The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 340

opero.tlona o.re or ore not limited ily the there were special 11,n,J sacrificial acts of love opero.tion of truth on tlio mind. Numerous e.nd devotion which he mode on bohalf of 11esuro.nccs of the Now Tcsto.ment se1:m thus his own. He went np voluntnrily info the to limit the grace or God, or to mensure it wilderness to be tempter! for them; ho by tho ordinary 'effect produced on the wrought for them while it wn.e yet drty. He undorstauding by Divine truth: e.g. "Of Ids now Wf\ll rcruly to commend himself to the own will bognt ho ue by the Word of truth;" supreme will of the Father, anrl to r,Jfor the p1uahlo of the sower, nnd other Scrip- himself through the Spirit in his perfecter! tures. But seeing that tho regeuern.tion, humanity withont spr,t 0f sin to Go,} the conference of new nnd enpernoturo.l lifc, 'Ar,&(ci, ie e'I.nivRlent 1rpnrr1>;pw tTo~ 8u,r[av, is set forth by images of resurrection e.nd as Uhrysoetom says, anrl it is need. for 2hpC1 new crcntion, nnd ne o. purifico.tion of tnsto, (Exod. xiii. 2: Deut. xv. 10). Christ is the bins, o.nd desire, the gift of e. new hcmt o.nd Pl'icst e.ntl the Victim, and the dedication right spirit, the voice of e. heavenly sonshipof himself to this climax of his consecrated oryiug within us, "Abbe., Fe.th€r," e.nd see- life is for the sake of the disciples (so Lange, ing that the ministre.tion of the Spirit is Meyer, Gotlet, and Westcott). That they also variously directed e.nd opere.tive, e.nd tho.tmay be sanctified indeed-truly or veritably. there is shadowed forth e.n immediate work on (1) We have to notice that the passive form the heart," be.ck of consoiousneee '' itself, e.nd of the second cbuse shows that that which that the witnees of the Spirit e.nd the teach- the Lord, in its highest form, effects for ing o.nd indwelling of the Holy Ghost e.re himself, they recei rn as a work wrought in continually referred to,-we o.re loth to them by another. (2) 'C'sing the word accept the dogma. The Spirit of God is not li:y,a(ew in the same sense in both clauses, limited to the normal operations of the Word. the consecration effected in the disciples Ver. 18.-Aa thou didst send me into the must correspond with Chrhlt's consecration world from the glory which I ho.d with thee in self-sacrificial love, in abandonment lo before the world was-e. primal fact in the the power of the Word which has revolu- earthly consciousness of the Lord Christ, and tionized their wliole being, in entire equip- one on which he repeatedly laid emphasis ( eh. ment for their calling, even to the point of x. 86; xvii. 8)-even so I sent I them into thehatred and antagonism from the world, and world; i.e. from that higher sphere of thought death for his sake. They are indeed to drink above the world to which I had called them. of his cup, and be baptized with his baptism. "They a.re not of the world," bnt I soot them They must be crucified with him and burietl. from the unworldly home e.nd from the high with him, and rise again with him, in the place of my intimate friendship, from the activity of their faith. (3) 'Ev <1A118ei'f, groundofelevatedsympe.thywith myself, into without the article, has the sense of "verily the world, with my message and the power to and indeed" (Matt. ::uii. 16; 2 Cor. vii. H: olaim obedirnoe. Christ gave this apostolic 1 John iii. 18, etc.). It is not certain tl,at commission near the commencement of his 2 John 1 or 3 John I can be thus translated, ministry (see Matt. x. 5, eto., e.nd Mark iii but the classical usage of this phrase, and 14, "Iva iii.-, /J,<"T' auTOV ,cal 1va. il.,ro<rTEM!) also of i.r' a?,.7J8elas, leaves little doubt about auTots 1<71p6.-.-,iv), e.nd that first act, the its use here. type of the whole apostolic commission, Vers. 20-26.-(3) Prayer for the Church which was fine.Uy confirmed (Matt. uviii. Catholic in all time. 19, 20; oh. xx. 21, 22), is here described in Yer. 20.-Neither do I pray (lporrw) for- the timeless fol'ce of the aorist, so that the concerning-these alone, but e.lso for those word embruoes the entire ministerial function who believe I on me through their word. of all who believe in the mission of the Son. The Lord summons the future into the pre- Ver, 19.-And for their sakes-on their sent. He speaks of having once for all sent behoof-I sanctify, consecrnte, myself. The them, e.nd he sees rising beforn his eye the Father had consecrated him nnd sent him multitudes in e.11 ages wLo would believe into the world, but over and above e.ll this their testimony e.s if already doing so. The uuiversal Church rejoices in t!,e fulness of • In oh. u, 21, "Even as the l!'ather hath his love and the greatness of his wish con- sent me, I nlso send (,reµ,rw) you." 'A,ro- cerning the individuals who believe. The un/\/\w e.nd 1dµ,rw may differ, as the former prnyer is an eterual intercession. mggests "commission" for special purp0see Ver. l!l.-That they all may ba one. My and the latter "miseiou," which calls into prayer is that the many may become onll, prominence the o.utho1i.ty of the "Sender" and the obedience of the "sent" (Moulton, 1 n1<rTeuov,,-a,v is here preferred to .-,.-T ..,.. in loco). In •wenty versos of this Gospel .-&n111,, on the authority of nineteen uncials our Lord employs "'I'""' of himself, nnd 11nct numerous cursives rmd versions, bv Tre- lften the two wcrda e.re used in close con• gelles, Westrott and H0rt, Tiioehendorf (St h ueotion (eh. v. 86, 37; vii. 28, !9), edit.), aml U.'l'.  860 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO BT. JOHN. [oa. xvn. 1-28,