St. Jo- n's Gospel was written. They seem to have held that there was a certain fulness or plenitude of the Deity, into which only certain spiiitnnl men, including themselves, were to be received, and from which others who were less spiritual, though they had grace, were to be excluded. " St. John," says Water- land, " here asserts, that all Christians, equally and indiflferently, all behevers at large, have received of the plenitude or fulness of the divine Word, and that not sparingly, but in the largest measure, even grace upon grace."
Melancthon on this verse, caUs particular attention to the word " all," He observes that it embraces the whole Church of God, from Adam downwards. All who have been saved have received out of Christ's fulness, and all other sources of fulness are distinctly excluded.
[Grace for grace.] This expression is very pecuHar, and haa caused much dijBference of opinion among commentators.
1. Some think it means "the new grace of the Gospel in place of. or instead of, the old grace of the law." This is the view of Cyril, Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euthymius, Rupertus, Lyranus, Bucer, Beza, ScaHger, De Dieu, Calovius, Jansenius, Lampe, and Quesnel.
2. Some think that it means "grace, on account of God's grace or favour, and specially His favour towards His Son." This is the view of Zwingle, Melancthon, Chemnitius, Flacius, RoUock, Grotius, Camerarius, Tarnovius, Toletus, Barradius, Cartwright, and Cornelius a Lapide.
3. Some think that it means " grace on account of, or in return for, the grace of faith that is in us." This is the view of Augus- tine, Gomarus, and Beda.
4. Some think that it means " grace answering to, or propor- tioned to, the grace that is in Christ." This is the view of Cal- vin, Leigh, and Bridge.
5. Some think that it means " grace for the propagation of grace." This is the view of Lightfoot.
6. Some think that it means " accumulated grace, abundant grace, grace upon grace." This is the view of Schleusner, Winer, Bucer, Pellican, Musculus, Gualter, Poole, Nifanius, Pearce, Bnrkitt, Doddridge, Bengel, A. Clarke, Tittman, Olshausen, Barnes, and Alford.
Brentius, Bullinger, Aretius, Jansenius, Hutcheson, Gill, Scott, and Henry, give several views, but signify their adhesion to no one in particular.
On the whole, I am inchned to think that the sixth and last