keys of death and hell in His hand, and to Him a' one men must go, if they want anything for their souls.
Calvin observes on this verse, " The love here spoken of is that peculiar love of God, which beginning with ihe Son flowa from Him to all the creatures. For that love, with which, embracing His Son, He embraces us also in Him, leads Him to communicate all His benefits to us by His hand."
Quesnel remarks, " God loved the prophets as His servants, out He loves Christ as His only Son, and communicates Himself to Him in proportion to His love." — " The prophets had only particular commissions, limited to a certain time and certain pur- poses ; but Christ has full power given Him as the general disposer of all His Father's works, the executor of His designs, the head of His Church, the universal High Priest of good things to come, the steward and disposer of all His graces."
Chemnitius, on this verse, remarks the infinite wisdom and love of God in giving the management of our souPs affairs into Christ's hand. We are all naturally so weak and feeble, that h anything was left in our hands we should never be saved. We should lose al', even sooner than Adam did in Paradi-e. But Christ will take care of all committed to His charge, and our wisdom is to commit all things to Him, as St. Paul did. (2 Tim. L12.)
ije.— [-Se that heUeveth...Son...Jiath..Mfe.] In this verse John the Baptist concludes his testimony to Christ, by a solemn decla ation of the unspeakable importance of believins: on Him. Wiiether his disciples would receive it or not," he tells them that life or death, heaven or hell, all turned on believing in this Jesub vv^io had " been with him beyond Jordan."
The excellence of faith should be noted here. Like his divine Master, John teaches that " believing on the Son," is the princi- pal thing in saving religion. Believing is the way to heaven, and not believing the way to hell.
The " presentness" of the salvation which is in Christ should be here noted. Again, like his divine Master, John teaches that a believer " hath" everlasting life. Pardon, peace, and a title to heaven are at once and immediately a man's possession, the very moment that he lays his sins on Jesus, and puts his trust in Him.
[Re that believeth not.. .not see life] The Greek word here ren- dered "believ3th not," is quite different from the one translated "beheveth" at the beginning of the verse. It means somethiig much stronger than " not trusting." It would be more hterally
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rendered " He that does not obey, or is disobedient to." It is the same word so rendered in Rom. ii. 8 ; x. 21 ; 1 Pet. ii. 8 ; iii. 1. 20.
The expression, " shall not see life," must of course mean, " shall not see life, if he continues impenitent and unbelieving, and dies in that state." The phrase " to see life," most probably means "to taste, enter, enjoy, possess life," and must not be literally interpreted as seeing either with bodily or mental eyes
[Tlie lurath of God abideth on him.] This concluding sentence of John the Baptist's testimony, is again very like his Master's teaching, " He that believeth not is condemned already." The meaning of the sentence is, that so long as a man is not a be- liever in Christ, the just wrath of Grod hangs over him, and he is under the curse of God's broken law. We are all by nature born in sin, and children of wrath; and our sins are all upon us, unpardoned, unforgiven, and untaken away, until that day when we believe on the Son of God and are made children of grace.
The sentence is a very instructive one, and especially SO in the present day. I see in it an unanswerable reply to some grievous errors which are very prevalent in some quarters.
(a.) It condemns the notion, upheld by some, that under the Gospel there is no more anger in God, and that he is only love, mercy, and compassion, and nothing else. Here we are plainly told of " the wrath of God." It is clear that God hates sin. There is a hell. God can be angry. Sinners ought to be afraid.
(h.) It condemns the notion, maintained by some, that the elect are justified from all eternity, or justified before they be- lieve. Here we are plainly told that if a man believe not on the Son, God's wrath abideth on him. We know nothing of any one's justification until he beheves. Those whom God predes- tinates, God calls and justifies in due season. But there is no justification until there is faith.
(c.) It condemns the modern idea, that Christ by His death, justified all mankind, and removed God's wrath from the whole seed of Adam ; and that all men and women are justified in reality, though they do not know it, and will all finally be saved. This idea sounds very amiable, but is flatly contrary to the text before us. Hei-e we are plainly told, that until a man '' believeth on the Son of God, the wrath of God abideth on him."
{d.) Finally, it condemns the weak and false charity of those who say, that preachers of the Gospel should never speak of God's wrath, and should never mention hell. Here we find that the last words of one of Christ's best servants consist of a solemn declaration of the danger of unbeUef. "The wrath of
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EXPOSIl'ORY THOUGHTS.
God" is John's last thought. To warn men of God's wrath, and of their danger of hell, is not harshness, but true charity. Many will go to hell, because their ministers never told them about hell.
In leaving the passage, the variety of expressions used by John the Baptist concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, is very worthy of notice. He calls Him the Christ, — the bridegroom, — Him that cometh from above, — Him that testifieth what He hath seen and heard, — Him whom God hath sent, — Him who has the Spirit without measure, — Him whom the Father loves, — Him into whose hands all things are given, — Him in- whom to believe ia everlasting life. To talk of John the Baptist's knowledge of di- vine things as meagre and scanty, in the face of such a passage as thi-;, is, to say the h ast, not wise, and argues a very slight acquaintance with Scripture. To suppose, as some do, that the man who had such clear views oi our Lord's nature and ofl&ce, could afterwards doubt whether Jesus was the Christ, is to sup- pose what is grossly improbable. The message that John sent to Jesus when he was in prison, was for the sake of his disciples, and not for his own satisfaction. (Matt. xi. 3, &c.)
JOHN lY. 1—6.
1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more dis- ciples than John,
2 (Though Jesus himself bap- tized not, but his disciples,)
3 He left Judaea, and departed again into GaUlee.
4 And he must needs go through Samaria.
5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well : and it was about the sixth hour.
There are two sayings in these verses which deserve par- ticular notice. They throw light on two subjects in reli- gion, on which clear and well defined opinions are of great importance.
We should observe, for one thing, what is said about haptism. We read that " Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples."
The expression here used is a very remarkable one. In reading it we seem irresistibly led to one instructive con-
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elusion. That conclusion is, that baptism is not the prin- cipal part of Christianity, and that to baptize is not the principal work for which Christian ministei'S are ordained. Frequently we read of our Lord preaching and praying. Once we read of His administering the Lord's supper. But we have not a single instance recorded of His ever baptizing any one. And here we are distinctly told, that it was a subordinate work, which He left to others. Jesus " himself baptized not, but his disciples."
The lesson is one of peculiar importance in the present day. Baptism, as a sacrament ordained by Christ Himself, is an honourable ordinance, and ought never to be lightly esteemed in the churches. It cannot be neglected or de- spised without great sin. When rightly used, with faith and prayer, it is calculated to convey the highest blessings. But baptism was never meant to be exalted to the position which many now-a-days assign to it in religion. It does not act as a charm. It does not necessarily convey the grace of the Holy Ghost. The benefit of it depends greatly on the manner in which it is used. The doctrine taught, and the language employed about it, in some quar- ters, are utterly inconsistent with the fact announced in the text. If baptism was all that some say it is, we should never have been told, that " Jesus himself baptized not.'*