virgins in the parable, that when they found the door shut, they knocked in vain, saying, "Lord, Lord, open to us." (Matt. xxxv. 11.) Awful as it may seem, it is possible, by continually resisting light and warnings, to sin away our own souls. It sounds terrible, but it is true.
Let us take heed to ourselves lest we sin after the ex- ample of the unbelieving Jew's, and never seek the Lord Jesus as a Saviour till it is too late. The door of mercy is still open. The throne of grace is still waiting for us. Let us give diligence to make sure our interest in Christ, while it is called to-day. Better never have been born than hear the Son of God say at last, " Where I am thither ye cannot come."
Notes. John VII. 25—36.
25. — {Then said some of... Jerusalem, etc.'} It is likely that these speakers were some of the lower orders who lived at Jerusalem, and knew what the rulers wauted to do to our Lord. They can hardly be the same as " the people " at 20th verse. They, being probably strangers to the plans of the priests and Pharisees, said, "who goeth about to kill Thee?" These, on the other hand, say, " is not this He whom they seek to kill? "
Tittman remarks that the argument of the preceding verses " appears to have had great weight in the miuds of our Lord's hearers."
26.— [But, lo, he speaketh boldly, and they say nothing, etc.'] There appears to have been a restraining power put on our Lord's enemies at this juncture. (S<-e verse 30.) It certainly seems to have struck the people before us as a remarkable thing, that our Lord should speak out so boldly, openly, and publicly, and yet no effort be made by the rulers to apprehend Him and stop His teaching. No wonder that they asked the question which immediately follows. "Have our rulers changed their mind? Are they convinced at last? Have they really found out that this is truly the Messiah, the Christ of God ? "
The Greek words would be more literally rendered, " Have the rulers truly learned that this man is truly the Christ? "
27. — [Howbeit ice know this man whence he is.~] This means that they knew that our Lord was from Nazareth of Galilee. This, we must remember, was the universal belief of all the Jews. When our Lord rode iuto Jerusalem, just before his crucifixion,