that very few believe on him. Great as he is, and deserving c/f far more reverence than myself, you have yet to learn, that e\ei he is really beheved on by few'. The crowds who follow him are. unhappily, not true believers. The temporary popularity Avhich attends his ministry, is as worthless as that which attended my own."
Pearce thinks, that the Greek word rendered "and," would have been better translated, " and yet," as in John vii. 19, and ix. 30.
The notion of Augustine's, that "no man," in this sentence means, " none of the wicked," seems very untenable and unsa- tisfactory.
33. — [He hath received, &c.'\ In this verse John shows the great importance of receiving Christ's testimony. So far from being offended by the crowd which attended Christ's ministry. John's disciples should be thankful that so many heard Him, and that Bome few received His teaching into their hearts.
[Hath set to his seal.'] This expression is peculiar, and found nowhere else in the New Testament, in the same sense. Of course it does not mean any literal sealing. It only means, ''hath formally declared his belief, — hath publicly professed his conviction," — just as a man puts his seal to a document, as a testi- mony that he consents to its contents. In ancient days, when few comparatively could w^rite, to afl&x a seal to a paper, was a more common mode of expressing assent to it, than to sign a name. — The sentence is equivalent to saying, " He that receives Christ's testimony, has set down his name as one who beUeves that God is true."
[That Ood is true.] These words may be taken two ways. According to some they mean, "He that receives Christ, declares his belief, that it is the true God who has sent Christ ; and that Christ is no impostor, but the Messiah, whom the true God of the Old Testament prophets promised to send." — According to others they mean, " He that receives Christ, declares his belief, that God is true to his word, and has kept the promise that he made to Adam, Abraham, and David." That the Greek word rendered " true," will bear this last meaning, seems proved by the expression, " Let God be true, but every man a liar." (Rom. iii. 4.) Either view makes good sense and good divinity ; but on the whole, I prefer the second one. It seems to me strongly confirmed by the expression in St. John's 1st Epistle: "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believetb not the record that Ged gave of his Son." (1 John v. 10.)
Some have thought that the sentence may mean, "He that receives Christ, declares his belief, that Christ is the true God."
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ai.d tliat it is parallel to 1 John v. 20, " This is the true God/' — But I do not- think the Greek words will admit of the interpre- tation. If they would, the Greek fathers would never have overlooked this text in writing against the Arians. Maldonatus seems to favour this opinion, and says that Cyril holds it. But it certainly does not clearly appear in Cyril's commentary on the place.
Si. — [He ivhom God hath sent] In this verse John the Baptist shows the dignity of Christ, and His superiority over all other teachers, by another striking declaration about Him. He begins by giving Him the well-known epithet which was peculiarly applied to Messiah, " He whom God hath sent, the sent One, — the One whom God has sent into the world according to promise."
[Spea/teth the words of God.] This sentence means that Christ's words were not the words of a mere man, like John himself or one of the prophets. They were nothing less than the words of God. He who heard them heard nothing less than God speaking. The unity of the Father and the Son is so close that he who hears the teaching of the Son hears the teaching of the Father also. (Compare John vii. 16 ; v. 19 ; xiv. 10, 11 ; viii. 28 ; xii. 49.) When John the Baptist spoke, he spoke merely human words, however true, and good, and scriptural. But when Christ ?poke, He spoke divine words, even the words of God Himself. As Quesnel says, ''He spoke by the Holy Ghost, who is His own Spirit, who inseparably dwelleth in Him, and by the possession of whose fulness He receives His unction and consecration."
Theophylact remarks on this sentence and others like it in St. Swim's Gospels, that we must not suppose that Christ needed to be taught by God the Father what to speak, because whatever ♦^'•c Father knows the Son also knows, as consubstantial with Him. So also when we read of the Son being " sent," we must think of Him as a ray sent from the sun, which is not in reality separate from the sun, but a part of the sun itself.
Some think that the expression, " speaketh the words of God," in this place, has special reference to the promise given to Moses about Messiah, " I will put my words in His mouth." (Deut. xviii. 18.)
[For God giveth not... Spirit hy measure... Htm.] The expression "by measure," in this sentence, means "partially, — scantily, — stintedly, — in small degree." It is the opposite to "fully, — com- pletely,— in unmeasured abundance." Thus we read in Ezekiel's descriptic n of a time of scarcity at Jerusalem, " They shall drink water by measure." (Ezek. iv. 16.)