that these words apply to the hteral raising again of dead persons, such as Lazarus at Bethany. I cannot think it I beheve that the " dead " liere spoken of are the spiritually dead. I believe that the " hearing the voice of the Son of God," means the hearing of faith. I believe that the "living" spoken of means the rising out of the death of sin to spiritual newness of life. And I believe that the whole verse is a prediction of the many conversions of dead sinners that were to take place soon, and had begun in some measure to take place already. The prediction was fulfilled when dead souls were converted during our Lord's own ministry, and was much more fulfilled after the day of Pen- tecost, when He was preached by His apostles to the Gentiles, and "believed on in the world." (1 Tim. iii. 16.)
To confine the words to th@ few cases of miraculous raising of dead bodies which took place in the time of our Lord and His apostles, appears to supply a very inadequate interpretation, and to be rendered unnecessary by the succeeding verse.
Let it be noted that it is only those who " hear," or " have heard " with faith the voice of Christ, that live. Spiritual life turns on believing. "Ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth." (Eph. i. 13.)
Ferus and Cocceius think that the calling and conversion of the Gentiles was the principal thought in our Lord's mind when He spoke these words.
26. — [For as the Father^ etc ] The first part of this verse needs no explanation. It is an admitted principle that God is the Author and Source of all life. He " hath life in himself." When it says further that " he hath given to the Son to have life in him- self," we must not suppose it means that He has bestowed it on His Son, in the same way that He gives gifts to mere men, such as prophets and apostles. It rather means that in His everlasting counsels concerning man s redemption. He has appointed that the Second Person of the Trinity, — His beloved Son, — should be the Dispenser and Giver of life to all mankind. " God has given to us eternal fife, and this life is in his Son." (1 John V. 11.)
Both here and in the following verse we must remember that "giving" does not imply any inferiority in the Son to the Father, so far as concerns His Divine essence. The things " given" to the Son were things solemnly appointed, deputed, and laid upon Him when He assumed the office of Mediator, in virtue of His office.
Burgon remarks, — " Both the Father and the Son have the same life; both have it in themselves; both in the same degree ; as the on<» so the other ; but only with this difference,
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— the Father from all eternity giveth it, the Son from all eternity receiveth it."
27. — [And hath given him authority ^ etc.] This means that in virtue of His Mediatorial ofi&ce the Second Person of the Trinity ia specially appointed to be the Judge of all mankind. In the couiLsels of God concerning man, "judgment" is assigned to the Son, and not to the Father, or to the Holy Spirit. It is undoubt- edly true that God is " the Judge of all." (Heb. xii. 23.) But it is also true that it is God the Son who will execute judgment^ and sit on the throne at the last day.
[Because he is the Son of man.] These words seem to imply that there is a connection between our Lord's incarnation and His filling the oflQce of the Judge. It is because He humbled Himself to take our nature on Him, and be born of the Virgin Mary, that he will at length be exalted to execute judgment at the last day. It appears to be the same thought that St. Paul expresses when he tells the Philippians that because of Christ's humiliation, " God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name," etc. (Phil. ii. 9.)
Burgon remarks, — " Because of His alliance with man's natrire, because of His sense of man's infirmities, because of all He did and suffered for man's sake as the Son of man, the Son is that Person of the Trinity who is most fit, as well as most worthy, to be man's judge."
The expression, " The Son of man," would be rendered more literally, " a Son of man," or, " Son of man," Campbell remarks that the absance of the article " the" before the words " Son of man," occurs novyhere in the Gospels except in this passage.
Both in this and the preceding verse we should observe an example of the great truth, that " order is heaven's first law." Even the Second Person in the Trinity, one with the Father, very and eternal Gol, does not take on Himself the office of giving life and executing judgment, but receives it through the solemn appointment of God the Father. Just as it is written, — " Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest, but he that said unto him, Thou art my .Son " (Heb. v. 5), so we find it written here, that in taking on Him the office of Mediator, it was ^^ given ^ to Him to have life in Himself, and "authority given to him" to judge. Those who take on th«.<Qselves offices Avithout either divine or human commission are very unlike our Lord.
Toletus quotes a remarkable passage from Athanasius, in
which he points o it that such expressions as, '^ given to the Son
by the Father," ' received by the Son fi-om the Father," are
purposely used in order to prevent the Sabellian heresy of sup-
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