FOR IF OUR -VIRTUES
NOT GO FORTH OF US.
^TWERE ALL ALIKE
AS IF WE MAB THEM. MOT,

^X- LIBRL

WILLIAM B. MURRAY

DIVINITY SCHOOL
TROWBRIDGE LIBRARY

GIFT OF
GEORGE M. MURRAY '17
FRC«f.lTliE LIBRARY OF
WILLIAM D. NrURRAY '80

SYNOPTICAL LECTURES

ON THE

BOOKS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.

SYNOPTICAL LECTURES

BOOKS OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.

DONALD FEASER, M.A., D.D.
AUTHOR OF
'METAPHORS IN THE GOSPELS," "SPEECHES OF THE HOLY APtJSTLFS," ETC.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
ZEPHANIAH— REVELATION.
VOL. II.
jFourtj) ffitiition. eCatefulIg tebiiBeti ti)tomt)mu

NEW YOEK:
EGBEET CAETEE & BEOTHEES,
530 BROADWAY.
1886.

CZ.WS

CONTENTS OF YOL. IL

PAGE

PAGE
Zephaniah
I
I. Thessalonians
. 185
Haggai
8
II. Thessalonians
• 195
Zechariah
i6
I. Timothy
. 204
Maiachi .
27
II. Timothy
. 215
Transition from the Ole
TiTDS
¦ 223
Testament to the Ne'b
36
Philemon
. 231
St. Matthew .
43
Hebrews
• 239
St. Mark .
54
James
¦ 249
St. Luke .
63
I. Peter
. 260
St. John .
74
II. Peter
. 270
Acts of the Apostles
90
I. John
. 280
The Epistles .
III
II. John
. 291
KOMANS
119
III. John
¦ 3°°
I. Corinthians .
129
Jude .
. 308
II. Corinthians
138
Revelation.— No. i
.316
Galatians
147
No. 2
• 327
Ephesians
156
No. 3
• 339
Philippians
i6s
No. 4
¦ 349
Colossians
I7S
SYJ^OPTIOAL LECTURES.

ZEPHANIAH.
Habakkuk lived probably in the reign of Josiahi, Zephaniah
did so to a certainty; and, with his contemporary Jeremiali,
deplored the perversity of his countrymen, and foreboded their
punishment. The prophet gives his family descent for four generations ;
and if his ancestor Hizkiah or Hezekiah was, as is quite posssible,
the king of that name, he was of royal extraction. He does
not, however, place before us his own personality in his writings,
or even express his own thoughts and wishes. His book of pro
phecy throughout is spoken by Jehovah. It is most strictly
"the word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah."
A large portion of it is occupied with reproofs of sin and calls
to repentance. Erom this we infer that Zephaniah prophesied
before the reformation of worship enforced by King Josiah,
or that the reformation did not deeply penetrate the national
conscience. In Judah, the princes, priests, and people were
corrupted in life, and prone to idolatry ; so the contemporary
prophets, who were faithful to God, were compelled to cry aloud
against this obstinate degeneracy, and spare not. Jehovah was
said to search Jerusalem with candles, that he might drag to light
the proud and self-iadulgent. Stern repropfs were given by the
mouth of Zephaniah to the princes who wore a foreign dress and
copied heathen manners, the merchants laden with silver, and the
VOL. II. A

2 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
voluptuaries who cast off the fear of the Lord. They were
warned of a day of judgment drawing nigh. The fate foretold
in Hezekiah's time had been postponed, but was not averted.
We shall not analyse this book in detail. Consisting as it
does of reproofs to Jerusalem, and menaces to Judah and the
neighbouring nations, it had a much stronger interest for the
ancients, than it has for us. Yet it is only fair to Zephaniah to
observe that he surpasses all the minor prophets in the com
prehensive view which he takes of the Divine administration of
the world, and that on his page truths appears which stretch
across all dispensations. Some of these we shall point out.
I. A preacher of righteousness must go beneath the surface
of human life. As a servant of the Lord who searched
Jerusalem, Zephaniah detected and exposed the absence of faith
and corruption of morals in all classes of Jewish society.
So did the greatest Prophet of all, and His forerunner.
John the Baptist, the preacher of repentance, knew how to
strike at the besetting sin of each class of men that came to him,
and spared not. He did not say the same words to the people,
to the publicans, and to the soldiers ; but had a special searching
¦word for each.* The Lord Jesus, the master preacher of
righteousness, was not satisfied with the outside of the cup and
platter, but looked beneath the surface, and told men what was
in their hearts ; exposing the hoUowness of a religion of fasts,
tithes, and prayers, while the heart was impure, and the life
unrighteous. Surely something like this is always essential to effective
ministry. It must dive beneath the surface, and expose the
secrets of the heart. Not content with a profession of religion
it must examine, or provoke self-examination, whether char
acter is pervaded, and the conduct of life really influenced, by
religious principle. It must search the visible Church, as' the
Lord searched Jerusalem with candles, and smite "the men
who are settled on their lees," or who under a nominal Christi-
* Luke iii. 7-14.

ZEPHANIAH. 3
anity conceal a moral laxity or a spiritual indifference. The
Lord sent prophet after prophet thus to rebuke iniquity in
Jerusalem, before it fell under the power of the Chaldeans :
He renewed the same strain of prophetic warning through
John the Baptist, and the Messiah, before the same city fell
under the power of the Eomans ; and doubtless He will revive
the prophecy of reproof, the searching ministry of righteousness,
and preaching of repentance, before there comes on Christendom
the great and terrible day of the Lord.
Indeed, nowhere is the habit of speaking smooth things,
and assuming the surface to be a faithful index of what lies
beneath, more fallacious and iajurious than in the moral and
religious sphere. Many faces are but masks, and appearances
proverbially deceive. Eich men are often very poor, and gay
men very wretched. The sorrowful have inward joy ; and those
who seem most prosperous are perhaps ill at ease, and full of
foreboding. Eough men have tender hearts ; and soft-spoken
people are hard and cruel. So also a form of godliness proves
nothing. At the Lord's house, men worship idols of their own
fancy ; and fresh from prayer, they devise mischief, and work
wickedness. The servant of God must have eyes to see this,
and a mouth to speak of this without fear of man.
Such a servant in Christian times was John Chrysostom,
when with pungent eloquence', and at every risk, he denounced
the corruption of Constantinople. Such was Bernard of Clair
vaux, who during his whole life testified against the evUs of
his Church, and admonished the [people, clergy, bishops, and
popes themselves, with all plainness of speech. Such was
Savonarola, who at Florence declaimed against the vices of all
orders of men, and effected a wonderful though short-lived
reformation of manners. Such was Latimer, who with a
glorious courage exposed the Church superstitions, and preached
the gospel of repentance and forgiveness of sins to London and
to England. We want such ministry again, with discernment
of the times, to weigh the prevailing religion justly, to expose
fearlessly the evils, hypocrisies, and proud impieties that are

4 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
among us, and to cry aloud in the name of the Lord — " Repent
ye "—"Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish."
II. There is wrath to come, — a great "dies irae." It stood
before the eyes of Zephaniah^ — a dreadful vision. " The great
day of Jehovah is near, and hastening greatly. A day of
wrath is that day, a day of anguish and pressure, a day of
wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day
of clouds and thick darkness." * All Scripture speaks of the
wrath as well as the mercy of God ; His severity as well as
His goodness ; and the vista of the future, so far as concerns
the impenitent, closes with " the day of wrath and revelation
of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every
man according to his works." t
It is this passage of Zephaniah which suggested the famous
old Latin hymn, referred to in a former lecture — " Dies irae,
dies ilia ! " Its title is — " De novissimo Judicio ; " and it
describes the universal tremor at the appearing of the Judge.
It cries for pardon of sin, and a place with Christ's sheep at
His right hand. It was written in an age of little Christian
light, being ascribed with probability to Thomas of Celano in
the thirteenth century. Accordingly, it is scarcely a hymn to
be sung by a child of God in whom perfected love has cast out
the tormenting fear of judgment; but it is in fine harmony
with the sombre language of the prophet, and seems to quiver
before the indignation of the great and terrible God.
III. In time— not in eternity — God calls nations to account.
This is largely illustrated in the greater prophets, especiaUy
Isaiah and Jeremiah ; and it is intimated here more briefly by
the predicted fate of the Philistines, Moabites, and Ammonites.
For their inveterate hostility to Israel and Judah, these nations
were to be overthrown and their territories laid utterly waste.
Every one knows that this is come to pass. Philistia is a
sparsely inhabited pasture-land, and the whole region of Moab
* Chap. i. 14-16. f Rom. ii. 5, 6.

ZEPHANIAH. 5
and Ammon lies desolate. Then, the area of judgment is
shown to be more extensive, by the mention of two distant and
powerful nations — Ethiopia in the south, and Assyria in the
north-east, but reckoned by the Jews as in the north, because
the invading armies of Assyria marched from north to south
through Palestine. The sword of the Lord can reach Ethiopia.
His hand can also destroy Asshur, and make Nineveh a barren
waste, where wild animals roam, and the pelicans dwell in the
ruined buildings of what was once a populous city. * Every
one knows that this also has come to pass — evincing the power
of the Lord to judge the strong nations as well as the feeble,
and to abase those that walked in pride.
The New Testament says less of nations than the Old, and
for an obvious reason. In the times before Christ, the people
of God were a constituted nation with an earthly capital at
Jerusalem, and an earthly inheritance in Canaan. In contrast
with them, usually in hostility to them, stood other nations of
the world. But now the people of God are constituted and
united as the Church, chosen out of all nations without dis
tinction, and spreading among all nations, having no earthly
capital or boundary, and having an "inheritence laid up in
heaven." Therefore, there is not the same sharp and obvious
contrast between the Church and the nations, as there was be
tween Israel and the nations. The Church exists in this nation
or that, and will reach into all nations. It does not resolve
itself anywhere inio a nation, but it influences and blesses by its
presence every people among whom it has penetrated.
At the same time, since there is such a thing as national
character, and national action cannot possibly be quite neutral or
colourless in regard to morals and religion, but must either help
or hinder the truth and Church of Christ ; nations are, in this
dispensation also, the subjects of a Divine scrutiny and judgment.
This, too, may be traced along the course of history, and is not
reserved to the great day. Just as of old time, God punished
the nations very distinctly and severely, because of their hostility
* Chap. ii. 12-15.

6 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
to His people, so now He punishes nations sooner or later for
persecuting His saints, hindering His Church, or giving favour
and support to any doctrine or institution subversive of the
truth as it is in Jesus.
Some men seem to hold that, because genuine Christian faith
and experience must have their seat in the individual mind and
heart, a nation as such cannot recognise or take anything to
do with revealed religion. They bid the nation take care of
itself, its property, liberty, and political position, religion being
confined strictly to the individual and to the Church. But the
action of a nation can never be thus limited ; it cannot promote
even its own interests without appealing to the principles which
are inculcated in the Christian revelation ; and it cannot avoid
the friendly or unfriendly bearing of its laws, institutions, and
functionaries towards Christ and the Church. For such bearing
it is responsible to, God. Let no one say that this is Old Testa
ment doctrine inapplicable to a more spiritual dispensation.
Among the last things revealed in that last book of prophecy
which closes the New Testament, we find the kings and nations
as such dealt with by Christ. The King of kings shall smite
them, and rule them with a rod of iron. Nay, more, after the
Millennium, nations, deceived by Satan, shall be punished for
their hostility to the camp of the saints and the beloved city— ^
" And fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them." *
In what way or ways a nation may best serve Christ and
the Church is a question of practical discretion which may be
answered differently in different countries. What we protest
against is the modem theory that a nation as such cannot
recognise Christian truth, unless all the citizens are converted,
and cannot sustain a religious obligation. A sure way, this, to
impoverish national character, and degrade the whole conception
of public duty.
IV. The happy issue of all the prophetic periods will be, that
the Lord will dwell among His people. " Sing, 0 daughter of
* Rev. xix. 15, i6 ; xx. 7-9.

ZEPHANIAH. 7
Zion ; shout, 0 Israel ; be glad and rejoice with all the heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy
judgments. He hath cast out thy enemy : the King of Israel,
even the Lord, is in the midst of thee ; thou shalt not fear evil
any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou
not ; and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord
thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty One who will save ;
He will rejoice over thee with joy ; He will rest in His love.
He will joy over thee with singing." *
The Book of Zephaniah ends with an announcement of the
ultimate restoration of the Jews, and of the Lord's delight in
His redeemed people. He will rest among them as Jehovah.
Such is the view of this prophet, who speaks not of Messiah,
but always of Jehovah and His chosen nation.
This, however, cannot be without blessing to the Gentiles
also. The receiving of Israel will be to them as life from the
dead. Then, the Lord Christ will dwell in His love, not among
the Jews only, but among the Gentiles also ; and, as He died
for them all, so will He joy over them all with singing. Thus
the language proper to Judah is for us also the language of our
most sacred hopes. We are come to Mount Zion with songs ;
and as the children of Zion sing, lo ! the Mighty Saviour sings
"in the midst of the congregation;" He joys over them with
singing. * Chap. iii. 14-20.

HAGGAI.
As between Isaiah and Jeremiah, so also between Zephaniah
and Haggai, there lies a gap of fully a hundred years. We
have reached the first of those prophets who lived after the
return of the Jews from their exile in Babylon, and who are
usually styled the Prophets of the Restoration. Ezra and
Nehemiah are the historians of the period ; Haggai, Zechariah,
and Malachi are the prophets.
Of this first of the three, nothing is known with certainty ;
though the Eabbinical tradition is very probably true, that
Haggai was born in Babylon during the captivity, and went to
Jerusalem with the first expedition of Jews, who returned ¦ to
their own land under the decree of Cyrus. Like Habakkuk, he
is styled *' the prophet," and may therefore be supposed to have
been well known for his prophetic gift ; but this book consists
simply of four addresses regarding the Temple, delivered by
Haggai within the short space of three months.
We call them addresses. The prophet Haggai was no poet.*
His style is animated, but not imaginative or exalted. He has
no bold figures of speech, no visions, and no parables : but in a
plain straightforward manner delivers his message from the Lord
concerning the immediate duty of the Jewish settlers at Jeru
salem, and the destined glory of the Temple which they had
begun to build.
This was not a matter of patriotic interest merely, or even of
* True, that the names of Haggai and Zechariah are prefixed to certain
of the later Psahns in the Septuagint version, and in the Peshito Syriac ;
but this probably means that those Psalms were introduced into the public
service on their authority.

HAGGAI. 9
ordinary religious duty. The Temple occupied a position iu
that dispensation, which no earthly sanctuary can claim in the
age of the Gospel. It was the authorised seat and centre of
religious life and fellowship. The destruction of the Temple
by the Babylonian army had been for the time a fatal blow to
the sacred pre-eminence of Jerusalem. If, after such interru ption,
and the exile in Babylon, there was to be a real restoration of
Jerusalem's pre-eminence, and a renewal of the Divine covenant
with the Jews, it was essential that the Temple should be rebuilt ;
and that, in rebuilding it with their own hands, the people should
practically and earnestly express their desire to be received again
into fellowship with Jehovah, worshipping at His altar, and
'hiding under the covert of His wings.
The Book of Haggai consists, as we have said, of four
addresses. They are divided thus : —
Chap. i. I-II, with a notice of its effect, chap. i. 12-15.
Chap. ii. 1-9.
Chap. ii. 10-19.
• Chap. ii. 20-23.
I. The first is spoken to Zerubbabel the prince of the house
of David, and to the high priest Joshua. The one was the
head of the government, having been appointed by the Persian
monarch to be Pechi,h or Pasha at Jerusalem ; the other, as we
should say, the chief ecclesiastic. The object of the address is
to rouse those leaders and the people under them from a sort
of apathy into which they had fallen regarding the erection of
the Temple.
We know already from Ezra, that the adversaries of the Jews
misrepresented their Temple-building to the king of Persia, and
obtained an order to stop the work. At the death of this king,
Artaxerxes, it was again open to the Jews to resume their
building on the authority of the original decree of Cyrus ; but
the people had grown cold and timid, and wished tq put off the
work to a more convenient season. It was at this juncture that
the voice of Haggai began to be heard.*
• See Ezra v. i, 2.

IO SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
The Jews pleaded inability to proceed further with so great
an undertaking. The Lord asked by His prophet, whether it
was a time for the people to seek their own ease, and neglect
His Temple 1 They had made for themselves comfortable houses,
and lived in dwellings which were covered in, and even elegantly
finished. Was it fitting, that after the foundations of the Lord's
House had been laid, it should have no completed walls, or pro
tecting roof — a house lying desolate ? The Jews were assured,
that this neglect of the Temple, far from being a profitable course
for themselves, really hindered the prosperity of their city. The
only way to obtain the favour of their fathers' God was to resume
the interrupted work — go to the mountain forest, bring wood,
and build the house.
The good effect of this address is recorded in the end of the
first chapter ; also in the fifth and sixth chapters of Ezra.
Within three weeks from the delivery of the message, the
rubbish was cleared away, materials were collected, and the
builders were actually engaged on the wall of the Temple.
II. The second address was designed to correct a tendency to
discouragement and depreciation which began to appear. It
was delivered to the same great officers as the first, the prince
and the chief priest ; and also to the people generally, described
as the remnant or residue.
At the time when the foundations were laid, the old people
who had seen the grandeur of the former Temple wept at the
contrast. And now, again, after the first burst of enthusiasm
for the work was past, discouragement crept over the citizens as
they began to trace the proportions of the new building, and
perceived how short it would come of the splendour of Solomon's
Temple ; and yet, further, how it would fail to realise those pre
dictions of a house of God's glory which had issued from the
fervent lips of Isaiah and Ezekiel, — " Who is left among you
that saw this house in its former glory? and how do ye see
it now? Is it not in your eyes as nothing?" To correct
this spirit of feebleness, Haggai was directed to assure the

HAGGAI. It
Jews of the presence with them of the Lord of hosts : " Fear
ye not"
The words which follow (chap. ii. 6-9) have engaged tbe
attention of all careful students of the Bible ; and, indeed, in
these sentences lies the chief interest of the Book of Haggai.
The prophecy of a universal shaking is quoted in the Epistle
to the Hebrews — "He hath promised, saying. Yet once more I
shake not the earth only, but also heaven."* When Israel
came to mount Sinai and received the law, the earth shook ;
but in a later age, not earth only, but heaven too, shall be
shaken ; the only unshakable thing being the kingdom given
to the saints — " a kingdom that cannot be moved." This word,
however, as originally spoken to encourage the Jewish builders,
must be read as an assurance of the Divine power to prostrate
those great forces of the world before which the Jewish remnant
seemed so small and feeble. What if adversaries should deride
their building, or hinder it; what if the new Persian king,
Darius, whose disposition toward them had not yet been ascer
tained, should frown upon them? Jehovah of hosts was with
them, and it was in His power, and in His purpose, to shake
the nations. The Persian empire would fall before the Grecian.
The Grecian would break into parts, and those parts would fall
before one another, and before the Eoman. The Eoman, in its
turn, would be shaken and broken up. Why, then, should the
Jews be cast down or disquieted ? Poor as their second Temple
looked, it was acknowledged by the Almighty Jehovah, and had
its part to play in the long preparation for that Kingdom which
is to survive all kingdoms, and concerning which it had been
already revealed, that " the saints of the Most High shall take
the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever
and ever." t
Then follows the promise — " And the desirable things of all
nations shall come." Early interpreters referred this to the
Messiah, and the influence of their interpretation may be seen
in the Vulgate, and other versions. The erroneous rendering in
* Heb. xii. 26. + Dan. vii. 18. 1

12 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
the English Authorised Version has been used without misgiving
by preachers without number ; and it is quoted as the found
ation text of the interesting Hulsean Lectures for the year 1846
by Archbishop Trench, which are entitled, "Christ the Desire
of AU Nations; or. The Unconscious Prophecies of Heathen
dom." It is an attractive and profitable theme. But the
plurals in the Hebrew leave no doubt about the meaning. What
is promised is the homage of nations * bringing their treasures
as gifts of goodwill to the House of the Lord in Jerusalem, t
It is true that the fulfilment of this word was hindered by
the unbelief of the Jews. But the promise itself is not with
drawn : it is expanded and ennobled in the last and best vision
of Jerusaleni, — " The nations shall walk in the light of it ; and
the kings of the earth do bring their glory into it. And the
gates of it shall not be shut at all by day ; for there shall be no ¦
night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the
nations into it." J
The question remains. What is the special glory promised to
the second Temple in the words — "The glory of this latter
house shall be greater than of the former, saith Jehovah ; and
in this place will I give peace, saith Jehovah of Hosts " ? It
has been usually explained as a prediction that Messiah would
come into that house ; as indeed He did come into the Temple
which had been enlarged and embellished by Herod the Great.
Strict interpretation, however, must hold, that it is the glory
and honout of the nations brought to Jerusalem which is to fill
the Temple. This promise also, or this contiauation of the
promise regarding the treasures of the nations, the Jews did not
obtain because of their unbelief. It is reserved for a future era
when Jerusalem shaU be holy. Only, it was undoubtedly a
beginning of the blessing, when Immanuel was born, and
brought into the Temple, where he was hailed as the con-
* Hitzig renders, "The pick of the nations shall come," scU., with
offerings to the Temple.
+ The parallel Scriptures are Isa. Ix. 5-7 ; Ixi. 6.
J Eev. xxi. 24-27.

HAGGAI. 13
solation, and glory of Israel. Consequent on His appearing is
the future glory of His kingdom, and the filling of holy Jeru- ¦
salem with peace.
III. The third address consists of an appeal to the priests,
and an instruction to the people. Its object is information and
encouragement. The priests, as appointed not only to conduct Divine service,
but also to teach the law of God, were interrogated on two
points ; and their correct answers are recorded. To the first
question they replied, that there could be no transmission of
holiness from one object to another, or consecration by mere
contact, — a principle that cuts deep into all ritualism. To the
second they answered that poUution, or ceremonial uncleanness,
could be transmitted, and in particular that it was incurred by
contact with a dead body. Such was the law.
On the basis of these declarations, the prophet warned the
people, that they and their city were not sanctified or protected
by any outward observances whatever. On the contrary, they
had incurred disfavour with God, and therefore had suffered
"from blight, withering, and haU." The Lord required of
them to arise and build; and from the day on which they
should put their hands zealously to the work of His house, He
was ready to bless them with fruitful seasons.
IV. On the same day on which the third address was deli
vered to the people, the fourth was spoken to Zerubbabel, the
governor of Judah, with a view to support the courage of that
prince. Whatever shaking and overturning might ensue, he
was not to fear, for the Lord would make him " as a signet
ring " with which He would not part. It is a strong Oriental
expression to denote what one holds precious, and will not put
away or surrender, for no man of consequence in the East is
ever without his signet ring.*
Zerubbabel represented the house of David whicli was never
* Compare Jer. xxii. 24-26.

14 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
to be forgotten before God, till Christ should come, the great
Son of David, and Heir of the kingdom. This promise there
fore is just a renewal of the all-important Messianic promise
— "the sure mercies of David" — in the form and language
appropriate to the period. " I have chosen thee, 0 Zerubbabel,
saith the Lord of Hosts," * is tantamount to an assurance that
the house of David, though reduced in dignity for a season, was
not cast off, and that Messiah would come in the line of Zerub
babel This we know to have been fulfilled, for that prince's
name appears in both the genealogies of Jesus, given by the
evangelists Matthew and Luke.
Indeed Zerubbabel himself, in his great enterprise of building
the Temple, is a sign of Jesus Christ, who builds on a rock His
Temple, the Church. Adam suggests Him as the Covenant
Head, Melchisedec as the royal priest, Isaac as the heir of
promise, Joseph as the rejected one who became a prince and
saviour, Moses as the redeemer and mediator, Joshua as captain
of the host, David as the man of affliction and of victory,
Solomon as the prince of peace, Jonah as the buried one who
rose again, and so also Zerubbabel suggests and iUustrates the
position of our Lord as the Builder of the Church, which is the
Temple of the Holy Ghost. This honour He took not to Him
self ; but was chosen and called to it, like Zerubbabel ; and in
it, He derives strength and comfort from the thought that He
was not and is not left alone in the work ; that the Father who
sent Him was with Him, and is with Him, doing all things by
Him as the signet ring of supreme authorit}'.
All the building of the Temple is ascribed to ZerubbabeL
His hands laid the foundation, and his hands finished tha
house ; yet many wiUingly worked with and under him. So
now, aU the building of the divine Temple is by and of Christ
* This designation of God occurs virith marked frequency in the books
of the Post-Kxilian Prophets. It marked the strong feeling ot the restored
Jews against idolatry. The nations worshipped the hosts of heaven : but
they worshipped the Jehovah who made and ruled their stars in their
array.

HAGGAI. 15
Jesus. " Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain
that build it." But there are those who build with and under
Christ. It is the highest position, and the noblest occupation
to which we can aspire. By all means let us pray for the peace
of Jerusalem ; but let us do more, — put our hands to the work
of building that holy and beautiful house which surpasses all
earthly and material structures, because it consists _of living
stones in spiritual fellowship.

i6 )

ZECHARIAH.
A VERY important book is before us: and one in which are
some things hard to be understood.
Zechariah was contemporary with Haggai, and is mentioned
along with him in the Book of Ezra. He took, however, a
wider scope than that prophet, and a longer perspective.
Haggai preached the duty of rebuilding the Temple. Zechariah,
in order to instruct and inspirit the people, had night visions
from the Lord, reaching far into the future of Judah and the
nations, with glimpses of the Messiah to come, and of days of
joy, peace, and holiness destined ultimately for Jerusalem.
Some have supposed that this prophet met a violent death,
and that he is the "Zacharias, son of Barachias," whom our
Lord mentions as having been "slain between the Temple
and the altar ! " * But it is far more probable that our Lord
referred to the earlier prophet Zechariah, who was " stoned
with stones at the commandment of the King Joash in the
court of the house of the Lord." t To this it has been ob
jected, that a prophet slain in the reign of Joash could not be
spoken of as the last martyr in Jerusalem, because Manasseh
afterwards filled the city with innocent blood. But the ex
planation is simple. The Second Book of Chronicles stands
last in the Hebrew Bible, and the Zechariah mentioned in that
book is the last-named witness for Jehovah who suffered death
for his testimony. Our Lord, therefore, specified Abel and
this Zacharias as the first and the last martyrs mentioned by
name in the Old Testament Scriptures.
* Matt, xxiii. .^5. -j- 2 Chron. xxiv. 20-22.

ZECHARIAH. 17
The Book of Zechariah breaks into two at the close of the
eighth chapter ; and, like the Book of Isaiah, has been assigned
by some critics to two different authors. But with this differ
ence, that the second part is ascribed to an earlier, not a later,
pen. It is regarded as a fragment of an unknown author of
the times before the Captivity, which was appended to the
Book of Zechariah, that it might not be lost. But there is no
sufficient internal proof of this; and no external evidence
whatever. It certainly is strange that, the evangelist Matthew, citing a
passage from the eleventh chapter of this book, attributes it
to the prophet Jeremiah, " Then was fulfilled that which was
spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying. And they took the
thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him that was valued, whom
they of the children of Israel did value ; and gave them for
the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me." * Some account
for this as a mistake in transcription — a slip of the pen. An
other and better explanation is, that the evangelist had in
mind the writing of Jeremiah about the potter in the i8th
and 19th chapters of his book ; and, regarding Zechariah's
mention of the potter's field as a continuation, gave, in the free
inexact way in which evangelists and apostles quote the Old
Testament, the name of the earlier and more important prophet
to his reference.
Now of the scope and contents.
I. The first part — (chap, i.-viii.) — requires a careful analysis.
I. The introduction (chap. i. 1-6). — This is somewhat stern
in tone. It recalls the disobedience of the former generation,
and the consequent displeasure of God manifested in the down
fall of Jerusalem, and in the long captivity of the Jews. From
this, the people are warned not to be like their fathers, lest
they should incur the same displeasure. "Eeturn unto me,
saith Jehovah of Hosts, and I will return unto you."
This warning, combined with the simultaneous exhortations
* Matt, xxvii. '9, 10.
VOL. IL B

i8 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of Haggai, produced a good effect The people in Jerusalem
turned to Jehovah, and resumed the building of His Temple.
Five months after they had resumed it, the prophet Zechariah
had in one night —
2. A series of visions, intended to console and encourage
the feeble struggling colony of Jews.
(i.) The riders among the myrtle-trees (chap. i. ^-l^). —
The valley in which the low myrtle-bushes grew was, no doubt,
a sign of the land of Judah under national depression, yet ever
dear to God, The riders were the messengers of God sent out
through the earth, to survey its condition, and to lead on the
judgments with which it was to be shaken. They reported by
their leader to the angel of Jehovah, who had led Israel through
the wildemess and watched over them, that there were no
signs of shaking — i.e., the shaking of all nations predicted by
Haggai. The whole earth was at rest. The Angel of Jehovah
then pleaded for pity to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; and
received from the Lord a favourable answer. On which, the
prophet was directed by an interpreting angel, of whom we
read again and again, to intimate the resolution of Jehovah to
smite the secure nations, and show kindness to the cities in
the Holy Land.
(2.) The four horns and four artisans (chap. i. 18-21). — The
horn of course is the symbol of power. Four horns scatter
ing Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem, are either to denote hostUe
powers from all quarters, or to correspond with the four empires
in Daniel's vision. But God prepares a smith to "fray" each
horn; i.e., a power to quell and affright each and all of the
world-powers that " lifted up the horn over the land of Judah."
(3.) The man with the measuring-line (chap, ii.) — The Jews
were discouraged by the contrast between the city they were
rebuilding and that in which their fathers had dwelt, as well
as by the contrast between the Temple of Zerubbabel and that
of Solomon. But this vision gave assurance, that Jerusalem
should yet have a wider extent than ever it had known, and
should be safer than ever it had been ; for Jehovah would be

ZECHARIAH. 19,
" a wall of fire round about, and the glory in the midst of her."
Zion is caUed to rejoice over this prospect ; and all flesh is to
" be silent before Jehovah, because He is arisen from the habi
tation of His holiness."
(4.) Joshua the high priest before the Angel of Jehovah
(chap, iii.) — In order to the establishment of Jerusalem in
the Divine favour, there must be a removal of iniquity ; and
to meet anxiety of conscience on this score was this fourth
vision given. The very priesthood, emphatically called to
represent the holiness of Israel, was chargeable with sin.
Satan, as accuser, hungering for the condemnation of the
guilty, stood at the right hand of the high priest, according
to that Jewish custom which placed the accuser at the right
hand of the accused.* But the Lord freely justified Joshua,
and the people of Jerusalem represented by him ; forgiving
" their sin, and, by a change of Joshua's raiment, intimating
their acceptance in His sight. So Satan was rebuked by this
act of free grace to the " brand plucked out of the fire," t i-e.,
to Joshua and the remnant rescued from Babylon, restored from
the captivity.
Then followed an address to Joshua in regard to the walk,
or course of conduct, befitting a judge in God's house. With
this, too, there was a brief promise of the Messiah, under the
name already given by Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Sprout or
Branch from the genealogical tree of David. And then was
set -before the high priest a stone watched over by seven
protecting eyes. It was to be carved and placed in the Temple
as the " headstone." J The chapter ends with a prospect of
peace and prosperity. " In that day, saith Jehovah of hosts,
shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under
the fig-tree."
(5.) The candle-stick and two olive-trees (chap, iv.) — The
candlestick itself, or rather the lamp-stand, is suggested by that
* See Psalm cix. 6.
+ This expressive figure occurs in an earlier prophet. See Amos iv. 1 1.
J Chap. iv. 7, 10.

20 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
which used to stand in the holy place ; but the pipes for con
ducting the oil, and the olive-trees for supplying it, are
additions in the vision.
The people of God were yet to shine in His light The
power so to shine was to be imparted, not by might or power,
but by the secret supply of holy oU— the Spirit of the Lord.
The ministration of the Spirit was to be through the two
olive-trees, or "sons of oil," i.e., through the kingly and priestly
institutions, at this time represented by Zerubbabel and Joshua,
and afterwards to be united for ever in the Messiah.
The fourth and fifth visions are of great value to the Church,
and are often expounded in her pulpits. The former teaches .
the great doctrine of justification by grace ; the latter that of
sanctificatlon and power for service, or of life and light in the
Spirit (6.) The flying roll (chap. v. r-4). — It is a solemn warning
of the curse of God upon thieves and perjurers ; and, the size
of the roll corresponding exactly with the dimensions alike of
the holy place in the Tabernacle and of the porch of Solomon's
Temple, intimated that judgment would be meted out to sinners
in Jerusalem according to no common standard, but the very
measure of the holy place or holy calling of Israel.
(7.) The woman in the ephah (chap. v. 5-1 1). — This was for
encouragement in reformation of life. Wickedness personified
was removed from the land of Israel, — borne far away to the
land of Shinar, a distant region, as the sins of Israel were
carried away by the scape-goat into tho wilderness. But the
sin was not forgiven ; it was judged and puni.shed, having a
weight of lead cast upon it. And the transfer was not to
the desert or land of forgetfulness in which forgiven sin is lost,
but to Shinar as the seat of the Tower of Babel, and the sign
of that future Babylon in which the woman Wickedness has
her seat — " the mother of harlots and abominations of the
earth." (8.) The four chariots (chap. vi. 1-8). — These were the
signs of -coming events among the powers of the world. The

ZECHARIAH. 21
number, four, always stands for world - universality. The
chariot horses expressed by their colour the course of history.
Eed spoke of war ; black, mourning and death ; grisled bay
(piebald or roan ?) probably pestilence and varied judgment ;
white, victory. The going forth of the black horses, and the
white after them, into the north country, implied the fall
of Babylon ; which city, about three years after this vision,
revolted against the Persians, and was completely destroyed by
Darius. The fall of Babylon was the good news of judgment
iu thB Old Testament, as the fall of mystic Babylon is the good
news of judgment in the New.
So end the visions. Perhaps the sixth and seventh should
be counted one ; and, if so, the series was complete in seven,
3. A symbolic crowning of the high priest (chap. vi. 9-15). —
A deputation of Jews had arrived from Babylon with an
offering of silver and gold for the Temple.* The prophet wds
directed to take them with him, and, making crowns of the
precious metals, to place them on the head of Joshua the high
priest. These crowns were afterward to be laid up in the
Temple. This is fuU of Messianic promise. A high priest of
Israel never was entitled to wear a crown ; and Joshua got this
distinction only as a sign of the Christ, the man whose name is
the Branch or Offspring of David, and in whom the priestly
and kingly offices are combined. " Behold the Man whose
name is the Branch, and He shall grow up out of His place,
and He shall build the Temple of the Lord : even He shall
build the Temple of the Lord ; and He shaU bear the glory,
and shall sit and rule upon His throne ; and He shall be a
priest upon His throne : and the counsel of peace shall be
between them both."
4. A didactic passage, delivered two years after the pre
ceding exhortations and visions (chaps, vii., viii.)
From Bethel, messengers came to the priests and prophets of
Jerusalem. Iu the authorised version Bethel is translated
" the house of God," as if the messengers came from the
* See Haggai ii. 8.

22 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Temple ; but this cannot be, for the Temple is always Beth-
Jehovah, never Beth-EL The question proposed by the men
of Bethel was, whether the days of mourning and fasting
for the destruction of Jerusalem were still of obligation.
Zechariah received an answer for them from the Lord, and
delivered it not to them only but to " aU the people of the land
and the priests.'' The message is in four parts : —
(i.) It is taught, that God regarded not at all these fasts
of the Jews, but required obedience to His word (chap. viii.
4-7)- (2.) It is taught, as formerly and fuUy by Isaiah, that the
Lord took pleasure in justice and mercy ; and that it was not
for non-observance of fasts, but for their moral degeneracy,
that He had punished their fathers (chap. vii. 8-14).
(3.) It is promised that the Lord will now favour Jerusalem ;
and the people are exhorted to proceed with the buUding of the
Temple, and to put evil away from among them (chap. viii. 1-17).
"As I thought to punish you, when your fathers provoked me
to wrath, saith the Lord of Hosts, and I repented not ; so again
have I thought in these days to do good unto Jerusalem and
the house of Judah ; fear ye not These are the things that
ye shall do : speak ye every man the truth to his neighbour ;
execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates ; and let
none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbour ;
and love no false oath; for aU these are things that I hate,
saith the Lord."
, (4.) It is promised that the fast days which the Jews of their
own accord had appointed, shall be turned into happy feast
days ; and all nations shall cling to them, sharing their blessings,
and seeking among them the knowledge of God. This reaches
forward into the times of Christ, and is already in part fulfilled.
The IsraeHtes have affected all nations for good, and will do so
yet more powerfuUy ; because " to them pertain the adoption,
and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law,
and the service of God, and tho promises." *
* Rom. ix. 4.

ZECHARIAH.

23

IL The second part — (chaps, ix.-xiv.) is, throughout, pro
phetical without visions; and some passages are very deep.
The arrangement, however, is easy enough. We find two
oracles, each occupying three chapters.
J. The burden of the word of the Lord in the land of Hadraeh
(chaps. ix.-xi,)- — The name occurs in Assyrian inscriptions as
that of a district between Damascus and Hamath; as indeed
is indicated in the text of Zechariah.
The beginning of the ninth chapter foreteUs, with wonderful
precision, the conquering march of Alexander the Great along
the Phoenician and Philistine shore. The old Tyre had been
on the mainland ; but, after its capture by Nebuchadnezzar, the
Phcenicians rebuilt the city on an island about half a mile from
shore, and with high walls made it apparently impregnable.
There they accumulated riches — " gold as the mire of the streets "
— and, sitting secure, they defied the might of Alexander. The
great Macedonian, however, seized on the ruins of old Tyre on
the mainland, ran a mole from the shore to the island with pro
digious labour, and, after a siege of seven months, took the city
and burnt it — thus, against all probability, fulfilling the pro
phecy of Zechariah to the very letter. From Tyre the conqueror
marched along the coast, and destroyed the once powerful cities
of the Philistines. But to Jerusalem and its Temple he did no
hurt, as is here foretold.* The daughter of Zion was to rejoice,
for to her the Messiah would come. His entrance would not
be like that of Alexander. He would ride, not on a war horse,
or in a chariot, but on a young ass in lowliness, as the promised
King of Judah and Jerusalem, t
The rest of the ninth chapter (ver. 11-17) is supposed to
point to the successful wars of the Maccabees. Then foUow
(chap. X.) exhortations to prayer, and assurances of the complete
redemption and restoration of the covenant people. The Messiah
is indicated as the true Shepherd of Israel, and contrasted with
a foolish shepherd (chap, xi.), who forsakes the flock. Surely
* Chap. ix. 8.
t Compare Zech. ix. 9 with Matt. xxi. 4-1 1.

24 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES,
this chapter was in the mind of our Lord, when He contrasted
Himself as the Good Shepherd with the hireling, who fleeth
because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.*
2. The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel (chaps, xii.-
xiv.) The old comprehensive word Israel is restored, making a
better contrast than Judah with the land of Hadraeh. This
last oracle is one which deserves and requires most careful
study. After assurances of success and victory, we read of a future
sorrow of the people of Jerusalem moved by the Divine Spirit,
and of their poignant repentance as they look on Him — the
Christ whom they have pierced. This began to be fulfiUed on
the day of Pentecost, when many were pricked in their hearts ;
but it awaits a greater accomplishment in the time when all
Israel shaU turn to the Lord. For those penitent mourners
cleansing is provided, so that they are washed from sin ; and a
refining process prepares them to take their place as the people
of God. It is also predicted, that the Good Shepherd would be
smitten with the sword — the sign of justice and judgment — and
not with the rod, the sign of fatherly chastisement The sheep
¦ were then to be scattered ; t but the Lord would keep His own,
and refine them in the fire "as gold is refined."
The last chapter perhaps no one quite understands, or can
tmderstand till it be fulfilled. It seems to stretch beyond our
time to the favour which is to be shown to Jerusalem in the
last days. The interest revolves entirely around that city.
There is a wide combination against Jerusalem ; it is attacked
and ravaged ; there is a time of trouble and sorrow. Then the
Lord suddenly appears in terrible majesty, cleaving the very
earth by His footstep ; and the hostile nations flee before Him.
" Then the Lord shaU be king over all the earth ; in that day
shaU there be one Lord, and His name one. "J Or, as Jesus
said, "There shall be one flock, and one Shepherd." § There
after living waters go out from Jerusalem. It becomes the
* John X. 12-14. + Compare Zech. xiii. 7 ; Matt. xxvi. 31.
iJ: Chap. xiv. 9. § John x. 16.

ZECHARIAH. 25
religious centre for all peoples and kindreds of the earth, and a
holy city in every detail of life, having this for its motto,
" HoHness to the Lord." In the old Jerusalem, these words
were graven upon a plate of pure gold, worn by the high priest
on his mitre, because he represented the holy caUing of the
entire nation of Israel. In the future Jerusalem, this title is to
be everywhere and on all — inscribed on every character, every
life, and every possession. In the old Jerusalem, the pure
worship of Jehovah was sadly marred by imported heathenism,
so that the Canaanite was brought into the House of the Lord
of Hosts. Into the future Jerusalem nothing that defiles shall
enter. The people shall be aU righteous.
This great prophecy seems to us a first sketch of what we
have in the end of the Book of Eevelation.* Jerusalem is
there assailed, and the nations that come against it are consumed
with "fire from God out of heaven." Afterwards, it becomes
the centre to which all the nations flow, bringing their riches
and glory to its gates ; and it is described as undefiled and holy
to the Lord. Then, a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeds out of the throne of God and the Lamb. The corre
spondence is most exact, and the earlier revelation ought to be
interpreted by the later.
Such is the Book of Zechariah. Apart from its specially
Jewish aspect and interest, it has great value for us all : —
(i.) In its moral teaching, regarding the truth, justice, and
mercy which God requires, and which are vastly more import
ant than any number of solemn fasts.
(2.) In its frequent references to Christ This book greatly
fortifies the argument from prophecy for the authority of Holy
Scripture, and the divine origin of Christianity ; while it at the
same time profits and edifies aU of us who read it reverently,
by keeping the Saviour before us in His personal history and
His ofiicial relation to His people. Zechariah says with Isaiah,
that Christ should be the Branch that would grow up from the
root of Jesse. He says with David, that Christ would be both
* See Rev. xx. 7-9 ; xxi.- 23 ; xxii. I.

26 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
a Priest and a King. Then, he adds, that this King would not
be such as the nations of the world obeyed. He would be just,
and having salvation ; lowly, and riding upon an ass. He would
be the Good Shepherd of Israel ; and yet the people would re
ject Him ; the sword of the Lord would smite Him ; and His
own sheep, whom He caUed by name, would be scattered. The
very price for which Judas Iscariot actually betrayed his Master
is mentioned in this book ; and the use made of it is indicated.
The money was given for the potter's field.
We read Zechariah to little purpose if we only exercise our
ingenuity over his visions, and do not bend our spirits in
adoration before that Holy One, whose coming he announced,
— the Son of David, the Priest-King, the Shepherd-Saviour, —
Jesus, who is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

( 27 )

MALACHI.
Op this last of the canonical prophets nothing is known. Some
have taken Malachi to be an official designation, not the writer's
proper personal name ; but there is no sound reason for disturb
ing the natural interpretation of the opening verse. We may
fix the time during which he flourished as in the days Nehe
miah ; for he reproves those sins in Jerusalem against which
that faithful leader contended, and describes the condition of
the people exactly as it appears in his history. Thus, of the
three prophets of the restoration period, Haggai and Zechariah
were contemporary with Joshua and Zerubbabel ; but Malachi
came later, and was associated with Nehemiah. He was to
that vigorous reformer such a coadjutor as Isaiah had been to
Hezekiah, or Jeremiah to Josiah in an earlier age. Accordingly,
there is no question in his book of building the Temple. It
was buUt and dedicated; and the prophet addressed himself
rather to the moral and spiritual reformation of the priests and
the people.
Now the evils reproved by the prophets of this period were
not the same with those against which the prophets before the
captivity declaimed. No longer was it necessary to condemn
debasing heathen superstitions, for the proneness to these was
corrected by the stern discipline of the captivity : but now
there appeared that confidence in the righteousness of dead
works from which issued the Pharisaism of the future, and that
murmuring unbelieving spirit from which Sadduceeism sprung.
Against these evils Malachi reasoned and expostulated in
trenchant and forcible terms, aiming mainly. at the correction

28 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of the faults prevalent in his own time, but also foretelling
things to come, — the advent of the Lord to His Temple, and
the searching of hearts at His appearing.
The opening passage, fundamental to all that follows, con
sists of five verses (chap. i. 1-5). It is important to observe,
that " the burden of the word of the Lord " is " to Israel," as
it also is in the last oracle of Zechariah.* The people restored
from captivity are recognised as representing all the tribes ; and
while the tribal name Judah still occurs, the national name
Israel also reappears ; and it is the God of Israel who speaks
by His prophet to aU the sons of Jacob.
In the opening address, the people are reminded of Jehovah's
love to them ; and their condition, as sons of Jacob, is con
trasted with that of the descendants of Esau. It was of God's
good pleasure that Jacob was preferred to Esau, and destined
to the covenant blessing before the twin brothers were born.
After many centuries, the descendants of both fell tinder th'e
power of the Chaldeans, and their territories were laid waste.
But while Idumea lay desolate — an inheritance for jackals of
the desert — the land and cities of Israel began to recover popu
lation and prosperity. Because of this, the Lord asserted a
special claim on Israel for devout and grateful service. -
Eeproof of the sins of the priests (chap. i. 6-ii. 9). — They
had no earnestness, but were content with a cold perfunctory
service at the sanctuary. They offered polluted bread and cheap
sacrifices, having no deep reverence for Jehovah as the Father
and the Master of Israel. In this they were aU the more
blameworthy, because they were the appointed ministers — the
priests of the Lord who is "a great King," and to whom the
incense and offerings of a universal homage are due. Not such
were the early priests. The Lord speaks thus of His covenant
with Levi, when the sacred order was first estabhshed in that
tribe, — " My covenant was with him of life and peace ; and I
gave them to him that he might fear, and he feared Me, and
stood in awe of My name. The law of truth was in his mouth,
* Zech. xii. i.

MALACHI.

29

and unrighteousness was not found in his lips : he walked with
Me in peace and uprightness, and did turn many away from
iniquity ; for the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they
should seek the law at his mouth : for he is the messenger of the
Lord of Hosts." * The charge against the priests of Malachi's
time was that they had corrupted the covenant of Levi, or
departed from the purity and equity originaUy prescribed to
their order; and the Lord therefore "made them contemptible
and base before aU the people."
The reproof is administered in the most vigorous terms,
because it was more important than ever to Israel to possess a
faithful priesthood. Now that the kingdom of David was in
abeyance and the voices of prophets were not to be heard for
generations, the priests had an increased responsibility, as the
religious and moral leaders of the people.
¦II. Condemnation of marriage with the heathen (chap. ii.
10-16). — From the priests, the prophet turns to the people,
and condemns mawiage with alien women, as the fruitful
source, in the past history of their nation, of departure from
the worship of the one living God. He also denounces, as
connected with this evil, the divorce of Israelite wives for
frivolous causes. He declares, that the Lord will not allow
violations of the marriage covenant to pass with impunity, but
wUl punish the man who, because a new fancy strikes him,
puts away the wife of youth. The Lord " hates putting away,"
and does not permit divorce, save only for adultery, which is
in itself a virtual dissolution of the marriage covenant. Now,
this misconduct was especially reprehensible in men of Israel,
because of the holy calling of taht nation. The fifteenth verse
of th6 second chapter, which has perplexed many readers, puts
the case- thus,—" And did He not make one ? " (Did not God
make Israel one famUy, and then one nation, separate from
others? yet, this was not from any exhaustion of Divine
resources.) — "The remainder of the Spirit Avas with Him."
* Chap. ii. 5-7.

30 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
(He might, if He had so pleased, have caUed other nations.)
"And wherefore one?" (Why did He, then, isolate this
people to Himself?) "That He might seek a godly seed."
Therefore, to put away Israelite wives, and marry daughters
of the heathen, would be to contradict the whole purpose of
God, and to defile what He desired to be a holy nation and
peculiar people.
The New Testament contains the same law of divorce as
the Old, and requires it to be strictly guarded against caprice
and self-will. But it has a more lenient doctrine in regard
to the children of a Christian married to a heathen. Israel
was exclusive ; the Church is comprehensive ; and, therefore,
although it was rash and improper for one of the early Chris
tians to marry a heathen woman, or for a Christian woman to
take a heathen husband, such unions were not to be violently
broken, as they were in Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah.
The children of such unions were accounted not profane, but
holy, and were claimed as members of the Church. Nay, this
rule held good when, of two persons who married as heathens,
one became a Christian, and the other remained an idolater.
The Chureh was open to their children.
I III. The day of the Lord (chap. ii. 17-iv.)
The sceptical spirit which afterwards characterised the
Sadducees, was already at work among the people. They
wearied the Lord with their bitter words, charging Him with
indifference as the Judge of Israel. " Ye say. Every evil-doer
is good in the eyes of Jehovah, and He delighteth in them ;
or, where is the God of judgment 1 "
In disapproval and reproof of such charges, a tone of judicial
severity is given to the prediction of the Divine advent which
foUows. It is not "God your Saviour wiU come," but "the
Lord will come "—the God of judgment of whom you speak as
though He were not, or as if you had nothing to fear in His
presence. In the language employed, there is something like
a blending together of the first and second advents of Christ.

MALACHI. 31
His first was . for salvation, and His second will be for judg
ment; but His first was also for judgment of this world, and
His second will be to the saints that look for Him, a coming
without sin unto salvation.
The messenger who should prepare the way of the Lord was
the Elijah of chap. iv. 5 — the Baptist of the Gospel story, to
whom, indeed, the parallel passage in Isaiah (chap. xl. 3) is
expressly applied by an Evangelist. As the preacher of
repentance, John epitomised all the prophetic teachings and
warnings that went before, marked the close of the period
which belonged to Moses and the prophets, and made way
for Him who should come after him and be preferred before
him. Then, says the prophecy before us, "the Lord shall come
suddenly to His Temple." His day is announced as a day of
searching and purifying ; * and so it actually was, as we learn
from the Gospel narrative. The Child brought into the Temple
was "for the fall and rising up of many in Israel, and for a
sign to be spoken against, that the thoughts of many hearts
might be revealed." t The presence and the ministry of Jesus
on earth brought to light the true dispositions of men around
Him, exposed the hypocrites, and roused the slumbering
enmity of the selfish and the proud. They had no cloak
for their sin; He sat as a Eefiner, separating by His holy
Word the silver from the dross — silver in which His own
image might be reflected, while the dross perished in the
judgment. It had been alleged that Jehovah took pleasure in evil-doers.
On the contrary, He now declared by His prophet that He had
withheld the blessing from the Jews of that day, just because
they did evil in His sight, f They defrauded Him of the tithes
and offerings due for the Temple service, robbing God — as so
many professing Christians rob Him still, giving nothing, or
nothing like what they ought, for His service, and shabbily
worshipping at the expense of other people. In vain they pray
* Chap. iii. 2-4. t Luke ii. 34, 35. J Chap. iii. 7-15.

32 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
God to send them showers of blessing. He requires them to
prove Him, not with words of prayer in lieu of offerings, but
with the offerings which they owe to Him, and which they
cannot withhold without dishonesty.
Contrasted with the scoffing and insincere, were the devout
and humble men who feared Jehovah, and who " spake one
with another," to encourage their faith and patience. These
were not overlooked, far less confounded with the evil-doers.
They were registered in a book of remembrance before the Lord,
and will be to Him for a treasured possession in the day when
the distinction shall be made manifest between the righteous
and the wicked — those who served Jehovah, and those who
served Him not.
In the last chapter, language still more vivid is used regard
ing the day of the Lord. It has had a fulfilment at His first
advent, for John the Baptist quoted from this chapter concern
ing the sifting of the floor, the gathering of the wheat into the
barn, and the burning of the chaff with unquenchable fire ; but
the most ample and conspicuous fulfilment remains for His
second coming. The " Sun of Righteousness " arose when
Christ came who is the Light of Life. That Sun will shine
forth again in great glory, and the unrighteous shall not be able
to stand before the Righteous One.
Then, just as the Old Testament is being closed, Moses and
Elijah are recalled, the two witnesses who afterwards appeared
on the Holy Mount. The next to the last verse bids the Jews
remember Moses and his law ; the last verse teUs them to look
for Elijah the prophet. Prophecy was now to cease tUl the
forerunner of Messiah should appear. The law and the prophets
were to be until John ; and he would be the " Elijah who was
to come." The Elijah spirit was to breathe again in that brave
preacher in the desert, who should stand against the strong
current of national unrighteousness, and turn back the hearts of
a degenerate people to their pious ancestry. And yet, as Elijah
succeeded only with a portion of the nation in his time, and
.could not avert the great catastrophe of Israel, so John tho

MALACHL 33
Baptist was to prevaU with only a portion of the Israel
of his time, in whose hearts the way of the Lord was
prepared, and judgment must fall on the impenitent and
the proud.
Elijah-ministry wUl reappear before the great and terrible
day of the Lord. There wUl be a disturbance of vain security,
a solemn call to repentance, which some will obey, and some
refuse ; and then the Lord shall come to judge the world in
righteousness. So ends the Book of Malachi. So ends the Old Testament
with the stern words, " Lest I come and smite the land with a
curse." The New Testament has a sweeter close: "The grace
of the Lord Jesus be with the saints."
This book is often quoted in the New Testament, and has
several memorable sayings in great favour with Christians.
Such are —
I. The promise of universal homage to the Lord, couched in
the language of the Old Testament worship, but to be rendered
by us in the simplicity which befits the times of the New
Testament. " From the rising of the sun even unto the going
down of the same, My name shall be great among the Gentiles ;
and in every place incense shall be offered unto My name, and
a pure offering : for My name shall be great among the Gentiles,
saith the Lord of hosts." * Some plead this mention of incense
as sanctioning its use in Christian worship; and the "pure
offering " has been interpreted as " the holy sacrifice of the
mass." But rites in the Old Testament are not to be satisfied
by rites in the New. They signify spiritual sacrifices. The
incense of our dispensation is prayer; and the "pure offering"
willing obedience.
2. The promise of Christ as a Refiner. " He shall sit as a
refiner and purifier of silver." Such is the effect of^His word
* Chap. i. II.
VOL. IL C

34 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and providence, under the operation of the Spirit now present
in the Church. Refining of silver is a slow and delicate
process ; but Christ has patience and skill enough, graduaUy to
refine the hearts and characters of them that are His, and,
cost what it may to flesh and blood. He will deal with them,
and watch over them, till they reflect His image and like
ness. 3. The promise of a book of remembrance for those who fear
the Lord, and think on His name. There be many who fear
not the Lord, and refuse to have Him in their thoughts. They
join hand in hand in evil fellowship. Their words are stout ;
they cry Aha ! aha ! The Lord hears them, and wiU yet cover
them witli everlasting confusion. But the Lord hearkens, or
bends an attentive ear, to hear the voices of all who gather
together unto His name ; and His eyes are upon the faithful of
the land that they may dwell with Him. Devout fellowship
here, a meeting of the saints, their hearts burning within them,
is more noticed in heaven than all the splendour of courts, and
all the debates of parliaments. Little matter what the world
thinks or says of those who thus help one another's faith and
constancy ; the Lord designs them for His treasure, and their
names are written in heaven. 0 precious words of promise !
" They shall be mine ! " A treasure to Christ ! and so to the
Father also ; for our Saviour said, " All Mine are Thine."
There is a sweet interchange of possession between Jesus Christ
and His loving foUowers who " think on His name." He is
theirs, and they are His. He is their portion, and beauty, and
chief joy. They are as seals on His heart and arm, and as
precious jewels in His crown.
4. The promise of the Sun of Righteousness, with healing
under His wings. As the beams of the sun give health, colour,
and growth to living plants and animals ; so Jesus Christ gives
health to the sick at heart, joy to the depressed, and growth to

MALACHI. 35
those who would follow after righteousness. It is a good hymn
" for the Christian's Sabbath day."
" Thou, glorious Sun of Righteousness,
On this day risen to set no more,
Shine on me now to heal, to bless,
With brighter beams than e'er before.
Shine on, shine on, eternal Sun !
Pour richer floods of life and light,
Till that bright Sabbath be begun,
That glorious day which knows no night.''

( 36 )

I TRANSITION FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT TO
THE NEW.
After Ezra the scribe and Malachi the prophet, a long silence
of God fell upon Judah. He who had spoken to the fathers in
the prtiphets made a solemn pause of about four centuries, and
then spoke again in His Son.
The interval, however, was by no means a dull or insignifi
cant period in the history of the Jewish nation. It was a time
of widening thought, and of great political vicissitude. Widen
ing thought ; for the Jews became familiar with other countries
and other modes of mind, and learned the language and culture
of the Greeks. PoUtical vicissitude ; for they were under the
Persian emperors — then under the Greek — then under the
tyranny of the Syrian kings — then independent, under the
Maccabees — and, when Christ came, subject to the Idumean
Herod, the proteg6 of Rome.
It was also a time of considerable mental activity. Although
no addition was made to the Sacred Books, the Canon of which
was reckoned complete, the study of letters was encouraged,
and sacred learning was prized. In the third century b.o. the
Septuagint version of the Old Testament was begun at Alex
andria, and in course of the next century was completed. This
contributed greatly to the diffusion of a knowledge of Holy
Scripture wherever the Greek language was used. In Judea,
and in the Jewish colonies, a considerable religious literature
was produced, specimens of which are extant in the books
called the Apocrypha. Synagogues rose in importance, and the
Law was read with paraphrastic comments which were written

TRANSITION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 37
down in the Targums. To prophets succeeded commentators,
doctors, scribes, and lawyers. It was a time of reflection and
analysis. Then, as usual at such periods, sects and parties
formed themselves within the House of Israel. Some revolted
against the pedantry of the prevaiUng school of interpretation
and prescription, and struck out in the direction of scepticism :
these were the Sadducees. A greater number pleaded for
minute strictness ; but, while professing to magnify the Law,
really overshadowed and enfeebled it with their traditions:
these were the Pharisees.
Such is our own time. The Canon of the New Testament is
complete. No visions come ; no voices speak from heaven.
Now it is that critics, commentators, and disputants abound.
The Church widens her knowledge, and learns by passing through
vicissitudes. But parties form; schools of religious thought
compete for disciples ; sects watch and resist each other, — and
there is no lack of the leaven of the Sadducees and Pharisees.
So it was, till Christ came. So it is, till Christ come again.
Eut, to return. The New Testament begins on the same
ground on which we have finished the Old, the same Judea, yet
not the same ; politicaUy and intellectually it is greatly changed.
We are among new ideas, the out-growth, or in part the im
portations, of the four hundred years of interval.
When the new time, or fulness of time arrived, the first thing
was not the writing of the New Testament. We read therein
of Christ and the Church ; but Christ came and went, and the
Church was formed and grown to some strength before a word
of the New Testament was written. The Scriptures honoured
by Christ and the early Church were the books of the Old
Testament ; and the Word of the Lord which won such victories
at Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, and Thessalonica, was not the
written Gospel as we have it, but the oral Gospel, the spoken
testimony to Jesus, with an argument speciaUy addressed to the
Jews regarding . His fulfilment of the law and the prophets.
But, after this oral testimony had spread abroad, it seemed good
to the Holy Spirit, who now dwelt in the Church as the glorifier

38 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of Jesus, to inspire a few men — eight or nine — to write down
in books what should be profitable to aU future generations of the
Christian Church. These books, twenty-seven in number, form
what we caU "the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ." They were not written, like those of the Old
Testament, over a space of many hundred years, but were all
produced within one generation. They may therefore be more
freely compared with a view to their correct exegesis.
It is very important to have just conceptions of the New
Testament in its relation to the Old.
I. It is a continiiation of the Old. To read the New
Testament apart from the Old is to sever it from its base of
support, and so to hinder or obscure its interpretation. Here are
not two separate trees of life, but one and the same. It has the
Pentateuch for its deep roots, and then a grand old trunk of
history, from which go out strong boughs of Hebrew poem and
prophecy. It had a time of rest, during which it added nothing
to its growth ; but then it began again to spring upwards in a
solid stem of the history of Christ and the early Church, and
to throw out new branches of apostolic teaching, till the loftiest
point was reached in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ
— and so the Scripture was complete.
Let no one suppose that it is an accidental or a mechanical
conjunction which brings the Old and New Testaments together.
There is a living oneness, a binding unity of origin, doctrine,
and purpose. They have the same informing spirit, and
constitute one organic whole. The Old underlies the New at
every part. The New rests on the Old, and is developed out of
it, though also adding much to it. It is not enough to trace
references, or to find resemblances between detached passages.
The whole of the Old Testament prepares for and sustains the
whole of the New. The same living God communicates with us
in both, and reveals Himself — His character and will, holiness
and love, grace and glory. Through Holy Writ, from Genesis to
Revelation, run the same great thoughts — God a just God and a

TRANSITION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 39
Saviour — man a sinner, man a saint — angels of God, the devil
and his angels — sin, death, righteousness, life— the peace and
strength of faith — the sovereignty of grace — sacrifice, priesthood,
redemption by blood, prayer, love, hope, obedience, holiness —
judgment to come. In treating of these, the New Testament is
not a beginning of revelation, but strictly a continuation, while
not a repetition, of the Old.
II. Ii has a structural resemblance, to the Old. Differing as
they do in bulk, the Old and New Testaments have a certain
simUarity of order, all the more striking that it must have been
unintentional on the part of man, and indicates the moulding
wisdom of the Holy Ghost
Look at the arrangement of each. First come histories ;
then reasonings and teachings ; last of all, prophecies and
visions. From all the sacred books of the East, the Bible is
distinguished by the large proportion of narrative in each of
its grand divisions, so that all its reflections, arguments, and
admonitions rest on a basis of veritable facts. This marks the
wisdom of God, who knows the mind of man, and its cravings
for a solid foundation to its thought ; and this also proves the
fearless truth of the sacred writers, who multiplied historic
statements of the most minute kind, and references which would
at once expose fictitious writing to detection.
Then, more minutely. — The Old Testament opens with the
genesis of man and of all things that concern him ; the New,
with the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. The books
of Moses have their parallel in the books of Jesus by the evan
gelists ; the last of the former (Deuteronomy), full of the words
of Jehovah, having its evident correspondent in the last of the
latter (St John), full of discourses and sayings of the Lord
Jesus. Joshua's history, and the subsequent historical books,
fuU of exploits and vicissitudes, are paralleled in the Acts of
the Apostles. Then, for the poetical books and the didactic
parts of the prophetical, we have the Epistles of the Servants
of Christ And, as the Old Testament ends with predictions

40 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and visions, so does the New with the words of the prophecy
of the last book, so fuU of heavenly visions — " the Revelation
of Jesus Christ which He gave to His servant John."
Nor is this aU. Besides the similarity of arrangement, we
find something quite unique in the way of Divine expression
throughout all the Scriptures ; the same voice of majesty — the
same method of teaching by history and biography rather than
by argumentation — the same calmness and unflinching fidelity
of narrative— the same sounding forth of mercy and of judgment
— and the same fearless reproof of all unrighteousness and
ungodliness of men.
The more we reflect on these things — the similarity that
runs through a book so various as the Bible, and the general
correspondence in the structure of its parts — the more we
perceive the absurdity of regarding it as a mere fortuitous
assemblage of old Hebrew and Greek works. As well persuade
us that the polished stones in the Temple at Jerusalem tumbled
fortuitously into their places, or that the stars have their posi
tions and move in their courses by some happy accident.
III. It is an advance upon the OM.
1. As respects the messengers of God. To the fathers God
spoke in the prophets, by many stages, in portions as He saw
fit, and in diverse ways, — communicating through visions and
dreams, by signs and prodigies, by angelic messages, or by laying
His word as a burden on the spirit of the prophet which he
burned to deliver. Oral revelation preceded Scripture. The
prophets spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. There
after, so much of the oral communication as God thought fit to
make permanent, was embodied in writing by Moses and the
prophets ; and, as the speaking was directed by the Holy Spirit,
so also was the writing. It was Theopneustic Scripture.
In these last days God has spoken in His Son, far above all
prophets and aU angels, the Heir of aU things. Not all that He
spoke,* but so much of His communication as God has seen meet
to preserve for the benefit of the Church is conveyed to us in
* See John xx. 30, 31 ; xxi. 25.

TRANSITION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. 41
the New Testament, which is also Theopneustic Scripture.*
Thus we have on record sayings, parables, replies, and discourses
of Christ, containing those deep things of God which underlie all
Christian doctrine and hope. But avowedly these were incom
plete, and needed further explanation, combination, and develop
ment. So the Son of God continued to speak after His ascen
sion in His witnesses and preachers, on whom descended His
Holy Spirit ; and then, so much of their teaching as was to
edify the Church in aU time coming was also enshrined, under
the guidance of the same Spirit, in the writings of the New
Testament. Now, it may be, that Luke is no greater than
Samuel, or Simon Peter than David, or Paul than Isaiah, or
John than Ezekiel or Daniel ; but their writings have a certain
advance in dignity, from the fact that they followed the mani
festation of the Son of God, and were composed to publish the
preciousness and develop the teachings of Him who spake as
never man spake.
2. In the light and fulness of the revelation itself, t The
New Testament is much less than the Old, but the smaller
proportion of letter contains the greater proportion of spirit.
There is no longer an array of laws and statutes, or a hand
writing of ordinances. Shadows have given place to substance ;
elements and rudiments to perfection ; minute regulations to
profound principles ; patterns of heavenly things to heavenly
things themselves. In the old time, there was dimness as of
light coming through a veU ; in the new time, we have unveiled
faces, and God's own marveUous light
The contrast between the dispensations is uniformly to the
advantage of the later. Accordingly the New Scriptures share
the distinction of the dispensation to which they belong;
having to set forth a better covenant, better sacrifice, better
promises, a better hope, better priesthood, and a better
sanctuary. The heavens seem to open more fully and brightly
over us ; and, because Jesus is there, we can look steadfastly
up into heaven. * See 2 Pet. iii. 16. t See 2 Cor. ill

42 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Herein is implied no disparagement of the Old Testament,
but simply the recognition of the fact that the Bible is a pro
gressive Book, and that the second division, containing more
advanced and developed truth, is to rule our interpretation and
use of the first division ; not the first to determine the mean
ing of the second. There has been a bettering as weU as
a lengthening of revelation regarding theology, ethics, and
worship. God is the same God in both Testaments; but in
the New, God is more known — duty more exalted — holiness
in principles and motives based on fellowship with God in
light — love is shown to be the sphere in which the God of
light and the chUdren of light abide — and worship is through
free access to the Father, by one Spirit, through Christ Jesus.
"And so" — to use the words of one of the Bampton lecturers
— " the great course of divine teaching has reached its highest
stage. After slowly moving on through the simple thoughts
of patriarchal piety, through the system and covenant of the
law, and through the higher spirituality of the prophets, it
rose suddenly to a lofty elevation, when God spoke to us in
His Son ; and even higher yet, when the Son ascended into
glory, and sent down the Holy Ghost to take up His unfinished
word and to open mysteries. Each stage of progress based
itself on the facts and instructions of that which went before.
The law was given to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob ; the prophet spoke to those under the law ; Jesus Christ
came to those who had been taught by the prophets ; the Holy
Ghost instructed those who had received Christ" *
Thank God ! we have a complete Bible, the Scriptures of
truth: yet we need more — we want the Spirit of the trutL
Teach us. Lord Jesus ! with the iUumination of the Holy
Ghost, causing Thy Word to enter into, quicken, and guide us ;
so that we, obeying Thee as a Prophet, may be purged from all
sin by Thee as our High Priest, and, at Thy coming and Thy
kingdom, may reign with Thee in glory everlasting ! Amen !
* Canon Bernard's Lectures on the Progress of Doctrine.

( 43 )

ST. MATTHEW.
The four histories of Jesus Christ were not the first written of
the Books of the New Covenant, but are [placed first in order
because they furnish the basis of facts for all that follow.
They are four independent accounts of one inimitable life.
They have a perfect harmony ; but it is best seen, not in the
sort of mosaic that has been formed by piecing and fitting to
gether extracts from those books, but in the intelligent survey
of each narrative from its proper point of sight They may be
compared to four portraits of the same countenance, or four
views of the same building taken from different stand-points.
By the combination of the four, we have an advantage that no
one account could possibly yield, for a full conception of the
character and career of Jesus.
Many other comparisons have been found for these books.
Augustine described them as four great trumpets sounded to
gather the Church from the east, west, north, and south, into a
holy unity of faith. Calvin, foUowing Chrysostom, saw Christ
riding forth in a triumphal chariot, drawn by four steeds.*
Bengel's figure was that of the four parts in music, which may
* "Evangelicam historiam a quatuor testibus divinitus ordinatis prodi-
tam quadrigis non abs re comparo, quia ex apta concinnaque hae harmonia
videtur consulto Deus quasi triumphalem currum Pilio auo parasse, unde
toti fidelium populo conspicuus appareat, et cujus celeritate terrarum
orbem perlustret. Nee vero inscite Augustinus tubis similes facit quatuor
Evangelistas, quarum clangor omnes mundi plagas impleat, ut ab Oriente,
Occasu, Meridie, Septentrione in sacrum fidei consensum accita Ecclesia
oonfluat. " — Cal-vini in Novum Testamentum Commentarii. Epistola Dedica-
toria.

44 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
sometimes be sung apart, but blend together to form a perfect
harmony. More ancient than any of these comparisons — for it
comes from Irenaeus — is that which likened the four evangel
ists to the composite cherubic symbol— the man, the lion, the
ox, and the flying eagle. Better than this, and also very
ancient — for it comes from Jerome — is another, which likens
these books to the four streams into which the river of Eden
was parted as it flowed out into the world.
The Gospel was and is, properly, the oral message of salvation
in Christ delivered to mankind. The urgent question among
His servants was, how to have the Gospel preached to every
creature — " How shall they believe without a preacher? " But,
from the very success of their preaching, necessity arose for
written records to preserve the Gospel from those variations and
corruptions which always weaken the value of unwritten tradi
tion. To meet this want four books were produced, not by
any appointment of the Church, but by the independent action
of four writers under the Divine guidance — two of whom were
apostles, and two the companions of apostles. Other narratives
also appeared, but the four which we reckon canonical are the
only ones which, from their first publication, were reverenced
in the Church ; and they are largely recognised and quoted in
the Christian literature of the second and third centuries.
Though commonly called the four gospels, they are properly
the one Gospel in four forms — the Gospel of Jesus Christ ac
cording to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Of Matthew, also called Levi, we know this much : that he
was originaUy a toll collector, was called by Christ to be a
disciple, and was placed among the twelve apostles. He de
scribes himself " as a man named Matthew, sitting at the place
of toll," near the GalUean Sea or Lake. He tells that, at the
call of Jesus, he arose and foUowed Him ; and also that Jesus
sat at meat in his house in the company of many publicans
and sinners ; but he leaves it to Luke to tell, that he had
"made a great feast in his own house." In the list of the
apostles, he enters his name as " Matthew the publican," and

ST. MATTHEW.

45

he has not written a word to exalt himself, or to take away the
reproach of the class to which he had belonged. He does not
record the story of Zaccheus, chief of the publicans at Jericho,
or the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican in the Temple.
On the other hand, it is he, and no other, who gives us that
saying of the Lord, in which the publicans are joined with
"the harlots," as believing John the Baptist, and going into
the kingdom of God.
Matthew remained in Jerusalem, or, at all events, in Pales
tine, for many years after the ascension of Christ In Palestine,
he wrote this book for the use of the Jewish Christians. He
is said to have written first in Hebrew, and afterwards to have
produced this Gospel, as we have it, in Greek. In this, there
is nothing to surprise or perplex; for many authors have
written in two languages to secure for their works a greater
circulation and influence. Josephus wrote his History of the
Wars of the Jews in Hebrew, and then in Greek. Calvin
wrote in Latin and in French. Bacon and Milton wrote in
Latin and in English. But scholars are able to show that the
Greek Gospel of Matthew in our canon of the New Testament
is an original work and no mere translation.*
The circumstance that this narrative was originaUy prepared
for Hebrew Christians accounts for many of its characteristics.
It gives prominence to the Messianic royalty, and very frequently
points out the fulfilment of ancient prophecy. It always keeps
before the reader's mind the statement contained in its opening
sentence, that Jesus Christ was "the Son of David, the Son of
Abraham." Matthew traces the genealogy from Abraham, not,
as Luke does, from Adam ; and the genealogy itself is the legal,
not, as in Luke, the UneaLt He tells of the birth of the
* See this point well discussed in Dr. George Salmon's Historical Intro-
duction, Lect. X.
+ " Both genealogies, without doubt, give the descent of Joseph — the
universal belief till the sixteenth century, — St. Matthew His legal descent
showing that our Lord was Solomon's he-ir (2 Sam. vii. 13-17 ; i Chron.
xvii. 14), though the line of Solomon failed in Jehoiachim (Jer. xxii. 29,
30) ; and St. Luke His natural descent, showing that He was lineally

46 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
" King of the Jews ; " and describes the people, in amazement
at some of our Lord's miracles, exclaiming — "Is not this the
Son of David ? " He gives the parables always as concerning
" the kingdom of heaven " — a phrase peculiar to this book, and
indicating the elevation of the old theocracy into a kingdom of
heavenly privilege and promise by Jesus Christ Latin words
he uses rarely ; and does not think it necessary to explain Jewish
phrases and usages.
This Gospel has much in common with the Epistle of St.
James, which was written about the same time, and addressed
to Israel as " the twelve tribes scattered abroad." The admoni
tions of that epistle regarding the perfect law, the higher
righteousness, the doing of the word, the taming of the tongue,
the virtue of gentleness, the reward of patience, and the royal
rule of love and equity, all have their foundations in those
sayings of Christ which are recorded by St. Matthew.
" Other characteristics of the book before us are due to the
personal habits of the evangelist. It has a methodical arrange
ment ; such as we should expect from one who, as a collector of
taxes, had been a man of business, trained to system and exact
ness. Matthew does not run on in the order of time, as a mere
annalist; but groups discourses, parables, miracles, and pro
phecies by themselves, in a topical order, and with a certain
power of combination that produces an admirable effect."*
Another feature of the work, which we trace to his individuality
is this — he pays special attention to what was said by his
Divine Master in regard to the civil authority, and the duty of
paying taxes or tribute. Naturally so, since he had been an
official of the civU service, and had coUected the dues in Galilee.
When our Lord was interrogated concerning the lawfulness of
giving tribute to Caesar, both Mark and Luke say that He caUed
for " a penny,'' but Matthew has it — " Shew me the tribute
descended from David (2 Sara. vii. 12 ; Ps. Ixxxix. 35, 36), through Nathan.
— Westcott's Introduction to the Stud-y of the Gospels, 4th Edition, p. 312,
note. * See Rev. Edward A. Thomson on tha "Pour Evangelists," p. 24.

ST. MATTHEW. 47
money ; " so that it was not with any coin at haphazard, but
with the coin ready for payment as tribute before Him, that He
gave His memorable answer, "Render unto Csesar the things
which are Caesar's, and unto God the things which are God's." *
At an earlier period, a question had been raised at Capernaum
regarding the payment of the Church rate, or tax for the Temple.
Matthew is the only evangelist who describes the incident. The
collectors, who- acted, not under the civil government, but under
the Sanhedrim, inquired of Simon Peter whether his Master
would pay such tribute. The Lord explained to His disciple,
that, the Temple being His Father's House, He was not under
this obligation ; nevertheless, lest a refusal should be miscon
strued. He provided, in the mouth of a fish from the lake, the
exact sum required for Himself and Simon Peter. Matthew
took careful notice of such matters. They interested the mind
of the quondam publican.
When we come to analyse this gospel, and aim at some con
venient classification of its contents, we are struck, though not
satisfied, with the ingenious suggestion of a great German ex
positor,! who sees in the order of this gospel to the Hebrews a
resemblance to the Pentateuch. Thus he arranges it in five
parts. The first chapter of Matthew is " the book of the genera
tion of Jesus Christ," and corresponds to Genesis. The second
chapter begins with the slaughter of infants at Bethlehem, and
the escape of Jesus, as Exodus began with the slaughter of
infants in Egypt and the escape of Moses. The Sermon on the
Mount in Galilee is of course the counterpart to the law given
from Mount Sinai. The eighth chapter opens with the cleansing
of a leper. We have then reached what answers to the Book of
Leviticus. When we come to the tenth chapter, we read of
the organisation provided for the Church under the twelve
apostles, corresponding to the narrative in Numbers of the
ordering of the twelve tribes of Israel under their princes. At
the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel, where the ministry in
Judea begins — a ministry of reproof, exhortation, and prophecy
* Chap. xxii. 17-22. + Delitzsch.

48 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
— we enter on the paraUel to the Book of Deuteronomy. The
whole ends with the death and implied (not affirmed) ascension
of Jesus, and with directions for the future guidance of the
Church, just as the Pentateuch ends with the death and implied
ascension of Moses, and with directions for the future guidance
of Israel.
The general features of the analogy thus touched upon are
extremely interesting, but it is a thing to be deftly touched,
not closely handled. We shall really make more of a , less in
genious but more commonplace arrangement. Thus —
I. The introduction, chaps, i., ii. — This is occupied with the
pedigree of " the King of the Jews " — His nativity — the homage
paid to Him by the Magi — and the persecution directed against
His life by "Herod the king." It is shown that in all these
things the words of ancient prophets were fulfilled. Five
quotations are given in the introduction — from Isaiah, Micah,
Hosea, Jeremiah, and the fifth (chap. ii. 23), not with verbal
accuracy from any of the prophetical books as we have them,
but most probably a free rendering of a passage in Isaiah.
Doubtless, in these and similar interpretations, so abundant in
this book, we have specimens of the exposition of Moses and
the prophets which our Lord gave to the disciples after He was
risen from the dead ; * which Matthew, of course, heard, and
hearing, could never forget.
II. The prelude to the ministry of Christ, chaps. iii.-iv. 11.
— The long silent voice of prophecy was heard again, for a
prophet like Elijah, yet more than a prophet, the promised fore
runner of the Messiah, appeared. It is no part of this evan
gelist's plan to give any account of the origin and birth of this
prophet " In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in
the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom
of heaven is at hand." t But the evangelist is careful to show,
* See St. Luke xxiv. 27, 44, 45. f See St. Luke iii. i, 2.

ST. MATTHEW. 49
according to his manner, that the appearance of this preacher of
repentance fulfilled an ancient oracle in Isaiah.
Then Jesus is seen baptized at the river Jordan, anointed
with the Holy Ghost, and receiving testimony from heaven to
His Divine sonship. There foUowed imrnediately the ordeal of
temptation. In the wildemess, the scene of John's preaching,
Jesus was tried and proved. And when His unrecorded tempta^
tions were overcome, and the threefold recorded temptation was
repelled, the Man Christ Jesus was ready for His ministry.
The Holy Spirit had rested on Him as a dove, and the evil
spirit was defeated by His stedfastness in faith. Then began —
' III. His ministry, as a Prophet mighty in word and deed
(chap. iv. 12-xx. 34).*
I. In Galilee (chap. iv. 12-xviii. 35). We have said that
Matthew is not addicted to chronological order in his narrative.
He omits the first year of our Lord's ministry, which was spent
partly in Galilee, and partly in Judea ; including a visit to Jeru
salem. In this time fall the incidents described in the earlier
chapters of the Gospel according to St John. Matthew, desirous
to set forth the great prophet before the eyes of his countrymen, ,
starts from the time when " John was cast into prison." That
faithful witness being silenced, the Prophet greater still lifted
up His voice in Galilee. He resided for a time at Capernaum,
on the Lake shore — thus again fulfiUing, as Matthew is careful
to notice, "that which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet"
But Jesus was by no means a mere preacher to Capernaum.
" He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and heaUng all manner of
* As Godet points out in his Studies of the Ne-w Testament, five grand
discourses of Jesus are embedded in the narrative : —
I. Sermon on the Mount. Chaps. 5-7.
2, Charge to the Apostles. Chap. 10.
3. Seven Parables of the Kingdom. Chap. 13.
4. Instruction on Church Discipline. Chap. 18.
5. Prophecies of Judgment. Chaps. 23-25.
VOL. II. "

50 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
sickness, and all manner of disease among the people ; and His
fame went throughout aU Syria."
The gracious ministry in Galilee is rekted after this
manner : —
(i.) The Prophet, fulfilling the old law and prophets, re
veals the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven, declares
its blessedness, points out its searching, spiritual character,
and gives direction to those who would be its subjects con
cerning almsgiving, fasting, prayer, and obedience.
(2.) The Prophet, thus mighty in word, shows Himself
mighty in deeds, and is approved by great signs and wonders.
So, after the Sermon on the Mount, we have two chapters
recording a close succession of miracles. These acts of healing
suggest a reference to the words of Isaiah—" Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." The series of miracles
is closed with a repetition of the general statement. " Jesus
went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their syna
gogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing
every sickness, and every disease among the people." *
(3.) The Prophet, moved with compassion on the multitude,
and surveying the wretched condition of the sheep of the house
of Israel, sends out disciples to propagate more widely the
blessings of His ministry. The twelve whom He chose were
plain men, unconnected with the priesthood, uninfluenced by
the rich, unsophisticated by the schools, standing quite clear
of the competing secfe of the period ; yet men of character, of
inteUigence, and of varied ages and dispositions, so as to secure
the width of mind and heart necessary for the institution of
the Church, which was to reverence them as its patriarchs and
apostles. (4.) Then the Prophet resumes His personal ministry, which
begins to conflict more and more sharply with the predominant
school of religious opinion, as represented by the scribes and
Pharisees. Parables now appear, being used to teach the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. They disclosed truth to
* Chap. ix. 35.

ST. MATTHEW. 51
the disciples, and at the same time veiled it from those who
wpre hostile — thereby again fulfilling a "prophecy of Isaiah."
At this time, too, other mighty acts are done ; and the disciples
begin to speak of their Master as the Son of God.* On the
mount of transfiguration, there is a vision of the King in His
beauty, with a renewal of the testimony from Heaven to His
Divine Sonship.
The result of this ministry in Galilee may be thus summed
up : Jesus, by teaching and wonder-working, established His
claims as Lawgiver and Prophet ; developed His great doctrine
of the kingdom of heaven ; provided for the continuance and
spread of His teaching through the apostles ; and condemned
the formalism and hypocrisy of the prominent religious leaders
of the time — the Pharisees, lawyers, and scribes.
Then foUows His ministry —
2. In Judea and Jerusalem, occupying about three months.
Attended by great multitudes, Jesus leaves Galilee, and
comes "into the borders of "Judea beyond Jordan." On the
way, He encounters the opposition of the Pharisees ; but lie
moves on, foreseeing His decease at Jerusalem, and sublimely
willing to die. As He approaches the city, He speaks more
than ever of the kingdom, and answers aU manner of questions,
telling of the relation of little chUdren to the kingdom — of
the difficulty of the entrance of rich men — of rewards in the
kingdom — and of the right hand and left of the King. Two
blind men at Jericho, hearing the tread of a great multitude
escorting some one to Jerusalem, connect it in their thoughts
with the restoration of David's throne, and cry, "Have mercy
on us, 0 Lord, thou Son of David."
That which St. Matthew most fully relates of our Lord at
Jerusalem must be marked as a- separate division. It is —
IV. The passion (chaps, xxi.-xxvii. 66). A week was
occupied thus : —
Sunday. — The triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
* Chap. xiv. 33 ; xvi. 16.

52 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Monday.— ^Tpent in the Temple. The fig-tree withered for
showing leaves and having no fruit — a sign of Israel's con
dition. Under the leaves of profession in the Temple, the Lord
had looked anxiously for fruit of righteousness, and found
none. Tuesday. — Again spent in the Temple, in a severe discussion
with Herodians, Pharisees, and Sadducees. The Lord com
pletely answered and sUenced them all ; and, with words of
terrible warning and sorrowful farewell. He left the Temple,
never to re-enter it. Thereafter, seated apart on the Mount of
Olives, He prophesied to His disciples of things to come, and,
by a succession of solemn parables, enforced the duties of
watchfulness and diligence in view of His second advent.
"Wednesday. — Spent in Bethany ; so far, at least, as Matthew
indicates. A pause before the deepest sorrow.
Thursday. — The first day of the feast of unleavened bread.
Preparation and observance of the Passover. Institution of
the Lord's Supper. Agony in the garden. Betrayal and
capture of the Saviour, who was led away in the night to the
high priest's palace.
Friday (iSth March, a.d. 29). — The arraignment first before
the high priest and the Jewish councU, and then before Pilate
the Roman governor. The condemnation to death — crucifixion
— mockery — death — attendant prodigies — and burial.
Saturday. — In the tomb, which was guarded by soldiers.
The Sabbath of the Passover.
The details of passion week are given by this evangelist with
fulness, and with apposite references to the Scriptures which
were fulfilled. In the last scenes strong contrasts are brought
out. Jesus witnesses a good confession, while Peter denies
Him. Judas goes out in despair to hang Himself — Jesus is
led out in holy meekness to be crucified. Friends reverently
bury the Lord, and Mary Magdalene and the other Mary " sit
over against the sepulchre" — the chief priests and Pharisees
"make the sepulphre sure," that it may retain His body,
"sealing the stone and setting a watch."

ST. MATTHEW.

S3

V. The resurrection, and the commission to the apostles
(chap, xxviii.)
To the last, Matthew is true to his characteristics. Writing
in Palestine, and, in the first instance, for the Jews, he is care
ful to expose the falsehood and absurdity of the report which
had been concocted at Jerusalem, and circulated throughout the
nation, that Jesus had not risen, but that His disciples had stolen
away His, body while all the watch of soldiers slept. Then,
being himself a Galilean, and having given in his narrative
great prominence to the ministry in Galilee, Matthew, so soon
as he has affirmed the resurrection, shows us the Lord returning
to that province, and meeting His disciples at a mountain there
by appointment. The Risen One is still the Prophet who in
structs disciples ; but He is also the King. Jerusalem has
rejected Him ; but He has received from the Father " all power
in heaven and in earth." This is the " Heir of all things."
The first sentence of this Gospel traces His descent from
Abraham. The last sentence recaUs the promise to Abraham,
that in his seed all nations of the earth shall be blessed, for it
is the command of Christ to the eleven — " Go ye therefore and
make disciples of all nations."
St Matthew shows us the great Prophet on three mountains,
all of them in Galilee. ' (i.) The mountain of the Beatitudes,
on which He taught the things that concerned the kingdom of
heaven. (2.) The mountain of Transfiguration, on which He
conferred with the two eminent prophets — Moses and Elijah.
(3.) The mountain of the appointed meeting after the resurrec
tion, where He commissioned those who were to go out — preach,
baptize, and teach in His name. But what is this to us?
Where is this kingdom of heaven ? It is where disciples are,
where the baptized are, where the teachers and the taught abide
in Christ's word— for heaven is there on earth. The Lord
Himself is there. The King is with His subjects ; the Prophet
•with His disciples — " alway, even to the consummation of the

( 54. )

ST. MARK.
Matthew was one of the twelve apostles. There is no evidence
that Mark was even a follower of Christ during His earthly
ministry ; but he was afterwards a companion of apostles, and
composed his narrative from apostolic information and testimony.
Without doubt, he is the "Marcus, my son," mentioned in the
First Epistle of St. Peter, and it may therefore be assumed that
he was converted through that apostle's word. He has also
been very generally identified with "John, surnamed Mark,"
the nephew of Barnabas, of whom we read frequently in the
Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of St Paul.
About the Gospel written by Mark there has always been
the same belief in the Christian Church — viz., that this is sub
stantiaUy the account of his Lord and Master given by Simon
Peter. One of the earliest writers, Papias, calls Mark "the
interpreter of Peter." Irenaeus calls him "the disciple and
interpreter of Peter," and says, " He gave forth to us in writing
the things which were preached by Peter." Similar testimony
comes from Clement of Alexandria and others.
It is corroborated by internal evidence. The book before us
has quite the Petrine energy and impulse. Its connective words
are " straightway," " quickly," " immediately ; " * and the narra
tive never lingers, always moves on. It mentions scarcely any
thing of which Peter was not an eye-witness ; and it has the
graphic touches which indicate personal observation. It omits
several things related by the other evangelists as reflecting
* These various terms stand for the one Greek word ei$ias, which
occurs no fewer than forty-one times in this short Gospel.

ST. MARK. 55
honour on Peter, while it explicitly tells whatever was fitted to
humble him. Thus, it is not mentioned that he walked on the
sea ; or that, when he made confession of his faith, the Lord
pronounced him blessed, as a man taught of the Father ; or that
he was the first apostle who saw the Master after His resurrec
tion. On the other hand, it is told that Peter tried to dissuade
Jesus from going to Jerusalem to "be killed," and was "rebuked."
The sin of Peter in denying his Lord is given in the fullest
detail, with the fact, stated nowhere else, that the cock " crew
twice : " and it is simply said that " Peter wept " — not " wept
bitterly." It is carefully recorded, that Mary Magdalene was
the first human being to see the Lord after the resurrection ; but
the only mention of the apostle Peter is this, — "The angels
said to the woman, Go your way, tell His disciples and Peter,
that He goeth before you into Galilee." All this bespeaks the
right feeUng of that great apostle, and the holy tenderness with
which, in old age, he recaUed the bearing of the Lord toward
himself in certain passages of his history that he could Jiever
forget It is strange that this book should ever have been taken for
a mere abbreviation of that which precedes it. True, that
many of the things told by Mark are also described by Matthew,
but the second evangelist is quite independent of the first, and
has his own characteristics.
There is a tradition that St Mark wrote from Rome. At all
events, his Gospel has not the Jewish aspect of St. Matthew's,
but seems to have been intended mainly for Gentile Christians.
It is, therefore, very sparing of quotations from the Old Testa
ment. Aramaic expressions are given, as they lingered in the
memory of the apostle Peter, but are then interpreted, as —
" Talitha-Cumi, which is, being interpreted. Damsel, I say unto
thee, Arise ; " " Ephphatha, that is. Be opened ; " " Corban,
that is to say, A gift;" "Abba," "'Father;" "Eloi, Eloi, lama
sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me ? " In the style there are frequent

S6 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Latinisms ; '^ and there is a certain Latin directness—a Roman
vigour throughout all the narrative.
The graphic strokes of St. Mark have been noticed by aU
careful readers. They show not only the careful observation of
Peter as a companion of the Lord, but also the minute accuracy
with which Mark reported the words of the venerable apostle.
This evangelist tells how Jesus looked, and deeply sighed;
what emotions He displayed, and what impression was produced
on the multitude. Moreover, in many scenes that are described
by the other evangelists, Mark, by the addition of a few words,
increases the vividness of the picture.
He does not record discourses of our Lord at length. He has
only four parables— one of them pecuUar to this Gospel, viz.,
that of the seed growing secretly ;+ and they aU relate to
" the kingdom of God," not " the kingdom of heaven." The
great characteristic of the book is its practical tone. Jesus
speaks in it by His mighty acts. While Matthew tells de
liberately and systematically what " came to pass," and how it
fulfUled the Scriptures of the prophets, Mark has no pauses or
comments, but carries on the history with energy from scene to
scene ; and if he does relate at any length the sayings of the
Lord, selects those of controversy and decision. The nucleus
of the whole seems to lie in words which Simon Peter spoke
in the house of Cornelius at Caesarea. The Gospel is given as
that "which was published throughout all Judea, and began
from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached ; how God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power ; who went about doing good, and healing all that were
oppressed of the devil ; for God was with Him. And we are
witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the
Jews and in Jerusalem ; whom they slew and hanged on a
tree : Him God raised up the third ' day, and showed Him
openly, not to aU the people, but unto witnesses chosen before
of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He
* /cprij3|3aTos, a-wiKovK&Twp, irpaiTiipiof.
t Chap. iv. 26-29.

ST. MARK.

57

rose from the dead."* This statement finds a perfect ex
pansion in the work of St. Mark.
The first sentence furnishes the title — " The beginning of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Jesus is usuaUy
addressed as Rabbi or Teacher ; and the title " Lord " is with
evident purpose omitted. It is used by no one but the Gentile
woman of Syrophenicia. Matthew describes the leper as say
ing — "Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean;" but
Mark has it — "If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean."
Matthew makes the disciples at the Last Supper say, when
they heard of a traitor — " Lord, is it I ? " But Mark has
simply — " Is it I ? " Matthew makes the disciples in the
tempest cry — " Lord, save us, we perish." Mark has it —
" Teacher, carest thou not that we perish ? " Matthew makes
Peter say on the mount — " Lord, it is good for us to be here ; ''
but Mark has it — " Rabbi, it is good for us to be here." We
have no doubt that these instances indicate the judgment of
the apostle Peter, that the title " Lord " was properly applicable
to the Saviour only when He had passed from His humiliation
into His state of exaltation. This is confirmed by ,the fact
that, in the very end of this Gospel, the title is used — "So
then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken unto them, was re
ceived up into heaven. . . . They preached everywhere, the Lord
working with them." It is also in harmony with the manner
of Peter's address on the day of Pentecost — " God hath made
that same Jesus, whom ye-have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Let us examine thfe structure, and survey the contents, of
this book. It has been described as a series of victorious
onslaughts on the part of Christ, followed by withdrawals from
the scene of conflict We prefer to call it a record of earnest,
vigorous, gracious activities, with notices of those solemn
pauses and times of retirement, which the Master gave to
Himself and His disciples. Within the space of nine chapters,
the Evangelist mentions eight occasions on which Jesus sought
absolute solitude for quiet and for prayer.
* Acts X. 37-41

58 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
: I. The introduction is concise (chap. i. 1-13). Nothing is
said of the birth or childhood either of the Forerunner or of the
Saviour. There is no mention of Bethlehem. Joseph is never
named in any part of this Gospel ; and Mary only once in an
incidental question.* This book is written with a view to tell
the public career and action of " Jesus the Son of God ; " so it
begins with the appearance of the Bajitist in the prime of his
manhood, and the emerging of Jesus from the obscurity of
Nazareth to be baptized by John in the river Jordan. The
account is brief, and that of the Temptation briefer still. Yet,
there Mark has something to tell, which neither Matthew nor
Luke has mentioned — " He was with the wild beasts." He
was the second man, the last Adam, having dominion over the
beasts of the field, and beginning even in a wilderness to restore
Paradise, II. Mighty acts in Galilee (chap. i. 14-ix.)
Like the parallel division of the first Gospel, this part com
mences from the date of John's imprisonment Whenever the
Forerunner was silenced. He who should come after him began
to display His wisdom and power. So, the evangelist shows us
Jesus preaching in the northem region of Palestine — calling
His first disciples by the sea- shore — teaching with authority at
Capernaum — healing diseases, and casting out unclean spirits.
At the end of the first chapter, the Mighty One withdraws from
notice for a season — a thing which Mark is specially careful to
record — " Jesus could no more openly enter into the city; but
was without in desert places."
Then the ministry is resumed at Capernaum with the healing
of a paralytic ; the multitude are filled with wonder ; the
traditionists are offended ; more disciples are caUed, so as to
complete the number of the twelve. The hostility of the
scribes and Pharisees becomes more intense ; and Jesus moves
to and fro — journeys to the coasts of Tyre, to the region of
Decapolis, to the parts of Dalmanutha, and to the towns of
* Chap. vi. 3.

ST. MARK. eg
Cfflsarea-Philippi. The precision with which every incident
of those journeys is related proves the information to have been
furnished by one who was a close companion of the Saviour,
and a witness of His mighty works. Thus, it is said that
when Jesus would heal the deaf man at Decapolis, " He took
him aside from the multitude ; " when He opened the eyes of
the blind man at Bethsaida, " He took him by the hand, and
led him out of the town ; " when the demoniac child was " as
one dead, insomuch that many said, He is dead," Jesus " took
him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose."
In the end of this part we find the Redeemer in Capernaum
again, teaching His disciples, and preparing for the journey to
Jerusalem, where He should be delivered into the hand of men,
and be killed, and rise again the third day.
III. The journey to Jerusalem (chap, x.)
The narrative is condensed, but wonderfully full of interest
The good Master meets the opposition of the Pharisees, and
exposes the earthliness of their views ; sets forth the true
nature of the kingdom of God, and the necessity of entering it
as little children; raises the thoughts of His disciples above
earthly treasures, and again prepares them for His own
sufferings, and the ordeal through which they must pass at
Jerusalem. At Jericho, on this journey. He gives the last
proof of His healing power recorded in this book, in opening
the' eyes of Bartimeus, who thereupon, filled with gratitude
and drawn by love, foUows Jesus in the way.
IV. Passion week in Jerusalem (chaps, xi.-xv.)
The events of that solemn time are narrated very much as
they are by St Matthew. But St Mark has his special
touches here also. Thus, only he tells where and how the ass
was found, that was used for the triumphal entry. We feel
sure that Peter must have been one of the two disciples who
were sent to fetch it, when we read the minute statement—

6o SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
"They went their way, and found the colt tied at the door
without in the open street ; and they loose him."
Only he, writing of the fig-tree which had leaves and no
fruit, contributes the information, that " the time of figs was not
yet" Therefore, it could not be that the tree had been stript
of its ripe fruit. Its leaves were those of an ostentatious
barrenness — fit emblem of the degenerate Judaism of that time.
We also have from Mark the observation, which surely came
from an eye-witness, — "the fig-tree was dried up from the
roots. "
Only he teUs that the woman who anointed Jesus in the
house of Simon at Bethany, " broke the alabaster flask." It is
just such an incident as Simon Peter would have remembered
and appreciated.
Only he tells of the young man who was seized in the garden
as a follower of Jesus, and fled, leaving his linen cloak behind
him. From what is told of his dress, he appears to have been a
Jewish ascetic, not wearing the " sindon " or linen cloak over his
other apparel according to custom, but casting it about his naked
body, in token of unusual rigour in self-denial and self-mortifica
tion.* This apparition in the night has probably a symbolical
meaning. Under the law, the high priest took two goats for a sin-
offering on the great day of atonement The one was to be slain ;
the other, with Israel's sins confessed on its head, to be sent away
into the wilderness. The one expressed atonement for sin by
the shedding of blood ; the other the removal of sin far away
into a land of eternal oblivion. This double type in the law
seems to have found a visible counterpart. The man Christ
Jesus and the young man unnamed were taken at the same
time by force. The one went to die, that His precious blood
might atone for the sins of His people ; the other went away
into darkness naked, and in that condition of shame, vanished
in the night. The uncertainty as to whither he went, coupled
with the fact that he is never seen or mentioned again, com-
* We attach no credit to the tradition that this young man was no other
than Mark himself.

sr. MARK. 6i
pletes the correspondence with the scape-goat — " the goat for
Azazel."^ There is at least a suggestive correspondence with
the ancient rite"; although in our , redemption the young man
in th© linen cloth is nothing, and Christ is all in all. By
Him we have alike the expiation of our sins, and their banish
ment into eternal oblivion.
V. The resurrection and ascension (chap, xvi.)
Here the narrative is as brief as that of Matthew ; and some
would make it still more brief, for the authenticity of ver. 9-20
is much disputed. We are glad that the passage has been
retained in the Revised Version. It is hardly possible to think
that this book ended with the statement that the womeu " were
afraid." In the Greek it would have ended with the iUsig-
nificant word ya'g. Possibly the last page of the original
manuscript was lost, and this paragraph subsequently added.
Whether it was composed by St. Mark or by some other
disciple, it is certainly ancient, and carries canonical authority.
It seems to us an apposite and worthy conclusion. Therein we
have the appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene ; the visit
of the Lord to. the disciples while they sat at meat,* and the
charge to " go into all the world and preach the gospel to every
creature." Nothing is said of the time, long or short, spent by the
Risen One on the earth. We have to go elsewhere to learn
that the time was i forty days. But here we have a statement
of the ascension in terms of noble simplicity-^" So then, the
Lord Jesus, after He had spoken unto them, was received up
into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God." It is
weU added by Mark, as the mouth-piece of that Simon Peter
who had grown old in his apostolate, and had seen iu many
places the power of the Lord to obtain victories by the Gospel
 "They went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord
working with them, and confirming the word with signs
foUowing. Amen." * Compare Acts x. 40, 41.

62 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
At first, Jesus ordained twelve, " that they should be with
Him." This had been their privilege, and this their only
strength in the days of His sojourn on the earth. But it was
expedient that He should go away, and sit down on the right
hand of God. After the Ascension, his servants on earth could
not be " with Him ; " but He was " with them," living in them,
and working with them, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
St. Matthew has it as a word of assurance — " Lo ! I am
with you always." St. Mark has it as. a fact of which there
were abundant proofs when he wrote. The Lord had been with
His servants. Nay, more — the Lord had wrought with them,
and confirmed the word with signs foUowing. Thus closes the
gospel of action. Having shown us Christ the Son of God
working His mighty works on earth, it ends by showing that
He, though now received up into heaven, stUl works mightily
in and by His servants on the earth. Let us ask Him to give
to us the word with freshness, and to confirm it by such signs
as the Church of the present day needs, and the world wiU be
forced to acknowledge as divine — consciences pricked, pride
subdued, hearts changed, lives amended, evil dispositions cast
out, spiritual infirmities and moral disorders healed.

( 63 )

ST. LUKE.
Luke or Lucas is the same name as Lucanus, as Silas is also
Silvanus. The Latin poet Lucan, the author of the " Pharsalia,"
was a contemporary as well as namesake of our evangelist, but
the fame of the former fades away, while that of the latter
ever grows. Our Luke appears to have been a Gentile. He
may have been a proselyte to "the Jews' religion" before he
joined the Church of Christ. It is certain that he was already
a Christian when he met St Paul at Troas.* Thereafter he
became a companion, and proved himself an attached and
faithful friend, of that great apostle. Besides the charm of
inteUectual and spiritual sympathy, he must have been of
service and comfort to St Paul in his infirmities, for Luke
was a physician — "the beloved physician." This does not
imply rank, for the frSed-men were often trained as physicians ;
but it does imply education and culture ; and of these quali
fications the two works we have from the pen of St. Luke give
considerable evidence.
There is a legend of his having been a painter; and this
has led to the placing of academies of painting under his
saintly protection. One of our recent poets exclaims : —
"Give honour unto Luke, evangelist,
For he it was (the ancient legends say)
Who first taught Art to fold her hands and pray. " t
But it is a mere idle legend, and not very ancient. There
was a Florentine painter of the twelfth century, named Luca
Santo ; and there was an earlier Greek hermit of the name of
* Acts xvi. 1 1. t Rossetti.

64 ' SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Lucas, who used to paint the Blessed Virgin. In all likelihood,
one or other of these executed the old dark pictures and
images now ascribed in Italy to St. Luke.
This Gospel is addressed — quite in the Greek manner, not
Jewish — to Theophilus, an esteemed Christian friend of the
evangelist. Him we suppose to have been an Italian ; for
Luke always explains to him the positions and distances of
towns in Judea and Galilee ; but when in the Acts of the
Apostles (also written for Theophilus) he has to mention
Syracuse, Rhegium, Puteoli, Appii-Forum, and The Three
Taverns near Rome, he does not think it needful to give any
such explanations.
Written, as this Gospel is, by a Gentile to a Gentile, it has
peculiar attractions for us. Not that there is any denial of the
priority of Israel. Indeed, it is here that we have the angelic
promise, that the Lord God would give to Jesus " the throne of
His father David." It is here that emphasis is laid on a certain
afflicted woman being " a daughter of Abraham," and on
Zaccheus being " a son of Abraham." But words and aspects
of grace to the Gentiles, and to mankind at large, are recorded
too ; and, in reading these pages, we feel that we have got out
of a mere Hebrew zone of thought, a«id are receiving the
gospel of humanity.
It appears from the dedication that various fragmentary and
rudimental memoirs of the Lord Jesus were already in circula
tion. These are not to be confounded with the apocryphal
Gospels which are extant, and which are evidently of a later
date, and fuU of fables. The records tp which Luke refers
have perished, having been completely eclipsed and superseded
by the canonical writings.
The evangelist proposed to himself to write the life of Christ
with strict accuracy, and to "set in order" things of which
Theophilus had already been informed by preachers. To this
task he addressed himself carefully; and, in consequence, his
work has more of the character of consecutive history than any
of the other Gospels. Materials are diUgently gathered, and

ST. LUKE. 6s
facts are woven together into a very complete narrative, with
copious references and dates in true historical style. There is
also a larger sweep than is taken by Matthew or Mark, for
this book carries us back anterior to the birth of the Fore
runner, and forward to the ascension of Jesus Christ, and the
return of His disciples to Jerusalem with great joy. It begins
with a priest of the Old Covenant burning incense in the Temple
of the Lord — the multitude praying without. It ends with the
disciples of the New Covenant "in the Temple, praising and
blessing God."
Let us point out in detail a few of the characteristics of this
book not yet adverted to.
I. It has traces of St Luke's profession. He dwells much
on the healing of the sick, and the devotion of the Master to
this way of doing good. He tells of the mission, not of the
twelve only, but also of the seventy to " preach the kingdom of
God, and to heal the sick." Only he mentions the proverb
quoted by our Lord at. Nazareth — "Physician, heal thyself."
More minutely than others, he defines the condition of the
afflicted ones brought to Jesus. He says — The leper was " full
of leprosy;" the centurion's servant was "sick and ready to
die ; " Simon's wife's mother " was ill of a great fever " (a
technical term) ; the woman infirm for eighteen years " was
bowed together so that she could in nowise lift up herself ; " the
woman with an issue of blood " had spent aU her living upon
physicians, neither could be healed of any.'' This last case
Mark expresses very unceremoniously, as he would have re
ceived it from Simon Peter — " She had suffered many things
of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was
nothing bettered, but rather grew worse." Luke, however, is
most explicit about the emanation of healing virtue from the
Saviour — " Jesus said. Somebody hath touched Me ; for I per
ceive that virtue has gone out of Me." — " The whole multitude
sought to touch Him ; for thgre went virtue out of Him, and
healed them all," * * Chap. viii. 46 ; vi. 19.
VOL. II, E

66 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
2. stress is laid on our Lord's humanity. We mean by
this, that he was both human and humane.
In this hook, the human existence of Jesus is laid paraUel
to our own. He is " the fruit of the womb ; " the babe or
infant; the child; and then the boy.* His subjection in
childhood to Joseph and Mary, and His increase in wisdom
and stature and in favour with God and man, are mentioned
here and only here. So also we are indebted to Luke for the
information that, at His baptism, Jesus was "about thirty
years of age." Then, all through the history, prominence is
given to the human feelings, sympathies, and sufferings of our
Lord. This was congenial to the evangelist, for evidently he also
was a man humane and tender-hearted. He always indicates
whatever specially appealed to gentleness or pity. Thus, it is
he who tells that the children brought to Jesus were " infants "
(a circumstance unfortunately overlooked by the painters) ;
that the daughter of Jairus was an " only daughter ; " and the
demoniac boy at the foot of the mount of transfiguration an
"only child."
St. Luke takes more notice than others of the women of
gospel story. Much that we know of the Virgin Mary is
derived from this Gospel exclusively, and all that we know of
her cousin Elizabeth. It is here that the women whom Christ
had healed, and who ministered to Him of their substance, are
named — Mary Magdalene, Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's
steward, and Susannah. And, though we have much that is
deeply interesting about Martha and her sister Mary in the
fourth Gospel, it is here, and here only, that we find the
exquisite Httle story of Christ's visit to their house — Martha's
anxious busy hospitality, and Mary's quiet attention to His
word. Widows in particular are remembered by St. Luke. Only
here we read of Anna in the Temple, " a widow of about four
score and four years ; " and of the importunate widow in the
* Ppitfios, iraiUov, ?rai!.

ST. LUKE. 67
parable ; and of the widow of Nain following the dead body of
her "only son" to the grave. In the last-named instance, the
evangelist is careful to say that, " when the Lord saw her. He
had compassion on her, and said unto her. Weep not ! " also,
that when He raised the dead man, " He delivered him to his
mother." All the parables as recorded by Luke have a specially human
and humane aspect They are not given as iUustrations of a
kingdom. Matthew always begins — "The kingdom of heaven
is like unto," &c. Luke never thus, except in the parables of
the mustard-seed, and leaven.* His style is this — " A sower
went forth to sow ; " "A certain man went down from Jeru
salem to Jericho ; " " The ground of a certain rich man brought
forth plentifully;" "A certain man made a great supper;"
" A certain man had two sons ; " "A certain man had a fig-
tree ; " " There was a certain rich man who was clothed in
purple and fine linen."
3. Special heed is given to what concerns the salvation of
sinners. In this we may trace the influence or stamp which
St, Luke's mind received from St. Paul ; at aU events, the
harmony of his mind with that of the great preacher to the
Gentiles. It is here, and only here, that we read of the
woman who was a sinner, that came to Jesus' feet; of the
salvation which came to the house of Zaccheus on the day
when our Lord entered it ; and of the grace shown to the dying
robber on the cross. Here, too, and here only, that we have
the publican praying in the Temple as a sinner, and going
down to his house justified ; and the series of parables, so
encouraging to those who feel their unworthlness — the lost
sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, that were found with joy.
4. There is frequent mention of prayer. St. Luke it is
who mentions, that Jesus "was praying" when the Holy
Ghost descended upon Him ; that He retired into the wilder
ness and prayed ; that He went up into a mountain, and con
tinued all night in prayer before He appointed the twelve
* Chap. xiii. 18-21.

68 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
apostles ; that, on the mount of transfiguration, " He was
praying," when "the fashion of His countenance was altered; "
and that, when Jesus " was praying in a certain place, when
He had ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach
us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." In this Gospel,
too, it is that we find those parables which encourage prayer.
These are, (i), the story of the man who knocked at his neigh
bour's door till he got bread ; (2), that of the unjust judge and
the widow ; and (3), that of the Pharisee and the publican.
The stress thus laid upon prayer is another indication of what
may be called the Pauline tone of St Luke's mind, and conse
quently of his Gospel,
So much of the characteristics of this book. When we try
to epitomise its contents, and arrange them in divisions, we find
some difficulty from the continuous strain of the 'history, which
glides on without break or interruption. But, after the inscrip
tion or dedication to Theophilus, we may trace the foUowing six
parts :—
I. Details of the annunciation and nativity (chaps, i., ii.)
These are peculiar to this Gospel,
We have the parentage, promise, and actual birth of the
Forerunner, John, We have the annunciation, conception, and
nativity of Jesus. The narrative is beautified with holy songs,
and describes the meek faith and joy of the blessed Virgin.
The vision of angels seen by the shepherds is told by Luke
only, as the vision of the star seen by the magi is related by
Matthew only, AU Christendom speaks of the song of the
angels, but the evangelist has no such expression. " There was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God
and saying. Glory to God - in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men." To sing like an angel has become
proverbial, but it will be found that the sacred writers never
describe an angel as smging. Songs belong to the Redeemer and
the redeemed.
In the beginning of this Gospel, and nowhere else, we read of

ST. LUKE. 69
Simeon and Anna, and of those "who looked for redemption in
Jerusalem ; " also of the visit of Jesus to the capital, at the age
of twelve years, and His conversation with the doctors in the
Temple. II. The introduction to the ministry (chaps, iii,-iv. 13). —
This consists, as in the first Gospel, mainly of these three : the
preaching of John the Baptist with awakening effect; the
baptism of Jesus by John ; and His temptation in the
wilderness. III. The ministry in GaHlee (chap, iv, 14-ix. 50). — Matthew
at once describes Jesus as preaching the nearness of the kingdom
of heaven ; and the first discourse reported by him is the
sermon conceming the beatitudes of the kingdom, and its laws
of righteousness. But Luke shows Him in the synagogue at
"Nazareth, where He had been brought up," preaching the
Gospel to the poor, and proclaiming the acceptable year of the
Lord, The great discourse, or sermon on the mount, he gives
at a later period, in an abbreviated form, and without any
mention of the kingdom.
Though the parables and miracles do not all fall within this
division, it is convenient to speak of them here, St Luke
narrates more parables than St, Matthew, and about the same
number of miracles. Peculiar to him are the parables of the
two debtors, the good Samaritan, the friend at midnight, the
rich fool, the barren fig-tree, the great supper, the lost drachma,
the prodigal son, the unjust steward, the rich man and Lazarus,
the unprofitable servants, the unjust judge, the Pharisee and
the publican, and the talents. Peculiar also to him are the
foUowing miracles : — The first draught of fishes, the raising of
the widow's son, the healing of a woman with a spirit of
infirmity, and of a man with the dropsy, the cleansing of ten
lepers, and the healing of Malchus, This enumeration shows
us at a glance what a valuable addition to our knowledge of
Christ we obtain from the pen of St Luke.

70 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
IV. The journey to Jerusalem (chap. ix. 5 i-xix. 44). — This
is described with fulness. We see the Lord wending His way
slowly through Galilee and Samaria, healing and teaching;
sending out the Seventy in His name; confuting and re
proving the scribes and Pharisees, and preparing His own
mind and those of His immediate companions for His rejection
and decease at Jerusalem.
His approach to the capital is related with great pathos, and
at the same time with the most scrupulous accuracy. Whether
one takes the route from Bethany over the southern shoulder
or that over the crest of Olivet, there is a first glimpse of
Jerusalem, which is soon lost through inequality of the ground,
and then suddenly a splendid view of the entire city. The
evangelist distinctly indicates this. The first view is implied
in the words — " And when He was come nigh, even now at
the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of
the disciples began to rejoice." While the attendant multitude
rejoiced, and Jesus replied to the murmuring Pharisees, they
were passing over the intermediate dip in the ground. Then,
we have the second and much clearer view of Jerusalem, with
its effect on the Saviour's mind, in the sentence — " And when
He was come near. He beheld the city, and wept over it." *
Luke is true to his plan of writing a gospel of humanity, when
he shows us the Saviour's tears.
V. The Passion (chap. xix. 45-xxiii.) — The days of passion-
week are not marked so carefuUy as they are by St. Matthew ;
but there is a fuU report of our Lord's controversy with His
enemies in the Temple, and of His discourse of encouragement
and prophecy to His disciples. One story of this period Luke
has in common with Mark ; and it is not found in Matthew,
viz., that of the widow who cast her two mites into the treasury.
"And He looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts
into the treasury," &c. t It seems strange that our Lord
"looked up" to the treasury; but the explanation is easily
* Chap. xix. 37, 41- t Chap. xxi. i.

ST. LUKE. 71
found in the parallel narrative — ¦" And Jesus sat over against the
treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the
treasury,"* Being in a sitting posture, the Lord must have
looked up to observe those who cast in their offerings. It is a
smaU point, but every one knows how the minuteness of a
coincidence may increase its evidential value.
In the account of the last supper, we are again reminded of
the intimacy between St. Luke, and St Paul. The account
given by the former, differing as it does somewhat from that of
the other evangelists, agrees with the language of the well-known
passage in i Corinthians xi. St. Luke has, after the giving of the
bread, the words — "Do this in remembrance of me" — which
Matthew and Mark have not, but Paul has. He seems also,
like Paul, to mark a pause or interval between the bread and
the wine ; and has the words — "This cup is the New Covenant
in my blood " — while Matthew and Mark have — " This is my
blood of the New Covenant,"
We have said that the healing of Malchus in the garden, and
the penitence of one of the crucified robbers, are found in this
Gospel only. So also is the arraignment of Christ before Herod.
St, Luke seems to give us a Roman rather than a Jewish account
of our Saviour's trials and sufferings ; and it has been plausibly
conjectured that he, while living at Caesarea, the chief seat of
the Roman garrison, gathered details from some of the soldiers
who had been under Pontius Pilate's orders at Jerusalem, This
would account for his intimate knowledge of things which could
not come under the direct cognizance of persons without the
judgment hall, or standing at a distance from the cross, but
which the soldiers in charge of the prisoner must have seen and
heard. It may be added, that it is Luke who gives us the
name of the place of death as Calvary, The other three evan-
geUsts use the Hebrew name Golgotha.
VI, The Resurrection and Ascension (chap, xxiv.) — This
section has great interest and value. It describes the early
* Mark xii. 41.

72 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
discovery by the women of the emptiness of the tomb, and
Peter's unfeigned amazement when he verified the fact There
follows an account of our Lord's walk with two disciples to
Emmaus, and their recognition of Him "in the breaking of
bread." If this had been represented as His first appearing on
that day, it would have contradicted other accounts ; but it is
not so. When the two disciples hastened back from Emmaus
to Jerusalem, they were told of an appearing of Christ prior to
that which had been vouchsafed to them — " The Lord is risen
indeed, and hath appeared unto Simon." Now, of this inter
view we have no other mention by the evangelists ; but it is
important to notice the corroboration by St Paul — " He rose
again the third day according to the Scriptures, and He was
seen of Cephas, then of the twelve." *
Much stress is laid on the connection between the passion
and the resurrection ; and this also is a favourite theme with
St Paul. Three times we have it in the last chapter of this
Gospel — " The Son of man must be crucified, and the third day
rise again " — " Ought not Christ to have suffered these things,
and to have entered into His glory ? " — " It behoved Christ to
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day." In like manner,
in the Epistles of Paul, we read of Jesus " delivered for our
offences, and raised again for our justification ; " self-humbled,
and therefore by God highly exalted.
True to the last to the human aspect of his Gospel, St. Luke
describes the Risen One as breaking bread, and even eating of
fish and honey-comb, to assure His disciples of the reality of
His body; speaking of it as having "flesh and bones;" and
showing His hands and feet which had been pierced upon the
cross. Then is related the ascension of the Man of love, bless
ing with outstretched hands, and carried up into heaven to
obtain from the Father, and to shed forth upon the disciples,
the best of blessings — the power of the Holy Ghost
Such in brief is this inestimable narrative. It begins with
joy at the Nativity ; and it ends with great joy at the Ascension.
* I Cor, XV, 4, s.

ST. LUKE. 73
It brings Jesus very near, as One with whom we may enjoy
companionship. The Saviour here described is not a being who
is neither quite a God nor quite a man, but One who, being
verily God, also became verily man. This is our flesh and
blood. " Forasmuch as the chUdren are partakers of flesh and
blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same." *
This comes well before the Gospel according to St John,
which is the record of the Son of God. Under St. Luke's
guidance, we trace the Son of man from His mother's womb to
the cross and the grave, and from the grave to heaven. Our
Lord's return to the Father is represented rather as an assumption
than an ascension into heaven, " He was parted from them,
and carried up.'' * Heb. ii, 14.

( 74 ;

ST. JOHN.
This is the spiritual Gospel — the most filled with the glory of
the Son of God — the most imbued with His mind — and the
most occupied with His own words of eternal life. We must
read it, while with joy, also with deep reverence, for heaven
lies about us, and a cloud of glory hangs upon the page. All
devout students have spoken of this book with peculiar venera
tion and tenderness. It is finely said by a German author —
'' In the perusal of St. John's writings, I always feel as if I saw
him before me at the Last Supper, lying on his Master's breast.
I am far from understanding all that I read, and often it seems
to me as if St. John's meaning were floating at a distance before
my eyes ; still even then, when I am gazing into a passage alto
gether dark to me, I have yet a strong presentiment of some
great and glorious thought which I shall one day be able to
understand." *
There is no need to expatiate on this evangelist's personal
history. The son of Zebedee and Salome, the brother of James,
the intimate friend of Peter, the youngest of the apostles, and
the survivor of them all — John is as well known as Paul him
self throughout aU the Church.
This book is certainly one of the last written in our New
Testament. There are internal indications of its having been
composed after the faU of Jerusalem. Thus — "Bethany was
nigh unto Jerusalem." " He went forth with His disciples over
the brook Cedron, where was a garden." "In the place where
He was crucified there was a garden." After the siege and fall
* Claudius, quoted by Besser.

ST. JOHN. 75
of Jerusalem, no doubt gardens were devastated, and the general
aspect of locaHties greatly changed. True, we read — " There is
at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool ; " but this does not
weaken our inference, because the pool of Bethesda is known
to have remained long after the Roman destruction of the city.
Intemal evidence, in fact,' supports the old tradition, that St
John wrote this work about the end of the first century.*
The place of publication is supposed to have been Ephesus. It
certainly was some place at a distance from Palestine ; for
John, though himself a Galilean, writes of " the Jews " — " the
feast of the Jews " — " the manner of purifying of the Jews."
Let us consider (i.) The purpose of this book; (2.) Its
characteristics; (3.) Its structure and contents.
I. The purpose or object of this Gospel has been variously
represented. It has been thought that John wrote in order to supplement
the memoirs of Christ previously written by Matthew, Mark, and
Luke, Now, it is extremely probable that he had seen one or
more of these books, which were well circulated before the
close of the first century ; and, on this very account, omitted
from his work many important facts related by the previous
evangelists. John says nothing of the conception and nativity
of Jesus — His baptism, t^nptation, transfiguration, parables,
ejcorcisms — the Lord's Supper — the agony in the garden — the
ascension into heaven. On the other hand, he records many
things that greatly enlarge our view of the Saviour's ministry,
and help us to a more full understanding of the duration and
significance of His public life than we have derived from the
three preceding narratives. So far as they inform us, the
ministry only began from the imprisonment of John the Baptist,
and occupied about a year; but we now learn that it really
* The Neologian view, which dates this work in the second century, and
ascribes the doctrine of the Logos to a disciple of Philo, has been trium
phantly refuted by Luthard, Godet, Westcott, Salmon, and others. We
have no room for the discussion.

76 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
covered at least two years and a quarter, and perhaps three
years. Yet, history was certainly not the chief object of St
John. His purpose was deeper than that of a writer of
memoirs ; and the help he gives us on chronological questions
is of a quite incidental, one may almost say, accidental
character. It has also been maintained, that this book was written for a
controversial purpose, to confute the Gnostic heresy. Now, it
is certain that St. John vehemently opposed those who denied
the Son, and therein denied the Father also ; and that in his
old age, he contended with Cerinthus, a leader of Jewish
Gnosticism at Ephesus. It is also plain that this Gospel is so
written, in harmony with the three Epistles of St. John, as to
furnish the Church, after his decease, with weapons of truth
against the perilous errors which seducing spirits brought in.
But, it is one thing for a history to be so written as to establish
controverted truth ; another thing for it to be written with a
ruling polemical purpose. The former is fair, but the latter
never commands perfect confidence. Now, this Gospel is the
former, not the latter. It is a faithful record, and not a polemic
in disguise.
But why theorise on the object of this book? It tells its
own purpose. " These^ things are written that ye may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing ye
may have life through His name.* The venerable apostle writes
to elevate the whole Christian conception of Jesus, and to sus
tain faith in Him as the Christ, the Son of God, in whom we
have life. He does not address himself to prove this by facts
and reasonings, but soars at once to the heights of Divine ex
istence, and sets out from a beginning or ever the world was.
He is the teacher of Divine manifestation to man, as St Paul is
of the Divine reconciliation of man. His purpose, therefore, is
to show us how "the divinity was manifested in Jesus Christ
upon the earth, and what unbroken union there was and is
between the Father and the Son.
* Chap, XX. 31.

sr. JOHN. -j-j
II, The characteristics of this book in thought and style are
strongly marked.
I. In thought it is very deep — full of theology and of
symbolism. It goes beyond the ordinary thinking of a narrative,
— even of a sacred narrative, and has a combination of philo
sophical reflection with poetical elevation ; whUe it retains a
Hebrew cast of thought, and, like the Book of Revelation, has
its roots deep in the Old Testament.
A succession of events is marked, but vaguely, by the phrases
" after this," " after these things." It is no object to this evan
gelist to give mere notes of time. All the incidents are selected,
and the conversations, discourses, and acts of Christ are grouped
with a view to their inner meanings, and the expression in sign
and symbol of far-reaching truths.
2. In style St John is peculiar and very effective. He has
not so large a vocabulary as St Luke, but knows how to use
distinctive words. Thus, only he has " the Logos," and " the
Only Begotten," as titles of our Saviour; "the Paraclete" as
a designation of the Holy Spirit ; and the description of Christ's
death as His. being " lifted up," There are also terms not ex
clusively his, which he employs with marked and emphatic
frequency, e.g., the Life, the Light, the Lamb, the Truth.
The sentences are constructed with extreme simplicity, but
they are often singularly strengthened by the recurrence of im
portant words, thus : " In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God ; " " He was in the
world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew
Him not ; " " If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not
true. There is another that beareth witness of Me ; and I know
that the witness which hewitnesseth of Me is true." * Sentences
thus formed are grouped together in paragraphs, so that the effect
of the composition, while inartificial, is singularly powerful
"The multiplication of simple elements issues in a result of
acknowledged grandeur. The words seem to hang about the
reader till he is forced to remember them. Each great truth
* Chap. i. I, 10 ; v. 31, 32.

78 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
sounds like the burden of a strain ever falling upon the ear with
a calm persistency which secures attention. And, apart from
forms of expression with which all are early familiarised, there
is no book in the Bible which has furnished so many figures of
the person and work of Christ, which have passed into the
common use of Christians, as the Gospel of St, John. ' I am
the Bread of Life;' 'I am the Light of the 'World;' '7 am
the Good Shepherd;' 'lam the "Vine,' are words which have
guided the thoughts of believers from the first ages." *
It should also be noticed here that it is the custom of this
evangelist to intersperse his narrative with reflective or explana
tory comments. Matthew, Mark, and Luke never do this. They
confine themselves to pure narration, only venturing to translate
a foreign word, or quote an appropriate Old Testament prophecy;
but John is always looking into, and thinking over, the words
and actions of his Lord. Thus he explains the language of
Jesus regarding the rebuilding of the Temple in three days ;
remarks that His question to Philip about buying bread for the
multitude did not spring from any perplexity ; interprets His
promise of living water on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles;
and accounts for the words of Caiaphas as to the expediency of
one man dying for the people, t
III. The structure of the Gospel is well worthy of careful
attention. It proceeds on a thoughtful symmetrical plan.
I. The introduction, or prologue (fiha,^. i. 1-18). Mark goes
back to the beginning of the Gospel ; Matthew farther back, to
Abraham ; Luke still farther back, to Adam ; Moses went back
to the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth.
But John reverts to a period yet more remote, the beginning of
the manifestation of God, who yet never began, but eternally
was. This evangelist has been caUed " the Divine," because he is so
much occupied with the Divine existence, and the manifestation
* Dr. Westcott's " Introduction to the Study of the Gospels," 4th Edition,
p. 268.
+ Chap. ii. 21, 22 ; vi. 6 ; vii. 39 ; xL 51, 52 ; also chap. xii. 33.

ST. JOHN. 79
of the Divine glory in the person of the Son. Now the Son is
not created or made, but "only-begotten of the Father;" and,
as such, is " a partaker of that incommunicable and imperishable
essence which is sundered from all created life by an impassable
chasm." * To the Son is given in this book the significant
title, " the Word " (Logos), the Expression of God implying
perfect declaration of the thought. The Word is the revealer
and the revelation of the Invisible God.
In the introduction, the Logos is set forth, (i), in His Divine
nature and efficiency, and, (2), in His relation to the world —
His creatorship — His quickening and illuminating power over
men — His entrance into the world by incarnation, and taber
nacling among men. The Only Begotten is possessed of "glory,"
and this thought pervades the whole book. In miracles the
Lord showed forth His glory ; and in death the Son of Man
was glorified. This prologue, in fact, furnishes a subUme basis
for all true Christology ; exhibiting our Lord in His relation to
God, to the world, and to Israel, and in His contrast with
Moses ; " for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ''
Brief mention is made in the introduction of witnesses to
Christ. " There was a man sent from God, whose name was
John." He is never called the "Baptist" in this book. "The
same came for a witness." And whence came he ? St. Luke
tells of the parentage and youth of John the Baptist, but these
things are nothing to the purpose ¦ of this evangelist In St.
John's view, all things are of God. The, true Light came forth
from God; and the witness to that Light was "a man sent
from God." Then the testimony of the witness John is cor
roborated by that of the apostles — "We beheld His glory, the
glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father." The apostle-
evangelist had the most intimate friendship with Christ ; but
he will, on no account, name himself, even as a witness. He
speaks of the Baptist as "John," and as though there was no
other John than he. He is particular in his notices of his
* Canon Liddon's Bampton Lectures, 2d ed. p. 233.

8o SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
fellow-apostles ; distinguishes Simon Peter from Simon Zelotes,
Judas not Iscariot from Judas Iscariot ; gives the surname of
Thomas, Didymus ; and mentions that Philip, Andrew, and
Peter, were all of the town of Bethsaida ; but when he would
allude to himself, it is as " that other disciple," or " the disciple
whom Jesus loved."
2. The manifestation and rejection of Jesus Christ (chap, i,
19-xii.) This section develops the emphatic sayings in the
prologue, that Christ was the true light of life ; that He was
in the world, and the world knew Him not ; nay, that He came
to His own things in Immanuel's land, and His own people,
Israel, received Him not.
In the time of His manifestation, our Lord had many wit
nesses ; and they are thus arrayed before us.
(i.) The witness of John. This is furnished in his reply to
the queries of the priests and Levites from Jerusalem; his
testimony addressed to his own disciples, that Jesus was the
Lamb of God who should take away the sin of the world, with
a statement that he had seen the Spirit descending from heaven
like a dove, and abiding upon Him ; the repetition on the
following day of the saying — " Behold the Lamb of God ; " and
another very full and important testimony of John addressed to
his disciples at JSnon, near to Salim, in which he pointed out
the Son of God as the Bridegroom, and the One who, coming
from heaven, is above all.
(2.) The witness of disciples. Those who found Christ, or
were found of Him, testified of Him to others. Thus Andrew
witnessed to his own brother Simon ; and Philip to Nathanael ;
and the woman at Sychar to the men of that town ; and the
man who was healed at Bethesda to the Jews, telling them
" that it was Jesus who had made him whole,"
(3.) The witness of signs. Miracles are never called by this
evangeUst &\jta/iii;, mighty acts, as in the other Gospels ; but
always aripiTa, signs — expressing the character of Jesus, and
showing forth His glory. Their influence in attracting faith,
as well as admiration, is particularly dwelt upon. Thus, it is

ST. JOHN. 8 1
written, " This beginning of signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee,
and manifested His glory ; and His disciples believed on Him."
— " Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover on the
feast-day, many believed in His name, when they saw the signs
which He did." *
The Lord referred also to other, and even higher witness —
the testimony of His Father in the ancient Scriptures, wherein
Moses and the prophets wrote of Him. And the truth estab
lished by so many witnesses was always this : that He was the
Son of God, and that He had not come of Himself, but the
Father had sent Him.
Now let us trace the manifestation.
(i.) To the Jews (chap. ii. 13-iii.)
According to this Gospel, Jesus repaired early in His ministry
to Jerusalem. He, whose right it was to reign, came to the
capital city; but not yet to claim the throne. His first work
was to cleanse the Temple ; and this He did as the Son of
God — purging His Father's house. Of the miracles which He
wrought at that feast in Jerusalem we haVe no detailed
account, but they induced many to believe on His name ;
and a ruler of the Jews, named Nicodemus, went so far as
to visit Jesus by night, and make this avowal — "Rabbi, we
know that Thou art a Teacher come from God; for no man
can do these signs which Thou doest, except God be with him,"
Then to this representative man of Jerusalem, our Lord un
folded earthly and heavenly things, affirming the necessity of
regeneration, and the love of God in redemption.
After this, Jesus retired for a little, with His disciples into
the rural parts of Judea, The next stage of His manifestation
was — ¦
(2.) To the Samaritans (chap. iv. 4-42).
The Saviour made Himself known to a sinful woman by
Jacob's well at Sychar, forgetting hunger, thirst, and weariness
in the joy of finding one sheep that was lost, one child that
* Chap. ii. 11-23. See also chap. iv. 46-54; v. 36; vi. 14; vii. 31 ;
X- 21, 37, 38, 41, 42 ; xi. 4, 45.
VOL. II, F

82 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
had gone astray. Her case contrasts with that of Nicodemus
at Jerusalem. The Pharisee was told of the birth of water
and of the Spirit, and of the redeeming love of God ; but he
went away in the night, afraid of the Jews, and for the time
held his peace. This woman was told of the water of life, of
worship in the Spirit, and of the Father's love ; and she,
having no Pharisaic pride to, combat, or Pharisaic position to
forfeit, spoke with a changed heart and roused conscience, and
could not hold her peace — " Come, see a man which told me
aU things that ever I did : is not this the Christ ? " The Lord
went into the town of Sychar, and tarried there. He did no
mighty works. Miracles or signs were not asked for, because
conscience was at work among the Samaritans, and many
believed because of His word.
(3.) To the Galileans (chap, iv, 43-54). The people of the
northern province did not hunger for His word as did the
Samaritans. Except they saw signs and wonders they would
not believe ; and such reception as they gave Him was only
for His works' sake. Now, here also one prominent case is
quoted. As at Jerusalem we have seen Jesus conversing with
Nicodemus, and- in Samaria, Jesus talking with the woman of
Sychar; so also in Galilee, we see Jesus answering the sup
plication of " a certain nobleman " from Capernaum, But He
went not into the town as He had done at Sychar, because it
was a work of healing, not the word of salvation, that was
sought. The son of the nobleman was cured ; and the father
" himself believed, and his whole house.''
It is impossible not to mark a design in these successive
narratives, Jesus visits the three great divisions of the country,
showing Himself mighty in word and deed ; and in each, a
representative person is brought into near communication with
Him. Then the story returns to Jerusalem. Jesus stands alone,
maintaining against the Jews His claim to be the Son of God
sent into the world. By " the Jews," we are to understand
the rulers and leaders, not the multitude. When Jesus healed

ST. JOHN. 8j
an impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, they resented the
act of mercy, because it was done on the Sabbath-day. They
could not rise above rigid forms and legal prescriptions, or
understand the divine working and super-Sabbatic authority of
Jesus as the Son of God. After a while, they were again
irritated by the opening of the eyes of a blind man in Jeru
salem — also on the Sabbath-day.
The controversy over the first of these miracles is reported
at length ; and then the Lord is shown to us again in Galilee.
He feeds the multitude, and He walks on the sea. He speaks
marvellously in the synagogue at Capernaum of Himself as the
true bread, and of the life of the world to be found in eating
the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of Man,
Again, the Lord is in Jerusalem at the feast of Tabernacles,
teaching in the Temple ; vindicating His Divine mission ; and,
on the last and great day of the. feast, inviting all who were
athirst to come to Him and drink. The evangelist explains
this of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which believers on Jesus
were soon to receive.
The four chapters which follow illustrate the truth that
Jesus Christ is light and life. They are in pairs ; the first
pair showing the light, and the second the life. In the Sth
chapter Jesus proclaims Himself "the light of the world." He
does so in the morning when the light was fading from the
colossal lamp-stands of the Temple which were lit at the Feast
of Tabernacles, and the sun which iUuminates the world was
rising in the East. There ensued a sharp conflict of words
with the Jews, who at last took up stones to stone Him whom
they, could not confute. But "He went out of the Temple,
going through the midst of them, and so passed by," The 9th
chapter continues and completes the manifestation of the light,
Jesus, having affirmed His own dignity as " the light of the
world," displays His power by opening the eyes of a man who
had been "blind from his birth," The loth chapter reveals
our Saviour as the life, having such sayings as these : " I am
come that they may have life;" "I give unto them eternal

84 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
life." Then, as the 9th chapter illustrated His enlightening
power, the nth exhibits His quickening power. He raises
Lazarus from the dead, and shows Himself to be " the resur
rection and the life."
The 12th chapter closes this great division of the Gospel,
and seals the condemnation of the Jews. The Son of God was
manifested and rejected. Certain Greeks inquired after Him,
but of the Jews it is thus written : " Though He had done so
many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him,"
His last testimony to the people of Jerusalem is given in these
solemn sentences: "Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on
Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me : and he
that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me, I am come a light
into the world, that whosoever believeth on Me may not abide
in the darkness. And if any man hear My words, and keep
them not, I judge him not ; for I came not to judge the world,
but to save the world. He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth
not My sayings, hath One that judgeth him ; the word that I
have spoken, the same shall judge Him in the last day. For
I have not spoken for Myself ; but the Father which sent Me,
He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I
should speak. And I know that His commandment is life
eternal : whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said
unto Me, so I speak." *
3. The Passion (chaps, xiii. -xix.) St. John does not relate
the institution of the Lord's Supper, though he refers to the
Pascal Feast, and describes an action of Jesus after supper
which had a deep symbolic meaning, — the washing of the
disciples' feet.
PecuUar to this Gospel is the record of many gracious words
spoken by Christ between the last supper and the betrayal into
the hands of His enemies. First there is a conversation, in
which Peter, Thomas, Philip, and Jude all take part Then
the Lord pours out a long and sweet discourse of love, union,
peace, fruit-bearing, consolation of the Spirit, and victory over
* Chap. xiL 44-50. ,

ST. JOHN. 85
the world. This is again followed by his high-priestly prayer —
a passage which has always been regarded as a sort of " holy of
hoUes " in the Scripture, so full is it of sublime thought and
Divine intimacy. Bengel said truly of the 17 th chapter of
this Gospel, that it is " in the words of it the most simple, but
in the sense of it the most profound in all the Bible."
Though this evangelist does not mention the agony in the
garden, he is very explicit in regard to the trial and crucifixion
of Christ. Many incidents are mentioned by him only ; e.g.,
that the band who came to take the Saviour " went backward
and fell to the ground " when He confronted them ; that Simon
Peter was the disciple who smote the servant of the high
priest; and that the servant's name was Malchus. This last
point would have come naturaUy within the cognisance of John,
for he was acquainted with the high priest and his household ;
and Simon Peter being dead when this book was written, there
was no longer any reason to conceal that the bold stroke of the
sword was by his hand. In this Gospel only, ^we find our
Lord's language to Pontius PUate about the kingdom not of
this world, and the royal dignity of a witness to the truth;
also the exclamation of Pilate, " Ecce homo ! " Then, in
describing the actual crucifixion, John is the only writer who
tells us of the division of Christ's garments by the soldiers ;
His committal of Mary His mother to this disciple's care ; and
the piercing of His side after death with a spear, causing blood
and water to gush out Of this last outrage John was an eye
witness : " He that saw it bare witness, and his witness is true ;
and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye also may believe."
We may add that it is in this Gospel only, that we behold
Nicodemus the ruler of the Jews associated with Joseph of
Arimathea in burying the body of Jesus with fragrant spices.
4, The Resurrection and its evidence (chap, xx, )
This section also abounds in fresh matter. It contains the
beautiful story of Peter and John hastening to the sepulchre on
hearing of its empty. condition from Mary Magdalene,

86 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
" At dawn of morn
Erom her sad couch she sprang forlorn,
She sought to weep with Thee alone,
And saw Thine open grave, and knew that Thou wert gone. ''
It tells of the Lord's appearing and speaking to Mary Magdalene
in the morning ; and then, passing by the appearings vouch
safed to the other Mary with Salome and Joanna, to Simon
alone, and to the two disciples at Emmaus, relates the important
visit of the Lord to His disciples in Jerusalem " on the same
day at evening."
After the salutation of peace, and the exhibition of His
hands and His side to prove that it was truly He, (i.) the
Lord appointed to His disciples an embassy. " As my Father
hath sent Me, even so send I you." They had seen that He
had sought for Himself no earthly grandeur or kingdom of this
world, but had broughtlight into the world by testifying of the
Father. Now were they to go out and testify of Him^ spreading
light in the midst of darkness, and life in the midst of death ;
preaching good tidings, publishing peace. (2.) Then He conferred
on them a qualification. " When He had said this. He breathed
on them, and saith unto them. Receive ye the Holy Ghost"
The Spirit had rested on Him as the Father's witness ; and the
same Spirit must rest on them as His witnesses. The fulness
of this blessing, however, was not enjoyed till the day of
Pentecost The Lord breathed on the disciples when He gave
them their commission; but they did not begin to act upon
that commission tiU the Holy Ghost descended upon them in
power after fifty days. (3.) Jesus also gave to the disciples on
that night a high prerogative. "Whose soever sins ye remit,
they are remitted unto them ; and whose soever sins ye retain,
they are retained." It is a gross error to interpret this of
priestly shriving or absolution. It is to be explained by the
parallel passage in the Gospel of St Luke, that " repentance
and remission of sins should be preached." * And it is to be
gathered from the Acts of the Apostles how this prerogative
* Luke xxiv. 46, 47.

sr. JOHN. S7
was actuaUy understood and used by those in whom it was
vested. They made no terms with sinners, granted no
indulgences, and prescribed no penance. They declared God's
pardon to the penitent, and His wrath against the impenitent*
When they went further, it was in the exercise of apostolic
care over the Churches, retaining sins on some for a warning,
as on Ananias and Sapphira stricken with death, and Elymas
with blindness, and on some excommunicated for a season,
" delivered unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord,"
After eight days the Lord appeared again in Uke manner, to
convince the apostle Thomas of His real bodily resurrection.
That disciple may be caUed the sceptic among the twelve ; not
that he had anything in him of the fiippant Sadducee, but that
the constitution of his mind made it impossible for him to
beUeve strange tidings, even though he wished them true,
until he had evidence which his sober judgment could approve.
Now, every class of honest mind, the sceptical as well as any
other, has its place and use both in the Church and in the
world. Our Lord receives all He knows how to 4eal with
the stubborn Thomas as well as with the impulsive Peter ; and
in satisfying the doubts of the former, removing the obstruc
tions to his peace and joy in believing, the Saviour has
furnished an additional security to us all that He has indeed
risen from the dead. Even Thomas was satisfied, and, passing
from joy to absolute certainty, he "answered and said unto
Him, My Lord and my God."
5. The Epilogue or supplernent (chap, xxi.) This was no
doubt written by St. John, but at a later period than the rest
of the book. It relates the second miraculous draught of fishes ;
and the breakfast on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, in which
the food prepared by Jesus was joined with that which the
seven disciples had caught — showing us that the joy of feUow-
ship between the Saviour and the saved is fed alike by that
which He provides directly for them, and by that which they,
* See Acts ii. 38 ; iii 19 ; x. 43.

88 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
through His grace, and at His word, are enabled to attain.
What joy was theirs on that morning, who saw the Lord, and
did eat and drink in His presence, treated as His guests, fed as
His children ? And after the repast came another joy, Simon
Peter was restored, and, having been questioned three times
regarding his love to Jesus Christ, received commission as a
shepherd of the flock of God, The interrogation was intended
not merely to remind him gently of his three denials of his
Master, but also to intimate the essential connection between
love to the Chief Shepherd, and the feeding and leading of His
sheep and lambs. Love is the motive that should actuate all
pastors and spiritual guides ; and love is the very pasture into
which the lambs and sheep must be led.
Walking by the Lake, the Son of God was pleased to give
prophetic hints of the martyrdom of St Peter, and the pro
longed life of St. John. Nothing is said of His ascension.
Our last view is of the good Master pacing the shore, attended
by Peter and John. We see not the end of that path, for, while
they thus walk, the book closes — the curtain of silence falls.
To aU this testimony of the evangelist, the early Church put
a grateful amen — " We know that his testimony is true." We
also, remote though we are in time, may add emphasis to this :
we may know that the testimony of St. John is true, and may
laugh to scorn the efforts of some modern critics to shake the
authority of this Gospel, when we have proved its divine
power over ourselves, and experienced its divine sweetness.
It is a bed of spices, a hill of frankincense, a garden of pleasant
fruits, in which aU devout spirits may meet the Holy One —
the Loving and Beloved,

sr. JOHN. 89
Thus the four evangelical Narratives made known the
Saviour.

The first, written in Palestine, showed to Israel the Messiah.
The second, written at Rome, showed to the Gentiles the
mighty One.
The third, written in Greece, showed to all men the compas
sionate Son of Man.
The fourth, written in Asia Minor, the ancient seat of Theo-
sophy, revealed the Logos incarnate, the Son of God.

( 90 )

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.
This second work of St, Luke occupies a most important posi
tion as the sequel to the Gospels, and the foundation for the
Epistles, Though at some periods it has been treated with a
strange neglect, it must always receive prominence and com
mand attention whenever Church life is revived, and searching
ecclesiastical questions are agitated. Nothing, indeed, tends
so much as the study of the Acts of the Apostles to give men
a comprehension of missionary enterprise, and a grasp of sound
Church principles.
Other treatises, under the same name, were issued in the
second century ; but this excels and outlives them aU. Yet,
the name is not very sufficient, or even accurate. Of several
of the apostles no acts are described ; and, on the other hand,
some are prominent in the story who never were reckoned
among the apostles, e.g., Stephen, Philip, and Barnabas. More
properly, this is the book of the acts of the glorified Redeemer
through His Spirit-guided apostles and preachers on earth. It is
a continuation of St, Luke's Gospel The former treatise, written
for the use of TheophUus, recqrded the beginning of the sayings
and doings of Jesus. This resumes the narrative, and shows
that the activity of Jesus was not stayed or even reduced by
His assumption into heaven, but was put forth all the more,
because He had ascended up on high, and sent down the Holy
Ghost to inspirit, instruct, and extend the Church.
Much that this book contains St. Luke was able to testify as
an eye-witness, for he was with St. Paul at Troas ; accompanied
him to Philippi ; after some years rejoined him at PhUippi,

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 91
and went with him to Jerusalem, Thereafter he was with the
apostle on his way to Rome ; was with him in the storm and
shipwreck on the coast of Malta ; and abode with him in the
great city. Probably, this history was written at Rome in the
year a,d. 63; for St, Paul reached that city a.d. 61, and we
must allow for the two years during which he had stayed " in
his own hired house." We do not make the date later than
A.D, 63, because it was concluded before the issue of St, Paul's
appeal to the Roman emperor.
The chronology presents some difficulties. But there are
four events of secular history incidentally mentioned, the dates
of which are pretty well fixed. They are these ; the dearth in
the days of Claudius Caesar (chap, xi. 28); the death of Herod
Agrippa (chap. xii. 23) ; the decree of Claudius expelling Jews
from Rome (chap, xviii, 2) ; and the recall of the govemor,
Felix (chap, xxiv. 27), By the help of these notes of time, it
can be shown that this history covers about thirty-four years ;
and the dates of some of the principal events in the early
Church can be determined, e.g., the conversion of Saul of
Tarsus, a,d. 37, and the holding of the Christian council at
Jerusalem, a.d, 50,
The introduction (chap, i, 1-12) is of great importance. It
tells us that the Lord Jesus remained on the earth for forty days
after His resurrection. The time is significant. After His
baptism in the river Jordan, our Lord spent forty days in the
wilderness, and now, after His baptism into death. He spent
forty days on the earth, being for most of that time withdrawn
from human view. With the one period of withdrawal He
marked, the beginning, and with the other the close of His
manifestation as the Saviour,
During the forty days. He put the fact of His resurrection
beyond doubt; for "He showed Himself alive by many in
fallible proofs," The appearances were certainly twelve or
thirteen in number, at various places, in various circumstances,
to one, to two, to many witnesses ; and, in every case, the firm
conviction was produced on their minds, and avowed at the

92 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
first opportunity to others, that " it was the Lord." Moreover,
during those forty days, the Master gave commandments in the
Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen, and spoke of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of God. The Holy Ghoit
had not yet descended on the apostles; but Jesus spoke to
them in that power, and His words were afterwards potent in
their hearts, when they also had received the power from on
high, and began to speak in the Spirit, preaching or heralding
the kingdom of God.
This interval of time between the resurrection and ascension
also availed to prepare the apostles for the manner of their
Lord's future intercourse with them, and with the Church. It
was a period of transition between the time when His friends
could " company with Him," and the new time when He should
be with them always, and yet taken out of their sight Risen
from the dead. He had a body stUl, but not the same bodily
conditions and restrictions as before. He showed Himself, or
withdrew Himself from view, at His pleasure. The disciples
knew that He was always near ; but could not tell when, or for
how long a time. He would appear.
At last, when the forty days were completed, the Lord com
manded the apostles not to depart from Jerusalem, as they,
being Galileans, would naturaUy have done; but to "wait for
the promise of the Father." Then, in their sight. He was
assumed into heaven. It was a departure for a longer season,
much longer than any previous withdrawal. But it is such an
absence as consists with a continual presence, too ; and, at an
hour that men think not, it will terminate in a glorious appear
ing. So the apostles were assured by "two men in white
apparel : " * " Te men of GalUee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so eome in like manner as ye have seen Him go
* Angels, no doubt ; but we should not say " angels assuming human
form," for we have no reason to suppose that they have any other shape.
They serve the Divine family ; and the servants have the same form with
the " heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ."

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

93

into heaven," Recognise in this the secret of all the acts, and
all the patience of the apostles. They knew that though the
Lord had ascended, He was not far from any one of them. He
had sent the Holy Spirit into their hearts. Some had glimpses of
His exceUent glory, Stephen saw Him ; so did Paul ; so did
John, And all looked for Him to receive them to Himself,
Then no more periods of absence, and no more tribulation in
the world ; but " for ever with the Lord."
The key to the whole structure of this book is to be found
in the introduction — "Ye shall be witnesses unto Me, (i), both
in Jerusalem ; (2), in all Judea, and in Samaria ; and (3), unto
the uttermost part of the earth."
I. The witnessing Church at Jerusalem (chap. i. 13— vii.)
In Galilee, " five hundred brethren at once " had assembled
very recently ; but in Jerusalem the whole number of disciples
who clave together after their Lord's ascension was a hundred
and twenty. This number included the devout women, because,
though it was not fitting that women should exercise the apos
tolate, or become Church rulers, discipleship and Church mem
bership were from the first open to them equaUy with the other
sex. In Christ Jesus there was "neither male nor female.''
How wise and respeotful is the mention of the mother of Jesus
in the primitive assembly—" The apostles continued with one
accord in prayer and supplication with the women, and Mary
the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren." * At Nazareth,
in her youth, the Virgin Mary had waited meekly and trustfully
for the Power of the Highest to overshadow her, in order to
the conception and birth of Christ. In the same spirit she now
¦ sat and knelt among " the women," waiting for the Power of
the Highest to descend in order to the birth of the Church.
How different is this from the place which superstition has
assigned to the mother of our Lord ! It is thought not enough
that she should be blessed among women ; so she is represented
as a goddess above all — a protectress to be invoked — a crowned
* Chap. i. 14.

94 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and sceptred queen of heaven to be conciliated in order that she
may exert her authority over the Son of God. It is aU irreve
rent and untrue.
The only act in which the company of disciples engaged
before Pentecost, was the filling up of the place from which
Judas Iscariot fell. As the Church was now about to be
founded, it was necessary that there should be twelve apostles,
not eleven. " The wall of the city had twelve foundations,
and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."*
But the brethren could not appoint an apostle. They did what
they could : they chose two names, and of these the Lord
unseen indicated by the lot that He appointed Matthias, The
brethren did not ordain Matthias. It is simply stated that he
" was numbered with the eleven apostles."
After a week of united prayer — glorious precedent for all
such concerts of prayer in after times — the day of Pentecost
arrived. In the Temple were offered, according to the law, the
first fruits of the harvest In the assembly of the disciples,
there was a gathering to God in Christ of the first f raits of
redemption. It was the birthday of the Church of God, The
Holy Ghost descended; and that not in a faint or tentative
manner, but with fulness and power, and with attendant pro
digies. Then Simon Peter, to whom it belonged to take the
initiative and to open the kingdom of heaven with the key
which the Lord had entrusted to him, opened it at Jerusalem,
by preaching Christ in death and resurrection to an astonished
multitude. After he had opened his mouth on that day, no
miracle was wrought The Church was founded on apostolic
testimony, or born of the Spirit with the word of trath. It
was a birth auspicious of a great career. The Church started
into Ufe with thousands of believers ; and daily the Lord added
saved ones to the number.
Then signs foUowing, A lame man was healed at one of the
gates of the Temple in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth ;
and Simon Peter took advantage of the impression produced on
* Rev. xxi. 14.

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 95
the people to deliver a second public address, preaching repent
ance and forgiveness of sins to the men of Jerusalem.
The Church now numbered about five thousand, and the
Jewish authorities could not see its progress without alarm.
They tried to deter the apostles, and to suppress their testi
mony by force. Judaism was plainly in the wrong, for it had
no reply of argument, but only the senseless one of persecution.
All the more disgraceful, too, the attempt to concuss the apostles
into silence, as coming from the Sadducees, the liberal party
in "the Jews' religion." They were offended by the preaching
of the resurrection from the dead ; and a liberalist or ration
alistic party can be quite as bitter as any other, as unfair and
tyrannical, when their pet doctrines, or denials of doctrine, are
called in question. When Peter and John stood before the
Sanhedrim, it was with a very different bearing from that
which they showed, but a few weeks before, when their Master
was brought as a prisoner into the high priest's palace. Then
Peter denied his Lord, and John held his peace. But now
Peter and John astonished the council by their boldness.
Discharged with threats, they returned " to their own com
pany ; " and there was a joyful burst of thanksgiving to God.
But out of the very enthusiasm of the Church its first internal
danger sprung. A generous impulse led the disciples to cast
their earthly possessions into a common fund. Partakers of a
common earthly peril and heavenly hope, they would share
everything together. Not that any rule was enacted to that
effect, or any condition enforced. It was a temporary com
munism, entirely voluntary and optional. But, unfortunately,
there always are persons who wish to pass for Christians of
the highest and most generous type, while yet their hearts
are covetous and selfish ; and, to gain or support their reputa
tion, they must betake themselves to deceit. Such were Ananias
and his wife Sapphira, who pretended to devote all to the
common fund, while they reserved a part, A terribly sudden
death inflicted on each of them, warned the Church of the guilt
and danger of lying to the Holy Ghost,

96 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
After this, " believers were the more added to the Lord,
multitudes both of men and women ; " and, as Sj, consequence,
the conflict with the authorities in Jerusalem was renewed.
The internal danger being purged away for the time, external
danger succeeded. The apostles were arrested; and, though
rescued from death by the considerate speech of Gamaliel, a
learned Pharisee, they were crueUy beaten for the name of
Jesus. But as the winds that rock and scourge the branches
make the tree to strike its roots more widely and deeply in
the ground, so did these troubles confirm and establish the
Church. The rapid increase of numbers rendered it necessary for the
apostles to disengage themselves from the less spiritual employ
ments which had required their attention, such as the super
intendence and distribution of the common fund, and to devote
their time to the higher functions of testimony and prayer.
The "outward business,'' or "serving of tables," was committed
to seven deacons, chosen by the disciples at large, and ordained
by the apostles with prayer and imposition of hands. It was
the first new wheel introduced into the simple machinery, and
introduced only as and when the actual need arose. The
names of the seven are Greek, and indicate that they were
Grecians or Hellenist Jews. This was fitted, and no doubt
designed, to satisfy the Grecians who had murmured against
the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily
ministration. As the first deceit in the Church was connected
with property, so, also, was the first dissension; for "the love
of money is a root of all evil."
One of the deacons has the glory of being the first martyr
furnished by the Church. The violent but glorious death of
Stephen closes the first division of the Book of Acts. Jeru
salem, having crucified the Master, now stoned one of His
disciples, Stephen saw the Master in Heaven ; committed his
spirit to Him; prayed for his murderers, — and then "fell
asleep." He lost his life for Christ's sake, and found it He
was faithful unto death, and won that crown of life which his

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 97
very name, Stephen, seemed to predict for him. His death
suggests to us Bunyan's description of the departure of Mr.
Valiant-for-truth across the river to the Celestial City, He
made his will, which was this, — "My sword I give to him
that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and
skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with
me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles, who
will be my re warder now,'' When Mr, Valiant-for-truth went
into the river, he said, "Death, where is thy sting ?" And as
he went down deeper, he said, " Grave, where is thy victory ? "
"So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on
the other side."
The Church at Jerusalem was agitated by this outbreak of
violence, but could not be suppressed. Indeed, from the death
of Stephen it took a new impulse, and began to spread abroad,
II, The witnessing Church in Judea and Samaria (chaps,
viii, ix.)
The apostles remained at their post in Jerusalem ; but per
secution scattered some of the disciples, and the Spirit of the
Lord led them to Samaria.* In the rural parts of Judea, they
had only to enlarge the work begun at Jerusalem ; but in
Samaria they struck new ground. They dealt with a people
who were neither Jews nor Gentiles, but were of mixed origin,
and occupied an intermediate position.
At the city of Samaria, Philip, a colleague of Stephen,
preached with power, and healed many. Tidings of the work
having reached Jerusalem, the Apostles Peter and John came
down on a special mission. Then Samaria had its own Pente
cost ; for, after prayer, the Holy Ghost was received, and,
under the ministry of Peter, the kingdom of God was opened.
At Samaria, too, the Church had its early dangers, from the
same source as at Jerusalem — the love of money. There was
a pertain magician, named , Simon, who had received baptism,
* It was the very track followed by the Lord Jesus Himself. See John
iii. 22, iv. 4.
VOL. II, '^

98 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
but thought that spiritual gifts might be bought with money,
and displayed for money. St. Peter sternly rebuked him ; and
to this day his name is infamous, for we stigmatise the un
hallowed purchase of a spiritual position as simony.
The two apostles, returning from the chief city, preached the
Gospel in the villages of the Samaritans : and at many places
throughout Palestine the work of the Lord began to appear.
On the way from Jerusalem to Gaza, the treasurer of the queen
of Ethiopia, a heathen by birth, but a Jewish proselyte of the
gate, was converted and baptized by Philip. At Lydda and the
neighbouring maritime town of Joppa, Simon Peter healed the
sick, and even raised the dead. "And many believed on the
Lord." The great event, however, of this period was the conversion
of Saul of Tarsus. In those days, this young Pharisee was
going to and fro like a. very dragon, " breathing out threatening
and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord." But the
Saviour whom he persecuted in His members met Saul in the
way, and changed that eager foe into a loving friend. He
called Jesus, Lord ; and at Damascus he received the Holy
Ghost, and was baptized. Then he preached Christ in the
synagogues, exposing himself to the very persecution which he
had so recently kindled against the Church. Now men breathed
out threatening and slaughter against him. The Jews took
counsel to kill him; but the brethren took counsel for his
safety, enabled him to escape from Damascus, and, after he had
gone to Jerusalem and Caesarea, sent him to his own city,
Tarsus. So ends this part of the history. " Then the Church through
out all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, had peace, being e'dified ;
and, walking iu the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the
Holy Ghost, was multiplied,"*
III, The witnessing Chureh going forth to the ends of the
earth (chap, x. -xxviii.) * Chap. ix. 31,

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

99

The interest passes from Jerusalem to Caesarea, the seat of
Gentile government ; and we read of what may be called the
Gentile Pentecost, It was preceded by prayer. It was sig
nalised by preaching, the preacher being the same as at Jeru
salem, and the truth preached substantially the same. Simon
Peter bore witness to Jesus Christ in life, death, and resur
rection ; omitting references to the Old Testament, but adding
these statements for the Gentiles — that Jesus " is Lord of aU,"
and that He is appointed "the Judge of quick and dead."
Again the 'power came. Peter preached, and God wrought,
" The Holy Ghost fell on aU them that heard the word," They
spoke with tongues, and magnified God. Again the apostle
Peter found himself in a scene of blessed commotion, for it was
a day of the right hand of the Most High, Then, with a wise
promptitude, he commanded that those GentUes should " be
baptized in the name of the Lord."
A memorable day for aU nations. It introduced " the times
of the Gentiles." From that hour, to us sinners of the Gentiles
are preached the unsearchable riches of Christ. On us is shed
forth the gift of the Holy Ghost " God hath also to the Gen
tiles granted repentance unto life."
Caesarea, 'however, was no sufficient or suitable centre for
Gentile Christianity ; and our minds are taken away to Antioch,
where the Church was planted by unnamed Hellenist preachers,
and then watered by two men of illustrious name — Barnabas,
whom the apostles sent down from Jerusalem for the purpose,
" for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of
faith" — and Saul, whom Barnabas fetched from Tarsus. At
that time, Antioch was a city of beauty, wealth, and Greek
culture, Josephus says that it was the third city of the empire.
The Church there prospered greatly ; and having much intelli
gence and missionary spirit, made Antioch a sort of Jerusalem
for the Gentile world. It was there that the distinction be
tween the Church and the synagogue began to be opeiUy per
ceived ; for the disciples got a new name, no doubt from the
heathen who saw that they were something more than Jews •

loo SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and they " were caUed Christians first at Antioch." The name
was, in the early ages, covered with opprobrium, and exposed
those who bore it to suffering ; * but it has long ago become a
glorious title on the earth, and we have nothing better to say of
any man than that he is a genuine Christian,
Th6 Church at Antioch showed its faith by its works, and
sent a loving gift to the brethren in Judea, who were in straits
by reason of a "great dearth." Barnabas and Saul carried the
gift to Jerusalem, and handed it over to the elders. Of the
appointment of these officers we have no account ; but St. Luke
seems to mention their existence as a matter of course, for elders
were apoointed over the Church in every city. In congregations,
chiefly of Hebrew origin, they were caUed elders or presbyters ;
in those of Greek origin, bishops or overseers. Accordingly,
St. Peter and St James, writing to Hebrew Christians, use the
word presbyter or elder. + St Pau], in speaking and writing to
Churches of mixed origin, uses both presbyter and episcopos,
elder and bishop. That these were at first equivalent terms is
frankly conceded by our best commentators and ecclesiastical
writers, even of the prelatic school, as by Alford, EUicott, Hatch,
and Lightfoot. The last named, in his exceUent dissertation on
the Christian Ministry appended to one of his commentaries,
not only admits that in the apostolic writings presbyter and
bishop are "only different designations of one and the same
office," but recognises the existence and action of the primitive
presbyteries; and states that "as late as the year a.d. 70 no
distinct signs of episcopal government have hitherto appeared
in GentUe Christendom." Similar testimonies might be ad
duced from the great ecclesiastical writers on the Continent
down to the present day, including authors as far apart from
each other as Dr. DijUinger and Dr. De Pressensi Whatever
argument may be added for prelates or diocesan bishops, it is
certain that the Church of the first century, while founded by
apostles, exhorted by prophets, and extended by evangelists,
* After this it occurs only twice in the New Testament. (Acts xxvi.
28 ; I Peter iv. 16.) f i Peter v. i, 2 ; James v. 14

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. loi
had two orders of officers, and only two — presbyter-bishops, and
deacons.* The errand of Barnabas and Saul leads back the history
to Jerusalem, and, as it left that city on the martyrdom of
Stephen, so it returns to teU of the martyrdom of James, the
brother of John. Herod Agrippa I. had crept by flattery to the
throne of his uncle, Herod the Great, and sought to keep his
seat by pleasing the Jews. Accordingly, he beheaded this
prominent apostle, one of the three most intimate companions
of Christ. He also imprisoned one more prominent still, Simon
Peter; intending to put him to death, as a spectacle to the
people, after the feast of the passover. His purpose was foiled
by the united and persevering prayers of the Church ; for Peter
was delivered out of prison by an angel of the Lord. It is one
of the finest incidents in this book ; and just such an incident
as we should expect to find in a history written by St. Luke,
for, as we have already noticed in his Gospel, it is charac
teristic of him to pay special heed to the subject and the use
of prayer.
Soon after this, an angel of the Lord came on a different
errand, and in an hour when the persecutor Herod was inflated
with pride, smote him so that he died of a loathsome disease.
There is a grand stroke of contrast in these words — "He was
eaten of worms and gave up the ghost ; but the word of God
grew and multiplied." Since that day, the word has outlived
many a proud hater of its doctrine, and many a persecutor of
its witnesses. And to-day it is fresh as ever, and as full of
vitaUty, As many as receive and love it are bound up with
that conquering Church, which survives all the Herods of the
world, inheriting the life everlasting, and the world to come.
A great part of the third division of this book — a full half
of its whole contents — is occupied with the missionary work of
St. Paul and his companions, and with the sufferings and
testimonies of that apostle, as a prisoner for Jesus' sake,
* See Phil. i. I ; I Tim. ii.

I02 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
The missionary journeys are three in number.
1, The expedition of Paul and Barnabas to the island of
Cyprus, and the Asiatic provinces of Pamphylia and Pisidia
(chaps, xiii. xiv.)
The starting-point was Antioch, The moving and directing
power was the Holy Ghost, By Him were chosen for the work
two men — the two whom the Church at Antioch would naturally
have been most reluctant to spare — Barnabas and Saul, At
the time when they were selected, their destination was not
revealed ; but when they set forth, the divine wisdom of the
choice became apparent Barnabas was a Cypriote ; and they
were to sail to Cyprus, Saul was of Tarsus in Cilicia ; and
they were to go mto that country, and the regions lying behind.
Their individual characteristics, too, formed a happy combina
tion. Barnabas was genial and venerable ; Saul fervent and
eloquent, and the more disposed to co-operate with his senior,
because it was Barnabas who had first introduced him to the
confidence of the brethren at Jerusalem, and who had sought
his help to teach and foster the Church at Antioch,
So they went forth, sent by the Holy Ghost, and sent by the
Church, With John Mark as their attendant, they took ship
at Seleucia, the port of Antioch, and, landing in Cyprus,
traversed the extent of the island, preaching in the Jewish
synagogues. At the town of Paphos, they rebuked and judged
a certain sorcerer ; and the pro-consul of the island, Sergius
Paulus,* believed.
After this, Saul is called Paul, and takes the more prominent
part in the work.
From the island the missionaries made for the mainland at
Perga in Pamphylia, at which place John Mark left them,
returning faint-hearted to Jerusalem, But they proceeded to
Antioch in Pisidia, where Paul delivered, in the synagogue, the
* The accuracy of St. Luke is constantly receiving confirmation. The
name of this pro-consul has been discovered on an ancient inscription at
Soli.

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 103
first of all his addresses which is on record. It is remarkable
for its clear statement of a doctrine afterwards dilated on in the
Epistles, viz.. The justification through faith from all things
from which men could not be justified by the law of Moses.
The Gentile population of the town received the message of the
Gospel more readily than the Jews ; and the latter, always
violent in their intolerance, obtained the expulsion of the
missionaries. So they went on to Iconium, where similar
results foUowed ; and thence to the cities of Lycaonia, preach
ing the Gospel with success, A deed of healing at Lystra
induced the superstitious natives to take them for gods in
human form. And yet after this, the mob, at the instigation
of certain Jews, fell on St. Paul, and stoned him, till they
supposed he was dead. But God raised him up.
Wisely and courageously, the two missionaries then returned
over the same route, and organised the Churches they had
founded, ordaining elders in every city, to feed and guard the
flock of God. So, by their presence and their word, they con
firmed the souls of the disciples. Then they returned to
Antioch, and at a great missionary meeting gave in their
report " When they were come, and had gathered the Church
together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and
how He had opened a door of faith unto the Gentiles, And
there they tarried no little time with the disciples."
Between the first and second missionary journeys of St Paul
is inserted a most important, record — that of the first Church
Council, held at Jerusalem for the discussion and decision
of the great question of Gentile Christian liberty. It shows
us that religious and ecclesiastical problems ought to be judged,
not by rulers and parliaments of the kingdoms of this world,
but by those who are entrusted with spiritual jurisdiction in
the house of God. It shows us, also, that local differences
.should not be left to produce local dissension and schism, but
should be submitted by reference or appeal to the collective
wisdom of the Church under the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

104 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
2. The journey of Paul and Silas through Asia Minor,
Macedonia, and Greece (chap. xv. 36-xviii. 22). Now, the
history touches classic spots — Troy, Philippi, Athens, and
Corinth, The proposal of Barnabas to take his nephew Mark on the
second expedition did not please Paul ; and the two friends,
after a sharp dispute on the point, parted company. Paul took
with him Silas, a prophet from Jerusalem ; so that they together
represented the apostles and prophets, the two orders of witness
fundamental in the Church.
St. Paul's first idea was simply to revisit the Churches which
had been planted on his former journey. So he took his way
through Asia Minor; and from the dark region of Lycaonia,
drew to himself a new companion who became very dear tO' him
— Timothy, his own son in the faith. Overpassing the limits
of his first expedition, he came to Troas, or Troy, on the .^geau
Sea, where Luke joined the missionary company.
It was at Troas that a mystic summons was given to the
apostle to pass over into Europe. In a vision a man of
Macedonia stood before him, and said — " Come over and help
us ! " Construing this vision as an expression of the wiU of
Christ, Paul at once set sail with his companions, made a
swift voyage across the narrow sea, and then travelled by land
to the city of Philippi.
The apostle's first convert in Europe was Lydia, whose heart
the Lord opened. She was one of a group of devout women,
who met for prayer by the river side, there being no synagogue
in Philippi. No sooner was she baptized and her house, than
opposition to the work of God began to appear. It came, as
formerly at Paphos, and afterwards at Ephesus, from the heathen
demonism. , An outcry was raised against the missionaries, and
they were unjustly beaten and imprisoned by order of the
praetors. But the Lord rewarded them by the conversion of the
keeper of the prison, who was saved through faith with aU his
house, and forthwith was baptized.
Thessalonica was the next town of importance which they

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 105
visited. Being a place of commerce, it contained many Jews,
and had a synagogue. There, according, to his custom, St. Paul
delivered his testimony ; arguing three points—that the Messiah
promised in the Hebrew Scriptures was to be a sufferer — that,
having suffered, He was to rise again — and that Jesus fulfilled
these conditions, and was the very Christ. His success, however,
was small with his own nation ; and the Thessalonian Church
was formed almost entirely of Gentiles who "turned to God
from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His
Son from heaven." * When the Jews stirred up the heathen
rabble against Paul and Silas,t they departed, by the advice of
their fellow Christians, to the town of Berea. Considerable
success attended them there ; but tumults again arose, and Paul,
being the most obnoxious to the Jews, left the country, his
companions, Silas, Timothy, and Luke, remaining for a while iu
Macedonia. The apostle knew not whither he went ; but a ship was
found on the coast bound for the Piraeus, and it carried Paul
toward the great seats of Gentile knowledge and influence.
Athens heard him discoursing of the true God, and of Jesus and
the resurrection. He was the greatest teacher that had ever
opened his mouth in that city of philosophers ; but it knew him
not. The wisdom of Athens did not appreciate the wisdom of
God, A few believed — among them a judge of the Areopagus,
— but as for the curious questioners of Athens, Paul " departed
from among them," and never visited their city again.
Special mention is made of "a woman named Damaris,"
converted at Athens, Surely Lydia and her companions at
Philippi had prayed for a blessing on their own sex, for at each
city visited by the missionaries we read of female converts.
At Thessalonica there were " of chief women not a few ; " at
* Thess. i. 9, 10.
t St. Luke is careful to give the proper designation of magistrates :
Politarchs at Thessalonica, Asiarchs at Ephesus. The former of these
titles which does not occur in extant classical authors, hag lately been
discovered on an arch which once spanned the main street of Thessalonica.

io5 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Berea,' " of honourable women which were Greeks not a few ; "
and at Athens, though only one woman believed, the circum
stance is mentioned, and her name is embalmed in the undying
record, St, Paul went on to Corinth, the other great city of what was
then called Achaia, or Greece proper. He dwelt there with
Aquila, a devout Jew, of whom, and of his wife Priscilla or
Prisca, we have many favourable notices, " Being of the same
trade," he wrought with them, and earned his own bread.
Fine subject for a thoughtful painter — far above Hercules at the
distaff — the great-souled apostle sitting among his Christian
friends, making tents ! Grand patience of the ardent spirit !
Paul was fit to direct others, for he knew how to repress himself.
He could teU when to advance, for he understood when to
rest and be still. Yet he was never idle. While working
at his trade, he " prayed always " for the Churches so lately
planted in Macedonia, wrote his two letters to the Thessa
lonians, and discoursed every Sabbath in the Corinthian
synagogue. The Jews, unable to confute him, had recourse to their usual
weapons of calumny and violence. They stirred up a tumult,
and aimed at his life ; but it happened that Gallio, the brother
of Seneca, was pro-consul at the time ; and he, not frorn. any
regard for Paul, but from a thorough Roman contempt for the
Jews and their questions, drove the accusers of the apostle from
his presence.
Soon after, St. Paul rapidly concluded this great missionary
expedition. Silas and Timothy had rejoined him at Corinth ;
but on his return to Asia, his companions were Aquila and
Priscilla. He sailed from the port of Cenchrea to Ephesus, and
thence to Caesarea. Having paid a brief visit to Jerusalem " to
salute the Church," he returned to Antioch, his starting point,
where he and Silas had been " recommended by the brethren to
the grace of God." So ends the second missionary journey, by
which the circle of the gospel was greatly widened.

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 107
3, A journey through Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece,
ending at Jerusalem (chap, xviii, 23-xxi. 17),
St Paul took his course through Galatia and Phrygia,
strengthening the disciples in the interior of Asia Minor, While
he was thus occupied, another was breaking up the fallow ground
at Ephesus. It was ApoUos of Alexandria — fervid, diligent,
eloquent, mighty in the Scriptures, When he came to Ephesus,
he was no more than a disciple of John the Baptist ; but he was
privately initiated by Aquila and Priscilla into the Christian
doctrine and life. It is a pleasing incident. The good tent-
maker and his wife did well to discern the promise of usefulness
in this new preacher, and, not exposing his defect of knowledge,
to teach him privately. And ApoUos did well gratefully to
accept their kind instruction.
He went over to Corinth, where " Paul planted, and ApoUos
watered." While he was there, Paul reached Ephesus, the
populous and licentious capital of the province of Asia. His
ministry in that city lasted for two years; was marked by
great power, and crowned with notable success. He began with
twelve disciples, who were in the same position as ApoUos had
been — a position of approximation to Christianity, being subjects
of John's baptism. Having brought them into the Church, St.
Paul made a vigorous effort for the conversion of his country
men, who were still trusting in Moses and the Law, He spoke
boldly in the synagogue, till the opposition became so violent
that he thought fit to organise the disciples separately in a
school or lecture-hall. He also contended with great power
against the prevailing heathenism. Signs and wonders were
wrought in the name of Jesus ; superstitious arts were exposed,
and books of magic openly burnt ; a large Church was formed,
and set in order under many elders or bishops. But this
success led, as usual, to popular tumults, stirred up by designing
men. At Ephesu.s, those who incited the mob were not Jews,
but Pagans, jealous for the honour of the goddess Diana, and,
stUl more, for their profitable traffic in silver shrines — the

io8 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
small models of the temple and idol which it was the fashion to
set up in private houses.
St Paul went on to Troas, and thence passed over into Mace
donia and Greece. His stay, however, was brief, for, after three
months, he resolved to retum to Jerusalem. Luke, who accom
panied him with several other friends, describes the interviews
of Paul with the bands of disciples, on his way to Jerusalem, as
a series of pathetic farewells. At Troas, he continued his part^
ing speech till midnight. At MUetus, when he had spoken to
the elders of Ephesus, "he kneeled down and prayed with them
all. And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed
hira, sorrowing most of all for the word which he had spoken,
that they .should see his face no more. And they accompanied
him unto the ship." The disciples at Tyre, unable to turn him
from his purpose, also attended him to the ship with their wives
and children : " and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed."
The voyage ended at Ptolemais, npw St. Jean d'Acre. Paul and
his friends made their way thence by land to Caesarea, where
warnings and forebodings were renewed. But the apostle, like
his Master, " stedfastly set his face to go up," And so the
journey ended, "When we came to Jerusalem, the brethren
received us gladly,''
The remainder of the book is occupied with the history and
testimonies of St, Paul as a prisoner, chap. xxi. i8-xxviii.
The slightest spark was sufficient to kindle against him the
wildest fury of the Jews in their own city, Jerusalem. Accord
ingly, a false outcry that he had profaned the temple excited a
terrific tumult which nearly cost him his life. Well might he
say of himself — "As dying, and behold we live." From the
clutches of the mob at the gate of the temple he was rescued by
the Roman Chiliarch or military tribune, and immediately after,
without a tinge of angry passion, made a calm and courageous
defence of himself in the hearing of the people. At first they
listened to him ; but, so soon as he spoke of his mission to the
Gentiles, they interrupted him with frantic cries.

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. icg
On the next day, he was brought before the Sanhedrim, to
answer for himself ; and, had it not been for the Roman soldiers,
he would have met the fate of Stephen. The trial ended in a
scene of furious uproar; and the apostle was withdrawn into
the castle, where his spirit was cheered by a vision of the night,
in which the Lord Jesus Christ appeared, and told him that he
would " also testify at Rome."
The violence of the Jews, and the discovery of a murderous
plot against the life of St. Paul, induced the commander,
Claudius Lysias, to send him, under guard, to Caesarea. There
he was arraigned before the governor, Felix, on the accusation
of the Jews, and made a straightforward and crushing reply.
Nevertheless, he was unjustly detained; and, at the recall of
Felix, had been already for two years a prisoner.
The successor of Felix was Festus, a careless man of the
world. He would not concede all that was asked by the Jews,
but, wishing to show them some favour, proposed to St Paul to
go up to Jerusalem to be judged. The prisoner, standing on his
right of Roman citizenship, at once appealed to Caesar, He
would not buy his liberty, as he might have done from Felix,
with a bribe ; but he would avail himself of any protection
afforded by the laws of the empire.
A visit of Herod Agrippa II. to salute the new govemor
gave an opportunity, at this time, for a noble address from the
apostle — the last public testimony which he delivered in
Palestine. It convinced every one of his innocence. But he
must needs go to Caesar's judgment-seat, and testify for Christ at
Rome. He was placed with other prisoners under the charge of a
considerate Roman officer, named Julius, and embarked in a
coaster of Adramyttium. Luke and Aristarchus accompanied
him as friends. At the port of Myra, they went on board a
com ship of Alexandria, bound for Italy. The voyage proved
most unprosperous. After a long and terrible storm, they ran
ashore on the coast of Malta ; but, though the vessel was com
pletely broken up, all who were on board came safe to land.

no SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
On the island they were kindly treated,* and, after a time, re
sumed their voyage in another corn ship, which had as a " sign "
at her prow. Castor and Pollux, the Dioscuri, i.e. the twin
brothers, who were regarded as patrons and guardians of the
sailors on the Mediterranean Sea. They made Syracuse ; then
Rhegium; then Puteoli, and there landed. Italian disciples
now welcomed the much-tried apostle. He went on to Rome ;
and as he approached the city, and saw Roman Christians come
out to meet him, Paul "thanked God and took courage."
The book ends with a description of the apostle dwelling at
Rome in a hired house, under the custody of a soldier — the
mildest form of imprisonment. From that "hired house," he
wrote some of his chief epistles ; and there he " received all
that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and
teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ,
with all confidence, no man forbidding him."
What a marveUous history ! What acts, what sufferings,
what testimonies, what successes ! What strong points the
gospel has seized, and what a sweep it has taken from Jerusalem
and Antioch to Rome !
It is enough. Many other things we might wish to know
that are not recorded in this book.; but it is complete for its
own wise ends, and not a fragment. It is (i) a record of the
founding of the Church against which the gates of Hades shall
not prevail ; (2) a history of the mighty acts of the Son of Man
who is in heaven, through the witnesses and disciples on earth,
guided by His Spirit ; and (3) a mine of wholesome doctrine,
heavenly comfort, and impressive example for Christians always,
to the end of the age.
* Again the title of the chief magistrate is carefully noted. Publius
(or Poplius) was the Protos or Primus of the island.

( III )

THE EPISTLES.

By oral preaching and teaching the apostles and evangelists
gathered men to Jesus Christ, and formed them into churches
of the saints. The Epistles supplement the oral testimony,
survey the condition of the churches, and, with a view to their
education and guidance, descant upon Christian doctrine, dis
cipline, and practice. For this reason it is that all persons of
religious culture find so much spiritual food in the Epistles.
They were composed for the express purpose of feeding the
Church, and impressing sacred truth and duty on the followers
of the Lamb.
They are twenty-one in number, and thus more numerous
than either the historical or the prophetical books. Of the
twenty-one, thirteen are ascribed to St. Paul, one to St. James,
two to St Peter, three to St. John, one to St. Jude, and one
(the Epistle to the Hebrews) is anonymous.
In the Vulgate the Epistles of Paul are placed first, and this
arrangement has been followed in modern versions. It is also
the order of many Greek manuscripts, but not of the oldest, or
of the greatest number; for they place what are called the
general Epistles after the Book of Acts, and before the letters
of Paul
A point of greater importance is the right ordering of St.
Paul's Epistles. We have them placed apparently with some
reference to their size and importance, and not at all in the
order of time in which they were written. The great doctrinal

112 THE EPISTLES.
Epistle to the Romans stands first Then come the two ecclesi-
< astical and admonitory letters to the Greeks ; then six to
churches in Asia Minor and Macedonia ; and lastly, four letters
to individuals. In this order we shall consider them, as we
have already studied the books of the Prophets, though we lose
much by not following the natural order of time. That order
begins with the ist Epistle to the Thessalonians, and ends with
the 2nd Epistle to Timothy, arranging the thirteen Epistles of
St. Paul in three classes, as follows, with their probable dates : —
(i.) Those written before the apostle's Eoman imprisonment,
— six in number — viz.,
ist Thessalonians, a.d. 53.
2d Thessalonians, a.d. 53.
ist Corinthians, a.d. 57.
2d Corinthians, a.d. 58.
Galatians, a.d. 58.
Romans, a.d. 58.
(2.) Those written during the Roman imprisonment, of which
there are four — viz., Philippians, A.D. 62.
Ephesians, a.d. 63.
Colossians, a.d. 63.
Philemon, a.d. 63.
(3.) Those written after the Roman imprisonment, of which
there are three, the last being produced during the second im
prisonment, and quite at the close of the apostle's life — viz.,
ist Timothy, a.d. 65.
Titus, A.D. 66.
2d Timothy, a.d. 67 or 68.
There is no difficulty in understanding why so large a pro
portion of the Canonical Epistles should have issued from the

THE EPISTLES. 113
Apostle Paul. It was he who most abounded in missionary
labours, and was the champion of Christianity, not in little
Judea, but in the great world. Many churches he planted,
others he visited and taught. Over all of them he kept a loving
and watchful eye ; and there came upon him, in his riper years,
a care of all the churches. It appears, too, that he had a most
extensive acquaintance with the Christian workers in the cities
of Asia, Greece, and Italy, The range of his correspondence
resulted from the width of his influence, and the warmth of his
sympathy ; and the tone of it, as illustrated in the specimens
which remain to us, was one of noble fidelity to trath, with
deep and thoughtful affection.
St. Paul was no neophyte, but an experienced Christian
teacher when he began to write the Epistles. He is believed
to have been converted a.d. 37, and the earliest of his extant
letters was not written till a.d. 53, when he had thought much
and suffered much as a Christian, having preached the Word
for sixteen eventful years. His whole ministry extended over
about thirty years, and his Epistles were all composed during
the latter half of that ministry, or within the fourteen years
preceding his martyrdom.
But have we all his Epistles ? It has 'been strongly main
tained that we must have them all, on the ground that all the
writings of an Apostle were entitled to the rank of sacred
scriptures, and that no scripture has been aUowed to be lost.
But this is a baseless assumption. All the words and works of
our blessed Saviour are not found on record ; and if sayings of
the Son of God, which might have been preserved, have been
aUowed to be lost, why should it be supposed that all the
written words of His apostolic servants must have been saved
from the hazards of time as necessary to the completeness of
holy Scripture? Enough of St Paul's correspondence with
Churches and with Christian brethren is preserved for the
information and direction of the Catholic Church in all time
coming. But in the First Epistle to the Corinthians there is
an aUusiop to a previous letter sent to that Church ; and in the
VOL, II, s

114 THE EPISTLES.
Epistle to the Colossians we read of one sent to Laodicea, which
might also be read at Colosse, Possibly the latter of these may
be the Epistle to the Ephesians, sent as a circular letter to the
congregations in the province of Asia ; but the former is surely
a lost Epistle, What Calvin has said of it seems to us quite
reasonable, — " That Epistle of which he speaks is not at this
day extant, nor is there any doubt that many others have been
lost : but it is enough that those remain to us which the Lord
foresaw to suffice," * If many of St. Paul's letters have been
lost, we may infer that letters of the other apostles are also
lost. In course of their ministry they must have had occasion
to write many epistles besides those which kind Providence has
preserved for our learning, and which the whole Church receives
as canonical and inspired.
Before we enter on a detailed examination of the Epistles,
let us say something on their general characteristics, and on the
relations in which they stand to the written Gospels.
I, General Charactbeistics, — Considered in whole, the
Epistles are —
I, Didactic, without the stiffness of dissertation. — They in
culcate the doctrines of our faith in their full development, yet
not in the form of dogma, or with elaboration of reasoning and
exposition. They have argumentative passages, and statements
of truth evidently compacted with care; but their tenor is
epistolary, and they teach with the easy grace and quick tran.si-
tions which are proper to that style,*
2, Comprehensive withMit the formality of system. — Very
wide, indeed, is the range of the Epistles, They deal with the
* " Ista epistola, de qua loquitur, hodie don exstat. Nee dubium, quin
multae aliae exoiderint : sed satis est, quod nobis supersunt quas sufficere
Dominus providit." — Oomm. in 1 Cor,
t On the adaptation of the epistolary form of composition to the indi
vidual genius and disposition of St, Paul, see Farrar's Messages of the
Boohs, pp. 148-150.

THE EPISTLES. 115
character of God, the person and work of Christ, the salvation
by grace, the origin, course, and conflict of spiritual life," the
blessings of justification, adoption and sanctificatlon, the place
and use of the law, the promise of the inheritance, and the
hope of glory. They treat of the nature, caUing, and constitu
tion of the Church, the discipline essential to its prosperity,
the duties of its officers and members ; they also describe the
obligations of Christian men in the family and in society, and
touch on some of the most minute questions of conduct and
intercourse. Throughout all this teaching there rans a perfect
intrinsic consistency, without the trammels of thought and
phraseology in which our systematic writers are bound. In
itself system is good, and it is possible to extract from the
Apostolic Scriptures a systematic and formulated theology ; but
we cannot be too thankful that the sacred writings, and especi
ally the Epistles, were not composed in that method, but have
a play of thought and feeling, a variety and elasticity, which
invite and interest readers of every intellectual grade.
3, Authoritative, without dictatorial hardness. — In every
Epistle there is a very explicit claim of right to admonish, and
even command, to correct, reprove, and set in order. Although
St, Paul was sensitively unwiUing to press his authority, he
always set forth that he was an Apostle of the Lord, and as
such, had power to speak and write what every Church was
bound to hear, receive, and obey. St James used the language
of direction as well as exhortation, and spared not reproof and
threatening. St. Peter took a milder tone, simply exhorting as
an elder : and St Jude, though deaUng with evUs and errors
in trenchant terms, did not press his own authority; but St
John laid great stress on the truth of his record, and would not
permit in any quarter opposition to his apostoUc precepts.
This tone of firmness was needful in the first age of the
Church, when there were so many questions to be settled, so
many errors to be shunned. Still the books of the Apostles
were letters, not decrees; and their directions and commands

ii6 THE EPISTLES.
were accompanied by affectionate persuasions and appeals.
They wrote not — "I command you, my people" — but, "I
beseech you, my beloved brethren.'' With aU his masculine
vigour St Paul had a wonderful persuasive tenderness. St,
Peter wrote with a beautiful humility, St, John often used
the address of kindness — " Beloved," and wrote as a father to
his "little childi*en." It is this combination of authority with
gentleness, after the manner of Christ Himself, which charms
us in the Epistles, and makes them so effectual for the inculca
tion of trath at once on the understanding and on the heart.
II. The Relations which the Epistles bear to the
Gospels. — The oral Gospel is of course pre-supposed and pro
ceeded on. Apostles preached before they wrote. They
preached to make men Christians ; they wrote to instruct the
Christians more fully what to believe, and how to live and
walk as became saints. In the Epistles, the facts of the Gospel
are not formally and consecutively stated, except once (i Cor,
XV, 1-8) ; but they are constantly adverted to, and everything
is based upon them. AU truths centred in, and all comforts
¦and commands emanated from, the Christ of the Gospel, who
had been put to death but was alive for evermore.
But what of the relations which the Epistles bear to the
written Gospels ?
1, It may strike a reader as surprising that the Epistles do
not quote from the Gospels, or once mention any of those
miracles of Christ, which are so fully narrated by the evan
gelists. The explanation is that the Epistles preceded the
Gospels in time, though the latter precede them in canonical
order. It is just possible that the Gospel of St, Matthew may
have been produced before St, Paul began to write to the
Churches ; but those of St, Mark and St. Luke were un
doubtedly of a later date than almost all of his Epistles ; and
the fourth Gospel was not written till Paul, Peter, James and

THB EPISTLES. 117
Jude had all finished their course. There are in St. Paul's
letters a few sayings which appear to be quotations of the
words of Jesus,* but the Apostle may have had these sayings
of the Lord directly from his companion Luke, even before the
third Gospel was written. The Epistles then rested, not on
the four Gospels as written documents, but on the person and
character, words and life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,
as these were known to the Churches at the beginning through
preaching, and through those narratives alluded to by St Luke
in the preface to his Gospel as already in circulation among
the brethren — fragmentary narratives long ago superseded by
the canonical records of the four evangelists.
2. The Epistles contain doctrine more advanced and developed
than the Gospels. On this account it is sometimes charged
against us, that we are disciples of Paul of Tarsus, rather than
of Jesus of Nazareth, and that all our theological views of
atonement, justification, righteousness, election, and the like,
are only Pauline conceptions which we have improperly placed
above the simpler and wider teachings of the Saviour. Now,
it is not difficult to show that all the theological conceptions
referred to, are expressed or implied in the Gospels, and have
the sanction of the Divine Master, But we avow without
hesitation, that they are more fully taught in the Epistles, and
for a very good reason. The words of Jesus Christ were spoken
to Jews and Galileans, not yet persuaded of His Messiahship,
or to those who had just been persuaded, and had become
disciples. To them He revealed as much as they were able to
hear with profit, and turn to good account. He told them of
the Father, the way of access to Him, and the spirituality
esseintial to an entrance into the kingdom of heaven. So teach
ing, he used words and simiUtudes, rich in meanings and
inferences which were not on the surface obvious to all His
* Compare I Cor. ix. 14 ; I Tim, v, 18, with Luke x. 4, 7.
„ I Thess. v. 2. ,, Luke xii. 39; Matt. xxiv. 43.
I Tim. iv. 8. „ Luke xviiL 29, 30,

ii8 THE EPISTLES.
hearers. Indeed, the full import was not then plain to any
hearer, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given. But the Epistles
contain the teaching of men enlightened by the Holy Ghost after
the ascension of the Son of Man, and are, in the strictest sense,
the Scriptures of our dispensation. Accordingly, they go further
into Christian doctrine and guidance, being adapted to a period
when the Spirit of truth is come to guide us into all the truth,
3, The Epistles resemble the Gospels in their combination
of intrinsic unity with extrinsic diversity. As Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John all set before us the same Jesus Christ, so do
Paul, James, Peter, John, and Jude all teach one salvation, one
caUing, one Comforter, one life, one Church, one hope of the
Lord's appearing, one fellowship in faith and love. But as the
evangelists diversify their narratives, each one writing according
to his own bent of mind, and his own special information, and
with adaptation to the persons for or to whom in the first
instance he wrote ; so do the apostles write variously, in accord
ance with their intellectual individuality, and with due reference
to the state of the churches, or the circumstances of the persons
whom they address. This will appear as we consider their
Epistles in detail ; but we may here observe that there is a
special sympathy between individual evangelists and individual
apostles. Thus, — James accords with Matthew ; Peter, who is
followed by Jude, accords with Mark ; Paul, with Luke ; and
John,, with himself.
Dr. James Hamilton has said that "the Epistles, rich in
devotion, laden with the finest of the wheat, are the fruitful
fields which fill the Church's granary.'' , Let us go out into
those fields, and pluck the ears of corn. And may the Holy
Spirit, now in dispensation, guide us step by step, as we move
through these rich enclosures of His own teaching in the holy
apostles, till we reach at the end of them all the last book of
Scripture, unique and sublime, and see the heavens opened, and
the glory of the Lord unveiled !

( "9 )

ROMANS.
For years before St Paul saw the city of Rome, he was
impressed with the importance of planting Christianity firmly in
that capital of the world. He therefore cherished a strong
desire to visit the imperial city, and kept himself informed of
the condition of the brethren who dwelt there. In time of war,
a good general knows well the importance of seizing command
ing positions, and discerns them by a sort of intuition. St.
Paul had this faculty, as a leader of that little army which, with
spiritual weapons of warfare, went forth to subdue the nations
to Christ; and, while journeying in the East, he kept this
steadily in view : "I must also see Rome."
This great Apostle, however, did not war after the flesh, or
push ¦ his way hither and thither according to his own will.
Most humbly and patiently he waited the order of Providence,
and followed the indications of duty given to him by his Lord
and Master in the Spirit. Thus his visit to Rome was delayed
for years ; and when it did occur, it was not that of a missionary
going at pleasure, but that of a prisoner appealing to the em
peror for his liberty. During the period of delay, it happily
occurred to St. Paul to write a letter to the brethren at Rome ;
and he marked his sense of the importance of instructing and
encouraging the Christians at the metropolis by composing for
them an epistle more full and elaborate than he sent to any of
the other Churches, even to those that he most deeply loved.
It appears to have been written at Corinth, during the Apostle's
second residence in that city, and was transmitted under the
care of Phoebe, a deaconess of the Church at Cenchrea, which

120 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
was a smaU seaport on the Saronic Gulf, Never did woman
carry a more precious document.
The authenticity of the letter is admitted even by the scep
tical critics ; and we need hardly say that its contents are of
immense value to Christian theology. Divines have given to it
the most anxious and arduous study. Luther wrote of it with
enthusiasm as a book " which every Christian man should know
by heart — word for word, and feed upon as the daUy bread of
his soul," Calvin, whose Commentary on this Epistle has been
' justly called " a masterpiece," said that " whosoever obtains a
true understanding of this Epistle has an open door to reach the
most hidden treasures of Scripture." We might add many more
eulogistic testimonies ; but, in fact, every one who has studied
the firm texture of its thought and the intense force of its argu
ments and appeals, will speak with admiration and reverence of
the Epistle to the Romans,
It is quite unknown by whom the Gospel of Christ was first
conveyed to Rome, Not by any of the apostles, but probably
by those " strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes," who were
at Jerusalem on the day of ' Pentecost, and heard the testimony
of St. Peter. At the time when St Paul wrote, there were
many Christian labourers in the great city — men and women,
well known to the Apostle, and beloved for the truth's sake, and
for their work's sake. They do not seem to have been as yet
organised in one ecclesia. They are not so addressed, nor is
there any mention of their bishops and deacons. Probably the
severity with which the Jews at Rome had been treated by the
Emperor Claudius led the Christians to avoid visible organisation
for a season. So we read in the last chapter of the Epistle of
churches, or groups, in various private houses.* Salutations
are sent to these, and they are directed to salute one another,
avoiding divisions and offences. This state of matters appears
to have continued till the Apostle's arrival at Rome, three years
after his letter. Even then there is no mention of " the Church,"
nor were they bishops of Rome who met St, Paul at Appii
* Chap. xvi. 4, 5, lo, 1 1, 14, 15.

ROMANS.

121

Forum, as the bishops of Ephesus had previously gathered to
him at MUetus, There were brethren, accustomed to meet for
worship in household companies, but there was no compacted
and influential Church.
These brethren were by no means all, or even chiefly, natives
cf Italy. They were Hellenist Jews, whose minds had been
opened by travel, commerce, and knowledge of the world, with
whom were associated some of the Gentiles who had been pro
selytes to the Jews' religion, and so had a measure of preparation
for the faith and fellowship of Christ. Indeed, for two centuries
the Hellenism continued. Latin Christianity was born in Africa,
not in Italy ; and its first eminent writer was Tertullian. What
sprung up in Rome was a Jewish-Greek Church, having its
scriptures, prayers, and hymns in Greek.*
St, Paul was peculiarly fitted, by his culture and experience,
to deal with such a community. And we cannot sufficiently
wonder at the perversity which associates the Church of Rome
with the name of St, Peter, who cannot be proved to have ever
entered the city, and whose aUeged episcopate or popedom of
nearly a quarter of a century can easily be disproved, instead of
with that of St, Paul, who wrote to and visited the brethren
there before the Church was organised, exercised a powerful
ministry there during his long detention as a prisoner, and cer
tainly finished his course by martyrdom at Rome,t
What we have said of the first Christians at Rome, as either
Hellenist Jews, or Gentile Proselytes, helps to explain the tenor
of the Epistle, which addresses both Jews and Gentiles, but
assumes in all an acquaintance with those Scriptures of the Old
Testament which the Jews and Proselytes alike revered.
The Epistle consists of three parts : —
* See Mil-man's History of Latin Christianity, book i., chap. 5.
+ " It is not without significance that, among the frescoes of the Cata
combs, the only figure of an apostle which is represented separately from
the rest of the twelve is that of St. Paul, described as PAVLVS PASTOR
APOSTOLVS, side by side with a figure of the Good Shepherd, In none
of the Catacombs is St. Peter specially designated by name or attribute."
 Marriott's Testimony of the Catacombs, p, 74.

122 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
I, An argumentative exposition of the Salvation through faith
in Jesus Christ. — This is considered the doctrinal division, and
occupies eight chapters.
After the introduction, which is characteristically courteous
and impressive, St Paul expresses his readiness to preach the
Gospel at Rome; and immediately declares what to him was
the great value of that Gospel — its Divine power to save mankind
— the Jew first indeed, but also the Greek. The Gospel revealed
the righteousness of God, Man needed this Gospel because of
his own unrighteousness by which the wrath of God was incurred.
The charge of unrighteousness the Apostle brings first against
the Gentiles, describing in unsparing terms their departure from
God and shocking degradation of life; and then against the
Jews, as transgressors of the law in which they boasted, and as
circumcised in the flesh only, and not in the heart. The con
clusion is, that Jews and Gentiles were "aU under sin,"
Throughout the discussion, constant reference is made to law
and justice : and this is characteristic of the Epistle, When
St Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he gave prominence to
wisdom, for the Greeks sought after wisdom. But Rome was
the city of imperial law, and the great seat of jurisprudence and
government It was therefore fitting that to Jews and GentUes
residing there, should be addressed this demonstration of the
position of mankind, as transgressors condemned by Divine law
and justice, and unable by deeds to justify themselves. The
world centred at ancient Rome : and in a letter sent to Rome
was the whole world proved and pronounced to have "been
guilty before God."
This representation of aU mankind as under sin and con
demnation, determines the view of salvation in Christ which
predominates in the Epistle to the Romans, The question
which presses is that of justification ; and no one can interpret
the Epistle who does not keep this before his mind. How was
the law of God to be established, the justice of God maintained,
and at the same time the guilty sinner justified in His sight ?
The Gospel answers the question ; because in it the righteous-

ROMANS. 123
ness of God is revealed in saving sinners by faith in Jesus
Christ, without the deeds of the law. This is taught in the
end of the third chapter. Then the fourth shows that justifica
tion by faith was a blessing conferred on Abraham, and implied
in the Psalms of David. " Abraham believed God, and it was
counted to him unto righteousness." We too are accepted, if
we believe in God who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.
We have the blessedness which David describes as pertaining
to the man "unto whom God imputeth righteousness without
works." God is righteous in so justifying us; and we, being
accepted as righteous through faith, have peace with Him, and,
standing in His grace, rejoice in the hope of His glory.
Having thus shown the position of those who embrace the
Gospel, the Apostle goes on to compare and contrast the fall of
the many into condemnation through one man disobedient, with
the admission of many into justification through one Man
obedient. The leading thought is still the judicial, not the
moral, — "As by the offence of one, judgment came upon all
men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of One the
free gift came upon aU men to justification of life." *
Anticipating the objection that a gratuitous justification
would operate to the detriment of holiness, and encourage self-
indulgence, St, Paul expresses his abhorrence of such a misuse
of the doctrine, and proceeds to expound the nature of union to
Christ, as securing victory over sin, along with immunity from
condemnation. He shows that believers are bound up with
Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection ; and that this
union, delivering them alike from legal terror and from legal
hope, induces new and loving obedience. They become dead
to the law by the body of Christ, that, in union or marriage to
Him as their risen Lord and life, they may live and bear fruit
unto God. So the apostle establishes that sanctificatlon as well
as justification is by the grace of God only, not through bondage
to the law, but through union to Christ in liberty. Then, in
the sublime and animated strain of the eighth chapter, he
* Chapter v. 18.

124 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
expatiates on the safety of those who are in Christ, the indwellr
ing and witness of the Spirit of adoption, the hope of glorious
resurrection, the security of salvation in the purpose and calling
of God, the reality of His act of justification, and the immuta
bility of His love in Jesus Christ our Lord,
So ends the first part of the Epistle, Its key-words are those
formed from iUri — right, righteousness, righteous judgment,
just, justify, justification. Whosoever holds fast the proper
meaning of these terms may find his way through the whole
discussion : but whosoever confounds the judicial and the moral,
can never do so, for he fails to see the problem with which the
Apostle deals, and therefore must faU to grasp the cardinal truth
of salvation which the Apostle inculcates, viz., that while the
law of God condemns, God freely justifies us through faith in
Christ the propitiation for our sins, and in union with Him as
our crucified and buried, but now risen Saviour,
II. A statement of the rejection of Israel, and calling of the
Gentiles — This theme occupies the 9th, loth, and nth chap
ters. Many of the Jews at Rome refused the Gospel, We find
them, at the time of St, Paul's arrival, disowning the Christians,
as "a sect everywhere spoken against," The Apostle therefore
proceeds to account for the unbelief of his own nation. To
him who loved them with all the affection of his nature it was
intensely mortifying to see that the Stone of Salvation was, to
the great majority of the Jews, a stumbling-stone and a rock of
offence. Yet this did not perplex him, for he was a student of
the Old Testament, and found the defection of the Jews and
the calling of the Gentiles foretold by the prophets Hosea and
Isaiah. It was also clear to him that the time had arrived for
a change in the dispensation of Divine mercy, in accordance
with a Divine sovereign purpose which might not be disputed or
gainsaid. Only a remnant of Israel remained true to God by
beheving in Christ ; and this was " according to the election of
grace," His salvation, indeed, was free to the Jew as to the

ROMANS. 125
Gentile,* but then it was free to the Gentile as to the Jew ;
and the offence thereby given to' the Jews led to their rejection
of the Gospel and their estrangement from God, During this
estrangement they were to go on as before reading Moses, and
boasting in the law ; but they were unconsciously to change
places with the Gentiles in relation to God, Those that had
been near to Him were to be put far off, and those who had
been far off were to be made nigh.
This, however, is not the final doom of Israel. It is the
sentence upon them for a season or dispensation, " Hardening
in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles
be come in ; and so all Israel shaU be saved," The prophetic
eye is given to the Apostle, so that he sees a happy issue for
both Jews and Gentiles, "God hath shut up all unto dis
obedience, that He might have mercy upon aU."
Then, as the first part of the Epistle ends with enraptured
persuasion of the love of God, so ends the second part with
admiration of His wisdom and knowledge : " for of Him, and
through Him, and to Him are all things ; to whom be glory for
ever. Amen."
Ill, Practical counsels and salutations. — These are contained
in the 12 th and following chapters.
By the mercies of God, which they have tasted, the Chris
tians are besought to Uve in devotion to Christ and in love one
toward another. Diligence, brotherly kindness, humility,
prayerfulness, and sympathy are affectionately commended to
the brethren. Then they are instructed as to obedience to
civil rulers, and the obligation to pay tribute for conscience'
sake, Christ Himself had been accused of disloyalty to Caesar,
and it was a frequent charge against the early Christians that
they cherished a treasonable spirit, and incited to tumults. It
is an allegation which has been made with equal falsehood
against earnest evangelical Christians in times much more
recent. St Paul could not but know that an intelligent
* Chap. X. 11-13.

126 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Christianity must tend to promote human freedom, and shake
the thrones of injustice and tyranny. But it was not for the
Christians to evade the payment of taxes, or show disrespect to
the government under which they lived. Though it were a
heathen Caesar who reigned, the command of Christ was clear
to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the
things that are God's,
The duty of brotherly kindness is then enforced with refer
ence to a controversy which had sprung out of the greater
question of the union of Jews and Gentiles in Christ, Some
had scruples about eating flesh, lest they should partake of that
of animals which had been slain in heathen sacrifice. Others
made light of such scruples, as well as of the importance which
was attached to the religious observance of particular days.
The Apostle holds the scrupulous brethren to be weak, but
urges on all parties to have mutual patience, respect one another's
conscientious views, and let each one live to the Lord accord
ing to his own light or sense of duty. It would well become
the strong to waive their liberty rather than cause the weak
brethren to stumble. "The kingdom of God is not eating
and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost" Then foUows those words of loving wisdom, " Let us
therefore follow after the things of peace and the things of
mutual edification," " Now the God of patience and consola
tion grant you to be likeminded one toward another, according
to Christ Jesus ; that ye may with one mind and one mouth
glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,"
" Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received you,
to the glory of God,"
From the fourteenth verse of the fifteenth chapter to the
end, the Epistle * is in a more easy and familiar strain, and
* Critics have suggested that the several breaks near the end of the
Epistle are due to its having been sent to more than one Church with a
separate conclusion for each. They also remark on the singularity of so
many personal greetings being addressed to a community which the
Apostle had not yet visited, and suppose that these were really sent to

ROMANS.

127

teUs of the Apostle's labour in the Gospel — his desire to go to
Rome, his hope to do so on his way to Spain, and his intention
to go to Jerusalem, bearing the contribution of the foreign
churches to the poor saints tn Judea. After this we have tbe
commendation of Phoebe, the bearer of this Epistle, and greet
ings to many of the saints, beginning with the good tentmaker
Aquila and his wife Prisca, who played so useful a part at
Corinth as well as at Rome ; — " Unto whom not only I give
thanks, but also all the Churches of the Gentiles." Let every
reader of the sixteenth chapter mark weU, — (i.) That the saints
then known at Rome were living men and women, to whom
messages could be sent, not departed personages, canonised by
authority, and appealed to in prayers; (2.) That no priests,
monks, or nuns are mentioned, but family life is alluded to
more than once las that which became saints ; (3. ) That there
is no allusion to St. Peter or a Holy See, or to any obhgation
lying on the Christians in Italy, or elsewhere, to have and
obey a Pope, Meyer remarks that this Epistle is " destructive
of the historical basis of the Papacy, in so far as this is made to
rest on the founding of the Roman Church, and the exercise of
its episcopate, by the Apostle Peter," *
After commendation to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
(chap, xvi. 20), there are salutations from the Christian friends
who were with St. Paul, and from Gains his host. Tertius,
who has acted as scribe, takes his opportunity to testify that
he is no mere instrument of writing, and that his heart also
goes forth in affectionate greeting to the brethren at Rome.
Then a second benediction, — " The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all. Amen."
One cannot but think that as Tertius laid down the reed
which he had used, the Apostle took it into his own hand, and
added the sublime sentence of doxology, with which the Epistle
Ephesus, not to Rome. This, however, is pure conjecture. It finds
favour with some sober-minded scholars, e.g., Professor Lumby (Imtrod. to
N. T. pp. 222-225), But see Meyer's note in his able Commentary,
* Introduction to Comment., sec. 2.

128 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
ends. God was able to establish the brethren according to St
Paul's Gospel, which was something more than " the gospel of
the kingdom," for it was a proclamation of the unseen Christ
as the Saviour of the world. And, as in the Gospel which St,
Paul preached, and this wonderful Epistle which he has written,
the Divine wisdom is brightly displayed, the doxology is in
these words : — " To God only wise, be glory through Jesus
Christ for ever. Amen."
The Epistle to the Romans begins with the power of God,
then declares His righteousness, and closes with adoration of
His wisdom. It is sp with the heart that receives the great
truths with which this Epistle deals. It begins its new
experience under the power of God who raised up Jesus Christ.
It finds peace through the declaration of His righteousness.
And then it rests in admiration and adoration of His wisdom
in planning, providing, and applying the salvation, of the world
through Christ Jesus,

( 129 )

/. CORINTHIANS.
The old Corinth of Greek history was destroyed by a Roman
general in the year b,o. 146, The city caUed by that name in
the New Testament was a new Corinth, founded by Julius
Caesar, about 100 years before the Gospel was brought to it by
the Apostle Paul. In his time it was a flourishing city, the
capital of Achaia, and had quite outstripped in importance its
old rival, the city of Athens. The Roman pro-consul of Greece
resided at Corinth, and there was a large population of Romans
and Jews, as well as native Greeks.
St Paul's first missionary visit to the Corinthians ex
tended over a year and a half, during which period he lived
with Aquila and PrisciUa, and wrought with his own hands to
earn his daily bread. At the outset he preached, as his custom
was, to the Jews; but rejected by them, he instituted the
Church, apart from the synagogue, and ministered as the Apostle
of the Gentiles. Some men of mark, as Crispus, the ruler of
the synagogue, and Titus Justus, a proselyte, were converted
and baptized ; but the Corinthian Church was mainly a Gentile
one, and the questions there discussed were not Jewish, did not
turn on the value of circumcision or the obligation of the law,
but were such as concerned a people just converted from idolatrj'',
and emerging from the corruption of heathen life in a city of
Greece. St Paul stayed for even a longer period at Ephesus, where
he laboured ardently for three years. Betwe.en the capital of
Greece and that of Asia Minor there was constant communica
tion, and the Apostle was kept informed of the progress of the
VOL, II, I

130 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Corinthian Church which he had planted, and which, after
him, the eloquent Alexandrian Jew, ApoUos, had "watered " or
fostered. It would seem from a statement in his second
Epistle,* that he himself paid a brief second visit to Corinth,
which is not mentioned in the Book of Acts. It is certain that
in his anxiety to preserve that Church from error, he sent over
his assistant Timothy, who had been with him on his first
visit, to call his teaching to remembrance and revive his in
fluence, before he should himself return to the city, " For
this cause have I sent unto you Timothy, who is my beloved
son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remem
brance of my ways which bo in Christ, as I teach everywhere in
every Church, Now some are puffed up, as though I would not
come to you ; but I wUl come to you shortly, if the Lord wUI." t
There are traces too of correspondence. Aware of the lax
tone of morals which prevailed in Corinth, and of the necessity
of strictly guarding the purity of the Church, the Apostle wrotei
a letter to the Christians there " not to have fellowship with
fornicators," This seems to have drawn in reply a letter of
inquiry, which was intrusted to the hands of Fortunatus,
AchaicUs, and StephanasJ, in which various questions were
submitted for the Apostle's determination. His answer to this
Corinthian letter occupies a large portion of the canonical
Epistle before us.
This is the most varied and comprehensive of all the weighty
letters of Paul, and exhibits throughout his fine tact and
practical wisdom. It is less theological than the Epistle to the
Romanfe ; more casuistical in the good sense of that term. It
says nothing of the law or of justification, discusses no doctrine
whatever save that of the resurrection, but treats in a masterly
manner of love, purity, conscience, disccHiment, and reverence
in the Church of God,
The general arrangement of the Epistle is obvious enough. §
- 2 Cor. xiii. i. f Chap. iv. 17-21. % Chap. xvi. 17.
§ See 1;he plan of this Epistle in the Commentary of the late Dean cf
Westminster, p. 23.

I. CORINTHIANS. 131
After the salutation and introduction, we have three great
divisions, followed by admonitions and salutations at the close.
The letter begins in St Paul's best manner with courteous,
generous, and pious words. The Corinthian Christians are
saluted according to their holy calling, and thanks are given for
the grace of God bestowed on them by Jesus Christ and their
rich endowment of spiritual gifts while waiting for their Lord's
coming. Before a word is uttered on the faults of the Corin
thians, it is beautifully said, " God is faithful, by whom ye
were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our
Lord." Then begins the body of the Epistle,
I, Remonstrance with the Corinthians on two matters which
had been reported to St. Paul (chaps, i, 10— vi.),
I. Their contentions (chaps, i, 10-iv,).
It distressed the Apostle to hear of schisms or factions within
the Corinthian Church, raising, as rival watchwords, the names
of missionaries and teachers. The friends of GentUe liberty
cried " Paul ; " the admirers of eloquence no doubt cried
"ApoUos;" those of the circumcision cried "Kephas;" and
others, probably priding themselves on their independence of
all human teachers, said, with an exclusive spirit which has
often uttered the same boast in our own times, " And I of
Christ" For himself St Paul earnestly disclaims all desire to be the
head of a party. He had been so cautious as to avoid baptizing
Corinthians with his own hands, lest he should be accused of
baptizing into his own name. He had preached the Gospel, for
to this end Christ had sent him forth. Recalling this, he
expatiates on the simplicity and efficacy of the Gospel, and
declares his resolution to know nothing among the inquisitive
and disputatious Greeks but "Jesus Christ — Him crucified,"
This topic might be stigmatised as foolishness, but in his con
viction it contained the manifold wisdom of God, and it would
approve itself as such to all who were enlightened by the Holy
Spirit,

132 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
As to ApoUos, who had foUowed Paul in evangelical labours
at Corinth, the Apostle is in no wise jealous of him, and does
not for a moment suspect him of fostering the spirit of faction.
This is quite evident from his desiring his " brother ApoUos "
to return to that city,* But he presses on the Corinthians to
remember that both ApoUos and he were not masters, but
servants, by whom they beUeved ; that they were builders, but
the building was not their house ; it was God's temple. The
Church was not for the ministry, but the ministry for the
Church, and the Church for the Lord,
^, 2. Their laxity in Church discipUne (chaps, v. vi.).
The corruption of morals which was common in the heathen
society of Corinth, invaded the Church. It is a danger which
always besets young Churches planted among dissolute popula
tions. They are very liable to have their members seduced
into fleshly sins which prevail around them, and are not repro
bated by public social opinion. A very gross case had occurred
at Corinth, A member of the congregation had incestuously
married his step-mother, and was in this the more inexcusable,
inasmuch as this was a wickedness which even the heathens
abhorred. The Church should have cleared itself of the evil
by expulsion of the offender ; and now St. Paul, in the exercise
of his apostolic authority, sentences the guUty man to excom
munication, and appears even to go further, and to intimate
some Divine infliction of bodily suffering, a destruction of the
flesh, with a view to the correction and ultimate salvation of
the sinner.
The admonition to the Christians to put away from among
them that "wicked person," leads the Apostle to dweU for a
little on the subject of judgment. The Church was to have its
own court of discipline ; and it was a shame for the Christians
to carry their disputes before the heathen magistrates. Of
course this does not mean the abolition of lawyers and magis
trates, or the denial of a right of appeal to courts of public
justice in a Christianised state of society. It rather applies to
* See chap. xvi. 12,

/. CORINTHIANS. 133
such a case as that of two Christian converts at the present day
in China, taking a dispute before the mandarin, and exposing
the Christian name to discredit, instead of settling the matter
before or within the Church.* The lesson, however, as against
litiglousness is good for every place and all time. The argument
also is clear for a court of discipline and a power of self-purifica
tion in every Christian assembly. It is a shame that the
interna] administration of the Church of God should be brought
before magistrates, or submitted to courts of civil and earthly
jurisdiction. Resuming the subject of fleshly sins, the Apostle warns the
Corinthians not to abuse the doctrine of liberty, and points out
the heinousness of all violations of the seventh commandment
as inconsistent with true union to Christ, and the consecration
of the body to God, who dwells in His people by the Holy
Ghost II, Replies to the questions of the Corinthians (chaps, vii.-
xiv.). The queries put to St. Paul, concerned three matters of
urgent practical importance : — and though the circumstances of
our churches are very different, the principles laid down by the
Apostle in reply, are stiU of the utmost value to the constitution
of Christian society.
I. Of marriage (chap. vii.). — The nuptial state had always
been highly honoured among the Jews, but the Greeks at this
period, often disparaged it, in order the more freely to gratify
vicious inclination. Thus the question of its advantage was
yet unsettled in the minds of the Corinthian Christians. They
had written to St, Paul about it ; and he treats the topic at
some length, and with special reference to their circumstances.
In other Epistles, he refers to marriage, in terms of entire
cordiality and respect ; but, as the Corinthians had known it,
matrimony was little better than a shelter from incontinence,
and St Paul discusses it mainly in that view, declaring
* See Matt, xviii, 15-17.

134 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
marriage to be good, and lawful, but rather giving the higher
praise to celibacy, which was his own condition. This, however,
was not for all persons and times ; it was for the impending
crisis,* the days of trouble which were at hand, and in which
a Christian witness or martyr would find it an advantage to
have few earthly ties. In this matter, the Apostle is careful to
explain that he gives his own judgment, and nothing more, for
concerning this the Lord Christ had not left any command,
2. Of the feasts of idolaters (chaps, viii.-x.).
This question seems remote from us, but it presented a
very serious difficulty in the first century, and caused great
difference of opinion in the Church. The meat, or animal
food, used at public and private feasts, was largely or wholly
furnished from sacrifices offered to the gods. Was it possible
for Christians to partake of such feasts with their friends and
neighbours, without indirectly involving themselves in the
guilt of idolatry ? The scrupulous party, including, doubtless,
the Jewish Christians, said "No." Others, who may be
regarded as the liberal party, maintained that, since the idols
were nothing, the meat might be eaten without any question
of conscience being fairly raised. St. Paul himself takes the
liberal view, but charges those with whom he agreed to remember
in such matters, how much is due to brotherly love, to respect
scruples which they did not share, and not to exercise their
liberty at the cost of wounding the consciences of their brethren.
For his own part, he will abstain from meat, utterly, and for
ever, rather than make his brother stumble. He enforces these
counsels by a fearless reference to the self-abnegation which
he had practised during his own residence at Corinth. Let
the members of the Church follow him, who had not sought
his own profit, but foUowed Christ, '' Who pleased not Him
self." The whole passage beautifully combines the Christian
exemption from petty scruples with the Christian regard, and
tender consideration, for all brethren in the Lord,
3. Of worship in the assembly of God (chaps. xi.-xiv,).
* Chap. vii. 26-28,

/. CORINTHIANS. 135
The Corinthians appear to have claimed the Apostle's approval
for their fidelity to his directions, and he gives them a general
commendation, but marks some grave exceptions.
It had displeased him to hear that Christian women appeared
in the assembly, and even prayed and prophesied without that
covering on the head, which was usual in the country, and the
absence of which gave them an air of undue boldness. What
we are to extract from this, as a lesson for all times and
countries, is, that Christian women everywhere, but especially
in the assembly of worshippers, should avoid display, and
exjpress in costume and demeanour, modesty and sobriety of
taste. It had displeased him to hear that the Lord's Supper, the
precious feast of unity and love, had been profaned by party
spirit, and even by greediness and excess. Uniting it to an
evening meal, the Corinthians irreverently forgot the distinction
between their own supper and the Supper of the Lord, To
correct this, St Paul solemnly rehearses the manner and words
of the Holy Supper as received by him from the Lord, and
formerly delivered to them by his own lips. He warns them
to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink
of the cup in memory of Christ crucified. To eat and drink
otherwise would be to incur judgment from the Lord, This
caution has often been misinterpreted and misused, so as to
appal ill-instructed and timorous minds ; but it is really
levelled against irreverence, and the want of brotherly kindness
and spiritual discernment.
It had displeased him to hear that in the Corinthian assembly
there was much rivalry and ostentation as regards spiritual gifts,
and that the power of speaking " in a tongue " was more esteemed
than that of prophesying, — This leads the Apostle to teach the
unity of the Church as a many-membered body having diverse
functions and gifts, each limb and organ having need of every
other, and all pervaded by one spirit of life : then to expatiate.
In one of his most celebrated and admired passages, on the excel
lence of love ; and thereupon to urge that the gift most useful

136 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
tb the Church should be held in highest honour, " He that
prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation,
and comfort He that speaketh in a tongue edifieth himself,
but he that prophesieth edifieth the Church,"
Of form and ritiial in the Church service we read nothing ;
but two ruling principles are laid down — (i.) Everything was
to be so done that the Church might "receive edifying," (2,)
AU things should be " done decently and in order " — without
tumult or confusion,
III. Refutation of those at Corinth who denied the resurrection
(chap, XV,).
Those who heard St Paul at Athens mocked at the resurrec
tion of the dead ; and no doubt this doctrine seemed quite as
absurd and incredible to the Greek inhabitants of CorintL
Some of these, even when converted to Christ and acknowledging
His resurrection, would not credit a resurrection of His disciples.
"How say some among you that there is no resurrection of the
dead?" The Apostle repeats his Gospel in which the resurrection of
Christ occupied a cardinal place. Then he dilates on the
certainty of the resurrection of the just as secured by the
resurrection of their Lord and His power over death. He gives
some most important hints on the nature of those bodies in
which the saints shaU rise ; and then concludes with a sublime
chaUenge to death and the grave, and the anticipation of their
condign defeat at the coming of Christ and the resurrection of
all that are His,
Of the resurrection of the unjust, St, Paul writes nothing in
this Epistle, because it had not been brought before him in
reports or letters from Corinth, and a statement of it was not
necessary for his purpose.
The Epistle closes with admonitions and salutations. If the
Corinthians would enjoy a blessed resurrection, they should be
" steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the

/, CORINTHIANS. 137
Lord." Then, as to a certain good work in which the Apostle
was much interested, the contribution for the poor saints in
Palestine, he exhorts them to store up money for this purpose on
every Lord's day. It was a system which he had already estab
lished in the churches of Galatia. Those who have made trial
of it in our own times believe it to be the best system for every
family and every church.
Kind messages and greetings foUow : and St, Paul, taking the
pen from his amanuensis (who was, probably, " Sosthenes the
brother "), writes his salutation with his own hand,* The last
words are, — " My love be with you aU in Christ Jesus.''
Such is this great Epistle, which steers its way through many
perplexing questions with consummate ease, because with the
wisdom of a godly simplicity. Not all the sages of Greece
together could furnish to the world a treatise comparable to
this. What was Plato's doctrine of the Republic in comparison
with Paul's doctrine of the Church, or what is Plato on the
immortality of the soul to Paul on the resurrection of the dead ?
How charming is Divine philosophy !
Not harsh and crabbed as dull fools suppose ;
But musical as was Apollo's lute.
And a perpetual feast of nectar'd sweets
Where no crude surfeit reigns.
* "Afflicted iu all probability with ophthalmia, it was impossible for
him, without pain and difficulty, to write his own letters. He therefore
employed the aid of an amanuensis. But, partly to express his own personal
interest in the last few words of blessing and greeting, partly to prevent
the disgraceful forgeries which existed even at that early time, he authen
ticated every letter with his own signature and written benediction. "
" St. Paul first adopted this final authentication or badge of cognisance
in 2 Thess. iii. 17 ; and implies that he means henceforth to use it." —
Farrar : Messages ofthe Books, pp. 156, 157.
Dr. Earrar adds a valuable note on " Early Christian Pseudopigraphy. "

( 138 )

II. CORINTHIANS.
If the first Epistle to the Corinthians is the most varied and
comprehensive of St, Paul's letters, the second is the most
personal and impassioned. It is not systematic, argumen
tative, or expository, though full of matter and of force. Its
distinctive merit is, that while everywhere exalting Christ, it
shows us the man Paul of Tarsus, the follower of Christ, as he
actually was, in labours, anxieties, suspense, and suffering ; how
sensitive and emotional, how tender and generous, and yet
against false teachers how stern and resolute. It is not at aU a
treatise or essay constructed on a plan, but a warm outpouring
of the Apostle's heart, Erasmus long ago compared its course to
that of "a river which sometimes flows in a gentle stream,
sometimes rashes down as a torrent bearing all before it, some
times spreads out Uke a placid lake, sometimes loses itself, as it
were, in the sand, and breaks out in its fulness at some un
expected place,"
The letter was written in Macedonia, and very likely in the
city of Philippi, The associate of the Apostle is not Sosthenes,
as in the first Epistle, but Timothy, The address is (as in the
first) to the Church of God at Corinth, and to the saints round
about in Achaia, i.e. to the Christians in Greece. Then the
Apostle at once begins by praising the Father of mercies and
God of all consolation, and telling the Corinthians of distress
through which he had passed, and in which he had found Divine
comfort abounding in Christ,
For convenience of discussion, the Epistle may be arranged
in three sections.

II. CORINTHIANS. 139
I, The anxieties and consolations of St. Paul as a minister of
the Gospel (chaps, i.-vii.).
During the latter part of the Apostle's stay in Asia, his dis
tress of mind had been almost insupportable. His long labour
at Ephesus had ended in tumult and confusion ; and to the
vexation which this occasioned was added his intense concern
to know how his first letter to Corinth had been received by the
brethren, and what effect it had produced. This, too, brought
another trouble upon St, Paul, He had intimated his intention
to revisit Corinth, and was exposed to Ul-natured reflections
on his delay to do so, as though he were fickle of purpose, or
"used lightness," He felt such an imputation keenly, and
therefore in the opening paragraph of this letter disclaims all
levity in connection with the momentous work of the Gospel,
and explains that it was "to spare" the Corinthians he had
delayed his visit. He would give time for his first Epistle
to take effect, and would await tidings of its reception by the
Church, After his deep afiliction in Asia, when he " despaired even of
life," the Apostle went to Troas, hoping to meet Titus there,
and through him to obtain the long-desired tidings from Corinth,
But Titus came not, and St, Paul was so disheartened that he
could not at that time give himself to Christian work, " When
I came to Troas to preach Christ's Gospel, and a door was opened
unto me of the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I found
not Titus my brother : but taking my leave of them, I went
from thence into Macedonia." * Even in Macedonia, among
the Christian congregations he loved so weU, the Apostle stiU
felt the oppression of suspense tiU Titus actually came. " For,
when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but
we were troubled on every side ; without w'ere fightings, within
were fears. Nevertheless God that comforteth those that are
cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus ; and not by
his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was
comforted in you when he told us your earnest desire, your
* Chap. ii. 12, 13.

I40 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
mourning, your fervent mind toward me, so that I rejoiced the
more."* It was under the fuU fiood of feeling stirred in his
heart by the coming and the report of Titus, that St Paul with
Timothy indited this second Epistle.
How finely characteristic of this Apostle is the sudden rising
out of his own distress into exultation over the Gospel and the
preciousness of Christ ! Whether in Asia Minor or in Macedonia,
he never lost his consciousness of dignity and responsibiUty as
a minister of the New Testament "Now thanks be unto God,
who always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh mani
fest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place." t
Even that journey which St, Paul took in such depression of
spirit was ,a triumphal march for the Gospel, and spread a
fragrant "savour of Christ," like the incense in the pubUc
procession of ancient conquerors. Sweet and life-giving was
that savour to believers; unwelcome and so deadly to unbelievers.
Thus the apostolic preacher felt himself to be lifted above the
common range of things. He was on a mission of life or death
in every place ; and, far from viewing this as a function easily
fulfilled, wondered and trembled at the charge — " And who is
sufficient for these things ? "
Throughout three most memorable chapters, the 3d, 4th, and
sth, the Apostle expatiates on the ministry which he had re
ceived, and which sustained him in every place, so that he
fainted not. It was of the New Testament excelling the Old
Covenant in life and glory. It was a dispensation of Ught and
clearness, not of veiled faces, St, Paul was entrusted with a
manifestation of the truth in men's consciences — a message of
reconciliation to their hearts. Invested with such a ministry,
he bore aU things for Jesus' sake. " In all things approving
ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions,
in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in
tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings ; by pureness, by
knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost,
by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God,
* Chap. vii. 5-7. Chap, il 14.

//. CORINTHIANS. 141
by the armour of righteousness on the. right hand and on the
left" *
These chapters abound in sayings or sentences which are
much used as texts of evangelical discourse. If a preacher
wishes to dwell on the grand theme of Christian testimony, he
cannot do better than cite the verse, " We preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus, the Lord ; and ourselves your servants for
Jesus' sake." If he would speak of the transforming power
exerted by the contemplation of that theme, he may find its
best expression in the words, " We aU with unveiled face be
holding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, as by the Lord the Spirit"
If he would express the result and evidence of believing union to
Christ, he has this weighty sentence prepared for him, " If any
man be in Christ, there is a new creation ; the old things are
passed away, behold, they are become new." So also, if one
should desire to preach on God's way of peace, or on present
support in labours for Christ, or on the future reward and joy,
he cannot fail of fitting texts in the three chapters we have
named.t The elucidation of these great sayings of the Spirit of Christ
in Paul is not for a synoptical lecture. What we now concem
ourselves with is the strain of the whole. Before us we find a
man of keen susceptibility, acutely conscious of suspense and
suffering, sensitive as to the place he had in the confidence and
affection of others, but upheld through all difficulties and toils
by his persuasion of the value of that Gospel which was com
mitted to his trust — walking by faith and not by sight, con
strained by the love of Christ, resting on His death and resur
rection, and labouring as one who could look at things not
seen, and anticipate the solemn day of his appearing before the
Bema or lordly seat of Jesus Christ In the fear of the Lord
he persuades men — he prays them in Christ's stead to be recon
ciled unto God. How can such a man be accounted for, his
life and character explained, except on the ground that he had
* Chap, vi, 4-7. t See chap. v. 19-21, iv. 16, iv. 17, v. 10.

142 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
a Divine embassy, carried in his heart and on his lips the
Gospel of God, and was himself absorbed in the love of Jesus
Christ ? It cannot be supposed that he underwent so much,
and in such a spirit, without any sufficient motive. Nor can it
be reasonably held that the motive by which he was actuated
was one of selfish or worldly ambition. Paul was unquestion
ably a man of shrewdness and ability, and one who knew man
kind. It must have been quite evident to him that, by the
course he took, he made himself not rich in the world hut poor,
not famous but infamous. In early life he had enjoyed the
good opinion of his own nation, as a rising hope of the Pharisaic
party, and a vigorous persecutor of the Christians, This was
now turned to opprobrium. And the great world through which
he moved, and in which he was so competent to play a dis
tinguished part, scorned him as a witless fanatic. What
animated him to hold on his way under such obloquy if not
some motive far above mere ambition ? What gave such eleva
tion and endurance to his character if not the consciousnes of a
Divine mission to preach the Gospel of salvation, and the all-
mastering power of love responding to the love of Him, the
unseen Lord, " who died for us, and rose again " ?
In the end of the 6th chapter occurs a passage which comes
in abruptly, but is very weighty and forcible. It is an exhorta
tion to purity of Church communion. Various hypotheses have
been devised to account for the insertion of the paragraph at
this place ; but it is enough that the Apostle is writing out of
a full heart (chap, vi, ii), and on that account disregards
methodical sequence. He wishes to have the Corinthians
enlarged in faith and love, but this is not to be brought about
by latitudinarian indifference or by conformity to the world,
Alas ! for the Church that makes itself broad by embracing in
one believer and unbeliever, light and darkness, the clean and
the unclean. The word "Be ye enlarged" must be taken
along with the word "Be ye separate." The first must preserve
from bigotry — the second from degeneracy ; and charity must
go hand in hand with faith and holiness.

II. CORINTHIANS. 143
The first part of the Epistle now draws to a close, God,
who comforts them that are cast down, had comforted Paul by
the coming of Titus, The trusty messenger whom he had
longed so much to see stood before him, and brought a report
which was on the whole satisfactory, " He told us your earnest
desire, your mourning, your zeal toward me, so that I rejoiced
yet more," The Corinthians had given a hearty welcome to
Titus, and on receiving the first Epistle had been grieved
and sorry for the evil which they had previously connived at.
As to the particular case of which the Apostle had written, they
had subjected the man "who had done the wrong" to a dis
cipline severe, yet not inexorable. On hearing these tidings, St,
Paul feels renewed confidence in the Corinthians, and, with
his characteristic generosity of temper, tells them so. At the
same time he hears with displeasure of a party at Corinth who
impugned his apostolic authority, and has something to say on
the subject before he concludes his letter,
II, Touching the collection for the poor saints in Judea. —
The second division occupies the eighth and ninth chapters,
and forms the only specimen extant of apostoUc teaching on
the duty and privilege of giving money to God and the poor.
It speaks emphatically of the self-impoverishing love of Christ,
as that which moves the heart to give. It describes a cheerful
spirit in givers as pleasing to the Lord, It uses the stimulus
of example to increase generosity, and exhibits the anxious
desire of the Apostle — a care which aU who institute collections
ought to imitate — that the charge be not laid unduly on a few,
but be divided fairly among all who are under a moral obliga
tion to share in the work.
The Apostle tells those in Achaia — which was the southem
province, that he had been speaking of their readiness to give,
and had even boasted of them to their brethren in the northem
province. In this way he had stirred the Macedonian Chris
tians to begin the collection, and with excellent effect ; for, on
his return to Macedonia from Asia, he had been astonished at

144 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
the liberality shown by the poor congregations of Philippi,
Thessalonica, and Berea. Now he feels some concern lest the
Corinthians should not justify his boasting. Though they had
begun first, they had aUowed their collection to be forgotten or
neglected. He is about to send Titus again to them, with two
companions, to receive the proof of their love. Therefore he
warns the Corinthians that it will be a grief and shame to him
if they are found unready, and if his boasting regarding them
shall prove to have been an exaggeration and a mistake.
It is well to mark how much attention the foremost of aU
the apostles gave to such a matter as the collection of money.
Men who love the ministry of the Word usually feel it distaste
ful and irksome to occupy themselves much with pecuniary
arrangements and efforts ; and it is quite according to Scripture
that they should " not leave the Word of God to serve tables,"
but should remit the management of money in the Church to
deacons in whom the brethren have confidence. But it is not
scriptural or safe for them to ignore altogether the doctrine and
practice of giving. They ought rather to follow the example
of the Apostle Paul, in keeping in mind the coUections that
ought to be made, and stirring up the Christian people to do
liberally and cheerfully for the cause of Christ and the relief of
His poor.
It is not right to let the money of the Lord's house be col
lected and managed on mere earthly principles. The treasury
of His temple is holy. Those who put money into it should
be reminded that Christ sits over against the treasury. Those
who give contributions ought to regard them in the light here
thrown around them by St Paul, exercising Uberality under
the grace of God, making an offering with the same reverence
as belongs to prayer and praise, and with such an overwhelming
sense of the Lord's goodness as will lead them, not to speak
of their own gifts, but to repeat with humble joy the words
which close this second part of the Epistle: "Thanks be unto
God for His unspeakable gift"

//. CORINTHIANS. 145
III, The vindication of St. Paul's apostolic authority
(chaps. x.-xiii.). — No longer is Timothy associated. The writer
is "I, Paul, myself," And the tone becomes very firm, some
times even stern and sarcastic,
A strong anti-Pauline party had arisen at Corinth, headed
by certain teachers, here designated "false apostles." In reply
to their objection that he had brought no commendatory letters,
St, Paul maintains that he needed none, and that the converts
under his ministry formed for him a sufficient testimonial. In
knowledge, in labours, and in sufferings, he was not a whit
behind the very chief of the apostles. It was painful to him
to be obliged to make such statements, " I am become a fool
in glorying ; ye have compelled me : for I ought to have been
commended of you : for in nothing am I behind the very
chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of
an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs,
and wonders, and mighty deeds." Self-assertion is sometimes
needful, and may be quite compatible with unfeigned humility
before the Lord. The brethren at Corinth were being misled
by men who envied and calumniated the very founder of their
Church. In such circumstances St. Paul was bound to
vindicate himself, and to show how fuUy his apostolic position
was evidenced by his apostoUc life, his fruitful, labours, patient
sufferings, and abundant revelations.
Then he gives warning, that on his approaching visit to
Corinth he " will not spare," Those who have demanded some
proof of Christ's speaking in him, shaU have proof enough if
they compel him to use sharpness according to the power which
the Lord has given him " for building up, and not for puUing
down," With these words (chap, xiii, 10), the substance of the
Epistle may be said to end. Nothing remains but a concluding
counsel, salutation, and benediction. These form a sweet and
graceful close, all the more welcome after the keen and indignant
tone of some of the previous sentences :
" Finally, brethren, rejoice ; be perfected ; be comforted ; be
VOL. II, K

146 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of the same mind ; Uve in peace ; and the God of love and
peace shall be with you."
After the salutation foUows the benediction invoked from
the Holy Trinity in the form now so familiar through constant
repetition in Church Service. Those who quote it, sometimes
change the order so as to begin with the love of God the
Father ; but there is good reason for the order in which St
Paul wrote the sentence. He begins with the favour of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which in his own time of need had been
promised as sufficient (chap, xii, 9), This grace of Christ
leads into the love of God, and this love is central in bene
diction. In this home and rest of the human spirit, beUevers
are kept by the communion of the Holy Ghost. Therefore
this closes and perfects the blessing, — "The communion of the
Holy Ghost be with you all,"

( 147 )

GALATIANS.
Considered simply as a production of St, Paul, this Epistle is
very characteristic of the man, full of his force and earnestness.
Considered as a part of Holy Writ, clothed with a Divine
authority, it is a work of the Holy Spirit, of great value to the
Church, as a vindication at once of the grace and of the holi
ness of the Gospel.
It was St Paul himself who first preached the Gospel in that
inland district of Asia Minor which was called Galatia, Two
visits paid by him to that region are mentioned in the Acts of
the Apostles,* It appears from allusions in the Epistle that
on his first visit the Apostle was suffering greatly from a thorn
in the flesh, — some humiliating and enfeebling ailment; but
the impulsive Galatians received him with delight, "as an
angel of God," t After the elapse of about three years he
paid a second visit to that district, and went through it in order,
"strengthening all the disciples." But he met a comparatively
cold reception ; and after his departure the Galatian Churches
were more and more alienated from him through the influence
of a party hostile to his teaching on grace and liberty. At
length this mischief .grew so serious that the Apostle thought
it needful to write to the Churches of Galatia, and to remon
strate with them on their fickleness of spirit, and their de
parture from the truth.
The Galatians were Gauls or Celts who had emigrated from
the West and seized on a great part of Asia Minor, In course
of time they were hemmed in within a district, and at last fell
* Acts xvi. 6, xviii. 23. + Chap, iv, 13-15.

148 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
under the all-subduing power of Rome. In the East they had
become enervated and corrupted, and, mingling with the old
Phrygian race, whom they had vanquished, had adopted many
of their religious ideas and customs. But they retained the
faults of the Gallic and Celtic nature, and were not only
impetuous but unreliable, incapable of sustained purpose,
reckless, vainglorious, and contentious.
Thus the population out of which the Galatian Churches
were gathered was a semi-barbarous mass of degenerate Gauls
mingled with passionate Phrygians, Among these there dwelt
a considerable number of Jews, for Antiochus the Great settled
two thousand Jewish families in Lydia and Phrygia, and the
descendants of these must have overflowed into Galatia, Others
were no doubt drawn thither by the pursuits of commerce, for
the country was rich, and much of the trade from the far East
to the shores of the jEgean passed through the Galatian cities,.
These men brought a very disturbing element into the Churches,
for the Jews who lived far from Jerusalem were often the
most fanatical in their Judaism ; and in point of fact, though
dangers from heathen looseness did beset the Galatian Churches,
the greatest trouble arose from men who inculcated the
obligation of circumcision, and justification by the law of
Moses. There can be no question that the Epistle before us was written
subsequently to the Apostle's second visit to Galatia, No
sooner was he relieved as to the state of the Churches in Achaia
by the coming of Titus, than his mind was burdened about the
errors of the Galatians, for at this time the're came on him
" daily the care of all the Churches," So he wrote this letter,
as we suppose, after his second to the Corinthians, and just
before the Epistle to the Romans, There is intemal evidence
of this.. The strain of self-vindication which marks 2 Corin
thians is continued in Galatians. There is, on the part of the
writer, the same sensitiveness as to the confidence which the
Churches placed in him, the same affirmation of his apostolate,
the same vehemence against the false teachers who depreciated

GALATIANS. 149
his authority, and perverted his Gospel, Then there is a pre
paration for the Epistle to the Romans in the consecutive setting
forth of doctrine and practice. This may be called a first draft
of that more finished and rounded production; this the bold
but somewhat fragmentary assertion of truths which are there
more comprehensively and systematically taught.
This letter has none of the joyful and affectionate expressions
with which the other epistles of Paul begin. The salutation is
almost stem. The first words are, " Paul an apostle," his apostle
ship having been disputed; "not from men," but from God,
therefore not like that of the false apostles ; and " not through
man," but directly through Jesus Christ, who had appointed
him, and therefore on a par with the apostolate of the Twelve,
At the same time St, Paul would have the Galatians understand
that he was not alone in his view of their misconduct, " All
the brethren " who were with him concurred with him, preached
the same Gospel, and grieved to hear of its perversion.
He does not write to the Galatians as "called saints,'' but
addresses them simply as " the Churches of Galatia," This is
the more remarkable, because though there was a low moral
tone at Corinth with much party spiiit and confusion, the Apostle
addresses the brethren there as sanctified in Christ Jesus, The
reason of his greater reserve toward the Galatians seems to be
that they had trifled with the light imparted to them, and were
guilty of unfaithfulness to the Gospel, Yet there is love in all
his severity. He wishes the Galatians grace and peace, and
reminds them of the death of Jesus and the wiU of God " to
deliver us from this present evil world."
The letter thus begun proceeds in an order which admits of
an easy threefold division. Each section contains two chapters,
I, A vindication of St. Paul's apostolate (chaps, i. and ii.). —
It was charged against him that he had never been duly set
apart, or constituted an apostle by ecclesiastical appointment or
ordination. He grants it, and glories in it The apostolate
originated with Christ only, and could not be conferred by men,

150 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
or transmitted from one generation to another. It came not
from man, or even through man, but directly from the Lord.
Even the case of Matthias did not contravene this principle, for
he was chosen by the Lord, and was not ordained to apostleship
by the brethren.
St. Paul dweUs on it with great emphasis, that he has been
chosen of the Lord and not of man, and taught by revelation of
the Lord, not by conference with flesh and blood. No word of
any apostle was used to convert him to the faith, but he _was
arrested hy a vision on the way to Damascus, Then his relation
to the Gospel is unique, for it had been directly revealed to him
by the Lord, Even when he met and conferred with those who
had been apostles before him in Judea, he did not ask or derive
from them any sanction for his message and work, but exchanged
fraternal salutations.
Indeed, at Antioch he had actually been obliged to remonstrate
with the Apostle Peter, and withstand him to the face, rather
than aUow Christian liberty to be limited or compromised, St.
Peter knew well, for he had been taught by a vision at Joppa,
that he was not to count the Gentiles unclean ; and yet with a
touch of his old weakness in the hour of trial, he played false
to his principles, to propitiate the Judaic party at Antioch, and
separated himself from the Gentile brethren. St Paul, who
had thought out the question far more thoroughly than the
Galilean Apostle, openly remonstrated with him, and maintained
the equality of the Gentiles with the Jews under the new dis
pensation of grace,
A very perplexing incident is this to those who think that
St, Peter was pope, and therefore infallible : a very clear dis
proof, we think, of any such proposition. But, on the other
hand, we should be careful not to press it to a conclusion unduly '
derogatory to that great Apostle. He had flts of infirm purpose
after his bravest movements ; but, while it is highly honourable
to Paul that he openly withstood his senior, rather than betray
or compromise the rights of the Gentile Christians, it is also
extremely creditable to Simon Peter that he, a pillar in the

GALATIANS. 151
Church, submitted to such a rebuke with humility, and, far from
resenting it, mentions his junior in his last Epistle with special
distinction as " Our beloved brother Paul."
The first section of the Epistle closes with a terse statement
of the Apostle's personal relation to the law and to grace. The
passage (chap, ii, 19-21) is termed by Bengel "summa ac
meduUa Christianismi," "Through the law," Paul was dead to
the law, that he might live to God. In that consciousness of union
with Christ, which he afterwards explains more fully in his
Epistle to the Romans, he regards himself as crucified with the
Lord, and thereby conclusively separated from his old self-life
under the law, and brought into a newness of life, as by resur
rection, — a life which had no root in Saul of Tarsus, but issued
from Christ living, by the Spirit, in the new man, Paul of
Damascus, His career thenceforth was by faith in the Son of
God, who loved him, and gave Himself for him.*
II, An exposure of the folly of relapsing under legal bondage
(chaps, iii. iv,). — This forms the main theme of the Epistle.
It begins with a vigorous interrogation, — " 0 foolish (in
considerate) Galatians ! who hath bewitched you,t before whose
eyes Jesus Christ crucified was placarded (proclaimed) ? " What
bewitched them, or cast an evil spell over them, was the " dif
ferent gospel " of false teachers who drew them back under the
law, insisted on circumcision in the flesh, required the observ
ance of Jewish festivals, and inculcated justification by works.
In the view of St, Paul this was a declension from liberty to
bondage, and from the Spirit to the flesh ; not a mere alteration
or even distortion, but a downright reversal of the Gospel of
Christ, He flghts against it with the sword of his mouth.
The Galatians have been misled by their new teachers through
a misuse of the Old Testament ; and therefore St. Paul refers
them to the ancient Scriptures, and shows them that the pro-
* " Observe the /li and iwip i/iov as expressive of the conscious and
assured /tfccio in the fides." — Meyer, in loc.
t "O insensi Galatse, quis vos fasoinavit?" — 'Vulg.

1 52 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
mise of grace to Abraham preceded by hundreds of years the
law of works through Moses, and that the law was added really
to prepare for the time of richer grace in Christ, shutting men
up " unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed." All
who are of faith are blessed with Abraham. All who are of the
works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, " Cursed
is every one that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them."
The Apostle shows that the law has condemning power, but
that no man is justified thereby. He then points out the
beneficial training influence of the law, preparing for the Gospel,
leading on to Christ as the pedagogue in ancient cities led
children to the master, and charged with a moral guardianship
of His people, while yet immature or under age. ThUs the
whole dispensation of the law was one of subordinate rank,
conducting to the higher dispensation of the Gospel, It had
ordinances in the flesh, as circumcision. It had an earthly
sanctuary at Jerusalem, It had a very imperfect realisation of
Sonship, — " The heir, as long as he is a chUd, differeth nothing
from a servant, though he be lord of all, but is under tutors and
governors untU the time appointed of the father," It had a
minute prescription of holy seasons and observances, which are
now void of meaning, — mere "weak and beggarly elements."
A man under the law was required to observe days, months,
times, and years, but no such obligation lies on a man under the
Gospel. In Christ we have redemption from the curse of the
law, and exemption from its tutelage and constraint We
have the adoption of sons, the Spirit of adoption, and the holy
liberty of heirs of God according to the promise.
This is iUustrated by a striking reference to the family of
Abraham, An allegorical meaning is found in the two mothers,
Hagar and Sarah, and their sons, Ishmael and Isaac, They
represent in contrast the law and the promise, bondage and
liberty. ^ Hagar the bondwoman, Ishmael the son after the flesh,
Sinai the mountain of the law in Arabia, the Jerusalem beneath,
occupied by the Christ-rejecting Jews — all these are on one side,

GALATIANS. 153
and are connected with Abraham, but not according to the
promise. On the other hand, believers on Christ are related
through the Gospel to Sarah, the free- woman, Isaac, born after
the Spirit, and the Jerusalem which is above, which is free,
which is the mother of us all, and which wUl yet come down
out of heaven from our God.
If the Galatians had understood this contrast, they would
never have hearkened to the false teachers, or allowed themselves
to be again entangled with the yoke of bondage,
III. A practical exhortation. — In St Paul's view, bondage
of conscience is sure to lead to a fleshly walk — Uberty of heart
in conscious sonship and heirship to a spiritual walk before God
(chap. V. vi.) Faith works by love ; and liberty is not license
to please oneself, but a freedom from evil restraints in order
to render loving service to God and the brethren. The Apostle
sets forth two alternatives and contrasts — ( i.) The Spirit against
the flesh; (2,) The cross against the world,
I. The spirit is bom of the Spirit* It is the sacred vitality
and sensibility, animated and guided by the indweUing Spirit
of Christ Jesus, It is known by its fruit. Men often speak of
the fruits of the Spirit, but the Apostle is careful to say fruit —
one holy fruit or result, comprising many virtues. Love is the
juice of the fruit, sweet to God and man; joy, its beautiful
bloom ; peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness,
form its mellow softness ; faith is its consistence, and also forms
its characteristic and incomparable flavour ; temperance is the
rind of the fruit, binding it together, keeping it fresh, and
preserving its good qualities from waste.
The flesh is born of the flesh— human nature under inherited
and accustomed sinfulness. It acts from self wUl, and builds
up a religion of self-righteousness. Its works are manifest : not
its fruit, nor even its work, because it has no inward harmony
to produce unity of result : but its works in great profusion
appear. The Apostle gives not a catalogue of them, but a few
* John iii. 6.

154 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
specimens, describing them as the sins of sensuality, idolatry,
malice, and excess.*
On this the Galatians are exhorted to walk in the Spirit, and
to develop that which is first named in the fruit of the Spirit,
viz., love. " Let us not be vainglorious, provoking one another,
envying one another. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so
fulfil the law of Christ,"
2. The cross of Christ against the world. The new teachers
in Galatia maintained the obligation of circumcision, and wished
to glory over the submission of the converts to a fleshly rite.
St, Paul, who now regarded such rites as mere rudiments of the
world, would glory only in the cross of Christ, by which he was
quite separated from the world, and brought into the new
creation. He testifies that in Christ Jesus that creation availed
everything, but circumcision and uncircumcislon availed nothing.
He points to the very size and firmness of his handwriting as
indicating the intensity of his conviction and the solemnity of
his admonition, " Look you in what large letters I write with
mine own hand."t He began the Epistle with allusion to
Christ's death as intended to deliver us from this present evil
world ; and now he ends it by declaring that the cross of Christ
obliterates mere worldly rudiments and fleshly distinctions in
religion. There is a new creation, with a new atmosphere of
motive and sympathy, a new life in the Spirit, a new hope to
cheer, and a new principle to actuate, viz., faith which works by
love. To walk according to the rule of a religion in the flesh and
of the world can only end in confusion. But the Apostle has
a benediction for as many as walk according to this rale of
new creatureship, " Peace be on them and mercy, and upon
the Israel of God," as distinguished from the mere Israel after
the flesh which boasted in the law.
So Paul makes an end. Let who will impugn his relation
to Christ, he bears "the stigmata of Jesus" in the marks of his
good fight of faith, and his many afflictions. Then, breathing
* See chap. V. 19-23, t Chap. vi. 11,

GALATIANS. 155
always the disposition befitting an apostle of the Lamb, he
concludes, not with menaces or curses of the law, but with a
kindly prayer for the Galatians, — " Brethren, the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." It is the only
Church epistle in which this form is used ; and an emphasis
lies on spirit as against the flesh. No grace can possibly come
upon the flesh. It is crucified with its affections and lusts.
The grace of the Lord Jesus is with our spirit, or not with us
at all : and His Spirit is to bear witness with our spirits that
we are children of God.
This Epistle' may in one sense be caUed obsolete. The
Jewish form of a false gospel we never think of. No one
among us supposes that the way of salvation is to be found in
fleshly circumcision, and in strict observance of the laws of
Moses, and the traditions of the Jews. But in other forms
false gospels abound. The truth as it is in Jesus, where not
denied, if often badly adulterated, A religion is taught which
derives all its strength from form and tradition ; and the only
thing that avails in Christ Jesus — viz,, the new creation — is
unthought of, or referred to some sacramental ceremony. To
combat these errors the Epistle to the Galatians is fresh and
powerful as ever. It was a true instinct which led Martin
Luther to give much of his time to the exposition of it, .in
order to establish the doctrine of faith ; and we want it still
to smite self-righteousness and religious externalism root and
branch, and to teach that a man, in order to be justified, must
believe in Christ, and, in order to be sanctified, must be
crucified with Christ, The Epistle is full of animation, argu
ment, and reproof ; but above all and best of all, it is full of
grace. So it teaches a lesson for all time — that sinners are
saved by grace, and saints are preserved by grace. Just
because it impresses these great truths, the Epistle to the
Galatians can never fail to hold a place of honour in the Ups
of faithful preachers, and in the grateful appreciation of all
the enlightened children of God,

( iS6 )

EPHESIANS.
The Epistles to the Corinthians and Galatians bear very directly
and speciaUy on the condition of the Churches to which they
were sent, and cannot be appreciated or even understood with
out some knowledge of local and historical circumstances. The
case is quite different with the Epistle to the Ephesians. It is
not even absolutely certain that the designation is a correct one,
for the words " in Ephesus '' are wanting in one of the very
oldest manuscripts. The absence of those local aUusions,
personal messages and salutations, which abound in the other
Epistles, makes it probable that this letter was so composed as
to be of use to the neighbouring congregations in the province
of Asia, as well as to the saints at Ephesus ; and early copies
may have been transmitted to them.* It was written from
Rome, during St. Paul's first imprisonment there. His mind
was then in its highest vigour, and his spirit full of life and
liberty. Accordingly this Epistle is distinguished by a lofty
eloquence. It has not the abruptness or the swift exchange of
question and answer which characterise the two Epistles that
precede it ; but it has large declarations of truth, and outpour
ings of desire in which clause is linked to clause till the
sentences fill and sweU with great conceptions.
The Ephesian converts are described in the Acts of the
Apostles as pubUcly burning their books of sorcery,t The
value of the books is put on record — 50,000 drachmas, or
* Bishop Lightfoot has described this Epistle as " a circular letter to
the Asiatic Churches, which got its ultimate designation from the metro
politan city." f Acts xix. 18, 19.

EPHESIANS. 157
;^i87S. Truly they were well recompensed when they got
this Epistle to lead them, not into magic and sorcery, but into
the mystery of Christ, and hidden wisdom of God, They had
burned evil and superstitious volumes, and they obtained a
book which cannot be valued in silver and gold — an Epistle of
wonderful breadth and power, full of riches of the mind, and
the warm flow of a master spirit.
After a salutation and benediction, which are in the Apostle's
usual manner, the letter launches forth at once upon the copious
spiritual blessings which God has conferred upon His people in
Jesus Christ, Its tenor throughout may be called doctrinal
and practical, as is the case in the Epistles to the Romans and
Galatians ; but no very exact division can be marked. Enough
that three chapters relate to Christian privilege, and three to
Christian duty. The first part describes our standing in grace ;
the second treats of our walk and warfare,
I, The first part (chaps, i.-iii.) is mainly doctrinal, and the
doctrine is of salvation by grace. This, however, is not main
tained so controversially as in the two doctrinal Epistles we
have just mentioned. The question how a man may be
justified is not discussed. The law is mentioned only once.
The great themes are the spiritual blessings bestowed in Christ,
and the formation and caUing of the Church.
There is a distinction, not often marked by readers, between
" us " and " you," The Apostle declares what God had done for
" us " — i.e. for those who first hoped in Christ, and carried the
gospel of His grace into the province of Asia. In the splendid
opening passage (chap. i. 3-12), St Paul does not describe the
blessedness of the Ephesians, for he uses the words "we" and
" us," Writing in the assurance of God's love, he teUs of the
eternal purpose of the Father— redemption by the Son, accept
ance (being enveloped in grace) in the Beloved, the obtaining
of the inheritance, and the ultimate design of the Father to
gather together in one aU things in Christ, Within a few
verses there is a copious recital of spiritual blessings ; and all

158 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
are traced back to their foundation in the etemal love of God.
Then the Apostle addresses the Ephesians as " you also," and
declares that the same privileges and consolations are opened to
them. Having believed the word of trath as soon as they
heard it, they share all things with those who had hoped in
Christ before them. Nay, " ye are sealed with that Holy Spirit
of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance.'' They who
receive the Gospel at second hand, or by transmission from
others, are placed at no disadvantage. For all believers there
is the same inheritance with Christ, and there is the same
earnest of that inheritance. Moreover, in every case — whether
of the earlier or the later believers, the "us" or the "you," —
the spiritual blessings emanate from the same source — the
purpose and pleasure of God ; and aU tend to the same issue —
" unto the praise of His glory." *
The first chapter ends with a sublime prayer of intercession
in behalf of the Ephesian saints. St Paul desires their
spiritual illumination. They have the spirit of life ; he asks
for them the spirit of wisdom. They have a holy calling ; he
asks that the eyes of their hearts may be opened, so that they
may know " the hope of His caUing." They have forgiveness
through the death of Christ : he asks that they may know in
themselves the power which God put forth in the resurrection
of Christ from the dead. The prayer ends with mention of the
exaltation of the Saviour, and His headship over all to the
Church, which is His body. Then these thoughts run through
all the remainder of the Epistle. It recognises the heavenly
places, and sees the Church in elevation with Christ, regarding
it as His mystical Body, His holy Temple, and His ransomed
Bride, The second chapter is fuU and clear on the salvation which
is in Christ It shows in what a pit of moral death and de
gradation God found the Ephesians, and to what an elevation
He had raised them, actuated throughout by his own " great
love," They were dead in sins, and He quickened and raised
* Chap. i. 12-14.

EPHESIANS. 159
them in Christ, They walked in the course of the world, and
He lifted them up to sit in heavenly places.
The thought occurs again and again that all this is conducive
to the glory of God in the ages to come. It shows now, and
will show to those ages, the exceeding riches of His grace, for
the salvation is " by grace through faith." Works are excluded,
for two reasons : (i.) Boasting must be excluded (chap, ii. 9) ; *
(2,) Good works are the ordained result of salvation (chap. ii.
10), and so cannot be its cause or ground. Salvation is not of
works, because it is in order to works ; and nothing is gained,
but everything lost, by disturbing the Divine arrangement.
This Epistle, however, treats not so much of the salvation of
an individual, as of the privUege and dignity of the saved com
munity. It proceeds to show that the separation of Jew and
Gentile is abolished in Christ through His peace-procuring
death ; that they are alike reconciled to God, and moulded into
one body, grouped in one citizenship, builded together into one
temple, fitly framed together as an habitation of God in the
Spirit, Such union is no human device ; it is the Divine will.
Whatever the original quarries from which the living stones are
hewn, whatever the ignorances and prejudices of those who are
converted to Christ, those stones are to be brought together,
compacted in feUowship, and edified or upbuilt in love, so that
the whole temple may grow together in the Lord, St. Paul
loves the illustrations of a temple and a body,t and interchanges
the expressions proper to each. Thus he writes of the growth
of the temple, and the upbuilding of the body in love,J
The position of Gentile believers in the body of Christ, and
in the heirship with Christ, was "a mystery," i.e. a thing long
hidden, but now revealed in the Spirit To St, Paul especially
had this mystery been made known by revelation, and by him
was it declared as a great distinction of this age or dispensation.
Now, it was not a new thing that the Jewish saints should be
* Compare Romans iii. 27.
f The combination of ideas rests on John ii. 19-21.
t Chap. ii. 21 ; iv. 6.

i6o SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
the temple of the Lord, or the heirs of promise. Neither was
it a new thing in revelation that Gentiles as weU as Jews
should be saved through the Messiah ; for this was known to
Abraham, announced by Isaiah, and preached by Simon Peter.
But it was a mystery now for the first time disclosed, that the
saved Jews and Gentiles should form one Temple, one Body,
one Church of the living God, moving on to the inheritance of
the saints in light. So a new wonder rose not only on the
minds of men, but on "the principalities and powers in the
heavenly places," — the wonder of the Church unperceived
before, displaying to heaven and earth the manifold wisdom of
God. The third chapter ends, like the first, with a prayer of glow
ing spiritual ardour. On his bended knees at Rome, the
apostolic prisoner beseeches the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ for the saints in far distant Ephesus, that they may
have a more powerful indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and a
richer experimental acquaintance with the love of Christ, which
passes knowledge. Then this first part of the Epistle, having
opened up the doctrine of the Church, concludes with a
doxology to God " in the ChurcL" Glory to God the hearer
of prayer, and the mighty Worker in us, " to aU the generations
of the age of ages," — throughout aU the sublime procession of
the ages to come !
II. The practical part of the Epistle begins at the fourth
chapter, which opens with directions for the Christian walk.
If the Ephesians were sitting in heavenly places as respects
nearness and access to God in Christ, that privilege ought to
induce a holy and consistent walk on the earth. It would ill
become them — it Ul becomes any one, to glory in celestial
privUege, unless there be an honest endeavour to purify the
terrestrial life. Before their conversion the Ephesians had
walked according to the course of this world. After it they
are bound to walk worthy of their new caUing; and this is
explained further by the following expressions — walking not as

EPHESIANS. i6i
other Gentiles walk, walking in love, walking as children of
light, walking circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.*
It is a high vocation which Christians receive, but it requires
a lowly mind. It should be pursued " with all lowliness and
meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love,
endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace." From this exhortation the Apostle is led to open out
the blessed doctrine of sevenfold unity, and to show the
provision made by our ascended Lord for preserving the oneness
of His saints, and the harmonious growth of the Church, He
has given to His people (i,) apostles, and (2.) prophets ; these
being for the foundation of the Church ; (3.) evangelists for its
extension ; and (4.) pastors and teachers for stationary work of
consolidation and instruction. These are given in order to the
" perfecting," or thorough equipment and training of saints to
their " work of ministry '' in truth and love,t
Outward conduct depends on inward principles. To walk in
purity requires a renewal in the spirit of the mind. So we must
leam Christ, and the truth as it is in Jesus, The old man
must be put off. Such is the comprehensive rule to be carried
out, as conscience directs, into particular applications. A blow
must be struck at the very constitution of sin, and then sins
may be mastered in detail. Specimens of this are given in
regard to the breach of certain commandments of the moral
law. Breaches of the 9th Commandment — See chap, iv. 25, 31.
Breaches of the 6th Commandment — See chap, iv, 26, 31.
Breaches of the Sth Commandment — See chap, iv, 28.
Breaches of the 7th Commandment — See chap, v, 3-5.
But a merely negative renewal is ineffective, is indeed im
possible. The new man must be put on, viz., the image of
Christ with the Ufe of Christ. This is "after God," created
within us ; and its element is " righteousness and holiness of
* Chap. iv. I, 17 ; V. 2, 8, 15. ., t Chap. iv. 11, 12.
VOL. IL L

i62 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
truth," in happy contrast with the old man's "lusts of
deceit." Then the exhortations accumulate. "Be ye therefore imi
tators of God, as dear children ; and walk in love, as Christ
also loved us and gave Himself up for us." " Now are ye light
in the Lord ; walk as children of light," Men so enlightened
should walk cautiously, redeeming the time and discerning
their Lord's wiU, but not gloomily or despondingly, for they
should speak and sing as they go, being filled with the Spirit,
making melody to the Lord Jesus, and giving thanks always
for all things to the Father in His name.
The law of love im,plies mutual submission and concession.
" Subjecting yourselves one to another, in the fear of Christ"
This is the principle of church-feUowship, and as the nucleus
of the Church is the family, the Apostle proceeds to show how
the law of submission in love ought to pervade domestic life.
A wife should submit to her husband in love, as the Church to
Christ, A husband ought to love his wife as his own body,
for so Christ loved the Church, Children should obey their
parents in the Lord, for this is right : and fathers should
remember the law of love in training their children, — " Provoke
not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord," So also ought servants to obey
masters, and masters to treat servants as in the fear of the
Lord Christ ; servants showing " good will," and masters
"forbearing threatening," because both parties are under a
Christian obligation to walk in lowliness and love.
At the tenth verse of the sixth chapter begins a very vigorous
passage of admonition. The saints have been -regarded as
seated in heavenly places : they have been admonished to walk
humbly on the earth : and now they are bidden to stand in the
evil day. " Stand against the wiles of the devU " — having
done all, "stand" — "stand therefore, having your loins girt
about." As a child of light pursues the way of his duty he meets
many adversaries, and the worst of these are. unseen. They

EPHESIANS. 163
are infernal principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness of
this world, who seek to delude in regard to the supernal things,
employing wiles of the devil, shooting forth fiery darts of the
wicked. But God has provided for the child of light a panoply
for the evU day — (i,) The girdle of truth, giving strength and
comeliness to Christian character, (2.) The breastplate of
righteousness, or rather the coat of mail, which covers the body
all round from the neck to the thighs, guarding aU the vital
parts. (3.) The shoes, or rather the war-boots (caligae) of the
preparation of the gospel of peace, indicating firmness of tread
and alacrity of spirit. (4.) The shield of faith over all,
defending the armour as weU as the armed man, capable of
being turned hither and thither to meet every attack, and of
quenching fiery darts. (5.) The helmet of salvation, i.e. the
hope of salvation.* This protects the head, the seat of thought
and principle. A Christian must beware how he loosens his
helmet. If his good hope be relaxed, he may be seriously
wounded in the head, (6,) The sword of the Spirit, the
searching, piercing word of God. The sword is a weapon use
ful both for attack and for defence ; but^it is of little service
in unskiUed hands. Whoso would be a good soldier of Christ,
must not only possess such a sword, but learn to wield it.
(7.) All prayer, without which the strongest and most ex
perienced may be worsted in the evil day. AU great Christians
have excelled in, and prevailed by persevering, vigilant, and
affectionate prayer.
The Apostle adds a request that the Ephesians would pray
for him, yet not that he should be delivered from bonds at
Rome, but that he might speak boldly in that great city, as he
ought to speak. Such was his noble passion for preaching
Christ Then a kind notice of TychicUs, who bore this letter
to Ephesus, draws it to a close.
The actual conclusion is sweet and gentle. "Peace be to
the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ" Peace of reconciliation they had : now
• Compare I Thess. v. 8,

i64 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
let them have peace of obedience, and of communion with God
and with one another. Faith they had, and so were saved by
grace : now let them have increase of faith for the conflicts
they must endure, and with it much love, in order to stand
together, grow together, walk together, and be edified together.
The last sentence is, " Grace be with aU them that love our
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity," * No one loves Him as He
ought to be loved ; and we* may be thankful that the blessing
is not for those that sufficiently love Him, but for all that
sincerely love the Saviour, Blessed is every one who can
truly say — " Lord, Thou knowest aU things ; Thou knowest
that I love Thee."
* The Revised Version has "in incorruptness," a rendering which aims
at very close translation, but is clumsy English.

( i63 )

PHILIPPIANS.
Not combative, like the Epistle to the Galatians, or perhaps
so profound as the Epistle to the Ephesians, what is now before
us is a loving and edifying letter from St Paul to a Church
which had a very strong hold on his affections. It was
through his own labours that the Church of PhiUppi was
founded, in the conversion of Lydia, and the baptism of her
and her household, the deliverance of a female slave possessed
with a Pythonic spirit, and a wonderful conversion of the
jailer, foUowed by the baptism of him and his household.*
His first mission closed abruptly, but he visited the Philippians
again, and through his friends and emissaries maintained a
close friendship with them. Their loyal affection to him was
proved by substantial gifts repeatedly sent to supply his wants ;
and although St, Paul was a man of fine sensitiveness in regard
to obligations, he had no scruple in accepting such kindness
from his children in the Gospel at Philippi. It was a gift
from them, sent through Epaphroditus, which was the occasion
of this Epistle, It reached St, Paul during his captivity at
Rome, and he sent back through the same Epaphroditus this
letter of thanks ; but wrote it with such fulness of teaching
and consolation, that the PhiUppians must have felt the obli
gation to be on their part still. It was a small matter that
they ministered in carnal things to one who ministered to them
in spiritual things so abundantly.
The letter alleges no doctrinal error against the Philippians ;
nor does it reprove any sin or practical fault. It opens easily
* On the significance of these three conversions, see Bishop Lightfoot
on this Epistle, Third edition, pp. 51-56.

i66 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and graciously. Nothing is said of St Paul's apostleship, for
at PhUippi it had not been called in question. The epistle
professes to proceed from " Paul and Timothy, servants of
Jesus Christ," for these had laboured together in Macedonia;
and it is addressed to " aU the saints in Christ Jesus which
afe at PhUippi, with the bishops and deacons." It is a very
important description of a primitive Christian community. The
Church was formed of saints in Christ Jesus — partakers of the
holy caUing, persons separated to God in Christ, Its officers
were in two orders, not three. First were the bishops, over
seers, or superintendents ; certainly not diocesan bishops, pre
lates, or church princes, but the elders who took the oversight
of the flock in and around the town of Philippi. After them
came the deacons, practical men chosen from among the brethren
to handle and administer Church affairs, and to consider the
case of the poor.
To the saints with the bishops and deacons, Paul and Timothy
wish grace and peace from God out Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ Then the Epistle proceeds as in the name of Paul
only, — a real letter, not a treatise, not an argument, not a
sermon, not even a tract, but a letter which flows on without
stiffness or precision, as some silver stream may wind among
the fertile meadows,
AU that we can attempt is to indicate what is most pro
minent in each of the four chapters.
I, The magnanimity of the Apostle (chap. i.). — This is not all
that we have in the chapter, but it is very conspicuous. Though
St. Paul is in bonds, and to a man of his active temperament
the restraint must have been very irksome, he seems quite to
forget his own affiiction in his loving care for his children and
friends at Philippi, whom he has in his heart, whom he loves
in the tenderness of Christ, and for whose progress he earnestly
prays. The cause of the Gospel is everything to him ; personal ease
or comfort nothing. His bonds at Rome sit light upon him,

PHILIPPIANS. 167
provided the Gospel be not bound. And he has been severely
tested on this very point. Some preachers unworthy of that
dignity, actuated by a spirit of envy, had preached in Rome,
hoping to render more galling the Apostle's bondage. He is
quite aware of their factious tempers and discreditable motives ;
but with Tare and splendid magnanimity, he looks over and
beyond those peevish preachers to the great end which the
proclamation of the Gospel was fitted to promote — the glory
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and rejoices that in any way his
Divine Master's name is made known wijthin the great and
populous city of Rome. " What then ? notwithstanding, every
way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached ; and
I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice," It is one of the
most nobly unselfish sayings in all history ; the utterance of a
sweet and loving spirit, purified from all petulant feeling,
absorbed in the name and glory of the beloved Saviour,
Yet it was not a very clear or complete gospel that the envious
and contentious preachers delivered. In all probability, they
belonged to that Judaizlng party which everywhere opposed
the doctrine of St Paul ; and we have seen that the Apostle,
writing to the Galatians, handled such persons and their
devices with severity. The question arises, How is the stem
reprobation expressed in that Epistle to be reconciled with the
magnanimous allowance in this ! The explanation lies in the
different condition of the Churches, In Galatia, the teachers
whom St, Paul denounced, were disturbing and misleading
congregations that had previously received the Gospel in its
simplicity and holy liberty. They subverted that Gospel, and
brought the unstable Galatians again under a yoke of bondage.
But at Rpme, the great difficulty was to make Christ known at
all to the mixed population of the vast metropolis ; and it was
something gained, to have the Saviqur preached, even by men
who were ill-affected toward His apostle. Best of all, to have
weU-affected preachers, but at such a time, and in such a place,
better any preachers than none at all. Though the men referred
to were themselves actuated by a very unbrotherly spirit, they

i68 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
might at aU events arrest the attention of some to the name of
Jesus Christ. Let them cast out demons, if they can, in His
name ; St, Paul will not forbid them.
Bondman or freeman, living or dying, the Apostle is resolved
that Christ for him shall Ido supreme, and he will desire nothing
more than to be the means of glorifying and magnifying his
Saviour, On earth he will be a living sacrifice : and if he be
delivered to death, the Lord's wUl be done and His name
exalted. " To Uve is Christ '' — a manifestation of Christ, who
is at once the strength, the model, and the end or object of
holy living. " To die is gain " — escape from conflicts, tempta
tions, slanders, and persecutions — reception into the presence
of the Lord. What to choose St. Paul perceives not, and feels
as one hemmed ia and at a loss. He is content to live ; more
than content to die. His mind is like a ship at anchor with a
fair wind, detained for some good reason in the roadstead, yet
eager to lift the anchor, spread the sails, and set out to sea.
By duty and affection he is bound to the Church on earth ; yet
he is much drawn to the Lord in heaven, and has a desire to
depart. Here, again, see how large-souled and devoted a man is Paul
the prisoner. He wants to be with Christ, and considers death
welcome in any cruel form, because departure to the Lord " is
very far better " than any continued life upon earth ; but for
the good of others he is willing to abide in the flesh. He
began by sacrificing his position and religious reputation as a
Pharisee in order to labour in the Gospel : in pursuing that
labour he relinquished all worldly ease, emolument, and com
fort: and now he is content to forego for a while even the
highest joy of all — that of being with Christ — provided that
there is still work for him to do on earth in the advance
ment of his fellow Christians, their "furtherance and joy of
faith," II, The mind of Christ (chap, iL). — At the 27th verse of
the first chapter, the Apostle commences an exhortation to the

PHILIPPIANS. 169
Philippian saints regarding their calling and duty as citizens of
the kingdom of heaven. The same idea of citizenship recurs
iu the end of the third chapter ; and there may be a special
reason for the use of such language in this Epistle, St Paul
writes from Rome, the greatest city of the world ; and those
to whom he writes are at Philippi, which was a Roman " co-
lonia," and therefore politically a miniature of Rome itself.
It was there that the Apostle alarmed the praetors, who had
imprisoned him, by announcing himself a Roman citizen.* This
incident must have been fresh in the memory of the Philippian
believers as well as in his own, and in all likelihood suggested
his appeal to them that they should bear themselves as
the freemen of a holy city, and partakers of a heavenly
calling. He then teaches that harmony, kindness, humility, and un
selfishness are the ornament and strength of a Church, while
discord, selfishness, and vainglory are its bane and shame. He
sets before the Philippians the mind of Christ as the essence of
practical Christianity ; and expatiates with enthusiasm on the
condescension and exaltation of our Lord,
The Saviour was rich in divine glory and dignity, subsisting
in the form of God, and yet counted not His equality with
God a thing to be clutched and anxiously retained. For our
sakes He was willing to take a place of subordination for a time,
and to say, " My Father is greater than I." So He emptied
Himself, not of divine being and perfections — for that could not
be — but of the divine radiance and inapproachable majesty.
He took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men. He was not mere man ; yet He was very
man, being born of a woman ; nay, more, as a man He humbled
himself, and was even among the fisherman and peasants, who
foUowed Him, " as one that serveth.'' He became obedient to
God under the law, and so continued "until death." Death
came to Him on the cross ; and such was His mind that He
would not save Himself and come down from the cross, but
* Acts xvi. ,36-39,

I70 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
' looked on 'the things of others, and gave Himself for us an
offering and sacrifice in lowliness and love.
On account of this, " God has highly exalted Him " in resur
rection from the tomb, in ascension from the earth, and in
session at His own right hand far above all heavens. God has
also " given Him a name above every name." On earth He de
clared the Father's name, and now is His own name declared ;
nay, that very name Jesus, which was placed above the shame
ful cross, is destined to universal homage. Now is the Cracified
One confessed as Lord to the glory of God the Father,
Such is the path which all Christian hearts are to trace ;
learning to follow Christ in His mind, to be lowly, self-sacrific
ing, patient for the good of others as He was, and so to prove
"blameless and harmless children of God without blemish,''
III, The path of Christian attainment (chap, iii.). — Warning
the Philippians against those who would insist on citcumcision
in the flesh, which he calls " concision " or mutilation, St Paul
describes the true circumcision by spiritual marks. They who
have it worship by the Spirit of God, rejoice in Christ Jesus,
and, far from glorying in the flesh, put no confidence in it
whatever. On this last point the Apostle dwells, telling his own reli
gious experienoej He had fleshly grounds of confldence —
(i.) Natal and hereditary, in his pure Hebrew extraction.
(2.) Ritual, in his punctual circumcision,
(3.) Orthodox, inasmuch as he was a Pharisee by education
' and choice, zealous for the traditions of his people, and blame
less as touching legal righteousness.
Thus he had stood as high as any votaries of the concision
could pretend" to be, and higher than they ; yet he had aban
doned self-confidence altogether to cast himself down at Jesus'
feet In this mind he continued, after years of trial and toil,
prizing above all things the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ, and renouncing all grounds or pretexts for boasting in
order to be found in Him, and to be wrapped round m the

PHILIPPIANS. 171
righteousness of God by faith. He seeks a complete identifica
tion with Christ in the power of His resurrection and the
fellowship of His sufferings, for such is the Divine order, that
elevation in life and privilege should prepare for a descent into
tribulation,* His thoughts even reach forward to the glorious
reunion with Christ and the saints at the era of ther esurrection
of the just " from among the dead," He hopes to attain not
merely to an amaraati, for a resurrection of the dead every one
will see, but to an i^avaffraff/f, the eclectic resurrection of those
who are Christ's, for they " shall rise first''
The things aimed at and hoped for with Pauline eagerness
are not reached at a bound. There is a path of progress.
Christian life begins in our being "apprehended by Christ,"
Its advancement is in growing likeness to Christ Jesus. It is
a race in which one must always forget the past and "stretch
out after the things in front." No otherwise can the prize of
the calling on high be won, or the goal reached of a perfect
conformity to Christ, involving unbroken and happy fellowship
with Him.
The "prefected" are not here — they are with the Lord, wait
ing for the redemption of the body. But " the perfect " t are
here, for by these are meant the more mature Christians, the
grown up in contrast with those who are children and not men :
and these perfect ones are admonished to show their ripeness of
wisdom in a loving Christ-like walk. The Apostle had himself
shown such an example to the PhiUppians ; and, at a time when
the New Testament Scriptures were only beginning to be writ
ten, when Christian morality was new, and the false teachers
were " evil-workers," it was of great service to the Churches
that St Paul could say, " One and all of you imitate me," and
that the converts who had not seen the Master, could study in
the character and career of the servant the essential difference
between an earthly and a heavenly walk,
* Compare chap. iii. 10. with Rom. v. 1-3.
t Chap. iii. 12, 15.

172 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
IV. Mehortations to saints (chap. iv.). — The PhUippians, Uke
the Thessalonians, are addressed as not only the Apostle's "joy,"
but his " crown." These Macedonian Churches formed chaplets
or wreaths round his head, showing that he had not run in vain
or laboured in vain. They are exhorted —
I, To steadfastness in the Lord ; chap. iv. i, reverting to L
27, 30. With the most affectionate urgency does St Paul
insist on this abiding in Christ as the " blissful centre " of all
religious thought and life. So he had written to the Thessa
lonians, "Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord."
2. To unity in the Lord; chap, iv. 2, reverting to ii. 2, 14,
15. Euodia and Syntyche seem to have been Christian women
of position and influence among the Philippian disciples. What
set them at variance we know not ; but the dissension between
them was unhappy for the Church, as likely to engender a
factious spirit : so the Apostle makes direct appeal to them to
" mind the same thing in the Lord," He does not look into
the dispute between them. Enough that it was not a matter
for which the harmony of the Church should be broken. The
thing which Euodia and Syntyche ought to mind was the
lowliness of Christ Jesus (chap, ii. 3-5). Appeal also is made
to Epaphroditus, under the designation " true yoke-f eUow," to
help the Christian workers at Philippi — both women and men.
And all were to unite in the happy conciliation.
3. To joy in the Lord; chap, iv, 4, reverting to ii, 18, ill., i.
This Macedonian Church had endured a great trial of affliction,
and was yet to have more suffering for Christ's sake. The
more need for the saints to have the joy of the Lord for their
strength. It was a good and healthy thing for them to rejoice
greatly, and rejoice always in Christ Yet in this joy must be .
no headiness or vainglory. It is a time for self-control in the
presence of all men, "The Lord is at hand,"
4, To devotion ; chap iv, 6, 7, "Have no anxieties, but in
everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let
your requests be made known to God." It is assumed that the
saints have peace unth God, as persons justified by faith. Now

PHILIPPIANS. 173
comes an additional blessing upon them as they pray, " The
peace of God" — a calmness truly divine — shall guard their
hearts and thoughts in Jesus Christ,
5. To a thoughtful obedience ; chap, iv. 8, 9, It is im
portant to contemplate with steady purpose all forms and
illustrations of moral beauty and excellence. The Philippians
are in this way to strengthen their best aspirations and
sympathies ; and then, keeping before them the Apostle's
teaching and example, they are to do the will of God, Here
too there is great reward — nay, the greatest. Prayer with
thanksgiving wiU bring to them "the peace of God." Obedience
will bring to them " the God of peace."
The Epistle ends with frank and grateful acknowledgment
of the kindness shown to St. Paul by the Philippians. They
had done well to communicate with his affliction. He can
never repay such friends in temporal things, nor do they at all
desire it ; but being poor, he makes many rich, for he conducts
them to the bounty of God. " My God shall supply all your
need, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, Now
unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen,''
After the doxology, a postscript is added to convey the
greetings of Christians at Rome to those at Philippi, "The
brethren who are with me greet you," These are the special
friends and comrades of the Apostle who were in immediate
communication with him, " AU the saints salute you, chiefly
they that are of Caesar's household." Such was the apostolic
and original Church of Rome — " the brethren,'' and " all the
saints.'' Still no sign whatever of a Pope, no trace of a hierarchy,
and no dead saints, but living ones, A strange place Csesar's
household to hold some of those saints ! They lived in the palace
of the Emperor Nero, not far from that Pretorian camp in
which the bonds of St, Paul were manifest* The soldiers of
the Pretorian guard knew the imprisoned Apostle well ; and
even some of the retainers of the cruel Emperor had been turned
to the Lord, It was not required of them by Paul, nor did
* Chap, i, 13,

174 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
they feel bound in their own consience to surrender their situa
tions and withdraw from Nero's house. Better that they should
shine as lights in that dark place, and walk as saints in Csesar's
palace. Then a sentence of commendation to the grace of Christ
concludes this holy and beautiful Epistle, which tells us how
to Uve and how to die, how to renounce and how to attain, how
to endure and how to rejoice, " The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ be with your spirit''

( 175 )

COLOSSIANS.
The Epistle to the Philippians has carried our thoughts into
Macedonia in Europe, This recalls them to Asia Minor, Colosse
or Colossae being an ancient town of Phrygia, on the Lycus,
within a few miles of Laodicea and Hierapolis. The Church
there was not founded by St Paul, — had never been visited by
him, Epaphras, himself a Colossian, seems to have planted
Christianity among his countrymen, Paul calls him his " dear
feUow-servant ; " and having during his first captivity at Rome
heard the report of Epaphras concerning the condition and
dangers of the Colossian Church, the Apostle wrote this letter
to encourage the faithful, and to expose the errors, doctrinal and
practical, which threatened to seduce the Church,
It resembles the Epistle to the Ephesians, It has the same
doctrine of the mystery of God, the headship of Christ, and the
contrast between the Old Man and the New ; the same counsels
for family life ; and the same exhortations to sing praise, to
pray, and to walk wisely, redeeming the time. Yet the Epistles
are quite independent of each other ; and this to the Colossians
is chiefly distinguished by its clear and emphatic Christology,
It is not the most fluent or elegant of St Paul's letters, but it
is forcible and fuU of thought It is decidedly polemical, like
the Epistle to the Galatians, but combats a different class of
errors. The Galatian Churches were infested with a Pharisaic
or self-righteous spirit, fostered by Judaising teachers who
gloried in circumcision and the Mosaic law. But the Phrygian
Churches seem to have been very seriously tainted with a sort
of semi-Jewish mysticism, — a combination of the Jewish

i;6 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
asceticism or Essenism with the beginnings of that Gnosticism
which exercised such a fascinating and bewildering influence in
the Post-Apostolic age. The former element in this compound
led to rigorous prohibitions for curbing of the flesh, and in the
end produced, as Ultraism always has done, a greater license.
The latter element introduced a false cosmogony, and a wor
shipping of angels, with a mystic but most unreal wisdom.*
Against all this mass of error St Paul directs his vigorous
polemic. He begins in his usual manner with kind words and prayers,
then inculcates and defends Christian doctrine, and proceeds to
detailed exhortations and instructions for the Christian life;
The transitions, however, are not abrupt. The letter passes
from prayer to teaching, from teaching to remonstrance, and
from remonstrance to practical counsel or kindly message, with
the ease and swiftness of a strong current of thought.
After the salutation, in which we find that Paul associates
with himself his trusty friend Timothy, the Epistle proceeds
as follows : —
I, ThanJcsgiving and prayer (chap, i. 1-12),
I, In their thanksgiving to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, Paul and Timothy put emphasis, as in other
Epistles, on faith and love as the proofs of saintship. They
had heard with joy from Epaphras of these evidences of spiritual
life among the Colossians, —
(i,) Their "faith in Christ Jesus," the prime distinction of
Christians. (2.) Their " love to all the saints," and this for no earthly
object, but "for the hope laid up for you in heaven." It was
"love in the Spirit;" and the faith, hope; and love abode
together, as our Apostle had written to the Corinthians,
(3.) Their fruitfulness in the Gospel. This, which denotes
righteous and useful living, is traced to divine truth received
into the mind and heart The word of the truth of the Gospel
* See Bishop Lightfoot on the Colossian Heresy, in Comm., p. 73, &o.

COLOSSIANS. 177
proved itself at Colosse, as everywhere, the incorruptible
seed of holy and obedient lives in all those who cordially
embraced it.
2. Having given thanks for the signs of grace which appeared
at Colosse, the two servants of Christ prayed daily for the brethren
in that city. Such was their high ideal of spiritual attainment,
such their confidence in the Hearer of prayer, that, whenever
they heard favourably of the Christian Ufe of individuals or
churches, they on that ground prayed the more earnestly for
growth and progress. In this case they prayed that the Colossian
saints might have —
(i.) Fulness of knowledge. They did know the Lord, The
petition was that they might know more fuUy and thoroughly ;
and this not at second-hand, or by merely imbibing or copying
the conceptions of other minds, but with a constant and genuine
penetration, — "in all spiritual wisdom and intelligence," So
the true gnosis is set up against the false ; nay, it is ep-lgnosis,
advanced and thorough knowledge,
(2.) Holy consistency, expressed as walking up and down
so as to please the Lord in doing His wiU, and bearing fruit in
every good work; as in the work of faith, of patience, of
liberality, of testimony. This, too, connects intimately with
the epignosis, " increasing in the knowledge of God ; " for
while knowledge of His will should conduce to holiness,
holiness by a reciprocal moral action conduces to more perfect
knowledge of Himself,
(3.) The infusion of divine strength for the Christian walk
and work, for growth and fruit-bearing. This dynamic grace
is the secret of " patience and longsuffering with joyfulness," —
surely a touching and expressive description of the life of faith
on earth. It is a sober suit in which that life is wrapped, but
it has golden threads of hope and joy inwrought
(4.) Fervent gratitude. This is the proper outlet for joyful
ness, " giving thanks to the Father." The position of sinful
men is indicated as under the power of darkness ; their inherit
ance is the blackness of darkness for ever. The position into
VOL. II, M

178 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
which the Father has brought the children of faith is one of
blessed light in "the kingdom of the Son of His love." In
light is found the sphere of their inheritance as saints ; and
thanks are ever due to the Father who has made them fit for
the portion of this inheritance, and whose good pleasure it is to
give them the kingdom.
Without even closing his sentence, the Apostle advances to
what may be called —
II. The Doctrine of the Epistle (chap, i, 13-29), — St Paul
expatiates on the privileges and resources which the saints
possess in Christ, the Son of God's love.
He, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins, is the very Image of the Invisible God, or
Personal Expression of God, Though He was manifested in
the flesh, and took place among creatures, He is really the
First-born, anterior to every creature ; * nay, more, the Creator
of all in heaven and in earth. By the Son, who is the Word
of God, all things were made ; and not only by Him, but in
Him, through Him, and for Him, " He is before all things,
and in Him all things cohere." Creation has in the Eternal
Word its productive energy, its harmonising principle, and its
final cause. Therefore it can never suffice to assign to our Lord
a place however exalted among creatures, or to rank Him in a
heavenly hierarchy. He is essentially and etemaUy divine.
At the I Sth verse of the ist chapter begins a declaration of
Christ's glory in the Church, He is the Head of the Body, in
a relation of vital union and authoritative direction to the
whole Church of all times, and to every part of the Church in
detaU, The duty of the Church is to " hold the Head," i.e. to
cleave to and obey Jesus Christ.
He is the Beginning or Source of the new creation, for He i§
the "First-begotten from among the dead." Thus He is
twice caUed the Prototolcos — (i.) Of, or anterior to, every
creature ; not one of the creatures, and therefore competent to
' See Lightfoot's admirable note in Comm.

COLOSSIANS. 179
be the Creator of all, (2,) From the dead, having been among
them, and having risen ; therefore competent to be the Author
and Source of the Church, which has tiie secret of its life in
the power of His resurrection.
In aU this one Divine purpose reigns, that in aU things the
Son of God's love might become pre-eminent — might take and
hold the first place or primacy. And this is the prominent
thought in St Paul's mind through the whole Epistle — the
elevation, pre-eminence, and all-sufficiency of Christ, He dilates
still further on the qualification of our Lord for this glorious
supremacy, "AU the fulness was pleasesd to dweU in Him,"
" In Him dweUeth all the fulness of the Deity bodily," * There
seem to have been in the Colossian Church, even at this early
period, speculations about a pleroma or plenitude of being, such
as afterwards became so rife among the Gnostics, From this
pleroma it was supposed that various beings and agencies issued
intermediate between God and man. St. Paul condemns these
speculations, by claiming for the eternal Son all the pleroma, the
full aggregate of Divine qualities and energies. Nay, more ;
in Him was, and is, the trae plenitude, not of Divine qualities
merely, but of Deity — not Tlieiotes, but Theotes.f This doctrine
of "the fulness," as taught by St Paul, is no airy speculation,
but a helpful, practical truth, " And ye are being filled up in
Him who is the head of every principality and pOwer," f There
is therefore no need to worship angels, or to apply to inferior
mediators. Christians ought not to go for help to any princi
pality or power, for they are in Him who is the Life and Lord
of all. They need not consult the esoteric wisdom of any school
of Gnosis, for they are in Him " in whom are hidden all treasures
of wisdom and knowledge.'' Nor is there any profit for them
in submitting to the ordinances which belonged to a dispensation
of imperfection. These are " a shadow of things to come, but
the body is of Christ.''
* Chap. i. 19 ; ii. 9.
¦J- Eor the difference, see Trench, N. T, Synon,, sec. 6,
:|: Chap, ii, 10,

i8o SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Having carefuUy affirmed the personal and Divine pre-emin
ence of our Lord, the Apostle also inculcates the true doctrine of
reconciliation through Him, as against the notion evidently
propagated in Phrygia of partial reconciliations through angeUc
mediators. The teaching on this point closely corresponds with
that which has been given in the Epistle to the Ephesians,
The reconciliation extends to aU things in earth and heaven,.
and issues in a new harmony of the universe. At present, it is
extended to sinners of the Gentiles through the death of Christ,
To preach this is the Apostle's joyful occupation. For this he
puts aside all thought of his own comfort and ease, and is
willing to endure any trials and sufferings in the footsteps of
his Lord. Let the Phrygians boast if they wiU of their ancient
mysteries. St Paul has a nobler boast. He deals with a
glorious mystery of God, which is no gloomy secret, but a truth
brightly revealed — viz,, " Christ in the Gentiles, the hope ol
glory." It is not merely the preaching of salvation to the
Gentiles, for that was never hidden; but the reception of the
GentUes into the mystical Body of the Lord, and into the coi-
inheritance of glory. This, too, is only one stage toward the
ultimate triumph of Divine power and grace— the recapitulation
and reconciliation of aU things to God in Christ. They who
dealt with what the ancients called mysteries kept many of their
disciples in a position of imperfect development, and admitted
only a favoured few to a knowledge of their arcana. On the
contrary, the Apostle, as a steward of the Christian mystery,
proclaims his desire to " present every man complete " — i.e.
thoroughly initiated, enlightened, and established in Christ Jesus,
On this doctrinal foundation rests aU
III. Tlie exhortation to Christian Ufe (chap. ii,-iv, 6).
First, the position of men under grace is definitely stated:
They have been circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands — i.e. morally and spiritually cleansed and renewed.
Their union with Christ is expressed in their baptism, wherein
they renounce the heathen manner of life; and it is such a

COLOSSIANS. 181
union that they are not only slain and buried with Christ, but
also raised up with Him through faith in the quickening opera
tion of God,* This involves separation from sin in the new
Ufe to which they are pledged, and deliverance from the religion
of mere ordinances, which has so great a hold on unregenerate
men. The latter part of the second chapter is devoted to a
vigorous protest againit the imposition of ascetic restrictions,
and the whole system of presumptuous speculation combined
with specious humility, which was being pressed on the Chris
tians at Colosse, Death with Christ (ver, 20) should be esteemed
as separating for ever from the rudimentary directions and
ordinances belonging to the world ; and those who have passed
through this great change should not allow their liberty to be
over-ridden by precepts of austerity, which have no sanctifying
power whatever, and "are not of any value against the indul
gence of the flesh," History has sadly confirmed this view of
the tendency of the ascetic principle carried to extreme. From
its false and unhealthy view of the inherence of evil in matter,
and its confounding of " the flesh " with the body, it has led
to the apparently opposite extreme of gross licentiousness.
Nowhere has been seen such base morality, in easy aUiance with
fictitious piety, as in men and in sects that have proclaimed
their contempt of the body as a dungeon of the spirit and a re
straint on the free action of the soul.
According to St, Paul, the Christian life in man originates in
resurrection with Christ, and is braced and purified by the con
sciousness of such resurrection. Since believers in Christ are,
in a moral and spiritual sense, raised with Him, they are bound
to seek the things which are above, and to mind those things
rather than objects which are beneath. Duties on the earth
are, of course, to be fulfilled, and the occupations of common
Ufe must be pursued ; but the habitual preponderance of thought
and affection is due to objects that are heavenly. The Christian
is to be — not by fits and starts, but by habit and repute — con-
* Compare chapter ii, 11, 12, with Rom, iv, 24 vi., 3-65 Eph, i. 19,
20 ; I Pet, iii, 21, 22,

1 82 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
versant with heaven. His life is properly a heavenly life,
" hid with Christ in God," It is only " members " that he has
on the earth — not his life, and certainly not his treasure.
This position conferred on beUevers through grace is thus
¦used as an argument for personal endeavours to be holy. Thus
— (i.) Ye have died ; " therefore put to death your members on
the earth." Carry out the principle of the extinction of the
life in sin, as respects your members in detail, the past instru
ments and servants of unrighteousness, (2,) Ye have put off
the old man, and put on the new ; therefore put on in detail
the attributes of Christian character. These properties the
Apostle -enumerates, giving great prominence, as was his wont,
to sweet ,and lowly virtues, and assigning the highest place to
love as " the bond of perfectness,''
Having admonished the Colossians further to let the peace of
Christ be the supreme umpire in their hearts, and to have their
minds imbued richly with His word, St, Paul proceeds to give
directions for domestic virtue and happiness, quite similar to
those contained in the Epistle to the Ephesians, Every relation
of life is to be sanctified, and everything done " in the name of
the Lord Jesus," Wives are to do what is fit in the Lord :
children, what is well pleasing to the Lord : servants, to do
their work as to the Lord : and masters, to bear in mind that
they have a Lord or Master in heaven.
Three general exhortations are added : —
1, To prayer with thanksgiving (chap. iv. 2-4). — It should
be persevering and persistent; "continue in prayer," It should
be vigUant ; "watching in the same," Long continuance in
prayer might induce listlessness ; therefore the hint to be alert
and awake. It should also be thankful ; " with thanksgiving ; "
an element in devotion, and an essential charm of Christian life,
which St Paul never forgets. Then, being weU assured of the
value of intercessory prayer offered by saints and faithful
brethren, the Apostle says in behalf of himself and Timothy,
" Withal praying also for us, that God may open to us a door
for the Word." It is remarkable that St Paul, though in

COLOSSIANS. 183
bonds, did not solicit prayer that he himself might be set free.
The same Lord who sent His angel to Uberate St, Peter from
the prison at Jerusalem was able to deliver the Apostle of the
Gentiles from His captivity at Rome. But St, Paul did not
ask his friends to pray for this. His anxiety was for the open
ing of a door for the Word, that whether as prisoner or freeman,
he might speak the mystery of Christ in the great city of Rome,
2, To wise walking, with redemption of the time (chap, iv,
5 ; comp, Eph, v. 15, 16). — Christians walk wisely, when they
act with circumspection, looking well to the way that they take,
.so as to avoid those pits and ditches into which "a prating
fool" wiU fall. They are to consider the influence of their
example, not only on those within the Church, but on those
without. Unbelievers observe closely, perhaps suspiciously, the
behaviour of professed believers ; and they will pay little heed
to words, however wise, if unsupported in those who speak them
by a discreet and upright walk, " Redeeming the time " always
accompanies practical wisdom. It is meant, that a Christian
should seize and use well every opportunity to do good, and to
promote the glory of Christ.
3, To gracious speech (chap, iv, 6). — Though pious speech
may be rejected as cant, when not sustained by corresponding
conduct, it is when so supported a great instrument of good.
Let it be " always with grace " as befits the utterance of men
under grace ; and let it be " seasoned with salt," not dull,
prosy, or insipid, but having point and pertinency so as to be
relished and remembered. Old classic authors spoke of dis
course as agreeably seasoned with salt when it was interspersed
with witty sayings ; * but too often the wit of the heathen de
generated into what St. Paul would regard as profane and
indecent jesting.f It is a fine Christian accomphshment to
have pithy and even witty speech, always weU-toned, and
guarded from any taint of grossness or irreverence.
rV. Personal references, messages and salutations (chap. iv.
* Cicero de Orat. i. 34, + Ephes, v. 4,

i84 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
7—18). — These are of great value in tracing the history and
friendships of St Paul, and some of them receive additional
interest from the Epistle to Philemon, who was a Colossian.
His runaway slave Onesimus is mentioned as a " faithful and
beloved brother," and his relative Archippus is admonished to
look well to the ministry which he had received in the Lord.
There occurs a kind notice of John Mark, the nephew of
Barnabas, The Apostle had at one time been dissatisfied with
him on a missionary joumey ; but the subsequent conduct of
Mark had effaced any unfavourable recoUection, Luke is men
tioned affectionately; Demas coldly. Probably Paul already
perceived in him a man not weaned from the world.
At the close the Apostle gives his own salutation in auto
graph. Perhaps, as he rose to do so, the clanking of his chain
suggested to him to add, " remember my bonds." But there is
no more of this — no whining over his unhappy lot. His great
heart yearned over the Church in the love of Christ ; and he
hastens to add, " The grace be with you ! " The grace of the
Head be with aU the members ; the grace of the Lord with aU
the servants ! A sweet note on which to rest as the music of
this profound Epistle dies away. They who love the Lord, and
wish to do all things in His name, have daily need of grace ;
and the Lord has for them aU the grace they need to guide, to
support, to console, to purify.
" I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power ?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be ?
Through cloud and sunshine, 0 abide with me ! "

( i8S )

L THESSALONIANS.
Without doubt this is the earliest of the extant writings of
St. Paul, and indeed the first book in the New Testament in
order of production. If not so indicative of inteUectual power
as some of the epistles that foUowed, it reveals as vividly as
any of them the Apostle's generous and affectionate nature. It
was he who, along with Silas and Timothy, first preached Jesus
Christ in Thessalonica, and planted the Church there in the
face of vehement opposition from the resident' Jews, At that
time the town was one of great importance in Macedonia ; and,
while the old cities of Ephesus and Colosse are now repre
sented by mere heaps of ruins, Thessalonica exists at this day
as the town of Saloniki, one of the chief places of European
Turkey. A considerable proportion of the modern population
are Jews,
The missionary visit of St Paul to this Macedonian city
was short, but the brethren there always retained a warm place
in his heart. Persecution drove him to Berea, and thence by
sea to Attica. At Athens he was soon rejoined by Timothy,
who had remained in Macedonia. St Paul sent him back to
the Thessalonians, to " establish them and comfort them con
ceming the faith," while he himself went on to Corinth, At
that city he spent a year and a half, during which period
Timothy returned with a good account of the Thessalonian
Church, This greatly cheered the Apostle, and led him to
write the letter now before us, which is one not of argument,
controversy, or reproof, but of confirmation and encouragement,
" But now when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought

i86 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good
remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we
also to see you : therefore, brethren, we were comforted over
you in all our affliction and distress by your faith : for now we
live, if ye stand fast in the Lord,"
The Epistle is in two parts : —
I, The first comprises three chapters, and deals mainly in
reminiscence of the past intercourse of St, Paul with the
Thessalonians, and in joyful recognition of their steadfastness.
After salutation, the Apostle begins in his usual manner with
thanksgiving to God, In this case he gave thanks that the
Thessalonians possessed the essential elements of a strong
Christian Ufe, viz., faith, hope, and love ; each of these evinced
appropriately, faith by its work, hope by its patience, love hy
its toil.
This life sprang from the reception of the Gospel, The
Thessalonians had received the Word " in much affliction with
joy of the Holy Ghost" A beautiful expression this, and one
which in aU ages has found illustrations in Christian experi
ence. The Word is received into the heart in a time of
trouble, and lo ! there is a joy in the Spirit that reUeves the
pain, and turns the water into wine.
The Thessalonian converts were chiefly Gentiles, and the
effect of the Gospel testimony on them was that they " turned
from idols to serve the living God, and to wait for His Son
from heaven,'' It now gladdened the Apostle to know that this
young Church showed a bright example to others. The word
which the Thessalonians had embraced did not lie supine in
their hearts, but sounded out from them again, corroborated
and commended by them to aU the regions of Macedonia and
Achaia, They had begun well (i.) in the service of the living
and trae God, with renunciation of all idols ; (2.) in the hope
of glory to be revealed at the second coming of the Lord;
(3.) in the knowledge of a perfect shelter from " the wrath to
come," provided in Christ Jesus.

I. THESSALONIANS. 187
St, Paul reverts to the memorable days of his " entrance in "
to Thessalonica with the Gospel of God, and of his loving and
disinterested labours there. His anxiety had been to please
not men, but the heart-searching God : and this raised him, as
this only can raise any Christian preacher, not merely above
the fear of man which brings a snare, but also above that
hunger for praise which is ruinous to all simplicity of purpose,
and aU genuine dignity of character.
The Apostle can now rejoice in the fruit of his labour, but
does so without any tinge of vainglory. Along with his
friends Silas and Timothy, he gives thanks to God without
ceasing for the success of the word which was preached. And
over the converts at Thessalonica he rejoices with trembling.
Their firmness is as life to him ; and he feels that their apos
tasy would bring to him something like the bitterness of death,
"Now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord,'' St, Paul had
tenderly watched over the Thessalonians as a nurse or loving
mother over little children ; and if they should disappoint
him, they would inflict on his faithful heart a cruel wound.
There was cause, too, for anxiety. The disciples at Thessa
lonica were from the first exposed to persecution on account
of their faith. The Apostle had stayed with them only for a
few weeks, and after a little time Silas and Timothy had also
left them. They were a congregation of young untried Chris
tians, and even their elders could have had little experience.
Nevertheless they had thus far stood firm in the Lord ; and the
tidings of their steadfastness regaled the spirit, and strengthened
the Ufe of the missionary Apostle, We are reminded of the
fervent desires of Samuel Rutherford for his flock at Anwoth
— " Oh how rich a prisoner were I, if I could obtain of my
Lord the salvation of you all ! What a prey had I gotten to
have you all caught in Christ's net 1 My witness is above ;
your heaven would be two heavens, and the salvation of you
all as two salvations to me."
While St Paul is thus thankful for the fruit of his ministry,

i88 ' SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
he does not expect to see or enjoy all the result during his
mortal life. He wUl wait for this tiU the day of Christ " For
what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing ? Are not even
ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
For ye are our glory and joy." This faithful servant is well
content to continue his labour, run his race, and endure afflic
tion, waiting for his full reward tiU his Master shall come.
Then wUl the saints of Macedonia be to him a chaplet of
victory — his glory and his joy.
IL The second part occupies two chapters, deals with the
future course of the Thessalonian Church, and blends exhorta
tion and consolation beautifully together,
I, Be pure; chap, iv, i-8. The morals of the GentUes were
shockingly corrupt, and Jwhat we call sins agEonst the seventh
commandment were scarcely considered disgraceful at that
period. Those of the Gentiles who were received into the
Church were in some danger of relapsing into old habits ; and
the whole tone of Christian life was apt to be injured by the
dissolute manners of surrounding society. Therefore this
prominent warning against sensuality.
2, Be industrious; chap, iv, 9-12, It is finely said, that
there is no need to write to the Thessalonians concerning
brotherly love, but they are exhorted to grow therein and to be
diligent and honest in all their affairs. No doubt some of the
Thessalonian converts had lost their livelihood on account of
their new faith ; others, excited by their new position, by their
sufferings for Christ, and by the hope of His speedy advent, may
have become negligent in business, and given up steady work
for daily subsistence. The Apostle, therefore, with that practical
sagacity which his enthusiasm never clouded, warns them not
to become burdensome to others, but to maintain a proper
independence, " Study to be quiet, and to do your own business,
and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you ; that
ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and may

/, THESSALONIANS. 189
have lack of nothing," Mendicant friars would have found little
favour with St Paul.
3, Be comforted concerning the departed ; chap, iv, 13-18,
The Thessalonian Christians dwelt much in thought on the
second coming of Christ, and were probably in daUy expectation
of that event. They therefore grieved much over any of their
number who died without seeing the Lord, having an impression
that such persons would be excluded from the glory about to be
revealed. It was a point on which they had not been instructed,
and the result of their mistake was that they sorrowed over
their dead as the heathen did who had no hope. This miscon
ception, therefore, the Apostle corrects. We find his very words
used three hundred years thereafter by John Chrysostom' in one
of his finest sermons, with a view to repress excessive grief at
the death of Christian friends. " You may grieve and weep ;
but give not way to despondency, nor indulge in complaints.
Believe me^ I am ashamed and blush to see unbecoming groups
of women pass along the market-place, tearing their hair, cutting
their arms and cheeks, and all this under the eyes of the
(Heathen) Greeks. For what will they not say? WUl they
not mutter concerning us, 'Are these the people who philo
sophise about a Tesurrection ? Indeed ! How poorly their
actions agree with their opinions ! ' We ought to thank God
not only for the resurrection, but also for the hope of it, which
can comfort the afflicted soul, and bid us be of good cheer
concerning the departed, for they wUl again rise and be with us.
If we must have anguish, we should mourn and lament over
those who are living in sin, not over those who have died
righteously," Mark well the consideration with which St Paul comforts
moumers. He says nothing of a priestly prerogative to deliver
them from purgatory, or of the efficacy of masses said for the
repose of the dead,. Such fictions were unknown to apostles.
Nor does he try to stanch grief with commonplace reflections on
the inevitableness of death, with affirmation of the immortaUty

I90 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of the soul, or even with assurances that the bereaved wiU soon
rejoin their departed friends in heaven. Such are the consola
tions often administered to moumers now-a-days ; but St Paul
deals in none of them. His doctrine for comfort is, that the
saints who sleep in Jesus will return with Him, and be in the
glory at His appearing. Far from losing anything by having
died, they shaU rise first Then there shaU be joined to them
the generation of Christians on the earth, transfigured into the
likeness of Christ, and caught up in the cloud to meet Him.
Thenceforward the whole assembly of the saints shall be for
ever with the Lord,
Such is the hope of Christians, and their consolation regarding
the departed. Death is a mere parenthesis — a sleep for a season.
There may be great individual blessedness, but there is no
saintly gathering at death. We must look beyond. The
consummation, as of the apostolic joy, so also of the happiness
of reunited saints, cannpt be till the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ 4. Be vigilant; chap. v. i-io. Times and seasons connected
with the Lord's coming are not to be chronologically fixed by
any of His followers, for the Father has reserved them in His
own power. But this the saints at Thessalonica knew perfectly,
for it was among the first principles of Christian truth, that the
day of the Lord wUl come on a world at ease and unprepared,
as a thief comes unexpectedly in the night. The men of the
world will not recognise the sign of His approach, and therefore
will incur a sudden destruction. But the day of the Lord will
not, so come on His people. Whatever gloom may gather on
the world, the followers of Jesus are not of the night or of
darkness. They are not to " sleep " as other men, but to " watch
and be sober." They must be awake, alert, and of good courage,
armed as is needful in this time of patience, while they wait
for the Lord, "having put on the breastplate of faith and love,
and for an helmet the hope of salvation."
5. Be orderly, and helpful to each other; chap, v. 11-15.

I. THESSALONIANS. 191
H»re are valuable directions for the collective life and internal
peace of the Church, It is a brotherly society, in which every
one is so far his brother's keeper that he is to seek his brother's
welfare. Kindness, consideration, patience, are to mark the
intercourse of Christians. Special respect also is due to those^who
preside over the congregation. While there is no sanction, for
the Church tyranny which treats the redeemed people of Christ
sa a helpless laity, dependent on and subject to a priesthood,
there is clear authority for so much superintendence as will
protect the Church from individual caprice and popular disorder.
Neither the title of Presbyter nor that of Bishop is found in this
Epistle. But the class of officers who bore these titles in the
primitive Christian Church is evidently indicated by the words,
" Them that labour among you, and are presiding over you in
the Lord, and admonish you."
6. A group of brief counsels which deserve minute attention ;
chap, V, 16-24,
" Rejoice evermore," This is the inspiriting watchword of
St. Paul to the afflicted Macedonian Churches. So we find it
in Phil, iii. i, iv, 4,
" Pray without ceasing," This of course does not exact
incessant efforts of conscious prayer, but requires a devotional
habit or bent of mind. And it means to persist in prayer,
whatever our hindrances, misgivings, or discouragements, — to
continue' in supplication for a definite object till it is reached,
or the will of God regarding it is sufficiently ascertained,
" In everything give thanks," A duty this which St. Paul
never forgets, and which he considers no mere optional exercise.
It is of obligation, because it is God's wiU conceming us in
Christ Jesus.
" Quench not the Spirit," There is a holy fire kindled in
Christian hearts ; but restraint of prayer or neglect of thanks
giving, hindering the operation of the Spirit, tends to extinguish
that fire from heavfen. One may put out a fire by pouring
water on it ; or one may simply let it go out by neglecting it —

192 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
neither feeding nor stirring it when it is low. The Apostle
warns the Thessalonians not to quench the fire of the Spirit,
either by the water of discouragement, or by the negligence of
a prayerless, thankless mind, implying that they were respon
sible for cherishing and stirring the fire in their own hearts.
The next sentence indicates that the caution is also directed
against the suppression of spiritual gifts in the Church,
" Despise not prophesyings," These were utterances in the
Spirit, more direct than the ordinary tenor of teaching, and
directed to the edification of the Church. The Corinthians did
not give due place to prophesying, preferring the more showy
gift of tongues; and this Apostle wrote to correct their ill-
judged preference. "Covet to prophesy, and forbid not to
speak with tongues," He is anxious that the Thessalonians
should not fall into the same mistake. He wishes them not to
make light of prophesyings, for these tended to " edification,
exhortation, and comfort,"
" But prove aU things : hold fast that which is good," Not
to despise does not mean to receive with a blind, unreasoning
credence. The saints are to Cultivate a spiritual discernment or
judgment, and to exercise it under a grave responsibility. If any
speak with tongues, there is to be interpretation of tongues ;• if
any bring a doctrine, there is to be a. trial of the spirits ; if
prophets speak, hearers are to judge. This, too, not to encourage
interminable controversy and loose thinking in the Church, but
in order to " hold fast that which is good."
" Abstain from every kind of evil," In order to hold fast
the good, it is necessary to hold no evil in any of its forms. It
may array itself in a form of godliness, "for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light ; " but it should be detected,
unveiled, and utteriy rejected.
"And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly." ' It
is the God of peace who, having reconciled a people to Himself,
purifies them for His service. It is the God of peace who wUl
bruise Satan under their feet. In another Epistle we read :

/. THESSALONIANS.

193

" The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, make you perfect in every good work to do His
will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight.*
In the divine sanctificatlon the whole man is embraced. As
every part of a redeemed man is separated to God by the con
secrating blood of Christ, so every part is cleansed and renewed
by the indwelling Spirit of Christ. In the order of sanctifica
tlon the spirit of a man is first named, because the Spirit of
the Lord dwells In and associates Himself with our spirit.
From that shrine ihe Divine Spirit propagates His influence
through the entire constitution of man. The God of peace
purifies, the soul and controls the life-movements of desire.
Then the good work extends to the physical frame. The body
being redeemed, is also sanctified, and its members are yielded
as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Thus the saints are to be "preserved blameless unto the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." When they stand before
Him at His advent, they will not be impalpable shades, but
appear as complete men, having spirit, soul, and body. Spirit,
however, wiU predominate to a degree that is now impossible,
for the body Itself in the resurrection state will be spiritual,
and will with unflagging energy sustain the untiring soul and
spirit in the service of the Lord.
"Alas!" one cries who feels himself hard pressed in'the
conflict with evil, "this perfect sanctificatlon will never be
fulfilled in me." Nay, but be of better cheer. There is
Another and Greater than you interested and engaged in this,
" Faithful is He who calleth you ; who also wlU do it."
With a few words of salutation and benediction, the Epistle
concludes. Its distinctive features are easily remembered.
Addressed to a people who had recently received the Gospel, it
recognises their freshness of life and ardour of., hope. It is,
therefore, a book well suited at all times to young Christians.
It furnishes tests of conversion, corrects errors of inexperience,
warns against vain security, and conveys, in a most compact
* Heb. xiii. 20, 21.
VOL, II, N

194 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
form wise counsels for the Christian life. It gives prominence
to that which should always stand before the minds of disciples
young and old — the coming of the Lord from heaven. In
every respect it is an Epistle worthy to "be read unto all
the holy brethren."

( I9S )

II. THESSALONIANS.
The occasion and the drift of this letter are obvious enough.
It is a sequel to the previous Epistle, and probably followed It
in course of a few months. It issues from the same persons,
Paul, SUas, and Timothy; and the joint origin is expressed
throughout the Epistle more than In any other of the apostoUc
letters. Thus it is written : " We are bound to thank God ; "
" we glory in you ; " " we pray always for you ; " " we beseech
you, brethren ; " " pray for us, that we may be deUvered ; " " we
have confidence in the Lord ; " " we commend you, brethren ; "
"we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you," Only once
the Individuality of St, Paul breaks out, " Remember ye not,
that when I was yet with you, I told you these things ? " At
the end he gives his autograph salutation, which was a guarantee
of genuineness In every letter.
The objects which Paul, SUas, and Timothy had in view in
writing, were plainly these two; (i.) To correct misconstruc
tions of what they had taught, both orally and in their first
Epistle, regarding the second coming of Christ (2). To repeat
and enforce the exhortations of that Epistle to patience, industry,
and good order in the Church, The tone of the letter is not so
buoyant as that of the first ; but it is conceived and expressed
with the same tender affection, as of a father charging, and a
nurse cherishing her chUdren,
The chapters In this book are sufficiently weU arranged ; but
we prefer to be guided by the two ^objects in view as already
indicated.

196 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
I. Correction of misconstruction and mistake regarding the
coming ofthe Lord (chaps, i ii.).
From the first, the Church in Thessalonica had been much
persecuted and afflicted. Those Jews who obeyed not the
Gospel, stirred up the heathen Gentiles of the city and neigh
bourhood to oppress the Christians. The missionaries, Paul,
Silas, and Timothy, escaped their malice ; but aU the more
vehemently did the persecution rage against the new com
munity of apparently defenceless Christian brethren. Now
those brethren had heard the Apostle and his companions
speak of a great day of the Lord ; and in the first Epistle they
were told of the suddenness with which that day of the Lord
should come. Doubtless they had also learned from prophetic
scripture, for those of them who were Jews and proselytes were
acquainted with the Greek version of the Old Testament, that
the day of the Lord would be one of wrath and woe, a terrible
ordeal, a time when all hands shall be faint, and every heart
shall melt. It seemed to them in their simplicity, that this
day of the Lord had come, for it was a time of tribulation and
anguish. They knew that Christ Himself had not yet appeared,
but they surmised that the day of the Lord had " set in ; " and
they were shaken in mind by the thought.
To remove this mistake, two explanations are given : —
1. It could not be the day of the Lord, because He will come
to give not trouble, but rest to His Church, and tribulation to
His and her enemies. It is true that He wUl judge His people
with equity, but in the sense of vindicating them from reproach,
and defending their cause. They are not to suffer at His
coming, but to rest from all suffering, to glorify their Deliverer,
and be glorified in and with Him. But woe to the troublers of
His people In the day when He shall be revealed from heaven
with His mighty angels ! To them he will recompense tribula
tion, and punish them with everlasting destruction.
The fact that the Thessalonians were in tribulation, ought to
have proved to them that the day of the Lord had not set in.
They were evidently in the day of the patience of Christ, and

//, THESSALONIANS. 197
hot in the day of His judgment. Therefore they should con
tinue in the meekness and obedience of faith, looking to their
Lord, and waiting for Him without agitation or alarm.
This part of the Epistle concludes with a beautiful prayer
put up by the three missionaries, at Corinth, for the Thessa
lonian converts, " We pray always for you, that our God
may count you worthy of the calling, and fulfil every good
pleasure of goodness and work of faith, with power ; that the
name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and ye in
Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus
Christ," * That God .would count the Thessalonians worthy of
the holy calling, or worthy of the kingdom of God (ver. 5),
cannot mean that He would reckon them to have earned or
deserved It, for such merit would nullify the doctrine of grace.
It must mean, that He would mould their dispositions into
harmony with their calling, and prepare them for His kingdom
and glory. And how ? By filling them with all goodness, such
as Is well pleasing in His sight, and inspiring their faith with
augmented energy. Then glory at the appointed era, the com
ing of the Lord, He is now glorified on the earth in the hearts
of beUevers by the Holy Spirit, and glorified in heaven by and
with the Father, But at His second advent. He will be glorified
in His saints ; and they will be taken up into the glory with
Him, 2. It could not be the day of the Lord, for certain events
which had not yet come to pass must precede the advent.
There must first be " the apostasy ; '' and out of the apostasy
would Issue an opponent of God and of Christ, who must reveal
his proud and lawless nature, and then be destroyed " by the
epiphany of the Lord's coming,"
The passage in which this is set forth is perhaps more difficult
of Interpretation than any other in the apostolic letters, epito
mising as it does, in a few sentences, the working of evil in the
Church through many centuries tUl the advent of Chirst, It is
likely that Paul, Silas, and Timothy themselves had but a dim
* Chap. i. II, 12.

198 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
foresight of the things signified in their prophetic words, and
had no idea whatever of the time which should elapse before
aU should be fulfilled.
The first part of the prediction is plain enough. The shadows
of apostasy began very early to fall on the Church. Germs of
error 'were soon mixed with, the good seed of truth. A haughty
spirit crept into the Christian Presbyterate, The Church which
everywhere had begun with a chaste "simplicity toward
Christ," * fell away from her first love and singleness of heart
Simplicity of faith was in course of time corrupted by Gnostic
speculations, and credulous traditions : simplicity of worship by
externaUsm and ritualism : simplicity of order by hierarchy
culminating in Popery, A mystery of lawlessness — not neces
sarily rejecting all law, and therefore anarchic, but rejecting the
law of the Lord — was already at work even in the days of the
Apostles ; and they foreknew that in after times " many would
apostatise from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits," This
is a most important fact in view of the history of doctrine and wor
ship. It is assumed by those who adhere to the superstitions
of the Latin Church, that because the Holy Ghost descended
to abide in the Church which the apostles founded, a divine autho
rity and value must attach to everything that has descended
to us as the belief or practice of the great mass of professed
Christians, Not so ; for the apostles themselves predicted
" the falling away," and we have to take good heed lest things
be palmed on us as of catholic and heavenly authority, which
are the mere remnants or dregs of that great apostasy.
The interpretation of this prophecy becomes more arduous as
we advance. Out of the Apostasy is to be produced and un
veiled, at a time undetermined, the Man of Sin, the Son of
Perdition, the Lawless One, or quintessence of the whole
mystery of lawlessness. This is not to be explained of the false
Christs — those pseudo-Messiahs of the early ages, who led away
none but Jews after them. Nor is it to be referred to the many
Antichrists spoken of by St. John, — teachers of error regarding
¦* 2 Cor. xi. 3.

II. THESSALONIANS. 199
the person of the Lord, asserting that Christ had not come in
the flesh. To the Oriental Church, Mohammed, when he arose,
seemed to be this Man of Sin. From the eleventh century, as
the Papacy reached its grand climacteric, some surmised that
this was no other than the pope; and the Protestant Churches
at the Reformation generally accepted this view. On the
contrary. Popish controversialists have found in this passage
Luther and Protestantism.
Certain features of the Man of Sin are undoubtedly exhibited
in the Roman Papacy — especially the overweening pretension
and arrogance. But in other points the correspondence Is not
at aU so obvious. We read of " the coming " {vaaovsia) of the
Man of Sin, — an expression which can scarcely be applied to
the rise of the Papacy, Then the description is of one who Is
audacious in impiety, exalting himself above every one called
God, or that is an, object of worship, and exhibiting himself
" that he is God." This does not suggest to our minds a high
priest of superstition, such as the Pope of Rome, And we can
scarcely say that the Man of Sin, as God sitting in the temple
of God, means the pope seated on high at a great festival in
St Peter's, unless we are prepared to admit that the Basilica
of the Vatican is the temple of God, In fact, nothing has
occurred in the history of Christianity adequate to the fulfil
ment of this oracle ; and therefore we fear that a terrible im
personation of arrogant impiety is yet to be revealed.
The meaning attached to the Lawless One must govern the
interpretation of " the thing which hinders " his manifestation.
The fathers seem to have understood the phrase as an allusion
to the Roman imperial Government But the solution of the
whole passage must probably wait the further development of
events. Its use Is to warn us that the opposition to God and
to Christ has not yet come to its worst on the earth. There
is yet to be revealed the climax of human pride and wilfulness,
aided by the working of Satan ; but its doom is also written.
The Lord Jesus " shall slay that Lawless One with the breath

200 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of His mouth, and destroy him by the manifestation of His
coming." Meantime, the mystery of lawlessness works on in opposition
to "the mystery of godliness;" and the only security against
Its wiles and the strong delusion in which its victims are bound,
lies in personal belief and experience of the truth as it is in
Jesus. " We are bound to give thanks to God alway for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, that God chose you from the
beginning to salvation in sanctificatlon of the Spirit and belief
of the truth : whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the
obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" Learning,
talent, fervour, laboriousness — none of them will protect from
strong delusions in religion. Nothing preserves but union to
Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit through belief of the
Gospel. Brethren so established will stand fast in the faith,
and hold fast the apostolic instructions.
This part of the Epistle, like the preceding, ends with a
loving, consolatory prayer — all the more welcome after the
unveiling of such an ominous future. " Now our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, who loved us, and
gave us eternal consolation and good hope in grace, comfort
your hearts, and stablish them in every good work and word." *
II. Repetition and enforcement of practical admonitions
(chap. iii.).
The writers of the Epistle express their supreme confidence
in the Lord as establishing and guarding the converts at
Thessalonica, and rely on their obedience. Then they again
pray for' them : " The Lord direct your hearts into the love of
God, and the patience of Christ." t It is not "the patient
waiting for Christ," as in the Authorised Version, though that is
good ; but it Is sympathy with the very patience of Christ, who
during this time of opposition to His word — when His cause is
obstructed by "unreasonable and wicked men," — has long
patience, and sits calmly in heaven expecting till His enemies
* Chap. ii. i6, 17. + Chap. iii. 5,

II. THESSALONIANS. 201
are made His footstool. This patience His people are to share,
that they may also have part In His victory.
The expressions, " the Lord," " the Lord Jesus," " our Lord
Jesus Christ,'' are peculiarly frequent and emphatic in this
short Epistle, In the Lord's faithfulness, the Thessalonian
converts are safe. In His name, they are to be obedient to the
injunctions of Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and evince their
opposition to the spirit of lawlessness. If a brother shows
himself unruly and self-wUled, they are to break fellowship
with him. Yet the great principle of Church discipUne is to
be remembered — that it is for correction, not for vengeance or
punishment : " Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish
him as a brother."
With that broad, practical sense which should never be
forgotten in religious instruction, the writers renew their
admonition to the Thessalonians regarding honest, self-sup
porting Industry, Probably it was an effect of the agitation
among them about the day of the Lord, tiiat some of the
Christians had renounced dally work, and were Uving in a
feverish anxiety or excitement Those who did so burdened
¦unduly the funds of the Church, or lived at the expense of
others ; so the Epistle conveys to them a very terse injunction,
" that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread,"
How often have we seen men, of little force of mind or
character, caught by some wind of religious enthusiasm, hasten
to put away their business, abandon their profession or trade,
and set forth to preach, to open mission haUs, and advertise
¦evangelistic addresses, and plunge into expensive enterprises on
what they caU " faith ! " It amounts to this, that they expect
their feUow-Christians to work and support them, though those
brethren were never consulted as to their fitness for the public
position they have assumed. The results are very unsatis-
iactory. Incapable men assume places of observation, and
meddle with the things of Christ and the Church at their own
instance ; a disorderly aspect is given to religious society ; and
Christian people are subjected to an incessant din for money,

202 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
in order to sustain men who ought never to have left their
ordinary callings. If one be duly called and appointed to
undertake such work in the Church as demands aU his time
and strength, he is entitled to a livelihood for himself and his
family- — he may -"live of the Gospel," But persons not so
called and appointed have no right to place themselves on
Church support, and call it "living by faith." Scandal would
be avoided, and purity of motive placed beyond question, if
such persons would " with quietness work, and eat their own
bread." In unsettled times unstable men run to and fro, and innu
merable self-made ministers and missionaries press themselves
and their projects on public attention and support One sets
up his mission here, another his hall there, a third opens a
tabernacle for divine worship and service of his own accord,
just as he might open a shop. Then almost every one prints
and circulates his report, tells how many sinners he is saving,
and concludes with a Ust of kind donations. It may be all
well meant, but It is a system of confusion, and not without
elements of serious danger. There is no intelligent combina
tion of Christian work ; there is no proper superintendence of
workers, or sufficient guarantee for their life and doctrine : and
withal, there is, on account of the desultory and fussy character
of these efforts, an extravagant waste of Christian resources.
By all means let faith grow exceedingly, and let charity
abound. But let this disorderliness be discouraged. "The
Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in all ways." *
Now, peace is to be kept by the observance of God's own order
in the Church, by a modest reluctance to be chargeable to our
brethren, unless they duly caU us, or the Master, by special
indication which the brethren recognise, appoint us to public
work, and by that quietness of spirit which has far more effect
in commending the Gospel than ever so much religious forward
ness. In fact, there is nothing better as a corrective of the
unseemliness to which we allude, than to recall the foUowing
Chap. iii. i6.

//. THESSALONIANS. 203
passage from the first Epistle to the Thessalonians, — " Comfort
yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also you do.
And we beseech you, brethren, to know those who labour
among you, and are presiding over you in the Lord, and ad
monish you ; and to esteem them very highly In love for their
works' sake. Be at peace among yourselves." *
* I Thess. v, 11-13.

( 204 )

I. TIMOTHY.
We now reach a group of three letters by St. Paul, commonly
called the Pastoral Epistles. They are addressed to Timothy
and Titus, his companions In travel and labour, and are ex
pressed at once with the ease of a familiar friend, and with the
ripe wisdom of a father in Christ.
No name is more closely connected with St, Paul's career
than that of Timothy, a native of Lystra, a town not very
remote from the Apostle's birthplace at Tarsus, Though his
father was a Greek and a heathen, his mother and grandmother
were devout Jewesses, and trained him from childhood in a
knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures, He was converted
to Christ through the preaching of St. Paul, on his first visit
to Lycaonia, and was, no doubt, baptized at the same time.
On his second visit to the district, the Apostle took special
notice of Timothy as "a disciple well reported of by the
brethren at Lystra and Iconium," and adopted him as his
missionary assistant. Nay more, he even circumcised him, out
of deference to the Jews, that his usefulness might not be
prejudiced on account of his semi-Greek extraction, and that he
might obtain free admission into synagogues. Thereafter the
young missionary was ordained by " the laying on of the hands
of the presbytery," St, Paul himself being present, and laying
on hands along with the presbyters; but the place at which
this was done is not mentioned, nor is it said whether this
was Timothy's introduction to office in the Church, or his desti
nation to a particular work, as Saul and Barnabas had been
destined to their missionary expedition by the laying on of the
hands of prophets and teachers at Antloch,

I. TIMOTHY.

205

From that time Timothy enjoyed intimate companionship
with St. Paul ; and, being employed by him on special missions
of importance and difficulty, justified the confidence which the
Apostle had reposed In him.* It does not appear that he was
a man of commanding ahiUty or overwhelming eloquence. He
was not fitted for a position of first consequence in the Church ;
and if we may judge from the repeated and urgent exhortations
to courage and vigilance which are addressed to him, may have
been naturally of a gentle and even somewhat irresolute dis
position ; but Timothy had noble qualities of piety and faith
ful affection ; and that man must ever be honoured in the
Church of God who, for full sixteen years, possessed the love,
deserved the confidence, shared the labours, and alleviated the
sorrows of the great Apostle Paul.
Without doubt it was near the end of St. Paul's life and
ministry that he wrote the Pastoral Epistles. After his first
imprisonment at Rome, during which he despatched his letters
to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and to Philemon,' he
resumed his itinerant ministry for a few years, revisiting former
scenes, and perhaps entered on some new ground also. On this
apostolic circuit he left Timothy at Ephesus, aiid Titus at
Crete, to represent his authority, and establish order In the
Churches. The letter before us was sent to Timothy whUe thus acting
as an apostolic delegate. It begins with a formal statement of
the apostleship of St. Paul, not as though Timothy could doubt
it, but because the letter was Intended to sustain the position
and authority of the Apostle's messenger. We may best
apprehend the scope of the Epistle, and recollect its contents
if we regard it as an apostolic charge to an apostolic com
missary. The charge may be said to concern these four matters,
Doctrine, PubUc Prayer, Ministry, Management of the Christian
community. I, Dodrine (chap. i. 3-20). — Timothy himself was well
* PhiL ii 19-23.

2o6 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
grounded in the truth, but many who obtained an audience in
the congregations of the period were not so ; and the Apostle
bids his friend protect the Church at Ephesus from those who
disseminated Jewish traditions of fables, aUegorles, endless
genealogies, and the like, which were all connected with per-"
versions and misuses of the law, and tended to promote
disputes, not " the dispensation of God which is in faith."
"The law is good if used lawfully." It is well used to
deter and restrain the vicious, but ill-used to excite disputation,
or feed self-righteousness, God in this dispensation is made
knoiyn as " the Saviour-God ; " and the commandment or charge
given by Him to ministers of the New Testament has for its
great aim " love out of a pure heart, and a good conscience,
and faith unfeigned," In opposition to those " who desired to
be teachers of the law," St. Paul describes the truth com
mitted to his trust as the " Gospel of the glory of the blessed
God," In fact the beginning of this letter Is not unlike that of the
Epistle to the Galatians, Here, as there, the Apostle asserts
his Gospel against all the perversions and confusions of the
teachers of legalism ; and then proceeds to state in what manner
he had been entrusted with that Gospel. But in this letter
his tone is more gentle than in the other. He recalls with
grief his early zeal against the Church, and extols the grace
which had saved him, and put him into the ministry.
Now as a father he charges his son Timothy to be faithful
In the New Testament ministry ; and closes this part of the
Epistle by a warning allusion to certain men who had " made
shipwreck concerning the faith." Two of these he mentions
by name — Hymenseus and Alexander — whom he had been
obliged to excommunicate. He uses the strong expression
"whom I delivered unto Satan," i.e., he had excluded them
from the Church which is under Christ, and so replaced
them in the world which Is under Satan, that they might be
corrected and healed by the discipline, and "learn not to
blaspheme," From this is plainly to be inferred, though some

I. TIMOTHY. 207
have denied it, that men may be justly excommunicated for
false doctrine, as well as for bad morals.
II. Public Prayer (chap, ii,). — Concerning this it is
taught —
I, That it should have a large scope, and cover the interests
of aU mankind. Special emphasis is laid on the duty of
intercession in behalf of the kings of the earth, for whom,
while they were heathen and hostile to the Gospel, the early
Christians may have hesitated to pray. There must be no
narrowness In the spirit of the praying assembly, God cares
for all men ; Christ is provided for all men. Therefore let
the prayer of the Church ascend to God through Christ in
behalf of "aU men."
2. That it should be offered with due decorum. Prayer
was to be made, in every place by the men "lifting up holy
hands without wrath and disputing." Obviously there was to
be much freedoip. In public prayer, but all the more need of a
guarded reverence, and a careful avoidance of contention and
disorder. We are reminded of the well-known words of Jeremy
Taylor, " Prayer is the issue of a quiet mind : 'tis the daughter
of charity and the sister of meekness ; and he that prays to
God with an angry, troubled, and discomposed spirit, is like
one that retires into a battle to meditate, and sets up his closet
In the outquarters of an army."
Another point of necessary decorum relates to the bearing
of women In the assembly. They were not at liberty to take
the same public part in prayer as the men ; though this rule
was not to be interpreted as an absolute forbiddal to let their
voices' be heard, for there is a passage in a previous Epistle
which implies that a woman duly qualified might pray or
prophesy in the assemblies of the saints, only with covered
head,* And the stress in the passage now before us is laid
on the duty of the Christian women to attire themselves
modestly^ so as not to attract attention to themselves in the
* I Cor. xi. 5-15.

2o8 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
congregation, but' in a gentle and inobtrusive spirit to devote
themselves to good works.
Whatever might be allowed in regard to prophecy and
prayer, the rule is absolute that a woman may not teach or
rule in the Church. Of course she may preach or publish the
Gospel to " them that are without," under those conditions of
feminine propriety which nature itself suggests : she may also
teach her own sex and have authority over them and over
children ; but she may not teach publicly In the assembly of
saints, or " usurp authority over the man."
St. Paul supports this position by a sudden reference to the
origin of our race. The man was first formed, then the woman
to be his help-meet The woman, not respecting the headship
which the Creator had placed in the man, acted for herself,
and so was deceived. The man was not deceived, but fell
through compliance with the wish of her whom he ought to
have guided and controlled. Nevertheless, salvation for tlje
woman, and for the man also, is "through her chUdbearing,"
i.e. through that seed of the woman, the Child of the Virgin,
who has bruised the serpent's head.
III. Official Ministry (chaps, iii. iv.). — Two orders of official
ministers are recognised — bishops and deacons. Timothy
needed not to institute these, for there were bishops at Ephesus
several years before St. Paul left him there. When the
Apostle was on his voyage to Jerusalem, the elders of the
Ephesian Church met him at Miletus, and were addressed by
him as those whom "the Holy Ghost had made bishops,"
There can be no doubt that a Church so well organised had
deacons also.
The superintending officers of the Church were bishops or
overseers. Every weU-ordered congregation in primitive times
had its presbyter-bishops, ruling in love. The Apostle does
not, in this Epistle, lay down the authority for- such an episco
pate ; he refers to It as an office well known, and says that
whoso aspires to it, "desires a good work," But let such

I. TIMOTHY.

209

aspirant give heed to the qualifications requisite. He " must
be blameless, husband of one wife (not having two or more
wives living),* sober, discreet, orderly, hospitable, apt to teach,
not given to wine, not a striker,! but mild, averse to fighting,
void of avarice, ruling well his own house, having his children
in subjection with all gravity; not a neophyte," It will be
observed that all the requirements, with the single exception
of aptness to teach, are moral qualities, giving authority of
character, and commanding respect. The bishop might or
might not have much intellectual power ; but It was essential
that he should have moral weight, enjoy a good reputation in
society, and show the Christian people how they too ought to
behave themselves In the Church of God.
The second order of Church officers Is that of deacons, who
are appointed, not for general oversight, but for kindly service
and the practical details of administration. Those also are
required to have a grave, unblemished, and unselfish character,
it being essential to their usefulness that they should enjoy the
respect and confidence of their brethren. Notice is also taken
of the qualities which the wives of the deacons ought to possess.
Of the wives of the elders nothing is said, because those officers
exercise authority which women may not share. But deacons
are occupied with matters of detail in gathering the offerings
of the Christian people and caring for the Church poor ; and
in such work their wives may be helpful or hurtful according
to the measure of their discretion. There were in primitive
times deaconesses, a female order which may with great advan
tage be revived ; whereas there never were elderesses, or
bishopesses, because functions of church government may not
* " In the corrupt facility of divorce allowed both by Greek and Roman
law, it was very common for man and wife to separate, and marry other
parties during the life of one another. Thus a man might have three or
four living wives. We believe it is this kind of successive polygamy, rather
than si-multaneous polygamy, which is here spoken of as disqualifying for
the presbyterate."— Conj/Seare m ioc. See a good discussion of this regu
lation in Eairbairn on the Pastoral Epistles, Appendix B.
t The clause, " not greedy of filthy lucre," appears to be an interpolation.
VOL. IL O

210 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
be put into female hands ; the woman may not " usurp autho
rity over the man." To restore and reorganise the ministry of
woman in the Church is one of the pressing duties of our
time ; but to place female pastors In charge of congregations,
as has been done by some eccentric people in America, is to
transgress all propriety, and to contradict the plainest instruc
tions of Holy Writ.
The fourth chapter conveys a warning of dangers to come,
well fitted to quicken the vigilance of the bishops and deacons.
The Church of the living God, "the pillar and ground of the
truth," was to be assailed by pernicious errors : the mystery of
godliness to be opposed by " seducing spirits, and demoniac
teachings." St. Paul had told the Ephesian elders at Miletus
that, after his departure, grievous wolves would ravage the
flock, and perverse teachers should arise from among them
selves. In this letter he returns to the same subject, and
intimates, as by express revelation of the Spirit, " that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faitL" Timothy
therefore was to be on his guard, and to put the brethren on
their guard against ascetical teachings suggested by seducing
spirits, which induced apostasy from the grace of God and from
the purity which is In Christ.
IV. Management ofthe Christian community (chaps, v., vi.),
I. Of the elders. The qualifications of the elders as bishops
have been already described : how the Apostle speaks of the
deference with which they should be treated, Timothy him
self was not to rebuke one of them ; and he might not receive
an accusation against an elder, except before witnesses, that
the character and Influence of a ruler in the Church might not
be whispered away.
Much controversy has revolved round the foUowing words :
" Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double
honour, especiaUy those who labour in the word and teaching,"*
The question is whether this sentence sanctions lay-elders (so
* Chap. V. 17.

7. TIMOTHY. 21 r
called) to rule, and a clerical elder for preaching and teaching.
It seems to us that to found on these words a separation of
elders Into two entirely different classes, is to put more strain
on the sentence than it will fairly bear. The distinctive func
tion of all the elders in any congregation is to rule in truth
and love, to superintend and supervise the flock. In the dis
charge of this duty, they are to teach, and so " feed the flock "
according to their opportunity and ability. But It Is in harmony
both with Scripture and with common sense, and It is found
in practice most expedient, that one of the elders, by natural
adaptation, by special training,, and by spiritual endowment
more fitted than others to teach, should be charged with
the public instruction of the people, and occupy the Christian
pulpit 2. Of godly women, " Entreat the elder women as mothers ;
the younger as sisters, with all purity. Honour widows that are
widows Indeed," How different this advice from the tyranny
of the secret confessional, at which the priest questions a woman
at his pleasure, and compels her to disclose to him every secret
of her mind ! How different too from that false ideal of a
religious life which forbids marriage and imposes on the young
cruel and unnatural vows. Is the language of. this wise Apostle !
He assumes that religious women may marry ; he expresses a
wish that the younger women should marry. There Is not even
any objection to a widow marrying again. AU that is reproved
in this passage is the conduct of a widow who, professing to be
weaned from all earthly pleasure, had devoted herself to the
service of the Church, and afterwards returned to the world in
a second marriage. To prevent the scandal of such cases, it is
directed that none should be enrolled among the Church widows
under the age of sixty years,
3, Of public rebuke. This duty is to be performed with
fidelity, and above all, with impartiality. It is also essential
that he who rebukes with authority be himself blameless, " Be
not partaker of other men's sins : keep thyself pure," But
words are added to show that purity does not require austerity,

212 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
— " Drink no longer water, but use a Uttle wine for thy stomach's
sake and thine often infirmities,"
4, Of slaves. The early Christian Churches contained many
members, and even office-bearers, who were slaves,* and on their
behaviour the credit of the Christian name in no smaU degree
depended. Now our holy religion always was and Is hostUe to
human slavery, but It did not abruptly change the long estab
lished relations of society ; it acted more slowly but surely In
its proper character as a directly moral and spiritual force,
producing, indirectly, great poUtical and social effects. The
Apostle therefore would stir up no servile insurrection, but would
trust to the spread of a nobler faith and a more just and gentle
spirit for a permanent abolition of slavery. Timothy is to charge
the Christian bondmen and bondwomen not to bear themselves
proudly, or exhibit a reheUious temper before heathen masters,
lest prejudice should arise against the name and doctrine of
God, Such slaves as have Christian masters are not to behave
as though the spiritual liberty, equality, and fraternity in the
Church effaced the civil distinction previously existing. Slaves
are still to serve with patience and with due respect, trusting
to the influence of the Gospel in ameliorating their condition,
and sooner or later putting an end to that system of bondage
which was unjust in itself and mischievous in its influence on
public and private morals, but which, being long and deeply
rooted all over the Roman Empire, could not be safely eradicated
in a day.
The principle here laid down, so characteristic of the practical
moderation and sagacity of St Paul, is capable of application
even- where slavery has ceased. It condemns a tendency some
times shown to make church-fellowship a pretext for social
disrespect, and a warrant for a sort of intrusive familiarity.
The Apostle admires meekness and patience in those who are
* Pliny, in his famous letter to the Emperor Trajan, regarding the
Christians in Bithynia, reports his having put two female slaves to the
torture, who were "said to officiate in their religious functions," Very
likely they were deaconesses.

/, TIMOTHY. 213
placed at an earthly disadvantage ; and, without discouraging
aspiration and progress, gives high praise to a virtue which is
now rather out of fashion — contentment " Godliness with
contentment is great gain."
5, Of injury to the Church from covetousness : After aU, it
was a natural and reasonable desire which burned In the heart
of the slave — the longing to be free. But there is another
desire which goes to a most unreasonable extreme, and in all
times has wrought great damage to human souls — the craving
to be rich. So the Apostle Paul speaks out very distinctly on
this point : "They who aim at being rich fall into temptation
and a snare, and many foolish and hurtful lusts, such as drown
men in destruction and perdition," * Then follows a saying
which Is very often inaccurately quoted : " A root of all evUs
Is the love of money." Who has not seen this in actual life ?
Avarice, engrossing the heart, exerts an injurious effect on the
whole character, hardens and narrows the affections, and tends
to make men timid, mean, tyrannical, and suspicious. The man
of God Is happy who sets his heart on better treasure, "righteous
ness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."
Returning to this subject (chap. vi. 17), St Paul shows that
it is not the possession of riches which he condemns, but the
greedy love of them. No doubt there were some, though not
many, rich men among the Christians at Ephesus, and in other
large cities, even at this early period. Timothy was to exhort
them to (i.) humility of mind ; (2.) faith in the living God,
who is the rich Giver ; and (3.) open-handed beneficence. And
further, to assist in overcoming the resistance of selfishness, it
is added that a right use of riches here, in good actions dictated
by good motives, will have recompense of reward in the Ufe to
come. When the avaricious are by their own actions sunk in
destruction and perdition, the well-doers and generous givers lay
hold on eternal life,
A final charge to Timothy brings the letter to a close. He
is to hold fast the Gospel truth, and shun the errors, subtleties,
* " Tristis gradatio," remarks Bengel.

ii

214 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and boastings which are already preparing that plague of
Gnosticism, which so long and so seriously Infested the early
Church, It is not within our plan to dwell on particular sayings or
texts ; but a reader of this Epistle will find it full of memorabilia.*
Many of its phrases are household words In the Church ; and
some of Its compact expressions have found their way into the
minds of persons who seldom, if ever, read the Bible,
There are words in this book for all classes and all uses ; but,
as a whole. It Is intended for the study of Christian ministers,
and other thoughtful men. Indeed, there are very few Church
questions on which this apostolic letter does not cast some
valuable light.
As we read the Book, we perceive it to have been written
throughout under a profound sense of the majesty of God. He
is lauded as "the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only
wise God." He is "the blessed and only Potentate, the King
of kings, the Lord of lords, who only hath immortaUty, dwelling
In the light which no man can approach unto," In the same
adoring temper of mind should the Epistle be perused and
pondered. We shaU understand it best when we are ourselves
profoundly impressed with the hope of the coming of Christ,
and the thought of the majesty of God. " To whom be honour
and power everlasting. Amen."
* See chap. i. 5, 15 ; ii. 5 ; iii. 16 ; vi. 6, 10, 12.

( 2'S )

II. TIMOTHY.
When we hear of the death of a cherished friend, we are glad
that we have preserved his last letter to us ; and its contents
seem all the more weighty and precious that we can hear from
him no more. Before us is the last letter extant of that
powerful letter-writer, the Apostle Paul. It proceeded from him
during his second imprisonment at Rome, and shortly before
his martyrdom, which occurred a.d. 67 or 68, Addressed to
Timothy, his child in the faith, and companion in labour, it is full
of fatherly kindness, and breathes throughout a grave and tender
spirit. Its object is to inform Timothy of the dangers which
now threatened the Apostle, to fortify his courage, and to bid
him come shortly to his now aged friend, bringing Mark with
him from the East,
In reading this letter, we are struck by four particulars in
which Paul the servant was made like his Lord.
I. The sense of loneliness. As the Lord Jesus at the end of
His career was left alone, aU His disciples having forsaken Him
and fled, so was Paul in his last sufferings alone. No disciple
or friend ventured to stand with him before the cruel Emperor,
" At my first defence no man took my part, but aU forsook me."
Nevertheless, there was consolation for the forsaken one. As
the Master said, " The Father is with Me," so the servant said,
"The Lord stood by me, and strengthened me."*
During St Paul's first detention at Rome, he suffered Uttle
more than restraint, and was freely visited by Christian brethren,
But on the occasion of his second imprisonment, those who
* John xvi. 32 ; 2 Tim. iv. 16, 17.

2i6 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
identified themselves with him, dreaded, or actuaUy incurred,
personal danger. On the Jews and Christians indiscriminately
lay at that time a culumnious charge of having set fire to the
city of Rome ; and St. Paul, as a Jew by birth, and a ringleader
of the obnoxious Christians, was In a very critical position. In
the circumstances, few of the brethren had sufficient courage to
acknowledge or visit him, AU the Asiatic Christians at Rome,
afraid to compromise themselves, tumed away from the Apostle.
Two of these are named ; and In contrast with them is mentioned
one faithful friend, who was probably an Ephesian — Onesiphorus,
who, all the more that he knew the perilous condition of St.
Paul, diligently sought him out, and refreshed his spirit*
The Apostle felt It a hardship to be in bonds as a male
factor ; t and peculiarly trying to his affectionate nature to be
deserted, or, at all events, unvisited by his brethren In the Lord.
Demas, who had been a companion during the first imprisonment,
had now forsaken him, " having loved this present world." It
is not meant that he had renounced Christianity; but he was
not sufficiently weaned from the world to associate at all risks
with the apostolic prisoner ; and, intent on his own comfort, he
departed to safe quarters in Thessalonica, The faithful Tychicus
had been sent by the Apostle himself to Ephesus; and other
friends were scattered. StUl Paul was not quite alone. There
were those who sympathised and communed with him ; and
four of these receive honourable -mention, viz., Eubulus, Pudens,
Linus, and Claudia. But the only close companion of the
venerable sufferer was that " beloved Physician," who ranks
among the most important of' the New Testament -writers,
"Only Luke is with me," Then the Apostle, with that keen
love of friendly companionship which distinguished him, desired
the presence of Timothy and of John Mark too, for, as we have
noticed in the Epistle to the Colossians, though the latter of
these had once been the occasion of disagreement with Barnabas,
he had grown in the esteem of St, Paul, who had found him
''profitable in ministry."
* Chap. i. 15-1S, + Chap, ii, 19.

II. TIMOTHY. 217
Excepting always Jesus Christ, our perfect Example, there
never lived a man who presented a finer combination of tender
ness and courage than the Apostle of the Gentiles. Himself a
warm friend, he appreciated the friendship of others. He loved
the company of good men and the sympathy of good women ;
and with proportional acuteness he was pained by the desertion
of his former associates. As he drew near the end of his course,
he longed to have with him the familiar faces of old friends.
But no abandonment by weak and timid brethren could bate
one jot of his courage as a witness for the Lord, Alone and
undaunted he stood before the Emperor, No matter what might
befall him, he felt assured that the Lord Jesus would deliver
him from every evil work, and preserve him " unto His heavenly
kingdom," *
II, The contemplation of martyrdom.
We have always regarded it as enhancing the self-devoting
love of Christ, that He clearly foresaw His death at Jerusalem ;
and, far from shunning it, thought of it, spoke of it, and re
solutely went up to meet It Something like this we trace in
His servant Paul. He knew that bonds and imprisonment
awaited him in every city, and he went from city to city to
endure them. At last, as "Paul the aged," he sees death draw
near — cruel death — with opprobrium and violence; and he
betrays no shrinking. He also is to suffer for the elect's sake,
though not as an atonement He Is cheered by "the joy set
before him," and looks through sufferings to the bright reward, t
What conformity to Christ ! Whether on a journey or at
rest, at liberty or in bonds, in enforced silence or in the place
of testimony, St Paul lives not to himself ; and he cannot die
to himself. He lives for the cause of the Lord Jesus and the
good of His people : and for these ends he Is not unwilling to
die. What good hope, too, in Christ ! " If we suffer, we shall .
also reign with Him." The venerable man does not conceal
* Chap. iv. 18. + Chap. ii. 10,

2t8 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
from himself that this imprisonment will end In martyrdom;
and is not sorry to think that his struggle Is nearly over, and
his work almost done. " I am already being poured out " — a
wUling sacrifice for Christ and the Church (s-7rivdo,u,ai), " and the
time of my departure is at hand. The good strife I have striven ;
the race I have completed; the faith I have preserved." So
much he can say looking back, and enjoying the testimony of a
good conscience. Looking forward, he troubles not himself
about the manner of his death. Will it be by the cross, by the
wild beasts, or by the sword 1 Little it matters to the saint.
Far beyond death he looks to the day of the appearing of Jesus
Christ, That unjust judge, the Roman Emperor, may sentence
him to die ; but no manner of death can strike terror into a
man who sees afar off the Righteous Judge conferring upon him
a crown of righteousness, and not on him only, but on aU the
faithful servants who love their Lord's appearing,*
III. The foresight of evil. Through this Epistle rans a vein
of sadness as regards the progress of error and degeneracy among
the Christians, There are urgent warnings against unprofitable
logomachies and profane babblings ; and men are indicated
whose teaching would eat like a gangrene into the life of the
Church, t
Here, again, the servant is like his Lord. Jesus Christ before
His death predicted many sorrows, the rise of false prophets, the
abounding of iniquity, the unwatchfulness of servants, and the
exclusion of foolish virgins from the palace of the King. In
like manner, St Paul before his death foretells perilous times,
the exorbitant selfishness and wilfulness of men, their impatience
of healthy doctrine, and heaping up of teachers " after their
own lusts."
Is It asked. When shall these things be ? The prophecy casts
its dark shadow over a large proportion of what is caUed Church
* Chap. iv. 6-8.
t Hymenseus and Philetus, in their view of the resurrection, appear to
have been forerunners of Swedenborg.

II. TIMOTHY.

219

history. Such history, notwithstanding its noble records of
missionary heroism, covers a melancholy progress in degeneracy
of life and apostasy from the truth, Theodoret, in the fifth
century, wrote on this part of the Epistle — " I think that it is
our time which is here predicted. For our life Is full of these
evils ; and, while we bear about us an aspect of piety. It is the
image of wickedness which we produce by our works." Over
and over again have the words of St Paul been applied to periods
of moral confusion and decay, and these have been pronounced
to be emphatically " the perilous times." Would that the times
were past ! Our fear is that the prediction Is not yet exhausted.
In so far as civilisation is not pervaded and controUed by a
belief of the truth, and a sense of responsibility to God, its
tendency is to increase ingenious selfishness ; and there Is danger
of a generation of men being produced more wilful, boastful,
pleasure-loving, and proud, than the world has yet seen, ready
to hoot down the healthy doctrine of the Gospel, and to cast off
with scorn all religious restraint. The very possibility of such
a danger ought to incite faithful servants of Christ to " preach
the word ; be instant In season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all longsuffering and teaching."*
IV, The exhortation to fidelity.
The Lord Jesus, before He suffered, encouraged His disciples
to bear the hatred of the world, and exclusion from the syna
gogues for His name ; and He exhorted them to love as brethren,
and to stand firm as witnesses. St. Paul pursues the same
strain. He is quite aware of the progress already made by false
doctrine, notwithstanding all his efforts to prevent it, and he
has prevision, in the Spirit, of heavier evils to come ; but he
will not give up the battle while he lives, nor advise his friends
to cease from the conflict as a hopeless one, St, Raul would
be ashamed of those brethren in modern times who recoil Into
mere Individualism, and sit with long faces In quiet chambers,
deploring the ruins of Christendom, Himself a soldier who
* Chap, iv. 2.

220 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
had fought a good fight, he will persevere in training good
soldiers of Christ, and sending them out to the battle.. He
seeks to brace the courage of Timothy to suffer along with him
for the Gospel, to hold fast the form of sound words received by
him from apostolic lips, to keep the good deposit entrusted to
him, committing it again to faithful men ; to endure hardness
as a good soldier ; to show himself " to God approved, a work
man not ashamed ; " to " watch in all things, endure afflictions,
do the work of an evangelist, make f uU proof of the ministry."*
The Epistle is in this respect, a strong tonic from a wise
physician. It is the blast of a trumpet blown by a veteran
hero. Consider the motives and encouragements with which St
Paul urges his son Tiniothy to be faithful and brave,
1, The gift of God in him, the ^doig/iu bestowed on him
through the imposition of the Apostle's hands. This was his
spiritual endowment for service, and it was his duty to stir or
kindle it into lively action ; nay, the Spirit of God rested on
him, and he was to keep the doctrine and charge entrusted to
him " by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us." As for the
deposit committed to St. Paul, he knew that the Lord was able
to keep It; and Timothy should rely for the keeping of his
"deposit" on the Spirit of the Lord.t
It is also shown to Timothy that the spirit given to the
servants of Christ is not one of " cowardice," J shrinking from
the duty of testimony because of the risk or contempt which it
may incur. On the contrary, it is the spirit of (i.) Power from
on high ; sufficiency which is of God, abiUty in Christ, power
to speak or be silent, as duty to the Lord may require ; power
of endurance, and power of resistance ; power for fighting the
battle and for running the race ; (2.) and love, seeking not its
own — love which tends to cast out fear, and, more than any
other influence, nerves to arduous toils and perilous enterprises — •
love in the trath, which makes the Christian calm and strong ;
and (3.) a sound mind, represented in the Greek original by
* Chap. iv. 5. t Chap. i. 12, 14. J Chap. L 7,

//. TIMOTHY. 221
one word which occurs nowhere else In the New Testament,
It denotes sobriety of mind, capable of self-correction and self-
control; a well-schooled and well-balanced mind, that sees
things in their just proportions and relations, and avoiding
narrowness, feverishness, and exaggeration, moves on with
vigour in the paths of duty,
2. The certainty of Christian doctrine, as founded on the
ancient Scriptures. The false teachers erred, because they knew
not the Scriptures, and could not recognise the harmony be
tween those writings and the apostolic testimony. Tiniothy,
on the contrary, knew the Scriptures from childhood under
maternal instruction ; and, when he heard from St, Paul the
testimony of the Gospel, the youth grasped it as the key to the
Old Testament, and rejoiced. All his previous studies were
Uluminated in the light of Jesus Christ
Then far be it from him to swerve from the truth ! Let him
remember the apostolic testimony, and abide therein. Let him
continue to search the Scriptures ; for the study, good for a
child, is also perfecting to a man of God. " Every Scripture
theopneustic is also profitable for teaching, reproof, correction,
and discipline which is in righteousness, that the man of God
may be complete, throughly furnished for every good work."*
3. The approval of the good Master during the time of
service. A soldier is separated from ordinary civil life to serve
the crown, Timothy is admonished that a soldier of Christ is
separated to His service, and ought to think only of pleasing
Him, It'is not for the warrior on a campaign to study his
own comfort and convenience, "No soldier on service en-
tangleth himself in the affairs of (civil) life, in order that he
may please him who hath enrolled him." To the same effect
is the, language regarding "a workman not ashamed,'' but
" approved to God," and " a vessel for honour, sanctified,
serviceable to the Master, prepared for every good work," t
4, The expectation of the Lord's appearing. As in aU his
writings, that " great day " is here kept steadily in the Apostle's
* Chap, iii. 16, 17. + Chap. ii. 4, 15, 21,

222 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
view. The sacred deposit is to be kept " against that day,"
when it is to be accounted for. St Paul cannot reward Onesi
phorus for his kindness, but desires for him the Lord's mercy
"in that day." He cannot control "Alexander the copper
smith," but the Lord will deal with that man " according to his
works.'' He expects for himself a day of death or departure,
but he looks for a crown of righteousness " at that day," when
death shall be swaUowed up In victory.
The charge to Timothy is very solemn : " Before God and
Christ Jesus, who shall judge living and dead, and by His
epiphany and His kingdom." * There is something here to stir
every mind. Prepare, 0 man, to meet thy God ! Bow down,
0 sinner, at the feet of Christ Jesus, now unseen, but present
to save ; or, when He appears, thou shalt be driven from Him
into darkness. Watch and pray, believer; for thou knowest
not the day or the hour wherein the Lord shall come. Work
on, 0 patient servant, in the hope of His appearing ! If thou
suffer with Him, thou shalt reign with Him, If thou labour
for Him, thou shalt rest with Him, Finally, for those exercising,
like Timothy, a public ministry, let much prayer be made, that
they may obey the precepts here delivered by the Apostle Paul,
as with his dying breath —
By day and night strict guard to keep,
To warn the sinner, cheer the saint,
Nourish His lambs, and feed His sheep.

Chap. iv. I.

( 223 )

TITUS.
Op Titus we know little ; but this circumstance does not
materially affect the value to us of the Epistle which was
addressed to him by St. Paul. Like the first letter to Timothy,
it is clothed with an official rather than a personal character.
In the Acts of the Apostles Titus is not mentioned ; but we
learn from Gal. li. that he was with Paul and Barnabas
when they went to Jerusalem on the question of Gentile
exemption from circumcision. He was a Greek, and was not
circumcised.* Indeed, of all the fellow-labourers of St. Paul he
appears to have been the one most disconnected with Judaism.
Timothy was of semi- Jewish origin, and was circumcised ; Luke
was probably a pure Gentile, but appears to have been a Jewish
proselyte before he became a Christian ; but Titus came straight
from Gentile heathenism into the Church of God.
This we know, that Titus was much employed by St. Paul on
special missions, and possessed his full confidence as a man of
prudence and energy. On that journey to the East, which
intervened between his first and second Roman imprisonments,
the Apostle, having left Timothy at Ephesus, left Titus also in
Crete, to represent his authority and complete the organisation
of the Church. To the island of Crete the Gospel must have
been carried soon after the day of Pentecost; for among the
Jews and proselytes then present in Jerusalem, and addressed
by the Apostle Peter, some are said to have been " Cretans."
* Dr. Farrar thinks otherwise, and gives his reasons in his Idfe and
Work of Sl. Paul, vol i. pp. 412-420. But the great preponderance of
opinion, ancient and modern, is against him. We are fortified in our
judgment by Bishop Lightfoot's Commentary on GaL ii. 3-5.

224 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
About thirty years after, when Paul left Titus there, the Gospel
was spread throughout the Island. There was a congregation in
every city ; and ancient Crete was famous for the number of its
cities. It was the Apostle's wish that Titus should perfect the
ecclesiastical order of those congregations ; acting, not as a
prelate, for prelates were not yCt known, but as an apostolic
commissary to organise and adjust.
The letter of instructions now before us was written in all
probability a few months after the first Epistle to Timothy. It
is brief in form and condensed in style. It deals mainly with
practical matters, but also contains two very precious statements
of salvation by grace.
The designation of the Apostle in the opening of his letter is
full and striking. He writes as " a servant of God and apostle of
Jesus Christ according to the faith of God's elect" He Is no mere
exponent of religious opinion, but teaches that righteousness of
God In the Gospel which was revealed from faith to faith. He
is also occupied with " the fuU knowledge of the truth which is
according to godliness." The expression is well chosen, for it
is an invariable mark of divine truth that it promotes goodness
in those who with their hearts receive it. With this he has
"hope of eternal life, which God, who lies not, promised before
eternal times.'' Already that life is possessed by believers in
Jesus Christ, for it is the gift of God ; but they still hope for
its full fruition, perfection, and manifestation, according to the
good confidence expressed in another Epistle : " When Christ,
who is our life, shall appear, then shaU ye also appear with Him
in glory."*
I. The instructions of the Apostle to Titus relate —
I. To the superintendence of congregations.
2. To the exhortations proper to be addressed to various
classes In the Church.
I. Superintendence or episcopate. It is impressed upon Titus
that a Church without elders is defective in its appointments ;
* Col. iii. 4.

TITUS. 225
and he is directed to ordain such officers in every city of Crete.
Nothing can be more clear than that the Apostle regarded the
order of presbyters as that which is universaUy and permanently
required in the Church for pastoral superintendence, and that
he knew no distinction between presbyters and bishops. While
directing the ordination of the former, he thus describes their
quaUfications : " If any be blameless — for a bishop must be
blameless, as the steward of God, not self-willed, not soon angry,"
&c. (chap, i, 5-9),
But " lay elders," many will say, cannot surely be bishops.
We know nothing of lay elders : but If what are meant are elders
engaged In worldly professions and trades, It Is surely obvious
that most if not all of the primitive elders were of that class,
A newly-formed Christian congregation did not support all its
elders as a clergy. It was enough that men of good repute
among the Christian people were ordained to take the oversight
of them in the Lord, They sustained themselves as before, and
tended the flock of God as they had opportunity, and according
to the gift bestowed on each. These were the bishops. We
grant that many details of ecclesiastical administration may be
left to be regulated according to the course of events and the state
of Christian society : we believe it to be eminently expedient
that public teachers and preachers should be set quite free from
secular business, and care, in order to give aU their time and
strength to sacred study and church work : but we are at a loss
to see why any other episcopate should be wanted now than that
of elders ordained in every city, and combined together for the
general welfare of the Church throughout an Island, a province,
or a kingdom.
The qualifications of presbyter-bishops are prescribed to Titus
in much the same manner as formerly to Timothy, Stress is
laid on temper and character ; the only inteUectual condition
being that of aptness to teach and handle the faithful word.
It was indispensable that the bishops should show a good
example to the flock. It was also well that they should be
competent to instruct and exhort the brethren within their
VOL, II, P

226 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
district or charge, and so to use the word of the Lord as to
convince gainsayers.
The appointment of such superintendents of the congregations
in Crete was all the more necessary because of the character of
the opposition to the Gospel on that island. There were many
vain talkers and deceivers, chiefly of Jewish origin, who from
corrapt and avaricious motives ingratiated themselves with
unsuspicious famiUes, and by their teachings in the houses of
the people subverted the Christian faith. This was the more
to be deplored because the natural character of the Cretans was
such as to facilitate the pernicious devices of those teachers.
The Apostle quotes a line from the old poet Epimenides, who
lived in Crete 600 b.c, and described the people as false, fierce,
(^7j|/a), and gluttonous. The Gospel as the power of God was
quite able to elevate and purify even such a population, but the
deceitful and coarse character of the inhabitants made the task
a difficult one, and gave advantage to those who disturbed the
peace of the Churches and corrupted Christian Ufe. Therefore
was it needful, that elders should be ordained to watch over the
congregations, and put those vain talkers to silence ; needful
too that Titus himself should severely correct those of the
Christians in Crete who had been "giving heed to Jewish
fables, and commandments of men that turn from the
truth."* A death-blow to the errors of the false teachers Is dealt in
the memorable statement, "Unto the pure all things are pure;
but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure ;
but both their mind and conscience are defiled." A saying this
liable to serious abuse if it be pressed too far and taken by itself,
without other teachings of the Apostle regarding the things
which must be absolutely shunned ; but a saying which, rightly
apprehended and applied. Is as an axe laid to the root of the
whole theory of purification by externalism and ceremonial.
It is a clean heart that is wanted. An evil heart pours out
defilement over everything — a clean heart purifies all that it
• Chap. i. 14.

TITUS. 227
approaches, and shakes off the taint of moral infection and
decay. 2, Exhortations fit to be addressed to various classes in the
Church. — Titus is charged to "speak things in harmony with
the healthy Instruction " * of the Gospel. There is no need to
descant on these. The admonitions are quite plain and prac
tical, and call not for comment, but for obedience.
What aged saints should be, both men and women. Is first
told. Then what the younger saints should be, both young
women and young men — emphasis being laid on steadiness and
sobriety of mind, as bearing promise of a discreet and honour
able career. Titus, being himself a young man in comparison
with Paul, is charged to practise as well as preach, and to com
bine good works with doctrine incorrupt.
Knowing the restless, intractable nature of the population of
Crete, the Apostle adds a special admonition to those of the
Christians there who were slaves. They are to be subject to
the masters to whom they belong by law and usage, and to
beware of contradicting and of purloining. It is a beautiful
thought, and one which must have been most consolatory to
the slaves in Crete, whom public opinion regarded as little
above cattle, that they by patience and fidelity, even in their
condition of life, might actually " adom the doctrine of God
-their Saviour."
Titus was also to exhort the Christians to beware of insub
ordination to the govemment. Magistracy is an ordinance of
God; and His people, while fully at liberty, and even under
obligation, to alter and reform in all constitutional ways what
ever Is amiss in the social and political state of the country in
which they dwell, are bound by the highest considerations of
religious duty to respect govemment, to love peace, to pay
tribute, and show that honour for rulers and judges which is
an essential element and safeguard of human civilisation.
II. Evangelical motives to holiness and meekness. — These
* Chap. ii. I.

228 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
are powerfully stated in two notable passages of this
Epistle. In both of them the salvation proclaimed in the Gospel Is
shown to be of God, And It is characteristic of the Pastoral
Epistles to refer saviourship to God (i Tim, i. i, ii, 3, iv,
10; Tit, i, 3, ii. 10, iii. 4), As Paul grew old, the thought
of the love of God loomed , larger to him, as It does to all ex
perienced Christians,
I, Of the first of these passages (chap, ii. 11-14) it has been
well said, that it "Is one of the loca dassica for biblical
theology, and one of the comparatively few places in the
Pastoral Epistles which furnish important contributions to our
knowledge of the doctrinal system of Paul. We here find
most perfectly fused together, and penetrating each, faith and
life, doctrine and duty, theory and practice." * The passage
¦runs thus : " The grace of God, salvatory to all men, hath
appeared, training us to the intent that we, denying ungodli
ness and worldly lusts, may live soberly and justly and piously
in this present world, waiting for the blessed hope and mani
festation of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us
from all iniquity, and purify to Himself a treasure-people,
zealous of good works." Thus everything In salvation is moved
by the grace of God, which not only rescues men from con
demnation, but gives them a new aim in life, turning them
from sin to righteousness. By the action of grateful motive
and the operation of the Holy Spirit, grace persuades, impels,
and educates to a new life of sobriety as respects self, justice
towards others, piety towards God above.
This new' life is no dull or melancholy thing. It has a
blessed hope. It is Indeed impelled by one epiphany of Christ,
and attracted by another. From the first in grace, it has Its
motive and instruction ; toward the second in glory it stretches
forward, and, in the hope of that glory, it is cheered and puri
fied, AVe are schooled to moderation in all things by the
* Dr. Van Oosterzee in Lange's Comment.

TITUS, 229
thought that the Lord is at hand. We are kept from fainting
in the trial of our faith by the assurance that it wiU be " found
unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus
Christ." We turn away from sin, because we look for that
Saviour who gave Himself for us in order to deliver and cleanse
us from all evil. We are His treasure-people, not our own,
and He will come to claim us. Therefore we are under the
strongest obligation and inducement to be "zealous of good
works,'' Such was the doctrine of salvation taught by St. Paul, and
committed to Titus, They do not teach as the Apostle taught
who proclaim redemption from punishment, and scarcely touch
on redemption from Iniquity, Neither do they who throw the
second advent of our Lord into the background, or say that it
is equivalent to the day of our death, or treat it as a point of
secondary importance and doubtful disputation. On the con
trary, the hope of His appearing is a mighty instrument of
practical discipUne and purifying in the Christian life and
patience, 2, With a view to commend meekness, gentleness, and
lowliness of heart, St, Paul would have the Christians remem
ber how much they themselves had needed forbearance from
men and compassion from God, He sketches in dark colours
their former sinful state, and then dilates on the fulness of the
salvation which had come to them from the Divine " kindness
and philanthropy " (chap. Hi. 4-7). There was no ground of
self-boasting. Works of man's righteousness had no part in
the matter. According to His own mercy, in which He de
lights, not even according to man's thoughts of or cries for
mercy, but according to the mercy Itself, deep and boundless,
God has saved us.
In saving us, God purifies and quickens us in " the laver of
regeneration," of which the laver in the court of the tabernacle
was a visible eign in Israel, and the laver of baptism is a visible
sign in the Church, This is followed up by " the renewing of
the Holy Ghost " developing and confirming the regeneration in

230 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
character and life. It is the great feature of our dispensation
that the Holy Ghost is " shed on us abundantly through Jesus
Christ our Saviour," Under the teaching of the Spirit we are
brought into a new position and a new consolation: (i,) Justi
fication by grace ; (2,) heirship with Christ according to the
hope of eternal life.
The inference from this is, that they who have obtained such
mercy ought to show mercy. They who are forgiven should
forgive. They who have been saved through the Divine kind
ness ought to be " gentle, showing all meekness unto all men."
Nay, the Apostle desires Titus to dwell much and frequently on
these evangelical truths, in order to induce believers to be
fruitful in good works. Many questions and disputes are
" unprofitable and vain," but the truths of salvation by grace
" are good and profitable unto men.''
The Epistle closes with a few personal messages and an
affectionate greeting. We hear for the first time of "Zenas
the lawyer ; " and it is pleasant to think of the union in Christ
of what are called the learned professions, when Zenas the
lawyer and Luke the physician met with Paul the theologian
and preacher. ApoUos is again mentioned, and it is evident
that he was a man of mark in the Greek Churches of the
period. Though he began his ministry with defective views,
he had been -wise enough to listen to instruction ; he had there
fore become an effective missionary, and was esteemed and
valued by the Apostle Paul to the end of his career.
Expressions used in the end of this letter indicate to us a
duty for which the evangelistic activity of our own time may
furnish frequent opportunity. It is that of helping and for
warding missionaries, " so that nothing be wanting to them,''
Let our Churches not only be ordered after the apostolic direc
tions, and instructed in the apostoUc doctrine, but also con
siderate and generous in furthering the propagation of the
Gospel ; and then the benediction which St Paul pronounces
on the faithful in Crete will fall on them also, — " Grace be with
-you all."

231 )

PHILEMON.
What Is before us is a private letter from St. Paul to a Chris
tian gentleman of Colosse ; and we rejoice to find him the
same man in private communications as in public addresses and
epistles. We recognise the courteous manner, the ardent
mind, the devout Christ-exalting spirit Timothy is joined
with Paul In the salutation, but throughout the letter It Is the
Apostle only who speaks.
The occasion of the Epistle is easily gathered from its con
tents, Philemon was a man of position, who had been con
verted to the Christian faith under St, Paul's ministry, probably
during the stay of the Apostle at Ephesus, for he had never
visited Colosse, Apphla, so cordially greeted along with
Philemon (ver. 2), was doubtless his wife; and Archippus,
named not here only but also in the Epistle to the Colossians,*
a son or other near relative. The house was resorted to for
Christian worship ; for Paul and Timothy send greeting to the
Church in the house.
Among the household slaves was one named Onesimus, by
birth a Colossian.t He was not a Christian ; and, giving way
to the temptation to " purloin," % which must have been
strongly felt by slaves who had no rights of property, he de
frauded his master and absconded. He bent his steps to Rome,
where he might easily escape detection among the multitudes
who thronged the capital of the world. Arrived there, he
found the impunity he sought, and probably enjoyed a little
time of idleness and riotous living, while he squandered his
* Chap. iv. 17, t "Who is from you,"— Col. iv. 9. X Titus ii, 10,

232 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES..
booty ; but his money came to an end, and when the brief
madness of his indulgence was over, and the companions of
wasteful hours had deserted him, Onesimus was left alone with
, an empty purse and an unquiet conscience,
St Paul was then in Rome, suffering his first imprisonment.
He was under the care of a soldier who was responsible for his
custody, but was aUowed to live in "his own hired house,''
The house, in all likelihood, was some such hut as the Emperor's
minions and freedmen occupied in the neighbourhood of the
palace ; but it was the " St, Paul's Cathedral " of the time, and
many resorted to it for instruction and fellowship. We have
already been informed that Paul "received all that came in
unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those
things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ" *
To this house Onesimus repaired in his distress. It may
have been that he went in, as by accident, but more probably
he went because he knew that this Paul was the very preacher
through whom his master had become a Christian, and he had
been wont to hear his name mentioned ¦ in PhUemon's house
with veneration and esteem. St. Paul, on the contrary, knew
nothing of him or of his history, but preached to him, as to all
comers, the Gospel of the blessed God, While he did so, the
Spirit of the Lord opened the heart of this hearer, so that he
was begotten again of the word of truth ; for the Apostle writes
of him as " my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten In my
bonds," How the grace of God follows the unworthy ! Onesimus had
possessed in Colosse every advantage for learning the Christian
doctrine, but he learned it not. He then loved the darkness
rather than the light. But the good Lord wiUed not that he
should perish ; and the grace which he refused at Colosse
followed him to Rome, found him, and prevaUed with him
there. If his master had given him up as a worthless and
wicked man, the Lord had not given him up. But, as his
master was a Christian, we shaU rather suppose that he prayed
* Acts xxviii. 30, 31,

PHILEMON. 233
for the man who had despitefuUy used him ; and if so, it was
in answer to such prayer that Onesimus was guided to Paul's
house in Rome, and thus brought under the power of the truth
as it is in Jesus,
Not his sin only was shown to the runaway, but also the
blood of Christ that acquits and cleanses from all sin. The
Apostle preached forgiveness, of sins, and the sinner before him
received it in faith. His heart was thus "sprinkled from an
evU conscience," and the man became a new creature, raised to
a new position in Christ, fiUed with new desires, and fitted for
new feUowship, The slave became a freedman of Christ, Tho
runaway became a brother beloved of an Apostle and of saints.
So pleased with him was St, Paul that he would gladly have
retained him to cheer and help him in his bonds ; and gladly
would Onesimus have tarried at Rome for such a purpose. But
he confided to the Apostle the shameful manner and reason of
his flight from Colosse, and Paul sent him back to Philemon
with this letter explaining the circumstances, and intimating an
earnest desire that Onesimus might be kindly received. He
was also so thoughtful as to mention Onesimus at the same
time in his letter to the Colossian Church, certifying him as "a
faithful and beloved brother," * He was not to be suspected
or taken In with a grudge ; but, being in Church fellowship in
one city, was certified as entitled to the same feUowship in
another. The letter to Philemon is a model of tact and delicacy,
Luther calls it " a charming and masterly example of Christian
love." Erasmus, thinking most of its outward form, remarks
that " Cicero never wrote with greater elegance."
There is a celebrated writer of antiquity with one of whose
compositions this Epistle may be compared. Among the writ
ings of the younger Pliny is extant a private letter to his friend
Sabinianus,t interceding for a freedman who had deserted the
service of this friend, and incurred his displeasure. Pliny's
* Col, iv, 9,
t Letters of Pliny tbe Consul, Bk. ix., Epistle 21.

234 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
style is graceful ; but those who have compared the two letters
wiU say, without hesitation, that St Paul's Is equal In tact to
the other, and far superior in the motives and considerations
which he urges on his friend Philemon.
A moment's reflection will show that the tact was not super
fluous; the case required to be carefully handled. St. Paul
would commend Onesimus, yet not excuse his fault ; ameliorate
the condition of the slave, yet not interfere with the legal
rights of the master ; propose what he might enjoin, but pre
ferred to ask for love's sake. There is much skill evinced in
courteous and persuasive forms of expression. There is also a
real pathos In the letter, lit up with gleams of that humour
which St, Paul had in common with all men of robust and
vigorous minds,*
Philemon had suffered loss, but the divine Providence had
tumed his loss to gain. He lost an " unprofltable '' servant,
and got a "profitable" one.t He lost a careless and dishonest
slave, and he got "a brother beloved, both in the flesh," or
in earthly relations of life, " and in the Lord," in spiritual
communion with Christ. The lawfulness in God's sight of
retaining a Christian brother in slavery, however lenient, this
Epistle does not discuss. The Gospel, as we have already seen,
was essentially opposed in spirit to human slavery ; but it
abolished that system of organised injustice, by changing the
dispositions and minds of men, and inducing a new state of
public opinion, not by stirring servile insurrections, or social
revolutions effected by force. It was enough for St, Paul's
purpose that Philemon should receive Onesimus heartily as a
Christian brother. Let his own conscience, let his Christian
instincts tell him, whether he should relegate such a man to
domestic slavery, or set him free to return to the Apostle, if he
so desired, and to promote the spread of that Gospel which had
wrought upon himself so great a transformation.
Let us pause here to muse on the wisdom of Providence
* See Rev, S. Cox on Private Letters of St. Paul and St. John.
t Ver. II. The name Onesimus in Greek means useful or profitable.

PHILEMON.

235

which turns the unprofitable into the profitable, and, through
temporal loss, brings to us higher riches. A possession or a joy
departs from us for a season, only to be received again in a
nobler and more lasting form. That such is the way of Pro
vidence may not, indeed, appear to every eye. The return may
be in quite a different form from the departure or loss. It Is
not the same Onesimus ; it is a better one. But such is the
experience of all who truly fear the Lord ; losing In one form,
and finding in another ; a departure for a season, and a receiv
ing for ever, A Christian loses his o-wn life, and finds it;
loses earthly joys, and finds heavenly ones ; loses earthly
friends, but is destined to find them in a brighter sphere and a
more glorious body. Thy brother is dead : "thy brother shall
rise again."
Of this there is a parable in creation every year. The summer
beauty departs, the flowers die, the trees lose their foliage, the
fields of corn become fields of stubble, and Nature seems bereft
of vigour, colour, and power to delight. But it is only for a
season, and then the forces of Nature revive, and aU Its lost
charms return. Its decaying, departing life is born again in
the smiles of a new spring, and invigorated by the glow of
another summer. Year by year we lose, and yet our loss is
turned to gain. So is it in our human life, God lets losses
come to us, and chilling cares fall on our hearts, but they do us
good In the latter end. They even make us more prosperous.
If anything of value Is taken away, it is somehow bettered and
restored. There must be winter In our lot ; but He who Is the
God of our life conducts us to a spring and a summer that shall
never end. Temporary losses are thus transmuted into lasting
gains, and light affliction for a moment into "a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory."
St Paul had confidence in Onesimus that he would now
prove as valuable to Philemon as he had been worthless before.
His strong desire was that his former master, and the Church
at Colosse, should, without misgiving, receive Onesimus on his
return into the " fellowship." This, indeed, is the great thought

236 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of the letter, There is a fellowship in Christ which overrides
all outward distinction, swallows up a thousand upbraidings,
and makes masters and servants brethren in the Lord, It is
the warm, generous, sacred communion of saints.
But what of the wrong done to Philemon by his servant ? It
is pretty clearly implied that Onesimus had purloined his
master's property. It is certain that, by absconding, he put his
master to some loss ; and the Apostle does not pass this over in
silence, but touches the point with great delicacy, and in a
Christ-like spirit " If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee
ought, put that on mine account; I, Paul, have written with
mine own hand, I will repay ; not to say that thou owest unto
me even thine own self besides," *
We follow Luther in regarding this interposal of Paul In
behalf of a wrongdoer, as a touching illustration of the inter
posal of Jesus Christ for the transgressors. It is only too possible
to talk fluently of Christ's suretyship for sinners, and at the same
time live quite out of harmony with . that truth, a self-seeking
and self-contained life. But St, Paul entered into the mind of
his heavenly Master, and lived in sympathy with His great
suretyship. Because and as Christ had loved him, and borne
his sins and sorrows, therefore and so Paul loved poor Onesimus,
and took his liabilities on himself, made himself responsible for
the wrongdoer who could not atone for his own transgression.
We admit that the illustration is defective. The relation
subsisting between a master and his slave, even in its mildest
and most tolerable form, cannot accurately or adequately
represent the relation subsisting between the holy God and us
His creatures, for He is a Father as well as a Master, But then
He is a Master as well as a Father ; and In this view, the Illus
tration here suggested has some point and value, God has been
good and merciful to us : His providence kind. His law most
equitable. Nevertheless, we have retumed evil for good,
departed from Him, disobeyed and robbed Him, Say that we
are brought to feel in conscience the guilt and shame of this,
• Ver. 18, 19.

PHILEMON. 237
yet we cannot make compensation for it, and therefore are
afraid and unwilling to return to God, Lo ! One on whom we
have no claim, and who Himself has done no wrong, interposes
for us. It is all of grace : and this is the plea of Him who re-
concUes us to God, " Receive them as Myself. Put the wrong
which they have done, or the debt they owe, on Mine account,"
This gave encouragement to Onesimus, dlspeUing all his fear.
It was written in the letter — " Receive him as myself." If
Paul should go to Colosse, would he be rejected by Philemon?
Certainly not Would Paul be gladly received? Assuredly.
Then Onesimus will not be rejected ; Onesimus must be gladly
received. Let a sinner, any sinner, so return to the God whom we have
offended, and from whom we have fled. Jesus Christ inter
poses for him as Mediator, He will be received in Christ, for
Christ, and even as Christ The transgressor, pleading for
pardon through. Christ, and pleaded for by Him, can no more
be rejected than He can be ; must as certainly be received as
Christ is received, and loved as Christ is loved.
We can Imagine the approach of Tychicus and Onesimus
to the town of Colosse, The former carries the letter to the
Church ; but the latter will not sho-w himself to the Church, or
claim his privilege there as a brother in the Lord, till he has
been to his master's house, and delivered the private letter from
St, Paul, His bearing is grave, and his demeanour subdued,
for he cannot forget the foolish and sinful way in which he had
left that house, probably a few months before. But he is not
afraid, for he thinks of what Paul has said in the letter which
he carries in his bosom ; and he is glad that, at all events, it is
not the police who have brought him back ; it is repentance ;
it is love, and the sense of duty. When he reaches that
familiar door, the servants, whose apartments in ancient houses
were on either side of the entrance, recognise him, wonder at
his return, and are struck by a certain serenity of aspect and
refinement of bearing, for which they cannot account. But
Onesimus cannot stay to give explanations to the servants ; by

238 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and by he will tell them all ; but his first interview must be
with the master himself. So he makes straight for the chamber
of Philemon, and casting himself at his feet, delivers to him this
letter from St Paul. It is read aloud, not without tears of joy.
Philemon embraces the lost one found ; Apphla breaks forth into
singing ; Archippus gives solemn thanks to God. The Church
in the house gathers quickly to receive the " good tidings from
a far country," and to welcome the new-bom brother into the
holy family.
These circumstances we merely imagine and infer ; but there
can be no question that the intercession of Paul with his friend
had complete success. Least of all can .there be a question of
any sinner's safety who returns in the name of Jesus Christ,
whom Paul preached, to the presence of God, Let him be
assured of a profound and cordial welcome. There is joy in
the Church on earth, and joy in the presence of the angels of
God ; for aU that dweU In heavenly places are made glad by
one sinner who repents.
Perhaps some self-righteous one, even in Philemon's house
hold, thought the joy uncalled for, and took umbrage at such
interest being shown in one who had behaved so ill. He would
shake his suspicious head, and say that it were better to wait
awhile, and be quite sure that Onesimus was really changed.
To forgive him so easily might encourage him to repeat the
offence. So men grumble at the grace of the Gospel, and think
that free forgiveness is a dangerous thing. So the elder
brother in the Parable complained bitterly that the fatted calf
was killed for his younger brother immediately on his return,
whereas for him not even a little kid had been slain. But the
Divine mercy is not to be checked by ungenerous suspicions ;
it will rejoice at once, and exceedingly, over the sinner re
claimed. It was not to be apologised for as an amiable impulse ;
it was the right thing to do ; " it was meet that we should
make merry, and be glad ; for this thy brother was dead, and
is alive again ; and was lost, and is found." *
* Luke XV. j2.

( 239 )

HEBREWS.
Evert student of the Bible recognises the immense value and
significance of this book, as unfolding the relation of the New
Testament to the Old. It is called an Epistle, and ends In the
epistolary fashion ; but It begins like a treatise, and its general
tenor is that of careful exposition and statement, with a view
to instruction and comfort.
It is curious that the Revised Version retains the title —
"The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews," for the
manuscript authority for this is insufficient, and the Pauline
authorship has been in dispute from the earliest times, and
was rejected by Luther, Erasmus, and Calvin at the time of
the Reformation. It is a question on which no absolute deci
sion can be reached, for Christian antiquity was divided in
opinion just as modern critics and commentators are. Origen
could not find out the truth about It in the third century any
more than we can in the nineteenth, and said, " As to who really
wrote the letter, truly God knows." *
As to the dissimUarlty between the work and the acknow
ledged Epistles of St Paul we are not greatly moved by the
change of topic or of argument, for the Apostle may have had
much more versatility than our critics suppose. But we can
not account for the immense difference in style. That of the
Epistle before us Is more balanced and rhetorical, less eager
and parenthetic, than was the manner of Paul. These sonorous
sentences and rounded paragraphs are not his.
On the other hand, which of St Paul's associates was capable
* In Euseb. ; H. E. vi. 25.

240 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of thinking out such a discourse as this ? It must have been,
if not himself, one of his circle, because of the allusion to
Timothy at the close. It could not have been Luke, for we
know his style, and It is quite different. There is some ancient
sanction for the selection of Barnabas ; but If the extant Epistle
which goes under his name be genuine, it shows a great inferio
rity to this work both In thought and in diction, ApoUos
has been the favourite of modern conjecture ever since he
was suggested by Martin Luther. He has this advantage, that,
having left behind him no acknowledged works, he cannot be
proved incapable of composing this Epistle ; and the descrip
tion of him in Acts xviii. 24 contains the very qualifications
requisite. It would unduly swell and burden our Lecture to treat this
question in the extreme detail of which it is capable,* On the
whole we are inclined to rest in the judgment expressed by
Origen, as preserved for us by Eusebius. He thinks that the
Greek of the Epistle Is better than St Paul's, but "the
thoughts contained in it are wonderful, and do not fall behind
those in the acknowledged letters of the Apostle. ... I should
say then that the thoughts are those of St Paul, but that the
words and the arrangement (^ d's (pedsi; xa) ^ eiiihgic) are due
to some one who set down from memory what the Apostle
had said, and, as it were, commented on the utterances of his
teacher."-(- No one is more likely to have done this great ser
vice than ApoUos.
The " Hebrews," as distinguished from the HeUenists, seem
to be Christian Jews of Palestine, In contrast with Christian
Grecians, or Grsecised Jews who were "scattered abroad,"
Those Hebrews, though acknowledging Jesus to have been
the Christ, made a slow and reluctant transition from the Old
economy to the New, and tenaciously clung for a considerable
time to that very separation of Israel from the GentUes, which
* A skilful statement of it, at once scholarly and succinct, may be found
in Dr. A. B. Davidson's Short Commentary on this Epistle (1882).
+ Euseb. Hist. EocL vL 25,

HEBREWS. 241-
the Church of God was to traverse and ignore. An instructive
glimpse of their attitude is given in St, Luke's account of St,
Paul's Introduction to the Presbytery of Jerusalem,* on which
occasion the presbyters impressed it on the missionary Apostle,
that though the Gentiles had certain acknowledged liberties,
the " thousands of Jews " who believed in Christ were " all
zealous of the law." They seem even then to have supposed
that the distinction of Jew and Gentile was to continue in
the Church ; the former occupying the' higher platform, and
" walking orderly " in the law ; th* latter on a lower level,
indulged with easier regulations and conditions.
Those Hebrew Christians continued to resort to the temple
In Jerusalem and to observe the sacred feasts ; but after a time
they were not permitted by the Jewish authorities to do so.
They were treated as renegades and apostates, plundered of
their goods, and cast out from those holy places which they
and their fathers reverenced. It was a heavy blow and sore
discouragement. Loving their nation, zealous for the law,
devoted to the temple, they seemed to be, for their faith in
Jesus, cut off from the commonwealth of Israel, and put Into a
worse position by far than their brethren of and among the
Gentiles, It Is this sorrow and perplexity which the writer of
the Epistle recognises with sympathy ; and he therefore makes
it his object to strengthen and cheer the Hebrews, by showing
them the mutual bearings of the Old Covenant and the New, and.
proving to them that they possessed as Christians far more than
they had been deprived of, — a better priesthood, better altar,
better sacrifice, and better sanctuary. From the promise of the
writer to "see" those whom he addressed (chap, xlil. 23), It is
inferred that they could not be the Hebrews of Palestine
generaUy, but must have been grouped together in one city.
Be it so. It is not possible, and were it possible, It would not
be of much consequence to determine the place. Enough that
the Epistle was directed to a Church composed of Hebrews
exclusively, unmixed with Gentiles or even with Hellenists.
¦* Acts xxi, 18-25.
VOL, IL Q.

242 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
In course of the treatise, doctrine and appeal are mingled ;
but, to speak generaUy, the former predominates in chaps i.-x,
18, and the latter in the remaining portion of the book.
I. The doctrine of the Epistle, adapted to reassure and fortify
the discouraged Christian Hebrews, amounts to this : that
though they should have to forfeit ancient privileges at the
temple for the name of Jesus, they were gainers and not losers ;
they had the best portion and the highest worship ; and as men
of faith, they had communion with all the ancient believers
who trusted in God.
Without preface, the writer at once discourses of the dignity
of Jesus Christ the Son of God. In having Him for their Lord
the Hebrews had one far greater than any of whom they and
their fathers boasted.
I. Greater than the Prophets (chap. i. 1-3).^- Alike in the
former and the latter times, God had spoken : but in the days
of old, the Divine communication to the fathers was " in the
prophets," whereas now it comes to us "in His Son." The
prophets were many ; and the messages of God were conveyed
to them, and delivered by them in many portions (not com
pletely), and in various ways and measures. The Divine
revelation through them was real and precious, but it was
fragmentary, and preparatory to something better and more
perfect This was given when God sent His own Son, and
spoke in Him, the Logos, and the Amen. Why then should
the Christian Hebrews fear that they had lost Moses and the
prophets ? They had these still, and with them a prophet
greater than them all — the Revealer of the Father, and Witness
to the truth.
2> Greater than the Angels (chap. i. 4-ii.) — The Son of God,
essentially and Immutably Divine, is undeniably superior to the
angels who are created beings. But not only so ; Jesus, Son of
man as well as Son of God, Is elevated above angels in
dignity and power. He has by inheritance obtained a more
excellent name than they.

HEBRE WS. 243
The Jews boasted that their law was given by angels at
Mount SinaL But it is shown to the Hebrew Christians, that
more glory belongs to the great salvation, as at first spoken by
the Lord, Angels are bright spirits serving God and the heirs
of salvation ; but Christ is the heir of all. The world to come
Is put, not under the angelic servants, but under Jesus Christ,
the Son of Man, who took for a little the place of a servant, and
was made " lower than the angels for the suffering of death,"
but on that very account is " crowned with glory and honour,"
and constituted Lord of alL
3, Greater than the Leaders of Israel — Moses and Joshua
(chap, iii.-iv. 13). — Here the Epistle touches a matter at once
most delicate and most important. Dr. Saphir has said: "It
is hardly possible for Gentiles to understand or realise the
veneration and affection with which the Jews regard Moses, the
servant of God, All their religious life, all their thoughts
about God, aU their practices and observances, all their hopes
of the future : everything connected with God is with them
also connected with Moses, He was to them the great apostle,
the man sent unto them of God, the mediator of the Old
Covenant." * The Christian Hebrews were in no wise to
disown or disparage Moses ; but are exhorted to consider a
greater Apostle, or Sent One ; not a servant, as Moses was. In
the house of God, but the Son presiding over His own house.
Let the dignity of Moses, his great services, and noble fidelity
be fully acknowledged; yet Christ Jesus is worthy of more
glory than he.
Moses was not able to lead the people into the Land of
Promise, Joshua succeeded him, and planted the tribes
victoriously in Canaan, Yet there is a rest, which the heart of
man requires, into which no warrior, however devout and
dauntless, can conduct. The Psalms pointed to this when
speaking of a people entering into God's rest ; and He who can
give them such rest Is a leader and commander greater thaa
Moses or Joshua ; this is Jesus Christ.
Iilr's Lectures on Hebrews, p. 173. ...

244 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
4. Greater than Aaron (chap. iv. 14-x. 18). — The discussion
of priesthood, involving the whole question of access to God in
worship, forms the central theme in the Epistle. The Jews
boasted much of the hereditary priesthood, and especiaUy of
the high priesthood in descent from Aaron. But such priest
hood, though to be honoured as an ordinance of Jehovah, had
an inherent defect It was transferred from one man to
another ; and it was confined to a worldly sanctuary, not reach
ing into heaven. The Christian Hebrews are assured that they
have risen and not fallen in the privilege of priesthood, for
they have in Jesus, the Son of God, a Great High Priest, who
fulfils all the essential conditions of the Aaronic priesthood,
and greatly excels It inasmuch as He continues for ever in
His office, and the sphere of its exercise is " heaven ItseK." *
In that high sphere. He needs not to stand daily like the priests
of Israel, ministering and offering the same sacrifices, for He
has presented one aU-sufficient sacrifice for sins, and therefore
"has sat down on the right hand of God."
Having been contrasted with Aaron, our Lord is compared to
Melchisedec, the royal priest of Salem in the days of Abraham.
The chief point of similarity is that the priesthood is con
stituted by the Divine oath. It is therefore intransferable and
inexhaustible, being " not after the law of a carnal command
ment, but after the power of an endless life." Why then
should the Christian Hebrews be ashamed or alarmed at being
disowned by the high priest and the council in Jerusalem?
They had in their Saviour a merciful and faithful high priest,
who could feel for their infirmities, succour them in trials, and
" save to the uttermost " all who approached and worshipped
God through Him, " because He ever lives to make intercession
for them."
As we have observed, the question of the priesthood opens up
the whole subject of access to God, of the purging of worship
pers from sin, and their acceptance in worship. So the differ-
* See an important note on " the Priesthood of Christ " iu Dr. A. B,
Davidson's Comm,, pp. 146-154,

HEBREWS. 245
ence between the Old and New Covenants is explained, and the
latter Is sho-wn to have the better promises and the more com
plete provision for Divine service. The sacrifice on the cross
far transcends aU the sin-offerings and burnt-offerings on altars
under the law. The worshipper through Christ is purged from
sins and perfected through His blood. He is admitted, not
into "holy places made with hands," but Into " heavenly places
themselves," The veil being rent, he goes into the Holiest by
the blood of Jesus. This discussion of access to God forms one
of the most important sections of the Epistle, and helps more
than any other part of Holy Writ to form and guide our minds
on the relation of the two Testaments to each other, and on the
perfecting of worshippers through one Supreme Offering, in
contrast with their Imperfection even under the divinely-
instituted ritual of the prior dispensation.
II. When the writer has completed his statement on this
subject, and shown that the Christian Hebrews needed not to
concern themselves about admission to, or exclusion from, the
Temple still standing at Jerusalem, he warmly appeals to them
to stand fast In Christ, and not cast away their confidence
(chap, X, 19, &c.) He addresses them as brethren who are
admitted to a far nobler temple " by a new and Uving way,"
and who have a High-priest over the house of God. Thereupon
he exhorts them to draw near to God in fulness of faith, to hold
fast the profession of their hope, and to consider one another in
order to incite themselves and others to love and good works.
He also bids them, because they were cast out of synagogues,
assemble themselves together for mutual exhortation ; and
warns them in the most solemn terms of the sin and doom of
apostasy. A saying of the book of Habakkuk, already quoted twice in
the undoubted Epistles of St Paul,* Is cited here also — " The
just shall live by faith." Then the mention of faith as the
requisite principle of Ufe and of patient endurance to the end,
* Rom. i. 17 ; Gal. iii. 11.

246 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
suggests and introduces a very impressive declaration of its vital
and victorious power in the great and good of ancient times.
The faith which lived and triumphed in them was a hearty
reliance on God, and a confident persuasion of things unseen.
It is shown that by such faith the ancient worthies pleased
God, acted, endured, and conquered as His people. Thereupon
the Hebrew Christians are exhorted, as in the presence of so
many witnesses, to run their race, or press through their struggle
with steadfastness, " looking unto Jesus," who is not merely an
example of faith, but its "author and perfecter," So doing,
they would not be at variance with the fathers and heroes of
their nation, as the antichristlan Hebrews aUeged : they were
treading in the steps of illustrious ancestors, and evincing an
endurance simUar to theirs. Let them, therefore, bear their
affliction as chastisement sent in love ; and let them look away
from the most eminent servants to the pre-eminent Master,
"Jesus, who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross,
despising the shame,"
In the course of his exhortation, the writer recurs to the
contrast between the Old and New dispensations, and in a very
grand passage (chajp. xii. 18, &c.) likens it to the difference
between Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. The former was
earthly, a mount that might be touched, and that was enve
loped in the terrors of the law. The latter is the citadel of the
Son of David, and is connected with the heavenly kingdom,
Sinai may be taken on the way to Jerusalem, no doubt, but Is
far from it, Zion is at Jerusalem, the city of peace. At that
" city of the living God " we are come to " myriads of angels in
fuU assembly." The law was given at Sinai "by a disposition
of angels ; " but the tribes entered not into the company of
those heavenly messengers, who brought no comfort to the
people who were under the law, but rather increased the terror.
Now all is changed under grace. The angels are " sent forth
to minister to heirs of salvation ; " and the worshipping Church
is surrounded by the convocation of angels in their myriads,

HEBRE WS. i247
who add their chorus to the song of the redeemed.'* The
tribes of Israel, God's first-bom of nations, encamped at Sinai,
and were numbered there. At Zion we are come to "the
Church of first-born ones," not written on earth, but enrolled in
heaven. The people at Sinai durst not approach God because
He was terrible to them in the law of unperformed command
ments. They were afraid that they should die. But at Zion,
through the faith of the Gospel, we are come "to God the
Judge of aU," for we call on the Father, who, without respect
of persons, judges according to every man's work. Thus also
are we joined to the ancient beUevers — not parted from them.
We are come to the spirits of just men, who without us could
not be prefected, but now are perfected with us in Christ
We are brought into the august company of Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and the prophets, with all the faith-pilgrims of pre-
Christian times. We are come, not to Moses, the mediator of
the old covenant, who stood between the law-giving Jehovah
and the law-bound people, but to Jesus, the mediator of the new
and better covenant ; and not to that blood which Moses, as
mediator, sprinkled at the inauguration of the first covenant,
but to that precious blood — His own blood — which is sprinkled
by the Mediator of the new on the book, on the sanctuary, and
on the people, t It is added that this blood " speaks better
things than Abel," The question for Cain and Abel was that
of entering the presence of God, for they with their parents
were exUes from the holy place, Abel did weU to sacrifice a
lamb, for there is no re-entrance without shedding of blood.
By this sacrifice he, being dead, yet speaks. But the blood of
sprinkling to which we are come speaks yet " better things " —
gives assurance of full atonement made, and a way opened into
the Holiest of all.
The end of the book Is quite in the epistolary style, and in
many turns of expression suggests to us the manner of St PauL
It Is occupied with brief counsels and admonitions ; and its
tone is impressive and affectionate. There are exhortations to
* See Rev. v. Ii, 12, t Exod. xxiv. 3-8.

248 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
brotherly love, hospitality, purity, contentment, respect for the
leaders of the Church, thankfiUness, and beneficence. " With
such sacrifices God is well pleased." But still the main stress
Is laid on the duty of steadfastness in Christ. The Hebrews
are to consider " Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and
for ever," and to bear reproach for His name. If they be cast
out of the temple and synagogues, so let it be : they must " go
forth unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.''
We must repeat that this book should be read and interpreted
throughout under a recollection of the fact that it was addressed
to Hebrews, and skilfully adapted to the condition of the native
Christians in Palestine a few years before the downfall of
Jerusalem. Nevertheless the Epistle is most profitable to
Gentile Christians also. The Bible of our religion is formed of
the books of the Old and New Testaments ; and It concerns us,
even though our fathers never were under Moses, to know the
order in which divine truth has been revealed to mankind, and
divine privUege conferred on believers. Invaluable therefore to
us is the book which explains more clearly than any other how
the New Testament was enfolded in the Old, and the Old
Testament is unfolded In the New,
Though we be Gentiles in the flesh, we become Abraham's
children through faith ; and we too are reached by the beautiful
prayer of benediction which occurs very near the close of this
Epistle, " Now the God of peace, that brought again from the
dead * our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through
the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every
good work, in order to do His will. Himself working in you that
which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ ; to
whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen,"
* " This is the only place where our author mentions the resurrection.
Everywhere else he lifts his eyes from the depth of our Lord's humiliation,
passing over all that is intermediate, to the highest point of His exalta
tion." — Dbutzsc h.

( 249 )

JAMES.
James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, died at Jerusa
lem as a martyr by the sword of Herod the king. James the
hrother of Jude, also caUed the Lord's brother,* son of Alpheus
or Clopas, then became prominent in the apostolic band ; and
it was he, Peter and John, whom Paul recognised as pillars of
the Church at Jerusalem. ' It appears from many passages that
he exercised a presidency over the elders in that city.f
James the son of Alpheus seems to have devoted all his
apostolic labour to Jerusalem. Resembling in tone and language
one of the ancient prophets, he was commonly called " the Just,"
and revered for his devout habits and austere manner of life.
With great courage and integrity he persisted in lifting up the
testimony of Jesus among a population rapidly becoming de
moralised, and rushing fanatically on their own destruction. His
end was, like that of the elder James, by martyrdom ; for he
was stoned and beaten to death by the scribes and Pharisees
before the last Roman siege of Jerusalem.
It was he who wrote this Epistle, " to the twelve tribes of
* The most probable explanation of this, in our opinion, ia that Joseph
and Alpheus were brothers, and that, on the death of the latter, Joseph
took his widow and children under his own care. So James, Joses, Jude,
and Simon, and their sisters grew up under Joseph as their foster father,
and were regarded, according to undoubted Jewish usagej as the brothers
and sisters of Jesus, Joseph's reputed son. After Joseph's death, Mary
his -widow, and Mary the widow of Alpheus, sisters-in-law, lived in close
intimacy, their children growing up side by side ; and when Jesus was
crucified, these two Marys stood by. The sister of Mary the Blessed was
Salome, the wife of Zebedee.
t Acts xii. 17, XV. 13, xxi. 18 ; Gal. ii. 9, 12.

250 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
the Dispersion," Though he had expressed the mind of the
apostles and brethren at Jerusalem regarding the liberty of
Gentile believers,* St James never seems to have addressed
himself in any way to the Gentiles, His use of the expression,
" the twelve tribes," shows that he regarded those who were
called Jews and Israelites in his time, whether dwelling in
Palestine or scattered through the East, not as the mere
descendants of Judah and Benjamin, but as the representatives
of all the tribes of Israel, the tribal distinction of territory
having been lost for many generations. The Epistle to the
Hebrews was written to Christian Jews probably In Palestine ;
this, to Christian Israelites scattered over other lands ; the first
Epistle of Peter to those of the Jewish dispersion who dwelt in
Asia Minor, These books form a trilogy ; and though written
without any concert, were probably composed about the same
time, between a.d. 6i and 67.
We have found that, in order to interpret correctly the Epistle
to the Hebrews, It is necessary to consider the state of Jewish
Christians in Palestine at that period, and the trial of steadfast
ness through which they were obliged to pass. In like manner,
for the interpretation of this Epistle, we ought to reflect on the
position and temptations of Christian Israelites scattered through
the cities of the Roman world. The revolt of the Jews against
the Romans drew nigh. Everywhere they were in an impatient
mood, scarcely caring to conceal their revolutionary spirit. The
increasing severity of their heathen rulers provoked them to
fanatical commotions and tumults. It was thus a jarring,
threatening period. The national mind of Israel was in a state
of fermentation and dangerous excitement ; and in a few years
there came the final rupture in that open war against the Im
perial power, which ruined the Jewish State, and left Jerusalem
desolate. At such a time the position of the Christian Jews was a
very difficult and delicate one. They loved their nation, and
could not but be affected by the patriotic impulses which were at
* Acts XV. 13-21.

JAMES. 251
work in the breasts of their kindred. Yet they had been
warned by the Lord Jesus of the impending fate of Jerusalem
and tlie Temple; and knew that It was a suicidal course to
provoke the Emperor and resist his armies. They themselves
suffered at the hands of the heathen, being confounded by
them with the non- Christian Jews ; but they could not, as
Christians, make common cause with their brethren after the
flesh, for these were inflamed with a chimerical hope of
Messiah appearing to deliver them from the Romans, whereas
Christians knew and believed that the Messiah had already
come, had been rejected by Israel, and had pronounced with
tears the doom of their holy city. So the disciples of Christ
among " the tribes scattered abroad " were forced to bear, not
only the oppression of the heathen, but also the reproaches and
upbraidings of their own countrymen for holding aloof from the
revolutionary patriotic movement of the time,
St, James writes to comfort and admonish them. He does
so as a Hebrew Christian and no more ; as one who " walks
orderly and keeps the law." Those whom he addresses are
the people of God, not in a newly-formed relation or recon-
cUiation, but according to a long-estabUshed and recognised
national calling. He does not enter at all on the vocation or
constitution of the Church of God, or on the doctrine of resur
rection with Christ, and elevation to heavenly places In Him.
What this Apostle does Is to admonish such of his nation as
acknowledged Jesus the Lord of glory, to keep the perfect law,
or "do the word," as Jesus had taught in the Sermon on the
Mount Indeed the Epistle has much affinity with that
beautiful discourse. It is ethical rather than theological.
Patience, obedience, justice, charity, meekness of wisdom, low
liness, reliance on God In prayer, these are its great ideas.
The depreciation of this book by Martin Luther was caused
by his rash assumption that it contradicts the doctrine of St,
Paul on justification. There may be a superficial appearance
of contradiction, but there is really no ground whatever for
alleging collision and contrariety between these two Apostles.

252 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
The teachers from Jerusalem who obstructed the ministry of
St. Paul, and, in one instance, misguided St, Peter, may have
claimed to be champions of the views held by St. James, but
clearly wlthput warrant or authority, for they denied the Chris
tian liberty of Gentiles, which he fully conceded, and they
demanded the subjection of aU disciples, of whatever origin, to
the customs and laws of historic Judaism. This was not accord
ing to the mind of St James ; and it is worthy of notice that
St. Paul, while denouncing those teachers, never says or im
plies that he himself differs from the Apostle James, for
whom, indeed, he takes every opportunity of showing his
respect. On the other hand, St James never opposes or con
troverts St. Paul. He takes a smaller range than the Apostle
to the Gentiles, and writes to a different class of readers, and
for a somewhat different purpose. But the two supplement
each other, and are in deep harmony as good and faithful
servants of the Lord of glory.
The Epistle before us, assuming rather than stating the
Christian doctrine and hope of salvation, inculcates what is
right and seemly in Christian practice. It may be arranged in
five parts, but not according to the usual five chapters,
I. Exhortations for the time of trial (chap. I. 1-18).
The Christian Israelites stood, as we have seen, in a position
of great difficulty between the heathen who oppressed their
nation and the great body of the Jewish nation itself, be
coming every day more restless and discontented. They needed
patience, wisdom, unwavering faith. If they felt a temptation
to evil, they must not ascribe it to God, after the manner of
those fanatical Jews who claimed Divine sanction for aU their
misdeeds, " God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth
He any man." EvU is contrary to His nature, and detrimental
to His glory. St. James faUs back on thoughts already com
municated by Christ,—" One Is good, even God." " Your
Father in heaven is merciful." "Your Father in heaven is
.perfect," The Apostle ascribes to God supreme bounty, " All

JAMES. 253
good giving, and every perfect gift, is from above." And he
points to the majestic purity and unchangeableness of God,
" the Father of lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow
cast by turning." As a great student of Scripture has said,
" God is always In the meridian."
II. Protest against religious formalism and pride (chap, I,
19-ii.). Pharisaism was the besetting sin of the Jewish religious
mind, and it easily found Its way into the Church. Christian
converts from the twelve tribes had been wont to see a high
reputation In religion sustained without purity of heart, weaned-
ness from the world, or activity in love, and they required to
be put on their guard against a sort of baptized Pharisaism,
fuU of good profession, but barren of good fruit. Accord
ingly St. James warns them against irritation of temper, and
coldness or negligence in obedience. Let the word of salva
tion be received in meekness, and obeyed with heartiness. A
forgetful hearer does not receive the word into his heart, and
is, as the Lord said, like a foolish man who built his house on
loose sand. The contrast to him is a doing hearer who retains
the word, not so much by force of memory as by practical
obedience. He is " blessed in the doing ; " for he is as the
wise man who built his house upon a rock.
Another feature of Pharisaism was its contempt of the com
mon people ; * and this, too, was apt to reproduce itself in
Jewish Christianity. There was a danger of extreme defer
ence to rich and influential persons, while the poor were despised
in the assembly or synagogue. The Apostle lifts a very distinct
warning against this, showing It to be at variance with the
royal law of love. He exhorts to brotherly kindness, not in
manner and speech only, but In action. " If a brother or sister
be naked, and destitute of dally food, and one of you say unto
them. Depart in peace, be warmed and fiUed ; notwithstanding
ye give them not those things which are needful to the body,
* John vii. 48, 49.

254 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
what doth it profit ? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is
dead, being alone.''
True faith evinces Itself in fraternal consideration and charity.
Dead and formal faith betrays Itself in heartless selfishness.
Such is the teaching of that famous passage (chap. ii. 14-26),
which many writers have been at pains to " reconcile " with St.
Paul's doctrine of gratuitous justification. But there is really
no need of skilful, ingenious reconciliation. We have only to
observe with common fairness the scope of each Apostle, in
order to see that the one in no wise opposes or weakens the
other's teaching. St, Paul, writing against legalists, affirms
that a sinner is justified before God by grace through faith In
Christ, without deeds of the law, St. James, writing against
formalism, selfishness, and pride within the Church, declares
that a Christian who says, " I have faith," and does not live
and act as a believer ought, condemns himself. Words un
supported, and even contradicted by conduct, stand for nothing.
Evidence is demanded that the faith professed is real, not pre
tended, -living, not dead; and he who cannot produce such
evidence is not justified as a Christian,
Both the Apostles allude to Abraham ; and the references are
of great importance to the interpretation. St Paul shows that
Abraham was justified by faith before Isaac was born. God
counted him righteous. St James refers to a period at least
fifteen years later, and shows that the righteous Abraham was
justified by works, i.e., was proved to be a man of living faith
when he " offered Isaac his son upon the altar."
The whole doctrine is contained under a beautiful figure once
used by our Lord Jesus Christ St Paul teaches that we must
be in union with Christ by faith, as the branch is in the vine,
else we perish. St James teaches that the branch which
appears to be in the vine must bear fruit, else its union is a
mere semblance, and it wiU be, as so much dead wood, cut
away, III. Warning against bitterness and strife (chaps, iii, iv, 12),

JAMES. 255
Boasting of faith without love is apt to be allied with over-
confidence in teaching, and an excessive use of the tongue.
The fanatical Jews in the Apostolic age seem to have multiplied
teachers, and given unbridled license to disputation, St James
wiU have the Christian Jews on their guard against this evil,
" My brethren, be not many teachers." It is a warning which
English Christians of the present day may do weU to consider,
for there is an extraordinary cacoethes docendi, and all sorts of
persons take upon themselves to deliver addresses on religious
truth. From this the Apostle is led to dilate on the duty of govern
ing and taming the tongue. He describes it as " an unruly
member " of tbe body, and an exciter of strife and bitterness.
This part of the Epistle is marked by a profusion of telling
illustrations. In rapid succession we have the horse controUed
by the bit in his mouth ; the great ship and smaU helm ; the
little spark and mighty fire ; the taming of wild creatures of
the air, on the land, and in the sea ; the fountain of -water ;
the fig-tree, the olive, and the vine. Indeed the whole book
displays a fine combination of terseness In statement with bold
imagination. It is nervous and strong in the body of its
teaching, yet admirably relieved and illustrated by tropes and
similes. It is also marked by pungent and memorable sayings,
some of them worded with great precision and beauty : e.g., the
description of the sevenfold excellence of wisdom from above :
" first pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and
¦good fruits, impartial,* and without hypocrisy."
In the fourth chapter, the Apostle continues to inveigh
against selfishness, bittemess, pride, and that love of the world
which he, after the manner of the prophets, calls adultery. He
insists on humility, and submission to God, He places before
his readers as absolute contraries, God and the devU, So long
as they resisted God, they drew nigh to the devil and became
* The translation of dSia/c/JiTos is uncertain. The Revised Version has
" without variance." Dr. Earrar suggests " without vacillation." The
word occurs here only.

256 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
subject to him. They ought to resist the devil, and draw nigh
to God, There is also a strict forbiddal of calumny and de
traction, " Speak not evil one of another, brethren,'' Alas
that such admonitions should be needful ! Yet needful they
certainly are, for petty slander and evil speaking of brethren
are constantly breeding mischief and unhappiness in Christian
society, St James here again falls back on the word spoken
by our Lord, " Judge not, that ye be not judged. For -with
what judgment ye judge, ye shaU be judged,"* We cannot
but form our private estimate, more or less favourable, of our
brethren in the Lord : but judgment should be left to Him
" who is able to save and to destroy.''
IV. Remonstrance against an arrogant spirit (chap, iv, 13-
V, 6,
One of the vain thoughts of man's heart is the presumption
that he may map out his time at his own pleasure, St James
reminds us that time is to us quite uncertain ; the duration of
our life is beyond our control : " It is even a vapour that
appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away," It is
according, not as we wUl, but as the Lord Jesus Christ wills,!
that we live, "and do this or that,"
Another display of arrogance was the oppression of the poor,.
an offence more than once referred to with displeasure in the
Epistle, Though the law of Moses contained so many provisions
for the protection of poor Israelites, it is evident, from the
Gospel histories, that the rich Jews in the days of our Lord
treated the poor with scorn. J There was great danger of the
same haughty spirit betraying itself among the Christian
Israelites : and therefore the Apostle, very much in this instance
also following the strain of ancient prophets, denounces avari
cious men professing to be Christians, who ground the faces of
* Matt. vii. I, 2.
t The letters D.V. should stand for Domino (not Deo) Volente. Jesus
is " the Lord," and our times are in His hand.
J Luke xvi. 14, 19-21.

JAMES. 257
the poor and defrauded labourers of their hire. Here, too, he
seems to recall the words of the Lord Jesus, " Woe imto you
that are rich ! for ye have received your consolation. Woe
unto you that are fuU ! for ye shaU hunger. Woe unto you
that laugh now ! for ye shall mourn and weep," *
V. Concluding admonitions (chap, v, 7-20).
These relate to the patience of hope. Intercessory prayer, and
brotherly kindness.
The day of deliverance out of all distress is to be the day of
the coming of the Lord, St James teaches this exactly like St,
Paul, For that day the Christians of the twelve tribes ought
to wait patiently, cheered by the example of the prophets, and
the deliverance of Job as narrated in their ancient Scriptures,
In affliction they should pray. In joy they should " psalm,"
i.e. strike the chords of the lyre or harp, and sing. In sickness,
they had resources unknown to those outside the Christian pale,
" Let them call for the presbyters of the Church." + It is
assumed, rather than enjoined, that the presbyters would anoint
¦vi'ith oil, for such is the chief curative resource of Oriental
nations ; and it was better that the Christians should be thus
attended to by their own elders, than that the physicians con
nected with the heathen priesthood should be caUed in. The
elders would anoint " with oil in the name of the Lord :" and then
the stress is laid on the prayer of faith which they would offer up
* Luke vi. 24, 25.
+ How preposterous is the citation of this passage (chap. v. 14, 15) as a
scriptural warrant for what is called in the Papal Church. extreme unction,
a, sacrament supposed to convey grace to the souls of the dying — sacrame-n-
tum exeuntmm ! The precept that elders, while anointing the sick with
oil (words which virtually cover all sound medical prescriptions), should
pray over them, is changed into a direction that a priest should come in
when recovery is hopeless, for so the Council of Trent ordains, and should
touch certain portions of the dying man or woman's body with oil, to pre
pare the soul for departure. The elders are altered into a priest ; and
the healing of the sick by remedies and prayer is turned into a sacramental
ceremony by which a sick man is made ready, not to recover, but to die !
VOL, II. 1'

258 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
in the sick chamber. This would obtain, not only the heaUng
of the body, but that forgiveness of sins without which indeed
bodUy heaUng is but an outward and temporary benefit The
sick brother was to confess and deplore his sins, and, on the
prayer of the elders, he would be pardoned, and his soul " saved
from death," It was the way of the great Physician Himself
to heal by His word, though in some cases he touched the
subjects of His cure, and even applied a simple remedy,'* In
one memorable instance, when He even raised the dead. He
did so avowedly through the prayer of faith. + It was also His
manner to combine bodily healing with spiritual recovery and
the forgiveness of sins. Thus in raising up the paralytic at
Capernaum, Jesus said to him, " Thy sins be forgiven thee ; "
and when He cured the infirm man at the pool of Bethesda,
He bade him "sin no more."
As to the sick brother's confession of sin, it is surely with a
wisdom higher than his own that the Apostle refrains from
saying " Confess your sins to the presbyters,'' and generalises
the exhortation thus, " Confess your faults one to another.''
Thus no sanction is given for the requirement of sacramental
auricular confession to presbyters, much less to one priest in
secret, who never reciprocrates the confidence by confessing his
faults in the ear of those who have unbosomed themselves to
him. Christians are to confess to each other their faults against
each other, in order to brotherly forgiveness and reconcUiation. {
They are also, when afflicted in body or burdened in conscience,
to confess to each other, in brotherly confidence, their sins
against J God, in order that when they pray for one another,
they may know what to pray for, and may make intercession
-with intelUgence and sympathy, and not in mere vague and
general terms.
The Epistle before us is unlike those of St Paul, in having
no salutations, messages to individuals, or aUusions to personal
history or friendship at the close. It ends with encourage-
* Matt. viii. 3, 15, ix. 29 ; Mark vii. 33 ; Luke xxii. 51 ; John ix. 6, 7,
+ John xi, 41, 42, + Matt, xviii. 21-35.

JAMES. 259
ment to the faithful to convert or recover any .who had been
deceived or beguiled into a departure from the truth, and had
relapsed Into the ranks of the Jewish opponents of the Gospel.
He who by prayer and loving effort converted such a one, saved
a soul from death, and covered that soul's multitude of sins
with Divine forgiveness. Salvation of the soul, though a very
common phrase now-a-days, is seldom mentioned in Holy Writ,*
the mission of Jesus Christ having been not for souls merely,
but for the redemption of men, for the salvation of sinners.
But here, as we have seen, it is parallel to the healing of the
body : and it is a boon so much greater, as the death which a
soul can suffer exceeds In terror that which the body can
endure. What we have said of the Epistle to the Hebrews, may be
repeated of this letter to the Twelve, Tribes, It is written for
our learning too, who are Gentiles after the flesh. We have
need to cultivate patience, meekness, and a temper of loving
obedience. We do weU to leam the lesson from "James, the
Lord's brother," Learning it, we also shall be of Jesus' family,
" He stretched forth His hand towards His disciples, and said,
Behold My mother and My brethren ! For whosoever shall do
the wlU of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My
brother, and sister, and mother." t
* The chief instances are Heb. x. 39 ; i Pet. i. 9.
+ Matt. xii. 49-50,

( 2i5o )

I. PETER.
The Individual character of Simon Peter seems to be better
known to us than that of any of the disciples of our Lord,
illustrated as it is in many incidents of the evangelical narrative,
and in the early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. The
book before us was -written in his old age ; and shows a heart
warm as in his youth, a spirit stiU fervent and courageous, but
combined with a deeper self-knowledge and humility. Here is
Peter strengthening his brethren, as the Lord enjoined him.
The date of the Epistle is probably a.d. 64 or 65 : and the
place of composition, Babylon, Whether this was the Eastem
Babylon, or a cryptograph for Rome, is still a moot point
among scholars.* The address is " to the sojourners of the Dis
persion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia."
The expression, the diaeroed, was a well-understood desig
nation of Israelites scattered among the Gentiles, There
are not wanting in the Epistle indications of a recognition of
Gentile Christianity : + but it is certainly intended as a com
munication to the Jewish Christians in Asia Minor. There is
obvious propriety in this ; for, (i.) Simon Pet^r was the Apostle
of the circumcision, as Paul of the uncircumcislon. Therefore,
while not at aU denying the standing of Gentile believers in
the Church, he writes to those whom his apostolic ministry
specially embraced. (2.) It was from the lips of Peter that
Jews and proselytes from the regions of Asia Minor first heard
the Gospel at Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost ; and it was
most fitting that he should undertake to instruct and exhort
* Our latest critics, e.g., Renan, Farrar, Lumby, and Salmon, pronounce
in favour of Rome ; but Dean Howson gives good reasons for the contrary
opinion, — Horce Pelrinte, pp. 131-13S, and App. C. t Chap. ii. 9. 10.

I. PETER. 261
those early converts, and such as had been added to their
number in the years that had elapsed since they received the
word of the Lord and were baptized.
St. Peter announces himself " an apostle of Jesus Christ,"
not a prince of apostles, but one of the twelve. In neither
of his Epistles is there the slightest trace of ' that love of title
and pre-eminence which has been so conspicuous in the bishops
of Rome who pretend to be his successors.
There is no aUusion to the organised Churches of Asia Minor,
because the letter is intended for " the Dispersion ; " and in
the Churches Jews and Gentiles were united. There Is, how
ever, reference to " the elders,'' and their episcopate of the
flock of God.
It is easy to see that the Apostle's object Is to confirm the
Jewish Christians throughout Asia Minor in the faith and hope
which some of them had received at Jerusalem under his own
ministry, and which had been widely diffused through the
- labours of Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy, and other preachers.
Therefore the Epistle is not at all a doctrinal treatise, but, re
cognising fundamental traths, and often reaching back into the
Old Testament by quotation and allusion, it seeks to establish
its readers in their Christian convictions and patient confidence :
" I have written briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is
the true grace of God wherein ye stand,"
In fact, this letter much resembles an earnest, and some
times impassioned, oral address, and can scarcely be said to
have a distinct topical arrangement. The salutation is grave
and consolatory. The Jews had always been taught to trace
their religious calling and privilege to the Divine election of
their nation, St Peter ascribes the yet higher calling
and privilege of those among them who believed in Jesus
Christ to their election, "according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father," Their position in Christ was due
to Divine electing love, as truly as their prior position
as ehUdren of Abraham and disciples of Moses. Nothing less
than the grace of the Holy Trinity made them Christians ; for

262 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
the choice and foreknowledge of God the Father led to "sancti
ficatlon of the Spirit," and " sprinkUng of the blood of Jesus
Christ" After the address and salutation, the Epistle proceeds as
follows : —
I. A statement of salvation in Christ, and of the influence
which the possession of such a salvation ought to have on
character and life (chap. I. 3-ii. 10).
Most characteristically this Apostle rushes at once Into an
animated passage on the Christian hope and the inheritance of
saints. He then cheers " the sojourners of the Dispersion ''
among their manifold trials by assurances of the abounding
mercy of God, His powerful keeping of believers, and the
triumphant issue of well-tried faith at the appearing of Jesus
Christ In this exordium we find faith, hope, and love —
these three, after the manner of Paul. The saints are "kept
through faith ; " they have a trial of faith ; and the end of
their faith is " the salvation of souls." They are " begotten
again to a living hope by the resurrection of Christ" They
have love to the unseen Saviour in whom they believe. Faith
is not enough without hope and love, or hope without faith
and love, or love without faith and hope. But from the three
issues "joy unspeakable and fuU of glory."
St. James looked on the Gospel as " the perfect law of
liberty." St. Peter regards It as the accomplishment of pro
phecy, and so places It before his readers in a light which they
were sure to appreciate. He affirms that what was now being
preached with the accompanying power of the Holy Ghost was
no strange thing. It had been the subject of prophetic
testimony in the past, and even of angelic contemplation and
study. So this Apostle had taught in all his addresses to the
Jews ; * and he repeats It here to the believers of " the circum
cision," in order to enhance the value and confirm the truth of
that great salvation which he had orally proclaimed,
* Acts ii. 16-36, iii. 18-26, iv. ii.

I. PETER. 263
As to the way of salvation In Christ, St. Peter Is quite In
harmony with St Paul; has the same doctrine of atoning
blood, of resurrection to newness of life, and of the edification
of the saved as living stones built together into " a spiritual
house," He does not, however, enter at all so fuUy Into the
ground of salvation, or discuss such points as reconciliation,
justification, and adoption. Neither has he any of the anti-
Judaising polemics, so prominent in some of the Pauline
Epistles. What St Peter is most intent upon is the practical
Influence which ought to be exerted on character and conduct
by the conscious possession of salvation in Christ, Christians
should be resolute, vigilant, patient, obedient, holy, fuU of
brotherly love, a people publishing by their lives the attributes
of Him who has called them " out of darkness Into His mar
veUous light,'' It is not that men are to live weU In order to
be saved, but that they should live weU because the God of
all grace has saved them. On this the teaching of the Epistle
is very definite. Christian pilgrims on the earth, are to pass
the time of their sojourning in reverence toward God, " foras
much as they know that they are redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ." They are to love one another because they
are partakers of the same regeneration, "being born again of
incorruptible seed." They are to live to the Divine praise,
because they are the- people of God, and have obtained mercy.
They are to lay aside all ungraciousness of temper, forasmuch
as they "have tasted that the Lord is gracious,"*
II, More definite exhortations as to holy living In the world
(chap, li, ii-iv. 19),
The Apostle seems to come closer to his readers ; addresses
them as " beloved ; " and affectionately urges them to live as
those who were delivered by Jesus Christ from this present evil
world. They should not give rein to fleshly lusts, as the
heathen did around them. Bearing In mind that the reputa-
* They are also to desire for their growth " the milk," which is for the
understanding (X071K61'), and for the affections <^S.5o\ov). — Chap. ii. 2.

264 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
tion of the Gospel was committed to them, they should give no
sort of colour or countenance to aUegatlons freely brought
against the early Christians of immoral excesses and orgies,
and of insubordination and disloyalty. On the latter of these
charges, as well as the former, St. Peter is very careful to put
the Jewish Christians on their guard. He teaches the duties of
subjects to the civil government, and then of servants to masters
in domestic government. It was a time of harshness and op
pression, and the patience of subordinates was severely tried.
The Apostle directs and comforts them by pointing to the
perfect model of a sweet and holy patience In Jesus Christ
suffering for us, and " leaving us an example that we should
follow His steps.'' From this he proceeds, after the manner of
Paul, to discuss the mutual relation of husband and wife ; and
shows how in this also Christians ought to live as the Lord's
servants and handmaids, raising the conjugal union, and the
family Ufe consequent upon it, far above what was usual among
the Gentiles who knew not Christ. Then foUows a general
admonition to kindness, courtesy, hospitality, and the encoun
tering of enmity and persecution In the world with a good
conscience and a tranquil heart.
In this part of the Epistle there are sudden stretches of
thought far back into the Old Testament The submission of
the Christian wife to her husband is recommended from the
example of " holy women in the old time," and especially of
Sarah, who "obeyed Abraham, caUlng him lord." The long-
suffering of God -while His people are ill-treated in the world is
compared to His long-suffering " in the days of Noah while the
ark was a preparing." Salvation Itself Is Illustrated by the
preservation of Noah and his family; " eight souls," in the ark
by the waters of the flood. Both here and in his second Epistle
St. Peter dwells with emphasis on the history of Noah and the
Deluge. He sees judgment brooding over the world, and
especiaUy over the Jewish people, and Jerusalem, their holy
city. There Is deliverance only In and with Christ, And in
the Apostle's ears there still ring with solemn sound those

;. PETER. 26S
words which many years before he had heard from his Master's
lips : " As the days of Noah were, so shaU also the coming of
the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the
flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and
knew not until the flood came and took them all away ; so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be." *
Then the manner of salvation, as weU as the necessity for it,
is taught. from the history of Noah. He was delivered "by
water," passed through the death in which others were swal
lowed up, was concealed or burled out of sight for a time, and
then emerged as by resurrection to render to God his sacrifice
of praise. So are we saved by baptism Into the death of Christ,
by burial with Him through " baptism into death," and by
resurrection with Him who is risen and gone into heaven.
Then and therefore have we good cause to offer our sacrifice of
praise to God continuaUy,
But the reference which Is most frequent and emphatic is to
the suffering and dying of the Lord Jesus, The message is :
Suffer Innocently and patiently ; for so Christ endured. Rejoice
that you are partakers of His sufferings. There had been a
time when Simon Peter tried to dissuade his Master from going
up to Jerusalem to suffer ; and at that city he drew the sword
to resist his Master's arrest in the garden of Gethsemane ; but
now he better understood the sorrow in the garden and the
anguish of the cross, for he saw the salvation of the world and
the patience of the Church centering in, and secured by that
meek and willing Sufferer,
In the Epistle to the Hebrews troubled Christians are bidden
to look for strength to the sympathising Saviour in heaven,
"for He is able to succour them that are tried," In this Epistle
they are exhorted to recall their' Lord's passion on earth, and
learn patience from His example. They are also to rejoice in
hope of glory at His coming, St Paul had written to the
Romans, " If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also
* Matt. xxiv. 37-39.

266 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
be glorified together." St. Peter has the same thought, " that,
when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy," *
This part of the Epistle ends with a word of encouragement
to such of the Jewish Christians in Asia Minor as were in
suffering, to commit to God "the keeping of their souls in
well-doing,'' Jesus suffered at the hands of men " for weU-
doing," not " for evil-doing ; " and on the cross He committed
Himself to Him that judges righteously. So should His people,
not in dying only, but In aU time of trial. Whatever it may
cost, whatever risks it may involve, let them keep to weU-
dolng ; and as they have received in faith the salvation of their
souls, so let them commit the keeping of their saved souls in
the right way to the "faithful Creator,'' whose "wUl" is con
cerned in their affliction, no matter whence it arises, and whose
loving wisdom can always evolve out of It good to His afflicted
ones, and glory to His holy name,
III. Councils to Presbyters, and to the people in Christian
fellowship (chap. v.).
In the opening of the Epistle, St. Peter takes the title of
apostle ; but the apostolate was not an office to be continued
in the Church, Apostles were gifts to the Church, not officials.
The permanent office of superintendence Is, as we have else
where learned, that of presbyterate or episcopate,+ So St
Peter, in addressing those who occupied that office, calls himself
their "co-presbyter," and bids them "feed the flock of God,
episcopising it." J Without doubt he has in mind the charge
he had himself received from the Lord, — " Feed My lambs :
* Chap. iv. 13 ; Rom. viii. 17.
t What do they mean who assert thalt no definite mode of Church
government is prescribed iu the New Testament ? We have been anxious
not to give any undue prominence to the subject, yet we have been obliged
to take notice of it in the Acts of the Apostles, in three of St. Paul's
Epistles (Philemon, l Timothy, and Titus), and here also. Everywhere
the testimony is clear for the presbytero-episcopate as the proper govern
ment of the Church. J Chap. v. 2.

/. PETER. 267
keep My sheep : feed My sheep." He has no thought of be
queathing the charge to one supreme bishop at Rome or any
where else. He transmits It to all the presbyters, bidding them
regard the Christian people, not as their flocks or followers, but
as the flock of God, and both tend and nourish that flock as
they shall be answerable to the Divine " Shepherd and Bishop
of souls.'' Their episcopate should be exercised not reluctantly,
but with cheerful good-will; not covetously, but of a ready
mind ; and not overbearingly, " as lording It over their charge,
but as patterns to the flock." Not by domineering authority
are the Lord's people to be led, but by the charm of Christ-like
goodness, the attraction of love, the beauty of holiness.
A cheering promise is given to presbyters who are gentle and
faithful toward the flock : " When the Chief Shepherd shall
appear, ye shaU receive the amaranthine crown of glory."
When the Lord comes He will reckon with all who have had
place as overseers and guides to His sheep and lambs, and will
crown them, or not crown them, according to their fidelity, A
hireling shepherd may get what he seeks — filthy lucre ; but he
wlU have no crown, A lover of pre-eminence may lord It for a
little while, but he will be put among the last and lowest when
Christ appears. The dutiful elder or diligent bishop may or
may not have appreciation now ; but his reward is sure when
the Archpastor or Archbishop, the Great Shepherd of the
sheep, returns In glory.
Direction follows for mutual loving subjection in the Church,
though the word church is avoided throughout the Epistle ; *
and to this are added exhortations similar to those given by St.
James, to humility before God and steadfast resistance to the
devil, who, as a roaring lion, threatened to devour the Chris
tians, going about to deter them, and to foment cruel persecu
tion against them.
The closing benediction is very beautiful. It is invoked
* An awkward fact for the Romanists, When will a Pope write a
letter full of the meekness of Christ, and without once mentioning the
Church ?

268 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
from "the God of all grace." St. Peter does not, like some of
our modern enthusiasts, speak of " Jesus only." * He repre
sents It as the object of Christ's suffering, "that He might
bring us to God;" and of His resurrection and glory, "that
your faith and hope may be in God." His readers are to " call
on the Father." They " believe in God," " are the people of
God," are to "sanctity the Lord God" in their hearts, are to
"live according to God in the Spirit" So their guardian is
" the God of all grace," whose resources of goodness and love,
wisdom and power, no human need can ever exhaust. Having
" called us to His eternal glory In Christ," this God will un
questionably guard and support us all the, way to His etemal
glory, and not permit any of us to fail. The Apostle's petition
is, that after the brethren "have suffered a little while," the
God of all grace may make them perfect. Or rather, for the
amended Greek Text gives this as a strong assurance and
promise instead of an optative benediction, we read in the
R.V. : "The God of all grace Himself shall perfect, stablish,
strengthen you.''
"To Him, the God of all grace, be the dominion to the ages
of the ages. Amen." Let all the people of the Lord say
Amen. Let none of them seek their own glory or boast of
their own might ; but let all, catching the spirit of this precious
Epistle, hope in God, live in the world as pilgrims, and wait
patiently, for Christ.
The last words of the book appear to recaU some of the
parting words of the Saviour before He died, St, Peter had
heard his Lord say, "Love one another as I have loved you;"
and he writes, " Greet ye one another with a kiss of love,"
He had heard the Lord say, " These things I have spoken unto
you, that in Me ye might have peace ; " and he writes, " Peace
be with you all that are In Christ,"
* When the prophets disappeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, the
three disciples saw Jesus only. But how puerile to found on this a sort of
theological direction !

I. PETER.

269

A TABLE
OP REMINISCENCES OP JESUS AND HIS WORDS IN THB
EPISTLES OF ST. PETEE,
L PETER.
Compare Chapter i. 3, with John xx. i ; Mark xvi. 7.

„ 10, II,

Luke xxiv. 26, 46.

19-

John i. 29, 36.

23,

Matthew xiii. 23.

„ ii. I, 2,

,, xviii. 1-4.
„ 4, 5,
,, xvi. 18.
„ 7, 8,
,, xxii. 42-44.
„ 13, 17,
Mark xii. 13-17.
„ 20, 23,
„ xiv. 54-65.
25,
Luke XV. 3-7; John x. 11-16
„ iii- 15.
Mark xiv. 66-72.
19,
Luke xvi. 23.
„ iv. 7,
Mark xiii. 35-37.
8,
John XV. 12.
14,
„ xiv. 26, 27; XV. 18-21.
,. V. 2,
,»
„ xxi. IS, 18.
5,
„ xiii. 4, 5.
6,
Luke xiv. 11.
7,
Matthew vi. 31-34.
II. PETER.
Compare Chapter i 14, with John xxi. 18, 19.
„ „ 16-18, ,, Mark ix. 2-8.
„ „ ii. I, „ „ iiii. 22.
„ „ 5, ,, Matthew xxiv. 37-39.
„ „ 6, „ „ xL 23, 24.
( 270 )

II. PETER.
The authenticity and authority of this book have been much
disputed. Some of the early versions of the New Testament do
not contain it ; and though its existence can be traced certainly
to the second century, its right to be received as Holy Scripture
was not established tUl the formation of the Canon in the fourth
century, Origen and Jerome themselves received it, but state
that it was rejected by many. In modern times its Petrine
authorship Is utterly denied by not a few scholarly critics, some
of them at aU events not chargeable with neology, Calvin ex
pressed doubt on the point ; De Pressens6 has said of It, " It
seems to us impossible to admit with any certainty its authen
ticity ; " * and Godet thinks that it must be excluded, " if not
from the Canon, at least from the number of the genuine apostolic
books." t
Whatever the degree of weight due in such a matter to the
hesitation of the early Church, the Epistle shows itself intrlnsl-
caUy worthy of Itp place in the New Testament. It has, we
admit, many points of dissimilarity with the undisputed first
Epistle ; but it may very weU be a sequel to that communication,
and indeed it is just such a sequel as the state of the Asiatic
Churches at that period would have required. Why imagine
a pseudo-Peter of a later generation writing such a book as a
* "Early Years of Christianity," Eng. Ed., Note I.
f "Studies on the New Testament," Eng. Ed., p. 204.
The unsparing assault on this Epistle made by Dr. E. A. Abbott in the
Expositor for 1882 created ». painful sensation. He has, however, been
well answered by Dr. George Salmon, Introd. to N. T. pp. 626-653,

II. PETER. 271
cunning fabrication under the Apostle's name — an anonymous
writer, so gifted and yet so false ]
The book professes to be composed by the Apostle Peter shortly
before his martyrdom. It is addressed to believers in Christ,
without any specific direction, as in the first Epistle, to Jewish
converts in Asia Minor. Its character is hortatory, not argu
mentative or even didactic. The first Epistle -was written to
fortify Christian brethren in the endurance of afflictions from
without. This bids them watch against dangers within the
Church, in the form of deceptive teachers and mocking sceptics,
who would turn them away from the hope of the Gospel,
The exordium is almost as vigorous and fervid as that of the
first Epistle ; and Illustrates the same tendency of St Peter's
mind to rush at full force Into his theme. Those to whom he
writes had "obtained precious faith," — equaUy precious with
that of the apostles and first servants of the Lord, It was faith
" In the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ; " the
clinging attachment of the heart to the righteous Father, and to
that Just One, who is our way to the Father, To aU who in
this sense believed the divine power had imparted, and continued
to give, all requisites for life and godliness through the knowledge
of Him who had called them. To them were given the promises
of God, very great and precious, with a view to the promotion of
holiness : " that by these ye might become partakers of a divine
nature, having escaped from the corruption which is in the
world by lust"
When the Apostle mentions the divine promises, his soul
seems to kindle. In earlier days he had been too confident in
his own promises ; as when he said, " Although all shaU be
offended, yet will not I, If I should die with Thee, I will not
deny Thee In any wise," But he learned his own weakness
when the cock crew ; and In old age he makes no mention of
the promises of men, but extols the unfailing promises of God,
The possession of precious faith lies at the foundation of
Christian dispositions and life, St. Peter exhorts the believers
to dUigence In the culture of such dispositions, and the develop-

272 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
ment of such a life. They who are joined to Christ in faith,
and have received the promises, ought to add In their faith
moral courage ; in this again, knowledge ; in knowledge, self-
control ; In self-control, patient endurance ; In patience, godU-
ness; in godliness, Philadelphia; and in brotherly kindness,
love. Thus seven good qualities are to be built on " precious
faith," superadded to it or developed from It within the character
of a diligent Christian, On the contrary, a negligent Christian
adds nothing to his faith, and therefore loses Its advantage
and comfort, is blind to his position and caUIng, has a contracted
view of the things of God, and, forgetful of the pardon of sins
which he received on faith, lives in uncertainty of mind and
inconsistency of conduct. The Apostle encourages the brethren
to escape from mischievous uncertainty by assiduous self-culture ;
to become assured and happy believers, waiting for an entrance
with unfaltering step into the kingdom of our Lord,
After this, for confirmation of faith and an incentive to dili
gence, St Peter refers to the' testimony of apostles and the
writings of ancient prophets. The apostles had not foUowed
reports or myths of vague authority, but had been companions
of Jesus Christ. Simon Peter himself, with two others, had
seen the Master's glory In the Transfiguration, and heard the
voice of God "on the holy mount," After the resurrection, the
Lord had Indicated to him that he was to die a martyr's death
of violence ; and he was the more anxious to Impress the truths
of the Gospel on the younger generation around him, in order
that, after his decease, they might " have these things always
in remembrance," There is something very significant in the
Apostle's language about putting off his tabernacle, taken along
with his allusion to his presence at the Transfiguration, On
the mount he had proposed to build tabernacles. In order to
retain Jesus, Moses, and Elias in heavenly majesty on the earth
• — "not knowing what he said," But now he knew a more ex
cellent way. He would put off his own tabernacle, and, when
absent from the body, be present with the Lord,
The testimony of ancient prophecy was that which our Saviour

II. PETER. 273
after the resurrection, opened to His disciples ; and. If we may
judge by the reports we have of St Peter's addresses at Jeru
salem, he followed his Master's example, and repeated His In
terpretations, Such teaching suited the Jewish mind; and
Christians "of the circumcision" received much confirmation of
their faith from giving heed to the sure word of prophecy, St.
Peter reminds them that the " prophecy of the Scripture " is not
a prognostication of the future by far-seeing human minds, but
the utterance of holy men under the Impulse of the Holy Ghost,
going quite beyond their personal knowledge or suggestion. To
the same effect is his statement in the first Epistle, that the
prophets themselves searched "what or what manner of time
the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify,''
As we pass Into the second chapter, we find the tone of this
book changed from grave exhortation to stern warning and even
severe denunciation. Having set before the brethren the light
to which they should take heed, the Apostle puts them on their
guard against false lights that would lure them to destruction.
There had been pseudo-prophets among the people of Israel;
and in Uke manner tiiere would be pseudo-teachers in the Church.
The Lord Himself had said, " Beware of false prophets," St
Paul gave warning that such should arise, St John and St
Jude describe them as already producing a baneful effect on
Christian faith and Ufe, St, Peter here points out their
pernicious ways, and affirms their doom. Those who should
"bring in heresies {i.e. divisions) tending to destruction," he
stigmatises as denying " the Lord," for by their wUf ulness and
disobedience they would set aside aU His authority. Their chief
lure would be licentious living, and their chief motive would be
avarice. History soon showed that such warnings were required ;
for in the end of the first century, and in the second, teachers
appeared, and sects were formed, that brought infamy on the
Christian name by their unruly principles and shameless lives.
The Apostle pronounces the doom of those wicked men,
establishing the certainty of retribution by reference to three
great judgments of God ': —
VOL, II, 3

274 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
(i,) The angels that sinned God spared not ; but, having cast
them down to Tartarus or the Abyss, holds them there In bonds
of darkness. Those fallen angels are now "reserved unto
judgment" (2,) The old world, filled with corruption and disorder, God
spared not, but swept it with a deluge in judgment, preserving
"Noah the herald of righteousness, an eighth person,'' £e, at
the head of the entire preserved company of "eight souls," as
already described in the first Epistle.*
(3.) The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah God condemned to
overthrow, t burning them to ashes ; and delivered Lot, a
righteous man, who had witnessed with disapproval and vexation
the vile deeds of the people among whom he dwelt
These instances are adduced to prove that " the Lord knows
how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the
unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment" He
will not permit trouble to be so prolonged as to crush the spirit
of His people. He knows when and how to deUver them by
shutting them up In some ark of safety, or making them flee
betimes to His mountain of strength. On the other hand,
though the unjust may seem to have long irnpunlty, they cannot
elude the judgment of God. The hand of His justice. Invisible
but irresistible, has hold of them every moment, and wiU keep
its hold till the day of judgment and fiery indignation.
Woe, woe to all who demoralise Christian society! Such Is
the tenor of this chapter, and of the Epistle of Jude. Woe to
those who obliterate the distinction between Christian and
Tieathen life, encouraging licentiousness, despising authority,
indulging a railing, contemptuous spirit, and attending the love
feasts of the Church with impure eyes and hearts 1 Their course
is in harmony with the vile counsel of the prophet Balaam, who
was the antl-Moses of his time, and prevailed against Israel, not
by direct attack, but by a crafty and licentious device. In
his steps walked those antichristlan men who beguiled and
corrupted unstable souls. That they had known Christ made
* 1 Peter iii, 20. f The word used is "catastrophe."

//, PETER. 275
their wickedness all the worse, " It had been better for them
not to have known the way of righteousness, than, having known
it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto
them,'' They betrayed an inward baseness and uncleanness of
soul which suggested a comparison with animals which were
counted vile by the children of Israel " It has happened unto
them according to the true proverb,* the dog is turned to his
own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her waUowing
in the mire,"
The chapters in this Epistle are not 111 arranged. At the
beginning of the third, we find a pause or rest in the fervid,
even fiery diction of the Apostle, But he soon resumes the
strain of denunciation with reference to that scoffing spirit which
should manifest itself " in the last of the days," He shows,
according to his manner, that this had been predicted by ancient
prophets who had prevision of the Christian times. That
scoffing spirit would be In alliance with the libertine tendency
already treated of ; and it would show itself under the form of
materialistic scepticism, asserting the stability of nature, and
deriding the thought of any serious disturbance of the order of
the universe by an appearing of the Lord from heaven.
The Apostle remarks that they who so speak forget the changes
which have already passed over the face of nature : and does
not hesitate to say that, as those who ridiculed the warnings of
Noah were refuted by the judgment of water, so those mockers
of the last days shall be refuted by the judgment of fire.
Is It Inferred from the long periods that elapse, that the Lord
God is slow in action, or slack In fulfilment of His word ? The
answer is ready : " Let this one thing not escape you, that one
day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years
as one day," t Before the Lord time Is not as with us, Bengel
says, " God's cenologium differs from the horologium of mortals,"
* "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly," —
Prov, xxvi. II. No doubt there is a reminiscence of Matt. vii. 6.
f Chapter iii. 8, The latter part of this verse is taken from Psalm
xc, 4.

276 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
We have an hour-dial, but the Everlasting One has an age-dial,
on which He evolves His etemal purposes.
The true moral Interpretation of God's long delay In judgment
is furnished in the following words, "He is longsuffering to
US-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance," God showed His longsuffering before the
flood, when His Spirit strove with man ; before the destruction
of the cities of the plain, whose wickedness He endured tiU in
all Sodom there were not ten righteous men ; beforethe expulsion
of the Canaanites, whom He tolerated for hundreds of years, till
their Iniquity was full ; before the captivity of Israel and of
Judah, with whom He remonstrated and pleaded by the voices
of many prophets; and before the downfall of Jerusalem, over
the Infatuation of whose inhabitants were shed the precious tears
of His only begotten Son. In similar forbearance He aUows
length of days to notorious sinners ; sends repeated admoni
tions to their consciences, and prolongs their opportunities
of repentance. i
" But the day of the Lord will come as a thief ; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele
ments shaU melt with fervent heat ; the earth also and the
works that are therein shall be burned up." Forbearance may
be long, but it will end abruptly. Then comes sudden judg
ment, with crashing ruin and a blazing sky. The earth Itself,
on the stability of which the scoffers count so confidently, wUl be
wrapped in all-dlssolvlng fire. How long or short will be that
day of judgment no mortal man can tell. We are warned not
to apply the scale of human days to the day of God, But what
it most concerns us to know, is that the day will come surely
and suddenly. There Is a Ukelihood that it wiU be brief, just
because the judgment is to be so strong and sweeping ; for it
has been the way of the Lord, while prolonging the discipline
of chastisement for His children's good, and the time of repent
ance for the return of sinners, to make a short work of judg
ment on the earth.
Having warned the scoffers, St Peter concludes by exhorting

//, PETER. 277
the believers to vigilance and piety. \^hat is to other men a
fearful prospect should be by them expected with a solemn joy.
It Is incumbent on them to use well the present time, and serve
Christ with diligence during this period of toil and struggle on
the part of the Church, patience and longsuffering on the part
of God. The saints should look for, and by their longings
speed forward the appearing of the day of God, Their hopes
reach quite through, and past the dissolution of this present
visible cosmos, to a new creation, or construction of the heavens
and earth, of which the glory will be that "therein dweUeth
righteousness," * On the present earth, righteousness lives by
dint of constant watchfulness and prayer ; for it is in an
ungenial atmosphere, the world being full of unrighteous men
and their unrighteous deeds. On the new earth, righteousness
shaU dweU at home ; having not a place In the world by suffer
ance, but the whole world to itself. There will be matter, but
no materialists ; sense, but no senuallsts ; men dwelling in
bodies without the lusting of the flesh, and on an earth with
out an earthly mirid. There will be no devil or demon in
heaven, or air, or earth; no unclean spirit, or ungodly man.
The people wiU be all righteous, and the Lord their God wUl
dwell among them : " His people they ; and He His people's
God." In addressing and exhorting the saints, St, Peter makes an
interesting reference to the teaching of his "beloved brother
Paul," Perhaps some of the erroneous teachers of the time,
keeping alive and exaggerating the report of the difference
between those apostles - at Antloch, were wont to represent
them as at variance In. the doctrine of salvation. We know
that this is quite' the mode of some of our modern critics, who
describe the Pauline theology as very different from the Petrine,
and from the Johannine, They construe variety as though it
were discrepancy, and views which are the complement of each
Other, as though they were in contradiction. How condemna-
¦* Chapter iii, 13 ; the promise is in Isa, Ixv. 17 ; the vision in Rev,
xxi. I.

278 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
tory of their conclusions Is this circumstance, that St. Peter
refers his readers to the writings of St. Paul ! It plainly
appears, (i.) That St Peter loved and honoured the apostle who
had once " withstood him to the face," knowing how to distin
guish the faithful wound of a friend from the crael stab of an
enemy; (2.) That the writings of St Paul were, at that early
period, regarded as of authority, not merely in the particular
Churches to which they were sent, but in the Church at large ;
(3.) That although there are acknowledged difficulties in the
Epistles and in other Scriptures, and though these are misin
terpreted by incompetent persons, no argument ought to be
founded thereon against the right and duty of appeal to Holy
Writ. No composition has been so twisted and wrested as
Sacred Scripture, So much the worse for those who misuse It
It is " to their own destruction ; " but the Scriptures cannot be
destroyed, and to them should all religious questions be taken
with competent learning and spiritual power of insight The
ultimate rule of faith Is not whaf the commentators say, or
what the fathers teach, but what the Lord ias said, and what
the beloved Paul, beloved Peter, or other apostle or prophet
has written for our learning under the guidance of the Holy
Ghost Once more St. Peter uses the word " beloved," affectionately
warning the believers not to be "led away," It is the very
expression used by St, Paul In regard to Barnabas at the time
when Peter " was to be blamed ; " * but the danger was now In
the opposite direction. Barnabas had been led away by the
error of those who exaggerated the office and obligation of the
law. Those whom St Peter warns were In danger of being
led away by the error of " the lawless " or Antinomiaus, He
indicates the great corrective of all such perversions in the
memorable words — " grow In the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ : " in the grace or favour of the
Lord, as trees and flowers grow in the sunshine, bearing fruit^
and shedding fragrance ; in the knowledge of the Lord, learnlnc
* Gal. ii. 13.

//. PETER. 279
Christ and the truth as It is in Jesus, In order to stabiUty in
faith and integrity of life.
"To Him — our Lord and Saviour-j-be glory both now and
to the day of the age ! " * From Him descends aU grace. To
Him redound all glory !
* Chap, iii, 18 : a unique expression, probably suggested by verse 8.

( 28o

I. JOHN.
This book is called, properly enough, an " Epistle general," for
It has no specific direction to any local Church, and takes no
notice of any distinction between Jewish and Gentile Christians.
Its date Is fixed with great probability about the year a.d. 90.
At that time Peter, James, and Paul had departed to be with
the Lord; of all the apostolic band only John survived, and
with deep fatherly affection surveyed the whole Church of God.
His writing is parental and even tender In Its tone, but never
weak or timorous. The aged John is still a " son of thunder.''
As In his Gospel, so also In this Epistle, he gives much promin
ence to the eternal life which we have- In Christ, and the
sonship of Christians in and under the Divine Sonship of their
Lord. He keeps the eye fixed on the glory of the Son with
the Father, and denounces all doctrines and theories subversive
of that glory.
It is by no means easy to analyse this book, and arrange its
contents in sections ; and the difficulty arises from the habit of
St, John's mind to revolve round a few central thoughts, and to
pour out Intuitions, rather than conduct discussions or build
up arguments. Life, light, love, sonship, righteousness, know
ledge, faith, victory over the world — such are his favourite and
often reiterated themes.
The proem or exordium (chap. i. 1-4) is in obvious affinity •
to that of St. John's Gospel.* It starts from a lofty summit
* There is much to recommend Bishop Lightfoot's suggestion that tJiis
Epistle was prepared and circulated as a companion work to the Eourth
Gospel. The mention of " the water and the blood " would have been
unintelligible without the narrative of the crucifixion by the same Apostle,

« « « « «

I. JOHN. 2S1
of Christian truth; and declares the Logos, the manifested
Life, the Son in the bosom of the Father. With this high
doctrine, and this Divine Personality, the Church had to do
" from the beginning : " but at the end of the first century,
there were teachers who pretended to go beyond and soar above
the elements of Christianity as known to the original disciples.
These the Apostle withstood, desiring to keep the Church faithful
to the primitive simplicity, and to that Prince of Life whom
he had himself so Intimately known. To continue In the faith
and knowledge of this eternal life would be to enjoy feUowship
with the apostles. To depart from this would be to forfeit all
such privilege. The very object of St John In writing was,
that the holy feUowship might be preserved joyful and
inviolate. The key to the whole interpretation lies before us In the
words, " These things -write we unto you, that your joy may be
full," The object of the Epistle Is Christian joy : and this
is found (i,) In fellowship with God and the apostles and
saints, under certain conditions of fellowship here described ;
and (2,) In victory over the world, and over the spirit of error
therein, I, Fulness of joy is attainable only in the fellowship * which
foUows on union to Christ, and reconciliation to God In Him,
It is a communion of spirit, with a community of Interests and
resources j a common aim, and common cause ; common
enemies, and common friends ; common aversions, and common
delights. When the Lord Jesus was on earth. He declared the Father ;
and spoke of the abiding of the Father and the Son with His
loving and obedient followers, t But the teaching was too high
for His disciples until the Holy Spirit fell upon them, and
enhghtened them in the fuU knowledge of Him with whom
they had held so close, yet, on their part, so imperfect feUow-
* Koivwvla, more than fellowship ; having all things in common,
"t John xiv, 23,

2S2 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
ship. When the Spirit rested on them, they knew that they
had fellowship "with the Father and with His Son Jesus
Christ. The Holy Ghost was not only on them as a Spirit of
illumination, but in them as the Spirit of adoption ; so had the
apostles communion with the Father as His children, and with
the Son as His brethren ; and were lifted up Into fellowship
with the most exalted relations revealed to us as subsisting in
the Holy Trinity.
Now the fellowship into which the apostles were admitted is
open to all believers, because "the communion of the Holy
Ghost " Is not for a few favoured men at the beginning of the
Church, but for all the foUowers of Jesus, It being so, there
is none of the twelve from whom we would rather hear this
message : " Have feUowship with us," than from " the disciple
whom Jesus loved," and who lay on His bosom at the Last
Supper, If any man ever knew the high delight of Christian
feUowship, surely it was John ; and he it is who writes In order
that all who believe may enter. If not Into the same personal
human intimacy, into what is more exalted stlU, the same
spiritual communion with the Lord,
The apostolic theologian proceeds to state the moral con
ditions of such fellowship. They are determined by no
arbitrary appointment, but by the nature and character of God,
and allow of no compromise or evasion.
I. God is light. When He dwelt among men in the person
of Christ, light shone In darkness, but the darkness com
prehended it not They who dweU in darkness cannot at any
time be in unison with Him; they who walk In darkness
cannot have feUowship with God,
Light is clear and open. If a man walks deceitfully, and
has not the truth In him, but a lie, he offends against the
perfect Integrity of God, and has no fellowship with Him,
Light is inviolably pure. It takes cognisance of foulness and
corruption, yet receives no soil, contracts no stain ; shines on
what Is base and noisome, keeping itself unsuUied, undefiled.
If a man becomes contaminated with evil, and has fellowship

/, JOHN. 283
with " the unfruitful works of darkness," he has no fellowship
with God,
These principles are absolute, and cannot be modified under
any circumstances whatever, because they rest on the essential
and unchangeable nature of Him with whom we have to do.
But, lest the mention of this drive any timid spirit or tender
conscience to despair, St. John beautifully Introduces evangelical
statements of the provision made for keeping the followers of
Jesus In communion with God as light.
(i,) For true-hearted disciples there is unfailing cleansing
efficacy In the blood of Christ If they do not conceal or deny
their sins, but honestly confess them, they have ever renewed
forgiveness, and daily cleansing from aU unrighteousness,
(2.) For those who long to be quite freed from sin, and yet,
alas ! find that they do sin, there is " an Advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous." The Epistle to the
Hebrews describes our Lord as the High Priest, our ever-living
Intercessor with God : this Epistle points to Him as our
Advocate or Paraclete with the Father. The former official
action Is based on the character of Christ's death as a burnt-
offering ; and its object is to gain acceptance for believers as
worshippers of God, and to obtain succour for them when they
are tempted, or are made to suffer for righteousness' sake. The
latter rests on the atonement as a sin-offering, and its object is
to obtain from the Father the pardon of His chUdren, when
they have offended, and incurred His displeasure,
(3,) The new and heavenly birth inaugurates a life of resist
ance to sin (chap, II, 29-iii, 9), Regeneration is a birth into
righteousness. The children of divine grace are, by the whole
tendency of their new nature, doers of righteousness ; and are
purified as well as gladdened in the hope of their manifestation
as children of God with Christ at His coming. The divine life,
or " seed of God " In them, Is utterly opposed to sin ; cannot
will to sin any more than God Himself can so will.
The view of the Apostle on this subject Is a very simple and
sweeping one. He sees two famlUes, the one of God, the other

284 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of the devil. They who pertain to the former cannot commit
sin ; they who are of the latter always commit sin. Not that
this describes men in their actual conduct, for at the best they
have many Inconsistencies and commixtures of good and evil,
but it brings out In bold relief the radical opposites of good and
evil disposition. The former is of God ; and so far as men act
out the new nature imparted by His Spirit, they do righteous
ness, and cannot commit sin. The latter is of the devil ; and
In so far as men do unrighteousness, they cut themselves off
from God, and are, as our Lord said to the Jews, of their father
the devil. What renders the chUdren of God inconsistent and
imperfect, is that their conduct is not the sole and suitable
development of the Divine seed, the germ of holy life, which
is in them. There lurks in them still a seed of evil, which is
not allowed to dominate, but which does succeed In marring
their moral and spiritual character, and casting them Into
grievous practical contradictions,
2, God is love. He displayed His love in the mission of His
only begotten Son ; but as men met His manifested light with
a non-comprehension, which sprang out of their love of dark
ness, so they met His manifested love with an unbelief which
sprang from enmity to Him, Only when this enmity is removed
is it possible to know and have fellowship with God in His
love, "He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God
in him,"
The love of which the Apostle speaks Is much more tll,^n a
genial or kindly temper of mind, a human amiability. It Is a
love which Is "of God;" which in perfection characterises His
nature, and among men Is felt and exercised by those only who
are born of Him. It is a divine disposition, into the possession
of which we are born from above. The only begotten Son gave
it expression on earth, showing the very love of God in His
benevolence and patience. His words, and deeds, and sufferings.
The same love ought all the children of God to manifest in their
tempers and actions ; and men who show it not at all, prove
that they are not of God, but of that " wicked one."

/. JOHN. 2S5
The objects of love on the part of the children of God are
their Father In heaven, and their brethren on earth.
We love God. This is assumed, as involved In our Christian
profession (chap, iv, 20, 21), It is right, it is even natural,
that, when we know God and believe His love to us, we should
love Him, But He Is unseen, and our love to the unseen may
melt Into a mere dreamy sentiment. If we would love with
such love as God has shown, we must regard objects that we
see, and that with patience, kindness, and self-sacrifice. The
objects of such love are with us. They are our brethren. If
we find them faulty, and feel It hard to love them, are not we
ourselves more at fault before God, and yet He loves us?
"And this commandment have we from Him, that he who
loveth God love his brother also."
This obligation of love is pressed again and again in the 2d,
3d, and 4th chapters. It is the commandment of the Lord,
that we love the brethren : It Is the message which the Apostles
had heard from the beginning ; it Is the proof of our having
passed from death to Ufe ; It Is the evidence that God dwells
In us.
Such are the great requisites for fellowship with the Father
and the Son. God is light ; and it is a communion In the
light God Is love ; and It is a fellowship of love.
II, The second great thought of the epistle Is Victory, Ful
ness of joy Is to be reached only through conquest of the world
as respects both Its attractions and its errors,
St, John looked round upon a world openly opposed to the
Gospel, and alienated from the life of God : so he wrote, "The ,
whole world lieth In the wicked one," Human society around
us at the present day may not be described In exactly the same
terms as were applicable to the cities of Asia Minor at the end
of the first century. It is in many respects ameliorated and
•refined. Nevertheless, in its tenor of thought and opinions, its
pursuits, pleasures and ambitions, our modem world must be
characterised as opposed to the purity and gentleness of Christ,

286 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and averse to the whole conception of a spiritual kingdom
of God,
Now Jesus Christ, in the days of His flesh, overcame the
world by His union of heavenliness with humility. The prince
of this world had nothing in Him, could not stir In Him any
earthly craving or ambition ; for the love of the Father occupied
all His soul, and excluded all love of the world. The followers
of Jesus are In feUowship with Him and with His Father in
overcoming the world which environs them, cherishuig heavenly
aspirations with an humble mind, and so giving to the god of
this world no room or vantage-ground, "He that Is begotten
of God keepeth hipiself, and that wicked one toucheth him
not" I. The Christian is not to yield to the world's attractions
(chap. ii. 15-17). It has three lures — (i.) Lust of the flesh —
the pampering of the animal appetite and propensity ; (2.) Lust
of the eye — roaming over objects of desire, covering a vast field
of vanity and self-will ; (3.) Pride of life— the ostentation
and vainglory of worldlings. Such were the lures in the first
temptation in the garden. " The fruit was good for food," —
lust of the flesh. It was " pleasant to the eyes," — lust of the
eyes. " And to be desired to make one wise," — pride of life.
Such again wel-e the lures in the temptation in the wilderness,
" Command that these stones be made bread," — lust of the
flesh, '• Cast Thyself down" from the temple pinnacle, making
a scene and sensation in the sacred courts — lust of the eye,
" AU the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, will
I give Thee," — pride of life.
Temptations like these the prince of this world constantly
repeats. A Christian must not yield to them. He must not
love the world, or the things that are therein, for such love
excludes from the heart the love of the Father, and renders
divine fellowship impossible. Even such happiness as the
world can yield is very brief, for " the world passes away "
like a pageant on the stage ; while, in contrast with it, " a doer
of the will of God abides for ever." Keen lovers of the world

7. JOHN. 287
are like so many children toiling with might and main to build
forts of snow that the first warm rain will melt, or to raise
towers of sand on the seashore that the next tide will sweep
away. The duty of conquering the world is charged emphatically on
young men. Being naturally prone to aspiration, they should
beware of wasting It on trivial or unworthy objects. If they
would be men of God, they must struggle against an ignoble
ambition as weU as against an easy self-indulgence ; and In so
doing they resist not so much the world as that evil spirit
which Is in the world, " I write unto you, young men, because
ye have overcome the wicked one.''
2. A Christian must not listen to the spirit of error which is
in and of the world. In the days when this book was written,
seducing teachers propagated very unsound doctrine respecting
the person of Jesus Christ, undermining the truth of His proper,
genuine humanity. Those were Gnostics and Docetics, who
assumed the Christian name, but were really possessed by a
spirit of Antichrist ; for. In overturning the apostolic doctrine
concerning the Lord's person, they destroyed the whole
Christian faith, denying the Father and the Son. Well might
the success of such teachers fiU the mind of the venerable
Apostle with grave forebodings. His years drew to a close,
and after him the Church would be without any of Its authori
tative founders, the Apostles of the Lamb, It Is peculiarly
important to observe what it was on which he placed reliance
for the preservation of the Church from doctrinal and practical
corruption. It does not occur to him to say that the Apostolic
See of Rome was to be occupied In all time coming' by a
succession of popes, vicegerents of God on earth, and that each
of these popes was to be the supreme and infallible guide of
the whole Church, This is just the place where such a revela
tion should be made, if the thing were true ; but it Is as clear
as possible that the thought of a continuous, infallible papacy
never entered Into the mind of the Apostle John, He saw
nothing for it but that Christian people should bear their own

288 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
responsibility for the acceptance and maintenance of primitive
truth, and the rejection of false prophets and seducing teachers
wherever and whenever they arise. They are to look to the
continuance in their own minds and hearts of the word " heard
from the beginning," — i.e., the doctrine originally delivered by
the holy apostles and prophets. They are to cherish the anoint
ing which is received from Christ, — ie., the Spirit of trath who
abides in the saints and teaches them all things. The pre
servative against error is the preoccupation of the mind with
primitive truth vitalised and enforced by the Divine Spirit,
But with this the people of Christ are to exercise caution and
discretion in regard to teachers, and so "try the spirits" on
some cardinal question, such as that of confessing the real
humanity assumed by the Son of God, Such was the apostolic
advice at a time when " many false prophets had gone out Into
the world." It is surely a counsel very applicable In the present
hour, when false teachers form, as much as ever, the peril of
the Church ; when not incidental points are assailed, but central
truths of Christianity are first treated vaguely, then held lightly,
then disparaged, and finally denied.
Our Apostle always goes behind men to the spiritual forces,
good or evil, by which they are actuated. So behind the false
teachers he beholds the spirit of Antichrist in the world. This
spirit, guilty of denying the coming of Christ in the flesh, was
to be overcome by Christians identifying themselves with their
Lord in the flesh, evincing their union with Him in His
humiliation when He overcame the world, and living their life
in the flesh, as St Paul has it, " by the faith of the Son of
God,"^ The great secret of victory is thus declared — " Whatsoever Is
born of God overcometh the world : and this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that over
cometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son
of God ? " * What is born of God overcomes the world ; there
fore the Holy One of God, Immanuel, overcame it. All who
* Chap. V. 4, 5. i

/. JOHN. 289
are bom of God through the Gospel have faith In Jesus as the
only begotten Son, and so enter Into His victory. They are no
more of the world, but of God, Their confldence is placed in
Him ; their treasure found in Him ; and so their fellowship Is
real with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
It will be remembered that St. John gives It as his great
object in writing the fourth Gospel, to lead men to " beUeve
that Jesus Is the Christ, the Son of God," so that believing
they " might live through His name." * The conclusion of
this Epistle is impregnated with the same purpose. It Is
shown that our faith in the Divine Sonship of Christ should
rest on a most perfect heavenly testimony; "the witness of
God which He has testified of His Son,"
This witness is threefold ; by the Spirit, the water, and the
blood. It Is an external and historical witness. It also becomes
an internal and experimental evidence to beUevers. " He that
beUeves on the Son of God, has the witness in himself," i.e.,
the triple witness of the Spirit clarifying the mind, the water
cleansing the heart, and the blood purging the conscience, so
that there is obtained an inwrought certainty of the Divine
Sonship of Jesus Christ, which no surface objection or suggested
doubt can shake. We are reminded of a' fine stroke of Bunyan,
in his aUegory of the " Holy War," when he names " Captam
Experience " among the chief officers who routed and slew the
army of 10,000 Doubters that came against the city of Mansoul.
There is nothing so impervious to doubts as a sound personal
experience of Christ's saving power and love.
Believers on the Son of God have Ufe In Him, and should
know that they have it.t Then they are to use their privUege
of filial prayer through Christ, In order that their friends and
brethren may have Ufe also. Some Indeed were going out of
the Church, denying the Father and the Son, and so involving
¦* John XX. 31.
+ Eternal life is manifested (chap, i. 2) ; promised (chap, ii. 25) ; given
(chap, v. II); experienced and enjoyed (chap, v, 12, 13), And Jesus
Christ is that life (chap, v, 20.)
VOL. II, T

290 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
themselves in death : and the Apostle remarks, " I do not say
that you should ask any question further about such a case."
But for a brother who commits a more ordinary sin, or act of
unrighteousness, that mars or weakens, but does not deny the
life, one who is himself alive In Christ should pray to God
with confidence to be heard,*
Of success In prayer, preservation from sin, and mastery
over the world, this is the grand secret : Jesus is the Son of
God, and we who believe are sons of God in Him, If we lose
the consciousness of this sonship, the. wicked one touches us.
If we grieve the Spirit of adoption, the wicked one may taint
and stain us. But if we feel and act as sons of God in the
world, that wicked one, however much he may plot against us,
touches us not, finds no point d'appui. We are in a life that
he cannot quench ; for we are in the True One, the etemal life.
For us, in such a position and caUing, to love the world,
would be to commit gross Idolatry, Do we not know " the
true God?" How can we bow down before any shrines of
world- worship ? "Little children, keep yourselves from Idols,"
* Mark the distinction between alria and iyoirda in chap. v. 14-16,

.( 291 )

II. JOHN.
Like St, Paul's Epistle to Philemon, this is a private letter
rescued from the long-perished correspondence of the Apostle
John, It seems to have been written about the same time as
his first or general Epistle, for It breathes the same spirit. Im
presses the same truths, and guards against the same anti
christlan errors.
May we not say that this letter, clothed with the dignity of
Holy Scripture, gives a sort of apostolic sanction to private
letters on religious themes ? We have seen that the Apostles
preached, taught, disputed, and exhorted by word of mouth ;
nay more, that some of them wrote down, and in so far as was
possible without printing, published their views of truth and
duty for the guidance and edification of Churches, All these
modes of propagating and defending the faith are still employed
under the sanction of their great example. But there are
persons who cannot speak well, who shrink from public teaching,
and still more from controversy, and who do not care to write
even a short treatise for the press ; who yet have quite a faculty
for writing private letters ; and surely it is weU that they have
the high sanction of St. John for that mode of disseminating
and commending the truth. Some who have been well able to
preach and to compose religious treatises have given much time
to letter-writing, and with excellent results. Not only have
their letters been useful to their own correspondents ; but being
published and circulated, they have reached many other hearts.
It is in this way that Rutherford is known to multitudes who

292 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
never read a word of his sermons or controversial works ; and
the same remark applies to such English divines as Romaine
and John Newton, Many Christian scholars and busy pastors
have cultivated letter- writing as a very effective way of preaching
to individuals and families, reclaiming wanderers, and comforting
mourners. On this principle acted Bengel, Doddridge, Wesley,
Cowper, M'Cheyne, and many others. Devout women also
have helped many by their letters, e.g., Madame Guyon, Lady
Powerscourt, and Miss Adelaide Newton, Indeed it is generaUy
recognised as in many respects the best way in which friend
can deal with friend on the topic of personal religion ; and at
the present day, probably there Is not a mall-bag of any size
made up In the United Kingdom, which does not contain a
letter, or letters, touching the salvation in Christ, and the hope
of eternal life.
At the same time, this is a mode of communicating and im
pressing the truth that requires much discretion. It is not fair
or wise to send to a friend or relation at a distance, who longs
for famUy Intelligence, a mere tissue of good advices and quota
tions from the Bible : and few things are more irritating to a
thoughtful or a busy man, than a long letter, however well
meant. In which there is no idea above the most obvious
commonplace, but holy names and phrases are copiously used,
with abundant interUnings and interjections thrown in to make
the platitudes emphatic. If we take the Epistle before us as a
sanction for edifying religious correspondence, let us not faU to
observe how short It Is, how terse and pointed ; how courteous
and wise, yet how completely free of tiresome reflections and
hackneyed sentiment.
That this is not only a private letter, but one addressed to a
Christian lady, is another point of great significance. It is a
tribute to the position of respect to which woman is raised by
the Influence of our holy religion. Apart from Christian Ideas
and usages, how Uttle Is woman accounted of even at this day
In the lands of the Bible ; how Uttle regard Is paid to her mental
and moral capacity ! An Oriental is astonished to find that of

7/. JOHN. 293
the canonical books which form our Bible, two, viz., Ruth and
Esther, actuaUy bear the names of women. This circumstance
of Itself has suggested quite a new estimate of woman's position
toward God and His Word. But still more significant of that
position, is this second Epistle of St. John, a canonical book of
Scripture, consisting of nothing else but the letter of an
Apostle to a Christian lady and her children.
No one knows the lady's name. The letter was doubtless
sent by a private messenger, and the writer Inserted neither his
correspondent's name, nor his own. It was enough to describe
himself as by emphasis " the presbyter," and to address his
friend as " elect lady," * one who was manifestly chosen of God,
and was for her gracious qualities beloved by aU around her
who "knew the truth." The matters most prominent in the
Epistle, are St John's appreciation of female piety, his joy over
young Christians ; and his very decided resistance to aU who
propagated antichristlan error.
I. Apostolic doctrine on female piety. — Of all the twelve, who
so fit to speak or write on this subject as John, who had the
pious Salome for his mother; nay, more, with whom the
blessed mother of the Lord had resided from the day of the
crucifixion to the day of her death? During long years, in
his own house at Jerusalem, he had seen the most favoured of
all women, and marked in her the beauty of holiness ; and no
man could know better than he what should be the character
and walk of women who trusted In Christ
In this point of view. It is well worthy of notice that St
John has not a word to say, in any of his Writings, of the
superior hoUness of perpetual virginity. Some of the Christian
fathers — e.g., Cyprian and Jerome — wrote ecstatic rubbish
about the dignity of the state of virgins, and their nearer
approximation to God, But with St, John we are in an earlier
and healthier age. Among the visions which he saw In Patmos
* Some take the word " Lady " as a proper name, and style this a letter
to Kyria, It is a point of little moment.

294 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
there Is one of 144,000 men who followed the Lamb, and
they "are virgins;" but the expression Is symbolical, and
denotes a virginity or chastity of soul as opposed to the defile
ment and harlotry of an apostacy from Christ In the didactic
writings of the Apostle there Is not a word about forbiddal to
marry; and, in his references to Christian womanhood, no
allusion to the vows which nuns are required to take, or to the
separation of sisterhoods from family and social life. The elect
lady to whom this letter was sent, and her "elect sister,"
mentioned near to the end of It, were Christian matrons dwell
ing In their own houses, and nourishing their own children. No
mention being made of male heads of their households. It Is
probable that these matrons were widows; yet they are not
advised to seclude themselves from society. They were mothers
of families, and they did well to honour and serve Christ in
family life. No doubt this involved some family care ; but It
Is in the midst of domestic duty, and, in some measure, through
the discipline of domestic labour and anxiety, that God has
been pleased to train some of the most saintly and useful
women that the Church has ever seen.
Let no woman say, " Were I unmarried, or had I no family, I
might do something for Christ — visit a district, attend evening
meetings, take part in societies, and the like ; whereas, with a
husband and children constantly requiring me, I can be of no
use as a Christian,'' It is a grievous mistake. The true state
of the case is quite the contrary, A woman is of great use as
a Christian, who walks with meekness of wisdom along the
commonplace ways of life, loving her husband, and training her
children in the Lord, It is not difficult to persuade women to
attend meetings, and devote time to various kindly activities ;
but It Is Important to persuade them that Divine service
begins at home, and that the patient and affectionate discharge
of maternal and domestic duty Is acceptable and beautiful In the
sight of God,
As the teaching of this Epistle Is opposed to the enforced
seclusion of religious women from social and family life, so

77. JOHN. 295
also does It repudiate all reliance on mere raptures and ecstasies
as evidences of personal religion. Woman, as well as man. Is to
show piety by a steady, consistent obedience to the known will
of Christ, The proof of her " election of God " Is in her walking
in truth and love ; and " this Is love, that we walk after His
commandments," When St, John wrote these words he was
an old and experienced man. He had seen many, who once
appeared fuU of fervent feeUng and lofty aspiration, turn aside
from Christ ; and now the only evidence of a vital Christianity
on which he relied was that of a dally and hearty compliance
with the commandments of God,
II. Apostolic joy over young Christians. — It was In all pro
bability at Ephesus, a busy city to which young men fiocked
from the country behind, that the aged John saw some of the
children of this lady, and was pleased with their demeanour
and conduct In writing to her, he mentions this in words
which must have filled her heart with pure motherly delight,
" I rejoice greatly that I found (some) of thy children walking
in truth," They were not young children, for they had left
home, and had some occupation, as indicated by the expression
" walking up and down," or having their course of life in con
formity with truth. But their Christian walk as young men
might be traced to the Christian training they had received in
childhood. It was therefore a fitting subject of congratulation
in such an Epistle as this. The mother could have no greater
joy than to receive such testimony to the conduct of her absent
children ; and the Apostle had no greater joy in his old age
than to see among the Christian flock the happy result and
reward of parental training, example, and prayer. Amidst the
anxieties for the future of the Church which brooded over him,
he had this comfort, that the'cause of his Lord would not lack
defenders in generations foUowing, so long as pious mothers
brought up their children to know the truth, and sent them
forth to walk therein.
There is a species of cross-grained old Christians who have

29'6 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
seldom a word of good cheer for the young, and are very ready
to taunt them with inexperience and shaUo-wness. Now, if
young disciples are fussy and pretentious, let them be rebuked
and better taught ; but when, according to the measure of grace
given to them, " they walk In truth," It Is cruel and unjust that
their seniors in the Church should refuse to them that genial
sympathy which a youthful disposition so keenly appreciates.
The fact is, that the oldest Christians, if they be right-minded
men, are or should be the most concemed about the young
generation, and rejoice the most when children and youth are
found walking in truth — i.e., cleaving to Christ, the truth, and
walking up and down in His name. The oldest and most
experienced shepherds devote the most watchful care to the
lambs, and the wisest as well as the kindest of our old pastors,
teachers, and private Christians, are they who attach most
consequence to the reUgious training and development of chU
dren and of young men and maidens in the Lord,
III, Apostolic learnings in regard to those who propagated
antichristian error (verses lo, ii). — The refusal of hospitality
was certainly a very severe mark of disapproval ; but let it be
observed — (i.) That the direction is given for the protection of
a private house froni an infection more deadly than any disease ;
(2.) That the house was that of a woman, apparently a widow,
who, as such, was especially exposed to the devices of those
designing men whom the Apostle indicates; (3.) that the
warning is not against aU who hold religious error, but against
the zealous propagators of false doctrine, who undermine the
faith and actuaUy mislead the souls of men.
The heresy which was spreadmg at the time when St John's
Epistles were written was a denial of the true manifestation of
the Son of God in the flesh. At a later period men were found
to deny the proper and supreme divinity of our Lord, but the
first errors related to His humanity. Those who imported into
Christianity old Oriental notions of the essential impurity of
matter would not allow that the Son of God had really assumed

77. JOHN. 297
a body of flesh. But by this denial they destroyed the whole
faith and comfort of the Gospel, The Apostle John never
alludes to them but In terms of stern disapproval, for he well
knew the doctrine of the person of Christ in two distinct
natures. Divine and human, to be essential and fundamental.
Whosoever denied this doctrine, on one side or the other,
imperiUed the Church and risked the separation of his own
soul from God, " Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not
In the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in
the doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Son."
The Apostle Paul had described the false teachers as creep
ing Into houses, and leading " captive silly women " * (woman-
lings). St, John knew that such was stlU the policy of those
who spread error and fomented discord in the Church ; f and
therefore he charges the elect lady not to admit such false
prophets within her doors, or give them any heed or
countenance. Let not the direction of the Apostle be misunderstood. It
has no reference to a case of want or distress. No matter
what a man's opinions may be, when he is in danger, or pain,
or In trouble, he ought to receive our good offices. If our own
enemy, or the enemy of our dearest convictions, hunger, we
should feed him ; if he thirst, we should give him drink. The
warning in this Epistle relates to hospitable and familiar inter
course ; and even in that view. It warrants no discourtesy to
our feUowmen on the ground of their holding what we consider
to be serious errors, nor does it require us to mingle exclusively
with persons of our own rehgious persuasion. So to restrict
our acquaintance, and narrow our social life, would be to pay
a poor homage to truth, and to limit most unwisely our range
of usefulness. What the Scripture before us really enjoins Is,
that we are not to regard and treat as brethren those who are
actively engaged In undermining the faith. We must not bear
* 2 Tim. iii. 6.
+ The heresiarchs of the early centuries were notorious for the support
they sought and obtained from female disciples.

298 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
ourselves toward them so as to Imply that aU doctrines are to
us indifferent, and that the propagation of antichristian error is
merely the diffusion of a legitimate variety of opinion. So to
do would be to encourage teachers who ought to be discouraged
and disowned, and to involve ourselves in some complicity with
the evil results that sooner or later ensue on false doctrine.
Freedom of discussion is an important element of civilisation,
but the Church cannot admit that a cardinal doctrine, like that
of the person of our Saviour, is open to question. However
popular such admissions may be among those who have exalted
freedom of opinion into an idol, to our thinking they savour
more of an unprincipled and restless liberalism than of that
charity which rejoices in the trath.
In dealing with this subject, the Apostle John was actuated
by a deep concern for the glory of Christ, the usefulness of
His servants, and the destiny of His people. If those false
apostles and prophets were to be welcomed in the houses of
well-known Christians, then the faith of the Church was indeed
shaken, and the Apostles had laboured In vain, and spent their
strength for nought " Look to yourselves, that ye do not lose
those things which we have wrought, but that ye receive fuU
reward," Not even the Apostles, much less the ordinary
ministers of the word, can keep the truth in the minds of
their hearers, or preserve them from ultimate loss and failure.
If they will not use circumspection, but will throw themselves
open to every teacher, every Influence, and every book, and
allow fundamental truths of the Gospel to be disparaged or
denied in their houses. Convictions of truth -wrought by
or under evangelical teaching are thus lost; and the reward
of faith and steadfastness is diminished. If not entirely for
feited. Let the Christian people aim at a full reward for themselves
and for their teachers. Let them beware of unwatchfulness
and of yielding any encouragement to false doctrine, lest they
spoil the work of such as are labouring for Christ iu word and

77, JOHN. 299
doctrine, and lessen their own profit in the knowledge and
grace of God, Why should they lose a " full reward " ? "If
that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in
you, ye also shall continue in the Sdn and In the Father, And
this is the promise that He hath promised us, even etemal
life," * * I John ii. 24, 25.

( 300 )

III. JOHN.
The third Letter of St, John resembles the second. It has the
same style, same brevity, same recognition of the truth and of
Christian life as a walk in truth, the same mode of beginning
— the writer not naming himself, but sufficiently Indicating
himself as "the presbyter," — and the same statement at the
end of a preference for personal Intercourse and conversation
over communication by means of paper and ink. There is also
that combination of tenderness with sternness which we always
trace in the Apostle John. But the position of his corre
spondents differs. The letter to the lady recognises her In
family life, and warns her against the admission of pernicious
teachers into her domestic circle. The letter to the man refers
more to public standing and responsibility, as "before the
Church." The great Interest of this Epistle for us lies in Its disclosure
of the joys and sorrows of the last of the Apostles. When St.
Paul was alive and at the height of his. influence, when there
came upon him daily the care of all the Churches, the strain
on his sensitive spirit was enormous. He was fiUed with joy,
plunged In sorrow, tried by suspense, vexed by Ingratitude,
hurt by misrepresentation, hindered by prejudice, cheered by
sympathy ; now pleased, now pained ; now exultant, now cast
down ; and bore upon his large and patient heart a vast respon
sibility. But Paul was dead, and so were all the Apostles, save
John only; and he In old age was emphaticaUy "the pres
byter," for he was patriarch of aU the Churches of Asia, His
position was not one of mere presidential dignity. It involved

777, JOHN. 301
both anxiety and toil. Those young Churches, with their
inexperienced leaders, having trouble within their borders, and
troubles all around, gave the aged Apostle much to think of,
and frequent grounds of concern. He was no longer able to
make long journeys in person, and, like all elderly people,
began to feel writing Irksome ; but he found It necessary to
interpose by messengers and letters In order to adjust the
difficulties and correct the errors that disturbed the Christian
community. In some measure It Is so with all public men ; especiaUy so
in ecclesiastical life. One can never do" much good in the
Church without hard labour, or fill a position of Importance
without multiplying anxieties and vexations, as well as encour
agements and joys.
Three men are brought before us in this Epistle : Gains, to
whom It Is addressed ; Diotrephes, who Is blamed ; and Deme
trius, who Is praised,
I, Gains was a well-beloved Christian, We have no right
to say that he Is the same as the Gains of Derbe, mentioned
in Acts XX, 4, or the Gains whom St Paul baptized at Corinth,
and whose hospitality that Apostle enjoyed and celebrated, for
the name was a very common one,* But the remarkable hospi
tality of Gaius, the friend of John, gives some countenance to
the theory that he was no other than Gaius the host and friend
of Paul, At aU events he was a man of kindred spirit.
For this good disciple the Apostle desires health- and pros
perity. From the reports which he had received of the conduct
of Gains toward brethren In the Lord, St. John infers that
his soul was prospering, or moving In a right way, and there
fore prays that In all respects It may go as weU with him as it
does in his spiritual life. Alas ! how seldom can we put It
thus ! We see many a hale and prosperous man, for whom
we can fervently wish that his soul prospered as much as his
body and his outward estate ; but we do not often see spiritual
* I Cor, i, 14 ; Rom, xvi. 23, _

302 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
prosperity, as In Gaius, the most prominent and indisputable
characteristic of the man.
Proofs of the soul-prosperity of Gaius are mentioned as
follows : —
(i.) His adherence to the truth In Christ Jesus, The anti
christs of the period had no effect on him, for he was " of the
truth," — begotten again of the word of truth, sanctified through
the trath, rooted in the truth, possessed and pervaded by the
truth. Perhaps he was not competent to debate with and
refute the false prophets and plausible sophists of his time ;
but he could hold his own ground against them, because the
trath In Christ was not a mere opinion which he held at will,
and might let go ; it held him by the power of God ; it was
the life of his spirit and joy of his soul ; so that It was Impos
sible to move him from his steadfastness,
(2.) His kindness to brethren in the Lord, Certain disciples
on a missionary tour had come to the town where Gaius lived.
They were moved to make such a tour by the love of
Christ. For His name's sake they had gone forth, giving
every proof of a disinterested spirit. The prophets, sorcerers,
and thaumaturgs of the time exhibited their powers for money,
and made religion quite a mercenary affair ; but the Christian
missionaries yery properly took no gifts or contributions from
the heathen to whom they preached, lest their motives should
be misconstrued, and the honour of the Gospel compromised.
They went on whatever resources of their own they possessed,
assisted by the kindness of the groups or congregations of Chris
tians scattered among the heathen.
We learn that when those missionary volunteers had been
haughtily disowned by Diotrephes, Gaius kindly received them,
although they were " strangers " to him, or personally un
known.* When they reached Ephesus, they made a mission-
* Dr. Cox makes Gaius "a layman," and Diotrephes "a vain loud
specious priest." He says, " Strangers came to layman Gaius when turned
from his pastor's door, and in these strangers he recognised brethren." —

777, JOHN. 303
ary report to the Church there, and. In doing so, mentioned
this timely act of Christian love. The Apostle thereupon
wrote to Gaius, to commend his conduct, and to encourage In
him the disposition to welcome such brethren, and so to bear
himself as a " fellow- worker for the truth."
The spread of the Gospel among the heathen, now as then,
cannot be conducted by the whole Church, but It ought to
engage the attention and interest of the whole Church on
earth. All Christians are not required to leave their homes
and go out on this errand ; but those who do, whether for a
shorter or a longer time, should have encouragement and aid
from those who do not render personal service. If they under
take a protracted term of foreign labour, they may receive a
yearly allowance with travelling expenses, as our modern custom
is. In ev6ry case, those brethren who obviously devote them
selves to such work under disinterested motives ought to receive
hospitality, and to be forwarded on their way by the Christians
resident in any place at which they arrive ; so that aU may
have some share in so holy an enterprise, and be " fellow-workers
for the truth,"
Indeed this principle Is applicable to Home as well as Foreign
Missions, Over and above the stated provision made for wor
ship and instruction in the Church, there is need of evangelistic
preachers to bear Christ's name across even a Christian country,
and through the dense populations of modern cities, preaching
the Gospel to careless thousands who live without God in the
world. This also, while necessarily carried out by individuals,
is properly the work and should be the concern of the whole
Church. They do not break down Church order, rather they
perform an Important Church duty, who support and encourage
approved itinerant preachers in such communities as our own,
relieve them from temporal cares, and "bring them on their
journeys after a godly sort," In such a way a Christian who
(Rev, S, Cox on Private Letters of St. Paid and St. John.) This is, to say
the least, gratuitous. Not laymen only have been hospitable ; or priests
and pastors only arbitrary and ambitions.

304 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
has no personal aptitude for missionary service may be a " fellow-
worker for the truth.''
It is well to observe that Gains Is thus honoured in Holy
Scripture, and embalmed In blessed memory, not for any sur
passing powers he possessed, any social influence, or any quali
ties of intellectual eminence, but for truth and love In dally
life, and for a simple unpretending act of kindness. These are
the things which men often neglect, thinking It necessary to
show their religion In more ambitious and conspicuous ways.
But there is really no better proof of personal Christianity than
that which Gaius furnished In his adherence to the truth at
a time when many departed from it, and his brotherly kind
ness to those who had no other claim on him than their service
to the Lord whom he loved. Always and everywhere that
man Is to be highly esteemed in the Church, who combines firm
convictions with a generous heart, who walks In holy trath and
heaven-born charity.
II. Diotrephes was the reverse of Gains ; a man ambitious,
domineering, and ungracious. It does not appear whether he
held any recognised office in a congregation, or was one who
pushed to the front from mere wilfulness and a desire to
dictate to others. Either because he was a Jewish Christian
and disliked the Gentiles, or because he had no hearty zeal for
the truth, he felt no Interest in missions to the heathen. If
strangers came on such errands he let them alone, and would
not give them any reception or recognition in the Church,
It appears further this Diotrephes had made light of the
Apostle's authority. He " doth not receive us " — " prating
against us with wicked words," The man was, in the worst
sense of the term, an Independent. He would have no one
interfere with the decisions of the local Church ; and in that
local Church he would take the lead, and dictate as to who
should or should not be received. This is a kind of ecclesias
tical polity' which, notwithstanding all its assertions of freedom,
gives peculiar faclUtles to a man like Diotrephes, By the

777, JOHN. 305
influence of his wealth and position, by the very force of his
will, or by forming and leading a compact party, he contrives
to dominate over a local Church or congregation. Then the
quiet Christians, not wishing to quarrel with such a man,
shrinking from collision with his overbearing temper, and
having no recourse or appeal to a higher authority or broader
tribunal, either become his helpless creatures, or break away in
a mood of vexation to form another Church, fondly, but often
fallaciously, hoping that Into It there will come no new
Diotrephes. What is the cure for such petty tyranny, but that
some moral authority should be exercised over particular con
gregations? The Apostle John, while he lived, would not
allow any local Church to be isolated In Its own self-wlU, and
controUed by the arrogance of one man. He would put down
the prating words and disrespectful conduct of Diotrephes, Is
there to be no remedy for such evils now, because the Apostles
are dead ? To us It appears evident, that in the constitution of
the Church, as an organic society, provision should always exist
for checking little popes, as weU as for preventing one or more
great ones ; for guarding the just liberties of all parties and
persons in Christian fellowship ; and for securing a unity of
action In regard to missions and all good works.
III. Demetrius was, like Gaius, a man after the Apostle's
own heart. Perhaps he was the leader of the missionary band.
Perhaps he was the bearer of this letter. In either case, St,
John sends to Gaius a very high testimonial in his favour.
Not only did all the brethren who knew him testify to his
character ; not only did the Apostle add the emphatic expression
of his own good opinion ; but the truth itself bore testimony
to Demetrius, He so walked In It that It was familiar with
his footsteps, and knew him well. He so reflected It in its
influence on his character and life, that, while he bore witness
to the truth, the truth in turn bore witness to him. This man
was an Epistle of Christ known and read of all.
In this letter there is no, mention of the antichristian teachers
VOL. IL U

306 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
of the period. The range of thought is within the orthodox
Church, and embraces the action of brethren, the efforts of
missionaries to the heathen, the assistance to be given to them,
the duty of promoting the spread of the truth, and the necessity
of repressing individual ambition and intolerance.
The two private letters of " the Presbyter " taken together
show us the thoughts of an Apostle regarding Christian woman
hood and manhood for all generations. The woman is not to
be a mere household drudge, but she appears to most advantage
in the domestic sphere. Her best credentials are found in her
children nourished and trained in Christ from their earliest
recollections, and, when they go out from her into the busy
world, walking in the truth ; and the beauty of her character
and example is most impressively evinced in her love to the
saints, and willing obedience to the commandments of God her
Saviour. Then the essentials of Christian disposition are just
the same in the man as in the woman ; but his range is wider
and more exposed to view. It is true that man also has
domestic duties. A Christian man is bound to provide for his
own house, and to rule his household In the fear of the Lord ;
but he sustains other relations to society and to the visible
Church in which it is indispensable that his religious character
should be approved. He Is " before the Church." It Is In his
power, more than in that of a woman, to further or hinder the
cause of the Gospel in the city or country where he dwells. It
Is, therefore, incumbent on him to walk openly " In the truth,"
to receive Christian " strangers " for their work's sake, to avoid
the indulgence of a self-pleasing and domineering temper, and
to do good to all as he has opportunity, " especially to them
that are of the household of faith,"
The model for both the woman and the man Is Jesus Christ,
He bore witness to the truth at every risk, and obeyed and
suffered in perfect love. Let none but Christ " have the pre
eminence,'' Let the thought of his sublime ascendency suppress
and put to shame all petty ambitions among His disciples.
Jesus Is the Perfect Man, in whom all are complete; for

777. JOHN. 307
" neither Is the woman without the man, nor the man without
the woman in the Lord." She who would be as " the elect
lady," must look not so much to even the best of women as to
Jesus. He who would be kind as Gains or exemplary as
Demetrius, must look not to saints and Apostles so much as to
Jesus. He who would shun the offensive spirit of Diotrephes
should look steadfastly to Jesus, and consider the self-abnegation
and humility through which He passed to glory.
Further communication with Gaius St, John defers tiU they
meet, and can "speak face to face," Meantime he says, after
the manner of his heavenly Master, "Peace to thee ; " and adds
simply and naturally, " The friends salute thee ; greet the friends
by name."

( 3o8 )

JUDE.
Jude probably Is the "Judas, not Iscariot," of St. John's
Gospel.* He was three-named — Judas, Lebbeus, Thaddeus,
and was a brother of that James whose Epistle to the Twelve
Tribes we have already considered. They were sons of Alpheus
or Clopas, and Mary, and were brought up and reputed as
brothers of the Lord Jesus. We cannot, however, set down the
Identity of Jude the writer with Jude the Apostle as a certainty,
for the reference to "the apostles" In the 17th verse rather
teUs against it, and it Is disputed by good critics.
The short book before us was probably written in Palestine,
or some part of Syria, not long before the faU of Jerusalem.
It is an Epistle General or Catholic, addressed to all saints ;
but its strain Is Jewish, like the Epistle of James, and it
presupposes in its readers a knowledge of Hebrew history and
tradition. While It has much In common with the Epistle of
James, It has even more with the second Epistle of Peter,
which greatly resembles It In Its vehement Invective against
those profligate teachers who had begun to disturb and defile
the primitive Church, t During the last quarter of the first
century, some of the Asiatic Churches were notoriously Infested
by a class of separatists and sectaries who, magnifying their
knowledge, and exaggerating their liberty, led Impure lives, and
encouraged others to do likewise, virtually Importing the heathen
licentiousness into the very bosom of the Church,
* John xiv. 22.
t The letter of St. Jude seems to be the earlier of the two, and ia the
more impetuous.

JUDE. 309
It appears from verse 3 that St. Jude had wished to write of
"the common salvation," but felt obliged to put aside that
sweet and welcorae theme In order to warn the saints of the
evils already Introduced into the Christian community, and
exhort them to present a firm resistance to those corrupting
influences. The fair prospects of the early Church were
already shaded. The face of the new creation showed spots
and blemishes.
One characteristic of the leaders of this apostasy was wanton
ness. They made the mercy of God In Christ a mere shield to
cover their self-indulgence. Instead of purifying their hearts
through belief of the truth, they abused the divine grace, as
though it relaxed the obligation of continence, and gave some
latitude to immorality. So they disgraced the Christian name
by living as the heathen, and sheltering their vices under an
assertion of divine favour and religious liberty. They were the
forerunners of the Antinomians of later times, and of many
who, without exposing themselves to that designation, have
allowed themselves to continue In sin because grace abounds.
It is a sort of presumptuous wickedness which has wrought
much havoc In the Church aU through her history, and it is by
no means at an end. Rather it is to be feared that it wiU
spread far and wide In the luxury and epicurism of the lost
days. Another characteristic was wilfulness. The men denounced
by St, Jude did not deny the name of God or of Christ, for
they vaunted themselves as Christians ; but they rejected the
Lord's authority, St, Peter described them as " denying the
Master that bought them : " * St Jude writes that " they
deny the only Master, our Lord Jesus Christ," t Therefore
their reUgious profession was vain, because they kept not the
words of Christ, but sought their own will, and followed their
own devices and desires.
With their loose morals, mocking spirit, and boastful words,
those men were, In St. Jude's opinion, followers of Cain, of
* 2 Peter ii. i. t Verse 4.

3IO SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Balaam, and of Korah, rather than of Christ. As Cain, for
envy, hated and slew his brother ; so did they envy and destroy, •
As Balaam, for filthy lucre's sake, gave such counsel as led
Israel Into disgraceful sin ; so did these men, for their own
covetous ends, beguUe unstable souls. As Korah rebelled
against Moses, and raised , dissension in the camp of Israel ; so
these men prated against the Apostles, and stirred disaffection
in the Church, They went to the love-feasts of the Chris
tians ; but, like rocks which break the surface of a lake, they
only disturbed and marred those feasts of brotherly kindness.
There was no spiritual life or blessing In them. They were
as ." clouds without water," making a show, but really dry and
empty. They were as trees, late in autumn, yielding withered
fruit ; nay worse, as trees whose roots are torn away from the
soil, and which are therefore incapable of yielding any fruit
whatever. They were as wild waves of the sea, restless, toss
ing up impurity, " foaming out their own shame," They were
as "wandering stars," or comets that flash into view, but de
part into unknown distance and darkness again.
On the punishment which awaited such men, St, Jude is
terribly emphatic. He recaUs to mind great judgments in the
days of old ; the destruction of the murmuring unbelieving
Israelites In the wilderness ; the reservation of fallen angels to
future punishment ; and the burning of " Sodom and Gomorrah
and the cities about them" as with an eternal fire, i.e. a fire
out of which there Is no restoration, a condign and final judg
ment The memory of those terrors, Illustrating the holy
severity of God, should admonish the saints to give no counten
ance whatever to the ungodly men who had " crept In " to the
Christian community. " These dreamers defile the flesh, des
pise dominion, and rail at dignities.''
In course of this reproof and invective, St Jude introduces
two very remarkable references to Old Testament worthies — to
Moses, and to Enoch.
The tradition regarding Moses Is supposed to be famUiar to
the readers of this Book, and the allusion to It Is made with a

JUDE. 311
view to expose the presumption of the false teachers In dis
paraging dignities, " Yet Michael, the archangel, when con
tending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses,
durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said. The
Lord rebuke thee," * We should not have known this incident
unless St, Jude had embodied the tradition in his Epistle ;
any more than we should have known the names of the
Egyptian magicians who withstood Moses and Aaron, if St,
Paul had not mentioned Jannes and Jambres, Michael, the
archangel, appears In the Book of Daniel as a great prince with
God, and the protector of. the holy nation, Israel, In this
capacity he was occupied with the burial of Moses, Israel's
great lawgiver and leader, AU that Is told in Deuteronomy
is, that '¦' he (indefinite) buried him (Moses) in a vaUey in the
land of Moab over-agalnst Beth-peor ; but no man knoweth of
his sepulchre unto this day,'' t One form of the tradition is,
that the devU sought to prevent Michael from' giving to Moses
honourable burial. Another, and the one we prefer, is, that
the devil opposed the resurrection of the lawgiver's body. But
the point for which St. Jude makes the allusion is this — the
archangel did not speak haughtily or contemptuously to that
mighty spirit of evil, a celestial dignity before he feU; but
said, " The Lord rebuke thee." In the same spirit is' conceived
Zechariah's vision of Satan accusing the High Priest of Israel
before the Angel of the Lord, and defeated In his accusation
by a declaration of the Lord's mercy in plucking this brand
out of the fire. The same form of expression is used, " The
Lord rebuke thee, 0 Satan," Many thoughtless men speak of
the devU in terms of jocularity and contempt J It Is the cheap
courage of Ignorance, But the archangel, who knows the
strength of Satan,§ does not venture so to speak, but solemnly
refers the archfiend to the judgment of God.
* Verse 9, + Deut. xxxiv. 6.
J This tendency has appeared strongly in literature : witness Ben Jon-
son's Comedy "The d^vil is an ass," and Burns' " Address to the De'il."
§ Rev. xiL 7,

312 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
The tradition of Enoch's prophecy Is, In some respects, even
more singular than that of Moses' grave, inasmuch as there
is some reason to think that St. Jude refers to an apocryphal
work entitled the Book of Enoch. The book is repeatedly
mentioned by early Christian writers ; but was for a long time
lost, till, in the year 1773, an ^Ethioplc copy of it was found
in Abyssinia, and brought to England by the traveller Bruce.
Other manuscripts have subsequently been obtained ; and now
the book is well known by translations into German and
English, The prophecy of Enoch, cited in this Epistle, occurs
near the beginning : and the prophet, more than once, describes
himself as "the seventh from Adam," i.e. the seventh genera
tion, Adam being counted the first. There is a significance in
this according to the ancient symbolism of numbers. Enoch
was the Sabbatic man who walked with God, Perhaps there
Is a similar significance in the fact that he lived on earth three
hundred and sixty-five years, a year for each day of the solar
year, and then did not die, but " was not, for God took him "
to pursue his years elsewhere.
For the Book of Enoch, as a whole, no authority can be
derived from the citation of a single passage. It is the produc
tion of an unknown writer, and is certainly not older than the
first century b,o. At no time has It been reckoned among
Canonical Books, AU that needs be maintained regarding it
is, that it contains at least one authentic and genuine utterance
of the venerable Enoch, traditionally transmitted from the
earliest times, Noah may easily have heard It from his grand
father Methuselah, the son of Enoch, It prepared him for the
judgment «f God by water in his own Ufetime, And he may
have delivered the oracle to his descendants, to prepare the
post-dUuvia,n world for another and a still greater judgment.
In Its ultimate fulfilment pointed to in the Epistle, the oracle
announces the coming of the Lord with holy myriads for the
judgment of the Great Day, and the descent of flaming fire on
those who have corrupted Christendom itself, and filled the
earth again with wilfulness, wantonness, and Injustice, "As

JUDE. 3'3
the days of Noah were, so shaU also the coming of the Son of
Man be,"
There need be no surprise that an Apostle should quote any
thing from an apocryphal book. Apocryphal means uncanoni-
cal, but not fictitious or worthless. Why should not a passage,
itself kno-wn to be genuine, be quoted from the Book of Enoch,
as weU as a tradition about the body of Moses Inserted without
' any written authority or reference whatever, or quotations made
in the Old Testament from " the Book of the Wars of Jehovah,"
and from "the Book of Jasher;" or references given to the
Books of Nathan the Prophet, Gad the Seer, Iddo the Seer,
and the prophecy of Ahijah the Shllonlte? None of these
works were ever received as canonical scripture.
Much of the Epistle of St Jude is thus occupied with the
wicked men who abused, under pretext of using, liberty in
Christ. Their conduct Is exposed, and their doom pronounced
without fiinching. But the Apostle addresses the saints on
their own line of duty, and affectionately urges them to " con
tend eamestiy for the faith once for aU deUvered " to them,
and not to allow It to be tampered wltL He will also have
them keep themselves pure from the contamination which was
being brought " unawares " into the Church,
Five times In course of the Epistle a word occurs which Is
variously rendered in the Authorised Version, keep, reserve,
preserve. The " beloved of God the Father " are regarded as
" preserved by Jesus Christ," In contrast to them are pointed
out those angels who are "kept In everlasting chains,'' and
sinful men " for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness
for ever,",* The Christians are then admonished to keep them
selves in the love of God, i.e., in the possession and enjoyment
of divine love as the true element and elixir of a spiritual Ufe,
And how! (i,) By buUdlng themselves up on their most holy
faith. So the faith was to be contended for, not with a view to
barren controversial victory, but because Christian character
must be built thereon. It was delivered to the saints in order
* Verses i, 6, 13.

314 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
that they might continue in it, and not be moved away from
the hope of the Gospel, (2,) By praying In the Holy Ghost ;
for the Divine Spirit (which the false teachers had not, ver,
-19) helps Infirmities, corrects errors, subdues pride, cures
lethargy, kindles fervour, and teaches beUevers how to pray,
and what to pray for as they ought. Between the ascension of
their Master and the day of Pentecost, the disciples, and Jude
among them, prayed much for the Spirit, After the day of
Pentecost It became their privilege, and continues to be ours, to
pray in the feUowship of the Spirit, through the mediation of
the Son, to the Father of mercies and God of all consolation ;
the Spirit within us making intercession with unutterable pant-
ings of hope, deep sighs of the heart for the manifestation of
the glory of the sons of God,
St Jude does not forget to express this hope. While he
shows us ungodly men and seducers with their " fearful looking
for of judgment," he exhorts those who keep themselves In the
love of God to "look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ
unto etemal life," " 0 give thanks unto the Lord, for He Is
good, for His mercy endureth for ever."
There follows an admonition to deal discreetly and kindly
with those unwary persons who were being beguiled ; and the
Epistle ends with doxology. The men who were working so
much mischief In the Church followed their own impulses,
"walked after their own ungodly lusts." On the contrary, the
men who escaped the contamination were kept not by their own
will or wisdom, but by the grace of God, They did Indeed
keep themselves ; but the ultimate secret of their success was
that God kept them. The word employed Is stronger than that
on which we have remarked above,. It means, to guard and
protect from all adversaries. Glory then Is ascribed to the only
wise God our Saviour, who, in a time of delusion and apostasy,
is able to keep His people, not Infallible, but unfaUen, There
is no excuse for sin. There Is no necessity any more to serve it,
or to live as debtors to the flesh. There is no permission to fall
and rise at pleasure. The object of the Divine Saviour is to

JUDE: 315
keep His own from faUing. And well It Is for them that He
should so keep them, even though It may require reproofs
and chastisements. These will never come without cause from
"the only wise God." Happy Is he who, with simplicity of
heart, casts his foolishness at the feet of the Saviour's wisdom,
and put his weakness into the hand of the Saviour's strength,
saying, "Hold it fast.
Suffer me not to lose my way.
And bring me home at last."
He is able to do this. As Rutherford says : " Our Lord and
Chief Shepherd will not want one weak sheep or dying lamb
that He hath redeemed. He will tell His flock, and gather
them aU together, and make a faithful account of them to His
Father, who gave them all to Him." Says the Apostle : He
W)U "present (or set)' them faultless before the presence of His
glory In exceeding joy," What a contrast to the blackness of
darkness this " exceeding joy " ! Joy to the saved when they
see their Saviour as He is, and joy to the Saviour when all that
are His are gathered together unto Him, " To the only God
our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty,
dominion and power, before all time, and now, and to all the
I ! Amen,"

( 3'6 )

REVELATION. No. I.
general features AND CLAIMS OP THE BOOK.
The title of this extraordinary book is " Apocalypse of Jesus
Christ, which God gave to Him, to show to His servants what
things must come to pass shortly." Thus it is an unveiling of
our ascended Lord, for the Instruction and comfort of the Church
which, not seeing Him, loves Him and waits for Him, God
gave It to Him, and He by His angel signified it to His servant
John, This mode of expression is maintained throughout the
book. In other writings of John we read of the Father and
the Son, but In this always of God and Christ, or God and the
Lamb, It Is possible to lay too much stress on the word " shortly "
In the title. Some writers have inferred from this that the
things disclosed as future were or are to occur in quick succession ;
others, that the entire prophecy of the book must refer to the
immediate future. But it is not safe to found so much on a
word of this description, or on the phrase (chap, i, 3, xxii, 10)
"the time Is near." The apparent distance of objects depends
on the power of the eye, the intensity of the light, and the
condition of the atmosphere. The same principle regulates the
seeming distance of events disclosed In prophecy. Dangers
distant in respect of actual time may appear to a seer imme
diately impending ; and happy changes, though remote, are by
vivid hope brought near. Hence an alertness of language in
regard to both the perils and the prospects of the Church, and

REVELATION. 317
especially that great event which is the supreme object of New
Testament prophecy — the second appearing of Jesus Christ
The writer of the book Is Christ's servant John, He takes no
title of ecclesiastical rank or official dignity — "John to the
Seven Churches of Asia ; " and this simplicity surely favours
the belief thSt he is no other than the Apostle John, one of the
sons of Zebedee, Any other of the name, such as John Mark,
or the alleged Presbyter John of the second century, would have
described himself more fully,* The beloved disciple. In his old
age the sole survivor of the twelve, was too weU known in the
province of Asia, and altogether too eminent in position, to
require, when addressing the Churches in and near Ephesus,
more than the simple announcement of his name.
The place in which the revelation was given to John was the
small island of Patmos, one of the group called the Sporades,
lying about 24 miles off the coast of Asia Minor, f The Apostle
was there " for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus,"
and the tradition is that he had been banished thither by order
of the Emperor. Whither this occurred under Nero, a.d 57-68,
* Bleek (Lectures ou the Apocalypse) has put the argument for this
later John as plausibly as possible, but there is no basis for it excepting
some rather vague words of Eusebius (Hist. Eccl., lib. iii. 39), reporting a
statement of Papias, who was not a model of exactness. The evidence in
favour of the Apostle John as the writer is both intemal and traditional,
and can never be shaken. The most recent Rationalistic critics indeed
concede this, with the view of proving that since this work is by St. J6hn,
the fourth Gospel cannot be his. But Dr. William Lee (in Speaker's Com
ment.), and Dr. Milligan have successfully shown the harmony of the two
books, both in doctrine and in structure.
+ The modern name of the rocky isle is Patino. It is twenty -eight miles
in circumference. " Patmos has been in one respect singularly favoured.
The Turks have never visited it ; none dwell on the island, and the
moderate tribute which they exact has been punctually paid, and sent by
the islanders themselves to Smyrna. No mosque has ever been erected ou
the spot rendered sacred by the vision of the Apocalypse. Slavery has
been unknown ; piracy has never been practised." — Imper. Bible Diet., Art.
Patmos. On the influence of the locality and its surroundings on the sacred visions,
see Dean Stanley's Sermons in, the East, p. 230.

3i8 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
or under Domitlan, a.d. 81-96 is a much disputed question.'
There is a great preponderance of ancient authority in favour of
the later date ; yet many modern critics, on alleged Internal
grounds, maintain the earlier. They are influenced by exegetical
considerations. For example, they find the enigmatic " Number
of the Beast " in the words Neron Caesar in Hebrew characters.
But it is strange, to say the least, that Irenaeus, living in the
second century, had never heard of this solution, and refers the
Book to the reign of Domitian,
Renan dates it very precisely In the reign of Galba, a,d. 68,
and is followed in this by our more recent Anglican interpreters,
e.g. Plumptre, Lumby, and Farrar. The visions are supposed to
Indicate events of that troubled period, and the approaching
downfall of Jerusalem. It is held without scrapie that the
seer feU Into some serious mistakes. He shared a popular
delusion, that Nero was not really dead, and would shortly
reappear ! He expected that the Roman army would subdue
Jerusalem for three years and a half, but would not take the
Temple ! He also looked for a successful insurrection of the
Provinces against the Imperial City (chap. xvii. 16-17), whereas,
after Nero's death, the power of Rome was more firmly
established than ever ! How could a book, containing such
egregious mistakes, and openly falsified by events -within a year
or two after it was written, ever have gained repute or authority
In the Church ?
Canon Medd not only holds the Apocalypse to have been
written before the fall of Jerusalem, but regards Jerusalem, not
Rome, as the Babylon of the book. The " kings of the land "
are the tetrarchs. The object of the whole is to announce .
Christ's coming in judgment to destroy the old Jerusalem and
bring In the new. The mlUennlum is "the now current
dispensation,"* Such theories of Interpretation change the book from a
prophecy Into a not very difficult forecast of events close at
hand. We cannot accept this. The Apocalypse seems to us to
* Bampton Lectures for 1882. Note 11.

REVELATION. 319
have a wider and longer range ; and we see no sufficient reason
to doubt the statement of ancient ' authors and the settled ¦
opinion of Christendom, which dates the work nearly thirty
years after the catastrophe of Jerusalem,
The book being entitled the Unveiling of Jesus Christ, opens
with this announcement of His appearing — "Behold He cometh
with clouds, and every eye shall see Him ; and whosoever they
were that pierced Him ; and all tribes of the earth shaU wail
because of Him," We seem to hear again the words of our
Lord in that great prophecy which He pronounced while He sat
on the Mount of Olives a day or two before His death — a
prophecy which underlies much of the phraseology of this book :
" Then shaU appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven ; and
then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see
the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory," *
To this grand event all the Revelation steadily tends ; but it
takes a wide scope as It proceeds, John is commanded to write,
(i.) the things which he had seen, i.e. the vision given to him
of the Son of man; (2.) the things which are, i.e. wonders In,
heaven ; and, (3.) the things which shall come to pass hereafter,
i.e. future judgments,' defeats, and victories.
I, The manner of the Book. This is singularly fitted to Its
Jiigh theme. The Revelation Is quite removed from ordinary
prose composition, and ought to be regarded as a grand Christian
poem, requiring for its Interpretation some measure of Idealistic
power, John is the Vates of the New Testament Scripture, at
once the prophet and the poet.
But the book is not poetical only ; It Is symbolical throughout,
and in this respect is congruous with the mental characteristics
of the Apostle John, who, as his Gospel Indicates, delighted In
figurative and symbolic teaching. Most copious and varied are
the Apocalyptic symbols ; and they must be carefully studied,
and consistently and soberly Interpreted, If a symbol be taken
* Matt. xxiv. 30.

320 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
to mean one thing here, and another there, the book is made the
sport of random, haphazard, capricious conjectures.
(i.) There are symbols in numbers, e.g. ; —
4, the number of the earth, or mundane space; — 4
quarters, 4 winds, 4 living creatures, &c,
7, the number of completion and of rest. Its half, 3^,
Is the sign of broken and limited operation ; but when
a Divine cycle of creative work or providential govern
ment Is indicated it Is marked by 7. The sign of
protracted labour, never reaching rest, is 666, the
number of the wild beast,
10, the number of the world's activity and development.
Therefore, both in the Book of Daniel, and here, a
world-power has 10 horns,
12, the number of Church order and plenitude, as
formerly It had been the signature of All-Israel; 12
stars, 12 gates, 12 foundations, 12 apostles, 12 fruit
harvests from the tree of life.
From 10 and 12 are formed greater numbers, 1000, 144,
and 144,000,
(2.) There are symbols in colours, e.g. : —
White, denoting purity (white garments), righteousness
(a white throne), joy (a white cloud), victory (a white
horse).
Red, for bloodshed and war.
Purple, for Imperial luxury and pomp.
Emerald green, for patient, winning grace.
Black, for calamity and distress,
(3,) There are symbols in animated forms : —
The Zoa, composite figures, expressive of the whole Ufe
in creation, and the redemption of the whole creation
to God.

REVELATION. 321
The lamb, a symbol of Jesus Christ, as He once suffered,
and Is now enthroned.
The eagle, indicating swift movements In the region of
thought and opinion.
Horses, representing movements on the earth.
A wild beast, a crael trampUng power.
Frogs, unclean spirits.
Locusts, aU things that waste and torment,
(4,) There are symbols in the elements and forces of nature : —
The air = the sphere of Ufe, and of inteUectual and
spiritual influence.
The earth = the place of nations.
An earthquake = sudden shaking of nations.
The sea = human society tossed and troubled.
A cloud = the chariot of Divine manifestation.
A storm of Ughtning and hall = a great crisis or judg
ment.
These may suffice as examples of apocalyptic symbols. But
they are only specimens of what might form a much longer list
In Its symbolism, and in the whole tenor of its prophecy, this
book rests on visions of an earlier date, especiaUy those Imparted
to Daniel, Ezekiel, and Zechariah, It Is vain to attempt an In
terpretation of It without considerable famiUarity with the Old
Testament, for, though written in Greek, the Book Is entirely
Hebrew In Its Images and allusions. There is also a very marked
connection, as we have hinted, with that prophecy of the Master
which He poured Into the ears of His disciples on the Mount of
OUves, In particular, there Is the same scenic or panoramic
combination of events remote from each other, but having the
same character and intention. Two, If not more, horizons of
judgment are in view at once, the nearer a foreshadow of the
more distant
Tet another characteristic Is to be noticed, while we speak of
the manner of this Book, It is no "fine phrensy," but. a
VOL, II. X

322 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
wonderful work of divine art, curiously -wrought and most deli
cately balanced. This Is carried out into the most minute detail,
while It is shown on a large scale In the paraUeUsm of the great
cyclical visions. Only the most careless reader can suppose the
Book to be tangled and confused. It is a masterpiece of con
struction, fitted and bound together by wisdom from above,
II, The contents of the book are far too rich and copious to
have any adequate treatment in such lectures as this. But the
foUowing general features of the Revelation may be noted : —
I, It is a book of the connection of things in earth with
things in heaven. In the sense it gives us of this connection
Ues the secret of the awe we felt when we read or heard it read
in our childhood — an awe which grows upon us In advancing
years, and is not gloomy, but good and healthful, calming our
spirits with the assurance that heaven lies about us, and heaven
Is open, and the angels of God are near.
The reader Is not left on the earth to peer into a distant
heaven, but borne into heaven, and thence made to see, as through
masses of cloud and rolling mists, the things that come upon
the earth. There are announcements and scenes in heaven
prior to changes and movements on earth. There are voices
from the throne, notes of golden harps, sounding trumpets, cries
of disembodied souls, and choruses of song that peal through
the universe. Strong angels pass to and fro, making epochs in
human history, and changing the affairs of the Church and of
nations. What we caU the course of events Is compassed by
spiritual agency unseen. Earth touches heaven. Alas ! it also
touches heU.
2. It Is a book of strong moral contrasts. Good and evil, in
and around the earth, are brought out in sharp distinction and
stern alternative. There is no compromise, no shading or
blending of moral opposites, or attempt at concord between
Christ and BeUal. A deep decided line is dra"wn between the
righteous and the unjust, the holy and the filthy, the Lamb and
the wild beast, the throne of God and the abyss, Michael with his

REVELATION. 323
angels and the dragon with his angels, the Bride and the harlot.
New Jerusalem and great Babylon.
3. It is a book of very definite teaching on redemption by
blood. This, which Is expressed or Implied in aU the Scrip
tures, has in the Revelation a marked and solemn emphasis.
Those who are now protesting against what they caU a " blood
theology " may do some good In exposing coarse materialistic
expressions ; but let them beware lest they even seem to con
demn this holy Apocalypse, which, in the midst of Its most
heavenly scenes, celebrates the atoning blood. Saints sing,
and angels speak of redemption by the blood, cleansing in the
blood, and victory by the blood of the Lamb.
4, It is a book of protracted conflict. For this we are
prepared by the last-written Epistles, 2 Timothy, 2 Peter, 1,
2, and 3 John, and Jude, which give warning of fiery trials
at hand, and of ominous departures from the faith. Some men
turned aside after Satan, others gave way to indifference and
selfishness, contentions were rife, and antichrists many. Pro
phetic Intimations made the prospect darker still, for the Spirit
spoke expressly of perilous times in the last days, marked by
extreme moral perversity and the appearance of " scoffers walk
ing after their own lusts," Indeed, in reading the later
Epistles, we seem to feel the air charged with elements of
confusion and tempest, and. to see dark clouds hanging on the
distant hills. We look for a stormy sequel, and we find It In
this Revelation of troublous times, of the patience of Christ In
His members, of tribulation and martyrdom, woe to the In
habitants of the earth, and war even In heavenly places.
In this respect also. It Is a book for present-day reading.
Christians need to be trained in patience, and braced for con
flict Because they have peace with God, they should expect
assaults of the devil, danger In the Church, and tribulation In
the world. It Is well also that triflers and trimmers should
know that ease in Zion is not safe for the children of Zion
and that they should hear a deep voice sounding from this
book, " Art thou for God or for Baal 1 Wilt thou foUow the

324 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
world, seeking its smiles, and ' wondering after ' its greatness,
or follow the Lamb In the faith and patience of saints ? "
5, It is a book of judgment brought forth to victory. The
Lamb is the leader and commander of the faithful ; and He
makes war, and conquers. From the wrath of the Lamb kings
and mighty men flee. The prince of the world Is punished.
Nations are judged. On the earth, the sea, the rivers and
fountains of waters, the sun, the throne of the Beast, the great
river Euphrates, is poured out the wrath of God, The " harlot,"
sitting on many waters, is judged, and the blood of God's
servants avenged. At last the whole confederacy of evil is
hurled down In one stem crash of ruin, and plunged Into "the
lake of fire," The doctrine of penal retribution is deeply en
graved on the Book : and the God whom it honours is a God
of judgment. With solemnly repeated emphasis It points the
militant Church to the epoch of deUverance and triumph at
the appearing of Jesus Christ, and makes the assurance of this
stronger and brighter as days of rebuke and blasphemy draw
on. A Book with such characteristics fitly concludes the Holy
Bible. Full of aUusions to ancient visions, prophecies, and
songs. It brings the whole continuity of Scripture to a subUme
and worthy close. At last the patience of patriarchs and saints
is rewarded ; the longings of Israel and of the Church are ful
fiUed ; and the glory of God shines unhindered on a scene of
righteousness and peace.
In the end of the Book appears that Holy City for which
Father Abraham and all the children of faith have devoutly
looked. This is society pure, stable, and well-governed,
" Take from the Bible the final vision of the heavenly Jeru
salem, and what will have been lost? Not merely a single
passage, a sublime description, an important revelation, but a
conclusion by which all that went before is interpreted and
justified. We should have an unfinished plan. In which human
capacities have not found their full realisation, or Divine
preparations their adequate result. To the mind that looks

REVELATION. 325
beyond individual life, or that understands what Is needful to
the perfection of Individual life, a Bible that did not end by
building for us a city of God, would appear to leave much in
man unprovided for, and much in itself unaccounted for. But,
as It Is, neither of these deficiencies arises. Revelation decrees
not only the Individual happiness, but the corporate perfection
of man ; and closes the book of its prophecy by assuring the
children of the living God that He hath prepared for them a
city," *
Paradise, too, is restored ; not, however, a solitary place,
where one might hide among the trees or sleep In the wood,
but a garden of pleasure In the very city of the saints, watered
by the pure river that fiows from the throne, and beautified
with fruitful trees of life in the broad street of the city, and
on either side of the river.
Surely a book Uke this ought not to be treated with neglect,
or remain unstudied in a kind of indolent despair. It Is true
that Luther, Intent on dogma, was impatient of these visions ;
and men like Schleiermacher, not to speak of more sceptical
critics, here and abroad, have treated the Apocalypse with scant
respect ; but, on the other hand, it is a book which grows In
the estimation of devout Christians, and promises to become of
more and more service to the Church amidst the Increasing
confusions and perplexities of Christendom, A prejudice has
been raised against It In sober minds by a class of confident
soothsaying Interpreters, who explain the Revelation as though
it were a prospective narrative of the annals of Western and
Centrail Europe, by help of Gibbon's " History of the Decline
and Fall of the Roman Empire," RoUin's " Universal History,"
Sismondl, Alison, and the J Times] newspaper. But it ought
always to be remembered that the book Itself Is a Divine pro
duction, and In no degree responsible for what may have been
spoken or written about it by men of infirm and excited
judgment A notion prevails that the Apocalypse suits dreamy students
* Canon Bernard's Bampton Lectures, p. 287,

326 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
and unpractical devotees, but can be of little use to men who
are occupied with the hard prosaic tasks of life. We hold the
contrary opinion. It is the dreamy or fanciful mind that needs
such reading least ; the tollworn and careworn man who needs
it most : as a relief from what Is depressing to spiritual life and
hope, a stimulus to the nobler aspirations, and a reminder that
around, above, and beneath all the affairs and fortunes of
mankind, moves on the mystery of God, How welcome too
should be this Book to the tried and sorrowful, who are made
to see their brethren In tribulation clad In white robes, having
" garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness," and to hear
glorious voices sounding ' from the habitation of God's throne
on high !
It cannot be denied that there are formidable difficulties in
the Interpretation; but even when the mind is baffled as to
exact meanings, and the understanding appears to be unfruitful,
the heart is refreshed as by a heavenly aroma, transcendent
truths sink Into the mind in a manner we cannot explain, and
holy suggestions and comforts Interpenetrate our spirits with
delight.

( 327 )

REVELATION.
No. IL
the septenary cycles.
If we read this Book cursorily, we are apt to think that it is
fuU of poetic Ucense and aUegorlcal exaggeration ; and that one
should be satisfied to gather from it general lessons and Im
pressions, without any attempt at exactness in detaU. But a
closer examination shows that the Revelation is as far as
possible from being a rhapsody. As we have said in our last
lecture, It Is a Book most carefuUy constructed, curiously
wrought, nicely arranged, and skUfuUy balanced. Just as
ancient Hebrew prophecy In its most impassioned utterances
obeyed the rhythm, and even observed alphabetic and acrostic
rules of Hebrew poetry, so this prophecy of the New Testament
has a perfect internal order, and, if one may use such an ex
pression, artistic symmetry.
Prominent in the Book are certain septenary series. One of
these — that of the seven thunders — is. not declared, but " sealed
up," and, therefore, not to be interpreted.* But the four great
series are declared — viz., the seven Churches addressed ; seven
seals broken ; seven trumpets blown ; seven bowls poured out,
A preliminary question must be considered before we look
into these series in detail. It relates to the principle on which
each series is constructed, and on which the various series are
connected together. The prevaiUng school of comment on this
Book — at least since the Reformation — ^has been that of con-
* Chap, X, 1-4,

328 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
tinuous history, finding in these visions the course of events in
Christendom partly fulfiUed and partly unfulfilled. Some of
the Interpreters are preterists, and aUege that all is accom
plished ; others are futurists, even extreme futurists, assigning
the whole Book of Revelation to the Jews after the first resur
rection. But the mode of historical interpretation, carried out
with so much patient learning by the late Mr, EUiot* lias had
the most general support, and forces on us the inquiry. Does
each series, taken by itself. Indicate a course of consecutive
events? And do the various series follow each other in a
direct Une of time, so as to form, in anticipation, a continuous
history of the Church ? Our answer must be in the negative ;
and for the following reasons : —
1, The number seven is certainly symboUcal of a divine com
pleteness ; and it is against all the principles of symbolism to
explain a septenary series as meaning seven actual events, no
more and no fewer. Of course this objection applies quite as
strongly to the reckoning of several series numerically on
chronological tables, as indicating fourteen, twenty-one, or
twenty-eight successive dates in Church history.
2, The annals of Christendom refuse to arrange themselves
in harmony with such a theory of the Apocalypse, It has been
attempted to assign the seven seals to Rome Pagan, the seven
trumpets to Rome Christian, and the seven bowls of -wrath to
Rome Antichristian, It has been held that the seals denote
the overthrow of heathenism, and the success of the Emperor
Constantine ; that the trumpets announce the irruption of the
northem barbarians, and the defeat of the Moslem power ; and
that the bowls of wrath began to be poured out at the French
Revolution in the end of the last century, and are being poured
out still. But it is a vain and desperate attempt to lay these
prophetic series alongside of the actual annals of Europe. The
effort to arrange such history in three or four grand divisions,
and subdivide into twenty-one or twenty-eight successive
epochs, has led, on the one hand, to such puerile handling of
* " Horse Apocalypticse."

REVELATION. 329
Scripture, and, on the other, to such capricious and arbitrary
emphasising of particular events and dates, as Is positively
repulsive to a sober and reverent mind. Better the most vague
and hazy conception of the contents of this Book, If accom
panied by some recognition of Its poetic grandeur, than a
prosaic interpretation brought about by fixing, in the most
arbitrary way, on particular passages of European history,
slighting other events perhaps quite as Important as those
which are selected, and passing over centuries In sUence,
(3,) There Is a parallelism between some of the series in
question, that points to a conclusion quite at variance with the
theory of historic continuity. This is particularly obvious In
the case of the series of trumpets as compared with that of vials
or bowls. They go over the same course of events, and are
synchronous, not successive. The latter reiterates the lessons
and warnings of the former, according to that fashion of
doubling or repeating the sense which belongs to Hebrew
poetry, proverb, prophecy, and dream. Who can read Old
Testament prophecy and psalm without being struck by the use
made of refrain and iteration ? And why should we not see In
the duplicate dreams of Joseph and of Pharaoh,* and in the
virtual repetition of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of successive
empires in a dream of Daniel,t a hint of the manner In which
the visions of John are connected together and ought to be
Interpreted ?
In fact the prophetic movement is not in straight lines from
one date to another, but in mighty cycles or wheels, more or
less coincident ; and one may say of them In the words of
Ezekiel, " As for the rings, they were so high that they were
dreadful" But it is not meant that one cycle Is a mere re
petition of another. There Is eschatologlcal progress. There Is
an indication of growing Intensity of good and evil. The tragic
element especiaUy becomes more prominent : and with increas
ing severity, each series or cycle of judgment moves the world
further on towards the last judgment In the great day of God.
* Gen. xxxvii, 5-1 1, xii. 1-8. t Dan. ii. 31-45, vii.

330 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Now, let us look Into the series with as much minuteness as
the plan of our lectures wUl permit In every case there is a
vision of glory preceding and Introducing a cycle of fluctuation,
distress, desolation, and judgment, A vision of Christ, or a
pre-celebration of His triumph, is the invariable forerunner of
an earthly crisis and a scene of conflict,
I. Seven Churches addressed,
1, This series opens with a vision of the Son of Man in great
majesty, as the living Inspector of the Churches,* He appears
to John in the long robe of priestly and kingly dignity. His
eyes glow and pierce as a flame of fire, for nothing can elude
His sight. He has something of terror in His aspect, for He is
about to speak terrible things in righteousness, and to smite
with the " sharp two-edged sword of His mouth." In His hand
are seven stars ; and at His feet seven candlesticks — signs of
the Churches with which He is about to deal.
2. Then comes seven messages to seven Churches of Asla.t
They are addressed to the angels of those Churches ; for no
man (but John himself) is spoken to in the Apocalypse. The
Book is occupied with ideals and symbols ; so each Church is
represented by its angel, just as in the visions of Daniel there
are angels of the nations — of Greece, Persia, and Israel. J
Whatever of praise or blame Is meant for the Church Is sent,
not as in the plain apostolic way to the saints with their
bishops and deacons, but in apocalyptic fashion to the angel
who takes charge of that Church under Christ.
Seven Churches are selected in the province of Asia, where
the Apostle John, in his later years, wielded a patriarchal
influence. These were not all the Churches in the province,
but seven are taken to represent the whole visible Church ;
and such seven, as in their diversities of faithfulness and un
faithfulness, zeal and lethargy, give opportunity for the most
various counsels, reproofs, and promises with a view to the
profit of the Church in aU time coming,
* Chap. i. 9-20, f Chaps, ii. iii. J Dan. x. xii.

REVELATION. 331
Then this complete cycle of Churches Is prophetical. We
do not mean this In the sense vehemently urged by some writers,
that they cover and predict seven actual successive stages of
Church history. Such a theory contradicts the symbolical
meaning of a septenary cycle, and is burdened by the awkward
fact, that its keenest supporters cannot agree on the details of the
historical apphcation which they suggest. But the Epistles or
messages to those Churches, do certainly Illustrate conditions of
the Church at large, and of particular Churches, which return
again and again ; tendencies to decay of love, relaxation of dis
cipline, and formality of spirit ; controversies, labours, and the
keeping of " the word of patience,'' Alas ! there will be luke
warmness in many hearts when the Lord is at hand, when the
Judge Is standing at the door. It Is, however, no more than a
prophetic glance that we find In the first series. The element
of prediction becomes much more prominent in the cycles that
follow. The seven messages are constructed exactly on the same plan.
The Lord announces Himself under a title or titles appropriate
to the nature of the message which foUows, or the condition of
the particular Church, Then the formula — " I know thy
works," The body of the message or the Epistle comes next; and
the conclusion consists in each case of a promise to every one
who should overcome the evil which Invaded that particular
Church, and of a summons to " him who has an ear," to " hear
what the Spirit saith to the Churches,''
The Church in Ephesus is commended for good discipline,
but admonished In regard to a decay of Christian affection, and
called to repent. The Church In Smyrna Is warned of coming
tribulation, Pergamos and Thyatlra are charged to give no
place to the libertine sectaries that molested them, Sardis Is
reproved for formalism ; and Philadelphia praised for fidelity.
The Church in Laodicea is rebuked for self-confidence and
lukewarmness, and charged to buy the best blessings of the
Lord, So ends the first and simplest series.

332 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
II, Seven seals broken.
1. This series, too, is Introduced by a glorious vision,* The
Divine throne is seen in heaven, surrounded by twenty-four
thrones for the presbyters who represent the redeemed Church,
and by four composite cherubic figures, instinct with life,
symbols of the -vital powers of creation In harmony with re
demption. These all praise the Lord ; but the creation,
symbolised by the Zoa, only [speaks of the Lord, while the
Church represented by the presbyters, speaks to Him, saying,
" Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and
power," In the right hand of God is seen a sealed roll : and Jesus
Christ, appearing as a lamb which had been slain, takes the
roll amidst loud acclamations of praise, and proceeds to open
Its seven seals. Thus while the preliminary vision to the first
series represents Christ as the inspector of the Churches, this
reveals Him as the powerful ruler in the midst of the throne,
who "has prevailed to open the roll, and to loose the seven
seals thereof," t
2, The roU of Divine purpose, as unfolded in seven portions,
seal by seal, producing the following results : J —
(i.) A figure of conquest on a white horse, white being the
colour of triumph,
(2,) A figure of civil war on a red horse, taking away peace
from the earth,
(3,) A figure of dearth or scarcity on a black horse, black
being a sign of mourning,
(4,) A figure of devastation; death riding on a livid horse,
* Chap. iv. 5.
t Mr. C. E. Fraser Tytler, in a work little known, " The Apocalyptic
Boll," has arranged what follows as on the two sides of an Eastem roll or
deed of inheritance, and iUustrated the effect of the gradual unrolling of
the document, as seal after seal is broken. He claims that " no sooner
are the seemingly complicated and entangled visions of the unveiling
placed on such a roll than they at once assume coherency, and harmony
takes the place of seeming confusion."
t Chap, vi.-viii. i.

REVELATION. 333
with Hades like a hearse, or moving, yawning grave, foUowing
after. This devastation proceeds under the four forms mentioned
by the old prophets, — war, famine, pestUence, and the ravages
of wild beasts,' (Compare chap, vl, 8 with Ezek, xlv, 21,),
These four judgments being directed against Ufe on the
earth, are successively announced by the four Zoa, Evidently
they coincide with the " beginning of sorrows " foretold by our
Saviour in His great prophecy or eschatologlcal discourse,
deUvered on the Mount of] OUves three days before His
death, (See Matt xxiv, 6-8, )
(5,) The martyrs are to be avenged, but not yet. The Lord
had said in the discourse to which we have just referred, —
" Then shall they deliver you up to the afflicted, and shall kUl
you ; and ye shaU be hated of aU nations for My name's sake," *
When the fifth seal was broken, John saw the souls of the
martyrs, like the life-blood of ancient sacrifices, poured out at
the bottom of the altar. They cried, as once the blood of Abel
cried to God from the ground; and they were clothed with
favour, and bidden to rest awhile till the cup of persecution
was full,
(6,) Universal panic. A great earthquake denotes the con
vulsion of society. Portents in the sky announce revolution
and dlsaster.t It Is supposed by the terrified dwellers on
earth to be the great day of the wrath of the Lamb, that Dies
irce of which the Latin Church sang with a cowering spirit In
times when superstition had dimmed the faith and hope of the
Gospel, Preces meae non sunt dignae,
Sed Tu bonus fac benigne,
Ne perenni cremer igne !
Confutatis malediotis,
Elammis acribus addictis,
Voca me cum benedictis.
* Matt. xxiv. 9.
' t Such signs of distress and fear are found in Isaiah, Hosea, and Joel,
but the chief passage for comparison is Matt, xxiv, 29, 30,

334 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
Oro supplex et accUnis,
Cor contritum quasi cinis :
Gere curam mei finis.
Before the seventh seal Is broken, and as we seem to draw
near " the crack of doom," there is introduced a vision of the
sealing or preserving of God's servants in the Tribes of Israel.*
Nor are the chosen men of Israel the only blessed ones. A
countless multitude appears of all nations, kindreds, peoples,
and tongues. These redeemed ones have come out of "the
great tribulation " which had scourged the earth ; and they keep
a " feast of tabernacles " before the throne and before the
Lamb, Then at last, —
(7,) Not crash or tumult at the breaking of the seventh seal,
but " silence in heaven ; " a sign that all the occupants of
heaven acquiesce in the judgment past, and await the judgments
stiU to be unveiled.
Thus another cycle is accomplished ; but the mighty wheel
does not stop. It begins a new revolution,
III. Seven trumpets blown.
I. The introduction to this series Is a rite of high solemnity
in the presence of God.t There is a presentation of the prayers
of saints with incense ; and, as a sign of the answering of those
prayers " by terrible things," there is a casting down of altar-
fire upon the earth. The same golden censer that wafted up
the Incense, receives and pours down the fire. Thus the way
is prepared for a series of devouring judgments,
2, Seven angels "prepared themselves to sound" the
trumpets which were given to them, as seven priests blew
their horns before the faU of Jericho, The results which
ensue are arranged in several respects like those which follow
the breaking of seals. Thus, In either case, there is a dif-
* Chap. vii. Here also the foundation is laid on our Lord's discourse.
See Matt. xxiv. 31.
t Chap. viii. 2-6. Comp. Ezek. x. i-7,;.following the marking of God's
servants in Ezek. ix.

REVELATION. 335
ference marked between the first four and the remaining three.
There Is an Interval between the sixth and seventh, occupied by
two episodical visions. The greatest intensity of terror Is
under the sixth ; and then, as under the seventh seal there was
silence in heaven, so, under the seventh trumpet, the mystery
of God is finished.
The effects produced, as the trumpets are successively blown,
may be summarily stated thus : * —
(i.) Havoc on earth,
(2.) Convulsion; part of the sea turned into blood.
(3.) Bittemess.
(4,) Darkness,
All these woes fall upon "a third part" of the earth, the sea,
the rivers and fountains, and the heavenly orbs. There Is a
marked reserve. The judgments recaU the plagues of hall,
flood, and darkness that faU on Egypt ; and like those plagues,
they stop short of extermination, being intended for humiUation
and warning,
(5.) The letting loose of a helUsh malice for a season.t
(6.) The loosing of "four angels, which are bound in the
great river Euphrates." That river, which was mentioned by
Isaiah and Jeremiah as the source from which chastisement would
come to Judah, must represent the peoples and multitudes that
sustain the mystic Babylon (chap, xvii, 15) ; and a great force
among them, held in for a time, breaks forth, A mighty host
goes out to kill and slay.
After seven thunders have been uttered, and vision had of the
death and resurrection of two witnesses, J the last step in the
series is reached,
(7.) Great voices are heard in heaven. Under the seventh
* Chap. viii. 7-ix. 21, xi. 15-18.'
t Renan regards the opening of "the pit of the abyss" as a singular
anticipation of a reopening of the crater of Vesuvius ten years later !
t The allusion seems to be to Moses and Elias (chap. xi. 6) ; but two
witnesses stand for sufficient testimony. See Matt, xviii. 16 ; I Tim. v,
19-

336 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
seal, heaven was silent ; but now " great voices " proclaimed
the world-sovereignty of " our Lord and of His Christ, and He
shaU reign for ever and ever. Therefore the Church, repre
sented by the twenty-four presbyters, give solemn thanks to the
" Lord God Almighty."
Some of the historical Interpreters give definite meanings to
this series in a wonderful fashion. The first trumpet announces
the Invasion of Italy by Alaric, the second is blown for Genserlc,
the third for Attila, the fourth for Odoacer, Then the fifth
sounds for Mohammed, the scorpion locusts that have power for
four months meaning one hundred and fifty years of the
dominion of the Saracens ; and the sixth trumpet proclaims the
Turkish invasion of Christendom and capture of Constantinople.
Professor Murphy explains the first as announcing the faU of
Judaism ; the second the decUne of Paganism ; the third the
rise of Christian heresy ; the fourth spiritual depotism ; the
fifth Antichrist (apparently Popery) ; and the sixth the rise of
Islam,* All this seems to us arbitrary in the extreme. The
cycles of visions repeat the same lessons and warnings,
announcing judgments and distress of nations before the
coming of the Lord. Yet they are, as we have said, not mere
repetitions. The revelation under the trumpets is an advance of
that under the seals. It shows more fully the agencies to be
employed for and against the Church, and mentions evils and
oppositions which are yet more clearly developed under the
next revolution of the wheel,
IV, Seven bowls of wrath poured out,
I. Here also there Is first a scene of heavenly worship and
triumph, t Victors stand by the crystal sea mingled with' fire,
as on a shore of safety, singing "the song of Moses, the servant
of God, and the song of the Lamb." We are, of course,
reminded of the song of Moses and his triumphant host on the
shore of the Red Sea, In that ancient ode of victory, they
* " Book of Revelation," translated and expounded by Jas, G, Murphy,
LL.D., 1882, pp. 62-81. t Chap. xv.

REVELATION.

337

sang " Who Is Uke unto thee, 0 Lord, among the gods ? Who
is like Thee, glorious In hoUness, fearful in praises, doing
wonders ? " In this they sing, " Great and marvellous are Thy
works, 0 Lord God, the Almighty ; just and true are Thy ways.
Thou King of the nations. Who should not fear, 0 Lord, and
glorify Thy name, for Thou only art holy ? "
This prepares for judgment on oppressors. Seven angels
come out of the temple ; and to them one of the Zoa delivers
seven golden bowls or goblets f uU of the anger of the ever-living
God. The action of the living creature is significant, because
the plagues or blows are about to faU on the various regions of
creation, the earth, the sea, the fresh waters, and the sun.
2, As the bowls are successively poured out by the angels,
the seven last blows or plagues faU upon men,* and recaU several
of the plagues Inflicted on Egypt, The parallel between these
and the judgments under the trumpets Is very remarkable.

Trumpets.
(i.) Fire and blood on the earth.
(2.) Eire and blood on the sea.
(3.) Wormwood on rivers and foun
tains of water.
(4.) Darkness of sun, moon, and stars.
(5.) A fallen star — the opening of
the abyss— darkness — locusts.
(6.) Loosing of four angels in the
Euphrates, and issuing of a
great host to hurt and destroy.
(7. ) Consummation, with announce
ment of Divine judgment :
voices, thunders, lightnings,
and hail.

Bowls.
(l.) Grievous sore on the earth,
(2, ) Blood in the sea.
(3.) Blood iu rivers and fountains
of water.
(4. ) Scorching heat from the sun.
(5.) Darkness on the throne of the
Beast, and in his kingdom.
(6.) Drying up of Euphrates —
appearance of three unclean
frog-like spirits — gathering of
kings to war.
(7.) Consummation, with announce
ment of Divine judgment :
voices, thunders, lightnings,
and hail.

Is it not quite plain that these do not describe consecutive
periods of history? They have such a coincidence, as plainly
Indicates that they set forth, by line upon line, and In the old
Hebrew style of repetition with expansion, the same principles
of Divine judgment And so soon as we perceive this, we are
quite cured of that fashion of interpretation which finds, under
* Chap, xvi,
VOL, IL X

338 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
the first bowl, the atheism of France at the end of last century ;
under the second, the bloody gulUotlne ; under the third, the
wars of Napoleon I, ; under the fourth, the political paroxysm
of the year 1848, &c, &c. It is a flighty and hazardous way
of handling sacred prophecy.
The woes under this cycle hurt none of the servants of God,
As the plagues In Egypt fell on the enemies of Jehovah, but
not on Israel, so the last plagues wlU faU on Christ-rejecting
powers and peoples of the world, but touch none of the followers
of the Lamb, " Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers,
and shut thy doors about thee : hide thyself for a little moment,
until the indignation be overpast. For behold, the Lord cometh
forth out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for
their Iniquity ; the earth also shaU disclose her blood, and shall
no more cover her slain," *
* Isa, xxvi. 20, 21,

( 339 )

REVELATION.
No, III,
adversaries.
Like the prophetical parts of the Old Testament, this Book has
much to say of the hostility which the cause of God must
encounter on the earth. It refers in a most uncompromising
tone to the enemies who organise and lead this hostility, describes
their temporary success, their pride and cruelty, but shows that
their end Is Ignominious destruction. The whole subject, how
ever. Is Idealised, The ancient prophets specified by name the
hostile nations and their kings ; but the seer in Patmos bas no
command to denounce human adversaries. He exposes -wicked
ness, and predicts its defeat and punishment under symbolical
forms, as the genius of the Apocalypse requires.
I, The Adversaries unveiled.
The disclosure Is gradual. Under the first cycle (Churches),
mention is made of Satan's synagogue at Smyrna and PhUa
delphia, Satan's throne at Pergamos, where a faithful martyr
had been slain, and of an ominous resurrection of the doctrine
of Balaam, and the idolatry of Jezebel, Under the second cycle
(seals), we read of a cruel power that had slain many for the
Word of God and the testimony which they held, and was yet
to kill- others, "their fellow-servants and brethren," Under
the third (trumpets), we see a wild beast rise out of the abyss,
and kill the two prophetic witnesses. But It is between the
third and fourth series that the great discovery of devU-insplred
hostlUty Is made; and immediately after the fourth cycle

340

SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.

(bowls), the perdition of enemies is shown to the seer in terrible
detail. It has always been the policy of evil to counteract good by
counterfeit or parody. So there appear (i) a Triad of the
dragon, the wild beast, and the pseudo-prophet, as a blasphe
mous caricature of the Holy Trinity ; and (2) a wicked city,
Babylon, as the counterpart to the holy city, Jerusalem.
I, The Triad of Antichristianity,* The dragon, the wild
beast, and the pseudo-prophet have the same will and purpose,
and act in a certain order of subordination, the third to the
second, and the second to the first. The dragon gives his
power to the wild beast, which in turn leads men to worship
the dragon. Then the wild beast gives his power to be exer
cised by " another beast," who is a false prophet, and who In
tum induces men " to worship the first beast."
The parody here is as obvious as it Is profane.

Blasphemous Trinity.
(l.) The great dragon, the father of
lies, the ruler of the darkness
of this world, who has given
power to the beast.
(2.) The wild beast, arrogant and
cruel, whose power is exercised
by a false teacher, misguiding
men, and doing great wonders.
(3.) The pseudo-prophet, coming up
out of the earth, and impress
ing on men " the mark, even
the name of the beast or the
number of his name."
What Is revealed in this Book concerning these three adver
saries may be summarily stated as foUows : —
(i.) The great red dragon is the " old serpent " of Genesis.
He is caUed devil (slanderer), and Satan (enemy), f The
original serpent became, in later tradition, a dragon, or com
bination of serpent and crocodile, and was supposed to emerge
* Chaps, xii., xiii t Chap. xii. 9.

Holy Teiniiy.
(I.) The Father of lights, the God
of truth, who "loves the Son,
and has given all things unto
His hand,"
(2.) The Son, the Lamb of God,
the King of glory, who has
sent the Holy Ghost in power
to guide men into truth and
peace.
(3.) The Holy Spirit, who has come
down from heaven to testify
to the Lamb and impress His
name and image on tbe saints.

REVELATION. 341
from the waters. He appears in the stories of many nations.
In Persian mythology, Mithra conquers the dragon Ahriman.
In the Greek, Apollo delivers his mother from the serpent
Python, and Perseus rescues Andromeda from the dragon of
the sea. In Scandinavia, Sigurd, the hero, vanquishes a
dragon : and the Christian myth of St. George and the dragon
Is known to every one. All these monsters are shadows of the
great Apocalyptic dragon, who shows seven crowned heads and
ten horns. In token of worldly ambition and glory.
In a heaven-picture appears " a woman clothed with the sun,
and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of
twelve stars," These symbols recall Joseph's dream. In which
his father was the sun, his mother the moon, and the eleven
stars were his brethren,* We infer that the woman is Israel,
the virgin daughter of Zion, The old serpent, having been
warned long ago to expect punishment from the woman's seed,
watches - anxiously In order to destroy the " Son given " to
Israel so soon as born. This child is the Messiah, bom to
rule nations. We know that Herod, acting for the dragon,
sought to kill the young child. But the providence of the
heavenly Father preserved Him, and, after His work on earth
was done. He returned to the father; "He was caught up to
God and to His throne,"
There the dragon could no longer assail the virgin's Son, for
he had been cast down from heaven with his angels, never to
enter It again. He therefore turned his wrath against the
woman, but prevailed not ; for, though sore tribulation fell
on Judah and Jerusalem, the Church in Israel was saved.
The Christians had no force with which to resist the " flood "
that threatened them, but they betook them to the wilderness,
and " the earth swallowed up the flood," At PeUa the mother
Church of Jerasalem was saved and nourished, so that the rage
of the dragon came to nought. This, too, was for " a time,
and times, and half a time," viz,, the 3^ years of the Roman
invasion of Judea, Thereafter the dragon proceeded to stir
¦* Gen. xxxviL 9,

342 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
up persecution throughout the world against the Hebrew
Christians, and those of other nations who joined their fellow
ship, "And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and
went away to make war with the rest of her seed which keep
the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus,"
(2,) The Wild Beast. The meaning of this symbol Is obvious
to a reader of the Old Testament,* It denotes not a spurious
religion, but unhallowed strength and violence. It expresses
what Is gross and Ignoble by the downward look to the earth,
and what Is fierce and ruthless by a trampling rending force.
The spirit of the beast goeth downward ; and the energy of the
wUd beast is used to ravage and destroy.
Out of the sea, i.e. from the midst of troubled nations,
emerged the wUd beast before the eyes of the Seer ; a dreadful
monster, having the agile frame of a leopard, the paws of a
bear, and mouth of a lion, with seven heads and ten horns.
It combined all the bestial forms seen by Daniel ; and must
be understood as recaUing and condensing In one formidable
power aU the old-world despotisms that oppressed the Israel
of God,
The beast took up the persecution of the saints which tha
dragon Instigated, Therefore it can be nothing else than that
Roman Imperialism which sent the Apostle John himself into
exile for his faith, and became throughout all the known world
a merciless tyrant to the Christians, The nations ruled over
by this empire worshipped the dragon ; for the adoration of
heathen gods and goddesses is stigmatised in the New Testament
as a mere devil or demon worship,!
It may not be denied that during Its long career, for it comes
do-wn into our own century, I the Roman empire conferred Im-
* See Ps, Ixxx, 13 ; Ezek, xxxi. 2 ; Dan. vii. ; Hosea xiii. 7, 8.
+ See I Cor. x. 20 ; Rev. ix. 20.
J A.D. 1806 Francis II. resigned the old imperial cro-svn, and became
Emperor of Austria, See Professor Bryce's " Holy Roman Empire," fifth
edition, p, 366,

REVELATION. 343
portant benefits on mankind. But It Is represented by the
repulsive symbol now under consideration, in so far as it
appaUed the nations by Its severity, and tried the patience and
faith of saints, AU world-tyranny, aU use of brute force to
repress spiritual life and movement, in whatever age, falls under
the same symbol of the wild beast,
(3), Another Beast, also teimed the pseudo-prophet. Though
this adversary has the cruel ^disposition of a wild beast, he does
not go forth to push and to rend by violence. His power lies
in plausibility of speech, and the performance of signs and
wonders, his object being to deceive the dwellers on the earth,
and cause them to worship, not himself, but the first beast. To
put It briefly : the first is unhallowed power ; the second, un
hallowed wisdom. The first has protected the second, and the
second has supported the first
In the presence and service of the great despots of antiquity
stood "their " wise men," magicians, soothsayers, astrologers, and
priests. These men, never took part with the oppressed people,
but supported the arbitrary power by which they themselves
were fostered. So It was in Egypt (Exod, vii, vlll.); and so
in Babylon (Dan. I. ii, iv, v,). In like manner the Roman
Court harboured priests, soothsayers, and augurs, who In turn
were the obsequious servants of the Imperial despotism,* It
seems to be this Influence which is expressed by the false pro
phet of the Apocalypse, an impersonation of deceit, opposing
the spirit of trath by lying wonders, and even by "caUIng
down fire from heaven in the sight of men,"
The pseudo-prophet induced men to worship the image of
the wild beast, i.e. the imperial statue or effigy. Emperor-
worship was a familiar thing in Ancient Babylon. The Im
mense golden Image which Nebuchadnezzar set up represented
* There was a god of the augurs and magicians, who was said among
the Etrurians to have been bom out ot a furrow or hole in the ground.
He was represented with the two horns of a ram. The coincidence with
the origin and form of the second beast is worth notice. See Hislop'a
"Two Babylons," third edition, p. 376.

344 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
his own Imperial grandeur.* To fall down before that image
was to revere his power and serve his gods. Without even
the intervention of a statue, Darius was made an object of
adoration, and prayer was forbidden to be offered to any other
god for thirty days. At Rome also, and wherever the Roman
power was felt, the emperors were deified even In their lifetime
at the instigation of the heathen priesthood : and just as at
Babylon devout Jews were subjected to the test of presenting
religious homage to the despot, so throughout the Roman Em
pire the test applied to Christians was that of paying the same
homage to the figure oi the emperor, or Image of the beast
If they refused compliance, they were at once liable "to be
kiUed." t
In other modes, and in later times, unholy wisdom has
counteracted that which is from above ; but the primary mean
ing of the symbol now before us surely is the priestcraft and
sorcery that supported and served a persecuting empire.
2. A wicked; city, Babylon, which "made aU nations drink
of the wine of the wrath of her fornications."
There is here symbol on symbol. The city is shown to the
seer as a woman impure and proud, shameless and cruel. He
lost sight of the pure woman whom the dragon hated in " the
wilderness ; " and now, in " the wilderness," he sees an impure
woman whom the dragon favours and the wUd beast supports.
What is this but a professed Church become spiritually
¦unchaste, i.e. Idolatrous, and resting on the Christ-hating
world? The harlot on the beast Is corrupted religion seated
on worldly power. When ancient Jerusalem admitted heathen
gods and altars within its precincts, it was said that "the
faithful city had become an harlot" But Babylon was the
very metropolis of Idolatry joined -with Impurity and pride ;
and the woman whom John saw had upon her forehead this
* Compare Dan. ii. 37, 38, with iii. 1-7.
t Pliny's Letters, Book x. 67,

REVELATION. 345
terrible name, "Mystery,* Babylon the great, the mother of
harlots and abominations of the earth,"
The angel teUs St John unambiguously, " The woman which
thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of
the earth," t This can be no other than Rome ; and certainly
Rome became the metropolis of heathenised Christianity, allied
with a thoroughly Babylonish arrogance and cruelty.
It Is evident, too, that the apostasy here pointed out
reaches far and wide. The mother of harlots corrupts many
kings and nations. She has the support of the empire, the
kings, the peoples, multitudes and tongues. What Is Indicated,
therefore. Is not only a proud departure from the primitive
" simplicity toward Christ," but one that is diffused over the
earth and boasts of being oecumenical
When the adversaries of the Lord have reached the height
of their ambition, judgment begins to fall on them from
heaven, II, The Adversaries destroyed. The last to appear is the
first to perish, and the first Is the last
I. The wicked city faUs, The plagues of Babylon " come
In one day: death, and mourning, and famine." The harlot
Is stripped and burnt Of course the fall of the city is to
be taken symbolically, and not as the actual destruction of
waUs and buildings. It Is the overthrow of the great organisa
tion of apostate Christianity — an overthrow so complete as to
fill the world with cries of astonishment f But then much joy
wiU be in heaven, for the removal of the harlot wiU make way
for the appearing of the faithful Church, the wife of the Lamb :
the destruction of Babylon clears the Apocalyptic stage for the
disclosure of the holy city,
* Mystery is in the New Testament a thing long hidden, now developed
and disclosed, t Chap, xvii, 18,
J The doom of the apocalyptic Babylon recalls Isa, xiii. xiv. xlvii. ; Jer.
1. li.

346 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
2. The wicked Triad Is broken up and destroyed.
The wild beast and his supporter, the pseudo-prophet, perish
together. After the fall of apostate Christianity there will
StiU be hostility to Jesus Christ on the part of kings and
nations of the earth. Having thrown off a corrupt and Idola
trous religious system, they wUl be averse to all religion, and
resist the claim of Christ to be " King of kings and Lord of
lords." A great contest ensues, to which the hosts are gathered under
the sixth bowl of wrath (chap, xvi. 14), But the actual con
flict does not occur tlU after the faU of Babylon, which Is under
the seventh bowl or vial. * This battle is symbolical, not
literal. We are never to think of the Lord Jesus Christ as
asserting His rightful power on the earth by onsets of cavalry,
or the slaughter of wild beasts, princes, and soldiers, amidst
the screaming of vultures assembled for a ghastly feast The
only sword -wielded by the King of kings Is the sword of His
mouth, and no weapons are seen in the armies from heaven
that follow Him, His sharp mouth-sword or word suffices to
slay the opposing kings and armies — i.e. to subdue and ex
tinguish national opposition to Christ ; but that mouth-sword
has no effect on the beast and the pseudo-prophet It Is not
even applied to them. They are cast alive Into a "pool of fire
and brimstone," Thus these formidable symbols of evil actmty
are committed to an element which totaUy consumes. In other
words, the Influences which they represent and Impersonate
come to such an end that they can never rise or reappear among
the sons of men.
Last of all cotties the doom of the dragon. He has been cast
out of heaven Into the earth.f Let that be the first stage of
his discomfiture. The second wUl be when he Is bound with a
chain and cast into the abyss, there to be confined for a
thousand years. Though sin wUl not be wholly expunged
from the earth during that period, the. active power of the
* Chap. xix. 17-21, t Chap. xii. 9,

REVELATION. 347
tempter will be restrained, and the saints will be free from his
wiles as well as his fiery darts.
But the dragon is to be let loose again, and wickedness will
have a brief revival on the earth, Satan will come out of
prison Incorrigible and Incurable as he entered it — the inveterate
impersonation of malice and deceit Terrible fiend ! The sight
of Eve's innocence stirred In him no pity. The manifestation
of the Son of God brought him to no repentance, A thousand
years of restraint In the abyss teach him no submission. He is
no sooner at large again than he resumes his old employment of
deceiving the nations and assailing the saints.
But the cup of his iniquity is full ; and he reaches the third
and final stage of his discomfiture. The confederacy which he
leads against the holy city Is scattered by devouring fire from
heaven, and then he himself Is overtaken by his doom. " The
devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where also are the beast and false prophet ; and they
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."* After
all his pride and power as god of this world, to this ignomi
nious end must he come, to lie powerless In the baleful pool.
It Is not, as the mediseval notion was (not yet extinct among
us), that the devil is to be a king in hell, tormenting at his
pleasure lost souls of men, but that he himself Is tormented ; as
hitherto the most active of sinners, hereafter the most helpless ;
as more wicked than others, so in the end more miserable.
It Is In many respects a gloomy theme that we have discussed,
but it is one that may not be omitted or ignored. It certainly
conflicts with that complacent philosophy of history which
bids us look forward to unbroken progress and Improve
ment The Bible, and this book especiaUy, while giving to our
hope brighter prospects than any human philosophy or even
poetry has conceived, warns us of enemies that wUl never be
reconciled to God, and must be punished, and of apostasy
which will incur the heavy judgment of the Almighty. We
* Chap, XX, 10,

348 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
wait for His judgments, because without them the brighter
prophecies can never be fulfilled.
" Haste then, and wheel away a shattered world,
Ye slow-revolving seasons ! We would see
A world that does not dread or hate Christ's laws,
¦Where violence shall never lift the sword,
Nor cunning justify the proud man's wrong.
Leaving the poor no remedy but tears.''

( 349 )

REVELATION.
No, IV,
consummations.
Through dark vistas of judgment our thoughts are conducted
to wonderful results of brightness and peace. The marriage of
the Lamb, the mUlennial reign, the beloved city of the saints,
paradise restored, a new heaven and new earth, the end of pain
and sorrow, the everlasting kingdom, all dependent on and
secured by the appearing of Jesus Christ — such are the glorious
issues of this Book of prophecy.
The subject is one which ought to be treated with much
circumspection and caution, for two reasons —
(i,) We must not be positive about the order of time.
Prophecy is not so constructed as to map out the future In
chronological succession to every eye. The prophetic glance
may dart from one salient point to another, leaping over long
intervals of time ; and we may not speak of one future event
foUowing closely on another but with great diffidence. It is
also to be remembered that the events of our own era were
veiled from students of Old Testament prophecy as regards the
order of accomplishment ; and this should serve as a warning
against confident assertions of the exact course of fulfilment
awaiting the Apocalyptic predictions In this Book,
(2,) There Is a serious difficulty about the second coming of
Christ, Many passages In both Testaments connect His advent
with the establishment of His kingdom on the earth ; and it Is
taught in the 19th chapter of this Book that He will be re-

350 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
vealed from heaven with attendant saints before the mlUen
nlum ; that He wUl then subdue His enemies, and introduce a
reign of righteousness and peace. There are, however, many
other passages, of equal authority, which describe our Lord as
coming with flaming fire to judge the world; and the last
judgment is certainly after the millennium.* On this Inter
preters have broken into parties, as pre-miUenniallsts and post-
millennlallsts ; and then, as is not uncommon in controversy,
each party, occupying itself with the parts of Scripture which
favour Its distinctive theory, becomes more and more confident
In Its own opinion.
We beUeve that both views are true, and have good support
in Holy Writ The language of inspiration regarding the
Parousia of our Lord covers both the pre-millennial and the
post-miUennial view, though In a way which we may not yet
be able to apprehend or explain. Partisans on either side may
demur to this statement, on the ground that the predicted
coming of our Lord is to be one decisive event ; and they may
demand of us to take one side or the other, to choose one horn
of the dilemma ; but we decline to admit any dilemma in the
case. It is not within the power of man to tell us now what
may or may not be enclosed within the truth and fact of the
Lord's second coming. Only the future can determine. The
prophecy regarding Messiah In the Old Testament seemed to
intimate only one advent for all purposes ; but we now perceive
that It covered a double advent, a coming In weakness, and a
coming in power; a coming to suffer, and a coming to reign.
There is no reason why the prophecy in the New Testament
regarding the second advent may not unfold a double Import ;
the more so that the language touching the resurrection of the
dead, though often seeming to point to one event, unfolds a
double Import, a resurrection of the just, and a subsequent up
rising of the unjust.
It is clear that Christ wiU come to quell His adversaries,
reward His servants, and bring in millennial peace; but It is
* Chap, XX, 1 1- 15,

REVELATION. 351
not clear whether or not that appearing will be visible to the
world at large. Enough that It wUl be quite appreciable by
His saints. He wiU interpose in such a way that they who
f oUow Him in the great battle of God Almighty, will know right
well Who It is by whom they are led, and to whom the victory Is
due ; and they who reign In life upon or over the earth wlU
know weU who It Is with whom they reign as kings and priests
to God, But this does not exhaust the prophecy of His appear
ing. At the last day He wlU come In His glory, seen by every
eye, to judge the quick and the dead. Let us endeavour to
keep all this trath honestly in mind. Much better retain all
the affirmations of Scripture concerning the second advent, even
though we may be at a loss to adjust them together, or see their
consistency, than take one or the other half of what the Bible
has said, and arrive at a very simple view and positive conclusion,
through means of a one-sided, partial interpretation.
With the caution which these considerations teach, let us try
to group together the lessons of the Apocalypse regarding the
things hoped for,
I, The millennial blessedness. Whether or no one thousand
ordinary solar years are Intended, a definite period Is fixed,
during which the meek shaU " Inherit the earth," and the king
dom under the whole heaven shall be " given to the people of
the saints of the Most High."
Strange to say, there are those, and some of them Interpreters
of great reputation, who hold that this period is already past.
But any explanation of the millennium which makes It enclose
the dark ages of Europe, Is to us incredible ; and nothing but
respect for some of those who have propounded such a view
prevents our caUing it absurd. Others (as Dean Vaughan) take
it to be an indefinite expression for the whole Christian dispensa
tion ; but this puts the whole Book out of joint, and creates
far more difficulty than it removes.
All we know about the future mUlennlum Is, that the saints
shaU no longer suffer on the earth, but reign. The Church,

352 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
which Is the bride of the Lamb, wUl shine forth in glorious
perfection. Here, again, symbol Is heaped upon symbol The
" Wife made ready " is seen as a holy and beautiful city,* in
contrast to the harlot who has been judged, and who also
appeared as a city cruel and impure.
The vision of Holy Jerusalem recalls a similar one in the
Book of Ezekiel, t When that prophet was in exUe, and the
city of Jerusalem was desolate, he was " brought in the -visions
of God Into the land of Israel," and set upon " a very high
moimtain, by which was the frame of a city on the south," He
proceeds to describe that ideal city and its temple. Now was
John in exUe, and Jerusalem lay desolate ; and he was taken
" in the spirit," or in the visions of God, " to a great and high
mountain," where he saw Jerusalem in splendour " descending
out of heaven from God,"
The city described has within it the glory of God ; a bright
ness as of jasper, or rather of what we caU the diamond, clear
as crystal, A city gate in the east was the seat and symbol of
justice and power. This city has twelve magnificent gates,
each one " a several pearl," The gatekeepers are holy angels.
The names Inscribed on the gates are those of the twelve tribes
of Israel, God's covenant people, in contrast with the "names
of blasphemy " seen on the mystic Babylon,
The foundations of the waUs are twelve precious stones ; and
on them are inscribed " the names of the twelve Apostles of the
Lamb," not one, as St Peter, but aU the twelve complete.
This indeed is noble fame. Where are the names of those who
treated the Apostles with contumely as the offscouring of all
things? The high priests and elders who imprisoned them,
the emperors and govemors who sat in judgment on them,
where wiU their names be found ? In obUvion or in infamy ?
But the very foundations of the city of God must cramble away
before the names of the twelve Apostles can be lost
The waU Is great and high : and the city Itself a cube of
unparaUeled size. That which Ezekiel saw was very vast, as
, ¦*. Chaps, xix, 7, 8, xx. 9, xxi, 9, &c, f Ezek. xl.

REVELATION. 353
measured by an angel. But we are not to Uterallse the
measurements in one case or the other. In Hebrew sym
bolism, all consideration of symmetrical form is subordinated
to that of religious significance. And It is as absurd to mate
rialise the holy Jerusalem as It Is to Uterallse the cherubic
figures. The city is of pure gold, a symbol of entire sacredness. In
Scripture, silver is the metal of commerce; gold of royal
dignity and sacred value. It is especially mentioned that " the
street " Is of pure gold ; not the streets, but the broadway or
place of civic concourse. It is implied that daily intercourse,
public opinion, and social life wUl all be pure and holy to the
Lord, Mere externalism in Divine worship Is ended. No more
need of temples made with hands, for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are the temple of the holy city. Nay, the very
sun and moon shaU be needless In the blaze of Divine glory,
shining on the city of the saints.
There are kings and nations, not dwelling in the city, who
bring offerings and homage to its gates. This, too, is in con
trast with what has been said of great Babylon, which weak
ened the kings of the earth who supported it, and hurt the
prosperity of nations. The crowning glory of Jerusalem in
this vision is its purity. The earth itself will not be purged
bf all impurity tiU It Is renewed by fire ; the nations, even In
millennial times, shall not be free of plagues, for they require
" healing ; " but the city, symbolic of the Church, will admit
no unclean persons, idolaters, or liars, but those only " who are
written In the Lamb's book of life,"
0 blessed Civitas Dei I The ransomed shall see It with still
greater joy than filled the way-worn and war-worn Crusaders,
when at last they looked on the city which had drawn them
from afar, and shouted Jerusalem ! Jerasalem !
The vision is prolonged so as to show us Paradise restored.
The waters of Eden and the tree of life reappear. The former
flow in one shining river from the throne of God and the Lamb
VOL. II, Z

354 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
which Is within the city.* The latter stands " In midst of the
street," or chief place of concourse, open to all the citizens ;
and such trees line both banks of the river, yielding fresh fruit
every month. The curse which feU on man for disobedience In
Eden Is now removed. It is a paradise of obedience. The
servants of God openly honour and serve Him ; therefore they
shine In His light, and reign for ever and ever.
Yet this " for ever." has Its bounds. It goes to the end of
the millennium, but there Is much beyond. We have seen
that there will be, after the saintly reign on the present earth,
a revolt of wickedness. Instigated and led by the devil, a host
of adversaries will surround and threaten " the camp of saints
and the beloved city," But God will defend His own, and
bring all this embattled wickedness to a sudden and terrible
end, "Fire came do-wn out of heaven and devoured them,"
, , , " Whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire," t
Then, for those who are written in the book —
II, .Eternal glory. The farthest stretch into the future
vouchsafed to the seer is that of a new birth of the world which
man inhabits. J Many thinkers and bards of ancient times
sighed for a new birth of nature. This hope is alike In the
Greek philosophers and the Sibylline books. But to us it is
no mere dream of students and poets ; it Is the promise of God
according to St. Peter ; it is the vision that St. John had in
the Spirit ; and we are with the Apostles and prophets when
we look through aU the periods of tribulation and judgment to
that glorious change.
" The first heaven and earth " pass away. These words are
not used with scientific precision. They are in harmony with
the pl^raseology of the first chapter of Genesis, where we read
that " God called the firmament heaven," and " the dry land
* This also isa reproduction of the river which Ezekiel saw issuing from
the sanctuary and giving life whithersoever it flowed. — Ezek. xlvii,
t Chap. XX. 7, 15. J Chap, xxi, r.

REVELATION. 355
iarth," Heaven and earth just express "man's ^dwelling-place,
jvith that element of air In which we move and are enveloped.
We have learned from the Second Epistle of St, Peter that
ihls "passing away" wUl be with a great tumult of fire.
Every one now believes that this globe has undergone In long
past ages more than one great change, ere it was ready to be
peopled by Adam and his descendants. If, as many think, it
(Fas occupied in one or other of Its former conditions by a pre-
idamlte race. It militates not at aU against our faith, rather it
strengthens it by analogy. What we believe is that another
^eat change is to ensue, the present earth 'and sky passing
iway, in order that a new dweUing-place may be prepared for
ihe children of God.
" And I saw a new heaven and a new earth," — the same, yet
not the same, becauseglorlously renewed In symmetry and beauty
by the Almighty power, and adapted to the residence of beings
)f a higher physical, inteUectual, and moral order than the
jhUdren of Adam — viz., the children of the resurrection; a
vorld as far superior to this as this excels the dismal earth that
ixisted before the Creator fitted up Adam's dweUing-place, a
cene of vast thickets and marshy flats, where, through the
;loOm, huge saurlans sought their prey and " dragons tare each
ither in the slime,"
In the arrangement of heaven and earth described In Genesis,
.he sea has prominent mention' ; but In the new home of the
jlessed, St. John saw "no more sea;" no separating waste of
ariny waters ; sweet fountains and rivers of pleasures, but no
;ruel, restless, stormy sea.
The saints are gathered to God in safety whUe the old world
!s being wrapped In fire and the new world Is born. Then they
iccupy it. The holy city, new Jerusalem,* comes "down from
3rod out of heaven," At last Abraham's vision of faith is
I
* Observe the distinction in name between the millennial city (chap, xxi,
[o) and the eternal city (chap. xxi. 2). At chapter xxi. 9, the revolving
ivheel takes us back from the new earth to the millennial peace on the pre
sent earth.

356 SYNOPTICAL LECTURES.
reaUsed to the full; "a city which has foundations, whose
builder and maker is God," The mlUennial saints, and aU the
holy ones of all time, have a congenial home, God Is with
them, for the era is reached when Christ shaU have delivered up
the kingdom, and " God shall be aU In all," There Is no more
death or even pain, and sorrow Is ended, all tears having been
divinely wiped away. If this world has been a vale of tears,
a bed of pain, a field of death. It shall have its bright counter
part in that world where joy Is fuU, anguish unfelt, death
impossible. At the same time that these glowing prospects are disclosed,
it is most distinctly and carefully laid down that they belong to
none but the holy and obedient, "He th^t overcometh shall
inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My
son ; but to the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and
murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, their part shall be in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone ; which is the second death."
The epilogue to the Book of Revelation (chap, xxii, 6-21)
corresponds to its brief prologue. It enforces the authority of
the Book, and emphasises the hope of the Lord's coming. The
order of speech in it seems to be this : —
The angel, v, 5. The Lord, v. 7. The seer, v. 8.
„ v. 9-11. „ v. 11-20, „ V, 20, 21,
The angel (of chap. I. 1) dwells on the faithfulness and truth
of the Revelation. The Lord says, " Behold, I come quickly,"
and pronounces a blessing on him who keeps the sayings of
this Book, The seer adds his testimony, " I John am he that
heard and saw these things,"* Again the angel announces the
imminence of the things revealed, and draws a deep line between
the righteous and the wicked. The Lord repeats the intimation
of His coming ; proclaims Himself the first and the last ; defines
who they are that wlU be admitted into the holy city, and who
* Notice the same turn of expression in John xxi. 24 and i John i, 1-3.

REVELATION. 357
will be shut out, warns against all tampering with " the words
of the book of this prophecy ; " and then, for the third time,
declares, "Yes, I come quickly," The seer replies with the
grand and simple prayer, "Amen. Yes come. Lord Jesus !"*
The twenty-second chapter is a noble conclusion of the Book,
and the Book a noble conclusion of the Bible. The last sweet
note of a piece of music dwells in the listener's ear. Even
though in a lengthened piece there may have been many
varieties of musical expression, and among these wild piercing
strains and pealing tumults of sound, the composer and per
former take care to produce the last notes round and soft, to
fill, soothe, and satisfy the sense. And may not this Book of
prophecy be likened to a mighty oratorio In which there Is one
all-prevailing, oft-recurring air, " Behold, the Lord cometh ! " ?
There is a splendid burst of sound, then a sustained difficult
passage, then a gentle or a pensive melody; now a solemn
recitative, and then a high strain and grand chorus of sublimity,
in which, from the open heavens, myriads of voices join. But
as this magnificent composition draws to a close, the notes are
loving, simple, and sweet. After ecstasies that move every
power of the Imagination and every feeling of the heart, all Is
ended In a prayer that Christ would come, and a kindly bene
diction of all saints. So terminates not this Book only, but
the Bible, the complete book of God, and therefore the book of
love. The words fall with soothing cadence, and Unger with
us when more brilliant passages are lost " The grace of the
Lord Jesus be with the saints,"
* Compare John xxi. 23.

THE END.

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YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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