The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 478

(being oonvioted by their' own 0011BOienoe), even to execute his fierce displensure ngain81 they went out one by one. Their oonsoience a sin whioh ho hnd, in his great inaugural convin,•c,l them thnt the spirit of the La.w discourse, charged upon the ill-regnlnted is ~,..,a.kr the.n its letror. The phmae ex- desiros nn,l evil !(lances of men. ,res.•ing the nction of oonscience was pro- Vers. 10, 11.-And Jesus lifted up himself,' {mbl)· an explnn:itory and true gloss, which and said to her, Where are they l ( these thy nccounted for tire sudden ohnno-e of frnnt. accusers).• 'l'he quostion (with or without It was a. proof of the alh which Divine the additions) implie,l that our Lord ho.d law he.s within the humo.n breast. The 11ot seen the obvious effect of his words upon whole crowd, rather ihau the humbled the nccusing party. Thero wns no triumph woman, is condemned, but self-condemned in his eyo, no flush of victory over hie and silent. This ernnt speaks for tho moral enemies. Ha.th no one oondemned thee? sense which had been paralyzed rather tban pronounced upon thoe the sentence of con- obliterated in this people. (The expression, demnation? Has no one deolnred tlmt "one by one," Els ,c0.6' Els, in which ds is thine is a case of stoning ?-No one t Then treated as indeclinable, is OC('asionally found the ju,lgment has yet to be uttered, if it be in later Greek, but only onoc in the New left with him. Shnll he cast tbo first stono ; Tesl.&ment (Mark xiv. 19), is not in D, but nnd leave tho multitude, hnving tnsteu in eevero.l of ihe coliccs and cursives, and blood, to complete the terrible work? She it is rvtained in R.T.) The slow ro.ther said, No one, Lord. And ho said (to her), than simul la.neons disappearauoe of the g,,ng Neither do I condemn thee. He hnd not of accusers is a highly drama.tic touch, nnd come to condemn, but to sa.vo. A time ia the remniuing clause, begimiing from the coming when the Father would commit all eldest, even llllto the last, height.en.a the im- judgmcut into his hands-when his awful pression. The phro.se r.p,tr/JUT~P"'" need not word, " I know you not," or " Depa.rt from rder to office, but to nge, and the "la.st '' me," will be the sigunl of doom. But now his nrcd not necessarily mee.n the youngest, but mission is to hral, not to wound; to comfort, those that were left when the most respon- not to punish; to revenl the heart of God, not sible men found that they had carried their to execute the crude judgments of men; to question too far, and had retired. And .Tesns soothe, not to stone. He does not so.y, " llo was left alone ; i.e. so far as these accusel'tl of goo,! courage; thy sins aro forgiven." He were concerned. The multitudes who had does not so.y, "Her sins, which are many, go.tbercd round him were still waiting for ai-e forgiven;"" Her faith ha.th sa.veu her;" his words (oce ver. 2). This fact is involved but, Go, a!ld henceforth sin no more.• He in the sul.rste.nce of the na.rra.ti ve, whether justifies the position that he will not quench the pericope belongs to the Gospel of John the smoking flax nor break the bruised reed. or nut. Alld the wo= where she was,• in He condemns the sin, but for a while spares the midst of the assembly that remn.ined, the sinner. He refuses to set up bis judg- more likely cowering in tilie.me e.nd mortal ment ago.inst Moses, or take into his human fear tha.n "6te.nding" bre.zen-fo.ced or daring hands the administration of civil or politico.I before that awful Presence. These two law. He does not so.y, "Go in peace," or (" Mi.eerie. et Mhlericordia.," 8.8 se.id Au~us- " Go to peace ; " but from this moment, this tine), "Misery and Pity," fe.ce one e.nother, awful'' now n (cbr0 -roU viiv), "sin no more!' and in the presence of a multitude of dis- The reticence and abruptness of the norra.tor ciples o.nd other listeners, Misery waits for are not like tl.re style of apocryphal write1·s. Pity to speak-for perfect holine1111 and per- Such e. narrative could not have been in- fect mercy to do its will. Th.ere is One vented by the second-century disciples, by seated there who is without sin_ He is at docetic E l,ionites, by the ordinary fo.bricatora lil)erty, on his own showing, to condemn, and 1 The T.R. adds the clause, Kai 1'-'lll'iepa 1 D bas here a. shortened text: "Eicdo--ros ~i 6,atrd./J,<l'OS ,rA.¾/11 -rijs ")'1111a,1<os, " and 110.ving .,.;;,., 'lou~..L..., •ffipxero, J,,pc&.,,_,.,o, ci1rb .,.;;,., seen no one save the woman," on the authority wp•tr/Jvripo,v /,,,rn wd.vra.s l~•ABe'i,,, "Ea.eh of of E, G, H, K, and some cursives, more than the Jews went out, begilllling from the sixty; but it is omitted by D, llI, S, and elden, so that eJ.l went out." T.R. ha.s about thirty other cw·si ves and versions, a.dmitt.ed the clause, 1<a.l inrb -rijs ,,.,,.,.,~fitr•o,s a.nd by R.T. . i>,.ryx6µ,Evot, which is found in E, G, H, etc., • 'EK<wo, ol 1<a-rfi")'opol tTou; of the T.R. bnt owitted by D, M, U, and some eighty- is defended by a. great number of authorities; three cursi vtai. The R. T. treats it as a but D, M, r, ~. l, and o.bout thirty cursives glOSB. and some versions omit the words, with R.T. • D, with ten uncials and a hundred and • D reads inrd.-y, ; and D, with a la.rge ,eveuty cursives, reads oitr.., in lieu of the following, reads (1<al) inrb -rou """ /J,1/'<fm. fo-riiu1a of T.R., which I.a.s the snpport of RT. rea.d.s, 11op,~ou· a11b -roii .,,., /J,7/ICETl "-!'-4/i- 1 and !lt:Vcral versio1111. 'TQJ/f, CB, vm. 1-liO.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 361