cordingly, for he made them no answer. Perhaps there were in this woman's case, some circumstances tending to alleviate her guilt, such as her past innocence known to Jesus, her present repentance which he could easily discern, and the strength of the temptations by which she had been hurried into the sin. There may have been something likewise in her accusers characters, well known to him, which made it proper for them to desist from the prosecution. Also Jesus might now, as on other occasions, decline assuming the character and office of a civil magistrate. Lastly, the persons who demanded his opinion, were by no means the judges to whom the execution of the law was committed, but Pharisees, who at bottom were gross hypocrites, notwithstanding they professed the greatest concern for the honour of the divine law. Whatever was the reason, Jesus did not encourage this prosecution. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not, or had not been attending to what they said; for to write on the ground is the ac tion of one, who being wholly wrapt up in his own thoughts, does not take notice of any thing that passes without. 7. Sa when they continned asking him, i. e. pressed him to give an answer, he lift up himself, and said unto them, in allusion to the law, Deut. xvii. 7. which ordered that the hands of the witnesses, by whose testimony an idolater was convicted, should be first upon him, and afterwards the hands of all the people: * He that is without si among you, let him first cast a stone at her. His meaning was, that persons exceedingly zealous in getting punishment executed on others, ought to be free themselves, at least from gross sins; for which cause, as you are all guilty of equal or greater, or, it may be, the like offences, and deserve the damnation of God, ye should shew mercy to this sinner, who may have fallen through the strength of temptation, rather than of evil inclination, and who is now truly sorry for her offence. Our Lord's words made such an impression on the minds of these hypocrites, and raised in them such strong convictions of sin, as soon put their zeal to shame, and made them afraid to stay, lest Jesus might have made their particular sins public. John viii. 8. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground, giving them an opportunity to withdraw, which they embraced. 9. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, that is, their conscience smiting them with remorse, because they at some time or other of their lives had been guilty of the very sin for which

Ver. 7. He that is quithout sin, &c.] Bede, Fabricius, Wolf, and others, are of opinion, that these were the words which Jesus wrote on the ground; but the description which the evangelist gives of that action, does not agree with this conjecture, for he says, Jesus wrote on the ground, as though he beard them not; which could not so properly have been said of him, had he wrote an answer to their question,

which they proposed to have this woman stoned, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last and this they did although when they first came they had been exceedingly incens ed against her. The woman's accusers being all fed, Jesus told her, that since none of them had doomed her to the punishment of death which she deserved, or rather, since none of them had executed that punishment on her, neither would he; withal, he advised her to beware of the like sin for the future, and so dismissed her, very glad no doubt of having escaped stoning, the death she had been dreading the moment before. 10. When Jesus lift up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? † hath no man condemned thee? Hath no man punished thee in casting the first stone at thee? 11. She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee, I do not order that thou shouldest be now punished, go and sin no more ‡: Though I do not order thee to be punished at this time, thou must not think that I approve of thy conduct. Thou hast committed a great sin, and I charge thee to beware of committing it any more.

In this transaction Jesus appears unspeakably great, having dis. played on the occasion a degree of wisdom, and knowledge, and power, and goodness, vastly more than human. His wisdom he shewed in defending himself against the malicious attacks of his enemies; his knowledge, in discovering the invisible state of their mind; his power, in making use of their own secret thoughts and convictions to disappoint their crafty intentions; and his goodness in pitying, and not punishing instantly, one who had been guilty of an atrocious act of wickedness. Wherefore it was with singular propriety, that after this remarkable decision, addressing himself to his disciples and the multitude, he called himself the light of the world, in allusion either to Mal. iv. 2. where Messiah is foretold under the name of the Sun of righteousness, or to the bright shining of the sun that morning. John viii. 12. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:

* Ver. 9. Beginning at the eldest, even unto the last.] aęEKKEVOG RÃO TUY πρεσβυτερων έως των εσχάτων. This Keuchenius interprets, beginning at the most honourable, even unto the lowest of them

+ Ver. 10. Hath no man condemned thee?] That is, hath no man punished thee? For, as the critics observe, give and natangue are frequently used in the sense of chastising and punishing. LXX. Gen. xv. 4. 2 Chron. xx. 12. Psal. ix. 2c. Acts vii. 7. Heb. xiii. 4.

The paragraph in the text which contains the history of the adulteress, is wanting in many MSS. But as Augustine long ago rightly conjectured, De adulterinis conjugiis, lib. ii. cap. 7. it was dropped, for fear the ignorant vulgar might have taken occassion from it, to think lightly of sins against the marriage bed. Nevertheless, if it is rightly understood, and especially if the charge with which our Lord dismissed this adulteress is attended to, it will show us that adultery is an heinous offence, an offence which Jesus is so far from approving, that he has openly and expressly condemned it.

world: I am the spiritual sun that dispels the darkness of ignorance and superstition, with which the minds of men are overcast; for by my doctrine and example, I shew clearly everywhere, the will of God and the way of salvation. But he likened himself to the great luminary of the day, with this express difference, that he never leaves those in darkness who walk by his light, as the sun does travellers, when he sets and occasions the darkness of night. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. 13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true thou art a vain-glorious boaster, and therefore must certainly be a deceiver: alluding perhaps to what he had said, chap. vii. 18. 14. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go, but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go; though I call myself the light of the world, ye are not to imagine that I do it from a spirit of pride and falsehood. I gave myself the title for no other reason but because it truly belongs to me; and that it does so you yourselves would acknowledge, if you knew as well as I do, by what authority I act, for what end I am come, and to whom I must return, after I have executed my commission. But these things you are entirely ignorant of; nor can it be otherwise in regard that-15. Ye judge after the flesh, I judge no man: Ye judge of me according to outward appearances, and condemn me for this, among other things, that I judge no man. You think that I cannot be the Messiah, because I do not destroy those who oppose me, as you imagine the Messiah will do; but in this you are altogether mistaken, for the design of the Messiah's coming is not, to destroy but to save mankind. At the same time he told them, that if he should condemn any person for unbelief, the condemnation of such would be just, because his mission was true, being confirmed not by his own testimony only, but by the ` Father's also; and because every sentence of that kind which he should pass, would be pronounced by the authority, and agreeably to the will of his Father. 16. And yet if I judge, my judg ment is true, i. e. just, equitable; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. This led him to speak of the testimony which the Father bare to his mission. 17. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true: You could not justly complain, if I should punish you for your unbelief in such a case as this, since your own law directs you to believe every matter that is confirmed by the concurring testimony of two witnesses, as my mission evidently is. For, 18. I am one that bear witness of myself, not by words only, but by all the actions of my life, which are perfectly agreeable to the character of a messenger from heaven: and the Father that sent me beareth

avitness

[Sect. 77. avitness of me, by the miracles which he has enabled me to per form, (see on John v. 32, 36. § 45. so that you are altogether culpable in rejecting me. John vii. 19. Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father, the other witness to whom thou ap pealest? Jesus answered, It plainly appears by your conduct, that ye neither know me, nor my Father; for if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: If ye had any just noa tion of me, ye should have known who it is that I call my Father; that is to say, if you knew me to be the Messiah, you would know that my Father is God. 20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple; and no man laid hunds on him, for his hour was not yet come. The treasury was that part of the womens court where the chests were placed for receiving the offerings of those who came to worship, (see on Mark xii. 41. § 122.) and consequently was a place of great concourse, being resorted unto even by the priests and rulers. Wherefore the evangelist's remark, that the preceding conversa tion happened in the treasury, gives us a notion of our Lord's intrepidity; though he was in the midst of his enemies, he spake boldly, not fearing them in the least. It seems the providence of God so over-ruled the spirits of these wicked men, that none of them attempted to seize Jesus, because the time of his suffer ings was not yet come.

John viii. 21. Then said Jesus again unto them, probably in the treasury, where the preceding discourse was pronounced, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins; whither I go, ye cannot come. He had said this to them in a former discourse, (chap. vii. 34. § 76.) and repeated it now, that it might make the deeper impression upon them. He meant, that after his ascension into heaven, when the Roman armies were spreading desolation and death in every corner of the land, they would earnestly desire the coming of Messiah, in expectation of deliverance, but should die for their sins, and under the guilt of them, without any saviour whatsoever, and be excluded for ever from heaven. Perhaps in this our Lord opposed a common error of the Jews, who imagined, that by death they made atonement for all their sins. 22. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come. 23. And he said unto them, Ye are from below, I am from above; ye are of this world, I am not of this world: Such a vile insinuation evidently shews what sort of persons ye are, and from whence you have derived your original. Being from the earth, ye are obnoxious to all the evil passions wherewith human nature is infested; and from what you feel in yourselves, you fancy that I am capable of murdering myself. But your thought is foolish, as is evident from this, that being actuated by no evil passion, I cannot have the least temptation to commit so gross an act of wickedness.

My

My extraction is heavenly, and my mind pure; and therefore I cannot be guilty of self-murder, or of any other sin whatever. 34. I said therefore unto you that ye shall die in your sins be cause ye are from below, and are full of evil inclinations, they will hinder you from believing; which is the reason that I said you shall die in your sins, and be your own murderers: * for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins if you do not believe that I am the bread of life, the heavenly manna, the light of the world, the Messiah, ye shall die in your sins. What followed, shews this to have been our Lord's meaning, though he did not express himself fully, having handled these matters before at great length in this and other discourses. John viii. 25. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? They had already ask ed where his Father was, verse 19. they now demand to know what sort of person he was himself. ↑ Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. -26. 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 hins. On supposition that this is the proper translation of the passage, our Lord's meaning was, I am that which I said to you at the beginning of this discourse, viz. the light of the world. But according to the translation mentioned in the note, the meaning is, Because I have long exercised my ministry among you, and ye have not profited thereby as ye ought to have done, I have many reproofs to give you, and a severe sentence of condemnation to pass upon you; nevertheless, I shall wave them all at present, and tell you only one thing, that you may think upon it seriously, namely, that he who sent me is truth and goodness itself, and that I speak to the world nothing but what I have received from him, however dark or disagreeable these things may be to persons of your wicked dispositions. Accordingly, such was their stupidity, that they did not understand he was speaking to them of God. 27. They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28. Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lift up the Son of Man, then shall ye know that I am he, and thats do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things: When ye have crucified me, ye shalt VOL. II. Cc know

Ver. 24. For if ye believe not that I am be, &c.] Le Clerc proposes the following translation of this clause: Unless ye believe me to be that subich, I am, dividing the word after this manner, or, as it is verse 25. But the common reading is more agreeable to the scope of the discourse.

+ Ver. 2. Jesus saith unto them, &c] Kαi ani aurois • Inows' Tnv ægχην ό, τι και λάλω υμίν. Πολλά έχω περι ὑμῶν λαλεῖν καὶ κρίνειν. Rapheius (Ex. Herod. p. 292) would have this sentence pointed in such a manner as to give this translation: Truly, because I am speaking to you, I have many things to sag and judge concerning you. For, as Glassius, Hottinger, Fabricius, &c. have observed, y agx, in the Greek, frequently signifies (prorsus, omnino) indeed, truly.