John 17:3. And this is life eternal;— But, or now, this is the eternal life, &c. "Now, the way to this eternal life, the beginnings and earnests of it, the evidences of right and title to it, lie, not only in their approving and fiducial knowledge of thee, under the character of the only true and faithful God, in opposition to all other gods; but also in the like knowledge of me, the anointed Saviour, whom thou hast sent into the world under the character of the only true Mediator, in opposition to all other mediators, or other ways of approaching thee, and finding acceptance with thee." That our blessed Lord here speaks of the only true God, in distinction from idols, and not to the exclusion of himself, appears from his speaking of himself as the object of the same fiducialknowledgewiththeFather,andfromhisdistinguishinghimselffromtheFather, not by any essential title, but merely by his office-character, viz. Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. And the same apostle, who recorded this prayer, expressly says of Christ, This is the true God and eternal Life, in opposition to idols. See 1 John 5:20-21.

John 17:6. I have manifested thy name— In the Hebrew language the name of any thing signifies the thing itself, Acts 3:16. Our Lord's meaning is, "I have explained thy nature and perfections; I have declared thy merciful designs towards the world; and I have fully taught thy will and worship unto the men whom thou gavest me out of the world, the persons who were chosen by thee out of all mankind to be my apostles. See ch. John 6:44. Thine they were, &c. My apostles belonged to thee, and thou gavest them to me; and they, under my powerful influence upon their hearts, have embraced, and have adhered to the testimony which thou hast given to me, and to the doctrine which I have delivered from thee." By the apostles belonging to God, our Lord means, "they were originally God's, the creatures of his hand, the happy objects of his choice; his by creation, as well as by being sincere disciples of the former dispensation which God had given by Moses."

John 17:11. And now I am no more in the world,— "Having finished the work thou gavest me to do, I am no longer to continue in the world:—But these are in the world. My apostles are to continue in the world, to carry on the gracious design of redemption, and I am coming to thee." It is very plain that this clause could not be intended as an additional argument to introduce the following petition; for Christ's coming to the Father was the great security of his faithful people; but seems rather to be a short reflection on that pleasing subject, so familiar to his mind, with which he refreshed himself for a moment in the course of his humble and pathetic address: immediately after which, he goes on to intercede for his apostles, Holy Father, preserve, &c. "O thou, who art the Source of all truth and righteousness, let those men, whom thou hast given me for assistance, be for ever preserved by thy power, in the firm faith of the doctrines that I have taught them, and in the uninterrupted practice of the precepts which I have delivered unto them; that, when they go abroad into the world, they may teach the same things, and be ever united in thesame blessed design, after the pattern of that most perfect union of counsels and designs which subsists between me and thee."

John 17:12. While I was with them— "During my personal abode with them, I kept them in the firm faith, and in thesteadfast practice of the precepts of my holy religion, so far as I revealed those unto them. I say the twelve men whom thou gavest me for apostles I have thus kept, insomuch that none of them have apostatized, but Judas Iscariot, that wicked person, who deserves perdition; and therefore it was long ago predicted in the scriptures, particularly in Psalms 109:8." See on ch. John 13:19. As the phrase, son of death, 1 Samuel 26:16. [Margin,] signifies one who deserves death; and a child of hell, Mat 23:15 signifies one who deserves hell; so here son of perdition, signifies a person who deserves perdition.

John 17:13. And now come I to thee;— "I am now about to return to thee, having finished my work; yet, before I leave the world, I offer this prayer in behalf of my apostles, with this intention, that, being heard for them, they may receive all the endowments necessary to qualify them for converting the world, and be filled with my joy; the great joy that I have in saving mankind." See on ch. John 15:11.

John 17:15. I pray not, &c.— "My meaning is not that, on account of these difficulties, Joh 17:14 thou shouldest remove them out of the world by death; I know that the purposes of thy glory, and their own improvement and usefulness, will require their longer continuance. I only pray, that thou wouldst grant them the direction of thy Spirit, and protection of thy providence, whereby they will be preserved both from the evil of sin and temptation, and from the subtlety and malice of the evil one,— του πονηρου ." See 1 John 5:18-19.

John 17:24. Father, I will, &c.— See John 17:5. "Not only with respect to those apostles whom thou hast particularly given me, but also to those in every age and country, who shall sincerely and perseveringly believe in and obey me, my will is, that, after their work here is over, they may be with me in heaven, whither I am going, (John 17:11.) That they may behold thefull splendor of my glory, and be made happy with seeing me so, and enjoying me for ever. (1 John 3:2.) For thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. As thou lovedst me before I came into the world, nay, even before the world was, that is to say, from all eternity, I shall not be less the object of thy love now that I have accomplished the work which thou gavest me to perform. My disciples, therefore, in beholding the glory which I shall enjoy with thee in my glorified humanity,will be completely happy, both as it will shew them how much thou approvest my design, and how infinitely happy I am made thereby,and by the fruition and communication of thy glory." See John 17:26.