THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN - Chapter 1 - Verse 17

Verse 17.

The law was given

. The Old Testament economy. The institutions under which the Jews lived.

By Moses. By Moses, as the servant of God. He was the great legislator of the Jews, by whom, under God, their polity was formed. The law worketh wrath (Ro 4:15); it was attended with many burdensome rites and ceremonies (Ac 15:10); it was preparatory to another state of things. The gospel succeeded that and took its place, and thus showed the

greatness

of the gospel economy, as well as its grace and truth.

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 of mercy to mankind, and was true in all things. We may learn from these verses—

1st. That all our mercies come from Jesus Christ.

2nd. "All true believers receive from Christ's fulness the best and greatest saints cannot live without him, the meanest and weakest may live by him. This excludes proud boasting that we have nothing but

we have received it, and silenceth perplexing fears that we want nothing but we may receive it

."

{x} "grace and truth" Ps 85:10; Ro 5:21