counsels the Son should work, when He became man and dwelt upon earth. Precisely the same expression is used elsewhere about " the words " our Lord spake, as here about " the works:" "I have given unto them the words which tliou gavest me." (John xvii. 8.)
37. — [And the Father himself. ...witness of me^ There is undeniable difficulty about these words. It is not clear to what " witness of the Father " our Lord here refers.
(a..) Some, as Chrysostom, Brentius, Bullinger, Grualter, Ferus, Toletus, Barradius, Cartwright, Chemnitius, Rollock, Jansenius, Trapp, Baxter, Hammond, Burkitt, Lampe, Bengel, Henry, Scott, Gill, think that our Lord refers to the audible testimony borne to Him by the Father at His baptism, and at the transfiguration, when He said, — "This is my beloved Son, hear him." (Matt. iii. 17 ; xvii. 5.) But it surely is a capital objection to this theory, that this voice of the Father was in all probability heard by no- body excepting John the Baptist at the baptism, and Peter, James, and John at the transfiguration. At this rate it would be entirely a private testimony, and of no avail to the general body of the Jewish nation.
(b.) Some, as Theophylact, Euthymius, Eupertus, Calvin, Coc- ceius, Pearce, Tholuck, Bloomfield, Tittman, A. Clark, D. Brown, Alforcl, Burgon, think that our Lord refers to the testimony the Father has borne to Him generally throughout the Old Testa- ment Scriptures, and that the sentence before us should be taken in close connection with the next verse but one, beginning, " Search the Scriptures." In fact that expression would then be the explanation of our Lord's meaning.
Of the two views I decidedly prefer the second one. It cer- tainly seems the least difficult, and open to the fewest objections. There is a third view, supported by Olshausen and Bucer, viz., that the " witness " here means the inwarrd witness of the Spirit in the hearts of believers. This, however, appears to me wholly out of the question. It is a witness that would be useless to the world at large.
Both here and elsewhere we must take care that we do not attach the idea of " inferiority " to the expression '' sent '" by the Father. Rollock remarks, — " It is quite possible that an equal may send an equal to dib^harge some office." Cyril remarks, — " Mission and obedience, being sent and obeying, do not take away equality of power in the sender and the sent one."
[ Ye have neither heard.... seen his shape.^ This appears to be a parenthetical sentence, as well as the verse that follows. It certainly seems to strengthen the view that when our Lord spoka