The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 279

11s !'n•ry_ rc,·iving 11nd comfortin~ grRoe. .And there ie Abundnnce for 1111. (4) Fruitrul- nes~ which make8 all connected with him .fruitful,. The vine le II propagRtlng and diffusive plant, and sends its br&nches forth on the right and lert. It le difficult to know how many branches even a single st&lk, by proper dreaeing and cultivation ie capable of supporting 11nd making fruitful. J eeus, the true Vine, ha.e sufficient lire ~nd t1ap to incorporate in himself, by faith, all the human family, 1md make them spiritually alive and fruitful He sends forth his branches to every part of the globe• and they climb up and creep even over the walls or the heavenly city, e.nd drop there' their rioh clusters of fruit. II. THE FA'l'HER AS THE HusBANDIIAN. "And my Father," eto. We have here: 1. D,vfrie ownership. The husbandman is not always the owner of the vine; but in this case he is. He is the Owner and the Husb&ndman. Christ, the true Vine 1 confesses this with delight. The Vine owns the branches and the fruit; but the Divine Husband- man owns the Vine alt.ogcther. "We are Christ's, but Christ is God's." 2. Divine and ~iosest relationship. "My Father," etc. There is more than mere ownership here-the closest and dearest relationship. The Son and the l<'ather are one, in nature, essence life, purposes, e.nd will; so that between Jesus as the Vine and his Father as the Hus: b&ndman there is the closest unity, and & relationship which cannot exist in any other husbandry. 3. Divi:ne ctiltivation. Much depends upon proper cultivation with regard to the prosperity and fruition of the vine. This requires a good husbandman. If left to itself, undressed and uncultivated, deterioration and even barrenness will soon follow. 'l'he "true Vine" will not suffer on this account; it has not been left to strnngers and to the fortunes of mere self-interest, but is under the constant and tender and most efficient ea.re of the Divine Father. No one knows but Christ himself what he owes, in his mediatorial life and work, to the Father; to him he attributes his all-his life, his success, his support, triumph, and glory. He refers here to his union with the Father as a most important fact. "My Father is the Husbandman." The true Vine has a true Husbandman; this will ensure for the Vine e.nd the branches the highest cultivation and the most glorious results.-B. T. Vers. 6-8.-~ union of <Jhrist a,nd believen. Notice this umon- L IN ITS NATURE AND SOME OF ITS LEADING FEATURES. 1. it is spiritua,l. It is not physical and material, neither is it based on the same principles as the unions of this world, which are carnal and corrupt; but the principles of this union are spiritual, such as love, faith, and hope. It is the union of the human with the Divine, the spirit of man with the great Father of spirits--the union of life with life-the life of the soul with the life of the Saviour, by faith and a Divine birth. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power," etc. 2. it is vital a,nd real. It is not the union of a stone with a stone in a building, nor the union of an atom with an at.om in a material body, but the union of life as that of the vine and the branches, the union of believing souls with the .Almighty Savionr, and that of living spirits with the ever- livino- Christ. It is real, though on the part of believers at best imperfect. It is not imaginary, but a fac~as real in spiritual growth as the union of the vine and branches in natural growth. 3. It is mutual. As the vine and the branches. Mutuality under- lies and conditions everv union. There is mutual affinity, adaptation, and willing con- sent. There is in this union a willing blending of Divine and human life and energies. It is mutual., and mutual conditions mw;t be observed. Both are dependent on each other· but with this difference-the branches are more dependent on the vine than the vine ~n the branches; a branch may wither and fall, or be lopped off', but another will grow instead. The disciples are more dependent on Christ than he on the disciples. He will have other disciples, but they will never have another Saviour. 4. It i, f'UUtWal. It is the natural consequences of things ; as natural as the union of the vine and branches. 'l'he vine is in the branches, and the branches are the natural outgrowth of the vine. Christ is the Life and Support of believers, and they are the natural out- growth of Christ. The union is not arbitrary, but accordin~ to the _l&~s of spiritual growth. A vine without branches, and the great Teacher without d1Sc1ples, would be unnatural • but the vine and the branches, and Christ and believers in real union, ia mOBt na~l e.nd beautiful 6. It ii verg near. No union can be nearer than that between t;.be vin4l and ~e bra11cb"" lt ill app!W'eptly iw.d more permanently near than ou. xv. 1-27.] Tirn GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. ,JOlJN. 289