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27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

He does not mean, that we are not to labour at all for the meat which perisheth, but not in the first place. He hath meat of a better kind for us, and our great hunger must be for that. If we live only for the body, though in never so smooth a way, we perish.

By the miracle Christ had just wrought, and by all others, God was confirming his mission. This was God's sealing to him as the Messiah, and we seal with God, when we consent to receive life from the Son of God, knowing how much we need it. Has this time come to us, or not?

SECTION XXV.

Chap. vi. ver. 28—40.

CHRIST PROCLAIMS HIMSELF THE BREAD OF LIFE.

28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

If any one asks this question sincerely, and is ready to receive the answer from Christ's own mouth, he cannot possibly miss of salvation.

29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

"This is the work of God," most pleasing to him, and necessary to us, because it is the most important work for our acceptance with him, and it puts us into the way of all other holy working. "That ye believe on him whom he hath sent." Not only as the person whom we are to hear and obey; but as the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world,” by the sacrifice of himself; and believing, is effectually believing, in both respects.

30. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

This they ask, as if feeding five thousand persons with five barley loaves and two fishes, was nothing. Let us not mistake; the world is not altered. The nature of man is always the same, ready to cavil, backward to believe, and hard to be convinced; and if we never perceived this in ourselves, we know not yet of what manner of spirit we are.

31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

32. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

The bread which Moses gave to the Israelites, was not that which nourisheth to everlasting life. Neither Moses, nor any other creature, angel or man, hath this to give.

33. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

This was a vain wish. It was a pleasing thing to hear of the bread of life, and they could not but desire it in some degree; nevertheless they would not take it in the way in which it was offered them. Let us look at ourselves. When Christ is truly known, as great a benefit as he is, there is enough in him to offend us.

35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

He shall have a life from me which does not need to be supported by meat and drink as our present life does, and therefore shall have no hunger and thirst for them.

not.

36. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe

If we put hearing in the place of seeing, the passage will

apply to us, and it is all one: and if we believe not, our condemnation will be the same.

37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Every true believer will come to Christ; and they are given to Christ by the Father, because the faith that brings them to Christ is his gift. Jesus will certainly take him to himself who cometh to him. This word cannot fail us. But let us remember that the reverse is true: him that doth not come to him, he will cast out, or reject for ever,

38. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

39. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

40. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting. life and I will raise him up at the last day.

Believing on him

The latter word explains the former. is seeing him, that is, with the eye of the soul, in his saving presence, and the glory of his undertaking for sinners. The Christian must have everlasting life now; else he cannot be raised up to it at the last day. We are for ever, what we are when we lie down in our graves.

SECTION XXVI.

Chap. vi. ver. 41–53,

CHRIST THE BREAD OF LIFE.

41. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

Let us take notice that these murmurers were the very men who said, "Lord, evermore give us this bread." If

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they had really desired it, they would have had fewer objections to Christ.

42. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

43. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

44. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day.

The meaning is not that the Father will draw him irresistibly. The words seem to have been spoken partly in reproof of the Jews; as if he had said, whatever you pretend, you have nothing of God in you; though he would draw you, you will not be drawn by him; you are hardened past conviction; and will neither hear his voice, nor yield to any evidence, which would draw you to me. It is also a certain truth, and here plainly asserted, that no man cometh to Christ, except the Father draw him by his exciting, and assisting grace.

45. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

They shall be all taught of God, that is, they must, as well by inward illumination, as the outward teaching of the Son. Every one taught of the Father, cometh to Christ, as we may and yet, alas! how many will not.

46. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

And therefore hearing, and learning of him, is hearing and learning of the Father.

47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me bath everlasting life.

48. I am that bread of life.

Let us observe carefully, that believing on Christ, is the same with "eating him as the bread of life," or "eating his flesh, and drinking his blood." And as the body hath

its food, without which it must die, so it is with the soul; it must of all necessity be nourished with its proper food, and that food is Christ. We may hence easily understand what follows in this chapter. The great difficulty is to have the true hunger and thirst for the food.

49. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

It was only food for the body. They did not get that true life from it, which the grave cannot hold. But will not all men be raised again? Yes, but with this difference, that the wicked will be raised by the power of God, to receive their sentence of condemnation; and believers will be raised, by the same spirit dwelling in them, which raised Christ from the dead. Rom. viii. 11.

50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

That is, may have a never-ending life from it, though, like all others, he must pass through the way of death to the full enjoyment of it.

51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

By sacrificing it upon the cross for the sin of the world, by a particular application of it to every one for the nourishment of spiritual life, especially in the supper of the Lord Jesus Christ.

52. The Jews therefore strove amongst themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

In the way they supposed, he could not. They cavilled at him from a mistake of their own. Christ only wants to be understood.

53. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Christ, both God and man, as sent and commissioned to give life to poor perishing sinners, by all he did and suffered in our nature, and believed in for that end.

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