The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 261

doubt that n oorlflin subjectivo colouring none other than hie only begotten Son ( cf. nJI'octs his con<lonsa.tion of the discourRes of notes, eh. i. 14, 18). Just as Abraham had Josue. Ho wns not a. shorthand reporter, not kept back his only begotten son from God, so God has not withheld hia perfect photograpbicnlly or tolcpbonica.lly repro- Image, hie Well-beloved, his Eternal Logos, ducing nil tho.t pnsscd. Ho was e. beloved the perfect ideal of sonship. .He gave him disciple, who knew his Lortl and lost him- with the following view : that whosoever be- self in his Master. Ho seized with inspired lieveth in him ( ,i. abT3v) may not perish, but nnd intuitive accuracy the root-ideas of the have eternal life. The previous saying is repeated as in a grand refrain for which a Son of man, and rElproducctl them with the deeper reason and fuller explanation have power of the truo artist. It is incrcd ible, been snpplied. Perishing, ruin, the issues oven if we regard the entire paragraph of poisonous corruption, might and would, by (vere. 16-21) as tho language of our Lord, the force of natural law, work tliemselves out that wo have the whole of the discourse, or in the destinies of men. 'fhe awful curse wne spreading, but it may be arrested. conversation, of the memornble night. Still None need be exclnded. Looking is living. less satisfactory is it to suppose that we Believing in this manifestation of Di vine have in it nothing more tha.n o.n imaginary love is enough. Thie is the first, high, main scene, an idealization of the bearing of condition. Appropriation of such a Divine Christio.n truth on J ewieh prejudice. So gift nnriddles the mysteries of the universe, va.st a. thought, though it be the burden of emancipates from the agelong bondage, con- fers e. life which is beyond the conditions the New Testament, and beca.uso it is so, or occasions of dissolution. This verse is issued from the heru:t of J eeus. infinite in its range, and, notwithstanding a certain vagueness and indefiniteness of ex- Vers. 16-21.-(3) Diuine loTJe and judg- pression, presents and enshrines the most ment. control troth of Divine revelation. When Ver. 16.-l!'or God so loved the world. the terms "gave," "only begotten Son," The Divine love to the whole of hu- "believeth," " life," "perishing," "God," ma.nity in its condition of supremo need, " the world," are fully interpreted, then the i.e. a.part from himself and his grace, has words of this text gather an ever-augmenting been of such e.· commanding, exhnustless, force and fulness of meaning; and they may immeasurable kind, that it was equal to have been expanded to meet the prejudices any emergency, and able to secure for the of Nicodemus or the difficulties of disciples. worst and most degraded, for the outco.st, The idea of gift and giver and the en<ls of the serpent-bitten nnd the dying, a means of the giving may he.ve at once suggested to unlimited deliverance and uplifting. The the Pharisaic mind the grand distinction be- Divine love is the sublime source of the tween Israel and the world, o.nd the inquiry whole proceeding, and it has been lavished may have been made-Is not Messiah, then, on "the world." This world cannot be the about to judge the world. to summon e.11 tl1e limited "world" of the Augustinian, Cal- no.tions round to hear their doom? To some vininn interpreters-the world of the elect; such heart-deo.clening query, to rome such it is that" whole world" of which St. John conscience-benumbing scepticism, our Lord speaks in 1 John ii. 2. •• God will have all continued-No; this love to the world on men to be saved" (1 Tim. ii. 4). Calvin him- the part of God, this condition of faith on self says, " Christ brought life, because tbe the side of man, thus laid down, is perfectly heavenly Father loves the human race, and honest e.nd sincere- wishes that they should not perish." Phorisaic Ver. 17 .-For-notwithstanding your vu.in -interpretations of the Old 'l'estnment had left and selfish interpretation of the older reve- the outside world in judgment, to cursing 11J1d lation-God sent not his Son to judge (1va. condign punishment, and ha.d mncle Abra- 1<p!"!I, with e. view to judge, to discriminate hamio descent and saornmental pl'ivilege the the evil from the good. •• Judgmont" in this conditions of life and honour aud royal free- sense may be identica.l with "absolution,'' dom. Here tho poor world is seen to be the and may also connote "condemm\tion," but object of sµ.ch love, that he-the Fnther- in itself it leaves the issue undecided) the God-gave, " delivered up," we do not know wodd. Observe that the word "sent'' re- oertoinly to "what," but we may judge from places the wo:rd "g'llve" of the previous the conte:rt tho.t it was suoh a delivemnoe, statement (a.,roO"'Tl.u..,, not ,dµ1n» ). The word or such giving up, o.s is involved in the up- caITies with it "the sendiug on a specin.I lifting of the Son of ma.n upon his otoss of mission" (see notes 011 eh. xx. 21), 11,Ild humiliation o.nd shame. But the Lord in- e.mists attention by denoting the imme- troduces a more wonderful term to denote his diate funotion of the Son of Go<l's mission own persono.lity. 'J'his "Son of mo.n" ill into the world. He was sent, not to judg6  1'.H THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. [w, m.1-30,