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miffion, ver. 13, 25, refers to his death and confequent refurrection as what would finally explain his inftructions, and lead them to believe in him as the Meffiah. It is as follows: "When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then yvwoerde TI ye will know that I am (he, i. e. the Christ,) and (that) I do nothing of myself; but speak these things as my Father bath taught me." Had yvwσere OT, been omitted here, the fenfe would have fuggefted the neceffity of inferting these words, or fome others of a fimilar meaning. And if these very words be introduced between the 62d and 63d verses of the 6th chapter of John, they will unite two claufes of the fame fentence, and will afford a clear fignification to both of them, which agrees with the context. To shew this, let us read the paffage with these words inferted in it, and with a fuitable punctuation, difregarding the di vifion of the verses.

Εαν εν θεωρήτε τον υιον τε άνθρωπε αναβαινονα, επε ην το πρόγερον, γνώσεσθε οτι το πνευμα εστι το ζωοποιεν. Ἡ σαξ εκ ωφελα εδεν. εκ ωφελα εδεν. Τα ρηματα εγω λαλω υμίν, πνευμα εστι και ζωη εστιν.

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We shall give two literal translations of this paffage. "If then ye shall fee the Son of Man afcend up where he was before, ye will know that it is the fpirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I fpeak unto you are spirit and are life."

Excepting the words which anfwer to yvwebs 07, this rendering differs from the common verfion only in tranflating & then, inftead of and. For in

the English Testament the words what and they are insertions, without any thing in the Greek to correspond to them.

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The following verfion is as literal as the former What immediately precedes, in ver. 61, is the question of Jefus to his difciples, "Doth this offend you?" Nevertheless, when ye shall fee the Son of Man rife up where he was before, ye will know that he is the Spirit that giveth life. The flesh profiteth nothing. The doctrines which I teach you, are fpirit and are life."

This may be paraphrafed and explained as follows: Nevertheless, when ye fhall perceive that the Son of Man is rifen from the dead to life again, ye will know that he fhall have power to give everlasting life to those who believe in and obey him. Flesh and blood are of no use for this purpose. They cannot inherit the kingdom of God. But the doctrines which I teach you will lead to fpiritual and eternal life, if you fincerely imbibe and practise them. This is the plain meaning of the figurative expreffions which I used.

That the latter tranflation and paraphrafe exprefs the true sense of the original, we fhall endeavour to fhew, from the language in John vi. 62, 63; from the fubject, and the defign, of the whole discourse; and from the ufual manner of address which Jefus adopted in fimilar circumstances.

The words that require particular confideration we fhall take in the order in which they occur. Eav fignifies when, 1 John iii. 2; John xiv. 3; Prov. iii. 24; iv. 12; Pf. cxxxviii. 7; Judg. vi. 3,

&c.

It is ufed as fynonymous with orav, John viii. 28; comp. with xii. 32; and Matt. vi. 22, 23; comp. with Luke xi. 34. Eav occurs in both the fenfes of if and when, John xvi. 7. The English term if implies an uncertainty whether the event to which it is applied will take place or not. Ovv. The connection with the preceding question, ver. 61, requires this to be rendered nevertheless; as it does alfo in ver, 53. In ver. 19, it has the fame fenfe; and in John xviii. 40. Doddridge renders v nevertheless, in Acts viii. 4. Θεωρήτε,

ewone, if it be understood as relating to the afcenfion of Christ, cannot be taken literally of perceiving with the eyes, but muft fignify, knowing from fufficient evidence; because this part of the conversation was addreffed to the difciples in general, and it does not appear from fcripture that any befides the Apoftles were prefent at his afcenfion. See Acts i. 1 to 9. Luke xxiv, 33, 50, 51; Mark xvi..14, 19. Now θεωρεω and γινωσκω are ufed as fynonymous with each other, John xiv. 17; comp. alfo ver. 7 and 9, where opαw and ywww are used fynonymously; as they are likewife, 1 John iii. 6. ewpew is used in the fenfe of ywwxw, John iv. 19; xii. 19, 45; Acts iv. 13; xvii. 22; xix. 26; xxi. 20; Luke x. 18; 1 John iii. 17; Pf. Ixv. 17. In English we use seeing for mental, as well as ocular, perception and knowledge. If Jews refer to the refurrection of Christ, he was literally feen after this event by feveral, at different times, and at one time by above five hundred brethren

at once.

AvaGarovla is ufually fuppofed to fignify the final afcenfion of Chrift to the Father, after his resurrection. What has probably led to this interpretation is, Jefus having feveral times before in this difcourfe ftiled himfelf the bread of God, ὁ κα]αβαινων εκ τε έρανε; ver. 33, 38, 41, 42, 50, 51, 58; and ver. 32, my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. But Christ, in this very difcourfe, ufes the phrases, being from God, and being fent by God, as fynonymous with, coming down from heaven: fee ver. 27, 29, 38, 39, 40, 44, 46, 57: fee alfo ch. xvii. 18, 23; and coming forth from God, John viii. 42; xvi. 27, 28, 30. When Jefus fpake of John the Baptist being sgave from heaven, to the Jewish chief priests and ક *pcv8 elders, even in answer to an enfnaring queftion which they put to him, they themfelves understood it to fignify only that John was a divinely-commiffioned prophet; Matt. xxi. 25, 26. Agreeably to this the Evangelift fays, John i. 6, there was a man fent from God, whofe name was John. And the Apostle James fays, i. 17, every good gift, and every perfect gift, is ανωθεν from above, καλαβαινον defcending from the Father of lights, &c. 2 Chron. vii. 1. Fire xaTeßn Ex T8 8рave, came down from heaven. This means only that it was fent by God. Comp. 1 Kings xviii. 38; Chron. xxi. 26; and fee on Heaven, fect. i. and ix.

Since coming down from heaven, therefore, does not, in this difcourfe, fignify a literal defcent from the fuppofed peculiar habitation of God to our earth;

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why should this expreffion be confidered as a reason for the term αναβαινονα being interpreted of an afcent to it?

But even though Jefus coming down from heaven. be understood literally, yet there are cogent reafons for interpreting avaßanova, in John vi. 62, of his refurrection. In explaining this paffage, it has not been fufficiently adverted to, that avaGarw fignifies, not only motion to a higher place than that in which any person is who perceives it; but also motion from a lower place up to that in which the obferver is fituated. In the latter fenfe it is often used in fcripture. The common English verfion of the word is quoted in the following inftances of this. Rev. xi. 7: The beast that afcendeth out of the deep, &c. namely, the fea. xiii. 1. A beast rifing up out of the fea, Ver. 11: Another beast coming up out of the earth. xvii. 8: A beast about to come up out of the deep, i. e. the sea. Daniel vii. 3: Four great beasts came up from the fea. Gen. xli. 2, 3, 18, 19: Kine came up out of the river. Joshua iv. 19: The people came up out of Jordan. See the Septuagint. Matt, xvii. 27: Take the fish which cometh up firft out of the fea. Acts viii. 39: When they were come up out of the water. See alfo Acts viii. 31; xx. 11; Mark i. 10. Matt. iii. 16; Amos viii. 8. Sept.

AvaGana is alfo ufed to fignify rifing up from the receptacle or ftate of the dead, in five feveral inftances. Thefe, therefore, ftrongly countenance

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