ment. It ought to cheer and hearten all who lay them- selves out to do good, and specially to do good to the fallen and the poor. Work of this kind gets little praise from men, and they who give themselves up to it are often regarded as miserable enthusiasts, and meet with much opposition. Let them however work on, and take comfort in the words of Christ which we are now considering. To spend and be spent in trying to do good makes a man far more honorable in the eyes of Jesus than to command armies or amass a fortune. The few who work for God in Christ's way have no cause to be ashamed. Let them not be cast down if the children of the world laugh and sneer and despise them. A day comes when they will hear the words, " Come ye bless- ed children of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you." (Matt. xxv. 34.)
Notes. JOHN XIIT. 16—30.
16. — [Verily, verily, I say unto you, etc.] Tliis well-known mode of expression is doubtless used here to show the importance of the lessons which our Lord is imposing on the disciples at this point. It is as though He said, " Do not think lightly of what . I am teaching you now. It is no trifling matter. Love and humility are weighty things in my service. I solemnly charge you to remember that, as 1 have often told you, the servant is not greater than his master, but must strictly follow his example. The messenger sent on an errand is not greater than him that sends him, and must carefully do as he is bid. If I, your Mas- ter and Head, have done these actions of love and humility, never be ashamed of doing the same, or similar ones. If you are really my disciples and messengers, you must prove it by shrinking from nothing which you have seen Me do."
The Greek word which we render here, " He that is sent," is the same that is elsewhere rendered " the Apostle." Our translators seem to have translated the word as they have to show more forcibly the connection between " the sender " and " the sent," which, to a reader ignorant of Greek, would not have apx)eared if the word " apostle " had been used.
17. — If ye knoto... happy... do them.'] The object of this verse seems to be the confirmation of the preceding one. " Be not content with knowing these things with your heads. See that you actually practice them. If you really know and understand
JOHN, CHAP. xm. 27
my meaning"; you will find it your happiness to put it in prac- tice." The latent idea seems to be, " Wretched and miserable Christians are ye, if you know these things, and then stop short, and do not practice them."
Let us note the solemn principle which lies beneath the verse. Knowledge without practice is the character of the devil. None knows more truth, and none does more evil than he. Let us not forget that 1
18. — [I speak not of you all.] It is not quite clear what our Lord meant by these words. Some think, as Bishop Hall, that the connection is with the verse before, and that our Lord meant, " When I speak of happiness, knowledge, and practice, I do not speak as if there was no false Apostle among you."
Others think that the sense should be carried forward. " I am not speaking as if you were all equally faithful, and equally gent by Me."
llknow whom I have c7^05e7^.] This sentence again admits of being taken in two senses. Some think, as Calvin, Poole, Rol- lock, and Hutcheson, that it refers to the eternal election and choice of those disciples who were true believers. " I know whom I have really called and chosen to be mine by my Spirit."
Others think, as Zwingle, Musculus, Hall, Whitby, Hengsten- berg, and Burgon, that it only refers to the official choice and calling of the twelve when our Lord selected them to be His disciples, and has no reference to the inward call of grace. It would then mean, " I know the real inward character of all those whom 1 have called to be my professing disciples." It certainly favors this view, that our Lord uses precisely the same expression in John vi. 70 : " Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil ? "
Any one who cares to see the question well discussed, will find it ably examined by Gomarus.
[But that the Scripture.. .fulfilled.] Our Lord's meaning seems to be filled up in the following way : " I speak not of you all, as if I thought you all faithful. I know that ye are not all clean and trustworthy, and I know that in this way you will see the words of Scripture fulfilled."
Here, as in many places where the expression occurs, " This was done that the Scripture might be fulfilled," we must not for a moment suppose that " things were done in order that Scripture might be fulfilled," but that " when things were done the Scripture was fulfilled." " I know the characters of all my disciples," our Lord seems to say, " and I know that very soon something will happen by which the Scripture will be fulfilled."
[He that eateth bread, etc.] The forty-first Psalm is here shown to apply to one greater than David, aud one worse than