1 R. F. Horton, The Triumph of the Cross^ 14,
2i6 THE AMAZING GIFT OF LOVE
of the pursuer's spear almost pricking his spine — don't you think he would make for the City of Eefuge with some speed ? That is what you have to do. He that believeth, and by trust lays hold of the Hand that holds him up, will never fall ; and he that does not lay hold of that Hand will never stand, to say nothing of rising. And so by these two links God's love of the world is connected with the salvation of the world.^
3. " Whosoever." — Take together the two words " world " and " whosoever." It need not be said that those are both universal terms. " World " is the most universal term that we have in the language. For instance, we sometimes mean by it the whole earth on which we dwell ; sometimes the whole human family that dwells on the earth ; and sometimes the world-age, or whole period during which the whole family of man occupies the sphere. That is the word that God uses to indicate the objects of His love. But there is always danger of our losing sight of ourselves in a multitude of people. In the great mass individuals are lost, and it becomes to us simply a countless throng. But when God looks at us, He never forgets each individual. Every one of us stands out just as plainly before the Lord as though we were the only man, woman, or child on earth. So God adds here another word, '* whosoever," which is also universal, but with this difference between the two: "world" is collectively universal, that is, it takes all men in the mass ; " whosoever " is distributively universal, that is, it takes every one out of the mass, and holds him up separately before the Lord. If this precious text only said, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son," one might say, " Oh, he never thought of me. He had a kind of general love to the whole world, but he never thought of me." But when God uses that all-embracing word " whosoever," that must mean me ; for whatever my name may be, it is " whosoever."
^ " Thank God," said Eichard Baxter, " for that * whosoever.* Had it been — ' Let Eichard Baxter take,' I might have doubted if [ were meant ; but that ' whosoever will ' includes me, though the worst of all Eichard Baxters."
^ In the South Seas, in the beginning of last century, was a man of the name of Hunt, who had gone to preach the Gospel to the inhabitants of Tahiti The missionaries had laboured there for about fourteen or fifteen years, but had not, as yet, a single
1 A. Maclaren.
ST. JOHN III. 16 217
convert. Desolating wars were then spreading across the island of Tahiti and the neighbouring islands. The most awful idolatry, sensuality, ignorance, and brutality, with everything else that was horrible, prevailed; and the Word of God seemed to have made no impression upon those awfully degraded islanders. A translation of the Gospel according to St. John had just been completed, and Mr. Hunt, before it was printed, read, from the manuscript translation, the third chapter ; and, as he read on, he reached this sixteenth verse, and, in the Tahitian language, gave those poor idolaters this compact little gospel : " God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." A chief stepped out from the rest (Pomare ii.), and said, " Would you read that again, Mr. Hunt?" Mr. Hunt read it again. " Would you read that once more ? " and he read it once more. " Ah ! " said the man, " that may be true of you white folks, but it is not true of us down here in these islands. The gods have no such love as that for us." Mr. Hunt stopped in his reading, and he took that one word " whosoever," and by it showed that poor chief that God's gospel message meant him', that it could not mean one man or woman any more than another. Mr. Hunt was expounding this wonderful truth, when Pomare ii. said, " Well, then, if that is the case, your book shall be my book, and your God shall be my God, and your people shall be my people, and your heaven shall be my home. We, down on the island of Tahiti, never heard of any God that loved us and loved everybody in that way." And that first convert is now the leader of a host, numbering nearly a million, in the South Seas.^
^ Bengel, the accomplished expositor of Scripture, says, " The ground I feel under me is this : that by the power of the Holy Ghost I confide in Jesus as an everlasting High Priest, in whom I have all and abound." Archbishop Whately said, " Talk to me no more of intellect ; there is nothing for me now but Christ." Bunsen said, " I see Christ, and I see, through Christ, God." That brilliant preacher. Dr. McCall, of Manchester, said, " I am no fanatic ; rather I have been too much of a speculatist ; and I wish to say this — which I hope you will all forgive me for uttering in your presence — I am a great sinner, I have been a great sinner ; but my trust is in Jesus Christ and what He has done and suffered for sinners. Upon this, as the foundation of my hope, I can confidently rely now that I am sinking into eternity." 2