is accomplished by his command, or appointment. This passage means, that by his own personal ministry, and by his Spirit and apostles, light, or teaching, is afforded to all. It does not mean that every individual of the human family is enlightened with the knowledge of the gospel, for this never yet has been. But it means that this light is not confined to the Jew, but is extended to all-Jews and Gentiles. It is not affirmed that at the time when John wrote, all were actually enlightened; but the word 'lighteth,' has the form of the future. This is that light so long expected and predicted, which, as the result of its coming into the world, will ultimately enlighten all nations.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

'He was in the world.' This refers to the fact that Christ became incarnate; that he dwelt among men. And the world

was made by him.' These facts are mentioned here to make what is said immediately after more striking, namely, that men did not receive him. It is to be remarked, that the world did not know or approve its own Maker. 'The world knew him not. The word knew' is sometimes used in the sense of approving, or loving, Ps. i. 6; Matt. vii. 23. In this sense it may be used here. The world did not love or approve him, but rejected him, put him to death. Or it may mean that they did not understand, or know, that he was the Messiah. Yet they might have known it, and, therefore, they were not the less to blame.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

'He came unto his own.' His own land, or country. It was called his land because it was the place of his birth. Also, because it was the chosen land where God delighted to dwell, and to manifest nis favour. See Isa. v. 1-7; Ps. cxlvii. 19, 20. 'His own.' His own people. There is a distinction in the original words, which is not preserved in the translation. It may be thus expressed: 'He came to his own land, and his own people received him not.' They were his people because God had chosen them to be his above all other nations, had given to them his laws, and had signally protected and favoured them, Deut. vii. 6; xiv. 2. 'Received him not.' Did not acknowledge him to be the Messiah. They rejected him, put him to death agreeably to the prophecy, Isa. liii. 3, 4. It is reasonable to expect that those who have been peculiarly favoured, should welcome the message of God; the Jews had been signally favoured, but they rejected Christ. And many in christian lands live and die rejecting him. Men are alike in every age. All men are by nature wicked. There is no more certain and universal proof of it, than the universal rejection of the Lord Jesus.

8

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

'To as many as received him.' A few in his lifetime received him, and many more after his death. To receive him,' here, means to believe on him. This is expressed at the end of the verse. Power.' This is more appropriately rendered in the margin by the word 'privilege.' Sons of God.' Children

of God by adoption. See note, Matt. i. 1. Christians are called sons of God, I. Because they are adopted by him, 1 John iii. 1. 2. Because they are like him; they resemble him, and have his Spirit. 3. They are united to the Lord Jesus, the Son of God; are regarded by him as his brethren, Matt. xxv. 40; and, therefore, as the children of the Most High. In his name.' This is another way for saying, believe in him. The name of a person is often put for the person himself, ch. ii. 23; iii. 18; 1 John v. 13. From this verse we learn, 1. That to be a child of God is a privilege-far more so than to be a child of a man, rich, or learned, or honoured. Christians are, therefore, more honoured than any other men. 2. God gave them this privilege, Eph. ii. 8; John xv. 16. 3. This favour is given only to those who believe on Jesus. All others are the children of the wicked one; and no one who has not confidence in God, or who does not trust in the Son of God, can be regarded as his child.

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

'Which were born.' This doubtless refers to the new birth, or to the great change in the sinner's mind, called regeneration, or conversion. It means that they did not become the children of God in virtue of their natural birth; or because they were the children of Jews, or of pious parents. The term to be born,' is often used to denote this change. Compare John iii. 3-8; 1 John ii. 29. The natural birth introduces us to life. This is the beginning of spiritual life. Before, the sinner is dead in sins, Eph. ii. 1. Now he begins to live for God. And as the naturaĺ birth is the beginning of life, so to be born of God is to be introduced to real life, to light, to happiness, and to the favour of God. 'Not of blood.' Gr. plural. Not of bloods. Not of man. Compare Matt. xxvii. 4. The Jews prided themselves on being the descendants of Abraham, Matt. iii. 9. They supposed that it was proof of the favour of God to be descended from such an illustrious ancestry. In this passage that notion is corrected. It is not because men are descended from an illustrious or pious parentage that they are entitled to the favour of God. The law of Christ's kingdom is different to what the Jews supposed. Compare 1 Peter i, 23; Rom. ii. 28, 29. Nor of the will of the

flesh.' Not by natural generation. Not by the desire of the flesh. 'Nor of the will of man.' This may refer, perhaps, to the will of man in adopting a child as the former phrases do to the natural birth. None of the ways by which we become entitled to the privileges of children of men can give us a title to be called the sons of God. It is not by human power, or agency, that men become children of the Most High. But of God." That is, God produces the change, and confers the privilege of being called his children. The heart is changed by his power. At the same time it is true that no man is renewed who does not himself desire and will to be a believer, for the effect of the change is on his will, Ps. cx. 3; Phil. ii, 12, 13. This important verse, therefore, teaches us: 1. That if men are saved they must be born again. 2. That the children of pious parents must be born again, or they cannot be saved. They will not go to neaven simply because their parents are christians. 3. That this work is the work of God. 4. That we should forsake all human de pendence, cast off all confidence in the flesh, and go at once to the throne of grace, and beseech God to adopt us into his family, and save our souls from death.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

And the Word was made flesh.' The word 'flesh,' here, is evidently used to denote human nature, or man. See Matt. xvi. 17; xix. 5; xxiv. 22; Luke iii. 6; Rom. i. 3; ix. 5. The Word was made man. This is commonly expressed by saying that he became incarnate. When we say that a being becomes incarnate, we mean that one of a higher order than man, and of a different nature, assumes the appearance of man, or becomes a man. Here it is meant that'the Word,' or the second person of the Trinity, whom John had just proved to be equal with God, became a man, or was united with the man Jesus of Nazareth, so that it might be said that he was made flesh. 'Was made.' This is the same word that is used in ver. 3: All things were made by him.' It is not simply affirmed that he was flesh, but was made flesh, implying that he had pre-existence, agreeably to verse 1. This is agreeable to the doctrine of the scriptures elsewhere, Heb. x. 5; ii. 14; 1 John iv. 2. See also 1 Tim. iii. 16; Phil. ii. 6; 2 Cor. viii. 9; Luke i. 35. The expression then means that he became a man, and that he became such by the power of God providing for him a body. It cannot mean that the Divine nature was changed into the human, for that could not be. But that the Word became so intimately united to Jesus that it might be said that he was a man, as the soul becomes so united to the body and the animal life, that we may say that it is one person, or a man. 'And dwelt among us.' The word in the original denotes

'dwelt as in a tabernacie or tent' with us. To dwell in a tent with one, is the same as to be in his family; and when John says he tabernacled with them, he means that he was with them as a friend, and as one of a family, so that they had full opportunity of becoming familiarly acquainted with him, and could not be mistaken in their belief that he was really a man. We beheld his glory.' This is a new proof of what he was affirming, that the Word of God became man. The first was, that they had seen him as a man. He now adds, that they had seen him in his proper glory as God and man united in one person, constituting him the unequalled Son of the Father. There is no doubt that there is reference here to the transfiguration on the holy mount. See Matt. xvii. 1-9. To this same evidence Peter also appeals, 2 Pet. i. 16-18. John was one of the witnesses of that scene, and hence he says, 'we beheld his glory,' Mark ix. 2. The word 'glory,' here, means majesty, dignity, splendour. The glory as of the only begotten of the Father. The dignity which was appropriate to the only begotten Son of God. Such glory or splendour as could belong to no other, and as properly expressed his rank and character. This glory was seen eminently on the mount. It was also seen in his miracles, his doctrine, his resurrection, his ascension, all of which manifested his glory. Only begotten.' This term is never applied by John to any but Jesus Christ. It is by John five times applied to Christ, ch. i. 14, 18; iii. 16, 18; 1 John iv. 9. It means, literally, an only child. As an only child is peculiarly dear to a parent, it means one that is especially beloved. Compare Gen. xxii. 2, 12, 16; Jer. vi. 26; Zech. xii. 10. On both these accounts it is bestowed on the Saviour. Saints are called the sons or children of God, because they are born of his Spirit, and are like him. But the Lord Jesus is exalted far above all, and deserves eminently to be called his only begotten Son. He was peculiarly dear to the Father, beloved from eternity, and therefore, also, this appellation is bestowed on him. Full of grace and truth.' The word 'full,' here, refers to the Word made flesh, which is declared to be full of grace and truth. The word 'grace' means favours, gifts, tokens of beneficence. He was kind, merciful, gracious, doing good to all, and seeking man's welfare by great sacrifices and love he abounded in favours to mankind. He was also full of truth. He declared the truth. In him was no falsehood. was not like the emblems and shadows of the old dispensation, which were but types of the true, but he was true in all things. He represented things as they are, and thus became 'The Truth, as well as The Way and The Life.

He

15 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.

'He that cometh after me.' He of whom I am the forerunner, or whose way I am come to prepare. See notes on Matt. iii. 3. 'Is preferred before me.' Is superior to me; is worthy of more honour than I am. 'He was before me.' This can refer to nothing but his pre-existence, and can be explained only on the supposition that he existed before John, or, as the evangelist had before shown, from the beginning. He came after John in his public ministry and in his human nature, but in his Divine nature he had existed long before John had a being-from eternity.

16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

'Of his fulness.' Christ was full of grace and truth, verse 14. Of that fulness all the disciples had received; that is, they derived from Christ, from his abundant truth and mercy, grace to understand the plan of salvation, to preach the gospel, to live lives of holiness; they partook of the numerous blessings which he came to impart, by his instructions and his death. These are undoubtedly not the words of John the Baptist, but of the evangelist John, the writer of this gospel. They are a continuation of what he was saying in the 14th verse, the 15th verse being evidently thrown in as a parenthesis. The declaration, probably, had not exclusive reference to the apostles, but is to be extended to all christians, for all believers have received of the fulness of grace and truth that is in Christ. Compare Eph. i. 23; iii. 19; Col. i. 19; ii. 9. Grace for grace.' Many interpretations of this phrase have been proposed. The meaning, probably, is simply that we have received through Christ abundance of grace or favours. The Hebrews, in expressing the superlative degree of comparison, used simply to repeat the word. So here' grace for grace' may mean much grace, superlative favours bestowed on man, superior to all that had been under the law, superior to all other things that God would confer on men in this world. These favours consist in pardon, redemption, protection, sanctification, peace, &c. here, and heaven hereafter.

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

The law was given.' The old testament economy. The institutions under which the Jews lived. 'By Moses.' He was the great legislator of the Jews, by whom, under God, their polity was formed. The law worketh wrath, Rom. iv. 15; it was attended with many burdensome rites and ceremonies, Acts xv. 10; it was preparatory to another state of things. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.' A system of religion full of favours, and the true system, was revealed by him. The old system was one of law, and shadows, and burdensome rites. This was full