mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth' and maketh a lie."48

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Our Lord concludes, as he had begun, by declaring, that in all the exertions of his power, and in all the acts of his government, he did nothing separate from the Father. "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.' In doing all these things I act along with the Father, our mind, and will, and operation are one. can do nothing separate from him.' "As I hear, I judge." word "hear," is to be understood in the same way as the word "see" in the preceding context. My judgment is in every case in exact accordance with the mind of the Father, of which I have the most intimate knowledge, a knowledge absolutely perfect, as arising from the possession of the same divine nature. And the justice of my judgments shall be made manifest, as all of them shall be made to appear to be guided, not by any regard to what might be considered my own private will and interest, but by a strict regard to the will of the Father, who hath appointed me to manifest the Divine perfections; to do the Divine will; "that God may be all in all.""

In the preceding part of the discourse, Jesus Christ has unfolded the great fundamental truths of his religion,—that he is a divine person, possessed of the distinctive nature and attributes of Deity; and that he is the divinely-authorized, and divinelyqualified, Saviour, and Ruler, and Judge of mankind; and he farther states that the belief of these principles is most intimately connected with the most important interests of mankind. "He that believes them shall be saved; he that believes them not shall be damned." In requiring his hearers to believe these doctrines, under sanctions so awful, our Lord made no unreasonable demand. He accompanied his statements of principle, with corresponding statements of evidence; and there is a beautiful proportion between the importance and the strangeness of the doctrines he taught, on the one hand; and, on the other, the power and variety of the proofs by which he supported them. He demands belief, unhesitating belief; but he does so only on the ground of having presented the most satisfactory credentials, that he was "sent and sealed" by the Father. To these credentials we find him soliciting the attention of his hearers in that paragraph which now comes before us for consideration. The substance of that paragraph may be thus stated: 'Of the truth of these principles, strange and even blasphemous as they may appear to your prejudiced minds, you have been presented with varied and most conclusive evidence; and should you reject them, your conduct in doing so will be altogether inexcusable.'

* Rev. xxii. 11-15.

49 John v. 30.

II. THE EVIDENCE.

Our Lord begins with stating, that he did not expect these statements to be credited on his own unconfirmed assertion. "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true."'60 These words are plainly to be understood in a limited sense; Jesus did bear witness of himself, and his testimony was true; and we find him asserting on another occasion, when this saying of his had apparently been retorted on him by his opponents,-"Though I bear record of myself, my record is true." The limitations under which our Lord's assertion is to be understood, are easily defined. It has been justly remarked," that in all countries where there are standing laws, and a regular constitution, there is what is called a forensic or juridicial use of certain terms, which differs considerably from the familiar use of the same words. To be guilty, properly signifies, to have perpetrated a crime; but in the forensic use of the term, he only is said to be guilty against whom a crime has been proved by legal evidence. There is a similar distinction between the ordinary and the forensic sense of the word here rendered "true." In the latter sense it is equivalent to 'valid' or 'trustworthy.' It is held that a man's unsupported testimony, in reference to anything that concerns himself, is not in ordinary cases to be considered as evidence. It may be true, but it must be confirmed by other evidence before it can be admitted to be true. Our Lord's assertion then is, 'Were there no evidence for the statements which I have just made, but my own unsupported declaration, they would not deserve credit. It were unreasonable to demand belief for such important and such strange statements, on the simple word of him whom they principally concern.'

But our Lord's testimony was supported by a variety of the most satisfactory evidences. "There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true.' 1953

The word "true," ,, here occurs in the same sense as in the previous verse. It is as if our Lord had said:-'I do not urge my own unsupported declaration as valid evidence, but there is another person who has given testimony to the same effect, whose declaration must be sustained as valid evidence.' It has been a question among interpreters, who that other witness is to whom our Lord here appeals. Some consider the reference to be to John the Baptist; others, to the Father. Those who take the latter view of the subject, consider the following to be the train of thought:-'I do not claim belief to these declarations on my own unsupported affirmation. They are supported by the testimony of one, whose credibility is far above all question. I might appeal to the testimony of John, whose evidence ought to have much weight with you, considering the high estimation in which 12 Campbell.

So John v. 31.

51 John viii. 14.

ss John v. 32.

he was generally held by you; but I have no need of the support of his, or indeed of any human, testimony, though for your advantage I advert to it. For the evidence of the statements I make, I appeal to my Father, whom you call your God,―to the testimony he has given in the works which he performed by me, in the voice from the most excellent glory, and the supernatural appearance which accompanied it, and in the declarations contained in those writings which you acknowledge to be his word.' The very emphatic manner in which our Lord speaks of that "other" witness, as one whose testimony he knew to be valid and trustworthy, and his statement, that he referred to John's testimony, not because he needed it, but because it might have a salutary influence on the minds of his hearers, render it, in my opinion, all but certain that this view of the meaning is a just one.

54

"Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth." Our Lord here plainly refers to the tastimony which John bore to him as the Messiah, when the Jewish Sanhedrim sent a deputation to inquire into the nature of his pretensions. Of this we have an account in the first chapter of this gospel:-" And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not: but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us; what sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent, were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptisest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptise with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptising. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me; for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptising with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptise with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptiseth with the Holy Ghost.

"A220s cannot be the Baptist (see John v. 34), as Chrysostom and Euthymius think, but is the Father. Christ calls him 'A2λog' to excite their attention. John viii. 18."-THOLUCK.

John v. 33.

And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God." This was not a solitary instance in which John testified,-publicly declared, our Lord to be the divine, and the divinely-appointed and qualified, Saviour promised to the fathers. A still more explicit declaration on these subjects was made to his disciples, when they came complaining of the growing popularity of Jesus. John answered and said, A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all; he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth; he that cometh from heaven is above all. And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony. He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."7

Our Lord does not mention John's testimony as if he needed it, but because it was fitted to make a salutary impression on the minds of his hearers. "But I receive not testimony from man, but these things I say that ye may be saved."

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To "receive" here, as in verse 44, where it is interchanged with the word "seek," is equivalent to 'grasp at,' as if he had said, 'I am not anxious to build my cause on human testimony: but I mention this circumstance for your advantage.' John's testimony was likely to have-most certainly ought to have had -much weight with the great body of the Jews, who, with scarcely any exception, held him as a prophet; and especially with the Sanhedrim, who, if he had been a false prophet, should have punished him according to law. His testimony should have been sustained as valid by them, as it was given in reply to a solemn inquiry instituted by themselves, and they had never proceeded against him as if he had borne false witness.

"He

Our Lord desired the salvation of the Jews; he well knew that they could be saved only through the belief of the truth; and he notices John's testimony, not, by any means, as in itself the strongest evidence he had to bring forward, but as evidence peculiarly fitted to make an impression on their minds. was," says our Lord, "a burning and shining light," or he was "the lighted and shining lamp;" and "ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." 'He was a teacher of truth, distinguished by the fervor of his zeal, and the clearness of his statements respecting the Messiah, when compared with the pro6 John i. 19-34. 87 John iii. 27-36, 7. 7

VOL. I.

68 John v. 34.

John v. 35.

phetic oracles; and "ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light." It is plain that the Baptist was, in the earlier stages of his ministry, highly popular as a teacher. Vast multitudes followed him, listening to his discourses, and submitting to his baptism. The phrase "for a season" refers either to the comparatively short period of John's ministry,' he was a bright but a passing meteor,'-or rather to the still shorter period of his popularity; for there is reason to believe that his doctrines became less popular as they became better understood; that many rejoiced in him as the herald of Messiah the Prince, who turned with disgust from him as the supporter of Jesus of Nazareth. The circumstance of John's high qualifications and character as a teacher is noticed by our Lord as a reason why his testimony should be accounted true or trustworthy by the Jews, q. d., 'My claims, in all their extent, were admitted and proclaimed by one whom, for a season, you honored as one of the most illustrious of public teachers.'

แ But," continues our Lord, "I have greater witness than that of John for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.' The whole of what follows is our Lord's account of the testimony of God, as contrasted with the testimony of John, or of men.

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The first Divine testimony is that given by the "works" which the Saviour did-"works which the Father gave him to finish" or perform. Some have supposed that, by these works, we are to understand all that our Lord did in the execution of the great office of Saviour of men, to which he was divinely appointed, and for which he was divinely qualified; and there can be no doubt, that the whole of his work, especially when compared with the prophetic testimony respecting it, affords satisfactory proof of his divine mission. At the same time, our Lord's miracles are often called his "works," e. g., "Now, when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples.' "His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest." "Jesus answered and said unto them, I have done one work, and ye all marvel."** "Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me:" "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works; that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in him." And our Lord often appeals to these miracles as evidence of his divine mission. We apprehend, therefore, that, in the use of the word "works" here, there is, if not an exclusive, at least a principal reference to them.

Our Lord's declaration, then, is equivalent to, 'God has testified my divine mission by the miracles which I have wrought, Go John v. 36. 61 Matt. xi. 2. ez John vii. 3, 21. 63 John x. 25, 37, 38.