dom, &nd life, veritable rcvt'l11.tione though tell his Jisciplos the.t they 6hnll not eee the they be of the heart of the F11.ther. grave, but thnt in the deepest sense they ,·,er. 50.-But, in honouring my Father, ehnll nevor die. " De11.th '1 and "life" o.re and in quietly bearing you'r unjustifiable words that l\l'e lifted into u. higher conno- reproaches. I am not seeking my glory (cf. t,,tion. Death is o. moml state, uot an event Ters. 28, 42; eh. Yii. 18). The cl11.im of in their physical eidstenco, Christ to be u.nd do so much is made hc- Yer. M.-The Jews-the adverse domi• c-Rusc be hns the happi11ess of the w,-rld, na.nt p,u-ty, l'<'a,ly nlwe.ys to misuudm·st,md th<" salVRtion e.nd life ol men, nnd the glory his words-{then ') ea.id to him, Now-in of the FatbPr e.s bis consuming passion. He reference to their own charge (ver. 41!), is 110! sccJ..ing his own ~lory; he is only which be had solemnly discl11imcd-we know crowning hilllsclf with the crown of utter (ice l,ave come to /mow, iyP,J,Ka.µ<P) that thou sclf-ab11eg,<tion. But, while he repudiates bu.st a dremon. 'fhey imply that he must all care tor hie own glory, he knows tha.t be under some most bewildering halluci- there is One to whom that glory is dea.r, who nation. These words have sou.tiered their seeketh his glory, and with whom it is per- momentary hesitation. They must have fectly snfc, B.Dd who judgeth with absolute reasoned thus: " He who claims such power impartinlity and infinite knowledge. Wcst- for his own words must have personal im- c0tt quotes in illustration of o (17TwP, Philo munity from death. This is a dmmoniacal on Gen. xiii. 22, "H<' thot seeketh (makcth folly and delusion, There have been greater inquisition for blood) is not man, but God, than he who heard and kept the words of or the Logos, or the Din.ne Law" (' De God, nnd who, ne,ertheless, did not escape Jos ..' 29). de:,th." Abraham died, and the prophets Yer. 51.-Verily, verily. Tl.tis impressive (died); and thou sayest, If a mu.n keep my rernrumencement of disoourse implies that word, he shall never taste of death. Here a new turn is gi .en to the conversation, observe the wilful a.Iteration of the Saviour's and that the grave,;t solemnity and impor- words. In place ot' Tdv >.6yov Tav iµoP, "the tance i.,; attached to the utterance. It is im- word that is mine," they quote hi.ni u.s say- possible thllt the Jews sl:ould have listened ing, TOP ;1.6-yoP µou, "my word," " the word unmoved to Christ's rejoinder on their rude of me'' which conveys a more persona.I taunt, or been unimpressed by the self-com- clai.ni; and again, in lieu of the remarkable posed !lnd lofty way in which the honour of phrase, ou 6e"'p~crp, they su.y, oii ./L1/ -yd,u17- our Lord was calmly entrusted by him to Ta.., equivalent to ," shall not in any wa-, tb.e Father. The Jews may say what they experience death "-a form of express.ion in- please, cell him by any opprobrious name compatible with the fact of the physical the, choose ; .. there is One that seeket.h" death of his followers and aforti.p,ri of ~ - his· glory, and he is content. He has, in •self. The believer, even like the Lord, does earlier portions of this discomse, promised liute of death (Heb. ii. 9), .but he does not freedom 11nd sonship to those who abide in see it. The phrase, -yeouna., 6Q.f1frou, is a his word ; and now to those who believed rabbinical one for "drinking the cup of on him he says, with extraordinary empha.- death" (cf. eh. xviii. 11; Rev. xviii.. 6). sis, If a man (any one) have kept my word, Ver. 53.-Art tho.u greater than our father he shall never behold death. This " keep- Abraham, who ia dead 1 and the prophets ing " is more than "'abiding" in the word. are dead: whomme.kestthou 2 thyself1 'fhis There i8 the additional notion of intently use of ,ro,ew,is not uncommon. "By thy own watrlling the •· keeping," which isoues in statemP-nts, whom wouldst thou hu.ve us be- " fulfilling" and "obeying" (Meyer 11nd lieve that thou art?" ( cf. eh. v. 18; x. 33; Tholuck); see ver. 55; eh. xiv. 15, 21, 23; :rix. 7, 12). This claim to be Giver of i.ni- x:v. 20; :nii. 6. The opposite of T1JP''" would munity from death, and the further assump- be" to disreg11rd; ~ the opposite of q,u>.au• tion that the belid of and continuance in Jew would be "to let slip" (Westcott). The his word would metamorphose and trans- promise is dazzling: " He shall never be- figure death itself, implied functions which hold," i.e. st.ea.dily or exhaustively know by ".made" Jesus mightier, more august, than experience, what death means and is. He either Moses or Elijah, Abrahum or the m11y pass through physical death, he mu.y (-yer',u17 -ro.,) ta.-te of dissolution, he may come 1 t(, B, and C omit the oirP; and so R.T.,
before the judgment-seat, he may see cor- Tischeodorf (8th edit.), and Tregell'ls, ,but ruption (llle,P lha.q,8opd.v); but he will not not La.chmann, or .T,lt,, or Godct. behold (6er.,,p{w) death. He will never 2 The uu is omitted by -B.l'., witb: Ti- know what death is (cf. here; eh. iv. 14; v. schendorf (8th edit.), on the 11,µthority.of ~. 2t; ri. 51, where the s.. viour speab of the A, B, C, D, and. many other mal!-ns~ripta "living water," and "life eterne,l,'' and and versions and Fa.there. The om1ss1on "living bread,'' which whoso pa.rtaketh shal.J does not convey the 11&me angry scorn that never die. See 11.lso eh. xi 26), He doeu1ot is uivolved iln ita presenoe, on, vm. 1-59.] 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 371