Samuel Eyles Pierce on John 17
As it respects the first part of this prayer which belongs to Christ himself, as it is so closely connected, that not one link in it must be broken in upon, it runs in the following order, ver. 1. These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. Verse ii. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. Verse iii. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. Verse iv. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. Verse v. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
These words, or rather, these verses, contain the very essence of all the truths contained in the scriptures. The truths and doctrines here, are such as the angels themselves cannot but desire to look into. Each of them well deserve a very particular discussion. Many worthies have labored in opening them. Men of the highest renown in the church of the most high God, have glorified Christ, and also edified the church by what they have written hereon. Every one of these five verses deserves to be sermonized. And so I intend, the Lord being my helper. And have only mentioned them, to point out the connection of them. That the glorious harmony which is in them may be seen. In them the self-existence, the eternity, the essential, the personal, the mediatorial, the relative glory, of Christ will be opened. May the Lord the Spirit be with, and bless me in the pursuit of this, so as that Christ may be
glorified, and his people enlightened into fresh views of him. Our Jesus is God. He is the Son of the living God. He is God-man, God and man in the person of one Christ. In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, personally. But as this does not come under consideration in the first verse, so neither does it in the second. He there speaks of himself as Mediator. And in the third verse, our Lord declares what eternal life consists in. Then he appeals to his divine Father concerning the perfection of his work, saying, I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
On this he prays for his own personal glorification. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I would observe our Lord begins and goes on in a series and
progression, on these divine, spiritual, and supernatural truths, and is pleased to open them clearly and distinctly, with judgment, method, and order. It would be well for ministers and people to attend closely to this. Our Lord is here pleased to express what we cannot fully comprehend on earth, nor shall we to the utmost extent of it, even in glory. It should therefore whet our spiritual desires to comprehend as much of it as we can on this side eternity,
that we being fed and feasted with such divine and spiritual realities, may more and more long to be fed and feasted with the same, by a free and full admission into communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in eternity.
God Loves... Himself 
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