communicated from above, whilst to bear fruit, has reference to the love and wisdom thereby acquired in the internal man, and your fruit remain, has reference to the same love and wisdom manifested and fixed by good works in the external man. he 8. And when he is come, will reprove the world about sin, and about justice, and about judgment. 9. About sin indeed, be cause they believe not in me. 10. But about justice, because I go away to my Father, and ye see me no more. 11. But about judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 19. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13. But when he shall come, the Spirit of Truth, he will Fead you into all truth; for he will not speak of himself, but whatsoever things he shall hear, [those] he will speak; and be will announce to you things to come. 14. He will glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall announce it to you. 15. All things whatsoever the Father hath, are mine; therefore said I that he shall receive of mine, and shall announce to you. 16. A little while, and ye shall not see me; and again a little while, and ye shall behold me, because I go away to the Father. 17. Then said some] of His disciples one to another, What is this that He saith to us, a little while, and ye shall not see me; and again a little while, and ye shall behold me, and because I go to the Father? 18. They said therefore, What is this that He saith, a man the powers of evil and error, and establish in him the heavenly powers of good and truth, v. 7, 8. All which evil and error result from the non-acknowledgment of the LORD's DIVINE HUMANITY, whilst the glorification of this humanity, together with the subjugation of the powers of darkness, constitute the all of good and of truth, v. 9, 10, 11. Therefore a limit is set to the instruction of truth exter nally, but not to the reception of truth internally, because in ternal truth is in connection with divine good and truth, and thus leads man to depend on the LORD in all states of life, v. 12, 13. For internal truth is the operation of the LORD'S DIVINE HUMANITY, and thus the medium of communication with the divine truth in it's union with the divine good, and therefore it succeeds the external manifestation of truth, v. 14, 15, 16. This doctrine, however, is with difficulty apprehended by those who receive truth only externally, until they are instructed that the external reception of truth leads man into spiritual temptations, and that by those temptations his state is inverted, and he is thus led little while? We know not what He speaketh. 19. Then JESUS knew that they were desirous to ask Him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire one with another of that I said, a little while, and ye shall not see me, and again a little while, and ye shall behold me? 20. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; but ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21. A woman, when she is in travail, hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but when the child is born, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22. And ye now therefore indeed have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh from you. 23. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, ve arily, I say unto you, that what soever things ye shall ask the Father in my name, He will give you. 24. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be filled, 25. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs; but the hour cometh, when I will no more speak unto you in proverbs, but will announce to you plainly concerning the Father, to receive truth internally, or in it's connection with the dir vine truth, v. 17, 18, 19, 20. For every state of spiritual temptation is attended with trouble, but when the temptar tion is past, the trouble is suc, ceeded by joy, through the manifestation and operation of the divine truth, v. 21, 22. |