right to be surprised if we find like unbelief now. Men may actually see Christ with their bodily eyes and have no faith.
37.— [All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.] The con- nection of this verse with the preceding one seems to be this : " Your unbelief does not move me or surprise me. I foresaw it, and have been aware of it. Nevertheless, your unbelief will not prevent God's purposes taking eflfect. Some will believe though you remain unbelieving. Everything that the Father gives me will come unto me in due time; believe, and be saved. In spite of your unbelief, all my sheep shall sooner or later come to me by faith, and be gathered within my fold. I see your unbelief with sorrow, but not with anxiety and surprise. I am prepared for it. I know that you cannot alter God's purposes: and in accordance with those purposes, a people will come to me, though you do not."
Luther, quoted by Besser, supposes our Lord to say, "This sei'mon shall not on your account be of none effect, and remain without fruit. If you will not, another will; if you do not believe, yet another does."
The English language fails to give the full sense of the Greek in this sentence. The literal meaning of the Greek is, not " all persons whom the Father giveth shall come," but " everything, — the whole thing." It is not a masculine plural, but a neuter singular. The idea is either " that whole mystical body, the company of my believing people, shall come to me," or else " every single part or jot or member of my mystical body shall come to me, and not one be found missing at last,"
"We learn from these words the great and deep truth of God's election and appointment to eternal life of a people out of this world. The Father from all eternity has given to the Son a people to be His own peculiar people. The saints are given to Christ by the Father as a flock, which Christ undertakes to save completely, and to present complete at the last day. (See John xvii. 2, 6, 9, 11, 12; and xviii. 9.) However wicked men may abuse this doctrine, it is full of comfort to a humble believer. He did not begin the work of his salvation. He was given to Christ by the Father, by an everlasting covenant.
We learn from these words the great mark of God's elect, whom He has given to Christ. They all come to Christ by faith. It is useless for any one to boast of his election unless he comes to Chri-;t by faith. Until a man comes humbly to Jesus, and commits his soul to him as a believer, we have no dependable evidence of the r,ian's election,
Bcza remarks, "Faith in Christ is a certain testimony of our election, and consequently of our future glorificatiou."