14. "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will do, av re αἰτήσητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐγὼ ποιήσω. Vul. " Si quid petieritis me in nomine meo, hoc faciam." The blunder in transcribing seems here pretty evident; yet it has the support of a few MSS. not of principal account, and of the Go. and Sax. versions.

16. "Monitor," пagáxiŋrov. E. T. "Comforter." In the interpretation of this word, critics have been much divided. It is used by no other sacred writer; neither does it occur in the Sep. John uses it in four places of his Gospel, all in reference to the same person, and once in his First Epistle, as shall be observed immediately. The Sy. Vul. and some other ancient versions, retain the original term. Most modern interpreters have thought it better to translate it. Er. sometimes retains the word and sometimes renders it "consolator;" so does also Leo de Juda. Cas. says "confirmator," Be. "advocatus." Under the first or last of these, all the translations into European tongues, with which I am acquainted, may be ranged. Lu. Dio. G. F. Beau. P. R. Sa. and all the late Eng. versions but one follow Er. The An. follows Be. Si. though he does not render the word avocat, but defenseur, may be added; as he shows, in the notes, that he means by defenseur what other interpreters meant by avocat; and for the same reason L. Cl. who also renders the word defenseur. Ham. has well observed on the passage, that the word is susceptible of these three significations, advocate, exhorter, and comforter. If, instead of exhorter, he had said monitor, I should readily admit that these three terms comprehend all that is ever implied in the original word. But the word exhorter is of very limited import, barely denoting one who by argument incites another to perform something to which he is reluctant; for exhortation always presupposes some degree of reluctance in the person exhorted, without which it would be unnecessary. The term monitor includes what is most essential in the import of exhorter, as well as that of remembrancer and instructor, and comes nearer in extent than any one word in our language to the original term. I own that the word in classical authors more commonly answers to the La. advocatus. But the Eng. word advocate is more confined, and means one who, in the absence of his client, is instructed to plead his cause before his judge, and to defend him against his accuser. In this sense our Lord is called παράκλητος. 1 J. 2: 1. which is in the E. T. properly rendered advocate. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." We have one who, in our absence, appears for us, and defends our cause, before our judge. The notion of an advocate brings along with it the notion of a judge who is to pass sentence, and of a client who is to be defended. But if any regard is due to the scope of the place, the word advocate is very improperly introduced in the passage under examination, where there is nothing

that suggests the idea of judge, cause or party. The advocate exercises his office in presence of the Judge. Whether the client be there or not, is of no consequence, as he is represented by his advocate. Now this magazλntos, who, we are told ver. 26, is" The Holy Spirit," was to be sent to the disciples of Jesus, to remain with them for ever. If the word here then denote advocate, and if the Holy Spirit be that advocate, are the disciples, to whom he is sent, the judges? If not, who is the judge? what is the cause to be pleaded? and who are the parties? This interpretation introduces nothing but confusion and darkness. The only plea in its favor, which has any thing specious in it, is, that by the wisdom and eloquence with which the Spirit endowed the apostles and first Christian preachers, he powerfully defended the cause of Christ before the world: but as those first teachers themselves were made the instruments or immediate agents of the victory obtained to the Christian cause over the infidelity of both Jews and Pagans, the Holy Spirit was to them much more properly a monitor or prompter than an advocate. He did not appear openly to the world, which, as our Lord says, ver. 17, "neither seeth him nor knoweth him;" but, by his secret instructions, they were qualified to plead with success the cause of Christianity. Let it be observed further, that our Lord says, that when he himself is gone, his Father will send them another nαgázλntos, who will remain with them for From this we learn, 1st, That our Lord himself, when he was with them, had discharged that office among them; and 2dly, That it was to supply his place in the discharge of the same function that the Holy Spirit was to be sent. Now when our Lord is said, since his ascension into heaven, to be our advocate and intercessor, with the Father, we perceive the beauty and energy, as well as the propriety, of the representation. But we should never think of the title advocate for expressing the functions he discharged to his disciples when he sojourned among them upon the earth. We should readily say, that to them he acted the part of a tutor, a father, a monitor, a guide, a comforter; but nobody would say that he,acted to them as an advocate. I have been the more particular here, for the sake of showing that it is not without reason that Be. has in this been so generally deserted, even by those Protestant interpreters who, on other occasions, have paid but too implicit a deference to his judgment. Is comforter then the proper term? Comforter, I admit, is preferable. But this appellation is far from reaching the import of the original. Our Saviour when there was occasion, as at this time in particular, acted the part of a comforter to his disciples. But this part is in its nature merely occasional, for a time of affliction; whereas that of monitor, instructor, or guide, is, to imperfect creatures like us, always needful and important. Were we, in one word, to express the part acted by our Lord to his

ever.

followers, we should certainly adopt any of the three last expressions rather than the first: Or, if we consider what is here ascribed to the Spirit as the part he is to act among the disciples, it will lead us to the same interpretation.. "The Holy Spirit," says our Lord, ver. 26, “whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I have told you." Is not this to say, in other words, " He will be to you a faithful monitor?" Further, the conjugates of the word napaxintos entirely suit this interpretation. The general import of napázalew in the active voice, is to admonish,' to exhort, to entreat, and nɑgáxinois, 'admonition,' exhortation. It is manifest, as has been justly remarked by Dr. Ham., that in some places the import of the noun has been unduly limited, by being rendered comfort or consolation ; particularly that παράκλησις τοῦ ἅγιου πνεύματος, Acts 9: 21. is much more properly rendered 'the admonition,' than 'the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Diss. VIII. Part iii. sect. 8.

2 It is perhaps hardly worth remarking, that the Mohammedans pretend that the coming of their prophet is here predicted. The evangelist, say they, did not write napáxinτos, paracletos, but nɛgiAutos, periclytos, that is, illustrious,' which is the import of the name Mohammed in Arabic. But whence had they this information? The Gospel of John was well known throughout the church for several centuries before the appearance of Mohammed; whereas the reading alleged by them had never before been heard of; nor has it been discovered ever since in any one MS. ancient translation, commentary, or ecclesiastical writing of any kind.

18. “ I will not leave you orphans,” οὐκ ἀφήσω ὑμᾶς ὀρφανούς. E. T. "I will not leave you comfortless." I cannot imagine what could have led our translators into the singularity of deserting the common road, where it is so patent; unless, by introducing comfortless, they have thought that they gave some support to their rendering the word magazintos, in the context comforter.

19. "Because I shall live;" that is, return to life. A great part of this discourse must have been dark at the time it was spoken; but the event explained it afterwards.

22. "Wherefore wilt thou discover thyself to us?" ri yéyovev ὅτι ἡμῖν μέλλεις ἐμφανίζειν σεαυτόν. Ε. Τ. How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us?" The expression How is it that, is ambiguous, and may be an inquiry about the manner of his discovering himself to them. The words of the evangelist can be interpreted only as an inquiry into the reason of his discovering himself to them, and not to the world. This question arose from the remains of national prejudices in regard to the Messiah, to which the apostles themselves were not, till after the descent of the Spirit, (related in the 2d chapter of the Acts), entirely superior. Our Lord's answer in the two following verses, though in all probability not perfectly unVOL. II.

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derstood by them at the time, assigns a reason for the distinction he would make between his disciples and the world, but says nothing about the manner of discovering himself.

24. "Is not mine, but the Father's;" that is, (setting aside the idiom), is not so much mine as the Father's. Mt. 9: 13. Mr. 9:37.

28. "Ye would rejoice that I go to the Father," yάonze äv őte εἶπον, πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, Ε. Τ. “ Ye would rejoice because I said, I go unto the Father." The word sinov is not in the Al. MS. nor in the Cam. It is wanting also in several others. There is nothing which answers to it in either of the Sy. versions, or in the Vul. Goth. Sax. Cop. Arm. Eth. or Ara. Origen, Cyril, Chr. seem not to have read it. The same may be affirmed of Nonnus the paraphrast. Such a concurrence of all the most ancient and most eminent translations, supported by some of the best MSS. and Grecian critics, have induced me to join with Mill and Bengelius in rejecting it.

30. “The prince of the world,” ὁ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ἄρχων. E. T. "The prince of this world." There is such a powerful concurrence of MSS. both those of principal note and others, with both the Sy. versions, some of the most celebrated Gr. commentators, together with Nonnus, in rejecting the pronoun tourov, that not only Mill, but Wet. who is much more scrupulous, is for excluding it.

"He will find nothing in me," év ¿uoì ovx ëxec ovdév. “E.T. Hath nothing in me." Though not so great as in either of the instances immediately preceding, there is considerable authority from MSS. versions, and ancient authors, for reading either ¿vpioxeɩ or ¿vonoei, instead of oux xe. For this reason, and because it makes the expression clearer, I think, with Mill, it ought to be admitted.

CHAPTER XV.

2. "He cleaneth by pruning," xavaios. E. T. "He purgeth." Critics have observed a verbal allusion or paronomasia in this verse. To the barren branch the word aloe is applied; to the fruitful, xavaige. It is not always possible in a version to preserve figures which depend entirely on the sound, or on the etymology of the words, though sometimes they are not without emphasis. This verse and the following afford another, and more remarkable instance, of the same trope. As our Lord himself is here represented by the vine, his disciples are represented by the branches. The mention of the method which the dresser takes with the fruitful branches, in order to render them more fruitful, and which he expresses by the word xavaipes, leads him to take notice of the state wherein the apostles, the principal

It is

branches, were at that time, "Ηδη ὑμεῖς καθάροι ἐστε. hardly possible not to consider the xavaios applied to the branches as giving occasion to this remark which immediately follows it. Now, when the train of the thoughts arises in any degree from verbal allusions, it is of some consequence to preserve them, where it can be easily effected, in a translation. It is for this reason that I have translated the word xatalost by a circumlocution, and said cleaneth by pruning. It is evident that xaaio, in this application means pruneth; but to say in Eng. simply pruneth, would be to throw away the allusion, and make the thoughts appear more abrupt in the version than they do in the original; and to say cleaneth, without adding any explanation, would be obscure, or rather improper. The word used in the E. T. does not preserve the allusion, and is besides, in this application, antiquated. Nonnus appears to have been careful to preserve the trope; for though almost all the other words in the two verses are changed for the sake of the measure, he has retained xavaipɛıv and xaðapoi. Few translators appear to have attended to this allusion; yet whatever strengthens the association in the sentences, serves to make them both better understood and longer remembered.

6. "Like the withered branches which are gathered for fuel, and burnt,” ὡς τὸ κλῆμα, καὶ ἐξηράνθη, καὶ συνάγουσιν αυτα, καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλουσι, καὶ καίεται. Ε. Τ. " As a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." Through an excessive desire of tracing the letter, a plain sentiment is here rendered indistinctly and obscurely. Knatchbull's observation is just. In the idiom of the sacred writers, the copulative often supplies the place of a relative, a branch, and is withered, for a branch which is withered, or a withered branch. See Ruth 1: 11. Many other examples might be brought from Scripture. The singular number is sometimes used collectively, as branch for branches. This may account for aura in the plural. Some MSS. indeed, and even some versions, read autó; but the difference does not affect the sense.

8. "So shall ye be my disciples," xai yevýoeode μaðnrul. The Cam. and some other MSS. have yévnote for yevnood. Agreeably to which, the Vul. says, "et efficiamini mei discipuli." With this also agree the Cop. and Sax. versions.

10. Ye shall continue in my love,” μενεῖτε ἐν τῇ αγάπη μου. Dod. and Wor. "Ye will continue in love." The my 66 precept continue in my love," in the preceding verse, which must determine the meaning of this declaration, is capable of being understood in two ways, as denoting either continue to love me, or continue to be loved by me; in other words, keep your place in my affection.' In my opinion the latter is the sense, and therefore I have retained the old manner ye shall in preference to ye will, as the former is