tions to be fulfilled, no price to be paid, no weaving years of probation to be passed, before a sinner can be accepted with God. Let him only believe on Christ, and he is at once forgiven. Salvation is close to the chief of sinners. Let him only repent and believe, and this day it is his own. By Christ all that believe are at once justified from all things.
Let us leave the whole passage with one grave and heart-searching thought. If faith in Christ brings with it present and immediate privileges, to remain unbelieving is to be in a state of tremendous peril. If heaven is very near to the believer, hell must be very near to the unbeliever. The greater the mercy that the Lord Jesus ofiers, the greater will be the guilt of those who neglect and reject it. " He that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
Notes. John IIL 22—36.
22. — [Came Jesus...mto...land ofJudcea.] Some have thought, from this expression, that the conversation between Christ and Nico- demus did not take place in Jerusalem or Judaea, but in Galilee. Others have thought that a long interval must be supposed to have elapsed betvv^een the conversation and the events wliich are here narrated. — I can agree with neither view. — I believe the true explanation is, that "the land" here spoken of means the rural part or territory of Judaea, in contradistinction to the capital town of the territory, Jerusalem. The meaning will then be, that Jesus left the city and went into the country districts. The expression, " Thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judaea," is similar. (Matt. ii. 6.)
[He tarried.] The Greek word so rendered signifies a lengthened stay. It is translated in other places "continued" or "abode." It is note-worthy that many of the events of our Lord's ministry in Jerusalem and the surrounding district, are evidently not recorded in any of the Gospels.
[And baptized.] That our Lord did not baptize with His own hands, but left the ordinance to be administered by His disci[>les, as work inferior to that of preaching, we may learn firom the next chapter. (John iv. 2.)
Lightfoot c bserves that " The administration of Christ's ordi*