55  An invitation to seek for spiritual blessings from Christ, whom the Father sends, Isa 55:1-5.
To come to him speedily and by repentance, Isa 55:6-7.
His grace infinite, Isa 55:8-9.
His word powerful, Isa 55:10-11.
The joy of believers, Isa 55:12-13.

55:1 Thirsteth - For the grace of God and the blessings of the gospel.This thirst implies a vehement, and active, and restless desire after it.No money - Those who are most worthless and wicked, if they do but thirst may be welcome. Buy - Procure or receive that which is freely offered.Wine and milk - All gospel - blessings; in particular, that peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, which are better than wine, and that love of God which nourishes the soul, as milk does the body.

55:2 Money - All your time, and strength, and cost. Not bread - For those things which can never nourish or satisfy you, such as worldly goods, or pleasures. Eat ye - That which is truly and solidly, and everlastingly good. In fatness - In this pleasant food of gospel - enjoyments.

55:3 An everlasting covenant - That everlasting covenant of grace and peace which I made with Abraham, and his seed. Of David - Even that covenant which was made first with Abraham, and then with David, concerning those glorious and sure blessings which God hath promised to his people, one and the chief of which was giving Christ to die for their sins. David here seems to be put for the son of David.

55:4 Behold - I have appointed, and will in due time actually give.Him - The David last mentioned, even Christ. A witness - To declare the will of God concerning the duty and salvation of men, to bear witness to truth, to confirm God's promises, and, among others, those which respect the calling of the Gentiles: to be a witness of both parties of that covenant made between God and men. The people - To all people.

55:5 Thou - Thou, O Messiah. Call - To the knowledge of thyself.Knewest not - With that special knowledge which implies approbation.Because - Because the Lord shall by many tokens, manifest himself to be thy God, and thee to be his son and faithful servant. Glorify thee - By confirming thy word with illustrious signs and miracles, and particularly by thy resurrection, and glorious ascension.

55:6 Seek - Labour to get the knowledge of God's will, and to obtain his grace and favour. While - In this day of grace, while he offers mercy and reconciliation. Near - Ready and desirous to receive you to mercy.

55:7 Return - By sincere repentance, and faith.

55:8 For - If any man injure you, especially if he do it greatly and frequently, you are slow and backward to forgive him. But I am ready to forgive all penitents, how many, and great, and numberless soever their sins be.

55:10 The snow - Which in its season contributes to the fruitfulness of the earth. Returneth not - Without effect. And bread - That it may bring forth store of bread - corn, both for mens present supplies, and for seed for the next year.

55:11 My word - My promises, concerning the pardon of the greatest sinners. Void - Without success.

5 

5:1 The scope and sum of this whole paragraph appears from the conclusion of it, Jo1 5:13"These things have I written to you who believe, that ye may know that ye who believe have eternal life." So faith is the first and last point with St. John also. Every one who loveth - God that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him - Hath a natural affection to all his brethren.

5:2 Hereby we know - This is a plain proof. That we love the children of God - As his children.

5:3 For this is the love of God - The only sure proof of it.That we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous - To any that are born of God.

5:4 For whatsoever - This expression implies the most unlimited universality. Is born of God overcometh the world - Conquers whatever it can lay in the way, either to allure orfright the children of God from keeping his commandments. And this is the victory - The grand means of overcoming. Even our faith - Seeing all things are possible to him that believeth.

5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world - That is superior to all worldly care, desire, fear? Every believer, and none else. The seventh verse Jo1 5:7(usually so reckoned) is a brief recapitulation of all which has been before advanced concerning the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. It is cited, in conjunction with the sixth and eighth, Jo1 5:6, Jo1 5:8 by Tertullian, Cyprian, and an uninterrupted train of Fathers.And, indeed, what the sun is in the world, what the heart is in a man, what the needle is in the mariner's compass, this verse is in the epistle. By this the sixth, eighth, and ninth verses Jo1 5:6, Jo1 5:8-9 are indissolubly connected; as will be evident,beyond all contradiction, when they are accurately considered.

5:6 This is he - St. John here shows the immovable foundation of that faith that Jesus is the Son of God; not only the testimony of man, but the firm, indubitable testimony of God.Who came - Jesus is he of whom it was promised that he should come; and who accordingly, is come. And this the Spirit, and the water, and the blood testify. Even Jesus - Who, coming by water and blood, is by this very thing demonstrated to be the Christ. Not by the water only - Wherein he was baptized. But by the water and the blood - Which he shed when he had finished the work his Father had given him to do. He not only undertook at his baptism "to fulfil all righteousness," but on the cross accomplished what he had undertaken; in token whereof, when all was finished, blood and water came out of his side. And it is the Spirit who likewise testifieth - Of Jesus Christ, namely, by Moses and all the prophets, by John the Baptist, by all the apostles, and in all the writings of the New Testament. And against his testimony there can be no exception, because the Spirit is truth - The very God of truth.

5:7 What Bengelius has advanced, both concerning the transposition of these two verses, and the authority of the controverted verse, partly in his "Gnomon," and partly in his "Apparatus Criticus," will abundantly satisfy any impartial person. For there are three that testify - Literally, testifying, or bearing witness.The participle is put for the noun witnesses, to intimate that the act of testifying, and the effect of it, are continually present. Properly, persons only can testify; and that three are described testifying on earth, as if they were persons, is elegantly subservient to the three persons testifying in heaven.The Spirit - In the word, confirmed by miracles. The water - Of baptism, wherein we are dedicated to the Son, (with the Father and Spirit,) typifying his spotless purity, and the inward purifying of our nature. And the blood - Represented in the Lord's supper, and applied to the consciences of believer. And these three harmoniously agree in one - In bearing the same testimony, - that Jesus Christ is the divine, the complete, the only Saviour of the world.

5:8 And there are three that testify in heaven - The testimony of the Spirit, the water, and the blood, is by an eminent gradation corroborated by three, who give a still greater testimony. The Father - Who clearly testified of the Son, both at his baptism and at his transfiguration. The Word - Who testified of himself on many occasions, while he was onearth; and again, with still greater solemnity, after his ascension into heaven, Rev 1:5; Rev 19:13.And the Spirit - Whose testimony was added chiefly after his glorification, Jo1 2:27;Joh 15:26;Act 5:32;Rom 8:16.And these three are one - Even as those two, the Father and the Son, are one, Joh 10:30. Nothing can separate the Spirit from the Father and the Son. If he were not one with the Father and the Son, the apostle ought to have said, The Father and the Word, who are one, and the Spirit, are two. But this is contrary to the whole tenor of revelation. It remains that these three are one. They are one in essence, in knowledge, in will, and in their testimony.

It is observable, the three in the one verse are opposed, notconjointly, but severally, to the three in the other: as if he had said, Not only the Spirit testifies, but also the Father, Joh 5:37; not only the water, but also the Word, Joh 3:11,Joh 10:41; not only the blood, but also theHoly Ghost, Joh 15:26, etc It must now appear, to every reasonable man, how absolutely necessary the eighth verse is Jo1 5:8. St. John could not think of the testimony ofthe Spirit, and water, and blood, and subjoin, "The testimony of God is greater," without thinking also of the testimony of the Son and Holy Ghost; yea, and mentioning it in so solemn an enumeration. Nor can any possible reason be devised, why, without three testifying in heaven, he should enumerate three, and no more, who testify on earth. The testimony of all is given on earth, not in heaven; but they who testify are part on earth, part in heaven. The witnesses who are on earth testify chiefly concerning his abode on earth, though not excluding his state of exaltation: the witnesses who are in heaven testify chiefly concerning his glory at God's right hand, though not excluding his state of humiliation.

The seventh verse, therefore, with the sixth, Jo1 5:6-7, contains a recapitulation of the whole economy of Christ, from his baptism to pentecost; the eighth, Jo1 5:8 the sum of the divine economy, from the time of his exaltation. Hence it farther appears, that this position of the seventh Jo1 5:7-8 and eighth verses, which places those who testifyon earth before those who testify in heaven, is abundantly preferable to the other, and affords a gradation admirably suited to the subject.

5:9 If we receive the testimony of men - As we do continually, and must do in a thousand instances. The testimony of God is greater - Of higher authority, and much more worthy to be received; namely, this very testimony which God the Father, together with the Word and the Spirit, hath testified of the Son, as the Saviour of the world.

1 

1:7 The latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose - That is, to do him the very meanest service.

1:9  Mat 3:13; Luk 3:21.