The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 350

coneciousnce~. The nee of the firat person, to come," "our citizenship is in heo.ven." which ie horo roeumed, co.Ila more express "Thie ete?nn\ lifo is n voritable resurrection n.ltention to the consciausnces of his humo.n of tho dcud" (Augustine). mo.ni£eeto.tion, which ago.in re11ehee its Ve1'. 25,-0noo more the solemn assevera- olimo.x in ver, 27. Verily, verily, I aa.y unto tion, Verily, verily, I say unto you, is re- you-I, whoso voice you now hco.r, whom peated, when our Lord still further empha- you nro misundereto.nding, rejecting, ond sized the authority of his own word, the seeking to sln.y. I say with most solemn Father's confirmation of its accuracy, e.nd cmphnsis-He that hea.reth my word-this the Divine signature and testimony to its term, a.1<06<111, suggests moral oe well as power. The hour is ooming, and now is. physico.l hen.ring, nnd means whosoever There will be more wonderful o.ttestations to ollows my thought to penetrate We ne.ture, the truth than o.ny which as yet have broken hears ond understonds, heors o.nd acts the silence of the grave. Not only will the o.coordingly (cf. Math xi. 15; xiii. 9, 18; physically dead rise from their bier 01' their Rev. ii. 7, 17; iii. 22)-a.ndfurther believeth grave in the fulneBB and strength of resumed him that sent me ; believeth i.e. that he has life, but the spiritually dead in vast multi- bome and is. continually. bearing true wit- tudes will pass from dea.th into eternal life, ness concerning me. '.fhore is a different will know tho.t. the bitterness of death is meaning conveyed by 1r1u-r•l,eiv, with the over, and that there aball be no more con- simple dative, ond 1r11T-reoe111 •ls -r111a, or l1rl demnation for them. The Holy Spirit was, ""''• or l1rl . .,.,,,,.. and again lv .,.,,,,; these when Jesus spake, about to convict the world prepositions convey a gradually deepening of sin, and to unveil the glory of Christ to sense of intercommunion and dependence ; the eye of faith. Pentecost would confirm the ..simple accuso.tive is found in 1 Cor. the word of Jesus, for tho Spirit will bear ix. 17 ; Ellicott on I Tim. i. 16). To witness to the reality of the risen LorJ. But believe ou a. person, or in one, conveys a. whereas that hour wo.s only " coming," that different idea. from believing that peraon marvelloua day had yet to dawn upon the with 1·egard to uny special assertion he may world, Jesus added it now is-while I am make. ,Horo the belief of God has em- sperLking ,the reality of this vast spiritual phntic reference to the testimony the Fo.ther change is taking pl11ee. There are proofs is bearing to .the claims of J esua. Such a enough already. "Now," already, at this hearer, suoh o believer, hath etema.l life ; very moment, the dead shall hear the voioe even here he has entered into the " etemal of the Son of God. The spiritually dead now ; " on earth he is in possession of the shall be disturbed in their slumber and blessed consummation. Such belief in words roused from thei? indifference, be made to authenticated by the Father's commission ie know that the S11mmons of supreme power eterne.l life (cf. oh. xvii. 3). It lifts a man and authority is addressed to them. Em- out of the reach of corruption o.nd condem- phasis is le.id upon the Di'IJine force which nation, it ushers him into eternity, it is an is e.t work upon heart and conscience. "The eternal blessedness in itself; and he oometh Son of God," not" o. son of man" merely, is not to judgment, but he.a passed from the uttering his voice. And they that have death into the life. He. is already trans- heard-accepted the summons, " heard the lated from the death-state to the renewed, word," and believed, not merely him that quickened state. The decision a.nd dis- sent me (the teaching of ver. 2!), but tbat crimination between him and the world he who he.a been sent is none other than have taken place. The judgment is over, the" Son of God "-these, said Christ, ahall the books o.re olosed, the condemnation is live. The form of the expression ,l.,co{,,ra.v-r•~ no longer possible. He will not perish, he oo.n only designate those who gillB ear, and has etemal life. "The believer is free by this the literal reslll'rection of a.II the from the judgment which executes itself in dead is ex.eluded.' The teaching of this the exclusion inflicted on the unbeliever, by verse reasserts the teaching of ver. 2-i, and the revelation of Jesus o.s the Light, because adds to it, and clothes the truth in the he is already in possession of the saving imagery of the genernl resurrection. The blessing" (Lutho.rdt). "Judgment, being awful suggestion is involved that many of oomplotecl, does not require repetition" these dead ones will hear the voice of the (Godet). "When .that coofalenco in Christ Son of God, and not give heed to it. Heng- has illumined the heart wherein we recog- stenberg endeavOUJ'S to overthrow this gene- nize that we have been verily accepted, listened to, ruled, and defended by God, 1 "For this double meaning of d,rov•111 in peace follows, nnd high joyfulness, which is one sentence, see Plato, •Legg.,' p. 712 B, 0.b., tho realizntion of eternal life, 1md which , •. br1,c(l).C:,µ.e8a; d 3~ d1<ou1Teie -re Keil &,cou,r1u covers the sins thnt erewhile had clung to (cum exaudioerit) . . . li\Bo,; cf. nlso th(l our wen.kness" (l\lelancthon). In this life proverbial expression, 'A,co6011-ra; l'-11 clicov•a-" of faith " we tnste tho powers of the world (Moyer), 211, THE GOSPEr, ACCORDING '10 ST. JOllN, tc'1. v. l--4'f.