=16.= Some scholars, including Olshausen and Tholuck, suppose that Christ’s discourse ends with the preceding verse, and that the remainder, to verse 21, are added by John; but the grounds for such an hypothesis seem to me quite insufficient, and the objections to it quite conclusive. The grounds are (_a_) _That all allusion to Nicodemus is henceforth dropped_. But Nicodemus is only introduced as an interrogator, because his questions elicit the instruction of Jesus; and only so much of his share in the conversation is recorded as is necessary to make Christ’s language intelligible. (_b_) _Thenceforth past tenses are used._ This might, however, well be the case, even if the events were future, the discourse being prophetic. But the events were not future, but past. The love of God, the sending his Son into the world, the opening of the door of salvation through Him--all this was already accomplished; and the passion is not described in detail as an event past. (_c_) _The phrase “only begotten” is said to be peculiar to John._ But Stier well replies that John probably obtained the phrase from Christ. The objections to the view which supposes that Christ ends the discourse at verse 15, and that the rest is John’s are, (_a_) That the discourse breaks off abruptly, if ended at verse 15, leaving Nicodemus in entire ignorance of the way of salvation. The same necessity which, on this hypothesis, led John to complete it, would much more have led Christ to complete it. (_b_) There is nothing to indicate a break at verse 15; and to suppose John guilty of adding to the discourse of our Lord his own words, without indicating that it is an addition, is to accuse him of imposture, if not forgery, and casts discredit over his whole narrative. Lange, Stier, Meyer, Alford, all hold the discourse to be our Lord’s to the end, at verse 21. The verse itself has been well called by Luther “The little gospel,” for it embodies the whole gospel in a single sentence. It declares the divine nature--love (1 John 3:9, 16); the nature of that love, a love unto self-sacrifice, the sacrifice of his Only Son; the object of that love--the whole world; the result of that love--the gift of the Messiah; the divine nature of the Messiah--God’s only begotten Son; the object of that gift--salvation; the sole condition of securing the benefits of that gift--trust in the Saviour; the proffer of that salvation--to all that believe in him; the effect of rejecting it--perishing; the effect of accepting it--everlasting life. Observe, (1) that all attempts to limit the meaning of the word _world_ (ὁ κόσμος) to the elect, or the church, are inconsistent with the original and with other parallel passages of Scripture. See particularly 1 John 2:2, and Matt. 13:38, note; (2) the cause of the atonement is traced here not to the wrath but to the _love_ of God, a fundamental fact often lost sight of in presenting that doctrine; (3) in the original an emphasis is put upon