some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. aSee on Mark vii. ver. 4. VER. 26. Καὶ ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν, Ἰωάννην, καὶ εἶπον αὐτῷ· ̔Ῥαββὶ, ὃς ἦν μετὰ σοῦ πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ᾧ σὺ μεμαρτύρηκας, ἴδε, οὗτος βαπτίζει, καὶ πάντες ἔρχονται πρὸς αὐτόν. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, ato whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and call men come to him. a See on chap. i. ver. 15. b After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judæa; and there he tarried with them, and baptized, ver. 22. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him, John xii. 19. VER. 27. ̓Απεκρίθη Ἰωάννης, καὶ εἶπεν· Οὐ δύναται ἄνθρωπος ρωπος λαμβάνειν λα ὁὐδὲν, ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. John answered and said, a A man can * receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. * Or, take unto himself. a And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also; Numb. xvi. 8-10. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers. And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation A. D. 30. before the testimony, where I will meet with you. And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you, xvii. 1 -5. Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel, Amos vii. 14, 15. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey, Matt. xxv. 15. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch, Mark xiii. 34. By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name, Rom. i. 5. So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace thatis given to us, whether prophesy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching: Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness, Rom. xii. 5-8. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 1 Cor. iii. 5. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophesy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally ashe will, xii. 3-11. Butby the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me, xv. 10. Paul, an apostle (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead), Gal. i. 1. Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, Eph. iii. 7, 8. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, James i. 17. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen, 1 Pet. iv. 10, 11. b The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? Matt. xxi. 25. and Mark xi. 30, 31. VER. 28. Αὐτοὶ ὑμεῖς μοι μαρτυρεῖτε ὅτι εἶπον· Οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλ ̓ ὅτι ἐπεσταλ· μένος εἰμὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐκείνου. a Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, bbut that I am sent before him. *And this is the record of John, A. D. 30. 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, John i. 19-23. bSee on Matt. iii. ver. 3. VER. 29. Ὁ ἔχων τὴν νύμφην, νυμφίος ἐστίν· ὁ δὲ φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου, ὁ ἑστηκὼς καὶ ἀκούων αὐτοῦ, χαρᾷ χαίρει διὰ τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ νυμφίου· αὕτη οὖν ἡ χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ πεπλήρωται. 2 He that hath the bride is the bride groom: 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. a Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lion's dens, from the mountains of the leopards. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointment than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon, Cant. iv. 8-11. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called, Isa. liv. 5. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bab, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD be married. For as a young man mardelighteth in thee, and thy land shall rieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee, Ixii. 4, 5. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the LORD, Hos. ii. 19, 20. And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast, Matt. ix. 15. The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, xxii. 2. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ, 2 Cor. xi. 2. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church, Eph. v. 28-32. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made her self ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is, the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God, Rev. xix. 7-9. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife, xxi. 9. VER. 30. Ἐκεῖνον δεῖ αὐξάνειν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἐλαττοῦσθαι. *He must increase, but I must decrease. * His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed A. D. 30. in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things, Psal. lxxii. 17, 18. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this, Isa. ix. 7. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth, Dan. ii. 34, 35. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever, 44. See also on Matt. viii. ver. 11. clause 1. VER. 31. Ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος, ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστίν· ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστι, καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ. Ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχό μενος, ἐπάνω πάντων ἐστί. aHe that cometh from above bis above all: che that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. a See on ver. 13. clause 1. : bIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made, John i. 1-3. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the A. D. 30. JOHN 111. 31. A. D. 30. bosom of the Father, he hath declared | Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the him, 15-18. John answered them, saying, I baptize 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 baptizing. 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, 2630. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son; even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him, v. 20-23. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth, Matt. xxviii. 18. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) Acts x. 36. Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. Rom. ix. 5. Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all, Eph. i. 20-23. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Father, Philip. ii. 9-11. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they shall all wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Heb. i. 1-13. For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man'; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end, iii. 3-6. Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him, 1 Pet. iii. 21, 22. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS, Rev. xix. 11-16. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy, 1 Cor. χν. 47, 48. VER. 32. Καὶ ὁ ἑώρακε καὶ ἤκουσε, τοῦτο μαρτυξεῖ· καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν αὐτοῦ οὐδεὶς λαμβάνει. a And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; band no man receiveth his testimony. A. D. 30. “Ὃν γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Θεὸς, τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ λαλεῖ· οὐ γὰρ ἐκ μέτρου δίδωσιν ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα. a For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. a For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved, ver. 17. Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me, vii. 16. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things, viii. 26-28. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham, 40. He that is of God heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God, 47. b And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace, John i. 16. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, v. 26. But when the Comforter is come, whom I a For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth, John v. 20. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak will send unto you from the Father, to the world those things which I have heard of him, viii. 26. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you, xv. 15. See also on ver. 11. clause 1. bSee on chap. i. ver. 11. clause 2. VER. 33. Ὁ λαβὼν αὐτοῦ τὴν μαρτυρίαν, ἐσφράγισεν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἀληθής ἐστιν. even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me, xv. 26. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you, xvi. 7. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell, Col. i. 19. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, ii. 9. |