The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 299

Veno. 25-3::l.-{d) The final ront'tolion of a Mediator, one by whom they drew ne11r trrouolrl fl,af .le,m• ,,,as ,nhat he 1,ad Baid to God, and tl111t Obrist plnoee himself here thnt hr ,,,a•. Tl,ejoy of 01irut., with it,, note in the stead of the whole propitint.cry of '"""''"g. ~ervice and ritual of tho temple. " His Ver. 25.-Theae thinga I have spoken to Nitmo" w11s the Di vino equivalent of all the you in pronrba (l!ee oh, x. 6); i.e. in con- work of the higl1 priest from one Dny of ~ntmted and to eome extent enigmatiool Atonement to 1mother and for evermore. utterancce, " in dRrk sayings upon a harp," And I do not say to :,on, that I will make in words "'hioh eubeeqncnt event.a and my request to the Pather oonoerning you higher enlightenment would inrerpret (of. (eoo note on lp,.,Td."' and a.!Tl,.,, ver. 23, h<'re Christ'e distinction between hie dis- eto.). It will not do to argue, with Grntius, ciples and the multitude in the matter of that this is juet ae if ho hnd said, " 'l'o say pe.rables, Matt. xiii.). He used the parable nothing of my own interceBBions for you," or, to the etupefic>d, that they might thus "You may take thceo for gl'anted;" because separate between those who were 61lecep- the very next verse gives hie reason for the tible to his teaching and those who were 11B11ertiou. Nor is it satisfactory to say, with not. To his dillciples he interpreted bis llleyor, that the "prayers" of which he Jl8mblee, @till leaving muob which might speaks (eh. xiv. 16; xvii. 9, 20) are before be l'lll?'9.rded 88 ,rapo,µl..., condensed word- the gift of the Paraolete, and not inconsistent utterancee. in which words stood for higher with the higher condition of the disciples thing,; than in their ordinary uSBge. Thus after the Paracleto should have been given: the slmilitudee adopted throughout eh. ix., because John had received the Paraclete x., xi., xii.-xvi., are numerous, intended t.o when he wrote, "Wo have an Advocate with draw the disciples on from their ordinary the Father" (l John ii. 1). Nor can we ideas to the heights of his thought and the suppose that the great utterances of Rom. mvste!"V of his Person. The d.M' is omitted viii. 84 and Heh. ix. 25 e.re vain imagina- bs'. modern editors. The hour oometh-the tions, and that there is no sense in which gree.t olima.cterio period of my revelation- the Lord does augment and complete our wh111 I lhall no longer speak to you in prayers, taking them upon hie heart and proverb&, when, indeed, the sound of my goiog in his high-priestly prerogative into voiee will be hushed, and words will no the ho!y place with his own blood; but the longer be needed, when Divine spirations words muet nevertheless he pressed, and and heavenly pulsations shall convey t.o their meaning held to he compatible with you what my parabolic teaching and my what Paul and Jolin say of the" intercession paroimic interpretations have failed to im- of Christ." They reveal the perfect access part, when I &Shall be with you and in you, to the Father's heart which he has secured and by the energy of the Paraclete I Bha.ll fo1· hie disciples, the full reconciliation declare 1 (to you) plainly, with clea.rness and effected as well as devised and consummated openne&B, in the fulness of spiritual light, by the Father's own love (cf. Eph. ii. 18, without reeerve, circumlocution, or parable, "By <Jhrut we both [Jew aud Gentile] have concemmg the Pathsr. Thie promise de- a.ccess (..-po1T1&-ycry,(11) in one spirit to the claree that. the glorious revelations of Pen- Fat1£er "). The end of the whole ministry tecost and the teaching of those who received of Christ is, in the power of the Holy Ghost's tbe Holy Ghoet will be verily and indeed our revelation of him, to bring men to the Lord Christ's own moet pereon&I. and frank Father a.nd Jet them know it. There is no and outspoken revelations of the Father. need that Christ should (lp,.,.,.iiv) make Ver. 26.-In that day-pointing to " the Pp0Cial prayer to the Father, as though he hour" of these open declarations-ye shall were merciful and the Father needed to be 111k ( m.ak.e pet,itums, not 88k or demand of me, appeased towards those for whom he had in the tone of equality) in my Jl'a.me. The prepared so great a salvation (see Rom. viii. opportunity will come when all my Name 34, where Philippi, Calvin, and others show will be appreciated by you, and your that Christ's lvTll')?(""E'" is the t,ft'ect of his spiritual reception of me will t.eacb you to own glorious and eternal work). Bis appear- approach the Father, who is thus revealed to ance in the presence of God for us is you. CaJvin in theee verses calls attention the perpetua.l pledge of the complcteueSB to the fami.li.arity of Israel with the idea of his sac1·ifi<·e. These very passages in· Hebrews and Romans have to he interpreted 1 'A..-,ry-yr,Abl of tc, A. B, is preferred to in harmony with this great statement of "'"'YfEAi, of E, G, H, by Ti.r.chendorf (8th hi.a own, viz. that there is no reason to ask edit.), Wwrtoolt and Hort, a.nd R.T. The the Father concerning them ; all has been former word lap emphasis upon the IIOUJ'Ce, asked and answered, the intercession is com- and the latter on the destination, of the plete; his whole work will have reconciled utterance. The 1,,,_.,, is omit.t.ed by R.T. and tlie Father with his children, and that by other IJIOdern editon, with It, B, C, D. reasoii of the Fa.ther'11 own love. en. xvi. 1-33.J 'flIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN.