João 15

¹ IWe are by nature dry and fit for nothing but the fire. Therefore, in order that we may live and be fruitful, we must first be grafted into Christ, as it were into a vine, by the Father's hand: and then be daily moulded with a continual meditation of the word, and the cross: otherwise it will not avail any man at all to have been grafted unless he cleaves fast to the vine, and so draws juice out of it.am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

² Euery branch that beareth not fruite in me, he taketh away: and euery one that beareth fruite, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruite.

³ Nowe are ye cleane through the worde, which I haue spoken vnto you.

⁴ Abide in me, and I in you: as the branche cannot beare fruite of it selfe, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

⁵ I am that vine: ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, & I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruite: for without me can ye doe nothing.

⁶ If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branche, and withereth: and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they burne.

⁷ Whoever rests in Christ's doctrine abides in him, and therefore brings forth good fruit, and the Father will not deny anything to such a person as this.If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

⁸ As one would say, «Herein will my Father be glorified, and herein also will you be my disciples, if you bring forth much fruit.»Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

⁹ The love of the Father towards the Son, and of the Son towards us, and of us toward God and our neighbour, are joined together with an inseparable knot: and there is nothing more sweet and pleasant than it is. Now this love shows itself by its effects, a most perfect example of which Christ himself exhibits to us.As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:That is, in that love with which I love you, which love is the responsibility of both parties.continue ye in my love.

¹⁰ If ye shall keepe my commandements, ye shall abide in my loue, as I haue kept my Fathers commandements, and abide in his loue.

¹¹ These things haue I spoken vnto you, that my ioy might remaine in you, and that your ioy might be full.

¹² This is my commandement, that ye loue one another, as I haue loued you.

¹³ Greater loue then this hath no man, when any man bestoweth his life for his friendes.

¹⁴ Ye are my friendes, if ye doe whatsoeuer I commaund you.

¹⁵ The doctrine of the gospel, as it is uttered by Christ's own mouth, is a most perfect and absolute declaration of the counsel of God, which pertains to our salvation and is committed unto the apostles.Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

¹⁶ Christ is the author and preserver of the ministry of the gospel, even to the end of the world, but the ministers have above all things need of prayer and brotherly love.YeThese words plainly teach us that our salvation comes only from the favour and gracious goodness of the everlasting God towards us, and of nothing that we do or can deserve.have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

¹⁷ These things commaunde I you, that ye loue one another.

¹⁸ When the faithful ministers of Christ are hated by the world as their master was, it should not cause them to fear, but rather strengthen and encourage them.If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before [it hated] you.

¹⁹ If ye were of the worlde, the world woulde loue his owne: but because ye are not of ye world, but I haue chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

²⁰ Remember the word that I said vnto you, The seruant is not greater then his master. If they haue persecuted me, they will persecute you also: if they haue kept my worde, they will also keepe yours.

²¹ The hatred that the world bears against Christ proceeds from the stupidity of the mind, which nonetheless is voluntarily blind, so that those of the world cannot give any excuse to explain away their fault.But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

²² As one would say, «If I had not come, these men would not have been wrong in saying before God's judgment seat that they are religious, and void of sin: but since I came to them, and they completely rejected me, they can have no cloak for their wickedness.»If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

²³ He that hateth me, hateth my Father also.

²⁴ If I had not done workes among them which none other man did, they had not had sinne: but nowe haue they both seene, and haue hated both me, and my Father.

²⁵ But [this cometh to pass], that the word might be fulfilled that is written in theirSometimes this word «law» refers to the five books of Moses, but in this place it refers to the whole scripture: for the place that he refers to is found in the Psalms.law, They hated me without a cause.

²⁶ We will surely stand against the rage of the wicked by the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. But the Holy Spirit speaks in no other way and is consistent with what he spoke by the mouth of the apostles.But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

²⁷ And ye shall witnesse also, because ye haue bene with me from the beginning.