The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 406

Christ's own 0esh, his nnture, !,is humnnity Spirit will follow the ascent of the Bon." per ~e, nntl npnrt from the fulnoss of the The words the.t I ha.ve spoken I unto yon are Spirit, proflteth nothing. The mero humnn spirit and are life. The ,~orrla which I have lifo, however spotless nnd idelll, could not now uttered, these teachings of mine con- be "outcn," i.e. could not be assimilated, cerning myself, aro (not merely "spiritual" though to some extent it might be imile.ted; or "life-giving," but) 8piri! 11.nd life, i.e. the but imitation is not faith. The "glory'' way o.nd method in which tho Spirit can con- tlmt the npoRtlea so.w "of the Only Degotten vey to you the life eternal. The words of the Fnlher, the fulneee of gro.ce anrl which J hnve spoken nt all times have been truth," iu o.ud through that wondrous life of tho effulgence of my glory, tho cfiluencc of Ohrist, woe the glory given to hie humanity my Spirit. Tho seed of the kingdom is tho by the creative Spirit. Apo.rt from this Word of Go<l. The contact of the Divin,.. ooneidore.tion, a mnnducation of Ide flesh, Spirit with the human spixit is not through oven were it physico.lly possible, wo.s useless. teeth nnd palate, but through mental awl It we.s not possible to pe.rticipe.te in his moral processes. " Thou hast the words of humanity save through the Holy Spirit eternal life," ea.id Peter (ver. 68). Christ which generated him and regenerates us. thus w ,r:.:S his way back again to the recep- The sentence doubtless points back to the tivity l f the mind aDLl heart of bis disciples. original coustitution of man, the specialty Believing is not only "coming," but, as Lo of whose life is that it we.a inbrcllthcd by has before implied, it is the identical proces" the Lord God himself. The use of the say- which he has ea.lied "eating his flesh e.nd iug here was to make it still more clear that drinking his blood." Christ's words are the he gave his fieeh to eat, not through any ministry of himself, because the chief physical process, not through any se.cre.men- method of communicating his life-giving to.l rite, but through the Spirit to our spixit. Spirit. In eh. xv. 4, 7 the Lord used both lfr. Sadler, who lakes the strong sacra.mental expressions, "I " e.nd "my words," in iden- view of the entire passage, ea.ye, however, tical relations: "Abitle in me, and I in wisely and forcibly here, "Even flesh co.nnot yon ; " " If ye abide in me, and -my worda be given to a corpse." We receive the gift, a.bide in you," etc. we know the love of God, whether sacramen- Ver. (H.-Bnt, he e.dds, there are some of tnlly or not, through the Spirit. Christ does you that believe not. "Some," not many, not deny or relract the statement, " Except who were following him yet felt that they ye eat the flesh," etc. He simply shows in could not trust-could :µot accept his what sense he meant the whole mutual in- greatest revelations, theee Divine assump- dwelling of himself and his people to ba tions, this spiritual position of his. The understood. The Spirit is the Quickener. Divine hnme.nity, the offered life, the cruel The Spirit is the life-fashioning, life-pre- death, of the Son of God, the victory over serving Energy. The flesh, the human death, the return to the Father. when pnt manifestation, e.pMt from the Spixit which into words or when taught in mete.phors makes that human life the centre of Divine even, were grounds of offence. The evange- effluence, thEI focus for its Divine energy, pro- list adds: For (the -y&p introduces the ex- fiteth nothing. Some have taken these words ple.ne.tory clause of the disciple who testified (like Chrysostom) as a eontre.st between a of these things) ;Jeans knew (knew abso- spixitue.l and literal interpretation of Christ's lutely, rather the.n co.me to know) from the words. Luther o.nd many Luthero.ns have begimting-referring to the commencement urged the contrast between a right celebra- of his public ministry, when men began to tion e.nd o. merely mo.terial use of the so.cro.- close round him (oh. i. 43, 48 : ii. 2i), not from ment. So more or less Augustine anti the beginning of time, or the beginning of Olsho.usen. Co.non Westcott seems to limit theix unbelief (Kling) ; he knew by his the original meaning of "flesh" o.nd Divine penetration into their character, by " spirit," the one to the visible, temporal, their manner and spixit, e.nd the nakedness corporeo.1 only, !lnd the other to the unseen and openness of e.11 hearts before him-who eternal order of things, ond he does not they we1·e that believed not, and who it wu give t.o '' flesh " hern the fulness of mcnn- that should betray him. Westcott here re- ing which it bears in the New Testament; minds us tho.t the first indication of the sin but he says that this utterance is not limited of Jude.a occurs in close association with to either of the views just referred to, though it m11y include them. Archdoaoon 1 A,.\.&.\.11rca, with ~. D, C, D, K, L, and Watkins remo.rl1s, "They thiuk of a physical me.ny other uncio.Js, numerous Yersions, llnd eating of his flesh, and this offends them ; quotations, and adopted by Trcgelles, l\Ieyer, but who.t if they, who hnve thought of bread Tischendorf (Sth edit.), Westcott o.nd Hort, descending from heaven, see his body ascend- R.T., eto., instead of .\.a,\w of T.R., which ing into heaven? They will know then he rests on slender 1mthority. Godet prefcN cannot ho.ve meo.nt this. The d()scont of the ii, however. JOUN. r  2i4 THE GOSrEL AOCORDING 'l'O ST. JOHN. [CH, VI. 1-71.