A. D. 30.

23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these ch. 19. 35. things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

3 John 12.

years after the destruction of Jerusalem, and died at the age of a hundred at Ephesus, about a hundred years after the Birth of Christ, so that he was of about the same age as his Master, and probably the youngest of the Apostles, all of whom he long outlived. The chief objection to this second sense is that the destruction of Jerusalem was past before St. John wrote his Gospel, and it seems strange that, had this been our Lord's meaning, it should not have been revealed to the Evangelist after the accomplishment of the event spoken of. Whereas neither he himself, nor those who adopted the wrong notion that he would not die, connect the saying in any way with the destruction of Jerusalem. It should be mentioned that some very able commentators see in the words "till I come" a reference to the coming of Christ to the Apostle in the island of Patmos to reveal to him the mysteries of His kingdom (See Rev. i. 10-20. and compare on St. Matt. xvi. 28. and xvii. 1.). In all these three senses St. John did tarry till Christ came, but it is hard to pronounce in which sense our Lord uttered the words. If this was hidden from St. John himself (See on 23.), we may surely be content to acknowledge our ignorance. Let us rather listen to that second, "Follow thou Me." It matters not what Christ may have in store for others. It is enough for us to see the Hand that beckons us on. We long sometimes to lift the veil of the future. Let us only ask to have it lifted so far as that we may see the path in which we may follow Jesus. Let us notice how the more earthly of the two great Apostles is drawn upward and encouraged by the Follow Me', while the more heavenly is repressed by the "If I will that he tarry". Each perchance needed the words spoken of him.

23. "Then went this saying abroad" &c. St. John is careful to correct this mistaken view of our Lord's words; yet he simply repeats those words without a hint as to their real meaning. This probably was hidden from himself; and when at the end of his Revelation we read his longing aspiration "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. xxii. 20.), we cannot but wonder whether he even then had learnt the true meaning of his Master's saying.

24. "We know" &c. It has been thought that these words with the following verse were not written by St. John himself, but were added by the primitive Church in witness of the authorship and truth of this Gospel; but there is nothing in the words "we know" to suggest any such idea, for the Apostle (like other writers) might naturally speak of himself in the plural number, as indeed he does in his Epistles (1 St. John i. 1-5. 3 St. John 12.). Thus we may understand the words to be a simple declaration of the Evangelist's own certainty of the truth of his testimony.

25 PAnd there are also many other things which A. D. 30. Jesus did, the which, if they should be written p ch. 20. 30. every one, I suppose that even the world itself a Amos 7. 10. could not contain the books that should be written.

Amen.

25. "Even the world itself" &c. This expression is not meant to be taken in the letter, but is a very natural and perfectly plain mode of speech to express the immensity and endlessness of any perfect record, if such could be had, of our Lord's words and works.

25. "Amen." See on last word of St. Matthew's Gospel,

INDEX

TO THE FOUR GOSPELS.

Authority, of Christian Ministers. Matt. Captain of Temple. Luke xxii. 4.
xxiii. 3.

Baptism. Matt. iii. 6, 11, 17. xxviii. 19. Cedron, Brook. Matt. xxi. 1.

Bar, for Son of. Matt. xvi. 17, Note. Mark Chapters and Verses. Mark iii. 19. ix. 1,

Church. Matt. xvi. 18.

Coming of Christ. Matt. x. 23. xvi. 28.
xxiv. Introduction. John xxi. 22.
Hope of. John xiv. 3.

Commission to teach. Matt. xxviii. 19, 20.
Communion, Holy, Doctrine of. Matt.

xxvi. 26.

Galilean ministry. Luke ix. 57.

Gall. Matt. xxvii. 34.

Gehenna. Luke xvi. 23.

Generation, for Race. Matt. xxiv. 34.
Gennesaret. Matt. xiv. 34.
Gentiles. Matt. vi. 32.

Call of. Luke ii. 32.

Connection of with discourse in Gergesenes. Matt. viii. 28, Note,
John vi. John vi. 53.

Gethsemane. Matt. xxvi. 36.

Confession, beginning the Daily Prayer. Gnostics. Introduction to St. John.

Matt. vi. 12.

Courses of Priests. Luke i. 5.

Cross, The. Matt. x. 38. xxvii. 32, 35.

Crucifixion. Matt. xxvii. 35.

Cubit. John xxi. 8.

Cyrene. Matt. xxvii. 32.

Golgotha. Matt. xxvii. 33.

Gospel of the Kingdom. Matt. iv. 23.

Preaching the. Luke viii. 1. xx. 1.
Governor, Residence of. Matt. xxvii. 2.
Grace, Falling from. Matt. xxiii. 34.
Grouping of sayings. Matt. x. 5, Note.

Date of Anno Domini incorrect. Matt. Hades. Matt. x. 28. xxvii. 3, Note. 61.

Descent into hell. Matt. xxvii. 61. Luke Hell. Matt. x. 28. xxvii. 3, Note. 61.

xxiii. 43.

Despondency. Matt. xxvii. 46.
Devils confessing Christ. Mark i. 24.
forbidden to do so. Mark i. 25.
-possession by. Matt. viii. 28.
Difference of words. Matt. viii. 25, Note.
Luke vi. 17-49, Note.

Disciples. Matt. x. 1.

Discipline, Church. Matt. xviii. 17.
Divinity of Christ, St. Augustine's rule.

John v. 18.

Divorce. Matt. v. 32. xix. 8. Mark x. 1.
Doctors. Luke ii. 46.

Luke xvi. 23. xxiii. 43.
Herod the Great. Matt. ii. 1.
Herod the Tetrarch. Matt. xiv. 1.
Herodians. Matt. xvi. 6, Note. xxii. 16.
High Priest. Matt. xxvi. 57. Luke iii 2
Holy Ghost, Sin against. Matt. xii. 31.
Double work of. John xiv. 17.
Honesty of Evangelists. Matt. xvi. 8.
Mark vii. 4.

Hosanna. Matt. xxi. 9.

Hours, Jewish mode of reckoning. Matt.
xx. 3. John iv. 6.
Hypocrites. Matt. vi. 2. vii. 5.

Elect. Matt. xxiv. 22, 24. Luke xviii. 7. Idumæa. Mark iii. 8.
Ember Weeks. Mark iii. 13.
Espousals. Luke ii. 5.

Eucharist. Matt. xxvi. 26. John vi. 53.
Excommunication. Matt. xviii. 17. John
xx. 23.

Faith. Matt. xvi. 8. John xx. 17.
False Teachers. Matt. vii. 15.
Fasting. Matt. vii. 16. ix. 14.
Field of Blood. Matt. 27. 8.

Ignorance, Christ's self-imposed. Matt.
xxiv. 26. Luke viii. 46.
Incarnation. John i. 14.
Invisible, Christ rendering Himself. Luke
iv. 30. John v. 13. viii. 59. x. 39.
Irony. Matt. xxiii. 32. Mark vii. 9.
Italics in Text. Matt. xxvi. 5. Luke vi.
38. John viii. 6.

Jericho. Matt. xx. 29. Luke x. 30.

First-fruits, Offering of. Matt. xxviii. 1, Jerusalem, Destruction of. Matt. xxiv. 21.

Note.

Gadarenes. Matt. viii. 18, Note.
Galilee of the Gentiles.

Note.

Jesus. Matt. i. 21.

Jews, before Gentiles. Matt. x. 6. xv. 24.
Judæa, Roman province. Luke iii. 1.

Matt. iv. 15, Judas, an Apostle. John vi. 70.

Judge, for rule. Matt. xix. 28.