The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 351

rnl iuterprebtion of the verso, making it the Ari1m oontroversy fa woll known (eco <>quivnlent to vo!'B. 27, 28 rather than an Athe.ne.si11s, • DiecoUl'eoe against Ariane,' iii. expa.usion of 'l'Cr. 24. 'l'he "now is," o.ccord- 3, tre.nslntcd by J. H. Nownmn). Archdee.- ing to him, ooven the whole period to the oon Watkins omphe.sizes tho position thot seoond Advent, and the future 41<06,ro,,.,.,., the Lord here epee.ka of "lifo i.n himself," points to a future epoch in the l:,pa.. But which was given to the Son (God-Mnn) in tlte emphatic omission of the viiv r,,.,,., in the virtue of, nnd ns the reword of his SI\Orifioial Inter and more explicit statement is ngninet work. He points to Phil. ii. 6, oto. But such e. view, and the &1<06<roVTa1 is best cx- Jesus bore speaks of e. gift nlrendy made, plRined by its nde.pte.tion to the whole clause. Vcrs. 27-29.-{ii.) Second" greaterwMk" "The hour is C'oming" ne well as "now is." -judgment of the world. The (f,,rov-rcu, "she.II live," rather than shall Ver. 27.-And he gave him (i.e. the Son, he "made nlive," is fe.r more applicable to the God-Man) authority to u:eoute judgment, 1 tl,e resurrection of doo.d souls than of de- because he is Son of man. He has vindioated funct bodies. It is equivalent to "have his power to confer life upon the dead by cterne.l life " of the previous verses. a.sserting the possession by "the Son" of the Ver. 26.-This verse, introduoed by -y/1.p, Divine Sonship. He now adds, so ferns the shows that the statement about to follow rele.tion to me.n is concerned, his fitness and will sustain some portion of the previous authority to administer justice, to· preside one. Which portion? As it seems to me, over the entire juridical process, to lift the the coming clause justifies the alteration of scales, to determine the destiny of the human the term "the Son " inoo "the Son of God;" race. The fitness is seen in this, that he; nud declares, more fully than any other pe.s- "the Son." is "the Son of man.", The one se.gc in the New Testament, the lofty and term, "THE SoN," entirely covers the twofold unique character of the Sonship which he Sonship. 'rhe proof of hie hume.nity is as- claimed. For even u the Father hath life sumed to be complete. The fact of it is the in himself-the sublime assumption of the ground that he who knows what is in man self-existence and ;eternal being of the should be the Judge of men. By personal ex- Father, the e.bsolnte Possessor of life per perience.of man's temptations and frailties; ae, the Source ultimate and efficient of e.11 by knowing every palliation of our sins, every the.t is coDI1oted by life, the eternal Fountain extenuation of our failures, every aggravation of life-in like m&Il.ller also he gave to the of our weakness; by gazing through hume.n Son to have life in himself. "He generated," eyes with human coneoiousuess upon our n.s Augnstine hu it, "such a Son who should mysterious destiny, he is competent to judge; !111 ve life in himself, not 88 a participator in whereas by being Son of God as well e.a life, but one who should be a.she himself is Son of man, he is entrusted with power to -Life itself." It is the bonafide expression execute the judgment of the Eternal. The of community of nature, attribute, quality, principle involved is based upon perfect and possession of Godhee.d. In virtue of justice. The honour thus conferred on the this uttera.noe, the eve.ngelist, learning from God-Man is in.finite, the consolation thus the consciousness of Christ through long held out to man unspea.ke.ble. We are being yee.r11 of meditation. under the power of the judged by Christ, not by impersonal. law. Spirit, eventua.lly formule.ted the doctrine The entire incidence upon every individual of the prologue, " In him wa.s life." " The of the Law is in the hands of the Redeemer. Son," or the God-Man, is, so far a.s this The Saviour, the Life-giver, the Voice which Son.ship is concerned. the veritable Son of quickens the dead, assigns the judgment. God with such a fnlness of lif&-power and We must be careful, in any inference we such a fountain of life flowing from him, dre.w from this grand utterance, to avoid nil that his voice is the voice of the Eternal suspicion of schism or rivalry between the Son. This is the prime.ry meaning, though J<'ather and the Son, The Son is not more since the Lord returned to his uae pf the merciful than the Fe.ther. For the Father word "the Son." and since the word "gave" 1 The ,cal before 1<p[,ru, is omittecl by R.T. is alEo employed to denote the stupen- dous conception, there is also involved in e.nd Westcott and Hort, Tisohendorf (8th it the declaration thst the God-Man, see- edit.), Alford, on the authority of~•, A, B, L, ing he is both Son of God and Son of ma.n. Italic, Curetonian Syria.o, Co.ptic. The 11b- is endowed with a.II the functions of both- sence of the article before 11,os mo.kes this In his ince.mation he has not lost the in- phrase more indefinite the.n the numerous finite fulness of life-giving power. "He places where it occurs with the article. 'O quickeneth whom he will," having life in 11/os l,,,,Bptfnrou in many ple.oes undoubtedly L.imeelf. His voice is the rnice of the Son mea.ns the ideal me.n, who by his humilia- of God. The glory pf the Word who became tion ia clothed with spiritual glory. But fic11h wa.s the glory of the Only Begotten. the phrue, uibs 6.,,Bp,I,11011, emphasizes the The pi.rt which tl..tis great pw,ee.ge took in hwnanity in antithesis to Divinity.  'l'llE GOSPEtJ ACCORDING TO ST. ,JOHN. 217