but the reception of a title to heaven. It has been well remark- ed, that the Old Testament generally promised only " length of dajs," but the Gospel promises "everlasting life."
10. — [For God so loved the worldj <fcc.] Our Lord, in this verse, shews Nicodemus another " heavenly thing." — Nicodemus pro- bably thought, like many Jews, that God's purposes of mercy were entirely confined to His chosen people Israel, and that when Messiah appeared. He would appear only for the special benefit of the Jewish nation. Our Lord here declares to him that God loves all the world without any exception, that the Messiah, the only begotten Son of God, is the Father's gift to the whole vfamily of Adam, and that every one, whether Jew or Gentile, who believes on Him for salvation, may have eternal life. — A more startling declaration to the ears of a rigid Pharisee it is impossible to conceive ! A more wonderful verse is not to be found in the Bible I That God should love such a wicked world as this and not hate it, — that He should love it so as to provide salvation — that in order to provide salvation He should give, not an angel, or any created being, but such a priceless gift as His only begotten Son, — that this great salvation should be freely offered to every one that believeth, — all, all this is wonderful in- deed 1 This was indeed a " heavenly thing."
The words, " God loved the world," have received two very different interpretations. The importance of the subject in the present day makes it desirable to state both views fully.
Some think, as Hutcheson, Lampe, and Gill, that the " world " here means God's elect out of every nation, whether Jews or Gentiles, and that the " love" with which God is said to love them is that eternal love with which the elect were loved before creation began, and by which their calling, justification, pre- servation and final salvation are completely secured. — This view, though supported by many and great divines, does not appear- to me to be our Lord's meaning. For one thing, it seems to me a violent straining of language to confine the word '' world " to the elect. " The world" is undoubtedly a name sometimes given to the " wicked " exclusively. But I cannot see that it is a name ever given to the saints. — For another thing, fo interpret the word " world " of the elect only is to ignore the distinction which, to my eyes, is plainly drawn in the text between the whole of mankind and those out of mankind who '' believe." If the "world" means only the believing portion of mankind, it would have been quite enough to say, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that the world sliould not perish." But our Lord does not say so. He says, '' that whosoever believeth, i. e., that whosoever out of the world be- lieveth."—Lastly, to confine God's love to the elect, is taking a