¦ass 4 YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY (^J^:>^Jli^ ^^ -^ ^» ^^^^^^ -/ip^s: A NEW LITERAL TRANSLATION FROM THE ORIGINAL GREEK, OF AU. THB APOSTOLICAL EPISTLES. WITH ' A COMMENTARY, AND NOTES, PHILOLOGICAL, CRITICAL, EXPLANATORY, AND PRACTICAL. TO WHICH IS ADDEDi A HISTOEY OF THE LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL. BY JAMES MACKNIGHT, D.D, AUTHOR OF A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS, &C. IN SIX VOLUMES. TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, VOL. VI. BOSTON : PUBLISHED BY W. WELLS AND T. B.WAIT *¦ Co. T. B. Wait and Co. Printers. 1810. YALE CONTENTS OF THE SIXTH VOLUME. 1 JOHN, p. 1, -T RBFACE Sect I. The history of John II. The authenticity of this epistle established .m. Of the state of the church when it was written, andof John's design in writing it IV. Ofthe time and place Jof writing il V. Ofthe persons for whom it was designed. 2 JOHN, p. 126. Preface Sect. I. Of the authenticity of this epistle II. Ofthe person to whom it was written HI. Of John's design in writing it. Of the Ebio nites and Gnostics. Conclusion, in which the love, which John so strong ly inculcates, is described. 3 JOHN, p. 145. Preface Sect. I. Of the autlieiiticity of this epistle II. Ofthe person to whom it was written UI. Ofthe purpose for which it was written, and of the persons mentioned in it IV. Of the date ofthe 2d and 3d epis tles of John . JUDE, p. 167. Preface Sect. I- The history of Jude II. This epistle was written by Jude the apostle III. Of the persons to whom it was written, and of its date rv. Ofthe occasion of writing it. Supplement to Essay IV. p. 213. Essay viii On the right interpretation of the language of scripture....- Sect. I. Of the method in which language was at first formed......II. Of picture-writing, and of its influence in the formation ofthe primitive lan guages III.' Of the allegorical manner of writing. Ofthe proper alle gory as set forth in a verbal description. Of the proper allegory as set forth in a dream, or in a vision IV. Of conveying instruction by signi ficant actions V. Of instruction by actions and events happening in the ordinary course of things, p. 224; A History of the Life ofthe Apostle Paul, "by whom the Gentiles were con verted : To which are added, Proofs and Illustrations, p. 273. A NEW LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN. PREFACE. SECTION I. The History of John the Apostle. J OHN the writer of this epistle and of the gospel which bears his name, was the son of Zebedee, a fisher who had a boat, and nets, and hired servants, Mark i. 20, and followed his occupa tion on the sea of Galilee. — From Matt, xxvii. 55. compared with Mark xv. 40. it appears that the name of Zebedee's wife was SalomS ; for in the former of these passages, she is called the mother of Zebedee's children, who in the latter is named Salome. — Zebedee had another son whose name was James, and who seems to have been elder than John. Both of them were fishers like their father, and assisted him in his business, till they were called to follow Jesus. — They seem all to have lived in one family in the town of Bethsaida, which being situated near the sea of Galilee, was a convenient station for fishers. Because the mother of Zebedee's children, is mentioned among the women who followed Jesus from Galilee to the last pass- over, ministring to him, as related, Matt, xxvii. 56. Lardner con jectures, that Zebedee was then dead, andthat the two brothers lived in separate houses. For when our Lord, upon the crosS) recommended his mother to John, it is said, John xix. 37. From that hour that discifile took her unto his oivn home. Perhaps John and his mother Salom^ lived together. — Theophylact was of opi nion that John's mother was related to our Lord: And Lardner, whom I have generally followed in giving John's history, sup poses that that relation encouraged her to ask the tvyo chief VOL. VI. 1 2 PEEFACE TO THE FIRST Sect. I.^ places in Christ's kingdom for her sons; and that it was the occa sion of our Lord's committing the care of his mother to John, But there is no evidence in scripture of Zebedee's children be ing related to our Lord by their mother. John had not the advantage of. a leamed education. For we are told, Acts iv. 13; that the Council perceived Peter and John were unlearned men. Nevertheless, like the generality of the Jewish common people of that age, they may have been well acquainted with the scriptures; having often heard them lead in the synagogues. And as with the rest of their countrymen, tbey expected the coming of the Messiah about that time, they lent a willing ear to the Baptist, when he published, that Messiah was actually eome, though the people did not knO'W him, John i. 26. — Aferward when the Baptist pointed out Jestts to his dis ciples, ver. 29. as the lamb of God who taketh away the sin ofthe world, he said to them, ver. 53. I knew him not to he Messiah, but he who sent me to bafitize with water the .tame said to me, ufioh whom, thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaiiiing on him, the same is he who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost, 34. .^nd I saw and bare record ihat this is the Son of God. If the sons of Zebedee were of the number of those to whom John testified that Jesus was the Son cf God, we may believe they attached themselves early to him, and were among those who are called his disciples, and to whom he manifested his glory at tbe marriage in Cana, by turning water into wine, John ii. 1 1. After the miracle in Cana, the sons of Zebedee seem to have followed their ordinary occupation, till Jesus called them to at tend on him constantly, as mentioned. Matt. iv. For the evan gelist having related the calling of Peter and Andrew, adds, ver. 2 1 . And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father mending their nets ; arid he called them, 22, and they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him ; namely, when he went about all Galilee, teachin.g in their synagogues, and preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people. Some time after this, Jesus chose twelve of his disciples to be with him always, that they might be eye and ear-witnesses of all he did and said, and be qualified to testify the same to the world; and in particular, qualified to bear witness to his re- Sect. I. EPISTLE OF JOHN. 3 surrection from the dead. These chosen persons Jesus named apostles ; and the sons of Zebedee being of that number, he sir- named them Boanerges, arsons oJ' thunder, to mark the courage with which they would afterwards preach him to the world, as Christ the Son of God — How well James fulfilled his Master's prediction, maybe known from his being put to death by Herod Agrippa not long after our Lord's ascension, on account of his boldly testifying the resurrection of Jesus from the dead ; so that he became the first martyr among the apostles — Cave in his life of James, says the sons of Zebedee had the sirname of Bo anerges given them, on account of the impetuosity of their tem pers. And it must be acknowledged that they shewed too much anger. In their proposal to have the Samaritans destroyed by fire from heaven, because they refused to receive Jesus, as he was going up to Jerusalem to worship, I>uke ix. 54. Lord wilt thou, that we command Jire to come domnfrom heu'vcn, and con» sume them, even as Elijah did? But although James and John shewed improper zeal on the occasion mentioned, they were highly esteemed by tlieir Master, for their other good qualities ; as appears from this, that of all the apostles they only, with Peter, were admitted by him to be the witnesses of the resurrection of Jairus's daughter, and of our Lord's transfiguration, and of his agony in the garden. John more especiaUy was so much beloved of Jesus, that he was call ed the disciple whom he loved, — His benevolent disposition John manifested in this his first epistle, by the frequency and earnest ness with which he recommended mutual love to the disciples ofChrist. — With benevolence, John joined great fortitude and constancy in his attachment to his Mastei-. For he only of the twelve, attended him during his crucifixion ; and saw the blood and water issue from his side, when the soldier pierced it with a sjjear ; and, I doubt not, was present when his body was laid in the sepulchre ; and saw the sepulchre closed with a stone — - He with Peter, ran to the sepulchre, when Mary Magdalen brought word that the Lord's body was taken away. — He was present also when Jesus shewed himself to his apostles, on the evening of the day of his resurrection ; and on the eighth day thereafter. — He with his brother James, was present when Jesus shewed himself to his disciples at the sea of Tiberias ; and to the five hundred on the mountain in Galilee, mentioned Matt, xxviii. 16. Moreover,- he was present with the rest ofthe apos tles, when our Lord ascended into heaven from the mount cf 4 PREFACE TO THE FIRST Sect. I. Olives. So that, with the greatest propriety and truth, he could begin his first epistle with saying. That which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen, &c. we de clare unto you ; referring to his gospel, in which he hath nar rated the crucifixion, miracles, sufferings, death, and resurrec tion of the living Word ; his appearances to his disciples after his resurrection ; and last of all, his ascension into heaven. — To Conclude, John was one of the one hundred and twenty upon whom the Holy Ghost descended, on the day of Pentecost which immediately followed our Lord's ascension. After the effusion ofthe Holy Spirit, John displayed the greatest boldness in maintaining his master's cause, when with Peter he was brought before the council, and was strictly charged not to teach in the name of Jesus. For on that occasion, he made the noble answer recorded, Act. iv. 19, Whether it be right in the sight of God to har ken unto ¦you rather than unto God, judge ¦ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have heard and seen. We are told. Acts viii. 14. That when the apostles who nuere at Jerusalem, heard that Samaria had received the word of Godj they sent to them Peter and John, that they might receive the Holy Ghost, It seems none could confer that gift but apostles. From Gal. ii. 9. it appears that John was present at the coun cil of Jerusalem, wbich met A. I>. 49. or 50. to determine the great question agitated in the church of Antioch; namely, whether it was necessary to the salvation of the believing Gentiles, that they should be circumcised.— -And if, as is probable, John had his ordinary residence in Jerusalem till that time, he had his share in working the many signs and wonders, which are said to have been done by the hands of the apostles, Acts ii. 43. iv. 33. v. 12. We are told, Rev. i. 9. That John was banished to the Isle of Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus. In that island, he was favoured wilh the visions, which he hath re corded in his book of the Revelation. The foregoing particulars concerning John, are all mentioned in the Neiw Testament. The fathers in their writings add, that John lived to a great age ; that he spent the latter part of hiS life mostly at Ephesus the metropolis of the province of Asia • that the Roman emperor Domitian banished him to Patmos about the year 95 ; consequently after the destruction of Jerusalem, But Grotius and Sir Isaac Newton, place John's banishment to Sect. I. EPIStLti OF' /Ofitf. 5! Patmos, th'e fbriiier iri the reign of Claudius, the Mtgr in the reign of Nero : cortsequently before the destruction of J'erusalerft. And in support of their opinion, they allege some testimonies of later writers, together with other particulars : But Lardner, Can.,vol. 1. p. 359. — 377. hath shewed, that these things are insufiicient for establishing the early date of John's banishment. He therefore adheres to the common opinion, that John was banished to Patmos, by Domitian's edict for persecuting the Christians, published in the latter part of his reign, A. D. 95. Domitian died September 18. A. D. 96. and was succeeded by Nerva, in the first year of whose reign, if not sooner, John being released, returned to Ephesus, where, according to the ancients, he died in the third year of the Emperor Trajan, an swering to A. D. IGO. Or, as Jerome expresses it, he died in the 68th year after our Lord's passion ; which was the third of Trajan. Wherefore, if Lampe's opinion is well founded, that John was born in the same year with his master, he must have been an hundred years old when he died. The time of John's leaving Judea is unknown. But, as in Luke's history of Paul's travels, John is not mentioned, and no salutation is sent to him in any of the epistles which Paul wrote from Rome to the churches of Asia, not even in his epistle to the Ephesians, nor in the epistles which in the latter part of his life he wrote to Timothy in Ephesus, it is reasonable to think, that John was not at Ephesus while Paul was alive. I there fore am of their opinion, who suppose that John remained in Judea, from the time of the council of Jerusalem, till he saw Jerusalem encompassed with armies, and observed the other signs of its aproaching destruction foretold by his Master ; that he then fled into Asia ; and coming at length to Ephesus, he fixed his ordinary residence in that city, and abode there till his death ; as all the ancient Christian writers testify. — Because none of these writers say our Lord's raother went with John into Asia, Cave, Basnage, and Lardner, conjecture that she died before John left Judea. The other particulars, said by the ancients to have happened to John after he settled at Ephesus, it is needless to mention ; as some of them are not sufficiently attested, and others of them are embellished with circumstances evidently fabulous. Yet, if the reader is desirous to know, what ancient authors have re ported concerning our apostle after he went into Asia, he will 6 PREFACE TO THE FIRST ^^°'^- ^ find the passages of their writings, in which these things are mentioned, quoted by Lardner, Canon, vol. 1. beginnuig.at page 349. SECTION IL Of the Authenticity ofthe First Epistle of John. The authenticity of any ancient writing is established, First, by the testimony of contemporary, and of succeeding authors, whose works have come down to us ; and who speak of that writing, as known to be the work of the person whose name it bears Secondly, by the suitableness of the things contained in such a writing, tb the character and circumstances of its sup posed author ; and by the similarity of its style, to the style of the other acknowledged writings of that author — The former of these proofs is called the external evidence of the authenticity. ofa writing : The latter its internal evidence. Where these two kinds of evidence are found accompanying any writing, they ren der its genuineness indubitable. The external evidence of the authenticity of John's first epis tle shall be laid before the reader in the preface to the second epistle, sect. 1. by shewing that the earliest and best Christian writers, have all with one consent, and without any hesitation, ascribed. the first epistle to him. And their testimony is con- firnied by this circumstance, that the Syriac translator who omit ted the second epistle of Peter, the second and third epistles of John, and the epistle of Jude, because some doubts were enter tained concerning them in the first age, or perhaps because they had not come to his knowledge, hath translated John's first epistle, as an apostolical writing of which there never was any doubt. In this preface, therefore, we shall state the internal evidence of the authenticity of the first epistle ascribed to John, by shew ing. First, that in respect of its matter ; and Secondly, that 'm respect of its style, it is perfectly suitable to the character and circumstances of its supposed author. — In respect of the matter or subject of the epistle under consideration, the writer of it hath discovered himself to be John the apostle, by introducing a num ber of sentiments ahd expressions found in the gospel, which all Christians from the beginning, have acknowledged to be the work of John the apostle. SECT. 2. EPISTLE OF JOHN. Epistlk. CHAP. I. 1. That which was from the beginning — i eiia- T»fti6», which we have contem plated — concerning the living word. II. 5. Whosoever keepeth his word, truly in that man the love of God is perfected. II. 6. He who saith he a- bideth in him, ought himself al so so to walk, even as he walk ed. See chap. iii. 24. iv. 13. 16. II. 8. I write to you a new commandment. in. 11. This is the mes sage which ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. II. 8. The darkness pass eth away, and the light which is true, now shineth. 10. Abideth in the light, and there is no stumbling-block to him. II. 13. Young children, I write to you, because ye have known the Father. 14. Because ye have known him from the beginning. II. 29. Eveiy one who work eth righteousness, is begotten of God. See also iii. 9. v. 1. III. 1. Behold how great love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God ! Gospel, Chap, I, 1. In the beginning was the word. 14. And, tS- tcift,sS^cc, we beheld his glory. 4, In him was life, 14, The word was made flesh. XIV", 23, If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, XV, 4, Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bring forth fruit of itself, ex cept it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. XIII. 34. A new command ment I give to you, that ye love one another as I have loved you. I, 5. The light shineth in darkness. 9. That was the true light, XI, 10, If a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light to him. XVII. 3. This is the eternal life that they might know thee the only true God. And Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. III. 3. Except a man be be gotten again. 5. Except a man be begotten of water and of the Spirit. I. 1 2. To them he gave pow er to become the sons of God, even to them who believe oti his name. 8 PREFACE TO THE FIRST III. 2, We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Ill, 8, He who worketh sin is ofthe devil ; for the devil sin neth from the beginning. III. 13. Do not wonder, my brethren, that the world hateth you, IV, 9. By this the love of God was manifested, that God sent his Son, the only begotten, into the world, that we might live through him, IV, 12. No man hath seen God at any time. V. 13. These things I have written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life ; and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. V. 1 4. If we ask any thing according to his will, he hear eth us. V, 20, The son of God is come, and hath given us an un derstanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Sect. 2. XVIL 24. Be with me •where I am, that they may be- hold my glory, VIII, 44. Ye are of your father the devil — He was a murderer from the beginning. XV, 20. If they have perse cuted me, they will also per secute you, III, 16. God so loved tlie world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life. I. 18. No man hath seen God at any time, XX, 3 1 , These things are writ ten that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name, XIV, 1 4. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it, XVII. 2. Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him, 3. And this is the eternal life, that, they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. From the above comparison of tlie first epistle of John with his gospel, there appears such an exact agreement of sentiment in the two writings, that no reader who is capable of discerning what is peculiar in an author's turn of thinking, can entertain the least doubt of their being the productions of one and the same writer. Farther, since John hath not mentioned his own Sect. . EPISTLE OF JOllN. 9 name in his gospel, the want of his name in the epistle, is no proof that it was not written by him ; but rather a presumption that it is his, especially as he hath sufficiently discovered him- 'self to be an apostle, by affirming in the beginning of the epistle, that he was an eye and ear witness, of the things which he hath written concerning the living Word. 2. The style pf this epistle, being the same with the style of the gospel of John, it is, by th^t internal mark, likewise shewed to be his writing. — In his" gospel John doth not content himself with simply affirming or denying a thing, but to strengthen his affirmation he denieth its contrary. In like manner to strengthen his denial of a thing, he affirms its contrary. See John i. 20. iii. 36, v. 24, vi, 22. The same manner of expressing things strongly, is found in the epistle. For example, chap,ii, 4, . He who saith I have known Aim, and doth not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.— "Ver. 27. The same unction teacheth you concerning alt things, and is truth, and is no lie.— Ch^p. iv. 2. livery spirit, which confesseth Jesus Christ haih come in tJie flesh, is from God. 3. And every spirit, which doth not confess Jesus Christ hath come in the flesh, is not from God. In bis gospel likewise, John, to express things emphatically, frequently uses the demonstrative pronoun, This. — Chap. i. 19. AvTvi, This is the testimon-y.— iii. 19. Avrt;, This is the condemna tion, that Ught, &c vi. 29. "Vurt, This is the work of God. — ver. 40. T«T«, This is the will of him. — ver. 50. 'Owtos, This ist he bread which came down from heaven.— -^iv'ii. 3. Aut?;, This is the life eternal. — In the epistle, the same emphatical manner of ex pression is found, chap. i. 5. ii. 25 — This is the promise.— iii. 23, AvTn, This is his commandment . — v, 3, Ai;tjj, This is the love of God.—\ei: 4, This is the victory. ~-\er. 6, 'Ovroi, This is be who came by water. — ver, 14, This is the boldness whicli we have with him. Such is the internal evidence, on which all Christians, from the beginning, have received the first epistle of John, as really written by him, and of divine authority, although his name is not mentioned in the inscription, nor in any part of the epistle, VOL. VI. 2 10 ' PHEFACE TO THE FIRST Sect.5' SECTION III. Ofthe State of the Christian Cliurch, at the Time John wrote his First Epistle i and ofhis Design in writing it. The apostle John, having lived to see great corruptions, both in doctrine and practice, introduced into the church, by many who professed themselves the disciples of Christ, employed the last years of his life in opposing these corruptions. For he wrote his three epistles, to establish the truths concerning the person and offices of Christ, and to condemn the errors then prevailing contrary to these truths. Also to repress the lewd practices, for the sake of which these errors were embraced.->- Besides, he considered that his testimony to the truths concern ing the person and offices of Christ, together with his direct condemnation of the opposite errors, published to the world in his inspired writings, would be of singular use in preserving the faithful from being seduced by the false teachers and other corrupters of Christianity, who in future ages might arise and trouble the church. See the preface to James, Sect. 4, The heretical teachers who infested the church in the first age, finding Messiah called in the Jewish scriptures, God, and the Son of God, thought it impossible that he could be made fiesh. In this sentiment, these teachers followed the Jewish chief priests, elders, and scribes, who being assembled in full council, unanimously condemned Jesus as a blasphemer, because being a man, he called himself Christ- the Sen ofthe blessed God. See 1 John v. 5. note. Upon this decision, one class ofthe an cient false teachers founded their error concerning the person of Christ. For, while they acknowledged his divinity, they denied his humanity ; that is, the reality of his appearing' in the flesh, (See 1 John iv. 2, 3. v. 1.) and contended, that his body was only a body in appearance ; that he neither suffered nor died ; and that he did none of the things related of him in the gospel. .He seemed indeed to do these things, which, in their opinion, was a sufficient foundation for the evangelists to relate them as done by him. But their reality as matters of fact, thfey abso lutely denied. More particularly, having affirmed that he died only in appearance, they denied his having made, a propitiation for the sins of the world by his death, chap, ii, 2, They likewise denied, that he arose from the dead and ascended into heaven. In short, according to them, the things ascribed to Jesus in the Sect. 3. EPISTLE OF JOHN. 11 gospels, w6rc altogether imaginary. This was the opinion of Basilides, and of all the heretics in the first age to whom the fathers have given the name ofDocette, or Phantasiastx ; but who by the apostle John are more emphatically called, antichrists, chap.iv. 3. because they were opposers ofChrist as come in the flesh. — By pretending that Christ suffered death only in ap pearance, the Docetae endeavoured to avoid the ignominy of the crucifixion of their Master, and to free themselves from that obligation to suffer for th'eir religion, which was laid on them both by Christ's precept and example. On the other hand, the Cerintliians and Ebionites adopted a doctrine concerning the Christ, which, though contrary to that just now described, was equally erroneous. They acknowledged the reality of the things written in the gospels concerning Jesus. But like many in modern times, who' admit nothing as true which they are not able to comprehend, they denied that Jesus was the Chri^st or Son of God, chap, ii, 22, because they could not reconcile the things which happened to him, with their idea of the Son of God. This class of heretics were said by the fathers Avut t«» Ioo-bv, to dissolve Jesus. See chap. iv. 3. note 1. end. For they affirmed, that Christ entered into Jesus at his baptism in the form of a dove, but flew away from him befijre hU passion — B. Horsley,in let. xiv, to Dr,Priestley, saith, " The Cerinthians held, that Christ being restored to Jesus after " his resurrection, it rendered the man Jesus an object of divine " honours,-" They believed it seems that Jesus was originally and essentially a man; and that whatever divinity he possessed was adventitious, consequently was separable from him. The former sort of false teachers having denied the human ity, and the latter the divinity of our Lord, the apostle John to confirm all the disciples in the belief of the truth concerning the person and offices of Christ, wrote this his first epistle, in which he expressly asserted that Jesus Christ is the Sen of God, chap. i. 3, 7, iv, 15, and that he came in the flesh. See chap. iv, 2, note. Here let it be observed, that the opinions of the Docetae, on the one hand, and of the Cerinthians on the other, concerning the person and offices ofChrist, make it probable that the apostles taught, and that the first Christians believed Christ to be both God and man. For if the Docetae had not been taught the' divinity of Christ!, they had no temptation to deny his humanity. 12 PREFACE TO THE FIRST Sect. 3- And if the Cerinthians had not been taught the huraanity of Christ, they would have been under no necessity of denying his divinity. But fancying it impossible that both p^rts of the apostle's doctrine concerning the Christ could be true, the one class of he«3tics to maintain his divinity, thought themselves obliged to deny his humanity, and the other to maintain his humanity, supposed it necessary to deny his divinity. — ^To this argument by which it is rendered probable that the apostles taught, and the first Christians believed Jesus Christ to be both God and,«ian, the Socjnians perhaps will reply, that the mem bers of the church of Jerusalem being called Ebionites by the ancients, is a proof, not only that the church of Jerusalem held the opinion of Ebion concerning the mere humanity of Christ, but that the apostles who planted and instructed that church held the same opinion ; because it is natural to suppose that the faith of the teachers and of the disciples on this article was the same, consequently that the apostles themselves were Unita rians. Nevertheless, from the account which Origen hath given of the brethren of the church of Jerusalem, who he tells us were called Ebionites by the ancients, it appears that this name, as applied to the Hebrew Christians, by no means leads to these conclusions. For in his second book against Celsus, sect. I, in answer to the Jew, who alleged that the Jewish Christians, being deceived by Christ, had forsaken the laws and institutions of their fathers, and gone over to a different name and manner of living, Origen affirmed, " That they had not forsaken the law " of their fathers, but lived according to it, being named from " the poorness of the law ; (he means, named Ebionites) for a " poor person is called by the Jews, Ebion. Hence, those of " the Jews who received Jesus, are called Ebionites." The Jewish believers therefore, according to Origen, were called Ebionites, not because they held the opinion of Ebion concerning the mere humanity of Christ, but because they adhered to the law of Moses, and expected only the poor temporal rewards which were promised in that law. Whereas the proper Ebionites were those who had a low opinion of the person of Christ. So Eusebius informs us,E,H. lib. 3. c. 27. "The ancients called them ^' Ebionites, who entertained a poor and low notion of Christ ; " for they thought him only, .?i,t<,v kxi y^tui, a simple and common « man."— Farther, admitting that the argument taken from the appellation of Ebionites, which was given by the ancients to th^ Sect, 3. EPISTLE OF JOHN, 13 members of the church of Jerusalem, were well founded, it would not prove that all, or even the greatest part of them, held the doctrine of the mfere humanity of Christ. For in compre hending the whole body of the Hebrew Christians under the appellation of Ebionites, Origen himself acknowledgelh in the third section ofthe same second book, that he wrote incorrectly, since he there distinguishes the Hebrew Christians into three sects, one of which, he tells us, discarded the law entirely; consequently they were not Ebionites, but orthodox Christians. The same distinction Jerome hath made in his commentary on Isaiah ix. 1, 2, 3, where he speaks of .Hebrews believing in Christ, and as a class of people distinct from them mentions Mzzarenes, who observed the law, but despised the traditions of the Pharisees, thought highly of Paul, and held the doctrine of our Lord's divinity. See also his Comment, on Isaiah viii. 14 21. — More than this, although it were granted, for argument's sake, that the brethren of the church of Jerusalem, generally believed the doctrine of Christ's mere humanity, it will not prove that the apostles by whom they were instructed were ofthe same opinion, unless we think the Hebrew Christians could not be enticed by false teachers to forsake their first faith. This, it is presumed, no one will affirm who recollects that the Laodiceans are an example of a whole church declining from its first faith, even in the days of the apostles. Rev. iii. 14, — 18, — Lastly, in this question it is of importance to know that the doctrine of the proper Ebionites concerning the mere humanity of Christ, was deemed heretical by the church in the days of Irenseus, who wrote his books against heresies in the year 176 or 177. For in the list which he hath given of heretics, lib. 1 . he places the Ebionites between the Cerinthians and the Nicolaitans, both of them acknowledged heretics. And in his third book he refutes, by testimonies from the scriptures, the opinion of those who affirmed that Christ was a mere man engendered of Jo seph ; which was precisely the opinion of the proper Ebionites. Now if the Ebionsean doctrine concerning the person of Christ, was esteemed by the church heretical so early as in the time of Irenaeus, it could neither be the doctrine of the apostles nor of the first Christians. — Upon the whole, the argument of the Socinians to prove that both the apostles and the first Christians were Unitarians, taken from the members of the church of Jerusalem being called Ebionites by the ancients, is by no means conclusive. 14 PREFACE TO THE FIRST Sect. 3. Besides the heretics above mentioned, there was a third sort who troubled the church in the apostle's days,namedMcolailans, Rev. ii. 15. These, the ancient Christian writers called Gnostics ; because, misunderstanding our Lord's words, John xvii. 3. This is the life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent, they affirmed that nothing was necessary to eternal life, but the knowledge of the true God and of his Son Jesus Christ. With them, therefore, knowledge was the highest, and indeed the only Christian virtue ; and there>- fore, whoever possessed the knowledge of God and of Christ, was sure of salvation, whatever his character and actions might be. — Farther, because the apostle Paul, in his epistles, had taught the doctrine of justification by faith without works of law, these heretics affirmed, that Christ had set men free from the obligation of the law of God as a rule of life ; consequently that in the gospel dispensation believers being under no law whateveV, they sinned not by any thing they did, however con trary it might be to the laws, whether of God or of men. Ac cording to them, the only thing incumbent on believers, in order to their obtaining eternal life, was to abide in Christ ; by which they meant, abiding in the knowledge and profession of the gospel. This impious doctrine, the Nicolaitans anxiously propagated, for the purpose of alluring wicked men to become their disciples, that they might draw money from them, which they spent in gratifying their lusts. Accordingly our Lord, in his' epistle to the church of Pergamos, Rev. ii. 1 4. represents the Nicolaitans as holding the doctrine of Balaam, ro/io, (as Peter ex presses it, 2 Pet. ii. IS. loving the hire of unrighteousness,) taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit whoredom. — Farther, because these ungodly teachers, whilst they inculcated the most immoral doctrines, pretended to be inspired, our Lord gave them the name of Jezabel Ahab's wife, who, being ad dicted to sorcery and divination, was a great favourer bf the prophets of Baal. Perhaps also the Nicolaitans, to gain the reputation of inspired teachers, imitated the prophets of Baal in their extasies. — Our Lord's condemnation of the doctrines and practices of these impostors, we have in the follow ing passage, Rev. ii. 20. Thou, siifferest that woman Jezabei, who calleth her self a prophetess, to teach, and to deceive my servants to commit whoredom, and to eat things sacrificed to /c/o/s.— -Concerning this class of f.ilse teachers, it is proper to remark, tliat their error did Sect. 4. EPISTLE OF JOHN. IS not consist in denying the essential difference between moral good and evil, but in affirming, that Christ having purchased for his people an absolute freedom from the laws both of God and men, they were not bound by any rules of morality, but were at liberty to do what they pleased j so that being incapable of sinning they were not subject to punishment. This doctrine leading its abettors to all manner of licentiousness, our Lord had good reason to say of the Nicolaitans, Rev. ii. 6. that he hated their deeds ; and also their doctrine, ver. 15, The licentious doctrines and abominable practices of the Nicolaitans, being adapted to the corrupt inclinations of the wicked, were eagerly embraced by many, in the latter part of the apostle John's days. He, therefore, judged it necessary in this epistle, to condemn these doctrines and practices, in the plainest and strongest terms. See chap, i, 8. — 10, ii. 1 3. iii. 4. — For a more particular account of the Gnostics, taken from Mosheim, see pref. to the Coloss. sect. 2. paragr. 3, from the end. SECTION IV. . Of the Time when, and the Place where, John wrote his First Epistle, Grotius, Hammond, Whitby, and Benson, think John wrote his first epistle before the destruction of Jerusalem, Benson fixes it to A. D. 68. answering to the I4th year ofthe emperor Nero, not long before the destruction of Jerusalem. This opinion he founds on chap. ii. 18. where the apostle says, young children it is the last hour ; by which Benson understands, the last hour of the duration of the Jewish church and state. But Larape, who supposed this epistle was written after the de struction of Jerusalem, thought the apostle might say, /; is tke last hour, not only before, but after Jerusalem was destroyed Wall in his note on these words, after mentioning that Grotius and Hammond interpreted them of the time immediately pre ceding the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened A. D. 69. adds, " Nor are St. John's words, like those of any one who « was foretelling that event, but rather of one who was speak- " ing of the present state of the Christian religion." — The commentators who suppose this epistle was written before Jerusalem was destroyed, appeal likewise in support of their opinion to chap. ii. 13. Fathers, I write to you, because ye have known kirn frorn the beginning. For this, they think, could be i'g PREFACE TO THE FIRST Sect 4. said only to persons who had seen and conversed with Christ ; of which description there might be many alive, at the time Jerusalem was destroyed. Other commentators assign a much later date to this epistle. — Mill and Le Clerc place it A. D. 91. or 92.— Basnage A. D. 98.— Beausobre and L'Enfant in the end of the first century when John was very old : on which account, they think, he called himself in his second and third epistles. The Elder. — Du Pin was of the same opinion. — Whiston tiiought this and the other two epistles, were written A. D. 81. or 82 — Lampe places the first epistle after the Jewish war was ended, and before the apostle's exile into Patmos. — Lardner also places it after the Jewish war, A. D. 80. or later. My opinion is, that John wrote his first epistle before the destruction of Jerusalem. 1. Because the expression, It is the last hour, may more naturally be understood of the last hour of the duration of the Jewish state, than of any later period ; especially since the apostle adds. And as ye have heard that the antichrist cometh, so now there are many antichrists ; whence we know that it is the last hour : plainly alluding to our Lord's prediction concerning the false teachers, who were to arise be fore the destruction of Jerusalem. — 2. The expression, Ye have known him from the beginning, applies better to the disciples, im mediately before Jerusalem was destroyed, than to the few who may have been ali\(e at the late date assigned to this epistle. For thirty -five years after our Lord's ascension, when Jerusalem was destroyed, there may have been many living, who had seen and conversed with him, during his ministry on earth. Whereas in the year 98. or even in 92. there could not be many alive, who were of that description. In proof however of the late date of John's first epistle, it is alleged, that the heretics who are said by the ancient fathers to have propagated the errors and practised the vices condemned in it, did not arise till after the destruction of Jerusalem. But, though it were true, that Basilides, Cerinthus and the rest, who are mentioned by the fathers as holding the errors, and follow ing the vicious practices, condemned in this epistle, did not arise till after Jerusalem was destroyed, the errors and vices, for which they were infamous, certainly existed in the church be fore that catastrophe. For James speaks of them as prevalent in his time. See the preface to his epistle, sect. 4. And John represents the false teachers, whom he terms antichrists, as the ^ECT. 4. EP13TLE OF JOHN. If very persons who were foretold by Christ to arise before Je rusalem was overthrown, 1 John ii. 18. 1 am, therefore, of opin ion, that Basilides and the rest were mentioned by the fatiiers, not because they were the authors of the heresies ascribed to them, but because they propagated them with great mdustry and success. , As we do not know the precise time when, so neither do we know, with any certainty, the place where John wrote his first epistle. Grotius thought it was written in Patmos, during the apostle's exile there, which he places before the destruction of Jerusalera. But if it was written before that event, which I think is the truth, it is more reasonable to suppose, that it was penned in Judea, about the time the apostle observed the en compassing of Jerusalem with armies, and the other signs of its approaching destruction foretold by his master ; which led him to conclude that the last hour of the Jewish state was come, and to write this letter, to prevent the Christians in Judea from being seduced, by the false Christs and false teachers, who, ac cording to our Lord's prediction, had arisen. If I am right in this conjecture, the persons addressed in'the second chapter under the denomination of little children, young men, andfathers, were the Christians of different standings in the church, who were living in Judea and the neighbouring countries, at that time, for whose salvation the apostle had the most anxious con cern : especially as he speaks of the persons he calls fathers as having seen Christ. However, they were not the only persons for whom this epistle was intended. It was written for the benefit of Christians in general, to preserve them in the truth and to prevent them from following the vicious practices of the false teachers, who had then arisen, or who might afterward arise. But of these things, more in the following section, where the .opinions, both ofthe ancients and moderns, concerning the per sons to whom John's first epistle was written, shall be explained. In this question, it is of some importance to observe, that if John wrote his first epistle in Judea, about the time of the de struction of Jerusalem, and delivered it to the Christians living in that country, as I suppose he did, it will account for its being universally received as his, in the first age, notwithstanding it appeared without any inscription, and did not bear his name in any part of it. For, as he lived among the people for whom it was more immediately intended, and delivered it to some of them personally, they must all have known it to be his. — Be- voL. vr. 3 :a PREFACE TO THE FIRST Sect, 5 sides, after he settled at Ephesus, he had frequent opportunities, during'his long abode there, to acknowledge that epistle as hxs, in the presence of persons who inquired concerning its authen ticity, and whp no doubt reported his acknowledgement to others. Thus the testimony of the brethren in Judea, to whom this epistle was originally delivered, joined with the apostle s ¦ own acknowledgement, published in Asia by the Christians there* could hot fail to establish its authenticity, in such a manner as to occasion its being universally received as his, before the apostle s ¦ decease. — But the second and third epistles of John, being writ ten in the latter part of his life, he did not survive long enough, to establish their authenticity universally, by his own acknow ledgment. Besides, being written to private individuals, we may suppose they remained sometime concealed in their pos session, and did not come abroad so as to occasion much inquiry concerning them, whilst the apostle was alive. — This, I suppose, was the reason that the second and third epistles of John, were doubted of by many in the early ages ; whilst the first was re ceived universally as his, immediately on its publication. SECTION V. Ofthe Persons for whose Use the First Epistle of John was written. Lardner, Can. vol. 5. p. 273. saith of this epistle. "As the " writer does not at the beginning prefix his name, nor any " w.here else mention it in the epistle ; so neither does he des- " cribc, or characterize the persons to whom he writes, by the " name oftheir city, or country, or any such thing." Augustine, Cassiodorius, and Bede, inform us, that the first epistle of John was anciently called, the epistle to the Parthians : as if it had been written to the Jewish believers in the country of Parthia ; which Estius saith lay between the Tigris and the In dies. For in that country, as Josephus informs us Antiq. lib. xxiii. c 12. there were many Jews, of whom, it is. probable, some were converted to Christianity. For Luke, speakii^g of the Jews, vho came to Jerusalem to worship at the feast of Pentecost, which immediately followed our Lord's ascension, and who heard the apostles preach after the Holy Ghost had fallen on them, mentions first of all, Parthians. Estius, following the tradition preserved by Augustine, was of opinion, that as Peter wrote hjs epistle to the strangers of the Sect. S. EPISTLE OP JOHN. 19 dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, so John wrote his first epistle to the strangers of the dispersion in Parthia, and the neighbouring countries ; and to persons of all ages in these countries, as he himself testifies, chap. ii. 13. 14. 18. because he had a concern for the salvation of all. Whiston, in his commentary on John's epistles, saith, " None *' of these three epistles of St. John were written to the Par- " thians, as some later Latin writers have supposed : but rather " to the Christians or churches of Asia near Ephesus." This Opinion he supports, " by the perfect silence of all true anti- '* quity, as to St. John's ever preaching in Parthia ; and from " the account which we'have in Eusebius from Origen, that " Parthia was St. Thomas's province, and Asia St. Johns : As " also from the account in the Recognitions ix. 29. That •* Thomas really preached the gospel in Parthia, without a syl- « lable of St. John, thereto relating. All whitih," says he, '' makes it plain, that this pretended direction of any of St. ?' John's epistles to the Parthians, stands on no good authority «' at all. And it is not improbable, that the occasion of this '' error, was barely a false reading in some ancient manuscripts " where a-^»s TrapS-m, to the Parthians, was read for ?r«^3-£va;, to <• the virgins : which latter inscription might easily be applied •" to the first epistle. For as it 'is chiefly addressed to young " Christians, yet uncorrupted both as to fleshly and to spiritual " fornication, such as in St. John's revelations are called " mfS-sMi, virgins : so was the second epistle, anciently affirmed " by some to be written to the virgins : as we learn from Cle- " ment of Alexandria in Cassiodorius," that is, as Lardner ob serves, from Clement's Adumbrations on the Catholic epistles, translated by order of Cassiodorius, But as L'Enfant hath re marked, there is nothing in the second epistle which suits vir gins, more than other Christians. Oecumenius, in his comment uixin the last verse of this Epistle, says it was written to the whole church in general. And in the proem to his commentary upon the second epistle, he calls the first a catholic epistle ; and says, " That epistle is not writ- " ten to a certain person, nor to the churches of one or more ' " places, as the blessed Peter's to the Jews in their dispersion ; " nor as James, before him, to the twelve tribes of the Jewisli " people, — But he writes to all the faithful in general, whether " assembled together, or not ; for which reason there is no in- " scription to that epistle, as there is to tlie other two,"—" To 20 PREFACE TO THE FIRST Sect. 5. " me therefore," said Lardner, « it seems that this epistle was " designed for the churches of Asia, under St. John's inspection, " and for all other Christiaris into whose hands it should come." —-Lampe says, " We easily admit that Jewish believers are " specially regarded in this epistle. Nevertheless, we think " that St. John directed it to all believers of his time, in general ; « forasmuch as there appears not in it, any expression of limi- " tation." — Nevertheless, chap. ii. 2. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but even for those of the whole world, seems to intimate, that this epistle was intended chiefly, though not exclusively, for the Jewish believers in Judea and the neighbouring countries. To this opinion Oecumenius like wise inclines: for inhis note on chap. ii. 2. he thus writes, '" This John said, either because he wrote to Jews, and intended " to shew that the benefit of repentance was not restrained to " them, but extended to Gentiles also : or else, that the promise " was not made to the men of that time only, but likewise to « all in future times." Chap. I. 1 JOHN. View. 21 CHAPTER L View and Illustration ofthe lyi^tters contained in this Chapter: It is remarkable, that the apostle begins this epistle, with a con futation of those corrupt teachers, whom he afterwards calls an tichrists, but who were named by the ancient fatiiers Doceta, be cause, as was observed, pref. sect. 3. they affirmed that Christ had not come in the flesh, and that the things which were re lated concerning him by the evangelists, .were not really done and suffered by him, but were transacted in appearance only. For he assures us, that the evangelists and apostles testified to the world, nothing concerning the life of the word in the flesh, but what they had heard with their ears, and seen with their eyes, and handled with their hands ; founding their attestation on the evidence oftheir own senses, ver. 1. — So that the apos tles, who accompanied the word during his abode on earth, bear witness to his life in the flesh, as it was plainly manifested to their senses, ver. 2. — And, that they declared these incontes table facts to the world, that all who received them, might have fellowship with the apostles, through their believing the truth. This he told them, would be a great honour to them, because the apostle's fellowship was with the Father of the universe, and with his Son Jesus Christ, ver. 3. — John mentioned the honour- ableness of being in the fellowship of the Father and of his Son Jesus, because the heathens boasted to the believing Jews and Gentiles, of the honour which they derived from their fellowship in the Eleusinian and other mysteries. But these were far in ferior to the Christian fellowship in this respect, tliat the hea then gods, the supposed heads of the heathen fellowships, were mere non-entities, 1 Cor. viii. 4. Or if any of them were real beings, they had no power in the affairs of the world. Whereas the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, the heads of the Christian fellowship, governed the whole affairs of the universe without controul. These things concerning the heads ofthe Christian fel lowship, the apostle told them, he wrote that their joy in being meinbers of such an honourable and powerfully protected fel- , lowship, might be complete, ver. 4. — ^Further, that the believing Jews and Gentiles might know the advantages also which they enjoyed in the Christian fellowship, he told them, This is the message which we apostles have received from Christ, and which we declare to you the initiated into our fellowship, That 22 View. 1 JOHN. Chap. I. Crod is light, and in him is no darkness at all ; He is goodness and truth, without any raixture of evil or error. Wherefore, the discoveries made in the gospfel, to the initiated into the Chris tian fellowship, concerning the nature and perfections of God, -were very different from, and far superior to the boasted dis coveries made to the initiated in the heathen mysteries, who were made to believe that their gods practised every sort of vice, and that their votaries worshipped them acceptably by imitating them in their vices, ver. 5. — To shew that the character and manners^ of the initiated into the fellowship of God, were of a very different nature from those of the initiated into the heathen fellowships, the apostle declared, That if any one pretended to be a member of the fellowship of God, who lived in wickedness, he lied, and was no member of the fellowship of God, who is in finitely holy, and admits none but the holy into his fellowship, ver. 6 — In the mean time, to encourage the disciples ofChrist, to imitate the head of their fellowship in his moral perfections, the apostle assured them. That if they walked in holiness as God is holy, they would certainly have fellowship with God, and the Old Translation. Greek Text. CHAP. I. 1 That which 1 '0 v^v a7t' ap;^>75, o ax>7- was from the beginning, xocL^sv, 6 sapaxa^sv TOig 0*- which we have heard, ^a^^^^ig Wov, 6 a^eaaaus^'a, which we have seen with t . c , ' , . , , scat M vetpeg mav e'd/inML^v]- our eyes, which we have /v r ^ t~ ^ '' looked uport,and our hands *^"*' ^'P' '^'^^ ^^"'^ "^^^S ^"J??' have handled, ofthe Word » of life. Ver. 1.— 1. That which was from the ieginmng. As the apostle is here describing, not the word simply, but the living word, the Son of God made flesh, he doth not say, t, «§;!(.», In tbe beginning,, as he doth, John i. 1. but a-ar' a-t^xi^'fioin the beginning; a jihrase used in otiier passages, to denote the beginning of the gospel. See John xv. 27. Acts xxvi. 4. 1 Jolin ii. 7. 24. iii. 11. 2 epistie, ver. 5, &.—That luhich mas frain the beginning, wliich the apostles heard and saw, and contemplated and handled, was the life of tbe -word in the fiesh, togetiier vyith his doing and suffering all the things re lated of hira in the gospel ; namely his baptism, the descent of the Holy Ghost on him at his baptism, his temptation ofthe devil in the wilderness, his preaching, his miracles, his transfiguration, his agony in the garden, hife trial and condemnation by the Jewish council, his death on the cross, his resurrection from Hie dead. Also the eye witnesses conversing with 'him. Chai>. L 1 JOHN. View. 23 blood of Jesus Christ his Son, would procure them pardon for all such sins as fliey might fall into, not presumptuously, but through human infirmity. Such is the nature of the Christian fellowship, and such its unspeakable advantages, ver. 7. To his account of the motives offered in the gospel, to the members of the fellowship of God to live in holiness after the exampleof God, the apostle subjoined an express condemnation of the corrupt doctrine of the Nicolaitans, described, pref. sect. 3. toward the close. For he declared, That whosoever saith he hath no sin to be cleansed from, deceiveth himself, and the true Christian doctrine is not in him, ver. 8. — He, therefore, advised every one to confess his sins to God, who, agreeably to his pro mise published in the gospel, and to his own righteousness, will cleanse penitent sinners from the pollution and punishment of all their sins, ver. 9 — Farther he declared. If any one affirmeth that he hath no sin to be cleansed from, he strives to make God a liar, who, as the apostle observes in the beginning of the next chapter, hath sent his Son to be a propitiation for the sins of the world, ver. 10. New Translation. Commentary. CHAP. I. 1 That which CHAP. I. 1 That which was from was from the beginning,^ the beginning of the gospel, which we which we have heard, apostles have heard with our ears, which we have seen with which we have seen with our eyes, our eyes, which we have which we have contemplated at leisure contemplated,^ and our and with the greatest attention, and hands have handled^ con- our hands have handled pertaining to cerning the living word.* the really living word. and handling his body after his resurrection, his eating and drinking with them at different times, and his ascending into heaven in a shining cloud, while they looked on. 2. Which vie have seen mitb our eyes, vihich "ae have contemplated. The expression o eagAxK/uv, vibich toe have seen, is different from, i i^ia.q-a.fiifS-a.. For the latter, as distinguished from the former, denotes the apostle's be holding attentively and considering at leisure, the life of the word in the flesh ; his words, his actions, his sufierings, and all the other particulars by which he manifested the reahty of his life in the flesh. To mark this dif ference in the expressions, 1 have translated i e9-s«(rs^e3-a, which we have contemplated. 3. And our hands have handled. In this John alludes to what Christ said tcf hi» disciples, wh«n he appeared to them after his renurrection, Lujfee 24 1 JOHN. Chap. L 2 (For the Life was ma- 2 (Kai n l^avi e^avspa^j nifested, and we have seen xai, eapaxafieVy xai /[fapTUpOD- ii, and bear witness, and ^g^^ ^^^^ a.Tla.yys'k7jO\UV VfilV shew unto you that eternal ^^^ v^^ ^^^ aiaviov, flTtg Jyv Life which was with the _ _ „. ,a~»... .,, , , .J, ^ ispoc tov Tta/tepa, xat, eq>a.ve- Father, and was manilest- ' , -, * ed unto us;) pa-^n ^IV.) 3 That which we have 3 '0 eapaxafisv xai axr]- seen and heard declare we xoauev, atSa/yysTJko^SV VfiiVj unto you, that ye also may y^ ^^^ (,^£jg xoivaviav ex^e have fellowship with us: ^, e ^. ^^^ ^ ^otvayta Ss and truly our fellowship zs ^ ^ with the Father, and with '^ '^'^^'^^P* ^f« '^°^ ^""^P^S his Son Jesus Christ. ^«' Z^^"^" '^O*' ^'0*^ «^'^''" ^^^^^ Xpifou. xxiv. ^9. Handle me and see ; for a Spirit hath not fiesh and bones, as ye see ine have. On many other occasions, the disciples had an opportunity of handling their master, and knowing that he had a real body. For example, wlien he washed their feet ; when he took Peter by the hand to prevent him from sinking as he walked on the water ; when the disciples gave him the loaves and fishes, and when he, after multiplying them, put them into their hands to be distributed to the multitude. John, in particular, had an opportunity of feeUng Christ's body, when he leaned on his bosom, dur ing the last passover supper, John xiii. 23. 4. Concerning the living word. TIi^i tx M-yx rtii ^amt : literally concern ing tlie word of life. But the expression is an Hebraism, which, as the con text sheweth, ought to be translated, concerning tbe living viord. See Ess. iv. 18. — The sentiment in this clause, John hath expressed raore fully in his gospel, chap. i. 4. where speaking of the word he saith. In him was life, and tbe life, namely ofthe word, was the light of men. And ver. 14. The word was made fiesh, and dwelt amojig us, and we beheld his glory, as of the cnly begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The heresy which the apostle condemned in this and the following verse, fs mentioned, 2 epistle, ver. 7. Many deceivers are entered into thg tiiorld, who do not confess yesus Christ did come in the fiesh. See Preface to 1 John, Sect. 3. paragr. 2. Also 1 John iv. 3. note 1. In opposition to that pernicious doctrine, which over turned the gospel entirely, John solemnly aflirmed, That what he and his bretliren apostles, published to the world concerning the real manifestation of the word or Son of God in the flesh, and concerning his actions and suf ferings in the flesh, all actually happened. That having heard him speak, and seen him die, and handled him both before his death and after his re surrection, they could not be mistaken in believing that he really appeared in the flesh. Chap. L 1 JOHN. 25 (2 Kai, 207.) For the life^ was manifested,^ and we have seen it. and bear witness; and declare to you that life which is eternal, which was with the Father^ and was mani fested to lis.) 3 That which we have seen and heard' we de clare to you,^ that ye also may have fellowship^ with us : and our followshipf^e) truly is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ.* 2 For the life of the word, or Son of God in the flesh, was manifested to the senses of all who conversed witli him. And we apostles, who accoinpanied him duriiig his abode on earth, have seen it, and bear wit ness, and declare to you Ihat life which is eternal, which the luord pos sessed with thg Fa her, and which was manifested to us at his baptism, transfiguration, and resurrection. 3 I say, that which me apostles have actuidly seen and heard, per- taiiiing to the appearing ofthe word in the flesh, we declare to you as ab solutely certain, that, by believing our testimony, ye also may enter into our fellowship ; and our fellowship truly is with the Father of the uni verse, and with his Son Jesus Christ; consequently it is a more honourable and a more powerfully protected society, than aay of the heathen fellowships. Ver. 2. — 1. The life. By this expression Benson understands Christ himself f& author of eternal life, chap. v. 11. But as the apostle adds that tbey had seen tbe life, I rather thinli lie means the life of the word in tlie flesh. 2. Was manifested. Eat God is light and in him is no darkness at all. He possesses every possible perfection, and is absolutely free from evil. Where as the heathen gods, according to the representation given of them in theii- mysterics, were polluted wilh every kind of vice. — Next, in verse 6. he con trasts the character and manners of the members of the fellowship ofthe true God, with the character and itianners ofthe initiated into the fellowships of the heathen gods. No person could be in the fellowship of the Father who habitually practised any wickedness. Whereas, to be in the fellowship of the heathen gods, it was necessary to imitate them in their characters and vices. — In verse 7. the apostle contrasts the benefits which the members of the fellowship of God, wJio imitate him in his moral qualities, receive from him, with the benefits wliich the votaries of the heathen gods receive from them. The former are the objects of God's love and care, and are cleansed both from the power and from the punishment oftheir sins through the blood of Christ: Whereas the latter receive neither of these blessings from their gods ; nor indeed any benefit whatever. Before this note is concluded, it may be proper to observe, that KCDitevia. feUowship, is used by the apostle Paul likewise, to denote that intercourse which the members of a fellowship or society have with each other, 2 Cor. vi. 14. No'W what Miimit. (fellowship) intercourse hath light with darkness ? 4. And our fellcrxship, truly is with the Father, and with ois Son Jesus Christ. — Fellowship with the Father and the Son, means our being members of that religious community, of which the Father and Son are the heads ; and our sharing in all the benefits which the members of that community derive from the Father and the Son, on account of their relation to them, a^ vota ries or worshippers. — Paul likewise hath mentioned this fellowship, under the denomination ofthe fellowship ofChrist. 1 Cor. i. 9. Faithful is God, by whom ye have been called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord Ver. 4. — 1. These things we write. Estius saith the apostle useth the plural we, because the things which he wrote were perfectly consonant t6 the doctrine of his brethren apostles. 2? 1 JOHIST; ¦ CHAP. 1. 5 This then is the mes- 5 Kai avtvi e^i'V n ena/y- sage which we have heard ye/Lta 71V ax'y;xoa[iev otTt au- of him, and declare unto ^^^^ ^^t ava/yys?^^0(l£V v^iv, you, that God is light, and ^^ ^ q^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^ii Cxo- in him is no darkness at ^„%siiin tux. sv avmo ovx ei^tv ovosiMia. all. 6 If we say that we have 6 Ettf SlTta^ev Wtt XOtVO- fellowship with him, and ¦yioCT; evOUEV llEt^ avTOV, xa.1 walk in darkness, we lie, ^^^ ^^ axotSl tSspLnatCi^lSV, and do not the truth: ^sv^oflS^a, xai OV ^OlOV[l£^ triv aT^.'ri'^Hav. Ver 5 — 1. This is the ¦message. Here the common reading is, urtty- ¦yihin, the promise. But qur translators have justly followed the reading of above thirty MhS. and several ancient versions, wbich have here tryyiMA the inessage. Or tliey have supposed, that iTrct-yyiXia. may be translated a ¦message. For it is plain, that the apostle is not speaking of a promise, but of a message. 2. Which we have received from bim, and declare to you. The initiated into the heathen fellowships gloried in their mysteries, or hidden doctrines, as the only effectual means of purifying the soul from ignorance and error. But the real tendency of these mysteries was to corrupt the minds of the initiated, with false notions of the objects of their worship, and ofthe duties of morality : for which reason they were always communicated under the seal ofthe greatest secresy. See pref to Ephesians, sect. 7. paragr. 4. The Christian mysteries, or doctrines, being of a very different nature, and having a real tendency to enlighten the soul, the apostles published them to ail maulcind : particularly that great doctrine concerning the nature of God, which was delivered to tliem by Christ as a message frora God himself, namely. That God is light. He is righteousness, goodness, and truth ; and in him is no darkness at all, no ignorance, nor error, nor evil oi any kind. See the following note 3. Moreover, he is the source of all the knowledge,* truth,. and goodness existing in the universe. This important doctrine, having been delivered by the living word, as a message from God himself to the apostles, their declaration of it, was thereby rendered more solemn and certain. — Thus it appears, that while the minds of the heathens were utterly corrupted by the representations given oftheir gods in the mysteries, the initiated in the followship of Christ, had ifl their mysteries, that is in the preaching ofthe word and in the sacraments, the highest ideas given ihem of the holiness and other perfections of (jod ; and were taught to aspire after the greatest sanctity of manners, by imitating him. This message concerning God, so solemnly declared by the apostle, m.^y have been designed likewise as a condemnation of the impure doctrines land practices of the Nicolaitans, and other heretics, who in the first age. Chap. I. 5 (lC«i, 224i,y Moreover, this is the message ' which we have heard from him, and declare to you, ^ that God is light, ^ and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say,i ("On, 260.) Certainly we have fellow ship with him, (k«,, 211.) although we walk in dark ness, we lie, and do not the truth. 1 JOHN. 5 Moreover, to shew you the ad vantage of being members of our fellowship, this is the vicinage which we apostles have heard from the liv' ^ ing word, and vvhich we declare to you, that God, the Father of the uni verse and head of our fellowship, is possessed of all moral fierf-ction, and in him is no evil nor errour at all. 6 Wherefore, , i/" TOf sa-y, certainly we have fllonvship with God, (ver. 3. note 3.) although me practise wicked ness, mc lie and do not the truth ; we do not act agreeably to the true doc trine of the gospel, nor to the true nature of the fellowship which we pretend to have with God. endeavoured to seduce the faithful to commit idolatry, lewdness, and other impurities. 3. That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Light being the purest of all material substances, and that which, by means ofthe eje, con- veys to the mind pleasures more grateful, and more various, than those com municated by the other senses, it is filly used, metaphorically, to denote knowledge and virtue. Wherefore, when we are told tliat God is light, it signifies not only that he is infinite in knowledge, and possessed of all moral perfection, without the least mixture of evil, but that the contemplation of his nature and perfections is as pleasant to the minds of his rational crea tures, as light is to the eye. — Un the other hand, darkness admitting all manner of mixtures, and concealing every thing from our view, and being extremely unpleasant as well as hurtful, is used with propriety to denote Agnorance, error, and moral evil or vice, which of all things are the most des tructive of our rational nature. Hence the devils, the most immoral beings in the universe, and the greatest promoters of ignorance and wickedness, are styled, Ephes. vi. 12. Tbe rulers ofthe darkness of this world : and their kingdom is called, Luke xxii 53. and Col. i. 13. The power of darkness : And the idolatrous heathen their subjects, who were converted to Chris tianity, are said Ephes. v. 8. to have been formerly darkness, but now light in the Lord. So likewise the Jews converted to Christ, are called. Col. i. 12. Saints in the light. — Bengelius thinks the apostle, by caUing God tight, means to tell us, that God is to the eye of the mind what light is to the e^e of tho body. — Estius in his note on this verse says, the Manicheans held that God is a light visible to the bodily eye : and that Christ is the visible sun which we behold. Ver. 6. — 1. If we say. This is an expression repeatedly used by John ; 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another ; and the 'blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our selves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrigh teousness. 1 JOHN. Chap. I. 7 Eav h EV "to ^UTt tSE- piTtatcofiEV, ag avtog sgtv ev ta qxdti, xoivcivtav exo[ieV (MEt' aXkYi^^v, xat to alfia Ii^aov Xptg'ou tov viov avtov xa^api^st ri(iag aTto tsaG'/jg hfiaptiag' 8 Eav ELiSCd^EV oti h^ap- tiav ovx EXOiiEV. iavtovg 7t7iava)(iEv ¦ xai n a/ljjS'fta ovx sgtv EV nfiiv. 9 Eav 6fio^oyco[iEv Trag a- (laptiag ri/nov, ffiftfog egi xai, htxaiog, iva a^^ nfJ,iv T^ag ay.aptiag, xat xa^piG'tri n- [lag atao Tiaavig ahtxi^ag. tlie meaning of which according to Bengelius is, If we endeavour to per suade ourselves and others. Ver. 7. — 1. Biit if we walk in tbe light, as he is in the light. The apostle doth not say, as he walketh in the light, but as he is in the light, to shew that God is essentially and perfectly holy. 2. We have fellowship with one another. As the apostle is speaking here, not of the fellowship which Christians have with each other, but with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, fellowship /uir' a/.W)Mi>v with one an other, must mean fellowship or intercourse between the head and the mem bers ofthe community. This fellowship consists in the Father's bestowing blessings on us through the mediation ofChrist ; and in our receiving these blessings from the Father and the Son with thankfulness. — In some MSS.. the reading here is, fur' auTu, with him. But it makes no alteration in the sense. 3. And tbe blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. As the apostle in this passage represents our being cleansed from all sin as the ef fect of our walking in the light, it is evident that by our being cleansed from all sin, he doth not mean our being delivered from the power but from the punishment of sin ; a blessing which hath been procured by the blood or death of Christ as a propitiatory sacrifice. Accordingly Christ's blood is said, Heb. ix. 14. to cleanse the conscience of sinners from dead works ; 6iat is, from those fears which always accompany the consciousness of hav ing done works which deserve eternal death. Our actual deliverance how ever from punishment is not accomplished in the present life ; but it is pro mised in the gospel to all who walk in t^e light ; and that is sufficient. — Bilt there is a cleansing fro'm all sin, in another sense, which is begun in the pre- Chap. I. 1 JOHN. 31 7 But if we walk in the 7 But if we practise holiness, after light, fis he is in the Ught,* the example of God the head of our we have fellowship with fellowship, who is infinitely pure, he one another,^ and the blood and we have fellowship with one ano- of Jesus Christ his Son ther; he by bestowing and we by cleanseth us from all sin.^- -receiving huppiness. And the blood (.. of Jesus Christ his Son, shed as an atonement, mill deliver us from the punishment of all our sins. 8 If we say (see ver. 6. 8 If we say, with the Nicolaitans, note) thut we have no sin,* that we have no sin lo be cleansedfrom, we deceive ourselves, and being allowed under the gospel to do the truth is not in us. what we list, we deceive ourselves, and the true doctrine of God is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, 9 The doctrine ofthe Nicolaitans he is faithful and just (im that believers have no sin to be par- 08^})) so that he can forgive doned, doth not afford men more sins to us, and cleanse us comfort than the true doctrineof the from all unrighteousness, gospel; whichis, If me confess our (See ver. 7. note 3.) sins to God with a firm resolution to forsake them, heisfaithfulto his pro mise, and just to his Son whom he sent to save sinners ; so that he can forgive sins to us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness by his Spirit. sent life by the blorid of Christ, whohaving died to procure us the influences of the Spirit for sanctifying our natures, may be truly said to cleanse us ,from all 'sin by his blood. . Of this cleansing the apo.stle does not speak in this verse, as was observed above : But he speaks of it ver. 9. Ver. 8. — 1. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. This the apostle declared in opposition to the Nicolaitans and Simonians, who cor ruptly fancying that under the gospel dispensation no action whatever was forbidden, argued that they did not sin by any thing they were pleased lo do. — As the cleansing of men from all sin, mentioned in the preceding verse, doth not mean that believers are pardoned and rendered perfectly holy in the present life, but only that the pardon of all their sins is attainable, and that the sanctification of their nature is begun and only gradually carrying on, the apostle, without contradicting himself, raight afiirm that whosoever saith he hath no sin, deceivelh himself For, through the infirmity of hu man nature and the strength of temptation, the holiest sometimes fall into sin ; but they quickly recover themselves by repentance : So tliat they db not continue in sin. — 'I'his text with chap. iii. 3. overthrows the Pelagian notion, that good men may live without sin ; and that many good men have actually so lived. 32 View. 1 JOHN. Chap. II. 10 If we say that we 10 Eav SlMaflEV 6tl OVJ^ have not sinned, we make viuaptyixauEV, i^/^l'^')?*' ISOLOV- him a liar, and his word is ^£^, avtov, xai 6 "koyog awTOV not m us. ovx Eqtv EV rtfitv. Ver. 9. — 1. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just so that he can for give. Here the apostle shews what is necessary on our part for obtaining pardon through the blood of Christ. We must confess our sins to God. He mentions confession ; not as if it were the only thing necessary ; but because it is the first step towards repentance and reformation ; and because, if it is CHAPTER IL View and Illustration of the Doctrines and Precepts contained in this Chapter. i- HE apostle, in the preceding chapter, having mentioned the honour which believers derive from being members of the fel lowship of God and of his Son Jesus Christ ; also having shewed the obligation which lieth on all the members of that honoura ble fellowship, to imitate God and Christ in their holiness; and described the benefits to be obtained by being in that fellowship, particularly the great benefit of being cleansed from their sins through the blood ofChrist ; he, in the beginning of this chap ter, declared that he wrote these things to them, not to encou rage them to sin, but to prevent them from sinning. Yet if any one happened to sin, through surprise, or strong temptation, or weakness of understanding, he was not to despair of pardon, pro vided he repented, and did not continue i^ his sin ; because we have an advocate vvith the Father, Jesus Christ the just one, ver. 1. — who is the propitiation appointed of God for the sins ofthe Jews, and not for theirs only, but for the sins of the whole world ; so that penitents of all ages and nations, may expect pardon through the merit of his death, ver. 2. — Next it appears that the Nicolaitans, who like the Jews, (Rom. ii. 17. 20.) were great admirers of knowledge, not only inferred from Christ's words, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, he. that the only thing necessary to one's obtaining eternal life, was to possess the knowledge of the true God and of Jesus Christ, but affirmed, that the person who possessed this knowledge, was under no obligation to obey God's commandments. For, in opposition to these impious tenets, John declared, that it is only by the keep- Chap. IJ. 1 JCJHN. View. 33 10 If we say that we ^0 If, with the Nicolaitans, we have not sinned, we make say that we have not sinned by any (Ess. iv. 1.) him a liar, and thing we have done, because all ac- liis word is not in us. tions are free to us, we endeavour to make God a liar, who by appoint ing his Son to die as a propitiation, and by promising to pardon us on account of that propitiation, hath declared that we are sinners ; con-j sequently his word is not in us. sincere, it will be followed with reformation, without which no sinner will be pardoned, if space of amendment is allowed to him. ing of God's commandments, that any man can know that he' knoweth God aright ; consequently, that that is the only right knowledge of God which leadeth men to a holy life, ver. 3.— Wherefore, if any one affirmeth that he knoweth God, and doth not keep his commandments, he is a liar, and the true know ledge of God is not in him, ver. 4 — ^Farther, it seenr^eth to have been a doctrine of the Nicolaitans, that the enjoying of sensual pleasures without restraint, was a proper expression of their love and gratitude to God, for his having freed them, under the gos pel, from the obligations of morality. For the apostle, in oppo sition to that impiousdoctrine,declared, that whosoever keepeth God's injunction to obey Christ's precepts, in that man the love and gratitude which he oweth to God is carried to perfection ; and that such a person may thereby know, that he is in the fel lowship of God, ver. 5. — And with respect to fellowship with Christ, the apostle declared, that he who saith he abideth in fel lowship with Christ, ought to live in t^he holy manner, in which Christ lived while he was on earth, ver. 6. Next, the apostle told his disciples, that in enjoining them to obey Christ's precepts, he wrote no new commandment, but an old commandment given by Moses ih the law, who ordered the Israelites to hearken to the prophet, whom God was to raise up from among their brethren, like to him, ver. 7 But he wrote a new commandment, when he enjoined them to walk even as Christ walked ; because it implied, that they were to lay down their lives for one another, (chap. iii. 1 6.) as Christ laid down his . life for. them, ver. 8.— And, because some of the Jews, like the VOL. VI. .'> 34 View. 1 JOHN. Cmap. II. initiated in the heathen mysteries, thought themselves enlighten' ed persons, notwithstanding they were void of love to the rest of mankind, and even hated them, the apostle told them, that the person who thought hiraself enlightened, and yet hated his bro ther, was still in darkness, notwithstanding he called himself a Christian, ver. 9. — But he who loveth his brother, in such a man ner as to do him every good office in his power, is in the light; he is a truly enlightened person, and there is nothing in him to occasion his falling into sin, ver. 10.— Then, to impress his dis ciples the more strongly, with a sense of the obligation they were laid under by the light to love one another, the apostle repeated the sentiment which he had delivered in verse 9th, that he who hateth his brother is in the darkness of ignorance, and doth not know whither that conduct will lead him, because the darkness of ignorance hath blinded the eyes of his understanding, ver. 11. Having finished these subjects, John told all the brethren in general, that he was going to write a precept which he knew would be agreeable to them, because their sins were to be for given through Christ, ver. 12. — Accordingly, first of all address ing such of them as were of long standing in the church, whom on that account he csMe A fathers, he said he would write to thera the precept of which he spake, because they had known Christ from the beginning, consequently they would know that what he should write to them was Christ's precept. Then turning his discourse to those who were in the vigour of the Christian life, whom therefore he called ymmg men, he observed, that his pre cept would not be difficult to them, because they had already overcome the wicked one, the devil, by resisting his strongest temptations. And with respect to the newly converted, whom he termed young children, what he was going to write would, he believed, be approved by them, because they were acquainted with the will of the Father, ver. 1 3 However, before he wrote the precept of which he spake, he told the fathers, that he had written to them the precept of walking as Christ walked, because" they had known Christ from the beginning. The same precept he had written to the young men, because they were strong in the Christian virtues through the doctrine of God abiding in them, and because they had already overcome the wicked one, ver. 14. — Having thus roused the attention of the old, the mid dle aged, and the young, John told them his precept was, Not to be in love with the men and manners of the world, neither with the things which the men of the world pursue : because, if any Chap. n. 1 JOHN. View. 34 one loveth the world much, the love of the Father is not in him, ver. 15.— Besides, the evil affections towards the things of the world, which subsist-in the minds of idolaters and unbelievers, do not proceed from the Father, as wicked men falsely suppose, who on that account fancy they may safely gratify them ; but they are raised in them, by the things of the wodd, ver. 16. — Further, though wicked men propose to make themselves happy, by the unrestrained enjoyment of the things which are in the world, they delude themselves. For the world, together with the things which it contains, and the lusts which are gratified by these things, passeth away ; they are all of a short duration. But he who doth the will of God by not indulging worldly lusts, shall abide in happiness through all eternity, ver. 17. At the time John wrote this letter, the Christians in Judea and in the neighbouring countries, were greatly harassed by the un believing Jews, in the tumults which they excited immediately before their last war with the Romans. Wherefore, to comfort more especially the newly converted under these sufferings, he assured them that it was the last hour of the duration of the Jewish state ; so that the power of their persecutors would soon be broken : And to prove thatit was the last hour, he put them jn mind that Christ, in his prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, had mentioned the appearing of many false pro phets, as a sign of the impending ruin. Wherefore, since many false teachers, whom the apostle called antichrists, because they were opposers of Christ, (ver. 22.) were then going about de ceiving many, they might from that circumstance know it was the last hour ofthe Jewish commonwealth, ver. 18. — These false teachers, the apostle observed, had gone out from them, having been oncc in the Christian church ; but they were not of the number of the teachers, who were commissioned and inspired by Christ. For if they had been of that number, they would have remained with the apostles. But they were permitted to depart frora the society ofthe apostles, that they might be known to be impostors who taught filse doctrine, v>er. 19. — However, as many of the disciples had the gift of discerning spirits, and could judge with certainty both of teachers and of their doctrine, there was the less occasion to caution them to beware of these de ceivers, ver. 20. — The apostle, therefore, added, I have not writ ten to you, because ye know not the truth concerning the life of the word in the flesh, butbccause ye know it, and know also that the 36 View. 1 JOHN. Chap. H . false teachers affirm an abominable lie in direct contradiction to the truth, when they say Christ did not come in the flesh, neither did any ofthe things related of him, ver. 21. — Who then, said he, is the Uar, or false propfiet foretold to arise before the destruc tion of Jerusalem, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ come in the flesh. They are antichrists, who deny the Father's testi mony, that he hath sent his Son in the flesh, and the Son's testi mony that he actually came in the flesh, ver. 22. — Whosoever .de nieth Jesus to he the Son of God come in the flesh, doth not acknowledge the Father's testimony, delivered at the baptism and transfiguration of Jesus, ver. 23 Therefore, said the apostle, let the belief of the Father's testimony concerning his Son, which ye have heard from the beginning, abide in you, that ye may abide in the fellowship of the Son and ofthe Father, and thereby obtain eternal life, ver, 34.— For this is the promise which the Son hath made in the Father's name, to them who abide in his fellowship ; namely, that they shall obtain eternal life, ver. 25. Old Thanslation. Gukek Text- CHAP. n. 1 My little I Tsxvta [lov, tavta ypa- children, these things ^^ {,^jy^ y^^^ ^^ dfiaptvita' write I unto you that ye ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^ , sin not. And if any man - , , XAiitov EYouEV tspog tov ssa- sm, we have an advocate ¦^ ' ' » with the Father, Jesus "^^P"' I>?<^0^^ ^ptfOJ' blxaiOV, Christ the righteous : Ver. 1. — 1. My little children. The word texh*, being the diminutive of TSKva, is a tender and affectionate appellation, denoting, as Lardner ob serves, paternal authority, Ipve, and concern, which, in the character of an apostle, John might have used in any period of his life : but in this epistle it seems to imply, together with apostolical authority, advanced age. 2. These things I write to you, that ye inay not sin. Having told them, chap. i. 10. that no man is without sin, it is plain, that by their not sinning, the apostle meant, either their not sinning habitually, or thetr not sinning wilfully. — He wrote the things contained in the preceding chapter to prevent them from sinning, because the consideration, that God is faithful to for give our sins, and to cleanse us from them, suggested chap. i. 9. must have a powerful influence on every good man, to make him splicitous to avoid sin, as far as human infirmity will permit. 3. We have an advocate with the Father. Some critics' observe tbat Ua.fiii.MTii!, Advocate, here answereth to Patronus, Patron, among the -Latins. Doddridge thinks the import of this appellation may be illustrated \)y the custom of tributary states, who were wont to have certain eminent Ijersoiig residing in the courts ofthe princes to whom they were tributaries, Chap. II. 1 JOHN. View. 3.7 In apology for his writing with such earnestness, against the . teachers who endeavoured to deceive them, he told them he had written these things to them, ver. 26 notwithstanding he knew they possessed the gift of discerning spirits, and had no need that any one should teach them, unless it was to confirm them in the belief of what they were taught by their own gifts. Where fore, said he, as your own gifts have taught you that these tea chers are antichrists, reject their doctrine, and hold fast the truth concerning Christ, ver. 27. — I say, little children, by holding the truth concerning the Son, and practising holiness, abide in his fel lowship, that when he appears to judge the world, we may have confidence of your being accepted, and may not be put to shame by the errors and vices of our disciples, ver. 28 This excel lent discourse, the apostle concluded by saying to them, if ye haye a just idea of the righteousness of God, ye will know that every one who resembles God by working rightfeousness, is be gotten of him ; he is a child of God, ver. 29. New Translation. Commentary. CHAP. II. 1 My little CHAP. II. 1 My dear children, children, 1 these things / These things I write to you concern- writg^ to you, that (kj) ufut^- ing the faithfulness and righteous- Tijre, 2. aorist subjunct.) ness of God in the forgiveness of ye may not sin.^ (k»i, 2*1 1.) sins, not to encourage you to sin, but Yet if any one hath sinned, that ye may not sin ; the consideration we have an advocate'' with of the mercy of God being a strong the Father, Jesus Christ incitement to avoid sin. Psal. cxxx. the just one* 4. Yet if any one hath sinned, and hath repented of his sin, let him not despair: We have an advocate abid ing with the Father, Jesus Christ the just one, or Messiah. who negociated their affairs, vindicated their rights, and promoted their in terests with the reigning powers. — Concerning the intercession of Christ for his people. See Rom. viii. 34. note 3. Heb. vii. 25. 4. Jesus Christ the just one. Unajtv. This appellation is given to our Lord as the Messiah, in different places of the New Testament, to denote either that he was just or righteous, in calling himself ?4e Christ, and the Son of God, (See James v. 6. note 1.) or that he was absolutely free from sin.~ It is introduced in this place, to make us sensible oTthe dignity of our advo cate, and of the efficacy of his intercession on our behalf, founded on the jnerit ofhis death. 1 JOHN. Chaf. II. 2 And he is the propi tiation for our sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his command ments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in hun. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected : hereby know wc that we ^re in him. 2 Kai avtog iXadiiog efe tSEpi tav hmaptiav rifiav ov crept tav vfiEtepav 8e fiovov, a/l/la xai ¦csepi b'^ov tov xoG- flOV. 3 Kai EV tovtoi yivaaxo(iEv, ott, eyvaxafiev avtov, sav tag ErToJlas avtov tT^pufUV. 4 '0 Aeyuv Eyvaxa avtov,, xai, tax, Evto'hxg avtov iivi tiq- pov, '^£v<;yig e^i,, xot ev tovta h a?,yj^Eia ovx egiv. 5 'Og ^' av tyjpvi avtov tov ^oyov, aXvi^ag ev tovta rt ayaTlYi tov Qeov re-reXaoTat. Ev tovtci yivaGxo[iiv, orti ev avtci eauEv. Ver. 2. — 1. And he is a propitiation for our sins. The word 'Ixntrfini, is no where found in the New Testament but in this passage, and in chap. iv. 10. But it occurs often in the LXX. translation of the Old Testament, where it signifies, a sacrifice of atonement. Thus Levit vi. 6, 7. Numb. v. 8. K/i«{ i>.!t.(7[j.>s,'\s a ram for a sin-offering. And Ezek. xliv, 27. iw^nrift^in tf-ctrfitit is to offer a sin-offering, — In considering the death of Christ as a sacrifice for sin, John, like the other apostles, followed his master, who in the institution of his supper, directed his disciples to consider it, as design ed to bring to their remembrance liis blood shed for tbe many,for the remis sions of sins. ^ 2. And not for ours only, hut even for those ofthe whole worlds Some com mentators by tl^e whole world, understand the whole world ofthe elect. But no where else in scripture doth the world signify the elect. This appellation is given, either to the wicked ofthe world, (1 ,Iohn ii. 16. note 1.) or to man kind in general : in which latter sense John uses it here, to shew that Christ is a propitiation, not for the sins of the Jews only, but also for the sins of all mankind. See Oeciimcnius's excellent gloss on this verse, Pref. to this epistle, Sect. 5. at the end. l-'arUier, as the fii'st clause ofthe verse. He is the propitiation fur our sins, must be understood only of the sins of those Jews who were penitent and whose advocate Christ was, so the second clause, And not for ours only, hut even for those of the whole world, must be understood only ofthe sins of those throughout the whole world from first to last, who having repented of iheir sins attained to a virtuous manner of living.— For the sense in wliicli Christ died for all, See 2 Cor. v. 15. note 1. Chap. U. 2 And he is a propi tiation* (ir£f(, 280.) for our sins, and not for ours only, but even for taosE of the whole woi'ld.* 3 And by this we know that we haxie known him,' if we keep his command ments. 4 He who saith (chap. i. 6. note) I have known him, and dolh not keep^n% commandments, is a liar,' and the truth is not in this man. 5 But whosoever keep eth his word,' truly in this man the love of God^ ;'* perfected. By this we know that we are in him.^ 1 JOHN. 39 2 And the merit of his death is so great, that he is a profiitiation for our sins who have embraced the gos pel, and not for ours only, but even for the sins of the whole world of penitents who forsake their sins. 3 And, since without repentance and reformation no one can be par doned, by this we knew most certain ly, that we have known God aright ; have a right knowledge of his good ness ; if we keep his commandments 4 He who saith, I have known God, and doth not keep his commandments, is a liar in so speaking ; and the true knowledge of God is not in this inan ; for, by his works,, he denieth that God is righteous and good, 5 But whosoever keepeth God's injunclioti, Matt. xvii. 5. to obey his Son's precepts, truly on such a per son, the love which he bears to God is rendered cotnplete. By this we know assuredly, that we are in the fellowship of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ. Ver. 3. — 1. By this we know that we have known him, &c. As the apostle is reasoning here against the Nicolaitans and Gnostics, who afl!irmed that the only thing necessary to eternal life was the knowledge of the true God, (Pref. Sect. 3.) the relative Him in this clause, doth not denote Jesus Christ, the immediate antecedent, but God, whose mercy in forgiving men's sins was raentioned, chap, i 9. — The apostle doth not deny the excellency of the knowledge of the true God, nor its eflicacy in procuring eternal life : Ue only aflirms that the right knowledge of God necessarily leads to the keeping his commandments : And therefore that the keeping of God's commandments is the only sure raark by which we can know that we have known hira aright. Ver. 4. — 1. He who sqith 1 have known him, and doth not keep his command ments, ia a liar. The Nicolaitans and Gnostics, notwithstanding they lived in an habitual course ofthe most criminal sensual indulgences, boasted that they were the objects of God's love, and sure of obtaining eternal life, merely because they possessed the knowledge of the true God, and of his mercy in forgiving men's sins. In this boasting, the apostle declared tlienj 40 1 JOHN. Chap. II. 6 He that saith he 6 'O AeyoV ev avtCi [ZE- abideth in him, ought him- v£tr, o^Ei^Ei, xa^O)? EXEiVog self also so to walk, even jSEpiETtatYlClE, xai avtog iitag as he walked. ^E^tTtatEtV. 7 Brethren, I write no 7 AhsT^^oi, OVX EVto'Kvrv riew commandment unto xaiVYlV ypa^a VfllV, tt/l/l you, but an old command- gj,:j;o7^,^V iSaT^aiav, VV ElXEtS ment, which ye had from ^^, ^ ^^^^^ ^ ^„. the hec-innine; : the old „ ' t _ c ^ _ ^ , ° . ,, , Aaia EClv 6 Tioyog ov yixovOats commandment IS tlie word ' ' which ye have heard from <*'*' "P^'JS' the beginning. liars, either because they spake what they knew to be false ; or at least what was In Itself most false. Ver. 5. — 1. Whosoever keepeth his word. Here, his word, does not sig nify God's cominandments in general, but one commandment in particular, namely that which God gave at our Lord's transfiguration, and which is mentioned ver. 7. under the character of an old commandment ; being the commandment which God delivered to the Israelites by Moses, to hearken to the prophet whom God was to raise up from among their brethren, like lo Moses. See however ver. 7. note. 2. Truly in that man the love qf God is perfected. The love of God of which the apostle speaks, is not God's love to us, but our love to God : AVIiIch, when we keep his commandment to obey his Son in all things, is carried to its greatest perfection. Hence Christ said to his disciples, John xiv. 21. He who hath my commandments and keepeth them, heit is Tiho loveth ine. And t John v. 3. This is the love of God, that we keep his cominand ments. 3. By this wc know that we are in him. To be in Christ, is to be a mem ber of that society, fellowship, or church, of which Clirist is the head, and to enjoy all the blessings peculiar to that society ; and in particular, to be tlic object of Christ's love. See ver. 6. note 1. This is called chap. i. 3. A having fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ, Beza thinks (he expression denotes one's union with Christ by affection and interest ; because the force of love is such, that the parties are often in each other's thoughts. — Some enthusiasts fancy, that to be in Christ, means a personal union with him by a mixture of substances ; an error, which hath led en thusiasts into many extravagances. — See ver: 9. note 1. Ver. 6, — 1. He who saith he abideth in him. This phrase which so often occurs in John's writings, is founded on our Lord's discourse, John xv. 1. — 10. and particularly on ver. 10. If ye keep my commandements, ye shall abidein my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. AVlicrefore tp be in Christ, is to be the object of Christ''s love, and to abide in Christ, is to continue in his love, by keeping his commandments. See chap. Chap. II. 1 jOHN. 41 6 He who saith he abid- 6 He who saith he abideth in the eth in hira,, ought himself fellowship of Christ, ought himself al- also^ so to walk, even as so so to walk, even as he walked when he walked. * he was in the world : that being a much better proof of one's abiding in Christ, than a nominal profession. 7 Brethren, I do not 7 Brethren, 1 do not write a new write a new command- commandment to you, when I tell you raent to you, but an old that, by coraplying with God's in- commandment' which ye junction to hear his Son, the love of had from the beginning. God is perfected in you: jSu; I write The old commandment an old cominandment delivered by is the word which ye have Moses, Deut. xviii. 15. wluch ye heard from the beginning, likewise had from the beginning. The old cotnmandmcnt is the word God ut tered at Christ's baptism and trans figuration, ordering men to obey him ; which word ye have heard us declare _/rom the beginning. iv. 15. note 2. — It seems the false teachers boasted of their abiding in Christ, merely through the power of knowledge. But to overturn that pernicious doctrine, our apostle appealed to Christ himself, who, in the words just now quoted, declared the keeping of his commandments to be the only method of procuring his love, and abiding in it. — Though the phrase abide in Christ, be taken from the similitude of the vine and its branches, mentioned John XV. 4. which are substantially united, it does not signify a personal union with Christ, as was hinted, ver. 5. note 3 : But that union of sentiment, affection and will, which subsists between him and all his real disciples, the members of his fellowship. 2. Ought himself also. The word also implies, that besides a person's say ing that he abideth in Christ, he ought'likewise to walk, or behave, as Christ hehaved while on earth. 3. So to walk, even as he walked. He ought to abstain from sin, chap, iii, 8. and follow Christ's example in piety, temperance, justice, benevolence, disinterestedness, and charity to the poor. More particularly, he ought to carry his imitation of Christ's benevolence, so far as to lay down his life for the brethren, when called by God to do so, chap. iii. 16. — While Christ lived on earth he was subject to all the trials, and temptations, and suffer ings, to which men are exposed. These he bare with admirable patience aiid fortitude. His behaviour therefore under sufferings, is a pattern which his disciples ought also to imitate. Ver- 7. — 1. But an old commandment. Because the apostle aflirmeth, that in saying, ver. 5. Whosoever keepeth his word, O'C he did not write a new VOL. VI. 6 42 1 JOHN. Chap. II. 8 Again, a new com- 8 Ua2.iV EVtO^^yiV xaivnv mandment I write unto ypa^a viilV, b Egiv aAVj^Eg you, which thing is true gy avttj), scat EV VfilV Otl 71 in him and in you ; because ^^q^^o^ jsapaystai, xai, tO the darkness is past, and ^^ aTiri^lVOV nh ^O.iVil, the true light now shineth. "^ 9 He that saith he is in ^ 0 ^Eyav EV ta ^(Ml the light, and hateth his ELvai, xat toV aSf^-^W av- brother, is in darkness rov (liCaV, EV tri CXOtlCf, E^lV even until now. j'^g apTt. commandment, but an old commandnsent which they had heard from the beginning, in explaining ver. 5. I supposed his word, to mean God's com mand to the Israelites, Deut. xviii. 15. to hearken to the prophet he vvas to raise up to them, like to .\loses ; which commandment was certainly an old commandment, though it was renewed by a voice from heaven at Christ's baptism and transfiguration. — However, if the reader is of opinion that JB* word, ver. 5. is Christ's word, or precepts in general, it makes not the least alteration in the sense ofthe passage. — The voice from the excellent glory, by which, at our Lord's transfiguration, God declared him his beloved Son, and commanded the disciples to hearken to him, Moses and Elijah being present, was an authentic and clear attestation, that Jesus is the prophet of whom Moses spake in the law. This miraculous attestation, and divine command to mankind to hearken to Jesus, being frequently repeated by the apostles, and referred to in their sermons and conversations, (2 Pet. i. 17.) John had good reason to call it a cominundment, which tliey had heard from the beginning. Vor. 8. — 1. On the other hand, I write to you a new commandment. The old commandment is that mentioned, ver. 5. that we keep God's word, or command delivered by Moses, Deut. xviii. 15. which in reality was a com mand to us to obey all Christ's precepts. — The new commandment of which the apostle speaks, is that contained in ver. 6. That Christ's disciples ought to walk even as be waited : and in particular, That as Christ laid down his hfe for his people, they ought to lay down their lives for one another, chap. iii. 16. Thus to walk as Christ walked, John, with great propriety, termed a ne-ut cominandment, because, notwithstanding the precept to love one another was strongly enjoined in the law of Moses, consequently was not a new commandment, the precept to love one another as Christ loved us, is certainly a new commandment, and is so termed by Christ himself, John xiii. 34. A new coinmandment I give to you, that ye love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another Tliis new commandment, being included in the precept ver. 6. of walking even as Christ walked, the apostle called that precept a new com^mandment, and thus explained it, chap. iii. 16. He laid damn his hfe for ¦us, therefore we ought to lay dawn our lives for the brethren. Chap. IL 1 JOHN. 43 8 (n«Aiii, 268.) On the other hand, I write to you a new commandment,' which is true (ev, 168.) concerning him and co?i- cerning you.^ E'er the darkness z« pas.nng away, and the /z.^Af 7w/ifc/« is true now shineth.^ 9 He who saith he is in this light,' (xa(, 211.) and yet hateth his brother, is in the darkness until now. 8 On the other hand, when I ex hort you to walk as Christ walked, I write to you a new commandment, which is true concerning him seeing he laid down his life for men, and con cerning you, who ought to imitate ' him. For the former darkness of heathenism and Judaism is passing away, and the light of Christ's doc trine and example, which is the true light, now shineth, and teacheth you to lay down your lives for the bre thren after his example. 9 He who saith he is in the true Ught and yet hateth his brother, is in the darkness of ignorance and wickedness until now, whatever his pretensions may be. 2. Wbich is true concerning him and concerning you. AAnS^es being in the neuter gender, cannot be construed with iVTOxa, commandment, which is feminine. We must therefore supply isr^a-y/Aa., or some such general word expressive of the subject of the command. See F.ss. iv. 21. — By saying, that tlie thing enjoined in the new commandment, was ti-ue concerning the persons to whom the apostle wrote, he perhaps meant, that some of them had already hazarded their lives in assisting their brethren. 3. For tbe darkness is passing away, and the light which is true now shineth^ By the darkness which was passing away, we may understand, not only the darkness of heathenism, but the darkness of the Mosaic dispensation, to- gether with the corrupt doctrines and practices of the Jews under that dis pensation : and particularly, the impious notion that they were commanded in the law to hate the Gentiles, Matt. v. 43. This darkness scagaj-eTa/ was gradually passing away, by means of the shining of the light which was true, that is, by the publication of Christ's doctrine and example in the gospel. The Mosaic law, with its obscure types, was likewise read)' to vanish in consequenue of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dispersion ofthe Jewish nation, which were soon to happen. Ver. 9. Is He who saith be is in this light. The apostle had declared, chap. i. 5. That God is light, and chap. i. 7. That if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with him. And ver. 8. of this chapter, That the light which is true now shineth, namely by the preaching of the gospel. From these things he justly inferred in this verse. That he who saith he is in tbe light ¦ that is, in the fellowship of God, and well instructed in the doctrines of the gospel, and yet hateth his brother, is in the darkness tilt now : He is still in 44 10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 1 1 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes. 1 2 I write unto you,little children, because your sinS are forgiven you for his name's sake. 13 I write unto .you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because 1 JOHN. G^HAP. ir. 10 '0 a/yanav tov ahsX- (pov avtov, EV ta ^ati [ievei, xai axav8a2,ov ev avtci ovx; Egiv. 11 '0 Ss [itaav tov aSeyl- ^ov avtov, EV tip Gxotici eg't, xai EV T'p Gxotiq, atspmatEi, jcat ovx oi8e isov vTtayEi, oti h Gxot la Etv^2.aGe Toug o^- S'aAjWovs awToi;. 12 Fpa^to v[iiv, texviOi otl a^Eovtai v[iiv al a,[iap- tiai Sia to ovofia avtov. 13 Tpa^o vfiiv, iSatEpsg, otl EyvaxatE tov a7t' apx^ig' ypa^a vfiiv, vsaviGxoi, oti vEvix^xatE tov zsovvipav' ypcxr ignorance and wickedness, and is no raember of the fellowship of God, not-; withstanding his loud pretensions to illumination. Ver. 10. —1. He who loveth his brother abideth in the light, end there is no stumbling block to him. This is an allusion to Christ's words, John xi. 9. If any one walk in tbe day he doth not stumble, because he seeth the Ught qf this world. But if any one 'walk in the night he stumbleth, because there is no light to him. — The apostle, by comparing benevolence to the light of day, hath beautifully Illustrated its efficacy in directing men's actions. By expelling ill-will, pride, anger, immoderate selfishness, and all other evil-passions which are occasions of sin, love removes every stumbling block lying in one's way, and enables him to do his duty to his neighbour with ease and pleasure. Schismatics and heretics, on preten«e of having attained to » greater knowledge of the truth, and a greater purity of conduct than others, think themselves authorized to hate andpersecute those who differ from them in opinion and practice. But these pei^ons, being void of the dispositions of the really illuminated, are not in the light, but stumble, or sin in their treatment of their brethren. — In the same manner. They who are severe in censuring the faults of others, or who aggravate them, and refuse to forgive them, being destitute of love, are not in the light, but are still in the darkness of ignorance and error ; as the apostle reraarks in the following verse. Ver. 11. — 1. But he who hateth his brother is in the darkness, and walketh tn that darkness. By representing a malevolent person as involved in the Chap. It. 10 He who loveth his brother abideth in this light, and there is no stumbling block (ev, 163.) to him.' 11 But he who hateth his brother, is in the dark ness,' and walketh in that darkness, and doth not know whither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes. 12 Little children,' I write to you, because sins are forgiven you {ii», 112.) on account of his name. (Ess, iv. 51.) 13 Fathers,' I write to. you, because ye have known (rov, 72.) him^ from the beginning. Young men, I write to you, be- 1 JOHN. 45 \0 He who loveth his brother, abid eth in the true light ; He is truly en lightened with the doctrine and ex ample of Christ ; and there is nothing to him to occasion his falling into sin. 1 1 But he who hateth his brother, is still in the darkness of error and wickedness, and walketh in that dark ness, and doth not know the miserable end of such a course qf hft. For the darkness hath blinded his eyes, the eyes of his understanding. 13 Dear children, I write to yotf, the precept which I shall mention immediately, (yer. 15.) because sins sliall be forgiven you on account of CArte at the jud lament, if ye repent and forsake your sins. 13 Old Christians, I write to you what follows, ver. 15. because ye have known Christ ; his doctrine, and precepts, and manner of life ; from the beginjiing, and must know that darkness of night, the apostle strongly expresseth the pernicious nature of malevolence. Itblinds a man's reason to such a degree, that he doth not see whkt is right; it extinguisheth every virtuous inclination which would lead him to do what is right, and putteth him wholly under the power of an ger and revenge : So that in this darkness he is in danger, not only cf stum bling, but of destroying himself, not knowing whither he goeth, Ver. 12. — 1. Little children. Because this appellation is used, ver. 1. to denote Christians of all ages and characters, Beza supposeth that John here addressed the whele body of Christ's disciples, as their common iiistructer, (See ver. 1. note 1.) whom he afterwards divided into three classes. In support of Beza's opinion, it may be observed, 1. That the word, by which, in the distribution, the apostle expresses young Christians is Tlniiia, and not Tenvin,. 2. That the reason which John assigns for writing to those whom he calls tskvi*, little children ; nan)ely, that sins were forgiven them through Christ, is applicable to the whole body of believers ; and was a strong rea son for such of them as John addressed, to obey his precept, not to love the world, &c. — Nevertheless if the reading of ver. J3. to be mentioned in note 3. on that verse, is admitted, tskvw here will signify the same class of Chris tians, with those designed by lernitin., ver. 13. And on that suppositio[i the three classes, into which the whole body ofthe disciples was distributed by John, will have been twice addressed by him. 46. ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men,because ye are strong, and the word of God abid eth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 JOHN. Chap. U. ipa vfiiv, csaihta, bti syvaxa- ts tov tsatEpa. 14 Eypoflpa v[iiv, tSatepsg, bti EyvaxatE tov arC ap^i^g' Eypa'^a v^iv, vEaviGxoi oti iG^vpoi E^E, xai 6 T^oyog tov Qeov ev VfllV flEVEl,. xai VEVl- xvixatE tOfV XSOVYlpOV, 15 M^ ayaiiatE tov xoG- (lOV, (IVjSe Ta EV t(f> XOGflC). Eav tig ayaitct, tov xoG/iov, oxix Egiv h ayamq tov tsatpog EV avta. Ver. 13. — 1. Fathers lhave written to you. John gave the appellation of fathers to those who are called by the other apostles n ^la-Cwnfut, seniores, elders, on account of their long standing in the Christian faith. The per sons who were written to under this denomination, seem to have been of tbe number of the eye-witnesses, who generally had the office of elders con ferred on them. — In this part ofhis letter, the apostle distributes the whole body of Christians into three classes, according to their different standings in the faith and proficiency in the knowledge of the gospel : namely TIoite- get fathers, Ns*v«ricin young men and 'ilttifia. young children — Fathers, were the most ancient believers who had made the greatest progress in .know ledge and virtue. Young men, were those in the greatest vigour ofthe spi ritual life, and who were considered by the apostle as soldiers fighting un der Christ, against the powers of darkness. Young children were the newly converted, who being under a course of instruction, were called in the first age Catechumens. 2. Because ye have known him from the beginning. So I translate tov aa'' t.^X" ' because the article is often put for the pronouns 'Oj and ai/Toc, see Ess iv. 72. also because the apostle is speajcing of Jesus Christ, mentioned ver. 6. — If the reader does not admit this use of the article, he may consider the expression as elliptical, and may supply it in- this manner; Because ye have known \«(rxv air' igx"^ Jesus fro'm the beginning : have known his disengagement from the world, and his contempt of ils riches,^lonoul•s, and pleasures. 3. Young children, I write to you. Several MSS. together with the Syriac version and some copies ofthe Vulgate, read here, s>5it4"») ^ l'"'"^ written. — Chap. II. 1 JOHN. 47 cause ye have overcome the wicked one. Young children, 3 I write to you, because ye have known the Father. 14 Fathers, I have writ ten to you, because ye have known him from the begin ning. Young men, I have written to yo.u, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcorae the wicked one. 15 Love not the world, neither the things which are in the world. ' If any one love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. what I am going to write, is his pre cept. Vigorous Christians, I write to you the following precept, because ye have already overcome the wicked one, having resisted his strongest temp tations to apostasy. Kew converts, I write to you the same precept, be cause, though ye have not seen Christ, ye have knomn the Father : Ye have known his willingness and power to strengthen you. 14 Old Christians, I have written to you to walk even as Christ walked, ver. 6. by loving your brethren as he loved you, ver. 8. because ye have known him from the beginning, and have been deeply affected with the knowledge of his love. Vigorous Christians, I have written the same precept to you, because ye are strong in all the Christian virtues through the word of God abiding in you, and ye have already overcome the devil. 15 What 1 write to you all is this : Do not love the persons and practices of the men of the morld ; neither the things mhich are in. the world. If any one love the world ; if he enters into friendship with ido laters and infidels and is fond of the things which they pursue ; the love ofthe Father is not in him. This reading, if it were well supported, might be preferred to the common readllig, for the reason mentioned in the note on ver. 12. Ver. 15. — 1. Love not the world, neither the things which are in the world. As the apostle distinguishes the world, frora the things which are in the world, it is probable that by the world, he means the wicked men ofthe world, and by the things wbich are in the world, the bad principles, and corrupt dispositions belonging to the men of the world. These, if they are the objects of ad miration and love, have a powerful influence to sednce both the old and the 48 1 6 Fof all that is in the ¦world, the lust ofthe flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world pass eth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 18 Little children, it is the last time ; and as ye have heard that antichrist ' shall come, even now are there many antichrists ; •whereby we know that it is the last time. 1 JOHN. Chap. II. 16 'Ott Ttav to ev tci xo- Gfitji, n eni'^v[iia tiqg Gapxog, xai n Eili^vnia t'ov b^'^a%- fiav, xai n a^a^ovEia tov ^lov, ovx e^iv EX tov Ttatpog, Ot/l/l' EX tov XOGflOV E^l. 17 Kat o xoGfiog napa- ystai, ;cai n Em^vfiia av tov 6 Se noiav to ^s'kvi^a tov @Eov (lEVEi ag tov awova. 18 IlaiSia, EGj(Oitifi apa sgi' xai i«a^6)g yjxovGatE bri 6 avtij(jpigog spj^Etai, xai vvv avtij(jpi<;oi Tto/L/lot yeyovaGiv o^Ev yivaGxoiiev oti £Gj(^atri epa sgiv. young from the imitation of Christ, and to extinguish brotherly love, or be nevolent dispositions in the mind. See ver. 16. note 1. Ver. 16. — 1. For all that is in the world. Here, as in the preceding verse, the world, signifies the men of the world. In this sense our Lord likewise used the word, world. John xv. 19. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own : But because ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you. So likewise St. Paul, Rom. xii. 2. Be not conformed to this world: And our apostle, chap. v. 19. The Vibole world lieth under the wicked one. — Hence the evil one is called, John xii. 31. The prince of this world. And Ephes. ii. 2. The spirit who now inwardly worketh in the children of disobe dience, — Wherefore, In the passage under consideration, the world is that col lection of idolaters, unbelievers, and wicked men, which compose the great bulk of the inhabitants of the world. Whereas, if by the world, we under stand the earth, and by the things which are in the world, the productions whetlier ef nature or of art, with which the earth is stored, it woold not be true, that all which is in the world, is not of tbe Father, but is of the-world. Besides, from what follows, it is evident that John is not speaking of the earth, but of the men of the world, whose lusts he describes. 2. The lusts of the fiesh. This, as distinguished from the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, denotes those fleshly appetites, which are gratified by the intemperate use of women, and wine, and meats. 3 The lust of the eye. According to Liglitfoot, this is covetousness, called Matth. vi. 23. an evil eye. But 1 rather think the apostle means, an inordi nate passion for magnificence in houses, furniture, equipage and dress, whick because it is gratified by the eye, may fitly be called, the lust ofthe eye. Chap. II. 1 JOHN. 49 16 For all that is in the world,* the lust of the flesh, ^ and the lust of the eyes,' and the pride of life,* is not of the Father, but is of the world.' 17 JVow the world passeth away, and the lust thereof But he who doth the will of God, abideth for ever. 18 Young children, it is the last hour.^ And as ye have heard that the anti christ cometh,^ (x«i, 212.) so now there are raany antichrists,*- whence we know that it is the last hour. 16 For whatever evil affection. subsists in idolaters and unbelievers ; namely, the lust ofthe flesh after sen sual pleasures ; and the lust of the eyes after magnificence in houses, equipage, and dress ; and the pride of life founded on titles, offices, and riches ; is not of the Father, but is of the world : These evil affections are not produced in us by the Father^ but by the things of the world ex citing them in us. 17 M)w, the wicked men of the world shall fierish, andtha objects of their lust in like manner. Bul he who dolh the will of God by mortify ing his worldly lusts, shall live hap pily /oj- ever. 18 Young children, be not terri fied by the rage of the unbelieving Jews : It is the last hour of the Jewish commonwealth. And as ye have heard that the antichrist, who denieth the appearing of Christ in the flesh, chap. iv. 3. cometh before the destruction of Jerusalem, so now there are many such antichrists ; from which we know that it is the last hour of the Jewish state. 4. And the pride of life. 'H otxtL^min. lao jSiou, Viteraily Jactantia vitie, the boasting of life. John means all the tilings pertaining to this life, of which the men of the world boast, and by which tlieir pride is gratified ; such as titlps, offices, lands, noble birth, honourable relations, and the rest, whose efficacy to puff up men with pride and to make them insolent, is not; of God. *¦ 5. Is not ofthe Father, but is of tbe world. These inordinate lusts, do not, as wicked men pretend in excuse for their indulging them, proceed from the Father, but from the things of the world exciiing the lusts and passions of wicked raen, who are at no pains to restrain them. The Father hath stored this earth, with objects suited to the natural desires which he hath implant ed in men's minds ; and the enjoyment of these objects is Innocent, pro vided they are used in moderation. But inordinate desires, called by the apostle lusts, And their power to tempt men, proceed from the wicked them- VOL. VI. 7 so, 1 JOHN. Chap. II. 19 They went out from 19 E^ ni^av E^yi?u^OV, us, but they were not of „;\,;\,' q^x T^Gav £? rifiav. Et us: for if they had been ^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ ^E^ev^- of us, they would no rfoafif ' o? c . .i.i> \ , . , XEiGav av uE^ yiuav aAA have continued with us : ^ ' c hnt they went out,t\i^tth^Y '^« ^aVEpo^GMTir, OTt OVX ElGl might be made manifest ¦navtEg E^ V[^av. that they were not all of us. 20 But ye have an 20 Kat vyiEig j^piGfia E^EtE unction from the Holy aTto tov ayiov, xai oi8at£ One, and ye know all yt^vta. things.selves, through indulging their lusts, without restraint. See James i. 13, 14. — Or, the meaning of the phrase, axxu ix. tok xntr/mv i^i, may be, that the lusts mentioned, are not excited in us by the Father, but by the ruler of the darkness of this world. — The apostle mentions, the lust ofthe flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride ,of life, because tiiese inordinate affections, are the source ofthe greatest part of the wickedness which exists among men_ Ver. 18. — 1. Toung children, it is the last hour, namely of the duration of the Jewish church and state : God will soon destroy the Jewish common wealth J so that the power of your persecutors will speedily be broken. — Some, by the last bour, understand the last hour of the world. But, that none of the apostles fancied the end of the present mundane system Was at hand, when they wrote their epistles, see proved in the 3d sect, of the pre face to 2 Thessalonians. , 2. And as ye have heard that the antichrist cometh. The word A»T/;^fis-o!, antichrist, is no where found but in John's first and second epistles. It may have two meanings. For, if the preposition avri, in «vTi;tg(s-oc, de notes, in place qf, the name will signify one who puts himself in the place of Christ : consequently antichrist is a false Christ. But if the prepositon de notes opposition, antichrist is one who opposeth Christ. — The persons to whom this epislle was written, had heard of the coming o^ antichrist, in both senses of the name. For the first sort of antichrists vvere foretold by our Lord, Sfatth, xxiv. 5. Many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ, and shall deceive many. The second sort were foretold, Matth. xxiv. II. Many false prophets wiU arise, and deceive ¦many. From what John hath written, ver. 22. of this chapter, and chap. iv. 3. and 2 Epist. ver. 7. 1 am inclined to think that by antichrist, he means those false prophets, or teach ers, who were foretold by our Lord to arise about the tirae of the destruc- tion of Jerusalem, and who were now gone abroad. Some of these denied the humanity of Jesus Christ, others of them denied his divinity: and as bodi sorts opposed Christ, by denying the redemption of the world through his death, 1 suppose it is of them chiefly that John speaks in his epistles.— When the apostle mentions these false teachers collectively, he calls them, the antichrist in the singular number, as St. Paul called the ^Ise teachers Chap. IL 19 They went (ef uVaiv) amay from us,' but they were not (e| n'ftwv) of us. For, if they had been of us, they would have abode withjUS; but THEY WENT AH^jir, that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of us. 20 (k«<, 205.) But ye have an unction' from the Holy spiRir,^ (chap. iii. 24.) and know all things. 1 JOHN. 5.1 19 77iMe antichrists, though they once professed themselves Chris tian teachers, went away from us on the pretence that Jesus is not the Christ. But they were not inspired like us ; for if they had been inspired like us, Ihey would have abode with us. But they ii>ere permitted to apostatize, that they might be made manifest, that they were not ins/iired like ns ; and that their doctrine is fjse. 20 But there is little occasion to put you on your guard against these deceivers ; ye have an unction from the holy Spirit, whereby ye can know whether a ''teacher is really inspired, and whether his doctrine is true or false. collectively, of whom he prophesied, 2 Thess, Ii. 3. The man of sin. But when John speaks of these teachers as individuals, he calls them many an- tichrists in the plural number. 3. So now there are ¦many antichrists. The preterite tense yt'ymiLrt, is used here to signify,' not only the existence of many antichrists at that time, but also that there had been raany antichrists, who were gone off the stage. Ver. 19. — 1. They went away froin us. Hence it is one of the marks of antichrist, that he had been once in the Christian church, and a teacher by profession, but had left it or apostatized. Ver. 20. — 1. But ye have an unction. Under the law, persons called to offices, to the execution of which singular endowments were requisite, were anointed with perfumed oils, in token of God's conferring these endowments on them. In allusion to that ancient rite, John calls the communication of the spiritual gifts to the primitive Christians, especially the gift of discern. ing spirits, an unction, because it was an endowment bestowed by God, for preventing the faithful frora being deceived by false teachers, who, to gain the greater credit to their erroneous doctrine, falsely pretended to be in spired. Wherefore the apostle, knowing that many ofthe brethren to whom he wrote possessed the gift of discerning spirits, appealed to that gift as enabling them to detect the antichrists, or false teachers who were gone abroad ; and exhorted them, chap. iv. 1. not to believe every spirit, but to try. the spirits whether they be qf God, because many false prophets were gone forth into the world. — See ver. 27. note, for a confutation of the pretensions of modern fanatics to inspiration, founded on the apostle's exhortation to try the spirits, and on his affirmation that the persons to whom he wrote, had an unction from the Holy Ghost, and knew all things. 52 21 I have not written unto you, because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus ia the Christ ? He is anti christ that denieth the Fa ther and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father : \^bul he that ac knowledgelh the Son hath the Father o/su.J 24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the be ginning. If that which ye have heard from the be ginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Fa-. ther. 1 JOHN. Chap. II. 21 Ovx sypa'^a v[iiv bti ovx oihatE triv a^^Bstav, a7i.2.' otl oiSatE avtvjy^ xai otl Ttav i^/^vSog ex trig sxkvi- '^Eiag ovx Egi. 22 Tig E^IV 6 4'ei^S'>7S? Et /^»7 o apvov^iEvog, oti li^Govg ovx sgiv 6 Xptfos; ittog Egiv 6 av- tij(,piqog, 6 ctpvovfiEvog tov Tta- tEpa zat tov viov, 23 Hag 6 apvovfiEvog tov VIOV, ovSe tov TtaTgpa e;|j£t. 24 'T^iEig ovv 6 yixovGats a7t' ap;^J7s, ev v(iiv i^EVEtcd. Eat* EV v[iiv [lEivip 6 aTt ap- ;^>7g y;xovGate, zai vfisig ev TTcj VIC) xai EV T6) craTpt (is- VEltE. 2. From the Holy Spirit. So I supply and translate the clause acrij in iyixfrom the holy. — Beza thinks that our l^ord was meant here, because he is called, acts iii. 14. The holy One, and the just. But as Jesus himself is said to have been anointed with the Holy Ghost, Acts x. 38. I think the word OT'vs!//««.T@' may be supphed here. Ver. 21.' — 1. / have not written to you. Beza saith, the aorist i'ygn.^ti may be translated in the past time, because, when the brethren, to whom his let ter was sent, read It, the writing of it would be past. But I rather think the apostle refers to what he had written in the preceding part of his let ter, concerning the hfe ofthe word in the flesh. 2. Because ye know it, and tbat no lie is qf the truth. Lie, here means a doctrine contrary to that laught by the apostles, which being the true doc trine, its contrary must be false or a lie. Or, it may be called a lie, because the teachers who jiropagated such doctrines, knew them to be false, espe cially the doctrines which the antichrists propagated, concerning the per son and actions of Christ. They, therefore, in particular, are called, the liar, ver. 22. Chap. II. 1 JOHN. 53 21 I have not written' to you, because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie 2 is ofthe truthi 22 Who is the liar,' but he who denieth that Jesiis is the Christ? He is the antichrist, mho denieth the Father and the Son. 2 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, doth not acknow ledge the Father. ' 24 Thferefore, let what ye have heard from the beginning abide in you. If what ye have heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. 2 1 I have not written to you, because ye know not the truth concerning the life of the word in the flesh ; but be cause ye know it, and know likewise that none ofthe lies propagated by the false teachers concerning Christ, is any part ofthe gospel. / 22 Who is the false prophet fore told to come before the destruction of Jerusalem, but he who denieth that Jeslis is the Christ or Son of God ? He, certainly, is the antichrist, who de nieth the Father's testimony conti^rn- ing his Son, chap. v. 6. and the 'Son's testimony concerning himself, John X. 36. 23 Whosoever denieth Jesus to be the Son of God, doth nol acknowledge the Father, who, at his baptism and transfiguration, declared him his Son. 24 Therefore, let what ye have heard us preach from the beginning, con cerning the word's being raade flesh, abide in you. If what ye have heard from the beginning concerning that matter, abide in you, ye also shall ajndc in the fellowship of the Son and of the Father, chap, i. 3. Ver. 22. — 1. Who is the liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is tbe Christ? What is meant by denying that Jesus is the Christ, see explained, chap. iv. 2. note, and ver. 3. note 1. * . 2. He is tlie antichrist, who denieth the Father and the Son. Estius saith, the opinion of Irenseus is probable, vvho understood John as speaking here of the false teachers of his own time, who denied Christ to be the Son of God, and God to be the Father of Christ. See Pref. to 1 John, Sect. 3. . Ver. 23. — 1. Whosoever denieth the Son, doth not acknowledge the Father. The expression in the original sife tov waTsga ix"> '1°^^ ""* ^"^'^ '^^ Father^ is elliptical. We have it in its complete form, Rom. i. 28. As they did not approve tsv ©sov s;^s« ev i^iyvaa-et of holding God with acknowledgment, t\ia.t is qf acknowledging God. See note 2. on that verse, Wherefore, sife txei in this pass.nge is rightly translated, doth not acknowledge : as is plain likewise- from this, that acknowledging, here, is the opposite to denying. In the preced- 54 1 JOHN. Chap. If. 25 And this is the pro- 25 Kat avt}^ e^iv n ETtwy- mise that he hath promis- yeT^UX^ VV avtog ETtviyyEi^tO ed us, even eternal life. viuiv, t^v t^aviv trjv aiaviov, 26 These things have I 26 TauTa sypaipa v/iiv XSE- written unto you concern- .^ ^^^ isT^avavtav v^iag, ing thera that seduce you. i27 But the anointing, 27 Kat V^Eig to 'X^piG^a 6 which ye have received of s^^^aSstE arC auTOU, EV V{iLV hira, abideth in you ; and ^^^^^^ ^^^ ^^ wetav EXEtE l- ve need not that any man _ ss_ ^ ' „.nj ^ , , va tig oioaGxYt vuag, a/,/. teach you : but as the same ^ * s ^ , ., r 6)c TO auro vpiGua oioaaxEt anointing teacheth you of ^ ' ay c all things, and is truth, and W^i ^^9^ iSavtav, xai aM' is no lie, and even as it ^E? £$*£, xai OVX £t;i '^Evhog. hath taught you, ye shall Kat, xa^og s8iSa^£V Vfiag, abide in him. ' [lEVEitE ev aura. ing clause. Accordingly in the Syriac it is, neque in patrem credit, doth noi believe on tbe Father. In our English Bible the following words. But he that acknowledgetk the Son, hath the Father also, are printed in Italic letters, to shew that they are not In the common Greek copies. Beza however hath inserted them in his edition ofthe Greek Testament, on the authority of four ancient MSS. and ofthe Syriac and Vulgate versions. See MiU on this verse, who mentions a number of MSS. which haye this clause. — Estius reckoned it genuine : as did Doddridge : But I have omitted it, because it Is wanting in the common edition of the Greek Testament from which my translation is raade. Ver. 25. — 1. This is the promise which he hath promised to us, even the life which is eternal. Thv ('amv being in the accusative case, and standing in ap position with m, it is governed as h is, by ivmyyii\a,'ri>. — ^This promise John hath recorded in his gospel, chap. xvII. 1. Glorify thy San, that thy Son also may glorify thee. 2. As thou hast given him power over all fiesh, that he should give eternal life to as ¦many as thou hast given him, — From these words, so solemnly pronounced by Christ in an address to his Father, we learn that the great end ofhis coming iiito the world was to glorify his Father, by pro curing through his own death eternal life for all good men, and by bestow ing it on them after the judgraent. See chap. v. 10. note 1. Ver. 26. — 1. These things I have written to you, namely the things begin ning ver. 18. Ver. 27. — 1. And ye have no need that any one should teach you. Here two things claim the reader's attention. 1. That when John said to his disciples, ye have no need tbat. any one should teach you, his meaning was, that they had no need to be taught how to distinguish pretenders to inspiration, from those who were really inspired. This the connexion sheweth plainly.— 2. That Chap. IL 25 (k«i, 207.) For this is the promise which he hath promised to us, even the lij'e which is eternal.^ 26 These things' I liave written to you concerning them who deceive you, (Ess. iv. 1.) 27 (k«i, 211.) although the unction which ye have received from him (ver. 20.) abideth in you, and ye ha-ve rio need that any one should teach you,' («A- A«, 80.) unless as the same unction teacheth you con cerning all things, and is truth, and is no lie. (xMt, 208.) Wherefore, as it hath taught you,, (jicteire, 13.) abide in him. 1 JOHN. 55 25 And great will be your felicity in that fellowship. For this is the pro mise which the Father hath promised to us hy his Son, even a life of happi ness in heaven, which will be eternal. 26 These things I liave written to you, concerning the antichrists who en deavour to deceive you, that ye may shun all familiar intercourse with them, 27 Although I know that the gift qf discerning spirits, which ye have re ceived from the Holy Ghost, remaineth in you, and that ye have no need that any one should leach you,hoyf to judge of these deceivers and their doc trines, unless to exhort you to judge of them, as the same gift teacheth you concerning all things, and is a real, not a feigned gift. Wherefore as it hath taught you that these teachers are an tichrists, reject their doctrine, and abide in the truth concerning hi?n. the persons who had no need of this kind of teaching, were those only who had an unction from the Holy Spirit. Wherefore, as it appears from 1 Cor. xii. 10. that the discerning of spirits was. a gift bestowed, ftot on believers in general, but on some individuals oiily, it is evident that when the apostle said, ye have an unction from the Holy Spirit, his discourse was directed only to such as possessed the gift of discerning' spirits : consequently he did not mean, that Christians in general had no need of being taught the doctrines. of the gospel in the ordinary method ; but that those who had received the unction from the Holy Ghost, needed nothing but to be directed or ex horted to judge of teachers pretending to inspiration, and of their doctrine, according as the unction which abode in them led them to judge : because that unction being a real g^f t, if they followed its suggestions, they would judge, truly concerning all things; that is, concerning teachers and their doctrines. — From these things it is plain, that the Quakers and other fana tics, who from what is said in this and in the preceding 20th verse, infer that all believers have still an unction or inspiration from this Holy Ghost, and hold that that inspiration is superior to the scriptures, are in a most dangerous error, as they dignify the productions of their own distempered brain, with the name o{ revelations ofthe Spirit. — They likewise err greatly from the truth, who on pretence that the inspiration of the Spirit is conti- 56 1 JOHN. Chap. II. 28 And now, little chil- 28 Kat VVV, tEXVia, (lEVSts dren, abide in him; that, gy avtct' Iva btav ^aVEpO^, when he shall appear, we ^yp^sv tSappyiGiav, xai [ivi may have confidence, and ^^fj^^j^^i^nsj, aTt' avtOV, EV not be ashamed before him _ ' _ „,,_,„„ tvi TtapovGia avtov. at his coming. ' ' 29 If ye know that he is 29 Eav Ei8i^tE bti Oixai- righteous, ye know that gg ^g-j^ yivaGXEtE otl Tiag 0 nued to believers in every age, contend that the outward ministry of the word, by pastors and teachers set apart to the ofiice, and even the scrip tures themselves, are unnecess.ary ' in the church. Holding such principles, is it any wonder that these enthusiasts and fanatics, have fallen into the grossest extravagances, and licentiousness ? Ver. 28.— 1. Now therefore Uttle children. The adverb vi/v, is used here as an interjection of beseeching. — The word Tawa., little children, compre hends the whole body ofthe disciples to whom this epistle was written, and whom John had before divided into three classes. See ver. 12. note, and ver. 13. note 1. 2. That when he shaU appear. S-ii, being the term by which Christ's appearing in the flesh was expressed, chap. I. 2. note 2. when applied to Christ's second coming, it signifies tliat he shall then be the object of men's senses by means of his body, as he was at his first coming. See 1 Pet. i. 7. note 2. Ver. 29. — 1. Every one who worketh righteousness, hath been begotten. This is the literal signification of yiyitvitTut, from yivvnu genero, gigno, I beget. Accordingly, our translators have so rendered the word, chap. v. 18. — Be sides, born of God, is an idea no where else found in scripture. To understand the true import of the high titles, wbich in the New Tes tament are given to the disciples of Christ ; namely the begotten of God, as here; the sons of God, and children of God, as in the next chapter; the heirs of God, Rom. viii. 17. The elect of God.- the adopted of God; saints, a royal priesthood,, an holy nation ,- a pecuUar people, 1 Pet. ii. 9. the following' ob servations may be of use. — 1. That these high titles were anciently given to the Israelites as a nation, because they were separated fgom the rest of mankind to be God's visible church, for the purpose of preserving the know ledge and worship of him in the world, as the only true God. This appears from God's own words, Exod. xix. 3. TeU the children of Israel; 4. Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you cm eagl7 auoLotia eclv n avouia. transgression of the law. * i 1 Ver. 2. — 1. We know that (Eav (pavsjaS-i., the subjunctive for the future) when be shall appear. I have followed our English translatoi's in supplying the pronoun He before the words, shall appear, to prevent the reader from taking jivsgffiS-ii impersonally, as Benson hath done, who translates the clause when it shall appear. — In this pass.age, the apostle evidently speaks of Christ's appearing to judge the world. For no where in scripture, is God said to appear, so as to be the object of men's sight. John iv. 12. No one hath seen God at any time. I am therefore of opinion, that the nominative to (favegaiS-p is o Xf'^"> '"'hen Christ shall appear. 2. We shall be like him ; namely both in body and mind. For, Philip- III. 21. He will refashion our humbled body, in order that it ¦may became qf like form with his glorious body. And with respect to our mind, we shall be made Uke him in holiness, by seeing him as he is. We shaU be like him In happiness also, for according to the raeasure of our capacity we shall partake of all the inefl^able felicity which he possesseth. In this perfection nfbody, and mind, and happiness, consisteth the true import of the phrase, joint-heirs with Christ.— Like bim, dolh not import equality, but similarity to Christ. 3. For we shall see i>ini as he is .• We shall behold him In the glory which he now enjoyeth with the Father, and shall abide with him through all eternity. For the apostle doth not speak of a transient sight of Christ, but alludes to Christ's words which he hath recorded in his gospel, John xvii. 24. Fattier, I will, that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where lam, that they may behold my glory^ which thou hast given me.— That the apostle Is speaking of an abiding sight of Christ, is plain, because a transient view would not be a reaspn for our being like him. Whereas if we are to live for ever with Christ, our bodies must be fashioned like to his ; since corruptible bodies, cannot inherit or enjoy the kingdom of God. And with respect to our minds, the seeing ofChrist as he is, cannot be sup posed eflfectual for making us like lilm, unless it Is an abiding sight, which by fostering in our minds strong desires, and exciting us to continued en deavours, to become like Christ in his moral excellencies, will assuredly produce that happy effect—At the judgment, the wicked are to have a transient sight of Christ as he is, but they will not thereby be raade like him, either in body or mind. Chap. III. 1 .TOHN. 65 3 And every one who 3 And every one who hath this hope hath this hope i in him, of seeing Christ, and of being like purifieth himself,2 even as him, and of living with him, is care- he is pure. ful lo purify himself ivom sin, eren as he is pure from sin, that he may be fit to live with him forever. 4 Every one mho work- 4 Every one who committelh sin ha- eth ' sin worketh also the bitually, committeth also the Iransgres- transgression of taw. 2 For sion of lam habitually. For sin is the sin is the transgression of transgi-ession of law, and will be se- lam. verely punished, whatever the false teachers, m-ay pretend. Ver. 3. — 1. Every one who hath this hope of seeing Christ and of being like him, purifieth himself. The felicity w hich the gospel teacheth us to expect ill the world to come, is not that ofa Mahometan paradise. In which animal pleasures ai-e the chief enjoyments. The happiness of the children of God in the kingdom oftheir Father, will consist in being like Christ, not only in respect of his immortaUty, but In respect of his transcendent vir tues : especially his boundless benevolence. And the joy, which will flow from the possession and exercise of virtues similar to Christ's, is so great, that no one who hopes to become like Christ in virtue and happiness, will indulge himself in the unrestrained enjoyment of sensual pleasures : but will purify himself from the immoderate desire of these pleasures, in imita tion of Christ, who while on earth was dead to sensual pleasure. 2. Purifieth himself; namely frora the lusts of the flesh, and from every sin. The apostle, as Beza observes, doth not say. Hath purified himself, but purifieth himself; to shew that it is a good man's constant study to pu rify himself, because in this life no one can attain to perfect purity. By this text, therefore, as well as by 1 John i. 8. (See the note there) those fanatics are condemned, who imagine they are able to Uve without sin. Ver. 4. — 1. Every one who worketh sin / So 'O-at; 0 7roia>ir t«v ajuAprtav should be translated : For imotiit denotes continued action. Hence it is ap plied to a tree's producing fruit, Matt. iii. 3 10. and to a fountain's sending forth its water continually, James Hi. 13. The meaning therefore is, he who worketh sin. as one worketh in a trade or occupation. This sense of the word should be attended to, because we will nol be sensible ofthe just ness ofthe apostle's reasoning in this and the fnllowing ])art of the chapter, particularly verse 6. where he saith, whosoever abideth in him doth notsin> unless we know that he Is speaking of habitual sin. Sec ver. 6. note 1. 2. Worketh also the transgression of law. Avo/uiu properly signifies « laafii of conformity to lavi, consequently might be translated lawlessness. Accord ingly avO|Mo/5, 1 Tim. i. 9. is translated In our Bible, the lawless — The apos tle's meaning is. That no one should think lightly ofhis sins, because every sin, even the least, being a violation of the law of God, if not repented of, VOL. VI, 9 G6 1 JOHN. Ch*'- ™- 5 And ye know that he 5 Kat pt8at£, bti^ EXEivog was manifested to take e^avEpa^T^, iva tag afiaptiag away our sins; and in him ^w^jy agip' xai hfiaptia EV is no sin. ^.^^^^ o„^ ^^j. 6 Whosoever abideth in 6 Tlag 6 EV avtCt (lEVQV, him sinneth not ; whoso- ov^ afiaptavEl' TtCtg O a[iap- ever sinneth hath not seen rj;avayVf OVV iapaxEV avtov, him, neither known him. ^^^^ syvaXEV avtOV. 7 Uttle children, let no 7 lExvia, (iViSEig TtXavata man deceive you : he that vjiag' 0 TtOiav f/lV OlxaiOGV- doeth righteousness is ^^^^ hixaiog E^i, xa^ag EXEl- righteous, even as he is ^^^ Bixaiog E<;iv. righteous. will most certainly be punished. — The Nicolaitans and other heretics in the first age, fancying that knowledge sanctified the worst actions, affirmed that no man who possessed knowledge, wiU be punished for any action what ever. See Pref. Sect. 3. at the end. In opposition to this pernicious doc trine the apostle declared, that as the maUgnity of sin lieth in its being a/ transgression of the law of God, to maintain the authority of his own go vernment, God will most certainly punish him who worketh the transgres sion of law : that is, who continueth to transgress his law. Ver. 5. — 1. He was manifested that he might take away our sins. In the Old Testament To take away sin, signifies, to procure the pardon of sin : and in this sense the phrase is used, John i. 29. Behold tbe lamb of God (o aifttv toUens) viho taketh away the sin of the world. And 1 Pet, ii. 24. Who bis own self (avevsj-xsv lifted up) bare our sins in his own body on the tree. See the note on that verse. But in this passage, John seems to affix a more enlarged meaning to the phrase, take away our sins, agreeably to the sense of the word a.ifm, which signifies, to lift off a load of any kind with which one is oppressed. For, by the raanner in which he introduces the phrase. Ills meaning in it appears to be, that Christ was manifested in the flesh and died, for the purpose of taking away the power, as well as punishment of sin. This likewise is the doctrine of Paul. Tit. ii. 14. Gave himself far us that ke might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar peo ple zealous of good works. The assured hope of pardon, which men derive ftom the knowledge of the atonement made for sin by the death^of Christ, being a strong encouragement to sinners to repent, John on that, as on many other accounts, saith, Christ by his deatii hatli taken away our siris ; and so, Uke the other apostles, he hath built the necessity of hohness, on the doctrine of the atonement. 2. And sin is not in him. If sOj our likeness to him consisteth in our ceas ing from sin. Chap. HI. 1 JOHN. 67 3 (Kse/, 224.) Moreover, ye know that he was ma nifested ihat Ae might take awayi our sins-; is not in him. ' And sin 6 Whosoever abideth in him (chap. ii. 6. note 1.) doth nol sin.^ Whoso ever sinneth hath not seen him,2 neither hath known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you : * He who worketh righteousness, is righteous, 2 even as he is righteous. (Chap. ii. 39.) 5 MoreoT'er, ye may know the cer tainty of the punishment of sin from this, that the Son oJ God was manifest- erfin the flesh, that he might take away both the power and the punishment of our sins. And as sin is not in him, he hath procured, for no one, a li berty of sinning. 6 Whosoever abideth in the love and fellowship of Christ, doth not sin ha bitually. IVhosoever sinneth habitual ly, though he may have seen Christ in the flesh, hath not seen him in his true character, neither hath known his will. 7 Beloved disciples, let no false tea cher deceive you, by affirming that the speculative belief of the doc trines of the gospel will constitute you righteous. He alone who habi tually fierfornis good works is righ teous, even as God himself is righ^ teous by doing righteously. Ver. 6. — 1. Whosoever abideth in him, doth not sin. Here xx. afjui^Tdviii signifies doth not sin habitually ; as is plain from ver. 9. where it is said by way of explication, whosoever is begotten qf God, i./xa.^Tia,v « votii, doth not work sin : Doth not continue in the practice of sin. See ver. 4. note 1. 2. Whosoever sinneth hatb not seen him, neither hath known him. Probably some of the heretical teachers condemned by the apostle in this epistle, lo make their disciples believe that their opinions were derived from Christ, boasted oftheir having seen and conversed with him during his ministry on earth, consequently that they knew his doctrine perfectly. But the apostle assured his children, that if these teachers who avowedly continued in sin, had ever seen or conversed with Christ, they had utterly mistaken both his character and his doctrine. Ver. 7. — 1. Let no one deceive you. This Implies that some pretenders to inspiration had endeavoured to deceive the brethren, by teaching what the apostle here condemneth. And being a solemn address to John's disciples, it shews the importancfe of the matter which it Introducetli. 2. He who worketh righteousness is righteous. 'O is-oim, see ver. 4. note 1. — The aposde doth not mean, that to be righteous in the sight of God, it is necessary that one be perfectly righteous : but that to be accounted rig'i- 1 JOHN. Chap. III. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil ; for the devil sinneth from the be ginning. For this purpose the Son of God was mani fested, that he might des troy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of avMa>S-». See 1 Pet. i. 7. notg: 2. 1 John ii. 28. note 2. The Son of God was manifested ; tbat is, was made the object of men's senses by being clothed with flesh. For if he h.id not been clothed with flesh, he could not have done and suffered what was necessary for destroying the works ofthe devil. 3. That he might destroy tbe works ofthe devil. Aoini, Demolish that hor rible fabric of sin and misery, which the devil witji such art, and industry, and malice, hath reared in this our world. — From this text some have argued that all raoral and penal evil vvill at length be extirpated from the universe. ' Chap. III. 8 He who worketh sin (see ver. 4. note 1.) is of the devil ; for the devil sinneth from the begin ning. 1 For this purpose the Son of God was mani fested, 2 that he might de stroy the works of the de vil. 3 9 Whosoever hath been begotten of God (chap. ii. 29. note 1.) doth not work sin ; 1 because his seed abid eth in him : ^ and he can not sin, 3 because he hath been begotten of God. 10 By this the children of God are discovered, and the children of the devil: whosoever morkelh not righteousness, is not be- corrEN (from ver. 9.) of God, neither he who lov eth not his brother. ' 1 JOHN. m 8 He mho committeth sin habitually is begotten of the devil. (See ver. 1 2. note 1 .) For the devil hath sinned from the beginning of the world. But for this purpose the Son of God mas manifested in the fl.esh, that he might destroy the works of the devil; narae ly, sin and punishment, ver. 5. 9 Whosoever hath been begotten of God, being renewed in his nature, doth not commit sin habitually because God's seed of the word abideth in him : and he cannot sin habitually, because he hath been bcgoUen of God, and pos sesseth the moral qualities of his Father. 10 By this sure mark the children of God are discovered, and the children of the devil ; whosoever doth not habi tually perform good works, is not be gotten of God ; neither he who loveth not his brother with a real affection. Such, instead of being begotten of God, are begotten of the devil. Ver, 9. — 1. Whosoever is begotten qfGod doth not work sin. See ver. 4. note 1. By translating x Tram a./jia.^'nui, doth not work sin according to the true import of the phrase, the argument drawn from this text to prove the sin less perfection ofthe saints in the present life, is precluded. 2. Because his seed abideth in hiin. The viord qf God is called, 1 Pet. i. 23. the incorruptible seed by which we are regenerated. This seed Is said by John to abide in those who are begotten of God, perhaps in allusion to Psal. cxix. 11./ have hid thy word in my heart that I sin not against thee. — Or by the seed of God, the apostle may mean that principle of faith which is wrought by God In the hearts of believe.rs ; and by which they are said, chap. V. 4. to obtain the victory over the world. 3. And he cannot sin, namely habitually, because he hath been begotten of God. That nu fvya/rat i.fta.^'ra.vuv signifieth, he cannot sin habitually, is plain from the reason subjoined, because he hatb been begotten of God. For since the apostle in the beginning ofthe verse had said whosoever hatb been begot ten of God, X TToift a/iH^Tuy dotb not work sin because bis seed abideth in him. 7e 1 JOHN. Chap. HI. 1 1 For this is the mes sage that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he hira ? Because his own works were evil, and his bro ther's righteous. 1 3 Marvel not, my bre thren, if the world hate you. 14 We know that ¦vie have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that lov eth not his brother abideth in death. 11 'Otl avtri E^iv n ayye- ^Ma,viv vixovaate aTt* ap^vig, iva ayaTiaftev a^^J^/loDg* 12 Ou xa^ag Kaiv ex tov Ttovripov i^Vy xat EG^a^s tov aSe/l^ov aiiToz;. Kat ;^ap«' Ttrog EG^a^Ev avtov ; oTi Ta spya avtov Tiovvipa viv, Ta 5e TOU aSfyl^ou auTou, ^txata. 13 M)7 ^avfia^EtE, ahsX^ol (lov. El (iiGEi v(iag b xoG(iog. 14 'B.[iEig oi8a(iEv, bti [ie- taSsSi^xafiEV EX tov ^avatov eig tyjv ^oj^v, oTt ajyaTlafiEV tovg aSe^^ous' o /it)? a/yaTtav tov aSeA^ov, (levei ev ttji SaiiaTCi). it is evident that when he saith in this clause, x Suvhthi a.fiii^Ta.niv ot; ik &ix yiyimira.1, he uses the word a/ia^Tavsiv in the sense of lunmt ifjut^- nidLy. — That John did not mean in this verse to say of them who have been ' begotten of God, noi- in verse 6. of them who abide in Christ, that they never comrait single acts of sin, 1 think is plain frora chap. i. 8. where he af- firras of all without exception. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth of God is not in us. — On verses 6. 8, 9, 10. of this chapter Jovi nian and Pelagius founded their doctrine, that a good raan may live with out sin. But these texts, according to their true meaning, give no comite- nance to such a doctrine. Ver. 10. — 1. Neither he who loveth not his brother. Although, in the first ag^e, the disciples of Christ called each other brethren, I think tbe word brother, in this passage, signifies mankind in general, who are aW^brethren by virtue oftheir comraon nature and theirdescent from Adara. It is trtie, the brethren ver. 14. are our Christian brethren. Nevertheless, since the apostle hath said in the following ver. 15. Every one who hateth his brother is a man-slayer, it is evident that in this discourse, the word brother is to be taken in its enlarged sense.— Besides, when he tells us, ver. 17. Whosoever bath the goods of this world, and seeth his brother having need, and shutteth up his bowels from him, we cannot suppose him to be speaking of our Chris tian bretliren only. — See chap. iv. 7. note, where a reason is assigned for Chap. III. 1 JOHN. 71 1 1 For this is the mes sage which ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one an other. 12 Not BEIlfG BE- GottEH^ of the wicked one, as Cain was, (xai, 219.) who slew his bro ther. And on account of what did he slay him ?^ Because his "own works were wicked, and his bro ther's righteous. 13 Do not wonder, ray brethren, (ei, 127.) that the world hateth you. 14 We know that we have passed amay from death to life,^ ,because we love the brethren:^ He who loveth not his brother abideth in death.' 1 1 F'or this is the message which Christ brought from his Father tp mankind, and which ye have heard us apostles repeat from the beginning, that we all should love one another ; 12 JVot being begotten of the wicked one, as Cain was, who from envy and malice slem his brother. And on account of what did he slay Ilim ? Because his omn works were wicked, and his brother's righteous. And he could not bear that his bro ther's sacrifice was accepted of God, while bis own was rejected. 13 Do not wonder, my brethren, that the wicked men of the world hate you. To be hated by the wicked, hath been the lot of the righteous from the beginning. 14 The hatred of the wicked is not to be regarded by us; for we know that we have passed away from a state of death to a state of life, be cause we love the brethren. He who loveth not his brother, is in a state cf condemnation. John's pressing so frequently and earnestly the love of our brethren of mankind. , Ver. 12. — 1. Not being begotten ofthe wicked one. Ovk en. too isroviigou, is an elliptical expression, which raust be completed by supplying the word J ysyevvH/ievo;, not hating been begotten, as is evident from ver. 9. where the phrase is in its complete form : and from ver. 10. where it is said of those who do not work righteousness, that they are not of God, that is, are not be gotten of God. Besides, if wicked men are children of the devil, ver. 10. they may with great propriety be said to have been begotten by him. — In representing wicked men as children of the devil, John hath followed his master, John viii. 44. Ye are of your Father the devil, and tlie lusts qf your Father ye will do. , r 2. And {.xi%ti T/voc supply xaTa) an account of what did he slay him? Ver. 14. — 1. We have passed away from death to life. Here it is in sinuated that all manland, as sinners, are under the condemnation of death. 72 1 JOHN. Chap. III. 15 Whosoever hateth IS Tlag o [iiGav tov a- his brother is a murderer ; 8e2,^OV avtOV, aV^pOTtOXtOVOg and ye know that no gg-j. j^qjj^ oiSatE bti Tlag av- murdererliath eternal life ^p^Tloxtovog ovx E^'^i' ^"'7»' abiding in him. aiaviov ev avtO) [lEVOvGav. 16 Hereby perceive we 16 Ev tovtc) Eyvaxa[iEV the love of God, because jj^ ayaTlf;v, ott EXSiVog VTtEp he laid down his life for ^^^j^ °^«- ij, jjj^ ? TV/i tov Qeov [ievei ev auT^ ; ObUque expressions,- as Doddridge observes, convey truths Uke this. In a manner both convincing and affecting. 2. Because we love the brethren. According to our apostle tbe surest mark by which we can know our stata, is to consider whether we possess that characteristic disposition towards our brethren which the Christian re. ligion enjoins. — The high encomium passed in this and the following verse on love to raankind, is not to be so understood, as if no virtue but benevo lence were necessary to complete the Christian character. The virtues have aU such a connection with each other, that they cannot subsist separately. And therefore, if one really loveth his brethren of mankind, he will not only be charitable to the poor, but he will be just in his dealings, true to his proinises, faithful In all the trusts committed to him. In short, he will care fuUy abstain from injuring his neighbour in any respect, and will perform every duty he oweth to him, from a sincere principle of piety towards God, whereby his whole conduct will be rendered uniformly virtuous. 3. Abideth iti death. In this expression John, I think, alludeth to our Lord's words, John iii. 18. He who believeth not is condemned already. Ver. 15. — 1. Whosoever hateth his brother is a man-slayer. So I translate iivS'jaJ'is'ojtTOKJc, because a man-slayer difiers from a murderer in the same manner as manslaiig/iter differs from murder. The hatred of one's brother, may be the occasion by accident of putting T.Im to death. For he whp in- dulgeth hatred to his brother, lays himself open to the influence of such pas sions as may hurry him to slay his brother. So our Lord tells us in his ex plication of the precept, Thou shalt not kill, Matth. vi. 21. For he mentions Chap. HI. 1-^ E'very one who habeth his brother, is a man- slayer ; 1 and ye know that ho man-slayer hath ete^nal life* abiding in him. 1 6 By this we have known the love of god, that (txti- Ms) he laid down -his life for us;i {xm, 208.) there fore we ought to lay down OUR lives for the bre thren. ^ 17 Whosoever, therefore, hath the goods of this worlds and seeth his brother harv- ing need {^uu, 211.) and yet shutteth up his bomels from him,* how abideth the love of God^ in him ? 1 JOHN. n 15 Every one who hateth Ms bro ther, is really a man-slayer, as he is in a disposition to take away his bro ther's life on every provocation. And ye know that no man-slayer hath the capacity of eternal life abiding in him. 1 6 By this we have known the love of God to us, that his Son by his ap pointment, laid down his life for us. Therefore, instead of hating and in juring our brethren, we ought, after Christ's example, from Ioye to lay down our lives for raankind ; and es pecially ybr ihe brethren, when called to do so. 17 Whosoever therefore, hath the good things of this world, and seeth Ms brother in need of thera, and yet shut teth up Ms bomels from him, by refus ing to give hira what is necessary for his present support, how can a sense of the love mhich God shewed to us be said to abide in such a man? causeless anger and provoking speeches, as violations of that command ment, because they are often productive of murder. 2. And ye know that no man-slayer hath eternal life abiding in him. No person who cherisheth such a hati-ed of his brother, as either leadeth him actually to put his brother to deatii unjustly, or disposeth him to put him to death when accidentally enraged, hath the capacity of eternal life abiding in him. This the apostle affirmeth with the greatest truth. Be cause the person who is a man-slayer in either of the senses just now de scribed, being destitute not only of natural good dispositions, but of religion^ he is without doubt incapable of eternal life. Nevertheless, if a man-slayer, sincerely repenteth he may be pardoned. Ver. 16. — 1. By this we know the love qf God, that exinns he laid down bis life for us. Rxmo; being the relative pronoun by which the Greeks express. cd the remote antecedent, it stands in this passage for the Son qfGod men tioned ver. 8. On this supposition the apostle alludes to Christ's words, John iii. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, tbat whosoever believeth on him should not perish. — Many MSS. and versions read here tdv aydirnv without ts ©«!. This reading. Mill and others have adopted in their printed editions of the- Greek New Testament, as genuine ; VOL- vj. 10 74 18 My little children, iBt us not love in word, neither in tongue ; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before hira. 20 For if our hearts condemn us, God is grea ter than our heart, and knoweth all things. 2 1 Beloved, if our heart Condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. 1 JOHN. Chap. BI. 18 Tsxvia (lov, (ivi a/yano- (lEV Aoyo, hviSe y^aaaipf aTi^ Epyqi xai aJli^S'etqt. 19 Kat EV tovtci yivaGxo- (lEv bti EX tyjg aTiiVi^siag eG- ILEV, xai EUTtpoG^EV avtov TtEl- GOfiEV Tag xapStag ri{J.av, 20 'Oti Eav xataiyivaGxi^ n{iav n xap8ia, bti iisi^tifV sgiv b Qsog tvig> xapStag iiy-av, xai yivaGxEi Ttavta. 21 AyaTtv^Qi, Eav h xapSia riiiav fivi xatayivaGxifl rifiav, TiappviGiav E^o^EV Ttpog Tov Qeov' supposing that the love of which the apostle speaks, is the love of Christ. But the reading which our translators have followed, is supported by chap. iv. 10. where the love which was manifested by sending Christ as a propi tiation, is evidently God's love. Nevertheless as the comraon printed edi^ tions want the words tx Oss, I have marked thera in the new translation as supplied. 2. Therefore we ought to lay down our Uvls for the brethren; namely from love to God, in return for his great love in sending Christ to lay down his life for us. — Many cases may be mentioned, in which Christian benevolence requires us to hazard our lives, and even to undergo death, for the benefit of raankind. fulchrum est pro patria mori, was a raaxira among the tiea.- then moralists. It is often esteemed praise-worthy to suffer torture, and even death, rather than divulge an important secret, the discovery of which might occasion the destmction of a confederacy for delivering one's coun try from slavery. Nay, the affection which subsists among near relations will lead them, at the hazard oftheir lives, to attend and comfort one ano ther, when infected with the plague or otiier contagious distempers. Ver. 17. — 1. Whosoever therefore haih Tcv Slav rx nofyx the goods qf this world. The word Sio; signifies, not only one's natural life, but the means of supporting that life, and eveli the conveniences of it; consequently, one's goods and possessions. 2. And shutteth up his bowels from him,. In scripture bonaels signify the affections of love and pity. Ess. iv. 34. The a^postle's meaning is, doth not exercise pity towards him. 3. Hoxii abideth the love of God in him P In the preceding verse the apos tle saith, By this we kncm the love qfGod tbat he (Christ) laid down his life for us, and observeth, that the consideration of God's love.to us, should in- Chap. ui. 18 My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue onlt,^ but in deed and in truth. 19 (K«i, 207.) For by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts' before him. 20 ('Or;, 253. 2.) But if our heart condemn us, (oti, 260.) certainly God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart doth not condemn us, we have (ar«ffj)P(«v, Heb. x. 19. note 1.) confidence (wfos) with God.'^ 1 JOHN. 75 18 'My dear children, let us not love our needy brethren in word, nor in tongue only, by giving thera nothing but fair speeches ; but let us love them in deed and in truth, by relieving thera in their straits. 19 For by this behaviour alone, we can know that we are of the fellow ship oithe true God,and shall assure ourselves in his presence, that we worship him acceptably. See ver. 2 1 . 20 But if our conscience con demneth us as deficient in love to our needy brethren, certainly God who is a more perfect and impartial judge than our conscience and knoweth all our actions, will much more con demn us. 21 Beloved, to shew you what an excellent virtue benevolence is, I tell you a second time, (ver. 19.) that if our conscience doth not condemn us as deficient in love to our needy briethren, we have confidence with God, that we have so far perforraed our duty to thera. duce us so to love him, as at his call to lay down our lives for our brethren. Here he tells us, that if, so far from laying down our lives for the brethren, we refuse them, when in need, some part of our worldly goods to support their Uves, the. love of God can in no sense be said to abide in us. Ver. 18. — 1. Let us not love in word, nor in tongue only. I have added the word only, because the apostle cannot be supposed to forbid our using affectionate speeches to our brethren in distress. But he forbiddeth us to oontent ourselves with these, when it is in our power to succour them with money, or food, or clothes. Ver. 19.— 1. And shall assure our hearts. BengeUus translates mmro/tev tul; x.a.^S'ta,!, pacabimus, shall pacify our hearts, that js, shall restrain our hearts or consciences from accusing us as deficient in';|ove to God, and to our brethren. Ver. 21.— 1. Beloved, if our heart doth not condemn us, we have confidence with God. If to this it be objected, that wicked men may have hardened their consciences to such a degree that they do not condemn themselves, and yet they cannot from that circumstance justly have confidence with 76 1 JOHN. CHAP. III. 22 And i^hatsoever we 22 Kat 6 sav aitafiev, aisk we receive of him, be- 2,a[i6aV0flEV Ttap* avtOV, bti cause we keep his com- ^„g evtoT^g avtov tvipovfisv, mandments, and do those ^^^ ^^ evaXSiOV arTOU things that are pleasing in ' , . . , TtOlOVUEV, his sight. ~ 23 And this is his com- 23 Kat avtvi sgiv n £r>- mandment, that we should ^^^^ avtov, iva TtigEVGa[i£v believe on the name of his ^ e ^„,, i„ „ ^ „. . , , ta ovouati tov viov auTou Lv[- Son Jesus Christ, and love ' ' one another, as he gave us <="^ Xptfou, Jtat c^aTlailEV commandment. aXTi.'^^ovg, xa^cjg sdaxEV EV- to'Kviv niiiv. 24 And he that keepeth 24 Kat o ti^pav fag EV- his commandments dwel- . Ex tovtov yivaGxonEv to TtvEVfia tr^g aT^^Eiag xai To TtvEVfia tvig- TtTiavT^g. 7 AyaTtYitot, ayaTta(iEV a^2.i^7i,ovg, bti n ayaTiri ex tov Qeov £g"t xai izag b a- yaTtav, ex tov Qeov yEyEvviq- Tat, xai yivaGxEi tov Qeov, teachers were, who did not confess Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, and thereby denied the Father, See chap. ij. 18. note 2. 2. This is tbat spirit of Antichrist which ye have heard tbat it cometh, and ¦now is in the world already. From this, as well as from chap. ii. 18. it ap pears, that Antichrist is not any particular person, nor any particular suc cession of persons in the church, but a general name for all false teachers ih every age, who disseminate doctrines contrary to those taught by the apostles : especially if these doctrines have a tendency to derogate from Christ's character and actions as the Saviour ofthe world. Ver. 4. — 1. Greater is he who is with you, than be who is with the world. The issue of the divine government will be, that truth and virtue shall finally be victorious over error and wickedness, because God the patron of truth and virtue possesseth far greater power and Wisdom, than the evil spirits who promote error and wickedness. Ver. 5. — 1. And the world hearkeneth to tbem. Lest the faithful should be discouraged by the success which false teachers oftentimes have in spread ing their errors, the apostle observes that their success arises generally from their accommodating their doctrines to the prejudices and evil incli nations ofthe world. Wherefore, from the prevalence of any doctrine, no argument can be drawn in favour of its truths Chap. IV. 1 JOHN. 87 4 Ye are of God; little children, and have over come them : (otj) because greater is he who is (ev, 162.) with you, than he who IS wilh the world. ^ 5 They are ofthe world, therefore they speak from the world, and the world (ttioisi, 45.) hearkeneth to them.^ 6 We are of God. ^ He who knoweth God,^ heark eneth to us. ^ He who is not of God, hearkeneth not to us. By this we know the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. 7' Beloved, let us love one another : ^ For love is from God. And every one who loveth hath been begot ten of God, and knoweth God. 4 Ye are taught of God, little chil dren, and have detected and confuted these false prophets ; because more wise and fiomerful is God, who is present with you and instructeth you, than the devil who is present with, and in stigate th the false prof diets who are now in the morld. 5 These false teachers belong to the wicked world, therefore they sfieakfrom worldly principles ; and the wicked part of the world listeneth to them with pleasure. 6 We apostles belong to God, as is evident from the miraculous powers he hath conferred on us. 7'he teacher who is acquainted with the will of God hearkeneth to us ; he acknowledgeth our authority. The teacher who doth not belong to God, hearkeneth not io us. By this mark also we know the tea chers who are inspired by the Spirit of God, and by the spirit of the devil. 7 ' Beloved, let us not imitate the false teachers in neglecting the of fices of love, on pretence that know ledge is the only thing necessary to the children of God : But Ut us love one another ; for love is from God, and every one who loveth his brother, hath been begotten of God, and knoweth God. Ver. 6.— 1. We are of God. The apostle having appealed chap. iii. 24. to the miraculous gifts ofthe Holy Spirit, which God at the first bestowed on the apostles, and still continued with them as proofs ofhis abiding with them ; also in the beginning of chap. iv. having insinuated that the doctrine which they taught was given them by the inspiration of the Spirit; He in this verse, expressly asserted that he and his bretliren were commissioned by God to teach the worid ; and that all Christians were bound, to acknow ledge their authority and receive their doctrine ; and that if any teacher did not acknowledge their authority, it was a proof that he did not belong to God. 88 1 JOHN. I Chap. IV. 8 He that loveth not 8 'O [ITI OJyaTtav, OVX Eyva knoweth not God ; for tov QeoV Vti 6 QEOg ayaTtvi God is love. eCiV, 9 In this was manifest- 9 Ev tovtcit e^avepa^VJ ri ed the Ioye of God toward o/yaTlYl tOV Qeov EV VlfllV, bti us, because that God sent ^^^ ,^^^ ^,^^^0^ ^^^ [lovoyEVV! his only begotten Son into ^ ^ « ' /a„-. ...- -,-«.,. «-«/* ,,, ¦ . , aTiECaA,xEV o QEog etc tov xoG- the world, that we might % y s , live through hira. f*"^' »"« i^'^l^^V ^t aviToi;. 10 Herein is love, not 10 Ev tOVtOi E^IV n ayaTlYJ, that we loved God, but qu;^ oTt ri{lEig riyaTtYiGa^EV tov -that he loved us, and sent q^^^^ ^y^^, ^^ ^.^^^^ maTivi- his Son to be the propitia- c _ ^ n ^. r . Gev mac, jcat aTtECEiAs tov tion for our sins. , r- =' ^ 3 vtov auTov i2.aG^ov cjept Tov hfiaptiav riiiQfV. 2. .ffe 'ajAo knoweth God. By the great pains which the apostle takes here and in ver. 7, 8. and chap. ii. 3, 4. to shew who the persons are who know God, it Is probable he had the Gnostics and other false teachers ofthe first age in his eye, who by placing the whole of Christianity in the speculative knowledge of God, encouraged their disciples in all manner of hcentiousness. 3. Hearkeneth to us. This mark, by which John directed his disciples to judge of teachers, is not to be understood of their hearkening to the apostles personaUy, but of their receiving their doctrine with tliat submis sion which was due to persons inspired by the Spirit of God. 'Wherefore though the apostles be all dead, yet as they still speak in their divinely in spired writings, John in this passage declares, that their writings are the test by which the disciples of Christ, since the decease of the apostles, are to judge both of teachers and of .their doctrine. Ver. 7. — 1. Beloved, let us love one another. The frequency and earnest ness with whick the apostle in this epistle, inculcated the love of our bre thren of mankind, is very remarkable. The greatest part of the present chapter and of chap. ill. is employed in pressing that duty. See also chap. ii. 10. We may therefore believe, that some in the first age professed themselves the disciples of Christ, who were deficient in love. Possibly they were Jewish converts, who by the rites oftheir law having been cut off from all familiar intercourse with heathens, considered thera as unclean persons who were hated of God. And therefore, instead of regarding them with any degree of esteem, they despised and hated them as enemies ; and thought theraselves warranted by their law in so doing. This 1 think ap pears fi'om our Lord's words. Matt. v. 43. Te have heard tbat it hath been said. Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine ene'my. 'Wherefore, it is not Chap. iv. 1 JOHN. 89 ' 8 He who doth not love doth not know God : ' for God is love.* (See ver. 16.) ' 9 By this the love of God (ev, 163.) to us was manifested, 1 that God ient forth his Son, the only begotten, into the world, that we might live through hira. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent forth his Son to be a pro pitiation for our sins. 8 He who doth not love his bro ther, doth not know God aright, whatever he may pretend. Far ^God is love, without any mixture of malevolence. 9 By this the love of God to us sinners was manifested, that God sent forth his Son, the only begotten, into the morld made flesh, that we might live through Aia doctrine, ex- amjile, and death. 10 In this is the highest ^ot^e ; not that me loved Goc( first, (ver. \9.)but that he loved us, and sent forth his Son into our world made flesh, to die as a propitiation for our sins. See chap. ii. 2. note 1. improbable that sorae of the Jewish converts, retaining their ancient pre judices, considered it still as their duty to hate the heathens. And some of them who pretended to be teachers, no doubt taught their disciples the sam.e lesson ; and perhaps extended it to those who did not agree with them in Uieir religious opinions. See chap. iv. 20, note. But this doctrine being contrary to the doctrine of Christ, John was at great pains to con demn it. Ver. 8. — 1. He who doth not- love, doth not know God. See ver. 6. note 2. The love of which the apostle speaks, is the love qf benevolence, as is plain from the reason subjoined, God is love. He who doth not love his neighbour with the love of benevolence, doth not know God. He hath no just knowledge of tbe character of God, whose benevolence extends to all, even to the evil and unthankful, and who in, this ought to be Imitated by all who know him. 2. For God is love : that is, according to Estius, God is essentiaUy love ; even as he is properly arid essentially power, wisdom, and goodness. But it doth not api)ear that the apostle meant to declare what the essence of God is ; but only to teach us that God greatly delights In the exercise of benevo lence, and perhaps that llis other perfections are exerted for accomplishing his benevolent purposes. — The declaration in this verse, and in verse 16. that God is lave, being made by inspiration, must afford us the greatest con solation, as it assureth us that all God's dealin.gs with us proceed from love, and in the end wiU assuredly issue in our happiness, unless we refuse to co operate with him. Ver. 9. — 1. By this the love of God to us was manifested, that Godsent, isfc. This is an allusion to our Lord's words, John iii. 16. God so loved the •aiorld, tbat he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, VOL, VI, 12 fO 1 II Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit, 14 And we have seen, and do testify, that the Fa ther sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 1 5 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God, joriN. Chap. IV. 11 AyaTtvftoh et miag b Qsog v;yaTiv;GEV vifiag, xai n- HEig o^EiXOfiEV aT^^vi^ovg a- yaTtCLV, 12 Qiov ovhsig uSaTiotE te-, S>eaTai. Ear o/yaTtafiEV a^ y^^T^T^ovg, 6 ©605 CV V'V ^^- VEi, 3tat n ayaTtyj auTov tEtS' XEiafiEvv; Egiv ev niuv. 13 Ev tovt Ct yivaGxofiEV bti EV avtci fiEVO[iEV, xai av tog EV V[lt,V, bti EX tov tSVEV- /ifaTog avtov ^E^axev n(iiv. 14 Kat niieig tE^Eafis^, scat [laptvpoviiEV, bti b isatvip aTtsgakxE TTov viov Gatyjpa TOU xoG^ov. 15 'Og av bpLO^ioyviaip, bti IriGovg E^iv b viog tov Qsov, o QEog EV auT6) fiEvei, «at avtog EV ta Qeo. should not perish, but have everlasting life. Christ is called God's only be gotten Son, to distinguish him from all others who in scripture are called r/ie sons qfGod; and to heighten our idea of God's love to us in giving a person of such dignity, and so beloved of God, to die for us. — It is supposed that by giving Christ the title of God's only begotten Son in this passage, the apos-" tie intended to overturn the error of Ebion and Cerinthus, who affirmed that Christ was not God's Son. by nature, but that, like other good men, be was honoured wilh the title of God's Son on account of his virtues : in which opinion these hereslarchs have been followed by some in modern times. They, however, who hold this opinion, Ought to shew a reason why tha epithet of the only begotten, is appropriated to Christ. Ver. 12. — 1. No one hatb seeh God at any time. It is difficult to discover the connexion of these words, either with what goes before, or with what follows. But,' as they are tho words of the Baptist, recorded, John i. 18. If the apostle intended that his readers shpuld take into their view what the Baptist added, namely, The only begotten Son, who is in the boso'm ofthe Fa ther, he hath declared hiin, his raeaning probably was this : Though no one hath any knowledge. of God by his senses, yet frora what the only begotten Son hath declared concerning him, we know that if we love one anotlarGod CUAP. IV. 1 1 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one atiother. 12 No one hath seen God at any time.' If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love (ev, 163.) to us is made per fect. 1 3 By this ive kno-iv tlmt we abide in him, and he in us, because he hath given us VBE GIFTS of his Spi rit.* 14 M)w (Ts^sitft,s5a,) we have beheld and bear wit ness, that the Father hath sent forth his son to be the Saviour of the world. 15 Whosoever will con fess that Jesus is the Son qf God,* God abideth in him, and he in God.^ 1 JOHN. 91 1 1 Beloved, if God so loved us whilst we were sinners, (Rom. v. 8.) we also ought, in imitation of God and from gratitude to him, to love one another, though sinners. 12 JVo one hath seen God at any time. Yet, from what his Son hath taught us, we know that if we love one another, the nature of God abideth in us, and his love to us is carried to perfection ; he loves us greatly, be cause we partake of his nature. 1 3 By this, we apostles, knom that we continue faithful to him in all our doctrines, and that he authorizes our actings as apostles, because he Itath bestowed on us tke gifts of his Spirit, and still continueth them with us. 14 JVom we liave beheld with our eyes, what the Son of God in the flesh did and suffered for the salva tion of sinners ; and therefore we bear witness, that the Father hath sent forth his Son to be. the Savioiir of the world. 15 Wherefore, every teacher who acknowledgeth, and teacheth, that Jestcs is the Son of God sent forth in the flesh to save the world, God autho rizes his doctrine, ond he abideth faithful to God. abideth in us, the divine nature abideth in us, and on that account God's love ' ta us is ¦made perfect ; he loveth us most affectionately. Ver. 13. — 1. By this we knoie that we abide in him, and he in us, because he bath given us tbe gifts ofhis Spirit. Because the expression m tx ?rvfa- /«*T0£ auTS ifeJaiasv is elliptical, I have completed it in the translation, by supplying the words tbe gifts. By possessing the gifts of the Spirit, the apostles knew that they abode in God, that is, continued faithful to him In the execution of their office : and by the same gifts, they demonstrated to the world tha/ God was with them, and authorized their doctrine. Accordingly It is added in the next verse. Now we have beheld, and bear witness that the Father bath sent forth bis Son naraely in the flesh, to be the Saviour of tbe 9? 1 JOHN. Chap. IV. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love ; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment ; because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love : but perfect love casteth out fear ; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not raade perfect in love. 16 Kat hfiet^ eyvaxa(iEV xat tSETiigEvxaiiEV triv aya- CT>7V, hv E'Xfl b QEog EV h[iiv. b QEog ayaTtri Eqi' Jcat o |U£- vav EV T-p oyaTtp, ev ta ©ft* ^evet, xai b ©£o$ ev avtci. 17 Ev T0DT6) tEtE2,Eiatai h ojyaTtYi [ieB' fifiav, iva tsappr;- Giav Exa[iEV EV f^ hfiepci trig xpiGsag, bti xa'^ag exEivog sgi, xai hfiEig eG[iev ev tci xoGfitji tovta. 18 ^oSog ovx E<;iv EV T^ ayaTt*?, a?v/l' h tE2,Eia ayaTtvi eIcj ^a2,y^Ei tov ^o6ov' bti b ^o6og xoT^aGiv ej^ei' b hs ^o- 6ov^Evog,ov tEtE^Eiatai ev t^ ayaTtri. world: intimating that the. gifts of the Spirit were given to the aposdes, to enable them to prove the truth of their testimony concerning the Fathei-'s sending his Son in the flesh to be the Saviour of the world. See chap. iii. 24. note 2. Ver. 15. — 1. Whosoever will confess tbat Jesus is the Son qf God. Forthe meaning of this see ver. 2. note. — Some commentators hy confessing that Jesus is the Son of God, understand an outward profession of faith in the gospel. But, notwithstanding that profession of one's faith in the first age, exposed him to persecution, I haroly think the apostle on that account would say of such a person, that God abode in hiin and he in God. See Rom. x. 10. note 2. 2. God abideth in him, and he in God, See chap. ii. 6. note 1. — The ex pressions God abideth in him, and he in God, occur often in this epistle, and must be understood differently according to the characters of the persons to whom tliey are applied. If spoken of teachers, as in ver. 13. 15. of this chap ter, and perhaps In chap. Ii. 27, 28. their meaning Is, that these teachers are faithful to God in teaching the true doctrines of the gospel, and are assisted and beloved of God. But If spoken of private persons, as in chap. ii. 5, 6. iii. 6. 24. iv. 16. tbey mean one's abiding in the belief of the doctrines, and in the practice of the precepts of the gospel, and his enjoying the love of God. Ver. 17. — 1. So that we can have boldness in the day of judgment. The persons of whom the apostle speaks may well have boldness in the day of Chap, IV. 1 6 And we have known and believed the love which God hath to us. God is love; (see ver 8. note 2.) (k«i, 208.) Wherefore he who abideth in love, abideth in God, and God in him. (Soever. 15. note 2.) 17 By this the love is perfected (fieS'' 241.) in us, ao that we can have boldness in the day of judgment, ' because as he is, so we arc in this world. „ 1 8 Fear is not in love ; but perfect love' casteth out fear : 2 because fear hath torment. {As, 106.) Wherefore, he who feareth is not perfected in love. 1 JOHN. 93 16 .<^n(/*havingseen what the Son did for the salvation of the world, (ver. 14.) we apostles have knomn, and believed, the great love mhich God bears to mankind. God is love. Wherefore, he who abideth in love to his neighbour, abideth in God, and God in him. He partaketh of the nature of God, and God is present with him by his grace and love. 17 By this knowledge of God's great love to us, and by its operation on our hearts, the love which we bear to our neighbour, (ver. 12.) is car ried to such perfection in us, that we can have boldness in the day of judg ment, because as he is benevolent, so we are benevolent iii this world. 18 Fear of the judgment never accompanies love. But perfect love to God and man casteth out of one's -mind all fear of the judgment; be cause such year occasioneth a torment, which no one who truly loves God and raan, and who thereby knoweth that he hath passed from death to life, hath any cause to suffer. Where fore, he who feareth the judgment, is not perfected in love. judgment, because by loving God and their neighbour being the children of God, they will not be condemned by their Judge. 2. Because as he is, so we are in this world. KaS-at iKmo; «r(. The verb ill this clause being ofthe present tense, the relative he must be understood of God, who is represented ver. 11. as the object of our imitation in his love to mankind. — If the reader is of opinion that Christ is meant, and that the words, in this world, stand connected not only with the words we are 'but with the words he is, the translation must run, as he waa, so we are in this world. According to this translation likewise, the sentiment expressed is perfectly just. Ver. 18. — 1. Perfect love. The love which the apostle calls perfect, is love to mankind cherished from a regard to the will of God, and exercised habitually, as opportunity offereth, in the disinterested manner in wliich God exerciseth his love to us. This love, though not perfect In its degree 94 View. 1 JOHN. Chap. V. 19 We love hira, be- 19 'HfiEig oyaTtafiEV av- cause he first loved us. ^-ov, oTt auTog ispatog viya- TiriGEV hfjiag. 20 If a man say, I love 20 Eav tig EtTtp' bti ajya- God, and hateth his bro- Ttca Tov ©eav, xat Tov aSeJl- ther, he is a liar : for he ^^^ avtov (iiG'^, 'i'^vgvig sgiV that loveth not his brother 5 '^ tov aH- whom he hath seen, how » • ' ' ^ ^ , , r^ J u u ^ov avtov, ov supaxf, tov can he love God whom he "^ ^ ^ ^ «¦ hath not seen ? ®^°»'' °^ °^Z £"paJC£, «"S OV- vatai ayaTtciv ; 21 And this command- 21 Kat TaDT»7V T37V evT'o- ment have we from him, ;\,,^y exoflEV ttTt' avTOi;, iva That he who loveth God 5 ayaTtav tov Qecyv, oryaTta love his brother also. _ S 1 j. «at Tov aoEA^ov avTou. or measure, may be called perfect because it proceeds from a right principle, and operates habitually in leading the person in whose heart it lodgeth, to do to his neighbour all the good offices in his power. 2. Casteth out fear. As the apostle speaks in the preceding verse, of one's having boldness in the day of judgment,_/en!r, in this verse, certainly means fear of tbe judgment, that is fear of being condemned at the judgment. This fear, perfect or strong love to mankind casteth out of a man's mind j be cause as the apostle declared, chap. ill. 14. We know that we have passed away from death to life because we love the brethren It is a great recom mendation of any quality, that it renders a man a child of God, ver. 7. and gives him such an entire assurance of God's love, as banisheth from his mind all fears with respect to his happiness in a future state. This love to our brethren effectually doth : and therefore it ought to be carefuUy che rished. — Some interpreters give a different explication of this verse as fol lows : " There is no fear of what one may lose or suffer by loving his bro- " ther perfectly : but perfect love casteth out all such fear ; for such fear " hath torment in it. Wherefore be who thus fears what he raay lose or " suffer by loving his brother, is not perfected in love.'' But as this inter pretation doth not shew, how the torment which is in fear, is a reason for its being cast out by perfect love, as the interpretation in the commentary doth, 1 think it should not be admitted. CHAPTER V. View and Illustration of the Sentiments, Discoveries, and Precepts contained in this Chapter. 1 HE apostle in the preceding chapter, having, from various considerations, inculcated the love of mankind in general, and Chap. V. 1 JOHN. View. 95 19 We love him, be cause he first loved us. (See chap. iii. 16.) 20 If any one say, (or< 260.) Certainly I love God, (xm, 211.) and yet hate^ his brother, he is a liar : For he %oho loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen ? 21 (K«i, 224.) More over, this commandment we have from him. That he who loveth God, love his brother also. 1 9 We being rightly instructed love God exceedingly, because he first loved us ; and our love to God we shew by loving our brethren. 20 Let no one deceive you con cerning the love men owe to God. If any one say. Certainly Hove God, and yet hateth his brother, he is a liar ; he is a deceiver if he is a teacher ; or, ifhe is a private person, he is an hypocrite. F'or he who loveth not his brother, whose good qualities and various distresses he haih seen, how can he love God, whose excellencie,s are not the object of hia senses, but are discovered imper fectly by reasoning from his works. 2 1 Moreover, love to mankind is inseparable from love to God: for this commandment we have received from Christ, John xiii. 34. xv. 12. 1 John iii. 1 1. That every one who loveth God, love his brother also with the love of benevolence, al though he be a sinner, or even an enemy. Ver. 20. — 1. And yet hate bis brother. Here the apostle, ifl mistake not, glances at the character of some of the heretical teachers, mentioned ver. 7. note, who being Jewish converts, had brought with them into the Chris tian church that malevolent spirit, which in Judaism they had cherished towards the heathens, and perhaps considered it as an expression of their love to God, to hate and persecute all who were not oftheir way of think ing in religious matters. — Tlie same spirit hath too much prevailed in the zealots of modern times. But, thanks be to God, this antichristian spirit is gradually passing away. even of enemies, goeth on in this, to speak of the obligation we are under to love in a more particular manner, all who are the sincere disciples of Christ. And first, to shew that such are worthy of being loved, he declares, that every one who believeth Jesus is the Christ, is begotten of God. He possesseth the' 96 View., 1 JOHN. Chap. V. nature of God, and thereby is more'truly a Son of God, than any 'Jew who claims that high relation, merely on account of his de scent from Abraham, John viii. 39. Next, to shew the obligation all who love God are under to love the disciples of Christ, he observes, that every one who loveth God the begetter, 'vvill love also the begotten of hira ; he will love good men because they resemble God in his moral qualities, ver. 1. — Then, that they might judge with certainty of their own character, he told them, the best method of knowing, whether from love to God they really loved the children of God, was to consider, whether from love to God they performed to his children, what he commands them to perform, ver. 2. — For, said he, this is the natural expression of our love to God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome to the children of God, be cause they are agreeable to their inclinations, ver. 3.— And be cause by the power of their faith, they are able to overcome all the temptations which the world lays in their way, to induce them to break the commandments of God, ver. 4. But that we may know who the children of God are who overcome the world, and what their faith is by which they ob tain that victory, the person who overcometh the world-bythe power of faith, is he who believeth that Jesus is the Son of God, sent into the world to bestow eternal life on all who be lieve, ver. 5 — And such a person's faith in Jesus as the Son of God, is well founded : For he was demonstrated to be the Son of God, by the water and the blood, even Jesus the Christ was proved to be God's Son, not by the water alone, but by the water and the blood. For at his baptism with water, Jesus was de clared to be God's Son by a voice from heaven. The same was declared by the shedding of his blood, that is by his death ; for by his resurrection from the dead, God demon strated him to - be his Son. Now it is the Spirit who, by the ivater and the blood, beareth ¦\Vitness to Jesus as the Son of God. For 'by descending on him in a visible shape at his baptism, he pointed him out to the Baptist, (John i. 32, 33.) and to the sur rounding multitude, as the person concerning whora the voice from heaven spake. In like manner, the Spirit bare witness to Jesus as the Son of God, by the blood ; for it was the Spirit who raised him from the dead, ver. 6. The apostle, having thus declared how Jesus came into the world, attested as the Son of God by the water and the blood, proceeds to inform us, that there are three in heaven, and three Chap. V. 1 JOHN. View. 97 on earth, who are continually witnessing something concerning Jesus, which he does not explain, till ver. 1 1, where he teUs us that the facts which they attest, are, that God hath given us eternal life, and that this life is through his Son. Now the three in heaven, who bear witness to these important facts, are the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, ver. 7. — And the three on earth, who bear witness to the same facts, are the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. All these witnesses, the apostle tells us, agree in one and the same testimony, ver. 8. — And because they attest these facts by the appointment of God, he calls the joint testimony of the three in heaven and of the three on earth, the witness of God ; and observes, that if we receive the testimony of men, and without hesitation rely on it, even in the most iraportant matters, the witness of God is of much greater force to establish what he attesteth concerning his Son, ver. 9.^ especially as he who believeth on the Son of God, hath the thing >vitnessed by God begun in himself, whereas he who doth not believe God's witness concerning his Son, endeavours to raake God a liar, ver. 10. — To this account ofthe witnesses in heaven and on earth, and of the credibility of their testimony, the apos- , tie, at length subjoins a declaration of the important facts to which they bear witness ; namely, that God will bestow eternal life on believers, and that this life is to be bestowed on them through his Son, ver. 11. — Then repeats what he had hinted, ver. 10., That he who acknowledgeth Jesus to be the Son of God, hath the eternal life which God hath promised' to bestow through his Son, assured to him by the graces and virtues which his faith produces in him ; whereas he who doth not ac knowledge Jesus as the Son of God, hath no assurance of eter nal life, ver. 12. — Lastly, the, apostle told them who believed on the name ofthe Son of God, that he had written these things to them, concerning the coming of Jesus into the world, attested to be the Son of God by the water and the blood, and concerning the three in heaven and the three on earth, who are continually bearing witness to Jesus, and concerning the facts which they attest, namely, that God hath promised to give believers eternal life through his Son, that they might be assured of obtaining eternal life through him, and that they might continue to believe on his name, ver. 13. , John had told them, chap. iv. 17. that if they imitated God in his benevolence, it would give them boldness in the day of j udg- inent. Here he assured them, that even in the present life they VOL. VI. 13 9S Viev?. I JOHN. Chap. V. who believe on Jesus have this boldness with the Father, that if they pray to him for any thing according to his will, he heark- > eneth to thera, ver. 14. — and granteth them what they ask, be cause they are the disciples of his Son, ver.. 15. — This assurance the apostle gave to the spiritual men in particular, and perhaps it was applicable to them only, telling them, That if any of them found a brother labouring under a bodily disease, inflicted on him for some sin he had comraitted, and if frora the signs of re pentance which the sick shewed, the spiritual man had reason to think his sin was not to be punished with bodily death, he might on account of his faiUi in God's promise, ask his recovery, if moved to do so by an impulse of the Spirit. And God, in an swer to his prayer, would grant a miraculous recovery to such a sick person, the temporal punishment of whose sin was not a dis ease to end in death. At the same time, by observing that there was a sin unto death, for the removing of the punishment of which, he did not direct any spiritual man to pray, he insinuated that they were to pray for a miraculous recovery to the sick sin ner, only in the case of his having repented of the sin for which he was punished, ver. 16. — And to shew this more clearly, he added, though every unrighteous action, especially those by which our neighbour is injured, is sin, there is a great diff"erence in sins, according as they are repented of, or obstinately conti nued in. For there is a sin not unto death, from the punishment of which the sinner may be delivered, because he hath repent ed, ver. 1 7 — However, to prevent them from falling into mis takes in judging what sins were unto death, and what not, he told them, that no one who hath been begotten of God sinneth habitual ly, because such a person keepeth himself from th* dominion ofthe Old Translation. Greek Text. CHAP. "V. 1 Whoso- 1 Tlag 6 'iSigtvav cyci IvjGovg everbelieveth that Jesus is gg-iy ^ Xpit^og, ex tov Qeov ye- the Christ is born of God : ,,e»,«- -.„ . _ ' 1 u , , yE»''^'7''^ai xai tsag o ayaTtov and every one that loveth ' him that begat, loveth him '^°'' y^'^^'7<^a^'^«> a/atqt W also thkt is begotten of "^^ ysy^vvn\LEvav E^ avtOV. him. Ver. 1.— 1. Every one who believeth that Jesus is the Christ. This is not to be understood ofa mere speculaUve belief, but of such a firm persuasion at influenceth the person whp is possessed of it, to obey Jesus implicitly, Chap. V. 1 JOHN. View. 99 devil. By m^ing this observation, the apostle, I think, insinuated to the spiritual men, that the persons for whose recovery by miracle they were to pray, were to be, not habitual sinners, but the begotten of God, whose sins were of infirmity, of ignorance, or of surprise ; and of which they knew that the sinner had re pented, ver. 18. — He added. That by keeping themselves from the dominion of the devil, they would know that they were be gotten of God ; as by the wickedness which then prevailed among infidels and idolaters, they knew that the whole of them were lying under the dominion ofthe devil, ver. 1 9 . — But they knew also that the Son of God had come, and had given them understanding to acknowledge the true God ; so that they were under the do minion of the true God, by being under his Son Jesus Christ, ver. 20 — He, therefore, intreated thera to keep themselves from idols, because by worshipping idols, they withdrew themselves from their subjection to the true God, and put themselves under the power ofthe devil, ver. 21. Concerning the spiritual men's praying for the recovery of sick sinners, and the sinners being restored to health miracu lously in consequence of such prayers, of which the apostle speaks in this chapter, it is proper to observe, that the infliction of diseases in punishraent of gross irregularities, and the re moving of them by miracle at the intercession of the spiritual men, like all the other miraculous powers, was intended to ren der the Christian societies venerable in the eyes of the heathens, by shewing that God was actually araong the Christians, 1 Cor. xiv. 25. and to inspire the heathens with the desire of becoming members of a comraunity which was honoured with such ex traordinary privileges. New Translation. Commentary. CHAP. V. 1 Every one CHAP. V. 1 Every one who be- who believeth that Jesus lieveth that Jesus is the Christ, and is the Christ^ hath been abideth in his fellowship and doc- begotten^ of God : and trine, hath been begotten of God ; every one who loveth the he is more truly a Son of God, than begetter, loveth also the be- if he were descended from Abra- gottenoihvn.^ ham. And every one who loveth God the begetter, loveth also the be gotten of him : Loveth all who bear his image. from a sense of his authority as the Christ, or Son of God, sent into the world to save mankind. 100 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his command ments. 3 For' this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments ; and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world : and this is the victory that overcometh the world, eve7i our faith. X JOHN, Chap. V. 2 Ev tovtqt yivoGxofiev bti a/yaTtailEv Ta tExva tov Qeov, btav tov Qeov ayana- pLEv, scat tag svto^ag avtov tyipafiEV 3 AvT)7 yap E^iv V aiyanv} tov QeoVj iva Tag £vto2.ag avtov f/ipanEV xai ai EVto- Aat avTou ^apEiai ovx siGiv, 4 'OTt vsav to yEyEvvyj- [lEVOv EX tov Qeov vixq, tov xoGfiov. Kai ai)T)7 sgiv n vi- xYi v[ vixriGaGa Tov xoGyiov, n Tiigig ^[lav. 2. Hath been begotten of God. See chap. ii. 29. note 1. where this trans lation of ¦yi-ymvma.t, is supported.^The unbelieving Jews thought them selves the children of God, because they were descended from Abraham by Isaac, and possessed the knowledge of the trile God : and some even of the believing Jews built their title to that high honour on the same foundation. But the apostle assured both, that God having attested Jesus to be the Christ, the only thing under the gospel dispensation which made raen bis children, was their believing on Jesus as the Christ or Son of God ; and their loving the children of God. 3. Every one who loveth the begetter, loveth also the begotten ofhi^ni. The apostle knowing tliat all the children of God love him as their Father, de- clareth it to be a characteristical mark ofthe children of God, that they love all their brethren because they bear the image oftheir Father. Ver. 2. — 1. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his co'mmandmenis. Grotius, to render the apostle's reasoning clear, thinks the original should be construed and translated in the follow. ing manner. Ev tstw •ytvanrtt.o/jiiv oti tov ©eov ttyA'jruiy.vi CTctv o.'yA'Trvfjiiv *rot T6)cv* TX Qix jtsti Ttts fiVToXetc AVTX THgQi^ev ; By this we know ihat we love God, when we love the children qf God and keep his commandments. But, not to mention that this construction is forced, it represents the apostle as giving a mark by which we may know when we love God ; whereas his in tention is to shew, how we may know when we love the children of God in a right manner. Now this was necessary to be shewed, since men may love the children of God because they are their relations, or because tliey are engaged in the same pursuits with themselves, or because they are mu- tuaUy united by some common bond of friendship. But love proceeding Chap. V. 1 JOHN. 101 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his command ments.' I 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments : and his coraandments are not bur densome,^ 4 (oti, 254.) because all^ that is begotten of God, overcometh the world. And this is the victory which overcometh the world, EVEN our faith. ^ 2 By this we know that we love the children of God in a proper manner, when we love God, and from love to hira obey his commandments; espe cially his commandment to love one another. 3 For this is the natural expression of our love to God, that we keefi his commandments ; which is not a burden some thing to the begotten of God ; because his commandments are agreeable to their inclinations, and 4 Because all that is begotten qf God, overcometh the temptations which the world layeth in their way, to in duce them to break God's com mandments. And this victory over the world, we the begotten of God obtain through the influence of our faith. from these considerations, is not the love of the children of God which he requireth. By what mark then can we know that our. love to the children of God is of the right sort ? 'Why, saith the apostle, by this we may know tbat we love the children of God in a right manner, when we love God, and from that excellent principle keep his commandments, especially his cora raandraent to love his children because they bear his iraage. True Chris tian love, therefore, is that which proceeds frora love to God, frora a re gard to his will ; and which leadeth us to obey aU his coramandments. Ver. 3.— 1. And his com^mandments are not burthensome or difficult to his children. This must be understood ofthe commandments of God in ordi nary cases. For his commandment to suffer the loss of liberty, the spoil ing of goods, torture, and death, in times of persecution, must be except ed. — To a good man in ordinary circumstances, the keeping of God's com mandments is easy, being the delight ofhis soul. Ver. 4. — 1. All that is begotten qf God, overcometh the world. John useth ¦pra.1, the neuter gender, to comprehend all sorts of persons ; males and fe raales, old and young, Jews and Gentiles, freemen and slaves. 2. And this is the victory which overcometh the world, even our faith. Our faith is the cause of our victory over the world. The power of faith in ena bUng raen to overcome the temptations laid in their way, by the things of the world, and by the wicked men of the world, is finely Illustrated by ex amples, Heb. xi. which shew, that before the coming of Christ, the chil- 102 1 JOHN. Chap. V. S Who is he that over- 5 Tig Iftv O Vixav tov XOG- cometh the world, but he ^ov, et ^ivi b tSi^Evav bti Ijy- that believeth that Jesus (jq^^^ gg-ty ^ {,tog cpoy Qsov ; is the Son of God ? 6 This is he that came 6 OuTog cg'tv O eXS^OV 5t' by water and blood, evera vSatog jcat ai^atog, IviGovg b Jesus Christ ; not by water Xpifog* OVX EV ta vBatl {10- only, but by water and ^^^, ^^ ^^ ^'g„^^ ^^^ ^^ blood ; and it is the Spirit c Tr ^, , . ^, ... , aifiojti. Kat TO isvevua crt that beareth witness, be- ™ t cause the Spirit is truth. "^o ftapTDpoDV, oTt to t!iV£V[ia sgiv n aAjyS^ia. dren of God by believing the things which he discovered to them, whether by the light of natural reason, or by particular revelations, resisted the greatest temptations, sustained the bitterest sufferings, and performed the most difficult acts of obedience, and thereby obtained a great and lasting fame. — But now that Christ hath come, and made the gospel revelation In person and by his apostles, the faith ofthe children of God by which they overcome the world, hath for its object, all the doctrines and promises con tained in that revelation : and particularly the great doctrine which is the foundation of all the rest, naraely that Jesus js the Son of God and Saviour ofthe World, as the aposde observes in the following ver. 5. Ver. 5. — 1. Who is it tbat overcometh tbe world, but he who believeth that Jesus is the Son qfGod? That the Jews universally believed their JlfesMaA, or Christ, was to be the Son of God, appears from the following passages of scripture, Matth. xvi. 16. Simon Peter answered aiul said. Thou art the Christ the Son ofthe living God. — Luke iv. 41. Devils also came out of many, crying out and saying. Thou art Christ the Son of God. — ^John xx. 31. These are written, that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God. Acts ix. 20. He preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is Son of God.— Farther, that the Jews universally believed the Son of God to be God, appears from John v. 17. Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18. Therefore tbe Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with Gor/.— John x. 33. The Jews answered him saying, Jor a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that thou being a man, makest thyself Go(/.— Matth. xxvi. 63. The high-priest said to him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us, whether thou be the Christ the Son qf God. 64. Jesus saith to him thou hast said.— 65. Then the high-priest rent his clothes saying he hath spoken blasphemy.— Behold now ye have heard his blas phemy. 66. What think ye.^ They answered'and said, he is guilty of death. The high-priest, and council composed of men of the highest rank and learning among the Jews, equally with the common people beUeved that the Christ was the Son of God, and that the Son of God is himself God, Chap. V. 1 JOHN. 103 5 Who is it that over cometh the world, but he who believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? » 6 This is he mho came (St», 1 1 3.) by water and blood, EVEN Jesus the Christ : ' not (ev) by the water only, but by the wa ter and the blood. And it is the Spirit who witness ed:^ (Sti, 254.) because the Spirit is truth..^ (See the illustration of this verse.) 5 That ye may know who it is that overcometh the temptations of the worid, and what the faith is by which that victory is obtained, Ae is one who believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. 6 We have good reason to believe that Jesus is the Son of God : For this is he who was proved to be the Son of God by his baptism and death ; even JesUs the Christ ; not by his bap tism only, when he was declared God's Son by a voice from heaven, but also by his death, when the same thing was demonstrated by his resur rection from the dead : A}id it is the Spirit mho was employed to bear mit- ness by these miracles ; because the Spirit is a true lailness : He can nei ther deceive, nor be deceived. otherwise they could not have reckoned Jesus a blasphemer, for caUIng him self Christ the Son of God. — From these indisputable facts it is evident, that the modem Socinians contradict the gospel history In two of Its essential articles, when they affirm that the first Jewish Christians, before their con version, had no idea that their Messiah was to come down from heaven, having never been taught to expect any other than a man Uke themselves. Next, since John hath so frequently declared, and in what foUoweth the verse under consideration, hath proved that ,Tesus is the Christ, and the Son qfGod, the same Socinians must be mistaken when they affirm, that in this epistle John is silent concerning the divinity of Christ, and hath not in any part of it censured those who deny it. See chap. iv. 3. note 1. Ver. 6. — 1. This is he who came by water and blood, even Jesus the Christ, The coming of Jesus the Christ, here spoken of, is his coming into public life attested, or proved to be the Christ and Son of God. — Jesus came thus attested, first by means of his baptism in water, secondly by means of his blood or deatii followed by his resurrection. — The proof by water is men tioned before the proof by blood, because his baptism was prior to his death. — Concerning Christ's baptisra, let itbe remarked that it was not the bap tism of repentance. For Jesus had no sin to be repented of, 1 Pet. ii, 22. But it was tbe baptism of righteousness. Matt. iii. 14, 15. that is, a baptism by which his righteousness, in calling himself Christ the Son of God, was ma nifested to the surroilnding multitude. So, the Baptist himself declared John 164 1 JOHN. Chap. V. 7 For there are three 7 'Otl tpEig EiGiV oi (lap- that bear record in hea- tVpOVVtEg EV t(ji ovpava, O ven, the Father, the Word, Jlaf/ip, b A.oyog, xat to h- and the Holy Ghost: and JlvEVaa' «at «Tot d these three are one. c Tpatg EV ElGl. i. 31. That he should be ¦made ¦manifest to Israel, therefore am I come bap tizing with water. He was sent to baptize the people with water, that be ing gathered together they might hear and see Jesus proved to be the Son of God. Accordingly when Jesus was baptized, coming up out of the wa ter, Matth. iii. 17. Lo, a voice from heaven, saying. This is ¦my beloved Son, in whom, I am well pleased. This miraculous attestation, Jesus himself called a greater witness of his being the Son of God, than the witness which John bare to hira. And this witness being borne to him in the hearing of the multitude after his baptism, our apostle had good i-eason to say. This is he who came attested as the Son of God by means of water. And it was with great propriety, that Jesus beg'an his ministry immediately after receiv ing this miraculous attestation. See note 2. — But Jesus' carae attested by blood also ; that is, he was attested to be Christ the Son of God by means of his death. For 1. In his sufferings and death all the ancient prophecies concerning the sufferings of the Christ were fulfilled 2. During his triah Jesus expressly called himself Christ the Son ofthe blessed God, before the Jewish council and before Pontius Pilate. This is called, 1 Tim. vi. 13. his witnessing a good confession ; and for that confession he was put to death as a blasphemer. — 3. During his sufferings and death God bare witness to him as his Son, by the three hours darkness, the earthquake, the rending of the rocks, and the splitting of the veil of the temple. — 4. Jesus being put to death for caUing himself Christ the Son of God, his resurrection from the dead was an infaUible proof of his being the Son of God. For if he had falsely claimed that high title, God never would have raised him from the dead. — On all these accounts therefore, our apostle had good reason to af firm, that Jesus came attested as the Son of God, by blood as well as by water. 2. And it is the Spirit who witnessed, namely by the water and the blood. The Spirit bare witness to Jesus by means of the water : for after Jesus came out of the water in which he was baptized, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost was seen descending in a bodily shape and lighting upon him, whilst he prayed. By this miracle the Spirit pointed him out to all present as the person of whom the voice-from heaven spake. Accord ingly John Baptist told the Jews, that Jesus was pointed out to him as the Christ by that witness of the Spirit, John i. 32. And John bare record, say ing, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Chap. V. 1 JOHN. 105 7 ('Oti, 261.) Farther^. 7 Farther, there are three who there are three who bear ¦ bear witness in heaven ; the Father, witness^ in heaven ; the the Word, or the Son himself, and Father,' the Word,* and the Holy Spirit ; and these three are the holy Spirit,' and these one ; these three are one, in respect three are one.^ of the unity of their testimony. him. 33. And I knew him, not ; but be that sent me to baptize with water, tbe same said to me, upon whom thou shalt see tbe Spirit descending and re- ¦maining on bim, the same is be wbich baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. — It is the Spirit likewise, who witnessed that Jesus is the Son of God by means of the blood. For it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, and thereby gave him that great attestation of his being the Son of God. So St Peter affirmeth, 1 Pet. ill. 18. Hence he Is said by St. Paul, 1 Tim. iii. 16. to have heen justified by tbe Spirit. ^^Because tbe Spirit is truth ; that Is, the Spirit is true .• for in the He- fa^Wr tongue, substantive nouns vvere often used for their corresponding adjectives. See Ess. iv. 17. — The apostle's meaning is, that the Spirit was employed to bear witness to Jesus as God's Son, by means or on occasion ofthe water and the blood, because he is a witness who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Ver. 7. — 1. Farther there are three, isfc. In raodern times, the authenticity of this verse hath been the subject of much controversy. The arguments on both sides ofthe question, taken from ancient Greek MSS. and versions, and from quotations made by the Fathers, and from printed editions, have been stated with the greatest fidelity and accuracy by Mill in his long note at the end of John's first epistle, where he observes, that this verse Is wanting in aU the ancient Greek MSS. of the New Testament which have come down to us, except a few which shall be mentioned immediately. It is wanting likewise in the first Syriac and other ancient versions, particularly the Coptic, Arabic, and Ethiopic, and in many of the present Latin MSS.— With respect to quotations from the Fathers, Mill acknowledges, that few of the Greek writers who lived before the council of Nice have cited this verse. The same he observes concerning those who, after that council, wrote in defence ofthe Trinity against the Arians and other heretics, which he thinks shews that this verse was not in their copies. The only proofs, therefore, of the authenticity of the verse under con sideration, are, 1. Some of the most ancient and most coriect Vatican Greek copies (for others of them want this verse) from wliich the Spanlsii divines • formed the Complutensian edition ofthe Greek Testament, and with which they were furnished by Pope Leo X. but especially the one which MiU thus describes, Proleg.'No. 1090. Insignis itie pra ceteris Codex eximia vetustatis, spectatxque fidei,. quem tanquam Archetypum Complutensibus nostris tradidit Leo decimus, quemque proinde ^ccutos eos ait Erasmus. — 2. A Greek copy, called by Erasmus Codex Britannicus, on the authority of VOL. VI. 14 10$ 1 JOHN. Ohap. V. 8 And there are three 8 Kat tpsig ElGiV oi {tap- that bear witness in earth, tVpOVVtSg EV t^ yvi, to OVfiU- the spirit, and the water, ^^^ ^^^ ^q {,^(jp^ ^cat TO at^O* and the blood: and these ^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ j^ ^^^^^^ three agree in one. which he Inserted this verse in his edition Anno 1522. but which he had omitted in his two former editions. This is supposed to be a MS. at pre sent in the Trinity College library, Dublin, In which this verse is found with the omission of the word a^yix before wwndLTos. It likewise wants the last clause of ver. 8. namely, um oi t^sis sk to sv siiriv. — Concerning this MS. Person in his letters to Travis, page 107. says, /* is certainly not earlier than the 15th century. — 3. All Stephen's MSS. being seven in number, which con tain the Catholic epistles, have this verse : only they want the words iv »5*va. But Wetstein says, he himself examined five of the seven of Stephen's MSS. which all omit from the words, sv tm xf*v», to the wqgis 8v Til 5^11.— r4. The Vulgate version, in most ofthe MS. copies and printed editions of which it is found, with some variations. — 5. The testimony of TertuUian, who, according to Hammond, Bull, lyiill and others, alludes to this verse, Advers. Praxzeam, c. 25. and who lived in an age in which, he saith Prsescript. c. 30. the autbenticie litera ofthe apostles were read in the churches. By authenticte Uteris Mill understands, either the autographs of the apostles, which the churches to whom they were written had carefully preserved ; or, correct transcripts taken frora these autographs. — Also the testimony of Cyprian, who flourished about the middle of the third century, and who in his epistle to Jubajanus express^ cites the latter clause of this verse. — The objections which have been raised against the testimonies of Tertullian and Cyprian, Mill hath mentioned and answered in his long note at the end of 1 John v. which see in page, 582. of Kuster's edition. — 6. The testimony of many Greek and Latin fathers in subsequent ages, who have cited the last clause of this verse ; and some of whora have appealed to the Arians themselves as acknowledging Its authenticity. — Lastly, the Com plutensian edition. Anno 1515, hath this 7th verse exactly as it is in the pre sent printed copies, with this difference only, that Instead of xai xtu « Tgtis h si as well as to their raother, and by the commendation which he bestowed on them in it, he no doubt enc9uraged them much to persevere in the truth. 2. Walking in truthi As walking denotes in scripture the course ofa man's behaviour. Ess. iv. 59. walking in truth, may signify, not only that these young persons maintained the true doctrine of the gospel concerning the person of Christ, ver. 7. but that their conversation was in all respects sui table to the gospel. — In this joy, the apostle manifested the disposition ofa faithful minister of Christ : for such derive their greatest happiness from the faith and hoUness of their disciples, John spake in the same manner 136 5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new command ment unto thee, but that which we had frora the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk after his com mandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. 7. For mariy deceivers tire entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 2 JOHN, 5 Kai VVV Epota Gs, xvpid, ovx ^i Evto'k'/tv ypa^av' aoi xaiVYiv, a/l/la rtv sixofiEv aJt' apxyiiy ''Va a/yaTiafiEv a'KTuvi- "kovg. 6 Eat avtiq Eqiv n a/ya- Tfyj, iva TiEpiTtata^EV xaTa tag Evto'Kag avtov. AvtYj Egiv n EvtoT^Yj, xa^ag rixov- GatE aTt' apxyjg, iva ev av- fjp TtEpiTlatVltE. 7 Oti TtoTJKoi Ti'Kavoi eiG- 57/lS'Ov Eig tov XOGflOV, oi (ivi b(iokoyovvt£g ly;Govv Xpifov spXOiiEvov EV Gapxi. btog sg- IV b Ti2,avog xai b aj'Ti- Xptgog. Concerning Caius. 3 Epist. ver. 3. And Paul concerning his converts, Philip, iv. 1. 1 Thess. Iii. 9. Ver. 5. — 1. Now I beseech thee lady. This sort of address suiteth a parti cular person, better than a whole church consisting of many individuals, to which, in the opinion of some, this letter was, directed. See Pref Sect. 2. 2. Not as writing to thee a neiti commandment. The apostle doth not speak of a new commandment, in the sense in which our Lord used that phrase, when he said to his disciples, John viii. 34. A new commandement I give to you, that ye love one another : as I have loved you that ye also love one another. See 1 John ii. 8. note 1. But his meaning is, either, that the coraraandraent to love one another which he gave to this lady, was not a commandment which had never been delivered to the church before ; or, that it was not a com mandment peculiar to the gospel. The first of these 1 take to be the apos tle's meaning ; as he tells this lady, that the disciples of Christ had had this commandment delivered to them from the beginning. 3. But tbat which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. In inculcating this coraraandraent so frequently and so earnestly in all his writ ings, John shewed himself, not only a faithful apostle of Christ, but a per- son of an excellent heart. His own breast being full of love to mankind, he wished to promote that amiable disposition in all the disciples of Jesus. See the' conclusion, at the ehd of this epistle. 2 JOHN. •137 '5 And now I beseech thee, lady,* not as writing to thee a new command ment,^ but that which we had from the be ginning, that we love one another.' 6 And this is «/;e love, that we walk according to his commandments. 1 This is the commandment,^ ' even as ye have heard from the beginning, that ye may walk in it. ' 7 ('On, 256.) For many deceivers are entered into the world, who do not eonfess Jesus Christ did come* in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.^ 5 . And now I beseech thee, lady, not as writing to thee a new com mandment ; commandment which thou never heardst before ; but that commandment which we apostles had from our Master from the be ginning, and which we have all along preached, that we love one another. 6 Moreover this ia the love of God, that we walk according lo his commandments, (I John v. 3.') This ia the great commandment of God, that ye believe in him whom he hath sent, (John vi. 29.) even as ye liave heard from the beginning, in order that ye may constantly obey it. See 1 John ii. S. note 1. 7 I put you in raind of God's commandment to believe on Jesus Christ, whom God sent into the world in the flesh, because many de ceivers are entered into the world, who do not confess that Jesus Christ did come in the flesh, and who refuse to obey him. Every teacher of this sort, ia the false firophet and the antichrist, foretold by our Lord to come. Ver. 6.~1. This is the love, that we walk according to his commandments. Most comraentators think John Is here describing the love mentioned in the preceding verse, naraely the love which Christians owe to each other. But, since he tells us that the love of which he now speaketh, consists in the keeping of God's commandments, he must mean the love uf God: for he delivers the same sentiment, 1 John v. 3. This is the love qf God, that we keep bis commandments. 2. This is tbe convmandment ; that is, the commandment by way of emi nence. Wherefore, though the apostle doth not tell us what this command ment is, yet by calling it the co^mmandment, he certaiply directeth us to God's great commandment to obey his beloved Son Jesus Christ, whom he sent into the world made flesh, to save sinners. To this interpretation, the reason assigned by the apostle in the next verse, for putting the disciples in VOL, V. 18 138 2 JOHN. 8 Look to yourselves, 8 BTuETtEtE iavtovg, iva (ir; that we lose not those aTtoTiSGailEV a EipyaGafiEda, things which we have „;^;^^„ (iiG^ov Tl'^yipv] aTtoT^a- wroiight, but that we re- o ceive a full reward, 9 Whosoever transgres- 9 Hag b TtapaSaivav, xai seth, and abideth not in ^¦yj ^Evav EV ti(i oioax'^ tov the doctrine of Christ, hath Xpifou, Qeov ovx e%£r 6 fiE- not God : he that abideth ^^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^^^ ^o„ Xpigov, in the doctrine of Christ, r ' _ , , ,^ , , „ , iitog scat tov Ttatsoa xai tov he hath both the Father ^ ' ' and the Son, ^'"^ 'X^'' 10 If there come any '0 El Tig Ep;^Erai Ttpog unto you, and bring not vfiag, afat TanT'^v f/jv ^i8a- this doctrine, receive him ^.^y qd ^EpEi, fiv; ?.a[i6avEtE not into 5/o«rhouse,neither ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ bid him God speed : ' „ avtCi fiyi AEyEtE. mind of God's commandment, agreeth : for many deceivers are altered intt the world, i3'c. 3. Even as ye have heardfrom tbe beginning, that ye may walk in it. The apostle having, frora the beginning of the gospel, declared It to be God's commandment to Obey Chvist, John might well tell his disciples, that they had heard it preached from the beginning in order that they might constantly obey it. Ver. 7.— 1. Who do not co?fess Jesus Christ did come in thefiesb, Ef;;^o/Msvii» being the participle ofthe imperfect of the indicative, Is rightly translalefl did come: for Jesus Christ was not on earth In the flesh when John wrote this J as the translation in our Bible, is come, Iijiports. He had come in tbe fiesh, but was gone. For which reason no translation of this clause, which representeth Jesus Christ as then present, can be just. Beza, in his note on e5;tti^8viiv, after observing that It is not the participle ofthe present but of the imperfect tense, tells us, that this participle is used in innumerable places for the aorist ; and gives as an example, 3 John, ver. 3. where -?X°i""'*"' '^ P'^' f°r s'lS'ivToiv, arid is rendered accordingly, even bv our -translators ; when the brethren came, — In the Vulgate version of the verse under our consideration, sg;t-t.^sn!v is rightly translated venisse, 2. This is tbe deceiver, and tlie antichrist, Notwilhslanding these appel lations' are in tlie sln^lar number, tirey do not denote any particular false teacher, but S number of such; as Is plain fi-om the precedent clause, where it Is said many deceivers are entered irito the 'world. > Perhapfe the apostle used the singiilarnunlber emphatically, to lead this lady to recollect oiip Lord's prediction concerning the false teachers who were to arise. See 1 John ii. 18. note 3. iv. 3. note 2. 2 JOHN. i3y 8 Look to yourselves' that we^ may not lose the THINGS which we have wrought, but may receive a full reward. ^ 9 Whosoever (jr«^- Qaivat) goeth beyond, and dolh not abide in the doc trine of Christ, 1 acknom ledgeth not God. He who abideth in the doctrine of Christ, the same acknow ledgeth both the' Father and the Son. (See 1 John V. 12. note.) 10 If any one come to you, and do not bring this doctrine,* do not receive him into your house^ nor wish him happiness.^ 8 Keep yourselves from these de ceivers, that we who have converted you, may wof,by your following them, lose our labour, but, by presenting you faultless at theday of judgment, may receive our rewd!rd complete. 9 Whosoever goeth beyond, and doth not abide in the doctrine taught by Christ and his apostles, (see 1 John ii. 23. note.) acknowledgeth not God. He mho closely adheres to the doctrine taught by Christ and his apostles, the same acknowledgeth the authority both of the Father and of the Son, who have confirmed that doctrine in the most ample manner. 10 If any teacher come to you, and do not bring this doctrine, that Jesus Christ the Son of God did come in the flesh to save mankind, do not receive him into your house, nor.express your approbation of him by giving him the common salutation. Ver. 8. — 1. Look to yourselves. BxiTnri, Look attentively to yourselves, and to those around you, that they raay not.by any crafty methods, seduce you into the patiis of error and vice. 2. That we may not lose the things which we have wrought. Five of Stephen's MSS. the Alexandrian and other MSS. the Vulgate, the second Syriac, and the Ethiopic versions, for sLiroMo-ufitt i. ufydLa-n/jn^m. read here, a.vro'KuniTi i. ii^-ynrita-Si that ye may not lose tbe things wbich ye have wrought. Grotius saith, this agrees better, than the common reading, with what goeth before. 3. But ¦may receive a full reward. The elect lady and her children were to take heed to themselves, for this among other reasons, that the apostles who had converted them, might not lose that part of tlieir reward wliich is promised to them who turn others to righteousness. Dan. xii. 3. And even, although no particular reward were promised to thiWe vvho arc Instrumental in converting others, certainly, by the apostasy of their disciples, such will lose the joy which their perseverance in faith and holiness would give them. See Heb. xiii; 17. — The person, who was to receive a full reward, in con sequence of this lady and her children's looking to diemselves, is the apos tle : For if the others apostatized, they would receive no reward at all. 149 2 JOHN. 1 1 For he that biddeth 1 1 '0 yap ^tyaV aUT6) him God speed,is partaker j^aipetr, xoivaVEi toig Epyoig Of his evil deeds. avtov toig Ttovvipoig. 12 Having many things 12 Ilo^yla EX(OV V[llV ypa- to write unto you, I would c^Eiv, OVX v§ov'k'^%Y{V Bia not write with paper and j^(y^Qv ;cat ^ET^avog- aXka ink; but I trust to come ^^^^^ ^.^^^^^ {,^„^^ unto you, and speak face i i « , c \ . xai goua Ttpog goua AaA>7- to tace, that our joy may \ ^ , ' J jjg f^l, Gai, iva n ;c"P" '^f'"'' 'if ''^" TtJliypojuei'^. Ver. 9. — 1. Whosoever goetb beyond, and doth not dbide in the doctrine of. Christ. riaja/Saivaiv. This word signifies, to pass over, in any direction, the bounds which are prescribed to a person. Now, as the doctrine of Christ Is contained within certain limits, he who teacheth a different doctrine goeth beyond these liraits. And to raake this plain the apostle adds. And doth not abide in the doctrine ofChrist. AVherefore, the person who either neglecteth to teach any part of the doctrine of Christ, or who teacheth what is not the doctrine of Christ, is equally culpable, and doth not acknowledge God. — The doctrine of Christ which the apostle had in his view here, I suppose, is the doctrine concerning Christ, that he :s the Son of God sent into the world raade flesh, to save mankind. See 1 John Ii. 23. Ver. 10. — 1. If any one come to you, and dotb not bring this doctrine, namely, the doctrine mentioned in the preceding verse. Here, more is meant than is expressed. For the apostle. In this soft expression, condemned those who brought, or taught a contrary doctrine. — From this precept it appears, that when those who professed to be the disciples of Christ, came to any place where they were not known to the brethren who resided there, nor were recommended to them by some with whom they were acquainted, they made themselves known to thera as the real disciples of Christ, by de claring their faith. It is necessary to call the reader's attention to this custom, because it shews the propriety ofthe apostle's advice to this pious lady and her children. See the following note. 2. Do not receive him into your house. In the eastern countries, where there were no inns forthe entertainment of travellers, as with us, to receive and entertain strangers In one's house, was considered, either as a duty which friends mutually ovved to each other, or as the beginning ofa lasting friendship. But after the inhabitants of these countries became Christians, they exercised hospitality to their stranger brethren from a still nobler principle, especially when these strangers were employed in spreading the gospel. For in tiiat case, love to Christ and a regard to his religion, strongly moved them to these kind offices. See Rom. xii. 8. note 5. — From the ex ample of ApoUos mentioned Acts xviii. 27-andfiom what is insinuated, 2 Cor. iii. 1. concerning the false teachers who had corae from Judea to Corinth, it 2 JBHN. 141 1 1 For he who wisheth 1 1 For he who giveth him the com- him happiness, par: aketh in mon salutation, thereby expresseth his deeds, which are evil. his apprpbation of his conduct, and partaketh in the evils which his cor rupt doctrine may occasion. 12 Having raany things 12 Having many things to write to to write to you,' I did not you concerning those deceivers who incline To communicate call themselves inspired teachers, / Them by paper and ink;^ did not incline to communicate them by (a>Jia) because I hope to paper and ink ; because I hope to come come to you, and speak to you soon, and to speak to you free- face to face, that our joy ly face to face concerning these de- may be made comfilete. ceivers, that our mutual joy may be made complete. appears, that when the brethren had occasion to go to any church where they were not know n, they carried letters of recoraraendation frora persons who were acquainted with sorae ofthe members ofthat church, who on the credit of these letters received and entertained them. Or, if these strangers had no recommendatory letters, they made themselves known as sincere disciples of Christ, by declaring their faith to the bishop and elders of the church to which they came ; as is insinuated in the first clause ofthe verse under consideration. These customs were prudently established in the first age, to prevent the churches from being deceived by the heretical teachers, who very early went about disseminating their errors. — The lady to whom the apostle wrote this letter, being rich and of a very benevolent disposition ; perhaps also living in a place where the Christians were too few, or too poor, to have a fund for the entertainraent of strangers, she might think herself under the more obligation to pay attention to the wants of these strangers who went about preaching the gospel. Wherefore, to prevent her from being deceived by impostors, the apostle directed her to require these tea chers to give an account of the doctrines which they taught ; and if she found that they did not hold the true doctrine concerning the person of Christ, he advised her not to receive them into her house, nor even to give them the common salutation of wishing them health and happiness. For, among the Christians of that age, this wish was not a mere compliment, as with us, but an expression of real good will. The apostle's advice, there- fore,\was perfectly proper, because they who entertained or otherwise shew ed respect to false teachers, enabled thera the more fectually to spread their erroneous doctrine, to the ruin of those whom they deceived ; conse quently, as the apostle observes, they became partakers in their evil deeds. See Pref Sect. 3. last paragr. 3. Nor wish him happiness, y.a.ifm nuTte /Jtn M-yiTi, The Greeks usually began their letters to each other with a wish of health and happiness, which they e.xpresse"d by the word 'X.mifm. Also, with it, they saluted one another 142 2 JOHN. 13 The children of thy 13 AGTto^Etai Ge ta tEX- elect sister greet thee, ipa tvig aSeA^jyg <70l> TJjg -'^"^en- sx^Extng' Aiiriv. at meeting. Wherefore the apostle's meaning is, as in the commentary j Do not express either good will to a false teacher, or approbatio^n of his be haviour, by giving him fhe common salutation. Ver. 12. — 1. Having many things to write to you. The apostle, 1 suppose, meant many things concerning the characters and actions of the false tea chers : Perhaps also, he wished to mention the names ofthe false teachers whom he had in view. But these things he did not think it proper to write in a letter ; especially as he proposed to visit this lady and her children soon, and to converse with them personally. 2. / did not inclitj4 to communicate them by paper and ink. Aia x*!™' Erom this Bengelius conjectures, that in writing this letter John made use of paper, not parchraent. Ver. 13. — 1. The children qf thy elect sister. The word elect, here as in ver. 1. and sorae other passages of scripture, doth not signify chosen from eternity to salvation. For the apostie could not know that the lady's sister , CONCLUSION. The frequency and earnestness with which St. John hath in culcated mutual love, his declaring that it is the only sure proof of our love to God, and his assuring us that it banisheth from the mind of the person who possesses it all fear of the judg ment, may justly make us solicitous to form a just idea of so excellent a quality, and raise in us a sincere endeavour to ac quire it. I therefore observe, that since the love which the gos pel enjoins is a duty which is due frora all to all, it cannot be that which is called the love of esteem, because of that none hut the virtuous can be the objects: neither can it be the love of gratitude, since gratitude is due only to benefactors : But it must be the love cf benevolence ; an affection which all raay ex ercise toward all : pnly it is more especially due to the good. Yet ev.ery kind of benevolence will not mark a person as a real disciple of Ch»ist, nor banish frora one's mind all fear of the judgment, because some raay be benevolent naturally, and others may do beneficent actions merely to gain applause, or to pro mote some worldly purpose. Whereas the benevolence pecu liar to the real cUsciples of Christ, is that alone which proceeds I I 3 JOHN. 143 13 The children of thy 13 77ie children of thy excellent elect* sister salute thee.* sister, who are now with me, desire Amen. me in their naitie to *ivish thee health and happiness in token of their love. Amen. was so elected, unless the matter had been made known to hira by a particu lar revelation, which is not alleged to have been the case, by any who so in terpret election. But it signifiies a person of an excellent character : such by the Hebrews being called elect persons. Ess. iv. 41. 2. Salute thee. Ao-m»^eT«i o-e. The salutations which the Christians in the first age gave to each other, were not of the same kind with the saluta tions of unbelievers, . which were wishes of temporal health and felicity only : but they were wishes of health and happiness to their souls, and ex pressions of the raost sincere love. See 3 John ver. 2. — The apostle sent this lady the salutation ofthe children of her excellent sister, to intimate to her that they were all Christians, and that they persevered in the true doc trine of the gospel. Probably they and their mother lived in the city, or place ofthe Country, where the apostle had his residence. from love to God, and from a regard to his will. So John hath told us, chap.' 'v. 2. By thia we know that we love the children of God in a right manner, when me love God, and from that princi ple, keep his commandments, particularly his command'ment to love one another : Mot however in word or in tongue only, but in truth and in deed, by doing thera good according to our power. If so, our love to each other is to be judged of and measured, not so much by the warmth of our affection, for that depends on one's natural temper, as by our doing good to others from a re gard to the commandment or will of God That true Christian love consists in beneficence, John hath taught us by telling us, that as' the love of God to us consists in his doing us good con tinually, so our love to one another consisteth in doing them good, even to the Ikying down our lives for them, 1 Epist. iii. 16. — According to this view of love, persons whose natural temper does not admit of great warmth of affection, but who from an habitual regard to the will of God do all the giftd they can to others, really possess a greater degree of the love which Christ hath enjoined, than those persons, who, having warmer affec tions, are moved to do acts of beneficence, merely from natural disposition, without any regard to the will of God. 144 2 JOHN. If the love which Christ hath enjoined consists in beneficence, how fortunate are those to whora God hath given the means of doing good, not onlf to their own relations and friends, but to the poor and needy who apply to them ; and how cogent are the ob ligations which God hath laid on the great, the powerful, and the rich, to be general benefactors to mankind, by doing good and communicating. Being thus imitators of God in his greatest attribute, they do what is more acceptable to him than sacrifice, according to the saying of the heathen poet Menander, translated in Adventurer, No. 105. " He that offers in sacrifice, O Pam- " philus, a multitude of bulls and of goats, of golden vestments, " or purple garments, or figures of ivory, or precious gems, and " imagines by this to conciliate the favour of God, is grossly " mistaken, and has no solid understanding. For he that would " sacrifice with success, ought to be (;(jf jjo-i/iwv) beneficent, no cor- " rupter of virgins, no adulterer, no robber or murderer for the " sake of lucre. Covet not, O Pamphilus, even the thread of " another raan's needle ; for God, who is near thee, perpetually li beholds thy actions." ' Teraperance, and justice, and purity, are here inculcated in ' the strongest manner, and upon the most powerful raotive, the ' Omniscience of the Deity ; at the same time, superstition and ' the idolatry of the heathen are artfully ridiculed. I know not ' among the ancients any passage that contains such exalted and ' spiritualized thoughts of religion.' A NEW » LITERAL TRANSLATION OP THE THIRD EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN. PREFACE. SECTION I. Ofthe Authenticity ofthe Thu-d Epistle of John. JO OR the proofs of the authenticity of this epistle, see Pref 2 John Sect. 1. To which may be added, that in the third epistle, we find some sentiments and expressions which are used in tho second. Compare ver. 4. with 2 epistle, ver. 4. and ver. 13, 14. with 2 epistle, ver. 12. SECTION H. Ofthe Person to whom this Epistle was written. This short Igtter is inscribed to a person named Gains ; or according to '^e Latin orthography, Caius ; a common name, especially among the Romans. In the history of the Acts, and in the epistles, we meet with five persons of this name. — 1. There is a Caius who was with St. Paul in Ephesus, during the riot of Demetrius, and who is called A man of Macedonia, and Paul's companion in travel, Acts xix. 29. — 2. A Caius is mentioned. Acts xx. 4. called Caiua of Derbe, which was a city of Lycaonia or Isauria. Probably he was a person different from the Macedonian Caius, though like him he was Paul's assistant in preaching the gospel. Caius of Derbe accompanied Paul to Jerusalem with the collection for the, saints. Probably, therefore, he was chosen by the churches of Lycaonia, their messenger for that effect. — 3. Paul, writing from Corinth to the church of Rome, speaks of a Caius with whom he lodged, Rom. xvi. 23. who was a very benevolent person, and in opu lent circumstances. For the apostle called him his host, and the voj,. TI. 19 146 PERFACE TO THE THIRD Sect. 2. host of the whole church of Corinth. Wherefore as the Caius, to whom John wrote his 3d epistlCj was in like manner a very benevolent person, and in good circurastances, Bede, and after him Lightfoot, conjectured that he was the Caius, who in Paul's epistle to the Romans sent his salutation to the church at Rome. — .4. The same apostle mentions his having baptized one of the 'name of Caius at Corinth, I Cor. i. 14. Probably he was the person whom in his epistle to the Romans, which was written from Corinth, Paul calls his host, and the host of the church.— 5. There was a Caius to whom John wrote this third epistle. Him Estius and Heuman thought a different person from all those above mentioned, because the apostle by numbering him among his children, ver. 4. hath ins-inuated tbat he was his con vert, which they, suppose he could not say of any of the Caius's mentioned above. In the ancient history of the church, we meet with three per sons of the name of Caius. One of thera a bishop of Ephesiis, another of Thessalonica, and a third of Pergamos ; all about this time. — Whiston and Mill have said, that the bishop of Pergamos was the Caius to whom John wrote his third epistle. But as L'lirdner observes, they said this on the testimony of the pre tended apostolical constitutioris, which in the present affair are ( of no authority at all. Besides, from the epistle itself it is evi dent, that Caius, to whom it was %'ritten, was at that time a ptrson in a private station. Lardner's account of Caius is, that " he was an eminent " Christian, who lived in some city of Asia not far from Fphe- " sus, 'v^-here St. John chiefly resided after his leaving Judea, " For ver, 14, The apostle speaks of shortly coming to him; " which he could not well have done if Caius lived at Corinth, " or any other remote place." Canon, vol. iii. p. 293, Caius being neither a bishop nor a deacon, but a private member of some church, of which the apostle took the inspep- tion, his hospitality to the brethren, .and to the strangers who came to him, is a proof that he possessed some substance, and that he was of a very benevolent disposition Grotius thought Caius a good Christian, who lived in one of the churches or ciiies mentioned in the Revelation. — ^However, as John hath not suggested any circumstance, by which we can distinguish his Caius from others of the same name, it is impossible to say with any certainty who he was, or where he lived. Sect, 3. EPISTLE OF JOHN. 147 SECTION. III. Of the Aposde's Design in writing his Third Epistle, and of the Persons who are raentioned In it by Name. It doth not seem to have been John's design in writing to Caius, either to guard him against the attempts of the heretical teachers who were gone abroad, or to condemn the errors which they were at great pains to propagate : But only, in the first place, to praise Caius for having shewed kindness to some brethren and strangers, who, in journeying among the Gentiles, had come to the place where Caius resided ; and to encourage him to shew them the like kindness, when they should come to him again ih the course of their second journey. — In the next place, he wrote this letter for the purpose of rebuking and re straining one Diotrephes, who had arrogantly assumed to himself the chief direction of the affairs of the church, of which Caius was a member: and, who had refused to assist the brethren and strangers above raentioned ; and even had hindered those, from receiving and entertaining thera, who were desirous to do it. — In the third place, the apostle wrote this letter to commend an excellent person named Demetrius, who, in disposition and be haviour, being the reverse of Diotrephes, the apostle proposed him as a pattern, whom Caius and the rest 'were to imitate. Commentators are not agreed in their accounts of the brethren and the strangers, to whom Caius shewed kindness, as they pas. sed through his city. — Grotius aud Lampe thought these stran. gers were believing Jews, who had been driven out of Palestine by their unbelieving brethren, or, who had been forced away by the calamities brought on that country during the Jewish war ; and had come into Asia, in hopes of obtaining assistance from the Christians in that province ; or perhaps of obtaining a settleraent araong them. — GVotlus supposes Diotrephes would not receive these strangers, nor even the brethren, that is, the Christians who were of his acqaintance, becg.use they joined the rites of the law with the gospel. This,' likewise, was the opinion of Le Clerc and Beausobre. Wherefore, according to these authors, Diotrephes was a Gentile convert, and zealous for the freedom of the Gentiles frora the yoke of the law. But Mosheim rejects their opinion, as having no foundation in an tiquity. Others think these strangers were Gentile converts, whora Diotrephes, a Jew zealous of the law, would not re ceive, because they did not observe the rites of Moses. That 148 PREFACE TO THE THIRD Sect. 3. opinion Benson adopted, founding it on this circumstance, that Diotrephes did not receive John ; that is, did not acknowledge his authority as an apostle. For he thinks, none but the Ju- daizing teachers denied the authority of the apostles. The brethren, who were hospitably entertained by Caius, were Borne believers who had gone frora Ephesus to the church where Caius abode. For they are said to have^praised his liberality, in the presence of the church over which John presided. Probably they belonged to that church as members. — ^Further, since the apostle desired Caius to help these brethren and strangers for ward on their journey, it implieth that they had gone forth, or were going forth, on a second journey among the Gentiles, in which they proposed to visit Caius again.— Estius conjectures, that John sent this letter to Caius by them. The account given ver. 7. of the purpose for which the brethren and strangers went forth to the Gentiles, inclines me to think they were preachers : For his name'a sake they went forth. Bede however informs us, that anciently two interpre tations were given of these words. The first was. For his name's sake they 'Went forth to preach the gospel. The second. For the faith and firofcssion of the holy name of Christ, they were expel- edfrom their native country. Heuman adopts the latter interpre tation, and often calls these strangers, exiles ; and saith they were Gentiles. But, as the brethren are distinguished from the stran gers, and as it is said that they bare -writness to Caius's love be fore the church, it is reasonable to think these brethren were members ofthe church over which St. John presided. — And with respect to the strangers, without determining in this place, whe ther they were exiles from their own country or not, I suppose) that having come to the place where the brethren, of whom the apostle speaks, dwelled, they joinedthem in their journey, which 1 think was undertaken for the sake of preaching Christ to the Gentiles. If I am right in this conjecture, the strangers as well as the brethren, were preachers, as above observed. For, if they were only persons in want, it was no commendation of them that they wentforthtaking nothing of the Gentiles: because stand ing in need of alms, it was their duty, not only to receive, but even to ask alms for the support of their life, from the unbeliev ing Gentiles ; especially as, in many places, there may have been no Christians, to whom they could apply for relief. Where as if they were preachers, they were greatly to be praised, when, in imitation of the apostle Paul, they supported them- Sect. 3. EPISTIE OF JOHN. 143 selves by their own labour, and took nothing from their Gentile converts on the score of maintenance, lest it might have marred the success of their preaching. In short, if these brethren and strangers had not been preachers, the apostle could not with propriety have said, ver 8. We therefore ought to receive such, that we may^ be joint labourers in the truth. For the terms la bourers, and joint-labourers, are always, in "the apostolical writ ings, applied to preachers of the gospel, or to those who in some vvay or other assisted the preachers of the gospel. These things Lardner did not attend to, when he said, " I see nothing " that should lead us to think preachers are spoken of, but only " persons in want." Commentators are no less divided concerning the character and office of Diotrephes Erasmus in his paraphrase saith, Diotrephes was the author of a new sect. This likewise was Bede's opinion. But, as other learned men have well argued, if Diotrephes had been a corrupter of the Christian doctrine, the apostle, without doubt, would have cautioned Caius, and all the members of his church, to have avoided him, as he desired the elect lady to avoid the false teachers, of whom he wrote in his letter to her. But this, as Lamy observeth, he did no* do. He only reproved the pride of Diotrephes, his contempt of the apostle's authority, but especially his ordering the members of his church, not to shew kindness to the brethren and the stran gers who applied to them for relief. ¦ It is the opinion of many, 'that Diotrephes was a bishop in the church where he resided, and of which Caius was a mem ber. In support oftheir opinion they observe, First, that he is said to have hindered tho'se, from receiving the brethren and the strangers, who were willing to shew them kindness ; and to have cast them out of the church, who, contrary to his orders, continued to entertain them. — Next, they take notice that the apostle said to Caius, ver. 9. 1 would have mrittcn to the church ; but Diotrephes, who loveth to rule them, doth nol receive us. The apostles wrote most of their letters to the churches, that is, to the whole body of Christians living in a particular place, and sent them to the bishops and elders of these churches, to be by them reai in the public assemblies, for the instruction of their people. But, as Diotrephes did not acknowledge John's authority, he had reason to fear that, if he had written to the church, and had sent his letter to Diotrephes to be read by him publicly to the brethren, he would have suppressed it by virtue ofhis epis- 150 PKEFjStCB TO' THK THIRD Soect. 4i copal a*ltInorl{y, Orj, if it had been read to the church without llis consent, he >*0Tild have rendered it ineffectual by means of his adhevemlii,; Heitman thomght that Diotrephes was a deacon ; and^ that having the charge of the church's stock, he had it in his power to refuse relief to the brethren and the strangers who applied to him ; and thitt by so doing he cast them outof the church, that is, obliged them to depart. But Lardner, who' supposeth Diotrephes to have been a bishop,, argueth, that as he loved to rule every thing in his church according to his own pleasure, his office as bishop, enabled him to restrain tbe deacons from employing any part of the church's stock, in relieving the breth ren and the strangers. Demetrius, who is so highly praised by the apostle in this let ter, is thought to have held some sacred oflice in the church o' which Caius was a member. But Benson rejects this opinion, because, on that supposition, Caius raust have known him so well,. as to need no information concerning his character from the apos tle. Benson therefore believed him to be the bearer of this letter, and one of the brethren who went out to preach to the Gentiles. — But whgever Demetrius was, his character and behaviour were the reverse of the character and behaviour of Diotrephes, For the apostle speaks of him as one who was esteemed of all men, and whose behaviour in every respect was conformable to the gospel ; in short, one to whom the apostle himself bare the most honourable testimony. This high character of Demetrius, John wrote to Caius, that he and ali the members of the church, might imitate him rather than Diotrephes, whose arragance> upcharitableness, and contempt of the apostle's authority, were so great, that he threatened to punish him for these enormities when he visited Caius ; which he promised to do soon, that he might have an opportunity of speaking with Caius face to face concerning that imperious man. SECTION. IV, Of the Date of the Second and Third KpIsUes of John. Of the time of writing the second and third epistles of John, nothing, as Lardner observes, can be said with certainty. But he tells us, " Mill places thera about the same time with the «' first ; that is, in the year 91 or 92. Whiston supposeth that " they were all three written about the year 82 or 83. I im- Sect. 4. EPISTLE OF JOHN. 151 " agine, that St. John was soraewhat advanced in age, and that '' he had resided a good while in Asia, before he wrote any of " these epistles ; consequently I am disposed to think that these " two were not writ sooner than the first. And, as it was be- " fore argued that the first epistle vvas vi'ritten about the year " 80, these two may be reckoned to have been writ between the " years 80 and 90." Thus far Lardner, Can. vol. iii. p. 313. In the preface to the, first epistle, I have attempted to shew from the epistle itself, that it was written about the lime of the destruction of Jerusalem. But there is nothing in the second and third epistles leading us to think they were written so early. We may therefore fix their date as late as Lardner hath done ; or even later, when John was so old as with much propriety to take the title pf the elder, or aged apostle, by way of eminence. 3 JOHN. View. 1$-^ View and Illustration ofthe Matters contained in this Epistle. -I o encourage Cuius to persevere in that virtuous course, by" which he had obtained the love of all who knew him, John, in the inscription of this letter, declared his own love to him, on account of the uncommon goodness of his character and ac tions, ver. 1 and prayed to God to prosper him in his spiritual concems, ver. 2.^ — and told him what joy it gave him, when the brethren vvho had been assisted by him, brought him the wel come news of his perseverance in the true doctrine of the gos pel, ver. 3. — because the apostle's greatest joy was to hear that his disciples walked in the truth, ver. 4. — Next, he praised Caius as acting agreeably to the gospel, when he shewed kind ness to the brethren and to, the strangers, who had applied to him for succour in their straits, ver. 5. — And to encourage him to persevere in these charitable christian offices, he told Caius, that the brethren and strangers, when they returned, bare an honourable testimony to his love, publicly before the church over which John presided. And, as they were, at the time this letter was written, making a second journey among the Gentiles, he told him, if he helped them forward a second time, in a man ner worthy of God whom they served, by succouring them, h^ would still do a good work acceptable to God, ver. 6. — Because these brethren and strangers, for the sake of publishing the name of Christ and the doctrine of tbe gospel among the Gen tiles, were gone forth, as formerly, with a resolution of taking nothing on the score of maintenance from the Gentiles, notwith standing they greatly benefitted the Gentiles by preaching the gospel to them, ver. 7. — For which cause, all who had the fur therance of the gospel at heart, he told him, were bound to shew such persons kindness, that they might be joint-labourers with them in spreading and establishing the truth, ver. 8. Next hp told Caius, that he would have written the same ex hortation to the church of which he was a meraber ; but he had abstained frora writing, because Diotrephes, who ruled every thing in that church according to his own huraour, did not ac knowledge his apostolical authority ; thereby insinuating,, that Diotrephes probably would have suppressed any letter which the apostle might write, ver. 9. — He added, that because Diotrephes did not acknowledge his authority, he would, when he came among them, put him in mind of his deeds ; his prating against the apostle with malicious words, his not receiving the brethren VOL. VI. SO 154 View. 3 JOHN. and the strangers who had applied to him in their struts for re lief, his hindering the members of his church frora assisting them, who were disposed to do it, and his casting those out of tbe church who had persevered in assisting them, contrary to his arbitrary orders. By this, I think, the apostle threatened to-ex- ercise his miraculous power in punishing Diotrephes for his evil deeds, ver. 1>0. — But beloved, said he, do not imitate w,hat is evil in Diotrephes, but what is good in Demetrius, one of your own church. For he who doth good actions is begotten of God; but he who doth evil actions hath not seen God; he hath no right knowledge of God, ver. 1 1 . — He then told Caius, that De metrius was everyway worthy of being imitated, because he was praised not only by all good men, but by the gospel itself, his temper and actions being conforraable to the precepts of the gospel,' in every respect. To these honourable testimonies John added his own approbation of Demetrius's character, which Oin Transiation. Greek Text. Ver. 1 The elder unto 1 '0 l3peG6vtEpog FatCt tCi -the well-beloved Caius, a/yaTl'/itO), bv Eya oyaTtO EV whom I love in the truth. a?L-)^^£ia. 2 Beloved, I wish above 2 AyaTtvitE, USEpi iSavtav all things that thou mayest svxofiai GE EVobovG^l xai prosper and be in health, ly^aiVEiv, xa^ag EVohovtai even as thy soul prosper- ^ c , 3 For I rejoiced greatly 3 E;^ap>7V yap ^lav, Epxp- when the brethren came ^Evav a^ETi^av xai [laptvpovv- and testified of the truth ^^^ ^ov tfi a-kn^uq., Ka^t>S that is in thee, even as thou ^ i ^ _ _ . . , Gv EV a/j/i^Eia zSEDiTlatEig. walkest m the truth. - ' Ver. 1. — 1. The elder. This appellation signifies the aged apostle. See Pref. to 2 John, Sect. 1. penult paragr. 2. To Caius (See Pref Sect. 2.) the beloved, mihom I love in truth. See 2 John, ver. 1. note S. Ver. 2. — 1. Beloved, I pray that with nespent toM things tbou mayest pros per. In the -Greek it is, n-i^i iraivTm tv^^/jiAi ye euoinv^itf, which in our Bible is rendered, / wish above all tbiifgs that thou mayest prosper.Seza,'s trans lation is, Deum oro de omnibus rebus; I pray God concerning all things; things temporal as well as things spiritual, that thou mayest prosper. In this translation Beza is followed by Estius, and Erasmus Schmidius.-^Dod- dridge's translation is. Beloved, I pray that in respect of all things. 3 JOHN. View. .155 Cmus knew to be a true testimony, because he knew that the apostle never praised any person from flattery, ver. 12. — He told him farther,' that he had raany things to write to him concern ing the unchristian temper and conduct of Diotrephes ; but he would not commit them to paper, lest his letter failing into other handS) might be shewed to that imperious man, and enrage hira against Caius, ver. 13.— .But he hoped to visit Caius soon, and then would speak to him mouth to mouth freely concerning Dio trephes. In the mean time to testify his esteem of Caius, he gave hira his apostolical benediction, together with the saluta tion of all the faithful who were with him ; and whom he named the friends, because they were the friends of Christ, and lived in strict friendship with each other. Lastly, he desired Caius in his name, to wish//svaiv is rightly rendered came. See proved, 2 John, ver. 7. note l.-=-The brethren here spoken of, seera to have been those mentioned ver, 5. who having been sent by the apostle, either to convert the Gentiles, or to water the Gentile churches already planted^ had been hospitably entertained by Caius, and perhaps assisted by hira with mo ney : and who, on their return to the apostie, had in a meeting of the church over which he presided, given an account of Caius's perseverance in the true faith, and declared the great kindness which he had shewed to them, ver. 6. which was the more acceptable to them, as they had generously re solved to take nothing for their raaintenance from the Gentiles, to whom they preached the gospel. 3- And bare witness to thy truth. The apostle emphatically terras Caius's joining works of charity, with faith in the doctrines ofthe gospel, his trut^. Poj there is no true faith without good works : It always produces good "fwoi^ks ; neither are any works good, but such as proceed from faith. The .. two joined, constitute the truth of religion. Ver 4 — 1. I have no greater joys than those which I have. In the new translation of this clause I have supplied the words, which I have : because the plural demonstrative pronoun T^Tisv construed, as it must be, whh ftn- 3 JOHN- 15?! 4 I have no greater , 4 I have no greater joys than joys than those jthich I those which I have, when I hear my HAVE^ (iv«, 199.) when I disciples are walking in the true hear* my children^ are faith of the gospel. walking in truth. 5 Beloved, thou dost 5 Beloved, thou dOst agreeably to faithfully^ what thou per- the faith which thou professest, formest for the brethren, what thou performest for the bre- and /or the strangers.'' thren who are gone forth to preach the gospel, and for the strangers who assist them in that good work. ^oTSfaiv XH"'^' cannot be translated without the addition of these words. — i Kich- Baxter's note on this verse is good. " True ministers rejoice more " for the welfare of raen's souls, than in their procuring wealth and worldly " honours." See 2 John, ver. 4. note 2. 5- When I hear. So iva axoua must be translated. This use of iv* is thou.trht by some a peculiarity in John's style. See however. Ess. iv. 199. 3. My children. I think John^by reckoning Caius In the nuraber of his children, raeans to tell us that Caius was converted by bim. Others how ever are of opinion, that the apostle gave to those who were under bis in spection, the appellation of i/ao, tskvu. my children, to express his tender af- fection to them, and his concern for their welfare. And in support of their opinion they observe, that the term children, is used to express affection, 1 John ii. But the terms used in that chapter are tikvio, /jix, my little children, and isruitidL, young children, which strongly express affection. See 1 John ii.l. Hotel. Whereas here, i/Mt tskv*, mji' cAi Wren, denotes simply the re lation of children to their father. Ver. 5 — 1. Beloved, thou dost faithfully. Ilirov iroim. Thou dost a faith ful thing : a thing becoming a faithful person ; or one who is a real believer. 2. What thou performest for tbe brethren, and for the strangers. As th^ brethren are here distinguished from the strangers, the brethren I suppose were members ofthe church over which John presided. Accordingly it is said of thera, ver. 7. that they went forth from the place of their residence, which I suppose was Ephesus or some other city of Asia where John abode, to publish the narae of Christ as the Son of God to the Gentiles In those parts. And at their return frora their first journey, they bare witness to the faith and love of ' ;aius in the presence of the church from which they went forth. — But the strangers were poor Christians who, as Heuman supposes, having been driven from their habitation by their persecutors, had corae to the city where Caius dwelt, in the hope of finding relief. And happening to raeet the brethren there, they joined them in their first journey among the Gentiles- — To shew how unfaithfully the Papists have translated the scriptures, Benson takes notice, that to give countenance to their pilgri- wvages, they have, in soitie of theh' versions of this passage, translated the 158 3 JOHN. 6 Which have borne wit- 6 'Ol E^iaptVpYlGav Gov t^. ness of thy charity before aj/aTTp EVaTliov EXX?^viGiag' 8$ thechurch: whom if thou ;ca;i6)S iSoii^GEig HSpOTlEfJl^ag bring forward on their ^^^^^ ^^^ q^^^^ journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well : 7 Because that for his 7 'TtIEO yap tOV OVOfiatog narae's sake they went avtov ef)7^0V, fiyi^EV 2.a(i- forth, taking nothing of ^^^^^^^g aTto tav E'^vtsiV. the Gentiles. 8 We, therefore, ought 8 'H/HEig OVV OC^EiKo\t.EV to receive such, that we aTto'kauSaVEiV tovc, toiovtovg, might be fellow-helpers to ^^^ awEoyoi yivafiE^a tf the truth. .. c, aAtq^Eia. clause x-ai sit tsc feviic one' «o pilgrims. , 'With the same view they have translated, ei 6|svoJ'o;t»5-ev, 1 Tim. v. 10. t^she hatb lodged pilgrims. See another instance, James v. 11. note. — These examples shew, of what im portance, toward the faithful translation of the sacred oracles, it is to give the true literal meaning of the words, as far as it can be done with propriety. , Ver. 6. — 1. These have borne testimony to thy love, in the presence, iS'c. Since the apostle represents the strangers, as joining the brethren in bearing witness to Caius's love before the church, from which the brethren went forth to the Gentiles ; also since in ver 7 tiiese strangers are represented as having gone forth with the brethren to the Gentiles, it is probable, as was observed in note 2. on verse 5. that these strangers met the brethren in the ¦ city, or place, where Caius lived, and joined them in their journey to tire Gentiles ; and accompanied thera, when they returned to the church from which they had come. 2. Whom if tbou help forward on their journey. These brethren and strangers, it seemeth, proposed to undertake a second journey, or had undertaken it, for the purpose of preaching to the Gentiles. The apostle therefore requested Caius, still to assist them in executing their pious re solution by entertaining them. For in the language of scripture, to help forwarh on a journey, signifies, not only to accompany a person in a part of his journey. Acts xxi. 5. but also to furnish hira with necessaries for his journey. Tit. Hi. 13. Ver- 7. — 1. Becausefor his name's sate they went forth. For the different interpretations of these words given by the ancient comraentators see Pref. Sect- 3- par. 4. — 1 think these brethren and strangers were preacher?, who had gone forth among the Gentiles for the sake of making known to them tbe name if Christ, that is, his character as the Son of God, and his office as Saviour of the world ; because, as was observetl, Pref. Sect. 3. par. 4. if 3 JOHN. 159 6 ("Oi,.67.) These 'ha.'v.e borne testimony to thy («- yaTTvi) love in the presence of the church ; ' whom if thou helji forward on their journey * in a manner wor thy of God, thou wilt do well. 7 Because for Iiisiiame's sake they went forth ' re ceiving nothing from the Gentiles. 2 ' 8 We, therefore, ought to entertain ^ such, that we may he joint labourers in the ti-utli. 6 These brethren and strangers have borne an honourable ttstimony to thy benevolence in the presence of the church here, whom if thou help for ward an their %econA jour ney, hy en tertaining thera and supplying them with necessaries, in a manner worthy of God, who reckons what is done to his distressed servants as done to himself, Ihou wilt do well. 7 Mecause,for making Ihe name of Christ as the Son of God known amotig the Gentiles, they went forth, and received nothing on the score of maintenance from the Gentiles to whom they prAched, that their preaching might be the more ac ceptable. 8 We therefore, who do not un dertake exjiensive journeys for the sake of preaching the gospel, ought to entertain in our houses those who do so, that in this manner me may be joint labourers with "them in spread ing the gospel. these strangers had been raerely persons in want, there was no reason for their not receiving assistance frora the Gentiles, whether converted or unconverted. 2. Seceiving nothing from the Gentiles, It is not clea^jj^whelher the apos tle meant the converted, or the unconverted Gentiles, or both- I am of opi- nion that he meant both ; -because if the brethren and the strangers were preachers, they may have prudently resolved to receive neither entertain ment nor raoney from the Gentiles, lest it might have marred the success oftheir preaching araong them, when they found the reception of the gospel attended with expense. This at least was the consideration which deter rained the apostle Paul to preach the gospel gratis. — The commentators who think these brethren and strangers were simply poor Christians who had been driven from their homes by their persecutors, suppose that they re ceived nothing from the unconverted Gentiles, lest it might have giv^n them occasion to say that there was no charity among the Christians. Ver. 8. — 1. We therefore ought to entertain such. See I.uke xv. 27. Galat. iv. 5. where K'rroKa.ptSmm, signifies, simply to receive, which, in the language of the New Testament, means to lodge and entertain a person in one's house ; to keep company with him, as one svhom we esteem. Wherefore 160 5 john; 9 I wrote unto the 9 'Eypa^'a tip EXxXviGiq: church ; but Diotrephes, aJL/l' 6 ^bkoTipatEVav avtuv who loveth to have the pre- AiotpE^yjg OVX ETti^EX^tai rt eminence among them, re- ,,„. , ('¦ag. ceiveth us not. 10 Wherefore, if I lo Aia tOVtO, sav C/ISm, come, I will remember lyto^^yjoi^ avtov Ta spya a his deeds which he doeth, _ _ i„«^«., ,.»»^.»./,»..- ai,. TtoiEi, Aoyoig TiovYjpoig ©Au- pratins asrainst us with ma- c ;. . , . .. apav nuac' xai uri apxovue- licious words ; and not > 'r- = r- « r r- content therewith, neither "05 £71' TODTOis, ovtE avtog doth he himself receive ETT^ihsx^ai tovg ahE'K^ovg,xai the brethren, and forbid- tovg (3ov2i'0(iEVOvg xa^VEi, xai deth them that would, and £x trig EXx2,yiGiag SxSaXyiEi. ¦ casteth them out. , of the church. the apostle's sentiment in this precept is, that such of the brethren as had not devoted themselves to the preaching of the gospel, but followed their ordinary occupations at horae, were bound to contribute according to their ability toward the raaintenance of those who went about preaching the gos pel. And to render his exhortation the raore acceptable to them, he includ ed himself in the exhortation : We ought to entertain such. — Benson thinks Caius was a Jewish Christian, and that the apostle's exhortation was direct ed particularly to Jewish believers, who If they contributed towards the support of those who preached the gospel to the Gentiles, would thereby shew their earnest desire ofthe conversion ofthe Gentlles. Ver. 9. — 1. I woiUd have written to the church, U-y^a,.^a, t» sxicmo-ia. Six or seven MSS. read here sj-ga-l* *'« which is fftllowed by the Vulgatej scripsissem. The second Syriac likewise and the Coptic versions^ follow that reading, which 1 suppose is genuine ; because if the common reading is retained, the particle a» must be supplied ; as is plain from what follows, where the apostle, in apology for not writing to the church, adds. But Dio trephes, who loveth to rule them, doth not receive us ; doth not acknowledge me as an apostle- — The letters which the' apostles wrote to the churches were all sent to the bishops and elders in these churches, to be by them read to the people in their public assemblies See Ess. ii. page 73- If Dio trephes was a bishop or elder of the church to which John would have writ ten, he might suspect that that imperious arrogant man would have sup pressed his letter : consequently to have written to a church of which he had usurped the sole government, would have answered no good purpose. — The translation of this clause in our English Bible represents the aposde as saying that he had written a letter, which is now lost. This to some may appear a difiiculty. But the translation 1 have given, which is supported hy severalMSS. and by the Vulgate version, obviates that (difficulty. 3 JOHN. 151 , S (Ey/!»j^«, supply m) I wouhi have wrilten''- to the church ; but Diotrephes,* who loveth to rule them, doth not receive us.^ 10 For this cause, when I come, I will bring his deeds to remembrance i which he practiseth, prat ing against us with mali cious words, and not con tent therewith, he doth riot himself receive tbe bre thren, and forbiddeth them who would, and casteth them out of the church.* 9 / would have wrilten the same exhortation to the church, of which thou art a raember: Bui Diotrephes who loveth to rule them according to his own humour, doth not acknow ledge my auihority as an apostle of Christ. 10 For this cause, when I come I will bring his deeds to his remem brance ; I will punish him for his deeds; wliich he practiseth, praling against me wilh calumnious speeches, as if I were no apostle, but had as sumed that ofi&ce. And not content theremith, he doth not himself shew kindness to the brethren in their jour ney to the Gentiles,, and forbiddeth them who are disposed to entertain them; and casteth them out of the church, when they do so contrary to his orders. 2. But Diotrephes who loveth to rule them, namely, who are members of his church. — From Diotrephes's loving to rule the church of which Caius was a raember, many have suppose^ bim to have been the bishop of that church. Besides, they think if he had been a private person only, he could not have hindered any letter which the apostle might have written to that church from being read in it, and from bavjng its due effect. — See the pre face to this epistle, Sect. 3. paragr. 3. from the end- 3. Doth not receive us. On this circurastance Benson founds bis opinion that Diotrephes was a big'otted Judaizing teacher. For he thinks the per sons who denied John's authority as an apostle, were tiie Judaizers only, and not the Gentile teachers. Ver. 10. — 1. / will bring his deeds to remembrance which, he practiseth. TwoyavuffM properly signifies to bring another to the remembrance ofa things and it is so translated Jude, ver. 5- — In thus speaking, the writer of tills epistle shewed himself to be Diotrephes's superior. It is therefore highly probable that the writer of the third epistie of John, was not the person called by the ancients John the presbyter, but Johjt the apostle. — Heumrn and Lardner are of opinion, that the apostle only raeant that lie would put Diotrephes in mind ofhis evil deeds, and endeavour to persuade him to re pent of them by mild admonitions. But there is no occasion to give a mild sense to the apostle's words. For allowing that John threatened to punisSi /Diotrephes for his insolence in prating against him with nulicious wordfij VOL. VI. 21 162 3 JOHN. 1 1 Beloved, follow not 1 1 AyaJtJfTC, ft»7 llifiOV to that which is evil, but that xaxov, a/lXa to oyaSov. *0 which is good. He that oyot^oTtOMav, EX tOV 0EO» doth good is of God: but ^ gg xaxoTtoiav, ovx ia- he that doth evil hath not ^ ^ , oaxE tov Qeov seen God. » . .« 12 Demetrius hath good 12 Ajy^JfTpiCi) (lEflOlptvpritai report of all nien, and of {jthq tSavtaV, xai liTt' ai;T>7S the truth itself; yea, and ^^^ nXyi^Eiag- xai ^Eij ^£ we also bear record ; and $„_ f_ « uaptvpovfiEv, xai oioarc, ori n ye know that our record is ' ' ' \ „ _ fiaptvfia niiav aAvi^i^g egi. 13 I had many things 13 IloylJla EIXOV ypa^ElVj to write, but 1 will not ^y^^^' qu ^E^a 5ia fisTMVOi with ink and pen write ^^^ ;ca;^a„oi; (TOI vpo^ai. unto thee : r- / r and for his uncharitableness in refusing to entertain and assist the brethren and the strangers, his threatening did not proceed from resentment, but from zeal for the interests of religion, in which he is to be commended ; because as Whitby remarks on this verse, " Private offences against- our- " selves must be forgiven, and forgotten ; but when the offence is an impe- " diment to the faith, and very prejudicial to the church, it is to be opposed, " and publicly reproved." 2. He doth not hi'mself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them, who would, and casteth the'tn out, &c. Because Caius, who shewed great kindness to die brethren and the strangers, doth not seem to have been cast out of the church by Diotrephes, Heuman contends that the persons who were cast out ofthe church, were not those who shewed kindness to the brethren and to the strangers, but the brethren and strangers theraselves, whom be obliged to leave tbe church, by denying them relief himself, and by hindering otheis from relieving tiiem. In support of this interpretation, it is but fair to ob serve that the relative pronoun often expresseth, not the near, but the re mote antecedent, Ess. iv. 63. Yet 1 doubt that Heuraan's interpretation doth not give the true meaning of the passage.— Some Commentators, by Diotrephes's casting the persons spoken of, out of the church, understand his excommunicating them 5 a sense of the phrase which is suitable to Diotrephes's insolent and arrogant disposition, and agreeable to the sup position that the persons whom he cast out of the church, were those who relieved the brethren and the strangers. Ver. 11. — 1. Beloved, do not thou imitate what is evil, but what is good: Hav ing reprobated the temper and behaviour of Diotrephes, the apostle natural ly cautioned Caius against the pernicious influence ofhis bad example, 'and exhorted him to imitate another member ofhis own church named De- 3 JOHN. 163 tl Beloved* do not thou itmtate what is evil, but vihat is good.' He who doth good is of Qod :^ but he who doth evil hath not seen God. 12 Testimony is borne to Demetrius by all men,* and by the truth itself. And we also bear testimony, and ye know that our testimony is true.* 13 1 /iave many things to write.* But I do not in cline to write tbem to thee with pen and ink. 11 Beloved, do not thou imitate what is evil in the behaviour of Dio trephes, but imitate rather what ia good in the behaviour of Demetrius, knovring that he who doth good works is begotten qf God : But he who be- haroeth uncharitably to the servants of Christ in their straits,- hath no n^t knowledge of God, I John iii. 10. 1 2 Praise is bestowed on Demetrius by all who know him, on account of his benevolence, his meekness, and his humility; and by the gospel itself, his temper and conduct being con formable to its precepts. And I also praise him highly. And ye knom that my praise is always wellfounded. 1 3 lhave many things to write con cerning the affairs of your church, and concerning Diotrephes. But I do not incline to write them to thee with pen and ink, lest my Ibtter should fall into hands who might make an improper use of it. metrlus, who in character and conduct was the direct reverse of Diotre phes, and therefore was highly praised by all good men, and among the rest .by the aposUe himself. 2. He who doth good is qfGod. Ex t» Qa criy. Is begotten of God. For so this phrase signifies 1 John iii. 10. See 1 John Iii. 12. note 1. Ver. 12. — 1. Testimony is borne to Demetrius by all men. By bearing tes timony to a person, the Jews meant the praising of him for his good quali ties and actions. Thus it is said of Jesus, Luke iv. 22. All bare him wit ness, that is, praised him. In like manner Paul speaking of David saith. Acts xii. 22. To whom God bare witness saying, I have found David, &c.— See what is said concerning Demetrius, Pref. Sect. 3. last puragr. 3. And ye know that our witness is true. This expression is twice used by John in bis gospel. Chap. xix. 35. xxi. 24. which is a clear internal evidence that this epistle was written, not by John the presbyter, but by John the apostle. Ver. 13. — 1. lhave many things to write, itfc. John said the same to the elect lady and her children, 2 Ep. ver. 12. See the note on that verse 164 3 JOHN. 14 But I trust I shall 14 E^Ttiifo 5e sv^sog t^siv shortly see thee, and we CE, xai g'O^a tSpog go[ia JLa- 2.VIG011EV. 15 Eipvivyi GDI. AGTla^OV: Tai GE oi ^i/lot. AoTta^ov tovg ^iT^ovg xat ovo^a. shall speak face to face Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name. Ver. 14.— -1- 1 hope straightway to see thee. Lardner conjectures that Johfi did actually visit Caius, and adds ; " 1 please rayself with the supposition " that his journey was not in vain. I imagine that Diotrephes submitted " and acquiesced in the advices and admonitions ofthe apostle. Of this! " have no assurance. Hosvever I may add, neither doth any one else know " the contrary." Canon vol. iii. p. 312. 2. The friends salute thee. Our translators have inserted the word our, in this clause without any authority. — 'Qi ^dkii. The friends. This appellation is singular, being no where else found in scripture. But it applieth excel- lentiy to the primitive Christians, as it denotetii in the strongest raanner the JOHN; m 14 For T hope straight- •ivay to see thee, {xMi, 212.) and so we shall speak face to face. * Peace b£ to thee. The friends here salute thee. * Salute the friends by name. , 14 Besides, it is needless to write these things, for I hope soon to see thee. And so we shall speak face to face freely concernuig them. Peace be to thee, which is my apostolical benediction. The Christians with me wish thee health and happiness. In ray name wish health and happi ness to the Christians with thee, as if I named them particularly. tove which, in the first ages, subsisted among the true disciples of Christi Let it not then be pretended that the gospel does not recommend private friendship. 3. Salute the friends by name. The apostie, by sending a salutation to the &ithful disciples of Christ, who were in tbe church of which John was a member, and who were living together in great love, shewed His affeetip* fdr them, and encouraged thera to persevere in the truth. A NEW LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE JUDE. PREFACE. SECTION I. The History of Jude the Apostle, and Brother of James. In the catalogue which Luke gives of th'e apostles, chap. vi. 14, 15. James the Son \tl>a( teenth bishop of Jerusalem, hath boldly affirmed that the words, and brother of James, are an interpolation ; and that the true read ing is, Judas a servant of Jesus Christ, to them who are aanctifed, fee. But as he hath not produced so much as a shadow ofautho- vity frora atiy ancient MS. or frora the fathers, in support ofhis emendation, it deserves not the least regard; a^d should mt Sect. §. fcPISTLE OP JUDE. Ifl have been mentioned, had it not been to make the reader sen. aible, how little the opinion of the greatest critics is to be re garded, when they have a favourite notion to maintain, or wish to raake themselves conspicuous by the novelty or singularify of their pretended discoveries. From the inscription, therefore, of this epistle, I think it cer tain that it was written by Judas the apostle ; and that it is an inspired writing of equal authority with the epistles ofthe other apostles, ¦which by all are acknowledged to be inspired and canonical. II. The genuineness of this epistle, is established likewise by the matters contained in it, which in every respect are suitable to the eharacter of an inspired apostle of Christ. For, as was already obsterved, the writer's design in it was to characterize and condemn the heretical teachers, who in that age endeavoured by a variety of base arts to raake disciples, and to reprobate the impious doctrines which they taught for the sake of advantage, and to enforce the practice of holiness on all who professed the gospel. In short, there, is no error taught, nor evil practice en joined, for the sake of which any irapostor could be raoved to impose a forgery of this kind on the world. To invalidate this branch of the proof of the authenticity of the epistle of Jude, it hath been objected both anciently and in modern tiraes, that the writer of it hath quoted the apocryphal book entitled Enoch and thereby hath put that book on an equa lity with the canonical books of the Old Testaraent. But to this objection lerned raen have replied, that it is by no means cer tain that Jude quoted any book whatever. He only says, ver. 1 4. ]\fom Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied even concern ing these men, saying. Behold the Lord cometh with his holy myriads. Etc. — Besides, we have no good evidence that in Jude's time there was any book extant entitled Henoch, or Henoch's fifophecy. In the second and third centuries indeed, a book with that title was handed about among the Christians. But it seems to have been forged, on occasion ofthe mention that is made of Enoch's prophecy in the epistle of Jude ; and was universally rejected as a manifest forgery. — In the apostolical writings, there are a variety of ancient facts mentioned or alluded to, which are not recorded in the Jewish scriptures ; such as. The sin and punishment of the evil angels, 2 Pet. ii. 4. and their confinement in everlasting chains under darkness to the judg ment of the great day, Jude' ver. 6, — The prophecy of Enoch XTi PREFACE TO THB Sect. '^ concerning the judgment and punishment of the wicked, Jude, ver. 14 — Noah's preaching righteousness to the antediluvians) 2 Pet. ii. 5 — Abraham's seeing Chrisfs day and being gladj mentioned by Christ himself, John viii. 56. — Lot's being vexed with the filthy discourse ofthe wicked Sodomites, 2. Pet. ii. 7. •^The erableraatical purpose for which Moses slew the Egyp tian who strove with the Israelite, Acts vii. 25. — The names of Pharoah's magicians who contended with Moses, 2 Tim. iii. 8. — Moses' exclamation on the mount, when terrified by what he saw, Heb. xii. 21. — The emblematical meaning of the taber nacles and of their services, explained, Heb. ix. 8, 9. — All which ancient facts are mentioned by the inspired writers, as things universally known and acknowledged.— It is no objec tion to the truth of these things,, that they are not recorded in the books ofthe Old Testament. For it is reasonable to be lieve, that the writers of these books have not recorded all the revelations which God made to raankind in ancient times : nor all the circumstances of the revelations which they have re corded. As little have they related all the interesting incidents of the lives of the persons whose history they have given. This is certain with respect to Moses. For he hath oraitted the re velation by which sacrifice was appointed, and yet that it was appointed of God is evident from Moses himself, who tells us that God had resfiect to Abel and to his offering. Likewise he hath omitted the discovery, which was made to Abraham, of the pur pose for which God ordered him to sacrifice his son. Yet, that such a discovery was made to him we learn frora Christ hiraself, who tells us that Abraham saw his day and .was glad Wherfef"' fore, the revelations and facts mentioned in the New Testaraent may all have happened ; and, though not recorded in the Old, may have been preserved by tradition. Nay it is reasonable to think, that at the time the ancient revelations where raade, some what of their meaning was also discovered, whereby posterity were led to agree in their interpretation of these very obscure oracles. On any other supposition, that uniformity of interpre tation, which took, place from the beginning, can hardly be ac counted for. Allowing then, that there were revelations anciently made to mankind which are not recorded, and that the revelations which are recorded were accompanied with some explications not mentioned, it is natural to think that these things would be verbally published to the ancients, who considering them ars Sect. 2. EPISTLE OF JUDE. 1?3 matters of importance, would lay them up in their memory, and rehearse them to their children. And they in like manner re lating them to their descendants, they were preserved by un interrupted tradition. Further, these traditional revelations and explications of revelatJbns, after the art of writing became com mon, may have been inserted in books, as ancient traditions which were well authenticated. And the Spirit of God, who inspired the evangelists and apostles, may have directed them to mention these traditions in their writings, and to allude to them, to make us sensible that many important matters anciently made known by revelation, have been preserved by tradition. And more especially, that the persuasion, which history assureth us hath prevailed in all ages and countries from the most early times, concerning the placability of the Deity, the acceptable ness of sacrifice^ the existence of the soul after death, the resur rection of the body, the rewards and punishments of the life to come, with other matters of a like kind, was founded on reve lations concerning these things, which were made to mankind in the first age, and handed down by tradition. The truth is, these things being matters which by the utmost effort of their natural faculties men could not discover, the knowledge and be lief of them which prevailed among all nations, whether barba rous or civilized, cannot be accounted for except on the suppo sition of their being originally discovered by revelation, and spread among all nations by tradition. — Wherefore, in no age or country have mankind been left entirely to the guidance of the light of nature, but have enjoyed the benefit of revelation in a' 'greater or in a less degree. Bat to return to the objection formerly mentioned, by vvhich some endeavour to disprove the authenticity of Jude's epistle, founded on the mention which is made in it of Enoch's pro phecy. Allowing for a moment, that there vvas such a book extant in the apostle's days, as that entitled Henoch, or the pro phecy of Henoch, and that Jude quoted from it the prophecy under consideration, such a quotation would not lessen the authority of his epistle as an inspired writing, any more than the quotations from the heathen poet Aratus, Acts xvii. 28. and from Menander, 1 Cor. xv.-33. and from Epiipenides, Tit. i. 12; have lessened the authority of the history of the Acts, and of Paul's epistles, where these quotations are found. The reason is, if the things contained in these quotations were true in them selves, they might be mentioiied by an inspired writer, without 7ji PREFACE TO THE Sect. 2. giving authority to the poems from which they 'were taken.-* In like manner, if the prophecy ascribed to Enoch concerning the future judgment and punishment of the wicked, was agreed able to the other declarations of God concerning that event, Jude might cite it ; because Enoch, who like Noah was a prea cher of righteousness, may actually have delivered such a pro phecy, though it be not recorded in the Old Testament ; and be cause his quoting it, did not establish the authority of the book from which he took it, if he took it from any book extant in his time. Plaving thus cleared the internal evidence of the epistle of Jude, from the objections which have, been raised against it, I shall now set before the reader the jextemal evidence by which the authenticity of that writing is proved. For this purpose I "observe, that although the epistle of Jude was doubted of by some in the early ages, yet as soon as it was understood that its author was Judas the brother of James mentioned in the cata logues of the apostles, it was generally received as an apostolical inspired writing, and read publicly in the curches as such. The evidence of these important and decisive facts, I shall set be fore the reader, as collected and arranged by the learned and impartial Lardner. And first of all, Lardner acknowledgeth that the epistle of Jude is no where quoted by Irenaeus, who wrote about the year 178. But that Eusebius giving an account of the works of Clem. Alexandr. who flourished about the year 194, saith Ec cles. Hist. lib. vi. c. 14. initio, " In his institutions he hath " given explications of all the canonical scriptures, not omitting " those vvhich are contradicted, I raean the epistle of Jude, and " the other catholic epistles." Clement's institutions are lost. But we have a small treatise in Latin, called, Adumbrations^ supposed to be translated frora the institutions. In these adum brations, there are remarks upon almost every verse ofthe epis tle of Jude, except the last. There, likewise, is the following ob servation : " Jude, who wrote a catholic epistle, does not style " himself at the beginning of it. Brother of the Lord, though he " was related to him: but Jude the servant of Jesus Christ, and " brother of James." From this it appears, that Clement thought the writer ofthe epistle under consideration, one of them who are called the Lord's brethren. Matt xiii. 55. and an apostle. — Far ther, verses 5, 6. and 1 1 . of the epistle of Jude, are quoted by. Clement in his Pedagogue or instructer. Moreover, in Ms SEBT. 2. . EPISTLE OP JUDE. 175 Stromata or Miscellanies, he quotes Jude from ver. 8. to ver. J 6 — These are sufiicient proofs of the antiquity of this epistle, and that 'it was written by Judas one ofthe twelve apostles of Christ. Tertullian, who flourished about the year 200, hath one very express quotation from Jude's epistle in his treatise, De Cultu Famin, namely this : « Hence it is that Enoch is quoted by the " apostle Jude." Origen, about the year 230, mentions the epistle of Judeiifc various passages of his writings ; particularly in his commenta ries on St. Matth. having cited chap. xiii. 53. 56. he saith " Jude wrote an epistle in few lines indeed, but full of the " powerful words of the heavenly grace, who at the beginning " says, Jude the servant of Jesus Christ attd brother of James." And in the same commentaries on St. Matthew, having quoted 1 Pet. i. 12. he says, " If any one receives also the epistle of " Jude, let him consider what will follow from what is there " said, And the angels who kept not theif first estate," &c. Where fore, notwithstanding in Origen's time some doubted of, or de nied the autliority of this epistle, he himself without hesitation quoted it as written by Jude one of the Lord's brethren, conse' quently by an apostle. In the writings of Cyprian, who flourished about the year 248, no notice is taken of Jude's epistle. But it is quoted by the anonymous author against the Novation heretic who wrote about the year 255. However, he does not name Jude. His words are, « As it is written. Behold he cometh with ten " thousands of his angels, to execute judgment upon all; and « what follows." He means the 14th and 1 Obverses ofthe epistle. Eusebius, who flourished about the year 3 1 5, hath raentioned Jude's epistle. See the passage in the Pref. to Jaraes, sect. 2. paragr. 2. From that passage it appears that in the time of Eu sebius Jude's epistle was generally received, though not by all. After the time of Eusebius, seven Catholic epistles were ge nerally received by all Christians, Greeks and Latins. Jude's ppistle therefore, as well as the rest, was received by Atha nasius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Epiphanius, Didymus of Alexandria Jerome, Ruffin, the third council of Carthage, Augustine, Isioclofe of Pelusium, Cyril of Alexandria and others. But it was not received by the Syrians. — Lardner adds, that he found this epistle oftener quoted by writers who lived about the time of Eusebius, than the epistle of James. 176 PREFACE TO THE Sbot. 5, Lucifer of Cagliari in Sardinia about the year 354 hath quoted almost the whole of Jude's epistle. He quotes it ex- pressly as vvritten by the excellent apostle Jude, brother of the apostle James. Epiphanius about the year 368, in his heresy of the Gnostics, " cites the catholic epistle of the apostle Jude, brother of James « and of the Lord, written by inspiration." Jerorae in his catalpgue of ecclesiastical writers, Ai;t. Jude, ys, " Jude the brother of James left a short epistle, which is ' one of the seven called Catholic. But, because of a quota- " tion from a book of Enoch which is apocryphal, it is rejected « by many. However at length it hath obtained authority, " and is reckoned among the sacred scriptures." SECTION HI. .Ofthe Persons to whom the Epistle of Jude wasdirected, and of the Time when it was written. I. Estius and Witsius were of opinion that Jude wrote to Christians every where, but especially to the converted Jews- — Hammond thought this epistle was directed to Jewish Chris tians alone ; and with a design to secure them against the errors of the Gnostics. — Benson also thought it was written to Jewish believers ; especially to those of the western dispersion. For, according to him, Jude wrote to the very persons to whom Peter wrote his epistles. — But I agree with Lardner in thinking that the inscription of this letter leads us to believe, that it was yfritten to all without distinction who had embraced the gospel. For it runs in this raanner, ver. 1. To the sanctified by God the Father, and to the preserved by Jesus Christ, to the called.— Ver. 3. Beloved, making all haste to write to you concerning the com mon salvation^ I thought it necessary to write to you, exhorting ¦you strenuously to contend for the faith formerly delivered to the saints, ' The only reason which hath induced coramentators to sup pose, that Jude wrote to the Jewish believers alone, is, that he makes, use of arguments and examples taken from the sacred books of the Jews. But the apostle Paul followed the same course in writing to the Gentiles : and both apostles did so with propriety, not only because all who embraced the gospel ac knowledged the 'authorily of the Jewish scriptures, but because Sect. 3. EPISTLE OP JUDE. 17/ it was of the greatest iraportance to raake the Gentiles sensible, that the gospel was consonant to the ancient revelation. II. Learned men, as Lardner observes, have differed in their opinion with respect to the tirae when Jude wrote his epistle. — Mill hath fixed it to A. D. 90. for he saith, " It is certain this " epistle was written after the death of Peter, but before the " year 95, when the descendants of this Jude were suspected by " Domitian, because they were of the family of David." See P'ref. to Jude, Sect. 1 . paragr. 4. " For othervvise the suspicion " vvould have reached to Jude himself, if he had been alive, as « rauch as'to his descendants." — But Dodwell, who is followed by Cave, Is of opinion that Jude wrote his epistle soon after the de struction of Jerusalem, in the year 70 or in 71. — ^L'Enfant and Beausobre thought it raight be written between the years 70 and 75 Estius and Witsius supposed it was written in the latter part of the apostolical age, when Jude was very old, and when 'few or perhaps none of the apostles were alive but himself. — Oecumenius in his note on ver. 17. Beloved, remember ye the words which were before spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, saith, " Jude means Peter in his second epistle, and Paul " in almost all his epistles." And adds, " Hence it is evideiit "that Jude wrote late after the decease of the apostles." — I agree with Oecumenius in thinking that by the words before spo ken by the afiostles, Jude meant their words comraitted to writ ing : because it is not to be supposed that all, or even raany of those into whose hands Jude's epistle might come, had heard the apostles preach. This epistle therefore was written when the writings of the apostles and evangelists were generally disper sed ; that is to say, towards the end ofthe first age — The same thing appears from ver. 3. I thought it necessary to write to youi exhorting you strenuously to contend for the faith formerly deliv-' ered to the saints : for these expressions, I think, imply that sorae considerable time had elapsed since the whole scherae of the Christian doctrine had been published to the world ; and after the persons, to whora Jude wrote, had been instruct ed in it. Upon the whole, although the precise date of this epistle can not be determined, it is highly probable that it was written in the latter part of the apostolical age ; and not long before Jude's death. See however the following Sect, paragr. 3. VOL. yi. . 23 178 PREFACE TO THE Sect. 4- SECTION IV. Ofthe Oceasion, on whieh the Epistle of Jude was written.. In the latter part of the apostolical age, many false teachers^ had arisen, and vvere going about speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them, as St. Paul had foretold to the elders of Ephesus, Acts, xx. 30. See Pref. to 1 John, Sect. 3 — In drawing disciples after them, these teachers had nothing in view but to increase their own gains, that they might have wherewithal to spend upon their lusts. For the first Christians having a great affection for their teachers, willingly and liberally contributed towards their maintenance. The false teachers therefore to draw the vicious part of mankind after them, per verting Paul's doctrine of justification by faith without the works of law, resolved the whole of Christianity into the speculative belief and outward profession ofthe gospel. See Pref. to James, Sect. 4. And, having thus cancelled the obligations of moralityi they taught their disciples to live in all manner of licentious ness ; and at the same time .flattered them with the hope of the favour of God, and of obtaining eternal life. One of the perverse things, which these corrupt teachers spake, for the purpose of alluring the wicked, was that God is so good that he will not punish men for indulging those natural appetites which he himself hath implanted in their nature ; nor be displeased with them for committing a few sins which can do him no harm, but which are necessary to their present happiness. Wherefore, to shew the impiety and falsehood ofthat doctrine, and to secure the disciples from being seduced by it, the apostle Jude wrote this epistle, in vvhich, by facts recorded in the Jewish scriptures, he proved that as God had already punished the angels who sinned notwithstanding their dignity, and the antediluvians notwithstanding their numbers, so he will at length most assuredly punish all obstinate sinners in the severest manner. Estius hath observed, tliat the subject of Jude's epistle is the same with that of Peter's second epistle ; and hath accounted for the likeness of the two epistles, by supposiri^ that Jude had read Peter's epistle before he wrote his own : and that he imi tated it ; in some places abridging Peter's sentiments, and in others enlarging upon them, and often using his very words. .\s an example he mentions Jude, ver. 17, 18. where he thinks lude copied 2 Pet. iii. 3. In this opinion Estius is followed by Sect. 4. EPISTLE OF JlHiE. 179 Benson, who in his Pref to Jude, Sect. 3. thus writes: " Upon *' coraparing the two epistles, it appears, not only, that St. Pe- " ter and St. Jude had translated some passages frora the same " ancient Hebrew author ; (in this Benson follows Bishop Sher- " lock. Dissert, on 2 Pet.) but it seems highly probable that " St. Jude had also seen and read the second epistle of St Peter,' — But Lardner saith, Canon, vok iii. p. 353., " It seems very " unlikely that St. Jude should write so sirailar an epistle if he «' had seen Peter's. In that case St. Jude would not have thought " it needful for him to write at all. If he had formed a design " of writing, and had met with an epistle of one ofthe aposles,. " very suitable to his own thoughts and intentions, I think he " would have forebore to write. Indeed the great agreement in *< subject and design betvveen these two epistles, affords a strong " argument that they were writ about the same time. As there- " fore I have placed the second epistle of St. Peter in the year " 64, I am induced to place this epistle of St. Jude in the same " year, or soon after, in 65 or 66. For there was exactly the " same state of things in the Christian church, or in some part " of it, when both these epistles were writ." Thus far Lardner. But I incline to be of their opinion who, on account of the sameness both of sentiraent and language found in the two epistles, think that Jude wrote his epistle after he had seen Pe ter's, and that he copied it in several passages. For th& Spirit may have directed him to write on the same subjectwith Peter, and even in the words which Peter used, to give the greater authority to both epistles: And, that the conderanation ofthe false teachers, and the exhortations which, the two apostles ad dressed to the faithful in their time, raight have the more weight with them, and with Christians in succeeding ages, when they found these things delivered by both precisely in the same terms. 180 ViEQg 8e laxaSov, toig brother of James, to them ^^ q^^ ^ wiaGUEVOig, that are sanctified by God -, ' ' ' - ^, „ ^, , ¦' , xai IitiGov Xpiga tEtmviuE- the Father, and preserved * ' » ~ in Jesus Christ, a^^rf called:, "^'S' ^^'Tfotg'^ 2 Mercy unto you, and 2 E/leog vfiiv xai EtpYivri peace, and love, be multi- «ai ayaTtvi XS'^'yi^w^EiVi, plied. Ver. 1. — 1. Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James. For the history of Jude see Pref. sect. 1. and sect. 2. where it is shewed, that by this designation, Jude declared himself an apostle. — Jude might have call ed himself f.5e brother of Jesus CAmf, rather than the brother ofjanies. But he avoided that designation, in the inscription ofa letter which he wrote in the character of an apostie, to shew, that whatever respect as a man lie might deserve on account of his relation to Christ, he derived no authority from it as an apostie, nor indeed claimed any. JUDE. View. 18S tion in their manner of .treating them. They were to exereisc compassion towards those who jerred through ignorance and weakness^ that is. they vvere to instruct and reclaim such by the gentle method of persuasion, ver. 22. — But the false teachers who erred wilfully through corruption of heart, they were to save from destruction by the power of terror, reproving them sharply and censuring them severely, that they might snatch them out of the fire of the wrath of God, which was ready to de vour them. But in doing them this friendly office, they were Jto shun all familiarity with them, as carefully as they would shun touching a garment spotted by the flesh of a person who had a plague sore, lest they should be infected by their vicious con versation, ver. 23. Having thus finished what he judged necessary for their in struction and direction, the apostle encouraged the faithful to persevere in the true doctrine and practice of the gospel, by a solemn ascription of praise to him who was both able and willing to keep them from falling into error, and to present them fault less in conduct at the duy of judgment, with exceeding joy to tbemselves, ver. 24. — even to the only wise God our Saviour, whose glory as God and Saviour will last through ^11 ages. Then to shew his firm persuasion of all the things which he had writ- " ten, the apostle concluded his epistle with an Amen, ver. 25. New Translation. Commentary. Ver. 1 Jude, a servant Ver. 1 Jude a servant of Jesus of Jesus Christ, and bro- Christ, and brother of James, to them ther of James, I to thera mho are separated hom the 'i(\o]s.lrou% who are sanctified by God worid by their faith in the true God the 7ather, and to the pre- the Father of all, and to them who are served sr Jesus Christ,* to jireserved by Jesus Christ, from the the called. ^ corrupt practices of idolaters, and from the errors disseminated hf false teachers, even to all the called seed of Abraham. 2 May mercy, and 2 May pardon of sin, and hapfiiness peace, and love, be multi- temporal and eternal, (see Rom. i. plied to you.i 7. note 4.) axid love to God and man, abound to you. 2. The preserved by Jesus Christ. The preposition sv, by which the Greek datives are governed, is often wanting, especially when it is expressed in a precedent clause, as in the present verse, where we have, sv esa irar^i li^ ;- 18^ JUDE; 3 Beloved, when I gave 3 AyaTtvitoi, TtaGav GTtov- all diligence to write unto §yjv tSoiovjiEVog ypa^Eiv Vfiiv you of the common salva- ^gp^ ^^g xoiVYig Gatv;piag, a- tion, it was needful for rae ^^^y^^ g^^o^ ypa4>ai V[iiv, to write unto you, and ex- ^ ;^„^ ETtayavi^EG^ai t^ hort you, that ye should ^ y ^ c f earnestly contend for the «''«^ ^apaSo^ElG^ toig ayi- faith which was once deli- Otg TtigEi. vered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain 4 TlofEiGE^vGav yap tlVEg men crept in unawares, av^paTloi oi TiaT^ai Tipoys- Ao-fAivon. But in translating these datives into English, it is generally ne cessary to supply the preposition, as I have done in translating, kcu Ign Xjiroi TiTHftifiiioit, And to the preserved by Jesus Christ. 3. To tbe called. This designation may denote those who are called to beUeve the gospel by the preaching of the word, and who having obeyed that call, make an outward profession of the gospel. — Or, it may denote those vj'ho, on account of their possessing faith and holiness like Abraham, are called his seed. See Rom. viii. 30. note 1. Ver. 2. — 1. May mercy, and peace, and love, be multiplied to you. Rstius saith, this is sancta et vtre apostolica salutatio, a holy and truly apostolical sa lutation; and observeth, that from this, and the benedictions in the two epis tles of Peter, we learn that the benedictions in Paul's epistles are to be com pleted by adding the word ¦multiplied. Ver. 3. — 1. Beloved, making all haste. So irncritv o-rsrstTsv ttok/mvos, lite rally signlfies.-rjude being informed of the assiduity, and perhaps the suc cess, with which the false teachers were spreading their jiernicious errors, found it necessary to write this letter to the faithful without delay. 2. To write to you concerning tbe common salvation. The salvation preach ed in the gospel is called common, because it belongs equally to all whp be lieve ; to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews ; to men of all nations ai.": con ditions. — For the same reason, Paul termed the belief of the gospel thecom- ¦mon faith. Tit. i. 4. because an opportunity of believing it was afforded to all. 3. / thought it necessary to write to you, exhorting you strenuously to contend. In the circumstances in which the faithful were when Jude wrote this let ter, an exhortation to hold fast and maintain the true doctrine ofthe gospel against the false teachers, was more necessary and profitable for the dis ciples, than explications ofthe particular doctrines of tbe gospel, — By stre nuously contending for the faith, the apostle did not mean contending for it with fire and sword ; but their endeavouring in the spirit of meekness and love, to establish the true doctrine of the gospel by arguments drawn, not only from the Jewish scriptures, but especially from the writings of the evangelists and apostles, which were all or most of them published when Jude wrote this letter. — In the same maiiner, they were strongly to oppose and confute the errors ofthe false teachers. — The word iTrayonvi^tir^iiLi, pro- JUDE. 185 3 Beloved, making all 3 Beloved, making all haste to write haste 1 to write to you con- to you concerning the common salva' cerning the common salva- tion, instead of spending time in ex- tion,* / thought it necessary plaining the nature ofthat salvation, to write to you, exhorting and shewing that it is common to you strenuously to contend ^ Jews and Gentiles, or in proving any for the faith * (da-*!) Jor- of the doctrines of the gospel, / merly^ delivered to the thought it more necessary to write to saints. * you, exhorting you strenuously to con tend for the faith formerly delivered to the holy firojihets and apostles of Christ, and by them published to the world. 4 For certain men ha:ve^ \ 4 For certain false teachers have come in privily j' vrho long come in to the church /irm/y, that perly signifies to strive as in the Olympic games ; that is, with their whole force. 4. For the faith. Herefaiti), by an usual metonymy, is put for the ob jects of faith J namely the doctrines and precepts ofthe gospel ; both being equally the objects of men's faith, and both being in the apostle's view when he wrote this, as is plain from the epistle itself. 5. Forinerly. So I translate iirn^, because it is used in that sense, ver. 5. and 1 Pet. iii. 20. — Estius and Beza adopt the common translation, sup posing the meaning of once delivered to the saints, to be, that the faith spoken of, was deUvered to the saints once for all, and is never to be changed : no thing is to be added to it, and nothing taken from it. 6. Delivered to tbe saints. By tbe saints, Jude means, the holy apostles and prophets of Christ, who consigned to writing tbe faith .• that is, the tilings which men are to believe and do, according as they were revealed to them by the Spirit. In this sense the word saints is used, Ephes. iii. 5. Col. i. 26. — Hence it is evident, that the faith, for which Christians are to con tend strenuously, is that alone vvhich is contained in the writings of the evangelists, apostles, and ancient Jewish prophets. Now, as they have ex pressed the things which vvere revealed to them, in words dictated by tbe Spirit, (1 Cor. ii- 13. note 1.) we are to contend, not only for the things con tained in their writings, but also for that form of words in which they have expressed these things, lest by contending for forms invented and establish ed by human authority, as better fitted to express the truth, than the words of inspiration, we fall into error. See 2 Tim. i. 13. note 2. — Jude's exliorta- tion ought in a particular manner tn be attended to by the ministers of the gospel, whose duty more especially it is, to preserve their people from error both in opinion and practice. Ver. 4. — 1. For certain men have come in. The ungodly teachers here de scribed, seem to have been the Nicolaitans, mentioned, Rey. ii. 6. whose VOL. VI. 24 185 JUDE. who were before of old or- ypafiflEVOi Sig tovto ta «pt- dained to this condemna- ^a, aGsSsig, i;riV tov Qeov tion ; ungodly men, turn- ^^^^ ^^^^^^ [lEtatl^EVtEg Eig ing the grace of our God ^ -> _ ..„^ „„,'.So . ^ , f". , , aGEAVEiav ;cai tov uovov oe- into lasciviousness, and de- ' ^. „ , nying the only Lord God, <^'»«'^^'' ®^«^ ''«' ^"^9"^ '^'^"'' and our Lord Jesus Christ. ^^<^OVV Xpigov apV0V[lEV0l. doctrine Christ himself declared to be hateful to him. Perhaps the Gnos tics and Carpocratians, the successors ofthe Nicolaitans, were also meant. See ?ref to Coloss. sect. 2. paragr. 3. from the end, and Pref to 1 John, sect. 3. at the end. — We are told that the Nicolaitans ttiaintained that man iapre was a human invention not bindhig on Christians, on which account they had womfen in common, and practised unnatural lusts, as is plain from Jude's account of them. See ver- 7. note 2- ver. 10. note. Farther, they hardened themselves against the fear of punishment m a future state for these crimes, by extolling the goodness and mercy of God, which thus they perverted to lasciviousness. 2- Come in privily, na/jsio-sefuirav. Though the false teachers went about openly making disciples, they are said to have come in, or escablished them selves, privily, because, under the pretence of teaching by inspiration, they rendered the faithful inattentive to the consequences of their pernicious doctrine. 3 . Who long ago have been before wrilten. Xl^o-yfy^nfiftiioi us tkto to x^ittx. Jude means, that these wicked teachers had their punishment before written, that IS, foretold in what is written concerning the wicked bodomites, andre- bellioii-s Israelites, whose crimes were the same with theirs j and whose punishment was not only a proof of God's resolution to punish sinners, but an example ofthe punishment which he will inflict on them.— Others think the apostle alludes here to the prophecy of Enoch, ver. 14. in which the utter destruction of the U)igodly is foretold-— Others, that in the word argcje- ¦},g!LfAf^iti,i, there is an allusion to the ancient custom of writing laws on tables, which were hung up in public places, that the people might know the pu nishment annexed to the breaking of the laws. If this is the allusion, the apostle's meaning will be, that the wicked teachers of whom he is spei^k- ing were, by the divine law, condemned to severe punishment, from die beginning. 4. To tills very punishir\ent. So nfifAo. signifies, Rom. xiii. 2. — Jude not having mentioned any punishment hitherto, his meaning must be, the very punishment be was going to describe; namely, the punishment inflicted on the wicked Sodomites.— The apostle on this occasion, mentioned the punish ment ofthe rebellious Israelites, and of the angels who sinned, and of the wicked Sodomites, not only to terrify the false teachers by shewing them ifie greatness and certainty of the punishment wliich awaited them, but to in.ke the faithful sensible, that, although wicked teachers are allowed to JTJDE. 187 ago have been hefore writ- is, under the mask of being inspired, tcn^ to this very punish- wAo /on^n^o, in what is written con- ment ,•¦* ungodly men, per- cerning the lascivious Sodomites, verting the grace of our and the rebellious Israelites, ham God rt lasciviousness,* and been foretold as to suffer this very denying the ' only Lord /iMm'sAmen^ vvhich I am going to dc- God, and our Lord Jesus scribe; jw^orf/i/ 7Mf?ny/io, pretending Christ..^ thut God is so good that he vvill not punish sinners, fiervert the grace of 'our God, in pardoning sinners, to an encouragement to lascizdou.iness; and deny the only Lord God, und our Lord Jesus Christ, in order \o uvoid per secution. enter and remain a while in the church, for purposes known to God, they are to be destroyed both Iiert and hereafter. 5. Ungodly men. perverting the grace qf our God to lasciviousness. — The grace of God, which these wicked teachers perverted to lasciviousne.ss, may be either the goodness of God, which they affirmed to be so great, that he will not punish men for any sin whatever : t)r, it may be the gospel itself, called the grace of God, Tit. ii. ll- For these ungodly men interpreted the gospel- doctrine of justification by faith without the works ofthe law, in such a man ner as to free believers from all obligation to obey the law of God, and taught them that they might commit the worst actions without being liable to pu nishment, if they \>o%sesseA faith ; by which they meant the speculative be lief and outward profession ofthe gospel. 6. Denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Ka< toi yuovov ^iffiaroTitv Qeov kai au^iov fl/xaiv Itta-ay Xpis"ov atpvu/Aeuo;. This sentence may be translated various ways, all equally lileral. 1. And denying the only Lord God, even our. Lord Jesus Christ. According to this translation, one person only is spoken of here, namely our Lord Jesus Christ, who is called the only Lord God. — 2. Denying both Ihe only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. According to this translation, two persons are distinctly spoken of, namely, the only Lord God, or God the Father ; and our Lord Jesus Christ, his Son.— 3. And denying tbe only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. — This, which is the translation in our English Bible, and which in sense is not dif ferent from the second rendering, I have adopted, not only because according to it, two persons are spoken of as denied ; namely, the only Lord God, and eur Lord Jesus Christ: but because it represents Jude's sentiment as pre cisely the same with John's 1 Epist. ii. 22. He is the antichrist who denieth ihe Father and tbe Son. — By declaring that those ungodly teachers denied both the Father and the Son, the apostle shewed to what a pitch of impiety they had proceeded. — Because the article is prefixed only to ^ovoii @eov, and not repeated before xi/|»v ri//.m Imxi Xjirov, Beza is of opinion that these epithets, iio-m-oTm, Bui, and xi/gwv, belong al! to Jesus Christ. But the want 188 JJJDE. 5 I will therefore put 5 'T7tO(ivviGai 5e Vfiag ^ov- you in remerabrance, 2,0(iai, EiSotag V[iag (ITta^ though ye once knew this, ^oxy,;o^ bti b Kuptrig "Kacyv Ex how that the Lord, having y AiVDTtroi; GaGag, to hv saved the people out ofthe ' ' _ -.i,.,^„*„, land of Egypt, afterward '''9^ ^"^'^ i"" ^^<^'^^^'"'<'^ destroyed them that be- G,Tta7^EGEV lieved not. 6 And the angels which 6 AyyE'Xovg tE tOvg [I'yi tYf- kept not their first estate, nj^rrav-rag triV iavtav apx^iv, but left their own habita- fj^yj^^ aTtoXiTtovtag to ihiav tion, he hath reserved in ^^^^^,^^ ,,^ ^^iGlV [lEya^g eve^-lastiner chains, under , ' c, ' ^ ' c darkness, unto the judg- '^^^P^S' ^'""l""'^ "'^"''^ """^ ment of the great day. ^^^P^^ tEtripviXEV. ofthe article, is too slight a foundation to build so iraportant a doctrine on. For in the following passages, John xvii. 3. Ephes. v. 5. 1 Tim. v. 21. vi. 13. 2 Pet. i. 1. 2- God and Jesus Christ are mentioned jointly, with the article prefixed to one of them only. Yet every reader must be sensible that tliey are not one, but two distinct persons. Besides turisroTtiQ is a title not com monly given to Jesus Christ, whose proper title is o ku^ios. See however 2 Pet. ii. 1. note 3. — Jude's meaning in tiiis passage is, that the ungodly tea chers of whom he wrote, in order to avoid persecution, denied the only Lord and God of the universe, by ackowledging and worshipping the heathen deities, Also they denied the Lord Jesus Christ, by denying that they - were his disciples. In tiie Complutensian edition of the Greek testament, by omitting the first xa(, and placing But before the second k«/, and ticiaoTm after it, and by inserting the article before ko^ioi, tiie whole clause stands in this man ner, TOV f/.t3VQv 0£ov iiAi S'itrTToTnv, TOV Kvgiov •ri/jLUV Im^sv X^^^°^' itpvKfAivoi, De nying tke only God and Lord, Jesus Christ our Lord. But the MSS. and ver- sions, on which the Spanish divines formed this reading, are not of suffi cient authority to estabUsh it, especially as it excludes the Father from being God and Lord. Ver. 5. — 1. / will therefore put you in remembrance, &c. On this and what foUows, Oecumenius observes, that by proposing these examples ofthe de struction of sinners from the Old Testament history, the apostle designed. to shew that the God of the Old Testament is the same with the God of the New, in opposition to those heretics who denied this, naraely the Ma nicheans : also to prove that the goodness of God will not hinder him from punishing the wicked underthe new dispensation, any more thaii it hinder ed him from punishing them under the old. — In this passage, Jude hath mentioned two of the instances of the divine vengeance against atrocious sinners, which Peter took notice of, 2 Epist. ii. 4, 5. and Jn place of the- JUDE. 189 5 I will therefore put you in remembrance,^ though ye (n'trciQ former ly knew this, that the Lord having saved the people^ out of the land of Egypt, afterward de stroyed them who did not believe.^ 6 (Ts) Alao the angels who kept not their own office,'^ but left their pro per habitEition,^ he hath reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness,^ unto the judgment of the great day.< 5 Iwill therfore, to prevent you from listening to these wicked teachers, put you in remembrance, although ye formerly knew t^hia, that the Lord, having saved the people of Israel out of the land ofEgyfit, after ward destroyed them in the wilder ness, Aecawse they did not iefeeTie his promises, and refused to go into Canaan, Numb. xiv. xxvi. Heb. iii. 18, 19. 6 Also, the angels who kept not their own office, the office which was originally allotted to them, but left their proper station, by intruding in to the offices and stations of the angels who vvere greater than they, God hath driven out of heaven, not withstanding their numbers and power, and hath kept them, ever since, in everlasting chains of con finement under darkness, unto the judgment o , the g'reat day, to be punished. third instance, the destruction qf the old world, he hath introduced the de struction ofthe rebeUious Israelites in the wilderness. 2. That the Lord having saved the people. Some MSS. and versions read here Jikths Jesus having saved. Two of Stephen's MSS. read Bu; God;. vfhich expresses the true meaning ofthe passage. But the commoii read ing is best supported. 3. Afterward destroyed them who did not believe. Jude doth not mention the various sins committed by the Israelites in the wilderness ; such as their rebeUion in refusing to go into Canaan, their idolatry in worshipping the golden calf, their fornication wilh the Midianitish women, and their frequent murmurings ; but he sums up the whole in their unbelief, because it was' the* source of all their sins. Ver. 6. — 1. Also the angels who kept not thv luuTav !(o the judgment qf the great day. This ^reat day is elsewhere called, the day of the Lord, and that day, emphatically- — In our Lord's description ofthe general judgment, Matth. xxv. 41- he tells us that the wicked are td Depart into everlasting fire, prepa. ed for the devil and his angels. This im pUes that these wicked spirits are to be punislied with the wicked of man kind. — Hunt in his dissertatioti referred to in uote 1- on tliis verse, saith, Upon the supposition that the fallen angels belong to our system, their punishment with tbe wicked of our species, will appear the more congru ous. — If the angels who sinned, were originally appointed to minister to raankind, as Hunt imagines, and were discontented with this earth in its paradisical state as an, habitation, the atmosphere which surrounds (he earth in its present altered state, is very properly made the prison-house in which they are confined till the general judgme,nt. JUDE. 191 7 ('iJs, Parkh.) As So dora and Gomorrha, and the cities around them,* which in a manner like to thtse^ had habitually com mitted whoredom,^ and gone after uther flesh, are set forth an example,'* having undergone the jiunishmenl of an eternal fire, 8 ('O/uioi; ft£» tol, 204.) In like manner, indeed, these also SHALL BE PVNTSHED.^ Being cast into a deep sleepy they defile the flesh, and despise (icvfieraTa) govern ment, and revile (^o|«5) dig nities.^ 7 Further, seeing Sodom and Go morrha, and the cities around ihem, which in a manner like to these wick ed teachers had habitually committed whoredom and bestiality, are publicly setforth as an example ofthat terrible punishment which is to be inflicted on the ungodly after the general judgment ; having from the imme diate hand of God undergone the punishment qf an eternal fire ; a fire whose effects will remain while the world remains, 8 In like manner indeed, these un godly men shall be punished with eter nal fire. Being cast into a deep spi ritual */ee^ through the intoxication of sin, they, under the pretence of Christian liberty and a superior il lumination, drfile their body like the Sodomites with libidinous prac tices, and ,deapise every kind of government, and revile magistrates when they punish them for their lewd practices. _ Ver. 7. — 1. And the cities around them. These cities were Adniah and Zeboim. The four are mentioned, Deut. xxix. 23- — Zoar, the fifth city in the plain of Sodom, was spared at the request of Lot, for a place of refuge to bim and his family. 2. Which in a manner like to these. Tov i/ioiov tutois Tiotroi. 1 have fol lowed our translators in completing the construction of this clause, by sup plying the preposition xaT*, which the sense Ukewise requires. — Like to these. The relative txtok, being masculine, may 'refer to tbe ungodly tea chers mentioned, ver. 4. — Or, though arox/e be a feminine word, yet as it signifies the inhabitants of a city, as well as the citj itself, the relative tk- To/c may very properly be in the masculine gender, to denote the inhabitants ofthe other cities of tiie plain. See Ess. iv. 64. — I make these observations, because some commentators suppose txtok: stands for the angels wlib left their proper habitation, as if their sin had been lewdness j which is a very false idea. > 3. Had habitually co^mmitted whoredom. This is the literal signification ofthe compound word sxwogvei/irao-tti ; because sk increases the signification ef the word vvith which it is compounded. — In the language of scripture 192 JUDE, 9 Yet Michael the arch- 9 'Q Se Mixav!^ b apxaiy- angel, when contending y^ ^^ ^^ htaSoT^Ci bvaxpi- with the devil, he disputed s ^ .. _ u . u , J r ,T vouEvog oiE2.eyEto Ttspi tow about the body of Moses, r- j f i durst not bring agauist ^"^^"5 Gaiiatog, ovx Etol- him a railing accusation, ^^^ ^9'^'''^ ETlEVEyXElV ^^aG- but said. The Lord re- ^yifliag, aX/l' ElTtEV ETtlTt- buke thee. [iriGai Goi Kuptog. ffirogvsuav signifies to comrait any sort of whoredom or uncleanness, and among the rest Sodom,}. See 1 iJor. v. 1. note 1. and Parkhurst in voc. e«. iiro^vioofjuti. Estius saith the preposition ek in this compounded word, de notes the Sodomites committing whoredom out ofthe order of nature. They committed the unnatural crime which hath taken its name from them. 4. Are setforth, fefy/xa,, an example. See 2 Pet. u. 6. — The burning of the cities of the plain, being represented here as an example, or type, of that punishment by fire which at the general judgment God will inflict on the wicked, the consideration thereof should terrify the ungodly of every description, and bring them to repentance. For when God is about to punish them in that dreadful manner, will they be able to flee from hira, or resist him ! Ver. 8. — 1. In like manner indeed, these also shall be punished. I put afull point after the words um vtoi : and to finish the sentence, I supply the words, shall be punished, from the end of the foregoing verse with which this clause is connected in the sense, being the reddition to the clause in tiie beginning of ver. 7. — 'ns 'Sofofta, ko-i To/xoffa, since, or, as Sodom and Gomorrha are setforth as, an example, &c. ver. 8. Ojuoja; //evroi In like man ner certainly these also shall be punished. — In the next clause of this Sth verse, a new sentiment is introduced, which therefore should have been made the beginning ofthe verse. 2. Being cast into a deep sleep. This is the proper literal translation of the word ivoTrvioL^o/iivoi, as Beza hath shewed. Besides in other passages of scripture, the wicked are represented as fast asleep. See Rom. xiu. 11. 1 ¦^^hess. V. 6. 3. And despise government, (see 2 Pet. ii. 10. note 2.) and revile dignities : ifo|«! fe ^KtLonpsifjMiri literally they revile glories, that is those who possess the glory of the magistrate's office. This must be the meaning of 9';vo3'aigov, which, according to Scapula, signifies senescens autumnus et in hiemen vergens ; The decline of autumn drawing towards winter. Or, ac cording to Phavorinus, it signifies, voo-oc jS'«S(ra. oa'agac, a disease in trees which withers^ their fruit. This sense of the word Beza hath adopted in his translation, Arbores emarcidee infru^ifer^. The Vulgate translation, Arbores autumnoles infructuosai, suggests a beautiful idea. In the eastern countries the finest fruits being produced in autumn, by caUing the corrupt teachers, autumnal trees, Jude intimated die just expectation vvhich was entertained JUDE. 199 13 Raging waves of the 13 They are as unstable in their sea, foaming out their own doctrine, and as turbulent in their shame ;' wandering stars,* manners, as raging waves ofthe sea, for whom the blackness of so that they make their own shame darkness for ever is re- apparent to all. Having renounced served.* the true doctrine of the gospel, in stead of being the lights ofthe world they are wandering meteors, which are quickly to be extinguished in jierpetual darkness. 14 M)w Enoch, the 14 J^ow Enoch, the seventh in seventh from Adam, pro- Aescent from Adam, prophesied even phesied^ even (ev, 168.) concerning these ungodly teachers, concerning these men,^ when he foretold the destruction of saying, Behold the Lord the wicked atthe general judgraent, coraeth with hia holy my- saying. Behold the Lord cometh sur- riads^ of akgels, rounded witk his holy myriads of angels, of their being fruitful in good doctrine : but by adding, without fruit, he marked their uselessness, and the disappointment of their disciples. 8. Twice dead; rooted out. Here the apostle insinuates, that while these ungodly teachers, vvho vvere mostly of the Jewish nation, continued under the Mosaic dispensation, they were dead and unfruitful : And that under the gospel-dispensation, though they seemed to flourish for a little while and promised to bring forth fruit, they had proved as barren as before, having died a second time, and for that reason were justly rooted out. — The com mentators observe, that there is a striking climax in this description of the false teachers. They were-.trees stripped of their leaves and withering; .- They had no fruit, being barren tbat season : . They were twice dead, having borne no fruit the former year : Lastly, they were rooted out as utterly barren. Ver. 13. — 1- Raging waves ofthe sea,foam,ing out their ovin shame. Like the ragingsea, these ungodly teachers were turbulent and furious, having no command of their irascible passions. And by their wicked outrageous behaviour among their disciples, they shewed their own filthiness, to their great disgrace. — Perhaps the apostle alluded here to Isa. Ivii. 20. The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 2. Wandering stars. Ao-Tspss ¦jrxa.vnTm. Doddridge in his note on this verse observes, That the Jews called their teachers stars .- and that the teachers in the Christian church are represented under the emblem of stars, Rev. 1. 20. ii. 1. "Wherefore, as the planets have irregular motions, being sometimes stationary and sometimes retrograde, he thinks they are proper emblems of teachers, who are unsettled in their principles, and irregular in their behaviour. 200 JUDE. 15 To execute judg ment upon all, and to con vince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed; and of all their hard spee ches which ungodly sin ners have spoken against him. 16 These are raurmur- ers, complainers, walking after their own lusts ; and theirraouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admi ration because of advan tage. 15 Tloii^Gai xpiGiv xafa Ttavtav, ;cai s^E^sy^ai TCav- Tag TODS aGE6Eig avtav, TlEpt Tiavtav tav spyav aGeSsiag auTov av '^GsSviGav, xat TtE pi Tiavtav tav GxTi^itipav, av E'/.a2,riGav xar' avtov a/tap- ta^oi aGeSsig. 16 Ovtoi ElGl yoyyvgai, [lEfi'^iHoipoi, xara rag etii- ^v^iag ai)T&)V TtopEvoy.£voi' 3£at to go^a awTuv Za/lEt VTtEpoyxa' ^av(ioi^ovtEg Tipo- GaTia, a^E^Eiag ;tapti'' 3. For whom the blackness of darkness for ever, is reserved. As the ancients knew that the planets are naturally dark bodies, and derive all their light from the sun, it is supposed, that Jude compared the false teachers, not to meteors, or ignesfatui, which have no existence after they are extinguished, but to planets properly so called. Ver. 14, — 1. Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied. See Pref Sect. 2. No. 2. paragr. 2, — Though Moses hath said nothing concerning Enoch's prophesying, yet by telling us that he was a person of such piety, as to be translated to heaven in the body without dying, he hath warranted us to believe Jude's account of him ; namely, that God employed him, as he did Noah, in reforming the wicked of the age in which he lived, and that he inspired him to deUver the prophecy of which Jude speaks- — Thatgnoch was endowed with the spirit of prophecy, Benson saith, is apparent'from the name which he gave to his Son, to wit Methuselah : which signifies he dieth, and thefiood cometh. — Enoch is called the seventh from Adam, to dis tinguish him from Enoch the son of Cain, Gen. iv. 17. who was only the third from Adam. 2. Prophesied even concerning these men. So 1 translate sroosjaTti/irs x« THTOK, by supplying ev before tstTic : Or without the preposition, thus, prophesied also to these men, as well as to the antediluvians. — Though Enoch prophesied immediately to the wicked men of his own age, what he said concerning, or to them, was intended for the wicked in every age. ^ 3. Saying, Behold the Lord cometh with his holy myriads-qf angels. So CV jKagiairiv i.yittii olutx raust be translated, because aj-iajj. being in the feminine gender, agrees with ^u/ii«o-iv as an adjective, consequently tho word to be supplied is a^yyixm, not a'yytMis. — Mugias ten thousand, is a . JUDE. 20; 15 To pass sentence {icaT», 208. 2.) ore* all, .nd to convict all the ungolly among thera, of all their deeds of ungodliness wiich they have impiously coto- Tnitted, and of all the hard '* things vvhich ungodly sin ners have spoken against him.^ 16 These are murmur- ers, AND complainers,* who walk according to their own lusts ;* and their moutlispeaketh great swelling words. ^ (B-xvftM- j^oTtf ar^»5-«5r«) They admire persons for the sake of gain.* 15 To pass sentence on all, and to make all the impious and prophane among mankind sensible of all the impious actions, which they have impiously committed, and of all the impious atheistical scoffing spee ches, which prophane sinners have imfiiously uttered against Christ, as if he were an irapostor, who was justly punished with an ignorainious death. 16 These ungodly teachers are murmurers against God, and com plainers that their lot is not what they deserve, who gratify their omn lusts to the utmost ; and their moulh speaketh great smelling words, in praise of themselves, as the only teachers who free men from the shackles, of superstition. They ad mire and praise persons, not for their good qualities, but for their riches, that they may get money from them for their flattery. definite number. But it is put here in the plural, /iu^iaa-iv, ten thousands, indefinitely, to signify an innumerable multitude. — Hk9s 2 Aor. is come. But in the prophetic style the present is often put for the future, to shew the absolute certainty of the event foretold : Tbe Lord is come ; or as it is in our 'Bible, tbe Lord commeth, being the genuine prophetic style, it is no proof, as Benson fancies, that Jude took this prophecy out of some book. If it was preserved by tradition, this is the language in which it must have bfeen preserved- Ver. 15- — 1. To pass sentence on all. Yloinrm iifiiTiv mto. vravTm, might have been literally translated to execute punishment on all, if the apostle had not added, am i^tKiy^m, aiul to convict ; for punishment cannot justly be inflicted, till the offender is convicted." 'Wherefore the translation in our Bible, ¦where judgment is used in the sense oi punishment, is wrong ; name ly, to execute jiidgment upon all. The proper, and I may add, the literal translation of iroina-m Kfirn, is, to pass judgment, or sentence on all. For a// shall be judged, but all shall , not. be condemned. — Enoch's prophecy seems- to have been generally known among the Jews. For the first words of it, which in the Hebrew are, Maran-atha, were used by them with great propriety, in that form of excoramunication or cursing, which they pro nounced upon irreclaimable offenders, (See 1 Cor. xvi, 2.2. note,) as they VOL. VI. 26 202 JUDE, 17But,beloved,remem- 17 'Tfieig Se, ayaTtlftOl, ber ye the words which uvy;G^rit£ tav p'^[iatav tav were spoken before of the yiposipyiflEvav VTtO tav aTtO- apostlesofour Lord Jesus y^^^ ^^^ j^ .^^ ^ i^^^ Christ; !^ r r Xpts-ou- 18 How that they told 18 'Otl sTuSyov VfllV, bti EV you there should be moc- saxata xpova EGOVtai E^Ttai- kers in the last time, who ^^^^^^ '^^^^ ^^^ lavtav ETtl^V- should walk after their ovvn _ _ „_„p„ , ;. fiiag TlopsvouEvoi tav aGEOEiav. •ungodly lusts, ' ' put all who were present in mind of God's coraing at the last day, to punish the obstinately impenitent. This same curse the apostle Paul solemnly pronounced on all wicked Christians, 1 Cor. xvi, 22. 2. All the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against bim. As. Christ is to judge the world, he is the person against whom the ungodly are here said to have spoken hard things :. consequently these hard things consisted, in their denying JeSus to be the Son of God; in their calling him a magician, a sorcerer, and an impostor ; and in their affirming that he was justly punished with death. Ver. 16- — l.Theseare ¦yo-yyug-m murmurers, and fti/yi.^t/jioi^oi complainers. They murmured against God on account of the dispensations of his provi dence, and complained of their condition, fancying that they deserved a better lot : for /.ii/A.^i/uioi^oi, literally are persons who complain oftheir lot or portion. In this, the ungodly teachers resembled the ancient Israelites, who murmured against God, on account ofthe hardships they were exposed to in the wilderness. 2, Who walk according to their own lusts. Prom this circumstance it is prcibable, that the corrupt teachers complained not only of their lot, but of the restraints vvhich were laid on them by the laws of the countries where they lived. To this conjecture what followeth agrees : Their ¦mouth speak eth great sweUing words. 3. Great swelling words. If the interpretation of this clause given in the Commentary is not admitted, we may suppose the false teachers spake in an insolent manner against the Roman raagistrates for punishing them, and against the laws for proliibiting the vices in which they delighted. For they are said, ver, 8. io despise government, and to revile dignities. Perhaps they thus opposed the heathen magistrates and laws, on pretence of maintaining the cause ofthe people of God against the tyranny and oppression of the Romans : and spake in a pompous boasting manner oftheir Christian liber ty, which they affirmed consisted in a freedom to gratify their inclinations without controul, 2 Pet. ii. 19- — Of these teachers, and of the tumid spee ches, by which they defended their vices, John hath given insinuations, 1 Epist. iii. 4. — 11. 4. They admire persons for the sake qf gain. The false teachers of that age greatiy adraired the rich on account oftheir riches, thereby feeding JUDE. 203 17 But, beloved, re- 17 But beloved, to prevent you member ye the words from giving heed to the vain spee- which were before spoken ches of these deceivers, continually by the apostles of our recollect the words which were Lord "Jesus Christ;^ spoken prophetically by the afioalles of our Lord Jesus Christ ; IS That they said to 18 That they foretold to you, that you, That in the last titne in the last time, namely after the de- there would be scoffers, struction of the Jewish common- walking according to their v.ealth, there would be scoffers in the own ungodly lusts.* church, mho, ridiculing the strict ness of the precepts of the gospel, would walk according to the im pulses of their omn impure lusts. their vanity. They flattered them likewise with the hope of salvation, and by so doing hardened them in their sins. In short, they never opposed the will of their rich disciples iu any thing : And this servility they shewed to wards the rich, merely to draw money from them. Ver- 17. — 1. Hemember ye the words which -were before spoken by the apostles .(four Lord Jesus Christ. In ver. 18. Jude cites the words spoken by Peter in particular, concerning the coming of scoflTers in the last time. Yet Jude's exhortation being general, it comprehends the words spoken by the other apostles concerning the coming of false teachers : Such as I'aul's words, 1 Tim. iv. 1. — 5. 2 Tim. iii. and iv. chapters: Nay it comprehends the words spoken by Jude himself, in the preceding part of this epistle. For we have shewed, Pref. Sect- 2. -That Jude was an apostle, and that he asserted his title to that office, by caUing himself the brother of James, — Dr. Symonds, in his observations upon the expediency of revising the present English ver sion, -&c. thinks this clause should be translated, remember ye the words which were formerly spoken by the apostles. Ver. 18. — 1. That they saidtoyou, that in the last tiine there would be ^cof fers, walking according to their own ungodly lusts. Though it be aUowed that Jude in this verse transcribed 2 Pet. iii. 3. it will not follow from his using Peter's words, that tlie two apostles wrote ofthe same persons. Pe ter, in the passage quoted by Jude, evidently speaks of scoffers who were to arise in the age in which Christ was to come to judge mankind, and put an end to this mundane system. For he represents them as ridiculing the promise of Christ's coming, as a thing not likely to happen after having been so long delayed. 'Whereas Jude speaks ofhis scofiers, as already come, ver. 4. And the account which he gives of them is. That they per verted the grace of God to lasciviousness ; denied God and Christ ; despised ,.government ; reviled dignities j led most immoral Uves ; imitated Cain arnj Balaam in their wickedness ; and were to share in the punishment of Ko rah : But saith nothing oftheir scoffing at the promise of Christ's coming j or iadeed of their scoffing at any of the doctrines or promises ofthe gospel. 204 ' JUDE. 19 These be they who 19 OvtOl EiGlV oi aTtoSi" separate themselves, sen- opiS,OVtEg, '^VXl'^Ol, 7lVEV[tXt sual, having not the Spirit. ^^ exovtEg. 20 But ye, beloved, 2u 'TfiEig Se, ayaTfrflOl, building up yourselves on ^^ aytoTaT-p v[Lav TligEi ETtOi- yourmost holy faith, pray- ^oSoiiowtEg kavtovg, ev Ttv^- ine in the Holy Ghost, c ^ / ' ^ari ayitfi TipoGEvxofiEvoi, He calls them scoffers on account of their reviling dignities, and perhaps oftheir ridiculing these precepts of the gospel which prohibited lascivious ness. — If, however, the reader is of opinion that Jude, like Peter, speaks of the scoffers who are to arise about the end ofthe world, his exhortation to remeraberthe Words which Peter spake concerning them was highly proper, because the recoUection of Peter's phrophecy, would put the faithful in every age on their guard against such false teachers as might arise in any future period. Ver, 19. — 1. These be they who separate themselves from others. Namely, on account of their pretended greater illumination. — In the common text it is, airij(fiog/fovT6c, who separate from. But many MSS. add the word sat/Tiic a reading which our translators have followed, and which is warranted by the Vulgate, where we find, ^ui segregant semetipsos. I likeyvise have fol lowed that reading, and have supplied the word others, because the prepo sition in amoS'ia^i^ovTes, requires it. — From Rom. xvi. 17. it appears, that the heretical teachers very early began to set up separate assemblies for wor ship. See Rom. xvi. 17. note 2. Perhaps they founded their practice ob ¦ Isa. Hi. 11. 2. Animal ¦men. Some are of opinion that by .^u^moi, animal men, the apostle means those who are governed by the lusts which properly belong to the aniraal part of the human nature, and who place their whole happi ness in sensual enjoyments. — Others, by animal ¦men, understand those who in reUgion admit of nothing as true, but what is consonant to their own preconceived opinions, and can be explained upon what they caU the principles of reason. In this sense the word -4'u;t(xi!5 avS-jaiwoc is used 1 Cor, ii, 14. See note 1, there. — I think the apostle caUs the false teachers animal men, because they were neither inspired by the Spirit of God, nor guided by right reason. 3. Not having the Spirit. The ungodly teachers boasted of having an il lumination frora the Spirit, superior to that of the apostles, and that ofthe disciples ofthe apostles. And on this pretence, they separated themselves and their disciples from the others; But their boasting was without founda tion ; these men were truly what they called others, mere animal men, not having the spirit, either of God, or of right reason. Ver. 20. — 1. Building one another on your most holy faith. Here faith 'is put for the objects of faith, namely the doctrines, precepts, and promises of the gospel. This faith the apostle terms most holy, because its design and JUDE. 205 19 These be they who \^ These be the teachers, who, o^- separate themselves from posing the apostles as void of the or/fg.ss;i {t^vxiMi) ani- Spirit because they condemn their mal MEN,^ not having the error?,, separate themselves from the Spirit.* true disciples of Christ. But they are what they call us, raere animal men, who neither have the Spirit of God, nor the spirit of right reason. 20 But ye, beloved, 20 But ye beloved, by conversa- duilding (e'djurss, 65. 1.) one tion and rautual exhortation, bwld- anotlier on your most holy ing one another in knowledge and faith,* AHD praying {et holiness on the foundation of your inivfiaTi a'yia) iy the holy most holy faith, and praying m your Spirit,'^ public assemblies by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, which the f.ose teachers and their disciples cannot do, " ' ¦ ^ _ - ¦ ¦'¦JL- tendency is to discourage vice of all kinds, and to make men holy both in mind and body. Whereas the faith of the ungodly teachers, especially those ofthe Nicolaitan sect, was a most unholy faith, as it encouraged men in all manner of licentiousness. 2. Arid praying by tbe Holy Spirit. From 1 Cor. xiv. 15. n^oirstj^oi.ta.1 Tt» i ?rfori)t<|«T(i. And (he prayed with prayer, thut is,) he prayed earnestly. See also Ephes. vi. 18. 31. — 1. AU, signifres sometimes a considerable part only. John iv. 29. 'Come see a man who told me all things that ever I did. — Acts i. 1. All that Jesus began both to do and leach. — 1 Cor. ii.' 15. The spiritual man examineth indeed all things. 1 Cor. ix. 22. To all I have become all things. — 'Wherefore I Pet. iv. 7. The end of all things hath approached ; signifies the end ofthe Jewish church and state only. 41 1. Elect, elected, in the following passages may signify approved. Rom. xvi. 13. Rufus^enMxro)/ aK.v^'a)the ajiproved by the Lord. — Col. iii. 12. Put on therefore [an ex^eKm m Qm) as persons approved of God, holy, and beloved, bowels of mercies. 59. — 1. Walk. In scripture, owe'* mora/ cond«c< is denoted by the metaphor of walking, because as walking in a road end^ in one's arrival at a place, so his moral conduct will at length end, either in happiness or in misery to him. 60. — 1. Word, {Myoi) soraetiraes denotes eloquence. 2 Cor. viii. 7. Therefore as ye abound in faith {x.ai ^^yai) and in elo. quence. — Ephes. vi. \9.'That {xoyo^) eloquence may be given me in the opening of my mouth. 2. Aoyoq, a promise. Tit. i. 3. Hath manifested (tov Aoyov av- ts) his promise, by preaching with which I am intrusted. See note 1. on this verse. 3. Aoyoi, a prayer i 1 Kings xvii. 1 . Elijah said to Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall 2.16 SUPPLEMENT TO ESSAY IV. not be dew nor rain these three years, but according to my word ; my prayer. See James v. 17. note 2. 4. Aoyoi, a doctrine. Tit. i. 9. Holding fast (t» ttis-u Aoyj?) the true doctrine. 5. Aoyof, an history, a narration, a discourse. Acts i. 1. The former (>ioyMyoii) by fictitious tales. 6. Aoyo?, an appearance or shew of a thing. Col. ii^ 23. Which things have indeed (>j>yoi') a shew of zcisdom.* 63, — 1. The relative pronouns refer to the remote antecedent, Luke xxiii. 14. I have found no fault in this man.^\S. No nor yet Herod ; for I sent you to him, and lo nothing worthy of death is done by him. Not Herod, who is last mentioned, but Jesus, who is raentioned ver. 14 I Cor. xv. 25. For he mmt reign till (avroi)- he (God, who is mentioned in the preceding verse) hath put all the enemies under his feet. 65- — 1. The pronoun 'eavrof is often used in the sense of uUdi- Ao5, one another. 1 Cor. vi. 7. Ye go to law (tii9-' 'eavrm) one tmth another.* See also Ephes. iv. 19. 32. v. 19. — Col. iii. 16. — I Thess. V. 13 — Jude ver. 20. — John vii. 35. 66. — 1. The relative pronoun sometimes differs in gender from its antecedent, regarding its meaning rather than its form. Matth. xxviii. 19. Teach (?r«yT« t* eS-vti ^wjent^oiiTei avrm) allna. tions baptizing them. — ^John xv. 26. To irvevfjut, — £K£ivo5 KajTi/foe-ai, The Spirit — he shall testify. — ^Rom. ix. 23, 24. Swud eMm—ik x.ai £K«A£r£y. — Gal. iv. 19. T£xk« ft.8 «5 srotAfv. — Philem. ver. 10. / beseech thee (jrs^i ts £jm.» Texvij i») for my son whom I begat in my bonds. . 2. The relative pronoun sometimes differs in number from its antecedent. Philip, iii 20. Our conversation is (et H^atoif t\ 'ti) for heaven, from whence also we look for the Saviour. 67. — 1. The relative pronoun (is) is sometimes put for the tic- monstrative ('ovroi). 1 Cor. ii. 9. 'a e^9-a>i/Ms nx eiSe. Those things eye hath not seen, Sfc. So 'A raust be translated, because in the end of the sentence there is another 'a, signifying zchich. — 2 Cor. ii. 1 6. "oi? fiev ; To these indeed it is the savour of death ending in death, (on Se) but to those, Sfc. 81 1. AAA«, However. 1 Tim. i. 16. AAA* Sia rnro. liote- beilfor this cause I obtained mercy.* 86, — 1. Avto, in. Luke iii. 57. T( ^f xai a Xaoi yaf eir avrti) be- cause on account of it the people received the law. 92 — 1. raf, is used to introduce a reason for something in the writer's mind, which he hath not expressed. Thus Rora, iv 2. El yap ASpxau, e\ epyat eSixaia%, For if Abraham were justified by works, he might boa^t. Here the proposition suppressed which this is produced to prove, is, Abraham did not obtain jus. tification by the flesh. For if Abrahara were justified by the work of circumcision, whieh he performed on his flesh, he might have boasted. « 94. — 1. Tap, is used as an aifirmative particle, and must be translated, Indeed, certainly. Rom. viii. 7. Tiji yap vojh^) th Gea ax v^'Tairn-erai, ah yap Smarai. For it is not subject to the taw of God, neither indeed can be.* 97. — 1. Tap, Now. Ephes. v. 9. 'o yaf xafKoi, Now the fruit ofthe Spirit. 98. — 1. Tap has the adversative sense of h, But, yet, although. Rora. XV. 4. 'oc-a yap. But whatever things were before written, were written for our instruction. — Philip, iii. 20. 'finav yap n voMnvfia, But our conversation is in heaven. — 2 Pet. i. 9. 'il yap fLTi ¦xapwi itaiira. But he thai lacketh these things is blind.* 101.— 2. Ae, Also. John viii. 17. K«( £V tu wfixo St tu ifwTt^ai, And in your law also it is wrilten, that the testimony of two men ¦is true.* See Parkh. Dictionary. 104, — 1. Ae, Besides, Farther. 2 Pet. i. 5, K«/ av tothtd Se e-jraSiiv vaa-at. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtiie.* 114, — \. Aia, To, Forward. Acts iii. 16. Yea the faith which is, (Si aura) toward him ; that is, which hath him for its object. —Rom. iv. 25. Was raised again (Sia t^v Sixaiairtv ^i/miv) to our justification : ad justificationem , nerape, ad testificandara justifi- cadonera nostri. This is Pasor's translatioh.^See his Lexicon, in vol. VI. 28 21S SUPPLEMENT TO ESSAY IV, voce Sta ; where he observes, that Rom. xi, 35. £|, causam pro. creantem, Sta, conservantem, et £i;, causam 'mdicat finalem. 117. — 1. Ata, In. Heb. vii. 9. Even Levi paid tithes (Sia ASpaai*,) in Abraham.* 119. — 1. Aia, With. Ephes. vi. 18. Praying always (Sia Trcmn ¦KpoQ-evxiK) with all prayer,* that is most earnestly. See 37. 1. 121. — 1. Aia, Of, from. Matth. -xxvii. 18. For he knew that (Sia ^.S-ovov) from envy they had delivered him. — 2 Thess. ii. 2. Nor by letter as (Si' i/AMv) from us.* 122. — 1. Ale, is sometimes used causally, and must be trans lated/or. Ephes. iv. 8. Aio A£y£i. For he saith, he ascended up on high. — James iv. 6. He giveth greater grace, (^Sia Aeyti) for he saith, God resisteth the proud. — 1 Pet.ii. 6. Ai» xa,i, For even it is contained in the scripture. 123 — 1. Amti, For. 1 Pet. i. 24. Aitrt ¦^rt^a craipl, For all fiesh is as grass.*_ 124. — I. Eav, an adverb of time, signifying when, 3 John ver. 10. For this cause, (eav t>Aa) when I come I will bring hisdeeds to remembrance.127. — 1. El for OTI, that. 1 John iii. 13. Do not wonder, (et) that the world hateth you. 130. — 2. El, Though. 2 Tim. ii. 13. Ei «w/5-«a«»,, tKEiMs sris-Dt ftsvEi. In rendering this clatfse, our translators being sensible pf the absurdity of maliiing the faithfulness of God depend on men's unfaithfulness, and not recollecting that (£<) signifies^a/^Aou^^, have in their translation endeavoured to avoid the absurdity, not very properly, by supplying the word yet ; thus. If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful. The proper translation is. Though ree be unfaithful, he abideth faithful ; he cannot deny himself. 133 — 2. E( yap, Siquidem, Since indeed. 2 Pet. ii. 4. Ei y«f 0 ©£«5 ayy;>Mi afi,a pr/is-avrm sk e^£Io-«to, since indeed God did noi spare the angels who sinned. , 134 — 1. El ye, Seeing at least, Chandler saith, ei ye isused in this sense by the best writers : and in support of his opinion, cites .ailian. Pierce is of the same opinion, in his note on Co- loss. i. 23. 135 — 1. El xai, Although. Scapula translates ei xai, Etsi, etiamsi. 136. — 2. El (AJii, in the LXX. often denotes a question, and signifies, Num. Gen. iii. II. Ei ft!) efjioyes, Hast thou eaten, of the tree ? — 2 Cor. iii. 1. ei /kd w?"/*"! Or need we, as some., letters of recommendation to you ?* SUPPLEMENT TO ^SSAY IV. 219 141 — r2. B15, Into. Matth. ii. 13. Flee, (en) into Egypt.* See also, ver. 14.— Acts xvi. 15. Come (en) into my house.* — Gal. iv. 6. God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son (en;) into your hearts.* — Ver. 24- Bringeth forth children (en) into bondage. See Parkhurst's Dictionary in voc. en. 3- Elf, To., unto, Ephes. iv. 13. Eij Unto the measure of the stature.*-~\'P.e\.. iv. 9. Use hospitality, (en osaadAs?) one to an other.* I42.—.1. E15, Concerning. I Thess. v. 18. This is the zoill ef God by Christ Jesus (en) concerning you.* — Gal. iii. 17. The cgvcnant zehich was afore ratified concerning Christ. 2. Eis, -Far. Mark i. 4. John did baptize in the wilderness and preach the baptism of repentance (en) for the. remission of sins.* — Rom. xi. 32. God hath shut up together all (en avei^uat) for disobedience. — xiii. 14. Make no provision (en) for the fiesh.* — 1 Cor. xvi. 1. Now concerning the collection (en) for the saints.*— .Col. i. 16. All things were created by him (xm en,) and far him.* — 2 Tim., i. 11. Ei; i, For which testimony. 3. E15, On account of. Ephes. iiJ. 2. The grace of God which was given me (en uftat) on your account. — 2 Thess. i. 11. E15 'c. On which account also we always pray. 4. E15, On, upori. 2 Cor. xi. 20. ff one smite you (en ¦^poira. 7cn) on the face.* 5. Ei«, Against, denoting a determined time- 2 Pet. iii. 7. Safely kept for fire (en) ttgainst the day of judgment.* 6. E/5, Governing the ajcpugatiye case signifies /p. 2 Pet. i. 8. Neither be barren nor unfruitful (en eviyyan-i^) ir^ the kjiofsi- ledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.* 7. En, Until. Ephes. i. 14. Which is the earnest ttf 014,1 in heritance (en) until the redemption of the purchased possession.'^ — ^iy. 30. With wham ye are sealed (en) vntil the day pf redemp tion. 14,6. — 1. E15, By. Acts vii. 53. Who have received the htw (en) by the dispositiofi of angels.* 155. — 1. Ex, E|. Belonging to. — 2 Cor. ix. 2. 'o e^oftav^n- A05, Your zeal.* — ^Luke viii. 27. There met ftim a certnirt man, ex TtK mxem, belonging to the city / as is evident from th,e latter part of the verse. 'jjj^ 2. Ex, From. Rom. xiv. 23. Because he eateth npt (s^tOflRji faith : for whatever is not (ex) from faith is sitf.-rr^ Pet. ij. 21 . Thcin after tbey have knoim it, to turn (e») from ¦ the holy c.om- mandment.^'l' m 'SUPPLEMENT TO ESSAY IV. 157. — I. Ex, Among. Rom. ix. 24. Hath called not only, (ei) among the Jews, but also (el) among ihe Gentiles. 163. — 2. Ev, Into, throughout. Luke vii. 17. This rumour of him went forth (ev) throughout all Judea, and (ev) throughout all the region round about.* 164, — 1. Ev, For, denotin^the final cause, m purpose. Matth, vi 7. They think they shall be heard (ev) for their much speak!: ing.* 1 Pet. iv. 14.—//" ye be reproached (ev) for the name of Christ.* 167, — 1. Ev. Through. Luke i, 77. To give the knowledge of salvation (ev) through the remission of sins. Rom. v. 10. We shall be saved (ev) through his life. — Ephes. ii. 7. His kindness towards us (ev) through Christ Jesus.* — vi. 10. Be strong [ev) through the Lord, and (ev) through the power of his might. 168, — 1. Ev, Concerning. Gal. iv. 20. For I am exceedingly, in doubt (iv 'o/,uv) concerning you. 170. — 1. Ev, Nigh to. Joshua x. 10. Slew them with a great slaughter, (LXX. ev TaSam) near to Gibeon. — Judg. xviii. 12. They went up and pitched (LXX. ev Kjpia,3-iapift.) near to Kirjath. jearim in Judah y Wherefore they called the place Mahaneh. Dan, Behold it is behind Kirjath-jearim. 172 — 1. Ev, Among. 1 Cor. iii. 18. If any one (ev u/itiv) among you seemeth to be wise.* 174, — 1. Ev, ^/^er, denoting similitude. Ephes. ii. 3. Ev itt After whom also we all had our conversation formerly. 175.— I. Ev, Under. Rom. iii. 19. It sailh to them who are (ev ra, vofiio) under the law.* 179. — 2. E^reiSri, has likewise a causal signification, and is translated. Because, For. Matt. xki. 46. When they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude (e^jireiSti) because they took him for a prophet.* — ^Luke xi. 6. ETreiSti, For a friend of mine, in his journey, is come to me.* 186,-^1. Ea-i, Of. Heb. viii. 1. N'ow (em) of the things which "jJe have spoken Illis is the sum-* — ix. 15. For the redemption ofthe transgressions (ctti) of the first covenant. 188. — I. Efri, In. 2 Cor. ii. 14. Remaineth the same vail untaken away (e*i) in the reading of the Old Testament.* j|Wl- — 1. Eiri, On account of, Ptiilip. i. 5. Ewi, Eor (that is, on S^TOunt of,) your fellowship in the gospel.* 191 — ^1. E*!, Against. Matt. xxvi. 55. Are ye come out as (etri) against a thief P*. — Mark iii. 24. And if a kingdom be divided (em) against itself. *~.-\ Pet. iii. 12. The face of the Lord is ^(eiri) agtdnsi.'^ SUPPLEMENT TO ESSAY IV. 321 2. £a-i. To, unto, denoting the end for which a thing is done. Ephes. ii. 10. Created (em) unto good works.* — Philip, iii. 14. I follow on according to the mark, (em) to the p'rize. 3. Ewi, Ov.tr, denoting authority. Acts xii. 20. Having made Sluitus, (tov :'!ri tu xtiTavoi TU ^ari^ieaf) who was over the king's bed chamber, their friend. — Ephes. iv. 6. Who is, em, over all. 4. Em, Over, in respect oi place. Heb. ix. 17. Is firm, (em ve- xpon) over dead sacrifices. — James v. 14. Let them pray (em) over him.* 195. — 1. H, Conjunction, And. 1. Cor. ii. 1. Came not with excellency qf speech (ij) a7id of wisdom. — xvi. 6. And perhaps I shall abide (,, xai) and even winter with you. — 2 Cor. i. 13. Than what ye read, (j, xai) and also acknowledge. — x. 12. We dare not rank (ti) and compare ourselves. , 196. — I. H, is used interrogatively. I Thess. ii. 19. H ax' *¦<** i/Asn ', Are not even ye .<'* 203 — 1. K«&aii) on his hectd.—l Cor. xi. 4. Everyman who prayeth or prophesieth (x,^ 222 SUPPLEMENT TO ESSAY IV, T« «e^»Ai)5 e)iti>v) having a veil on his head.— Jade ver. IS., lo ex ecute judgment, (xaira vavrm) upon all.* 3. Kara, Against, Contrary to. Gal. iii. 31. Is the law Hun (xa Ta,) against the promises of God ?* contrary to tbera. 232. 1. K«T«, In. 1 Cor. xiv. 40. Let all things be done d£- ccntly and (xaT» t»|(v) in order.* — Heb. iii. 8. (xaTx,) In tlie day (f temptation.* 238. 2. Mev, by our translators is considered as a causal par ticle, Rom. xiv. 2. 'Os /«.£», Eor one believeth that he may eataM things.* 249. 2. N«v is used as an interjection af beseeching. 1 John ii. 28. Kai VVV. JVow therefore, little children, abide in him. 3. Nw, according to Raphelius, implies somewhat of adndra- tion, or rather of indignation. Luke xi. 39. N*v u/un «' (pofia-aui, JVow do ye Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup, and the plaPter. Raphelius observes that Arrian in Epictet. uses vm in the same manner. 4. Hvv, with the article prefixed, is used as an adjective. 2 Cor. viii. 14. Ev T!fi nv xaiptu. In the present time. — 1 Tim. iv. S.Zajjs T!« VVV, The life that now is,* the present life. — Matt. xxiv. 21. ea? ts vwv, supp. xai^a. 'To this (the present) time* — Acts iv. 29. xai Ta mv xv^ie e'^iSe Ta; aireiKai; avrm. And O Lord behold their threaten ings, Ta VVV, supp. xara Ta Tir^ayfJiMTa vvv, according to the present cirrumstances. 254. — 1. 'Oti, Because. 1 John ii. 11. And knoileeth not whL ther he goeth, {in) because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.* 2. 'Oti, sometimes hath an adversative sense, and must be translated But, Yet. 'Wherefore, Heb. viii. 9. may be thus trans. lated, TaUing them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt. i'OTi) But they did not abide in my covenant.-— 'I John iii. 20. "Oti eav. But if our heart condemn us,' 259. — 1. 'Oti, When. 2 John ver. 4. I rejoiced greatly (bti) when I found of thy children walking in truth. 261. — I. 'ot;, is used to introduce anew sentence. I John V. 9, If we receive the witness oj men, the witness of God is grea ter, ('oti) Now this is the witness of God, Sfc. 266. n«A(v, on the other hand. 1 John ii. 8. H«Aiv, On the other hand I write to you a new comnmndment. 286. — 1. nA»v. Mintert observes, that ¦ttMv is used by the LXX. as an illative particle, itaque, propterea. 290, — 1. npoi, Of, Concerning. Heb. iv. 13. Upm av, Of whom we speak. — Nehera. ii. 18. LXX. He spake — (a-jos tss Aoyss ''»=' ^arifieaii) ofthe zeords ofthe king. SUPPLEMENT TO ESSAY IV. 223 294 1. Tlpx, With, denoting /iresence. 2 Thess. ii. 5. Re. member ye not (in en av irj «? ujtws?) thcU when I was yet with you.* 306 2. Ti5, Who, interrogative. Acts. xix. 15. But Ye (Tive^ ei-e) who, -(what sort of persons) are ye.*-—Heh. i. 5. Tin yap, To whom of the angels said he at any time ? — Rev. vii. 13. Tive? £i5-i, Who are these that are clothed with white robes ? 3. Tij, Any one. Heb. x. 28. Tis, any one who (whosoever) disregarded the law of Moses, died without mercy. — 2 Pet. iii. 9. Not willing (nva^) that any should perish.'' 306. — 1. 'Ta-sf, Concerning. Phavorinus, iire^, ifuinn nv •jrepi. 308.— 1. '^¦tep, Instead of. 2 Cor. v. 20. We pray you (Imp Xfi^ou) in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.* 309. — 1. 'r^rrep. On account of . 2 Cor. xii. 10. Distresses (hmp Xfifou) on account of Christ. x 310. — 1. 'rirsp, With respect to. Philip, i. 29. To hxep Xpirov, This, with respect to Christ, hath been graciously given you, not ¦only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake. 318. — 2. Ev 'a. Therefore. Heb. vi. 17. Ev 'a,. Therefore God willing more abundantly to shew to the heirs of promise the immutability. See note l.on the verse. v 319, — 1. 'q?, Certainly. 2 Pet. i. 3. 'Cif, Ce'rtainly his divine power hath gifted to us. 321 — I. Jis, Namely. 2 Thess. ii. 2. 'fl? iJti, Namely that; or, intimating that the day of Christ is at hand. 325 . n?, That. Rom. i. 9. God is my witness, whom I serve in the gospel of his Son, (ai) that without ceasing I make men tion of you always in my prayers.* — In this sense *? is used by Xenophon, Meniorab. lib. i. XlpaTov /nev sv, »? ax evtfu^ev, s? i «•«- Al? vsfu^el ^eevi, ireiea wsTe expiit.-avTo Texpaipiia ; First then, that he did not reckon them gods, whom the city reckoned gods, what kind of argument did they use ? ESSAY vni. Concerning the right Interpretation of the Writings in which the Reve, lations of God are contained. X HE revelations of God being designed to give raankind the knowledge of his counsels respecting their salvation, the right understanding of these revelations, must appear to every reli gious person a matter of great importance. This Essay there fore, having for its object to explain the phraseology of the writ ings in which the revelations of God are recorded, it will meet with attention from the reader, in proportion to the value which he puts on religious knowledge. SECTION I. Of the original Language of Mankind, and of the Method in which Language was at first formed. The books which contain the revelations of God, being more ancient than any books now extant, are written in the language which mankind used in the first ages, or in a language nearly allied to it. 'Wherefore, the stile of these writings being very different from that of modern, compositions, to interpret them as modern compositions are interpreted, is without doubt to misinterpret them. Accordingly, persons ignorant of the cha racter of the primitive languages, have, by that method of inter pretation, been led to fancy that the scriptures contain senti ments unworthy of God, whereby they have not only exposed these venerable writings to the scorn of infidels, but have form ed to themselves false notions in religion, which hafve bad a per nicious influence on their morals. For avoiding these evils, the nature and character of the lan guage first spoken by mankind must be well understood : and for that purpose the best method seems to be, to consider in what manner language was Criginally formed. fiss. viu. Of the right interprettkion of, &c. Sect. 1. 225 The first ideas vvhich come into the human mind, being those Vvhich enter by the senses, it is reasonable to believe that names for expressing sensible objects would be invented before any others ; and after them, terms for expressing those operations of the senses, by which the ideas of sensible objects are acquired. — And because the operation of the senses has sortie resemblance to the operations of intellect, to express the operations of intel lect, raankind would naturally have recourse to the words by which they expressed the operation of the senses. — Thus, raany vvords of the primitive language of mankind, must have had a two-fold signification. According to the one signification, they denoted id«as of sense, and according to the other they denoted ideas of intellect. So that although these vvords were the same in respect of their sound, they were really different words in respect oftheir signification : And to mark that difference, after the nature of language came to be accurately investigated, the words which denoted the ideas of sense, when used to express the ideas of intellect, vvere called by critics, metafihors, from a Greek verb which signifies to tramfer ,• because these words so used, were carried away frora their original meaning to a differ ent one, which however had some resemblance to it. Metaphorical meanings being affixed to words in the ancient languages to remedy the poverty of these languages, it is plain that the more ancient any language is, it will consist of -the fewer words, consequently the more numerous and bold its metaphors will be. Accordingly, we find that the primitive languages, and even the languages of savage tribes, which may be ranked with the primitive languages, are all of them highly figurative. On this subject it is proper to observe, that even after a language has becorae sufiiciently copious, if the people who use it possess a vigorous and warm imagination, and are favourably situated for enjoying ¦sensual gratifications, as is the case with most of the eastern nations, being by these circumstances peculiarly disposed to relish the sensible pictures exhibited in metaphorical and other figurative expressions^ such a people, instead of retrenching, will rather multiply these expressions. Hence the language of that people will be more figurative than the languages of nations whose imagination is languid, and whose situation does not per rait them to be occupied in sensual gratifications. This is the reason that the language of the Hebrews, and of the other eastern nations, by the multitude, the variety, the boldness, and even the extravagance of its metaphorical expressions, is VOL, VI. 29 226 Sect. 1 . Of the right Interpretation of Ess. viir, distinguished from- the more temperate speech ofthe nations in the western parts ofthe world, whose iraagination is not so warm, and whose climate and soil are not so favourable to luxury, as theirs. O/the bold metaphors used by the ancient Hebrews, the. following examples are all taken from their sacred books — Gen. iv. 10. " The voice of thy brother's blood, cn'e^A to me " from the ground." — Gen. xix. 26. " His wife looked back " from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." — Gen. xlix. 1 1. "He washed — his clothes in the blood of grapes," to signify that Judah was to inhabit a country fruitful in vines. — Psal. V. 9. " Their throat is an open sepulchre." — ^Psal. Ix. ^. *' Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment." — Psal. Ixxviii. 25. " Man did eat angeVsfood ; he sent them meat to the " full." — Psal. cxxix. 3. " The plowers/i/o-iuerfupon my b£ick, " ihey made long their furrows." — Isa. xxxiv. 3. " The " mountains shall be melted vvith their blood." — ver. 4. " And " all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall " be rolled together as a scroll." — ^ver. 6. " The sword of the " Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat vvith fatness."— Isa, xiv. 23. " I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith » the Lord of hosts," — Jerem. xx. 7. " O Lord thoU hast " deceived me, and I was deceived." — Isa. v. 1. " My well " beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill." In the original it is On a horn, the son of oil : The born being the ,highest part of horned animals, it is used to denote the highest part of a country ; an hill. This horn or hill is called, the son of oil, because the olive which produces oil is one of the valuable fruits of the earth. See Lowth on the passage. — ..Isa. xi. 15. " The Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea." Having in the scriptures, these and many other examples of bold metaphors, the natural effect of the poverty of tire ancient language of the Hebrews, why should we be either surprised ¦ or offended with the bold figurative language, in which the Hebrews expressed their conceptions of the divine nature and government. Theirs vvas not a philosophical language, but die primitive speech of an uncultivated race of men, who, by words and phrases taken from objects of sense, endeavoured to express tlieir notions of matters which cannot be distinctly conceived by the human mind, and far less expressed in human language. — Wherefore, they injure the Hebrews who afiirm, that they believed the Deity to have a body, consisting of members of the Tike form and use with the raembers ofthe human body, because Ess^ VIII. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 1. 227 in their sacred writings, the eyes, the ears,, the hands, and the feet of God, are spoken of ; and because he is represented as acting with these members after the manner of raan. — Gen. iii. 8. " They heard the voice of the Lord God walking iu the " garden in the cool of the day." — Gen. ix. 16. " And the « bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it." — Exod. XV. 3. " The Lord is a man of war." — ver. 6. " Thy right *' hand O Lord hath dashed in pieces the enemy." — ver. 8. " 'With the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered to- " gether." — Psal. xviii. 8. " There went up a smoke out of " his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured : coals were " kindled by it." — ver. 9. " He bowed his heavens also and " rame doivn, and darkness vvas under his feet." — ver. 10. " And he rode upon a cherub, and did fiy upon the wings of tbe « wind." — Psal. ii. 7. " Thou art my Son, this day I have " begotten thee." In like' nianner they injure the Hebrews who afiirm, that they thought God was raoved by anger, jealousy, hatred, revenge, grief, and other human passions, because in their scriptures it is said. Gen. vi. 6. « It repented the Lord that he had made man on the " earth, and it grieved him at his heart." — Exod. xv. 7. " Thou " sentest forth thy wrath which consumed them as stubble." — Exod. XX. 5. " I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." — '• Numb. xi. 33. « The wrath of the Lord was kindled against " the people." — Prov. viii. 13. " The evil way and froward « mouth do I hale." — Isa. xxxiv. 2. « The indignation of the " Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies." — Nab. i. 2. " God is jealoua, and the Lord revcngetli, and' is "furious. The Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and " he reserveth wrath for his enemies." They also injure the Hebrews who afiirm, that they believed the Deity subject to human infirmity, because it is said. Gen. ii. 2. "God rested on the seventh day from all his work which he "had raade." — Gen. viii. 21. " The Lord smelted a sweet " savour." — Gen. xviii. 20. " Because the cry of Sodom and « Gomorrha is great, and because their sin is very grievous, 20. " I will go down now and see w'hether they have done altogether " according to the cry of it which is come up to me : And if not, " I will know." — Psal. ii. 4. " He that sitteth in the heavens "shall laugh; the Lovd shall have them in rfeWsjon."— Psal. Ixxviii. 65. " Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and " like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine." 228 Sect. 1. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. vni. These and the like expressions are highly metaphorical, and im)ply nothing raore but that in the divine raind and conduct, there is somewhat analogous to and resembling the sensible objects and the human affections, on which these metaphorical expressions are founded. For if any one contends that the Hebrews themselves understood these expressions literally when applied to the Deity, and raemt that they should be so under stood by those who read their scriptures, he must likewise con tend that the following e:)(pressions were understood by them in their literal raeaning — i-Psal. xvii. 8. " Hide rae under the " shadow of thy wings." — Psal. Ivii. 1. "In the shadow of thy " wings I will make my refuge until these calamities be over- " past." — Psal. Ixi. 4, " I will trust in the covert of thy ivings." — Psal. xci, 1. " He that dwelleth in the secret place of the " Most High, shall abide under the sh'cidow of the Almighty." ver. 4. " He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his « wings shalt thou trust,"— I say, If from the passages of scripture in which the members of the human body are ascribed to the Deity, it is inferred that the ancient Hebrews believed the Deity hath a body of the sarne form with the human body, we must, frora the last mentioned passages of the same scriptures, conclude that they believed the Deity to be a tree with spread ing branches and leaves vvhich afforded an agreeable shade ;, and a great fowl with feathers and wings ; and even a rock, because he is so palled, Deut. xxxii. 15, Psal. xviii. 2. 31. Such are the bold metaphors by which the ^npient Hebrews expressed their conceptions of the attributes and operations of God. To prevent however those who are acquainted only -with modern languages from being shocked with the boldness of these figures, modern critics have distinguished them by the appellation of Anthropopathia ; concerning which Lowth on Isai. i. 24. Aha, I will be eased of mine adverstiries, I will be avenged of mine enemies, thus writeth : " This is a strong instance of the " metaphor called Anthropopathia ; by which, throughout the " scriptures, as well the historical ?is the poetical parts, the " sentiraents, sensations, and affections ; the bodily faculties, ^ " qualities, and raembers of men, and even of brute animals, f are attributed to God ; and that with the utmost liberty and ff latitude of application. The foundation of this is obvious, zY f arises from necessity ; 'We have nd idea of the natural attributes ff of God, of his pure essence, of his manner of existence, of ii his manner of acting : When therefore we would treat on Ess. vm. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 1. 229 " these subjects, we find ourselves forced {p express thera by " sensible images. But necessity leads to beauty : This is true " of metaphor in general, and in particular of this kind of rae- " taphor ; which is used with great elegance and sublimity in « the sacred poetry : and, what is very remarkable, in the gross- «' est instances of the application of it, it is generally the raost « striking and the raost sublime. The reason seems to be this : " When the images-are taken frora the superior faculties ofthe « huraan nature, from the purer and more generous affections, " arid applied to God, we are apt to acquiesce in the notion ; « we overlook the metaphor, and take it as a proper attribute : « but when the idea is gross and offensive, as in this passage of ' Behold the raan whose narae is the branch, and he' " shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord." Suitably to the sarae idea, the place out of which this branch was tp grow, is thus described. — Isa. xi. 1. " There " shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch " shall grow out of his roo?, and the Spirit of the Lord shall " rest upon him." 8. Anciently Princes were metaphorically called shepherds, and their subjects sheep, because the care which they took of their people resembled the care which shepherds take of (heir flocks. 2 Sara. xxiv. 17. " I have sinned, I have done wickedly ; " but these s/^ee/i, what have they done ?" — Homer likewise often calls his princes, shepherds of the people.— Among the Jews, the priests also were called shepherds, because it was a part of their office to teach the people the law. Ezek. xxxiv. 2. " Wo to " the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves ; should not the " shepherds feed the fiock .?"— This phraseology passed from the Jewish into the Christian church. For Christ is called the chief shepherd, and the ministers of the gospel are considered as sub ordinate shepherds employed by him to take care of the people. 1 Pet. V. 2. « Feed the/oc/t.of God," ver. 4. " And when the " chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive the crown of glory " which fadeth not away." 9. Because it is usual, in all languages, metaphorically to as cribe to men the qualities ofbeasts, and to call them by the name of such beasts as they resemble in their dispositions, the Psalmist in predicting Christ's sufierings, termed his enemies, strong bulls of Bashan, the country raost faraous for its breed of kine. Psal. xxii. 12. " Many te//« have corapassed me : sZron^ " bulls of Bashan have beset line round about. They gaped upon " me with their mouths, as a ravening and roaring lion." In like manner the prophet Araos, to raark the stupidity and bru tality of the great men of Samaria who oppressed the people, reproved them under the narae oi Kine of Bashan, chap. iv. 1. " Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of " Samaria, which oppress the poor," &c. Upon the same foun dation, the Israelitish nation is spoken of as a beast of prey in 238 Sect. 3; Of the right Interpretation of Ess, vm. Balaam's prophecy : and hath the actions of a beast of prey as cribed to it, Numb. xxiv. 8. " God brought him forth out of " Egypt ; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn. He " shall eat up the nations his eneraies, and shall break their " bones, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9. He couch- " ed, he lay down as a lion, and who shall stir him up ?" SECTION in. Ofthe Allegorical Manner of writing. When the custom, described in the preceding section, of sub stituting the symbol, the device, and the metaphor, for the thing signified thereby, took place, and the thing signified ob tained the name of the thing by which it was signified, it v/as natural to describe the condition, the qualities, and the actions of the thing signified, by the condition, the qualities, and the actions of its syrabol. Hence arose that species of coraposition which is called Allegory, because therein one thing was expressed, and another, entirely different frora it, was meant ; and which, for reasons to be mentioned immediately, was of great fame and use anciently araong the eastei-n nations. In raentioning meta phors as the foundation of allegories, I ara authorized by Quin- tiUian, who thus writes, lib . viii. c. 6. Ut rhodicus atque opportunua translationis usus illustrat orationem, ita frequens et obscurat et ictdio complet : Continuus vero in allego'riam et cenigmata transit. The Egyptians, who are supposed to have invented picture writ ing, are thought also to have invented the allegorical method of coramunicating their sentiments. But, by whomsoever invented, it came early into generaluse, and was greatly delighted in by the orientals, for the following reasons : I. A well formed allegory, by its striking images and vivid colouring, never failed, when understood, to make a strong impression on those to whom it vvas addressed — 2. Being a narration of things which are objects of sense, and between which there is a natural or supposed con nexion, it was easily remembered, and could be translated from one language into another with the greatest precision 3. Professing to contain an important hidden meaning, those to whom it was proposed, vvere led by curiosity to search out that meaning.— 4. The discovery of the meaning of an allegory, as an exercise of one's mental powers, afforded great pleasure to the discoverer, especially if it contained a raoral lesson useful for regulating life and manners : F'or a person, by the discovery, being led to Ess. Till. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 3. 239 instruct hiraself, he was spared the pain of having instruction forced upon him, — 5. Allegory being a kind of speech which none but the leamed understood, it was an excellent vehicle for conveying to them the knowledge of such raatters, as were thought improper for the comraon people to know ^These rea sons led the priests, with whom the whole learning of Egypt was lodged, to teach their religion, their laws, and their politics, under the veil of allegory, both to their own countrymen, and to those strangers who came to be instructed in the wisdom of Egypt; And, such well iijformed strangers, on their return to their own country, in imitation of their teachers, communicated the know ledge which they had acquired in Egypt, to their disciples in allegories : by which means allegory carae in a litUe time to be the most approved method of instruction, all over' the east. Allegories being in great repute, when the Jewish prophets were commissioned to instruct the people, and to foretel future events, it need not surprize us to find them delivering most of their prophecies in allegories ; especially when we consider, that at the time these were delivered, it was proper to conceal the events foretold, under the veil of allegory, that they raight not be understood till they were explained by their accomplishment. But, notwithstanding the ancient Egyptian allegory was attended with the advantages above mentioned, its extreme darkness oCca- sitined it to be laid aside, after the gift of prophecy ceased. A new species, however, hath been substituted in its roora, better fitted to convey instruction, because it is forraed on syrabols more obvious than those, used in the ancient allegory: Of this new species, the writings of the moderns furnish raany beautiful examples, none of which need be mentioned here, in regard they are generally known. Of the ancient allegory there were four kinds. 1. The proper allegory — 2. The apologue or fable 3. The parable 4. The enigma. The proper Allegory was a discourse, in which the condition, the qualities, and the actions oi& person or thing, were represent ed by the condition, the qualities, and the actions of the symbol, device, or metaphor, by which it was represented in picture writing. It was therefore a representation of real raatters of fact, under feigned names and feigned characters. The Apologue or Fable, was -d narration of speeches and actions attributed, sometimes to men, soraetiraes to brute aniraals, and sometimes to things inanimate, according to their natural or 240 Sect. 3. Of the right Interpretation of Ess.' Tin. supposed qualities. But, these speeches and actions had no existence, except in the imagination of the author ofthe fable, who contrived them in the manner he judged fittest, for convey ing the moral he had in view to inculcate. — -Of this kind was ' Jothara's fable of the trees going forth to anoint a king, Judg. ix. 8 And Joasb's fable of the thistle, which desired the cedar to give his; daughter as a wife to- his son. 2 Chron. xxv. 18. The Parable, or Similitude, was a discourse in which one thing was compared with another which had a resemblance to it, so that the thing compared was raore clearly understood, by means of the qualities of the thing to which it was compared, and made a strong impression on the mind of the hearers. Of this kind were many of our Lord's parables. — But although the apologue and parable were thus distinguished, we find them soraetiraes confounded with each other. Lastly, The Mnigma or Riddle, was a raysterious assemblage of different symbols, set forth, either in a verbal discourse, or, by presenting the syrabols themselves to the eye. Either way exhibited, the meaning of the assemblage was so dark, that it required the greatest ingenuity to discover it. — Of the verbal senig- raa, Sampson's riddle is an example. — Ofthe symbolical aenigma, Herodotus hath recorded a reraarkable instance, Hist. lib. iv. 128. 130, where he tells us, that when Darius Hystaspes invaded Scythia, the Scythian king sent hira a present of a, bird, a mouse, a frog, and five arrows. This, Gobryas, one of Darius's gene rals, considering as an senigraa, interpreted in the following manner: That unless the Persians could fly through the air like birds, or hide themiselves in the earth like mice, or swim through the lakes like frogs, they should not return to their owncountiy, but be slain by the arrows of the Scythians. All allegories have two senses. First, the literal sense exhib ited in the verbal description, or in the visible symbol Secondly, the remote sense concealed underthe literal sense, or imder the visible symbol. Wherefore, in every allegory, the first or literal sense is itself the sign of the second or hidden meaning, called the figurative sense of the allegory. And thi§ figurative sense should be as distinctly represented by the literal sense ofthe allegory, as the literal sense is exhibited, whether by the verbal description, or by the visible symbol. Properly speaking, there fore, the first or lii;eral sense constitutes the body ofthe allegory, and the second or figurative sense, its soul. In compositions of this kind, if rightly formed, the literal sense ought to be pef' Ess. vm. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 3. 241 fectly plain, and the only exercise of one's ingenuity ought to lie, not in understanding the literal sense, but in finding out its concealed meaning- Some of the ancient fables and parables, exhibited such striking representations and reproofs of the coraraon follies of raankind, that by their frequent application they becarae proverbs. In allusion to this use of the parable, Habbakkuk saith, chap. ii. 6. " Shall not all these take up a parable against " him, and a taunting proverb against hira." — And Micah. ii. 4. " In that day shall one take up a pamble against you, and lament " with a doleful lamentation." In the beginning of this section the proper allegory was said to be that, in which persons and things, together with the acci dents befalling them, are set forth by the name of the symbol used in picture writing to represent them ; and by such accidents as may naturally be supposed to befall that symbol. According to this account of the proper allegory, the symbols of which it was composed, together with the accidents befalling these sym bols, raight be set forth in a verbal description addressed to the ear, or by presenting the symbol, either to the eye of a person awake, or to his iraagination while asleep. Hence, of the proper allegory there were three kinds, of which it is proposed to tf eat separately. A. Of the proper Allegory", as setforth in a verbal Description. When the allegory set forth in a verbal description, vvas in tended to convey iraraediate inforraation to the persons to whom it was addressed, it was commonly formed on a symbol, which was well known to belong to the persons or things which were the subjects of the allegory ; and the circumstances and qualities of the symbol, together with the accidents befalling it, were such as naturally suggested the designed information. — Of this species of allegory we have an example, Ezek. xxxii. where, because the dragon or crocodile was one of the well known symbols by which Egypt was represented in the ancient picture writing, (Sect. 2. No. 2.) the pride of the kings of Egypt, and the mischiefs which their insolence brought on the neighbouring nations, are allegorically represented by the actions of a dragon or crocodile ; and the destruction of the kingdom of Egypt is represented by the taking, and killing of a dragon, and by the VOL. VI. 31 242 Sect. 3. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. vm., bringing it to land, and filling all the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the whole earth with its flesh. 'Ver. 2. « Son of man, " take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say to . " him, — Thou art as a dragon in the seas, and thou earnest " forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, "and fouledst their rivers. Thus saith the Lord God, I will " therefore spread out my net over thee with a company of « many people, and they shall bring thee up in my net. Then " will I leave thee upon the land. — And will cause all the fowls " of the heaven to remain upon thee," &c. Because nations ard cities anciently were represented on coins and on sculptui'ed stone, by the image of a young woman splen didly attired and seated on a throne, (Sect. 2. No. 6.) the pro phet Isaiah h-ath formed an allegorical prediction on that emblem, in which he hath described the judgment and punishment of the Chalde-ans for oppressing the Jews, by the pulling ddwn ofa tender and delicate virgin from a throne, and stripping her of her ornaments, and making her a slave, and forcing her to perforra the ofiices of a slave, and treating her vvith the utmost indignity. Isa. xlvii. I . " Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter ~" of Babylon. There is no throne, O daughter of the Chal- " deans ; for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. " 2. Take the millstones and gpnd meal ; uncover the locks; " make bare the leg ; uncover the thigh ; pass over the rivers. " 3. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea thy shame shall be " seen. I will take vengeance, ahd I will not meet thee as a " man. As for our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name. — " 5. Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of " the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no raore be called the lady'of " kingdoms. 8. Therefore hear now this, thou that art given " to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, tbat sayest in thine " heart, I am, and none else besides me, I shall not sit as a " widow, neither shall I know the loss of children," &c. • Upon the same symbol Ezekiel, to make the Israelites sensible of their sin in forsaking the true God and worshipping idols, hath formed an allegory, in vvhich he represents God's choosing the Israelites to be his people, and his giving them his statutes, under the idea of his taking up a feraale infant, which when born had been exposed naked and helpless ; his nourishing it till it grew up ; his making her his own by marriage, after her breasts were fashioned and her hair was grown ; Ezek. xvi. 4.— 8^. And then clothing her with fine raiment, and adorning her Ess. Till. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 3. 243 with costly jewels, so that the farae of her beauty went forth araong the heathen, ver. 9. — 14. But this beloved married wife, forgetting her obligations and vows, played the harlot, by making iraages of men which she worshipped vvith the flower and the oil and the honey wherewith her husband fed her, ver. 17. 19. and by sacrificing the sons and the daughters vvhich she had brought forth to him, ver. 20. — This adultery she com mitted -with the Egyptians, the Assyrians, and the Chaldeans, ver. 26. 28. — Wherefore in the same figurative language God thus addressed the Israelites. Ver. 35. " O harlot, hear the " word of the Lord, — 38. I will judge thee as women that break " wedlock and shed blood are judged ; and I vvill give thee " blood in fury and jealousy — 39. They shall strip thee also of " thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee " naked and bare. — 40. They shall also bring up a company " against thee, and they shall stone thee vvith stones and thrust " thee through with their swords." On the other hand, in -dllusion to thd same syrabol, the pros perity of a city or nation aftpr great affliction, is represented- by a woraan's cleansing herself from filth, and adorning herself with beautiful garments. Isa. Hi. 1. " Awake, awake, put on " thy strength, O Zion, put on thy beautiful garments, O Je- « rusalem the holy city .-^2. Shake thyself frora the dust ; arise, " and sit down, O Jerusalera, loose thyself frora the bands of thy " neck, O captive daughter of Zion." — In like raanner, a na tion's expressing its joy for being delivered from oppression, is represented by a woman's singing, and shouting. Zephan. iii. 1,4. " Sing O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, be glad and re- " joice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.^15. The " Lord hath taken away thy judgments. He hath cast out thine " enemy : the king of Israel, even the Lord is in the midst of " thee ; thou shalt not see evil any raore." In allusion to the same symbol, Isaiah foretold the restoration of Tyre to her former wealth, and pride, and wickedness, under the image of an hariot's resuming her former raanners. Isa. xxiii. 1 5. " After the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an « harlot. — 16. Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot « that hast been forgotten, make sweet melody, sing many songs, « that thou mayest be remembered.— ,17. The Lord will visit " Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit forni- " cation with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of ^'' the earth." 244 Sect. 3. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. vm. w In the ancient picture writing, (Sect. 2. No. 4.) the sun, moon, and stars, being used as symbols to denote cities and kingdoms as well as princes and great men, the temporary disasters of cities and kingdoms, in allusion to these symbols are, in the prophetic writings, represented by the extinction of the sun and moon ; and the destruction of cities and states, by the falling of the stars frora heaven. Thus Isaiah foretelling the destruction of Babylon by the Medes, saith, chap, xiii. 10. " The stars of " heaven, and the constellations thereof, shall not give then- " light : the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the " raoon shall not cause her light to shine." — Chap.' xxxiv. 4i " All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall " be rolled together as a scroll, and all their host shall fall down « as the leaf faileth off Irom the vine, and as a falling fig from "the fig-tree." — In like manner the destruction of Egypt is thus allegorically described, Ezek. xxxii. 7. " When I shall " put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars " thereof dark, I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon ¦" shall not give her light 8. All the bright lights of heaven " will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, " saith the Lord."— Joel also, upon the sarae symbols, hath formed an allegorical prophecy concerning the overturning of the Jewish state, and the destruction of the heathen idolatry. Chap. ii. 30. " I will shew wonders in the heavens, and in the " earth blood, and fire, and pillars of sraoke. — 31. The sun shall " be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the " great and the terrible day of the Lord corae 3 1 . And it " shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name ofthe " Lord shall be delivered."— -These grand events our Lord hath foretold in the sarae allegorical language. Matt. xxiv. 20. On the other hand, national prosperity is allegorically repre- ; sented by an increase of the light of the heavenly bodies, Isa, xxx. 26. " Moreover, the light ofthe moon shall be as the light " of the sun, and the light of the su7i shall be sevenfold, as the " light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up " the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their " wound." In picture writing, tribes and nations being represented by the figures of the things which they carried in their ensigns, (Sect. 2. No. 5.) various allegorical prophecies. vvere formed on these symbols. Thus, because the Assyrians, it is supposed, had the river Euphrates painted on their standards, Isaiah foretells Ess, Tiii. the Language of Scripture. Sect, 3. 245 their invasion of Judea by an allegory formed on that symbol, Isa. viii, 7. " Behold the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters " of the river strong and raany, even the king of Assyria, and " all his glory, and he shall come up over all his channels, and " go over all his banks. 8. And he shall pass through Judah, " he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck." Sect, 2. No, 2. In picture writing, a crocodile being one of the symbols by which Egypt was denoted, Ezekiel, upon that symbol hath formed the following beautiful allegorical prophecy, chap. xxix. 2, " Son of raan, set thy face against Pharaoh king " of Egypt, and prophesy against him^ and against all Egypt. " 3, Speak and say. Thus saith the Lord God, Behold' I ara " against thee Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lieth " in the midst of his rivers, which hath said, My river is raine " ovvn, and I have made it for myself. 4. But I will put " hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to " stick unto thy scales. 5. And I will leave thee thrown into « the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers : thou shalt « fall upon the open fields, thou shalt not be brought together " nor gathered : I have given thee for meat to the beasts ofthe " field, and to the fowls of heaven," Ecc. to ver. 17. Sect. 2. No. 7. In the ancient picture writing, men being repre sented by the figures ofthe things to vvhich they were metaphori cally likened, the Jewish prophets have raised many allegories on that foundation. Thus, because princes and great men were likened to Trees, the power of the Assyrian kings, and the great ness oftheir empire,are represented by Ezekiel in an allegory, formed on the qualities and circumstances of a tall cedar tree with fair branches, among which all the fowls of heaven made their nests ; and under which all the beasts of the field brought, forth their young ; and under its shadow dwelt all great nations, Ezek. xxxi. 3. — 9 — Moreover, the destruction of the Assyrian empire, is in the same allegory represented by the breaking of the boughs and the falling of the branches of this cedar, and by the departing of thei people ofthe earth from its shadow, ver. 10 14. In like manner, nations being metaphorically compared to a forest, their desolation and destruction are represented by the burning of a forest ; as in the following allegory, Ezek. xx. 46. " Son of man, set thy face towards the south, and drop thy word " towards the south, and prophesy against the forest ofthe south 246 Sect. 3. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. vm. " field ; 47. And say to the forest of the south. Hear the word " of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold I will kindle a "'fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and " every dry tree : the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and '' all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt therein. 48. " And all flesh shall see that I the Lord h-ave kindled it: It shall " not be quenched. 49. Then said I, Ah Lord God ! they say " of rae. Doth he not speak parables ?" — On this allegory our Lord's expressioli, Luke xxiii. 31. If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry ? seems to have been founded. In allusion to the symbolical meaning of trees in picture writ ing, the introduction of the Israelites into Canaan, and their becoraing a great nation in that land, are represented under the allegory of a vine brought from Egypt and planted in Canaan, which took deep root and filled the land, Psal. Ixxx. 10. " The " hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs " thereof were like the goodly cedars, 11. She sent out her " boughs from the sea, (the Mediterranean sea,) and her branches " to the river (Euphrates). Why hast thou then broken down " her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way, do pluck " her ? The boar out of the wood dotb waste it," &c. Sect! 2. No. 7. b. Because in ancient tiraes. kings, and magis trates, and priests, were metaphorically called shepherds, on account of their care in governing, defending, and instructing their people, the prophet Ezekiel hath, upon this metaphor, formed a beautiful allegorical discourse in which he severely reproved the Jewish princes, magistrates, and priests, for their negligence in the execution of their offices ; for their enriching themselves -and living luxuriously at the expense of their people ; and for their being at no pains to promote their happiness. Ezek. xxxiv. 2. " Thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, " Wo be to I'he shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves ! " Should not the shepherds feed the flock ? 3. Ye eat the fat,and " ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill thera that are fed : bilt ye " feed not the flock." For this unfaithfulness God threatened to punish the Israelitish princes, and priests, severely, ver. 10. " Thus saith the Lord, Behold I am against the shepherds, and " I will require my flock at their hand, arid cause thera to cease « frora feeding the flock — For I will deliver my flock from their " mouth, that they may not be meat for them." — The people, thus neglected and spoiled by their rulers, God comforted in-the Ess. Till, tlie Language of Scripture. Sect, 3, 247 same allegorical language, yer. 12, "I vvill seek out my sheep, " and I will deliver thera out of all places, where they have been " scattered in the cloudy and dark day. — ver. 14. I will feed " thera in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel " shall their fold be, there shall they lie in a good field." In the raean tirae, to prevent the wicked among the Israelites, from fancying themselves the objects of his love, God reproved thera in the sarae pastoral dialect, ver. 1 7. " As for you, O ray flock, " thus saith the Lovd God, Behold, I judge between cattie and " cattle, between the raras and the he goats. 18. Seemeth it a " small thing to you to have eaten up the good pasture, but ye " must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures ? - " And to have drunk of the deep waters, but ye must foul the " residue with your feet ? 19. But as for ray flock, they eat that " which ye have trodden with your feet, and they drink that " which ye have fouled — 2 1 . Because ye have thrust with side " and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, " till ye have scattered thera abroad ; 22. Therefore will I save " my flock,' and tiiey shall no more be a prey, and I vvill judge « between cattle and cattle. 23. And I will set up one Shepherd " over them, and he shall feed them, even ray servant David, a « prince among them," &c. On this allegory our Lord seems to have formed his parable of the sheep and the goats, in which he hath described the general judgment, Matt. xxv. B. Of the proper Allegory, as set forth in a Dream, or in a Vision. Having treated of verbal allegories, it remains to treat of those allegories which were set forth in symbols, actually presented to the iraagination of the prophet in a dreara while asleep, or in a vision while awake. These allegorical dreams and visions, the persons who were favoured with them, comraunicated to their contemporaries by word of mouth," and sometimes committed them to writing, for the instruction of posterity. — In these, as in other allegories, the persons or nations who were the subjects of them, were designed, semetiraes by their known symbols, whose figure was presented to the imagination of the person vvho drearaed, or who saw the vision, and sometimes by arbitrary symbols, whose character, however, and attending circumstances, were ?o forraed as to lead to their raeaning. 248 Sect. 3. Ofthe right Interpretation of Ess. vm. Of allegorical dreams formed on symbols which were gene rally known, that of Pharaoh, Gen. xii. 17. is a signal example. For, one ofthe symbols by which Egypt was designed being an heifer, the seven years of great plenty which were to be in Egypt, were represented in Pharaoh's dreara by seven very fat and well favoured kine, which came up out of the Nile, and fed in an adjoining meadow ; and the seven years of famine which were to succeed the years of plenty, by seven other kine lean and ill-favoured, which also came up out ofthe river after the former; and the greatness of the famine, by the lean kine eating up the fat kine, and reraaining as lean and ill-favoured as at the begin ning. — Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Dan. iv. is another example of an allegorical representation forraed on a well known symbol. For, princes and great raen being represented in picture writ ing by trees, the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom, and the benefits vvhich the nations over which he reigned, derived from the power of his kingdom, were represented by a tree which in his dream he saw growing in the raidst of the earth, " whose height reached to heaven, whose leaves were fair and " its fruit was rauch, affording meat for all. The beasts of the " field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the air dwelt in " the boughs thereof" — In the same dreara, the punishment which God was to inflict on that proud prince for his impiety and other sins, was allegorically represented by the hewing down ofthat great tree, the cutting off of its branches, the driv ing away of the beasts from under it, and of the fowls frora its branches. — On this syrabol, our Lord forraed his parable of the grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field, whereby he allegorically represented the wide spreading of the kingdom of heaven, or gospel dispensation, and its beneficial influence ori the happiness of raankind, Matt. xiii. 32. " Which " indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the " greatest, among herbs, and becometh a tree ; so that the birds " of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof" Of the allegorical dream forraed on an arbitrary symbol, we have an exaraple in the great and tewible iraage which stood before Nebuchadnezzar in his dream, recorded, Dan. ii. 31. and which, by the different raaterials of which it was coraposed, represented the four great erapires which were to rule the nations ofthe earth in succession. Ess. Till. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 3. 249 The head of this image, which was of fine gold, signified the Babylonian empire; its breast and its arms of silver, signified the Medo-Persian empire ; its belly and its thighs of brass, the Gi'ecian empire, and its legs of iron and its feet part of iron and part of clay, the Roman empire in its different states. And whereas this great image was broken in pieces by a stone, which was cut out of a mountain without hands, and which afterwards becarae itself a great mountain and filled the whole earth, that accident signified the utter destruction of these idolatrous king doms, to make way for a kingdom which the God of heaven was to set up and which was never to be destroyed. The order in which these four empires were to arise, and the peculiar quali ties by which they were to be distinguished, were shewed to Daniel hiraself, chap. vii. 2. in an allegorical vision formed on the arbitrary symbols of four beasts which arose out of the great' sea, after it was violently agitated by storms, and whose forijis and qualities were different from any beasts known to exist. See an interpret-ation of that vision in my Truth of the Gospel History, p. 219. The living creatures which Ezekiel saw in his vision, chap. L 'Were stilLmore raonstrous and unlike any thing in nature, thaw the beasts in Daniel's vision. Each of them had four faces, namely, the face of a man, of a lion, of an ox, and of an eagle. Their feet were straight with soles like those of calves' feet. They had the hands of a man under their wings, and their ap. pearance was that of burning coals of fire from which went flashes of lightning. They were accompanied with wheels of the colour of beryl. Each wheel had a wheel within it, and their wings were so high that they were dreadful, and had eyes- round about ; and when the living creatures went, the wheels went ; for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. The likeness of the firmaraent, which was stretched over the heads of the living creatures, was as the colour of chrystal. And above the firraaraent was the likeness of a throne as the ap pearance of a sapphire stone ; and upon the throne the likeness of the appearance of a raan above upon it. His loins downward had the appearance of fire, like the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain. This allegorical vision not being accompanied with an inter-- pretation, its meaning cannot be determined with any certainty, Only, as the prophet in the conclusion of his account of it says, ver. 18. T'his waa the appearance ofthe likeness ofthe.glor^y of VOL. VI. 32 250 Sect. 3. Of the right Interpretation of Ess.viii. the Lord, and insinuates that the things spoken to him, which are mentioned in the following chapters, proceeded from this ap pearance, it may perhaps be conjectured that the vision was an senigmatical representation of the attributes of the Deity exerted in the government of the world : and that that representation was formed by the union of a number of. syrabols, whose mean ing those who understood the ancient picture writing knew, but which we, whose knowledge of that sort of writing is ex treraely iraperfept, cannot pretend to explain, ^ It reraains to observe, that in foretelling future events, espe cially those which were of an extensive nature and at a great distance in point of time, the Spirit of God thought proper to make use of allegorical drearas and visions r&.tl}er than of plain verbal descriptions, for the following reasons : 1 . These dreams and visions, whether formed on known, or on arbitrary symbols, were naturally so dark, even when accompanied with an inter pretation, as not to be distinctly understood, till they were ex- plained by their fulfilment. This darkness I think was ne cessary to prevent unbelievers from pretending that the pro phecy, by exciting persons to do the things foretold, occasion ed its own accomplishment. — 2. The images of which these allegorical dreams and visions were composed, being all objects of sight, they made a much raore lively and forcible impression on the rainds of the prophets, than it was possible to do by words'; consequently they could te more distinctly remembered, and more accurately related to others, than if the qualities and actions of the persons represented by the symbols in the dream or vision, had been expressed in a verbal description 3. The facility with which the representations, in an -allegorical dream or, vision could be remembered, and the precision with which they could be related in all their circumstances, rendered the transraision of thera to posterity as raatters of fact easy. And although the meaning of these dreams and visions was not un. derstood by those to whorii they were related, yet beJing of such a nature as to make a strong impression on all to whom they were related, when they came to be explained by their accom plishraent, the inspiration of the prophet who had the dream or vision was rendered undeniable, anti the sovereignty of God in the government of the world was raised beyond all possibility of doubt. ~ Ess. Till. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 4. 251 SECTION IV. Of the Method of convrejdng Instruction by significant Actions. To render speech forcible and affecting, mankind, in all ages and countries, have been in use to accompany their words with such gestures -and actions as indicated the sentiments and feel ings of their raind. This was the custom more especially in the first ages of the world, when the primitive languages were not sufficiently copious, and men's passions were under little re straint. Hence the eastern nations, whose imaginations were virarm and whose tempers were lively, early delighted in this method of comraunicating their sentiraents and feelings ; and even after their language becarae so copious as not to need that extrinsic aid, they still continued to express their sentiraents in the sarae way. Nay, all savage nations at this day express their strongest feelings by accompanying their words with significant actions, which shews that the custom is founded in nature.^ The scriptures furnish many instances of this custom. — For ex ample, to render promissory oaths more soleran and binding, fhe person who sware the oath, put his hand under the thigh of him to whom he sware. Gen. xxiv. 2. « Abraham said unto his " eldest servant of his house, — Put I pray thee thy hand under « my thigh : 3. And I will make thee swear by the Lord the *' God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou wih not •* take a wife unto ray son of the daughters of the Canaanites." —In like raanner, Jacob before his death, required his son Joseph to put his hand under his thigh, and swear, that he would nift bury him in Egypt, but in Canaan with his fathers. Gen. xlvii. 29. To express extreme affliction and grief they rent their clothes, and covered themselves with sackcloth, Thiis it is said of Ja cob when he saw Joiteph's coat,' " He rent his clothes, and put " sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days," — 1 Kings xxi, 27. when Ahab heard Elijah's words, « he rei|t " his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted, and lay " in sackcloth and went softly." Moses having constrained his wife Zipporah to circumcise her son, she, to express her detestation of the action, and her displeasure with her husband for haVing coramanded it, cast the foreskin of the child at his feet, and said, « Surely a bloody hus- " band art thou to me." Exod. iv. 25, Anciently the significant actions with which any kind of in formation was accompanied, were commonly of the typical 262 Sect. 4. 0f the right Interpretation of Ess. vm. kind ; that is, they were so contrived as to express the infor mation conveyed by the words. Thus, when Moses saw an Egyptian smiting an Israelite, he slew the Egyptian, to shew, by action, that God would by him deliver the Israelites from the bondage of the Egyptians. So Stephen assures us, Acts vii. 25. —Thus also, 1 Kings xi. 30. The prophet Ahijah " caught " the new garment that vvas on Jeroboam, and rent it in tvvelve "pieces. 31. And he said to Jeroboara, take thee ten pieces, " for thus saith the Lord the God of Israel, behold I will rend « the kingdora out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten « tribes to thee." — 1 Kings xxii. 11. " Zedekiah the son of " Chenaanah made him horns of iron : and he said. Thus saith " the Lord, with these shalt thou push the Syrians until thou " have consumed thera.' 2 Kings xiii. 18. " Elisha said un- " to the king of Israel, sraite upon the ground : and he smote " thrice, and staid. 19. And the inan of God was wroth with " hira, and said, thou shouldest have 'sm^itten five or six times, " then hadst thou sraitten Syria till thou hadst consuraed it. " Whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice." The king's fault was, that knowing his smiting upon the ground was typi cal of his smiting Syria, he ought to have smitten it oftner than thrice.— Nehemiah v. 13. " Also I shook my lap and said, so " God shake out every man frora his house, and' frora his la- " bour, that perforraeth not this promise, even thus be he sha- «' ken." — Ezek. xxi. 6. " Sigh therefore thou son of man wiUi " the breaking (beating) of thy loins : and with bitterness sigh " before their eyes, 7, And it shall be when they say unto " thee. Wherefore sighest thou ? That thou shalt answer. For *' the tidings, because it cometh ; and every heart shall melt, " and all hands shall be feeble," &c. — 'Ver. 14. " Thou therefore •" son of man prophesy, and smite thine hands together." In later times likewise, the Jews accompanied their discourses with significant actions, to give their instructions the greater force. Matth. xviii. 2, " Jesus called a little child unto hira, « and set him in the midst of them. 3. And said. Verily, I say " unto you, except ye be converted and become as little chil- « dren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4. « Whosoever therefore shall humble hiraself as this littie child," &c — Mark xi. 12. « On the morrow when they were come "from Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13. And seeing a fig- «< tree afar off having leaves he came, if haply he might find « any thing thereon ; and when he came to it he found nothing '* but leaves. Now the time of (gathering) figs was not yet. Ess. Till. ihe LangiMge pf Scripture. Sect, 4. 263 « 14, And Jesus answered and said to it. No man eat fruit of « thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it 20. " And on the (next) morning, as they passed by, they saw the " fig-tree dried up from the roots. 2 1 . And Peter calling to " remembiance, saith unto him, Master, behold the fig-tree " which thou cursedst is withered away." Peter called his Master's declaration, in consequence of which the fig-tree was destroyed, a curse, agreeably to the phraseology of the Hebrews, who considered land absolutely sterile as cursed. Heb. vi. 8.— . By the typical action of destroying the barren fig-tree, our Lord intimated to his disciples, the destruction ^hich was coming on the Jewish nation on account of their wickedness. John xiii. 4. Jesus " riseth from supper and laid aside his garments, and « took a towel and girded hiraself. 5. After that he pouretli " water in a bason, and began to wash the disciples feet, and to " wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. ^^12. So « after he had washed their feet and had taken his garments " and was set down again, he said to them, know ye what I have « done to you ? — 14. If I your Lord and Master have washed « your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet." Ye ought to do the meanest offices to each other, when they are necessary for promoting each other's happiness Luke ix. 5. " Whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city "shake off the very dust from your feet for a testiraony against « them." — Matth. xix. 13. " Then tJiere were brought unto " him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and « pray — 15. And he laid his hands on them."— I Tim, iv. 14. « Neglect not the spiritual gift which is in thee, which was « given thee according to prophecy, together with the imposition « ofthe hands ofthe eldership." — Matth. xx. 34. "Jesus had « compassion on them and touched their eyes ; and immediately « their eyes received sight."— John ix. 6. « He spat on the « ground and made clay ofthe spittle, and he anointed the eyes « of the blind man with the clay. 7. And said to him, go wash « in the pool of Siloara." These examples shew that our l,ord's taking Peter's wife's mother, who was sick of a fever, and lairus's daughter, who was dead, by the hand ; and his touching the eyes of- the two blind men raentioned, Matth. ix. 2. with other things of the like nature, were raerely significant actions, by which he intimated to the person's themselves, and to those who were present, that ,he was going to work a miracle in their behalf. So also, before 254 Sect. 4. Of the right Interpretation of. Ess. vm, he said to his apostles, John xx. 22. Receive ye the Holy Ghost, He'brpathed on them, to intimate that by the invisible operation ofhis power he would confer on them the gifts of inspiration and miracles. Another reraarkable instance of enforcing information by a significant action, we have. Acts xxi. 1 1. Agabus "took Paul's " girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said. Thus saith " the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the raan " that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands '< of the Gentiles." Lastly, it is well known that baptism and the Lord's supper were instituted by Christ, and appointed to be continued in the church, for the purpose of setting before the people by signifi cant action, some of the greatest articles of their faith. Since then it was common in the eastern countries to give in struction by symbolical actions, as well as by words, the many extraordinary things done by the Jewish prophets, for discover ing to the Israelites God's purposes concerning themselves, and concerning the neighbouring nations, cannot be matter either of astonishment or of offence to us. They were all of them done at the coraraandraent of God, and agreeably to the manners ofthe tiraes ; and were admirably adapted to convey, in the strongest and most forcible manner, the information intended. Thus, Isaiah was commanded by God to w^lk three years not only barefoot but ¦naked, that is, without his upper garment; namely, the hairy mantle commonly worn by the prophets,. Zechar, xiii, 4. And this he was to do as a sign, and a wonder upon Egypt and Ethiopia, Isa. xx. 2, 3. that is, as it is explain ed ver. 4. to shew by action, that the king of Assyria would lead aVvay the Egyptians prisoners, and the !^thiopians captives young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncoveredi to the shame of Egypt. — B. Lowth, in his note on Isa. xx. 3. thinks it probable that Isaiah was ordered to walk naked and barefoot three days, to shew that within three years, after the defeat of the Cushites and Egyptians by the king of Assyria, the town should be taken. For l;ie thinks the time was foretold^ as well as the event ; and that the words three days may have been lost out ofthe text at the end of ver. 2. after the word bare foot, a day being put for a year, according to tiie prophetic rule. In like manner Jeremiali was ordered, chap. xix. 1. to get a potter's earthen bottle, and with the ancients of the people and of the priests, ver. 3. to go to the valley of Hinnom, and pro- Ess. TIU. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 4i 255 phesy in their hearing that Jerusalera was to be destroyed. And that his prophecy raight make a strong impression on the imagi nation ofthe men who were with him, he was ordered, ver. 10. " To break the bottle in the sight of these men. 1 1 . And to " say unto thera, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, even so will I " break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's ^' vessel that cannot be made whole again." The sarae prophet was ordered, Jerera. xxvii. 2. to make bonds and yokes, and put them on his own neck, and to send them to all the neighbouring kings, by the raessengers whora they had sent to Jerusalera to persuade Zedekiah to enter into the con federacy which they had forraed against the king of Babylon: and by that symbolical action the prophet was to signify to theni, that the issue of the confederacy would be certain captivity to them all — But we are told, chap, xxviii. 10. That the false pro phet Hananiah, took the yoke frora off the prophet Jeremiah's neck and broke it, and spake in the presence of all the people, saying, « Thus saith the Lord, Even so will I break the yoke " of Nebuchadnezzer king of Babylon, frora the neck of all na tions, within the space of two full years." Once more, Jeremiah having written in a book, his prophecy concerning the destruction of Babylon, recorded, Jerem. li. he gave it to Serajah, ver. 60. and ordered him when he came to Babylon with Zedekiah, to read it, and having read it, to bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates. "Ver. 64. <' And thou shalt say. Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not risC " from the evil that I will bring upon her." With the same design of speaking by significant actions, Ezekiel was ordered to delineate Jerusalera upon a tile, and to besiege it by building a fort against it, raising a raount, and set ting a camp with battering rams against it round about. This siege the prophet was to continue four hundred and thirty days, and during the continuance thereof, he was to eat and drink by measure : and his bread was to be baked, that is, prepared, ver. IS. with diing ; the fuel with which he was to prepare his bread ¦was to be dung. By these symbolical actions, the prophet shew ed that Jerusalem was to be besieged, and that during the seige the inhabitants were to be punished with a grievous famine, Ezek. iv. — In the following chapter the prophet was ordered, ver. I. to shave his head and beard, and with a balance to divide the hairs thereof into three parts, and, ver. 2. when the days of the siege were fulfilled, he was to burn with fire a third part of 256 Sect. 4,, Ofthe right Interpretation of Esg. viir. the hairs in the midst of the city : next he was to take a third part, and smite about it with a knife : and the reraainuig third part he was to scatter in the wind, except a few hairs which he was to bind in the skirts of his garraent. The meaning of these symbolical actions God explained to the Israelites, as follows, ver. 11," Because thou hast defiled my sanctuary, with all thy " detestable things, and with all thine abominations, therefore " will I also diminish thee ; neither shall raine eye spare, neither " will I have any pity, 12. A third part of thee shall die with " the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the " midst of thee ; and a third part shall fall by the sword round « about thee ; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds ; " and I wiir draw out a sword after them. 13. Thus shall mine " anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon « thera, and I will be coraforted 15. So it shall be a reproach " and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishraent, unto the na- " tions that are round about thee, when I shall execute judg- " mfcnts in thee, in anger and in fury, and in furious rebukes, I " the Lord have spoken it." Forthe illustration of the foregoing allegorical action, Iwill bere transcribe B. Lowth's note oii Isa. yii. 20. In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair cf the feet : and it shall also consume the beard. " To shave with " the hired razor the head, the feet, and the beard, is an expres- " sion highly parabolical ; to denote the utter devastation of the « country from one end to the other, and the plundering of the " people from the highest to the lowest, by the Assyrians, whom " God eraployed as his instrument to punish the Jews. Ahaz him- « self, in the first place, hired the king of .\ssyriato come to help « him against the Syrians, by a present made to him of all the " treasures of the temple, as well as his own : and God him- " self considered the great nations whora he tii us employed, as « his mercenaries, and paid them their wages. Thus he " paid Nebuchadnezzar for his services against Tyre, by the "conquest of Egypt, Ezek, xxix. 18 20. The hairs ofthe " head, are those of the highest order in the state ; those of " the feet or the lower parts, are the common people ; the "beard is the king, the high priest, the very supreme in «' dignity and majesty. The eastern people have always held " the beard in the highest veneration, and have been ei^ "itremely jealous of its honour. To pluck a man's beard is Ess.viii. the Language of Scripture. Sett. 4. 257 " an instance of the greatest indignity that can be offered, Isa. " 1. 6. The. king of the Ammonites, to shew the utmost con- " tempt of David, cut off half of the bearits qf his .lervants ; and " the men were greatly ashamed : and David bade them tarry at " Jericho till their beards were g'-ov.'n, 2 Sam. x. 4, 5, &c." Once more God ordered Ezekiel, chap. xii. 3. to prepare stuff for removing, and to go forth with it at even in the sight of the people, as. they who go forth into captivity, and having digged through the wall in their sight, to carry his stuff out thereby upon his shoulders in the twilight, with his face covered that he might not see the ground. — The prophet having performed these actions in the sight of the people, when they said to him, IVhat dose thou ? God ordered him to reply, ver. 11. " I am " your sign : like as I hive done, so shall it be done unto them : " they shall remove and go into captivity. 12. And the prince " that is among thera shall bear upon his shoulder in the twi- " light, and shall go forth : they shall dig through the wall to " carry out thereby : he shall cover his face that he see not the " ground with his eyes. 13. My net also will I spread upon " him, and he shall be taken in the sn-are : and I wifl bring him " to Babylon, 19 the land of the Chaldeans, yet shall he not see " it though he shall die there. 14. And 1 will scatter towards " every wind, all that are about him to help him," &c. From these examples of significant actions, concerning which God declared that they were commanded to be done for the pur pose of prefiguring future events, we may conclude, that those uncommon actions, vvhich he commanded without declaring the purpose for which they were commanded, had, like the others, a typical meaning. This conclusion is warranted by the inspired writers, who in after times have pointed out the things signified by these actions.— For example, when God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his only son, although he did not tell him the purpose for which that difficult command was given to him, yet from the apostle's terming the suspension of that commiiud, a receiving of Isaac from the dead for a parable, Heb. xi. 19. we leam, that by the command to sacrifice Isaac, and by the suspension of that coramand, the death and resurrection of God's only Son was prefigured. — In like raanner, when the sacrifice of the Passover was instituted, although no intimation vvas given of its having a typical meaning, we know that it prefigured the sacrifice of Christ, together with the influence of that sacrifice in procuring the salvation of believers. For we are told expressly, vol.. VI. 33 25S Sect. 4. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. vm. John xix. 36, that whfen our Lord hung on the cross his legs were not broken, that the coramand concerning the paschal lamb, Exod. xii. 46. « Neither shall ye break- a bone thereof," raight be fulfilled. Be'sides, in allusion to the typical meaning of the Pas-sover, Christ is called, 1 Coiv v. 7^ Our Passover ; and is said to be sacrificed for us. — Farther, when God ordered Moses to lift up the image of a serpent on a pole, that the Israelites in the wilderness who were stung with serpents raight be healed by looking at it, although nothing was said concerning its having, a typical meaning, yet that it had such a meaniijg we learn from our Lord himself, who thus explained it, John iii. 14, " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, " even so raust the Son of man be lifted up, tbat whosoever " believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." Wherefore, the lifting up of the' brazen serpent, was a type of Chrisi's being lifted up on the cross : and the health which the Israelites obtained by looking to it, represented the salvation of those who believe on Christ as tlie Saviour of the world. Hence, in allusion to the typical meaning of the brazen serpent, Isaiah introduces Messiah saying, chap. xiv. 22. " Look unto me and " be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Upoti the whole, it appears, that the uncommon actions performed by the Jewish prophets, were all of them significant ; both those whose meaning was declared, and tiiose whose meaning was not declared ; and that they were commanded by God for tlie purpose of prefiguring, in a symbolical manner, future persons and events. — It is true, the long duration of some of these symbolical actions, the labour with which they were per formed, and the pain which they occasioned to the persons vvho performed them, have afforded infidels a pretence for speaking of the prophets as fanatics and madmen, vvho by such doings debased the prophetic office. For which reason, to vindicate the character of these holy men, some of the learned Jewish doctors have given it as their opinion, that these uncommon actions vvere transacted only in visions, in which the prophets seemed to themselves to do them. But this supposition is contradicted by the scriptures, vvhich represent the actions under consideration as done in the presence ofthe people, for die purpose of drawing their attention to the informations with which these actions were accompanied : an effect wbich the relation of a vision could not produce, because the incredulous and prophane would naturally consider such a vision either as a fiction or as an illusion. The Ess, vm. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 5. 259 character, therefore, of the Jewish prophets will be more effectually vindicated, if we recollect what they themselves constantly affirmed ; namely, that all the uncommon things which they did, they were coraraanded by God to do : and that, after the events prefigured by these actions came to pass, no doubt could be entertained of their being commanded by God to do them — Next, if we remember, Th-at in die early ages, it was usuah to convey instruction by symbolical actions, we shall be sensible, that the things for which the prophets have been censured as madmen, did not appear to their contemporaries in ¦ the light in which we moderns view them : that they excited the curiosity of the people among whom they were transacted, ami led them to inquire of the prophets what they meant by them, as in the instances raentioned, Ezek. xiL 9. xxi. 7 : That being addressed to the senses of mankind, they must have con veyed the instruction with which they were accompanied in the raost forcible manner : And that instruction thus foi-cibly con veyed, making a strong impression on the aiind of the spectators, must have been long remembered, and could be communicated to others with -gre-at accuracy. — Thus it appears, that in the early ages, when the art of writing was little known, the most effectual method of communicating and diffusing knowledge was to instruct the people by significant or symbolical actions, and that in fact this raethod was commonly practised, especially among the eastern nations. Wherefore, the Jewish prophets are not to be ridiculed for the symbofical actions with which they accompanied their predictions. The importance of the end for which they performed these actions, and the success with which they accomplished that end, are a sufficient vindication both of Ihewisdora of God in coraraanding them, and of the good sense and piety of the prophets in performing thera. For which reason, I think we cannot be mistaken in believing they were all performed exactly as related in the scriptures. SECTION V. Of Instruction conveyed by some Actions and Events happening in tlie ordinary Course of Things. I. It is now time to proceed to the consideration of a method in which God communicated the knowledge of things future, which though different from that described in the preceding sjsction, and more removed from common observation, was 26© Sect. 5. Qf the right Interpretation af Ess. tiii. nearly allied to it. For, whereas the prophets, by the divine direction, assumed characters not naturally belonging to them, and performed actions altogether out of the common course, for the purpose of prefiguring future persons and events, the characters and actions and fortunes of some eminent persons, whose distinguished stations placed them in the view of the world, were so ordered by God as to be exact representations of future persons, who,, when they arose, by the likeness of their characters and actions and fortunes to those of the persons by whom 'they vvere represented, would make mankind sensible that the inspired teachers spake truly when they declared that the one had been pi'efigured by the other. In some instances, the persons whose characters and actions prefigured future events, were declared by God himself to be typical, long hefore the events which they prefigured came to pass. But in other instances, mapy persons really typical were not known to be such, till after the things which they typified happened. 1. Ofthe first mentioned sort we have a reraarkable example in Abrahara, whom God declared to be a typical person by con stituting him the father or type of believers of all nations ; and by making with him as their father, a covenant in which he promised to be a God to him and to his seed in their genera tions, and to give to him and to his seed the land, of Canaan for an everlasting possession : vvhich promises had not only a literal but a typical or second meaning ; as vvas shewed at .large in Ess. V. sect. 1, 2. &c. consequently the covenant with Abraham was an allegory. 2. A second example of a typical person we have in Melchi zedec, who in his character of a king and priest united, was declared by God himself to be a type of his Son's becoming a king and a priest in the human nature ; and who, by blessing Abraham, prefigured the efficacy of the priesthood and govern ment of the Son of God in procuring for believers the pardon of their sins. Psal. ex. 4. " The Lord hath sworn, and will not " repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the similitude of « Melchizedec." 3. Jacob likewise and Esau were typicaPpersons : For their struggling together in their raother's worab, prefigured the wars which the nations who were to descend frora. them were to wage with each other : And Jacob's taking hold of Esau's heel in their birth, prefigured that the descendants of Jacob would subdue the descendants of Esau. So God told Rebecca, Gen. Ess. Tin. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 5. 261 xxv. 23. "Two nations are in thy womb; and two kinds of " people shall be separated from thy bowels : and the one people " shall be stronger than the other people ; and the elder shall " serve the younger." • 4. Josliua, who was the high-priest of the Jews during the rebuilding of the teraple, was an eminently typical person. For he prefigured our great high-priest Christ, as we learn from the vision in which the prophet Zechariah, chap. iii. 3. saw him standing before the angel of the Lord in filthy garments, to represent the iniquity pf the many which vvas to be laid on Christ. These filthy garments tbe angel coramanded to be taken away from him, and said, ver. 4. " Behold I have caused thine iniquity "to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. 5, And I said. Let them set a fair mitre upon his head : So they seta fair mitre upon his head," such as the high-priests wore when they officiated, " and clothed hini with garments." Then to shew the emblematical meaning of the vision, the angel of the Lord said, ver. 8. " Hear novv, O Joshua, the high-priest, " tiiou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for they are men of " wonder," Typical men. So the phrase signifies, Isa. viii. 18. " For, Behold 1 will bring forth ray servant the Branch." Where fore, Joshua in his character as high-priest, and his fellows the high-priests who preceded hira, were all of thera types, or pre- figurations of God's servant the Branch, in his character as high- priest : which also the author of the epistle to the Hebrews hath proved at great length. — Farther, to shew still more clearly that Joshua' was a type of Christ, the prophet was ordered by God to take silver and gold and raake crowns, and to set thera on the head of Joshua in the house of Josiah, and to say to him, chap. vi. 12. " Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying. Behold " the man whose name is tbe Branch, He shall grow up out of " his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord, — and he " shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and " the counsel of peace shall be between them both." But the man whose name is tbe Branch, and who is here fore'.old to-grow up out ofhis place, was accoi'ding to Is-aiah to be a descendant of Jesse. Chap. xi. 1. "And there shall come forth a rod out " ofthe stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of bis roots." Wherefore, Joshua being a descendant of Aaron, was not the person whom Isaiah foretold under the idea of a Branch growing out ofthe roots of Jesse. Consequently, when God ordered the 262 Sect. 5. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. vm. prophet to say to Joshua and the witnesses, after putting the crowns on Joshua's head, Behold tlie man whose name is the Branch, his raeaning certainly was, that Joshua was a tyjje of the man whose name is tbe Branch, in his two offices of a king and a priest, and as the builder of the true temple of the Lord. Ac cordingly, that this symbolical transaction might be remembered, and that Joshua in after ages might be known to have been a type and a pledge of the coming ofthe Man whose name is the Branch, the two erowns which the prophet had put on Joshua's head as symbols of the two offices in which he was a type of Christ, were, by the command of God, delivered to the witnesses to be laid up in the temple as a memorial, ver. 14. If, because Zerubbabel at this time was the prince ofthe Jews, any one suspects that he, and not Joshua, was called, the Man whose name is the Branch, he ought to consider that, ofthe man whose name is the Branch, it is said, ver. 13. not only that "he " shall build the teraple ofthe Lord, — and shall sit and rule upon " his throne,'' but that " he shall be a priest upon his throne." For this could not be said of Zerubbabel, who vvas not a descen dant of Aaron. We may therefore conclude, that the things said and done to Joshua by the prophet Zechariah, were said and done to hira as a type of Christ. 5, Of typical persons who were not declared to be such, till the persons of whom they were types appeared, Adam deserves to be first mentioned. For in respect of his being the author of sin and death to all his posterity, he is said by the apostle, Rom. V. 14. to be by contrast, ra^rss, " the type or figure of him " (Christ) who was to come" for the purpose of being the author of righteousness and life to mankind. See Rora. v. 1 4. notes. Hence Christ is called, 1 Cor. xv. 45. The last Adam Adam was likewise a type of Christ in this respect, that Eve, vvho was an iraage ofthe church, was formed of a rib taken from Adam's side while he was in a deep sleep. For this transaction pre figured the formation of the church the lamb's wife, by the breaking of Christ's side on the cross, while he slept the sleep of death, as the apostle insinuateth, Ephes. v. 32. See the note on that verse. 6. Of persons vvho in their natural characters and fortunes were types of future persons and events, Abraham's wives and sons are remarkable examples. His wives Hagar and Sarah, were types of the two covenants by which men become the people of God, and his sons Ismael and Isaac were, in their Ess. VIII. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 5. 263 characters and state, types of the people of God under these covenants. So the apostle Paul assures us. Gal. iv. 22. » It is " written, that Abraham had two sons ; one by the bond-maid, " and one. by the free woman. „2j. But he verily who was born " of the bond-maid, was begotten according to the flesh : but " he who was born of the free woraan yas through the promise. " 24. Which things are an allegory : For these women are the " two covenants : The one verily from Mount Sinai bringing " forth children into bondage, which is Agar. 25. For the " name Agar denotes Mount Sinid in Arabia, and she answereth « to the present Jerusalem, and is in bondage with her children. " 2-6. But tbe Jerusalem above is the free woman, who is the « mother of us all." See Gal. iv. 24. notes 1, 2. and ver. 25. notes, where,and in the commentary, this allegory is explained. 7. The third typical person I shall mention is David, who was raised by God to the government ofthe natural seed of Abraham, , that in his office as their king, and in his wars against their ene mies, he might be a type of Christ the ruler and saviour of Abraham's spiritu-al seed. This appears frora what the angel who announced our Lord's birth said to his mother, Luke i. 32. " The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father " David, and he shall rule over the house of Jacob for ever,, and " of his kingdom there shall be no end." For in what sense could our Lord's spiritual dominion be called the kingdom of his father David, unless David's kingdom was a type thereof? In fact, the power and success with vvhich David governed the na tural seed and subdued the neighbouring heathen nations, their enemies, was a fit prefiguration of the power and success vvith which Christ rules the spiritual seed, and subdues their ene mies — That David vvas a type of Christ appears from this also, that the prophets vvho foretold to the Israelites the coming of Christ, named him David, and David their king : by a common metonymy giving the name of the type to the person typified. See.Jerem. xxx. 9. Ezek. xxxiv. 23. xxxvii, 24. Hosea iii. 4, 5. and Ls'd. Iv. 3. Acts xiii. 34. particularly the last mentioned passage, where the benefits vvhich the spiiitual seed derive from the government of Christ, and in particular their safety from their enemies,jare termed. The sure mercies of David.— In short, unless David in his government of the natural seed vvas a type ofChrist in his government ofthe spiritual seed, najust inter pretation can be given of the divine revelations and promises which vvere made to him, and vvhich are recorded bv Ethan, 264 Sect. 5. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. tiii. Psal. Ixxxix. 19 37. Whereas, if these things were spoken to David as an iraage or type of Christ, the whole is plain, and hath received a complete accoraplishment. 8. The fourth typical person whose history is given in scrip ture is Solomon, who in his ruling the natural seed, and in his building the temple, prefigured Christ the ruler of the spiritual Israel, and the builder of the Christian church, the great temple of God which in its perfect form will subsist in the heavenly country. For as David's government was so ordered by God, as to be a striking representation of the powerful governraent which Christ now exercises, for protecting his people, and sub duing their enemies, so God raised up Soloraon, a peaceful king, and raade Israel enjoy peace and prosperity under his govern ment, and appointed hira to build the teraple of God at Jeru salem, I Chron. xxii. 9, 10. to prefigure the peace and happiness which the spiritual Israel shall enjoy after all their enemies are completely destroyed, and they themselves, are introduced into the heavenly country, and formed into one great church or temple for the worship of God. This appears from Psal. Ixxii. where Solomon's character and actions as a king, are delineated, * and the happy effects of his government are described. For in that Psalm things are spoken of hira which do not belong to him, unless as a type of Christ : particularly ver. 5. " They sliall fear " thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all gene- " rations." — Ver. 11. " All kings shall fall down before him, " all nations shall serve him. 12. For he shall deliver the needy " when he crieth, the poor also, and him who hath no helper.— " 14. He shall redeem their soul frora deceit and violence ; and " precious shall their blood be in his sight. — Ver. 17. His name " shall endure foever ; bis name shall be' continued as long as " the sun : and men shall be blessed in bim :- all nations shall " call him blessed." — This last circumstance indisputably proves Solomon to have been a type ofChrist, for it was one of the dis. tingtiishing characters of Christ Abraham's seed. That " in'him " all the nations of the earth vvere to be blessed " — -Moreovfer, Psal. xiv. cannot be interpreted of Solomon, unless on the sup- positiori that he was a type ofChrist : for in his natural character, it could riot be said to Solonion, ver. 6. " Thy throne, O God, " is for ever and ever ; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre " of recliliide. Thou h-ast loved righteousness, and hated wick- Ess. TIII. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 5. 265 " edness, therefore O God, thy God hath anointed thee with the " oil of gladness above thy associates." See Heb. i. 8. note 1. 9. The fifth allegorical or typical person spoken of in scrip ture, is the son of the prophetess whose birth was foretold, Isa. vii. 14. " The Lord himself shall give you a sign, Behold a virgin " shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Im- " manuel. IS. Butter and honey shall he eat, that he raay " know to refuse the evil, and choose the good- 16. For before " the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, " the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her " kings." — B. Lowth says this passage should be translated in the following manner. " Behold this virgin shall conceive, and " bear a Son, and thou shalt call his name Imraanuel : butter " and honey shall he eat when he shall know lo refuse evil and " choose good. For before this child shall know to refuse evil " and choose good, the land shall be desolate, by whose two kings « thou art distressed." On Isaiah page 63 ^Lowth adds, " Har- «' mer has clearly shewn, that .these articles of food (butter and ^' honey) are delicacies in the east ; and as such denote a state " of plenty. See also Josh. v. 6. They therefore naturally ex- " press the plenty of the country, as a mark of peace restored to " it." And in confirmation of his opinion, he cites Jarchi, " Bu- " tyrum et mel comedet infans iste, quoniam terranostra plena " erit oranis boni." He then proceeds thus, page 64. " Agree- " ably to the observations coramunicated by the learned person " above mentioned (Hariner) which perfectly well explam the " historical sense of this much disputed passage, not excluding " a higher secondary sense, the obvious and literal meaning of " the prophecy is this. That within the tirae that a young woraan, " now a virgin, should conceive and bring forth a child, and that " child should arrive at such an age as to distinguish between " good and evil, that is, within a few years (compare viii. 4.) the " enemies of Judah should be destroyed." And to shew that this prophecy actually hath a higher secondary meaning, that learned expositor reasons as follows : " But the prophecy is " introduced in so solemn a manner ; the sign is sp raarked, as " a sign selected and given by God himself, after Ahaz had « rejected the offer of any sign of his own choosing out of the " whole corapass of nature.; the terras of the prophecy are so " peculiar, and the name ofthe child so expressive, containing " in them much raore than the circumstances ofthe birth of a - VOL. VI. 34 266 Sect. 5. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. vm. " common child required, or even admitted ; that we may easily " suppose, that, in minds prepared by the general expectation " of a great deliverer to spring from the house of David, they " raised hopes far beyond what the present occasion suggested : " especially when it was found, that in the subsequent prophecy, " delivered immediately afterward, this child called Imm-.inuel " is treated as the Lord and prince of the land of Judah." — (Chap. viii. 8.) To the things raentioned by Lowth, I add, that the account of the character and actions of this child given, Isa. ix. 5. is by no raeans applicable to the Son of the prophetess, unless as a type of the divine person who was to be the deliverer of the people of God. " Unto us a child is born, unto us a son " is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder : and " his name shall be called wonderful, counsellor, the mighty " God, the everlasting father, the Prince of Peace. 7. Of the " increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end, " upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it, " and to establish it with judgment and with justice, from hence- " forth even for ever : the zeal of the Lord of hosts vvill perform « this." That the prediction of a virgin's conceiving and bearing a Son who was to be called Immanuel, was at that time understood to be a promise of the birth of a great and even a divine person, B. Lowth says, " raay be collected with great probability from " a passage of Micah, a prophet contemporary with Isaiah, but " who began to prophesy after bim ; and vvho, as I have already " observed, imitated him, and sometimes used his expressions. " Micah having delivered that remarkable prophecy, vvhich de- " terraines the place of the birth of Messiah the ruler of God's *' people, whose goings forth have been of old, from ever las ting,that « it should be Bethlehem Ephrata ; adds immediately, that never- " theless in the mean time God would deliver his people into ¦ " the hands of their enemies ; he will give them up, till she who « is lo bear a child shall bring forth, Micah v. 3. This obviously " and plainly refers to some known prophecy concerning a " woman' to bring forth a child ; and seems much more properly « applicable to this passage of Isaiah, than to any other of the " same prophet, to which some interpreters have applied it. St. " Matthew therefore, in applying this prophecy to the birth of " Christ, clrap, i, 22,23. does it not merely in accommodating the " words ofthe prophet to a suitable case not in the prophet's view, " but takes it in its strictest, clearest, and most important- sense, Ess. VIII, the Language of Scripture. Sect, S, 267 '^ and applies it according to the original design and principal '' uiteriion of the prophet." 10. The sixth allegorical or typical person raentioned in scripture, is the prophet Jonah, whose preservation in the belly of the whale during three days and three nights, and his being after that vomited up alive, Christ himself declares was a type of his own conunuance in the grave, and ofhis subsequent resurrection from the dead. Matt. xii. 39. " An evil and adulterous gene- '• ration seeketh after a sign, anu there shall no sign be given to " it but the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40. For as Jonah was « three days and three nights in tiie whale's belly : so shall " the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart "¦¦ of the earth." Farther by saying, Luke xi. 30, " As Jonah " wa.s a sign to the Ninevites, so shall -also the Son of Man " be to this generation ;" our Lord insinuated that as the mi raculous preservation of Jonah in the whale's belly, when related to the Ninevites, induced them to give credit to the message which he brought to thera from God, so Christ's resurrection from the dead preached to mankind by his apostles, would induce many to beUeve on him as the Son of God. Wherefore in both these p-ii'ticulars, Jonah vvas a type of Christ. II, Having said thus much concerning persons, who in their natural characters, and actions, and fortunes, are declared to have been types of future persons aud events, it remains to speak of events happening to the ancient church and people of God, vvhich by the circumstances wherewith they were accompanied, ar& sbe-.ved to have been typical of greater events that vvere to happe.". to the people of God under the gospel dispensation. Now concerning these I have two observations to raake. The fii-bt is, that the things respecting the ancient people of God which prefigured the greater things to happen to the people of God under the gospel dispensation, were in some instances fore told before they happened to the ancient people. My second observation is, that the prediction of these figurative events were also predictions of the events which they prefigured. Of this double sense of prophecy various instances miglit be given, Suffice it however to mention one instance oniy ; namciy, the deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, and their restoration to the land of Canaan. These, though natural events, prefigured the much greater and more important deliverance of mankind from the captivity of sin, and thcsr introduction into.the heavenly Canaan. For, in the writings of the cvan- 268 Sect. .5. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. tiii, gelis^s, passages of the prophecies which foretold the deliver ance fr9m Babylon, are applied to that greater delivei-ance. For example, Isa. xl. 2, 3. is said by Matthew, chap- iii. 3. and by our Lord himself, Matt. xi. 10. to have been fulfilled by John Baptist's preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Yet these verses in their first and literal meaning, evidently relate to the return of the Jews from Babylon. For Isaiah, in the end of chap, xxxix. having foretold that all the riches of his palaces, which Hezekiah had frorn pride shewn to the raessengers of the king of Babylon, should be carried away to Babylon, and that his spns should be carried thither captives, and made eunuchs in the' , palace of the king of Babylon, the prophet in this xlth chapter mitigated the severity of that prediction by foretelling, that ¦whilst the Jews were oppressed vvith the miseries of their cap tivity, God would order his prophets who were among them to comfort his people, by assuring them that their captivity vvould at lengtii come to an end ; because considering their sufferings as a sufficient punishment for their sins as a nation, he would pardon and restore them to their own land, ver. 2. " Speak ye " comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is " accomplished, that her iniquity i« pardoned, for she hath " received of the Lord's hands double for all her sins." The people in Babylon being thus assured that they vvere to be brought hack to Judea, " the first thought," as B. Lowth observes, " which would occur to the captives, would be the difficulty and " danger of their passing through they d-eserts of Arabia, where " the nearest way from Babylon to Jerusalera lay." Wherefore the prophets in Babylon, to remove the fears ofthe people, were ordered to assure them, that by whatever road they should return, it would be made commodious for their saft passage. And this assurance tiie prophets would give thera, in language taken frora the custora of the eastern princes, who, when they were about to march with their armies through difficult roads, sent pioneers before them to widen the narrow passes, to fill up the hollows, to level the heights, and to sraooth the rough ways through which they vvere to march, ver. 3. " The voice of one " crying in tiie wilderness, -Prepare ye the way of the Lord ; " make straight in the desert an high way for our God. 4. " Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill " shall be raade low, and the crooked shall be raade straight,. " and the rough places plain." By these images the prophets intimated, that God was to march from Babylon at the iicad of Ess. Till. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 5. 269 his people, to protect thera during their joumey, and to bring thera safely into Judea. These things are more plainly expressed, Isa. Iii. 12. " Ye shall not go out with haste, nor go " by flight ; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of " Israel will be your rere-ward.'* But although this whole prophecy, in its first and literal meaning, evidentiy related to the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, the application ofthe above cited passage to the preach ing of John Baptist by the evangelist Matthew, and by our Lord himself, sheweth plainly that the prophecies, concerning the deliverance of the people of God from the Babylonish captivity, had a second and higher meaning, of which the literal sense was the sign. By foretelling the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon, these prophecies foretold the deliverance of mankind from the infinitely worse bondage of sin. Moreover, the com mand to the prophets in Babylon to corafort God's people by announcing that their sins were pardoned, and that they were soon to be brought back to their own land, was a command to the ministers of the gospel in every age to comfort penitent believers, by assuring them that their sins shall be pardoned ; and that Christ will bring thera safely into the heavenly country, (of which the restoration of the Jews to Canaan vvas an emblem and pledge,) because he hath successfully removed all obstacles out of their way. The preparation of the way of the Lord among the Jews by the preaching of John Baptist, was fitly ex pressed by the voice of one crying in the wilderness. For, as Lowth observes on Isaiah, p. 188. " The Jewish church to " which John was sent to announce the coming of Messiah, was " at that tirae in a barren and desert condition ; unfit, without « reforraation, for the reception of her king. It was in this de- " sert country, destitute at that tirae of all religious cultivation, " in true piety and good works unfruitful, that John was sent to " prepare the way of the Lord by preaching repentance." Many other examples of prophecies raight be raentioned, in which the return of the Jews from Babylon was foretold, and of which passages are applied, by the writers of the New Testament, to the redemption of mankind from the bondage of sin. But the one explained above, may suffice as a proof of what is called the double sense of prophecy, in which the obvious literal sense exhibits a second and higher raeaning : So that these prophecies, properly speaking, are tnie allegories. 2?'0 Sect. 5. Of the right Interpretation of Ess. vm. Thus it appears, That the high figurative expressions in the Jewish scriptures, which are so offensive to modern earsand to minute philosophers, were occasioned by the poverty ofthe first language of mankind : That the boldest of these figures we.'e derived from the ancient picture-writing : That the symbols Tised in that kind of writing gave rise to the dark Egyptian al legory, vvhich was held in great estimation at the time the scriptures were written : And that in the early ages, mankind, whether barbarous or civilized, were, accustomed to express their sentiments and feelings by significant actions as well as by significant sounds. These things considered, it cannot be matter cither of surprise or of blame, that the Jewish prophets exhorted the people and foretold future events in such figurative language as to us modems appears extravagant ; or that they delivered their exhortations and predictions in dark allegories, formed on the qualities and circumstances of the symbols, by which the persons, and nations concerning whom they prophesied were denoted in picture-writing ; or even, that on extraordinary occasions, they foretold things future by what may be called a drama continued through a great length of time, in which they spake and acted things which excited the wonder of the spectators, and led them to intjuirc what the prophets meant by thera, and, when explained, could not but make a strong impression upon their imagination. These things were all done suitably to the genius and raanners of the times, and were easily understood by the people for whose instruction they were in tended — And with respect to the persons vvho, in the scriptures, are said in their natural characters and actions to have been types of future persons and events, that method of foretelling things future vvas of the same kind with allegorical prophecy : for surely it made no difference whether the allegory was formed on the qualities and actions of a symbol, or pn the qualities and actions of a real person. In the symbolical or instituted allegory, it was shewed to be an allegory by the particulars of which it was composed. But in the natural allegory, the characters and events of which it was composed do not shew it to be an allegoiy. Wherefore, before these are considered by us as allegories, or prefigurations of future persons and events, we ought to be assured by some one or other of the prophets or inspired persons who afterwards arose, that they are allegories, othervvise they ought not to be corisidered as such By this rule the futility of those allegorical meanings which some of the ancient father^ Ess.viii. the Language of Scripture. Sect. 5. 271 put on many passages of scripture will clearly appear. And the huraour of finding mystical senses in the sacred oracles, which some of the modern commentators have too much indulged, will be effectually repressed. Upon the whole, the observation suggested in the beginning of this Essay may novv be repeated with some confidence ; namely. That the high figurative language by which the Jewish scriptures are so strongly raarked, together vvith the allegorical and typical senses with which they abound, and the extraordinary things done by the Jewish prophets, instead of being instances of absurdity and signs of imposture, are proofs of their antiquity and authenticity ; and even strong presumptions of the divine original of the revelations contained in these venerable writings. A HISTORY OF THK LIFE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL^ BY WHOM THB GENTILES WERE CONYEKTED: ACCOMP-^NIED WITH PROOFS- AND ILLUSTRATIONS, VOL. VI. 35 LIFE OP PAUL, THE APOSTLE OF JESUS dJRIST. 1 OFFER to the public the history ofthe apostle Paul, coraposed from materials furnished, partly by hiraself in his epistles, and partly by the evangelist Luke in his book of the Acts. And I do this, in the persuasion that the better we are acquainted with Paul's character and actions, the raore will we be disposed to acknowledge his authority as an apostle, and to respect his writings as the oracles of God. This, hovvever, is not the only advantage to be derived frora the knowledge of Paul's history. It will establish us in the faith, by shewing us in what raanner the gospel was preached at'the first, both to the Jews and to the Gentiles ; what success it met with in the different countries wliere it was preached ; what sufferings the first preachers and the first believers endured fpr the sake of the gospel ; and how amply it was confirmed by the Lord, who gave testimony to the word ofhis grace, by the signs and wonders which he granted to be wrought by the hands of the apostles, in all the countries wherp they preached. To these advantages we may add, the use which the knowledge of Paul's hisfory will be of, in helping us to understand his writings, which make so considerable a part of the canon of scripture. CHAPTER I. Pffjl's Bii'th wid EducatipD ; his Perseculjon of tJie IJispiples pf Christ; and his Conversion. Paijl w^,s a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, rightly descended irom Abraham tliP founder of the Israelitish fl^oj) ; jp which respect he was superior to those Jpws., wh.Qse paferits had been converts from heathenism. According to the manner ef / 476 THE LIFE OF his people, he was circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, and had an Hebrew name given him, being called Saul: but afterward he took the name of Paulus or Paul, in coraplimentto Sergius Paulus the proconsul of Cyprus, whora he converted in his first journey among the Gentiles, Acts xiii. 7, 8. Tarsus, the place of Saul's nativity, though not a city of Judea, did honour to such Jews as were born there. For it was the metropolis of Cilicia, and as a place of education, it excelled Athens and Alex andria, and all the other Greek cities, where there were schools of philosophy, and of the polite arts. So Strabo tells us, lib. xiv^ Saul therefore had reason to boast even of the place of his birth, Acts xxi. 39. I am a man, which am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city. Saul's father was a Roman*, (Acts xxii. 28.) which in the pro vinces was a distinction highly honourable, as it entitled those who possessed it, to many valuable privileges and imraunitieff. For which reason it was either purchased with raoney, or it was bestowed as the reward of extraordinary services, Acts xx. 28, His being a Roraan in the right of his father, is not the only circumstance which shews that Saul was well born : The care and expense bestowed on his education, is a proof that his family Was in opulent circumstanqes. As Saul hath termed himself an Hebrew of the Hebrews,-we may presume that the language of his family was what they then called the Hebrew. Yet having passed the first years of his life in Tarsus, a Greek city, it is reasonable to believe, that he spake the Greek language aiso, and vvas even taught to read it. But, as to his education in the Greek literature, I am not so cer tain. In his sermons and writings, there are traces frora which it may be gathered that he had a general knowledge of the learning, the religion, the raanners, and the customs of the Greeks, and that he had read some of their best authors. But whether he got that knowledge at Tarsus, in his younger years, may be doubted. He did n^t remain there the timS that was requisite for acquiring it. And at Jerusalem, where he received - the greatest part of his education, he had no opportunity of studying the Greek learning. I am therefore- of opinion, that * Many ofthe Jews enjoyed the right of citizenship ; nay some' of them were Roman knights, as we learn from Josephus, who in describing the in justice and cruelty of Felix's g-overnment, mentions his having crucifie4- some Jews who were Roman inijihts. THE APOSTLE PAtFL. ^^ Saul's knowledge of the Greek rhetoric and philosophy, was not acquired m Tarsus. Neither was it such as could entitle hira to the appellation of learned in these raatters. But it was a general knowledge oniy, acquired by conversing with the Greeks, in the different countries where he prei.ched the gospel. In any other manner he cannot well be supposed to have got that knowledge : Because, however capable he might be of sucli studies, lie had no leisure, after he became an apostie, to prose cute them. Besides, the greatest proficiency in the rhetoric and philosophy of the Greeks, would have been of no .use to him in the discharge of tbe apostolic office. For Christ sent him and the other apostles to preach the gospel, not with the wisdom of worda, lest the conversion of the world raight have been attributed to the eloquence, knowledge, and superior abilities of the preachers, and not to the power of God which accompanied their preaching. ' , But though Saul was no proficient in the rhetoric and phi- ' losophy of the Greeks, he was thoroughly instructed in the learning of the Jews. For as soon as the years of his childhood were over, his parents sent him to Jerusalera, to study under Gamaliel, the raost celebrated doctor of his time, and who for his great knowledge and virtue, was had in reputation among all the people. Acts v. 34, — According to Josephus, Ant. xx. the learning of the Jews consisted in the knowledge of their own laws and religion, as contained in their sacred writings. The doctors, therefore, eraployed theraselves in explaining thes^ writings to the studious youth, founding their interpretations upon traditions, pretended to be handed down frora Moses and the prophets. It is true, the doctors in some instances perverted the meaning of the scriptures ; and by their traditions raade void the coramandments of God. But in general, the true sense ofthe scriptures seems to have been preserved among the Jews, fay these traditionary explications, as may be understood frora the following well-known facts. 1. The apostles, especially Paul, in reasoning with the Jews, always proved the doctrine,s of the gospel by quotations out of the writings of Moses and the prophets. But these quotations would have been no proofs at all of the gospel doctrines, at least to the Jews, unless the sense put upon tbem by the apostles, which was their real meaning, had been the sense generally put upon them by the Jews — 2, It was owing to the knowledge which they had of the true meaning the writings of Moses and the prophets, that some of 278 THE LIFE OP the more learned Jews believed on Jesus : Such as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and that great company of the priests who were obedient to the faith, (Acts vi. 7-).— 3, Gamaliel, Saul's master, from his great knowledge of the scriptures, seems to have thought well of the apostles, and of their doctrines, as is plain from the counsel which he gave to his brethren of the S -inhedrim. Acts v. 38. And now I say unto you. Refrain from thise men,, and let them alone ; for if this counsel, or this work be of men, it will come lo nought. 39. But if it be of God,ye cannot overt throw it, lest haply ye be found everi to fight against God. — Hovy perfectly Saul was educated in the knowledge of the law ofthe fathers, we learn from hiraself. Acts xxii. 3. Born in Tarsus ia Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, a-r.d was zealous towards God, as ye all are this day. And ofhis proficiency in that kind of learning, he says. Gal. i. 14. And profited in Judaism, above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous ofthe traditions ofthe fathers. Saul's parents completed his education, by having him taught the art of tent-making. Acts xviii. 3. In this they followed the manners ot the Jews, with whom it was custoraary to teach the youth of the highest birth some mechanical employraent, where by, in cases of necessity, they might maintain themselves, witiiout being burdensome to others. The benefit which Saul derived from this branch ofhis education, while he preached the gospel, will be seen afterwards. In what year of his age Saul came to Jerusalem, and liow long he continued under the tuition of Gamaliel, is not knowji. But from his saying, that he apent his youth among his own nation at Jerusalem, Acts xxvi. 4. it may be conjectured that he came thither early in life. And seeing in his epistle to Philemon, which is thought to have been written A. D. 62. he calls himself Paul the aged, we cannot be much mistaken in supposing that he was then about 60 years old ; and that when our Lord began his public rainistry, he was in the 26th* year of his age. Where' • Seeing the vulgar sera, according to the opinion ofthe most learned •hronologers, commenced at least two years after tlie birth of Christ, the year 62 ofthat computation, in which the epistle to Philemon is supposed to have been written, was really the 64th year from die birth of Christ Wherefore if Paul was then 60 years old, he must have been four years younirer than our Lord ; and by consequence when our Lord began his ministry in the 30th year Of his age, Saul vvas 26 complete.- THE APOSTLE PAUL. 279 feg-e having finished his studies, -we may suppose that he then professed himselt a Pharisee ; of which sect also his father was. Acts xxiii. 6.— Farther, seeing our Lord, in the course of his ministry, attracted the attention ofthe whole Jewish nation, it is probable Saul's zeal for the institutions ofhis fathers, prompttd him to join such of his sect as followed Jesus with an intenti^.n, to find matter of accusation against him. And when he was tried, condemned, and put to death for calling himself Christ ihe Son ^fthe blessed, this zealous young man may have been present. So that having often seen Jesus, he could know whether he who appeared to him on the road to Damascus, was really the person whom the rulers at Jerusalem had put to death, or only an im postor who personated hira. However, if any one calls this conjecture in question, I will not dispute it with him. What we certainly know from tho sacred history is, that when Christ's resurrection from the dead was published in JerusaJem, the rulers were greatly offended with the preachers of that miracle ; and the rather, because they urged it as a proof that Jesus, whom God had raised from the dead, was the christ, and that he had been put to death unjustly. Wherefore, th« rulers stirred up some of the most zealous members of the foreign synagogues in Jerusalem, (Proofs and Illustrations, No. I.) to oppose them. And these zealots happening to hear Stephen, one of the seven deacons, preach, disputed with him. But Acts vi. 10. They were not able to resist the wisdom and the atpi'rit iy which he spake. 11. Then they suborned men, which said in the hearing of the multitude before whom they disputed, and in private to the elders and scribes, We have heard him speak bUtsphemous words against Mosea and God. 12, And they stirred up the peopie, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon hitn, and temght him and brought him to the council. 13. And set up fahe witnesses which aaid, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphC' mous tDordi, agaimst this holy place, and the latv. 14. For we have beard him aay,that thia Jeaus of JVazareth, whom ye put to death as adeceiverr, shall destroy this place, and shall change the customi which Moses delivered us. While the witnesses thus bare testi mony against Stephen, IS. jillthat satin the council, looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. It seems his face shown with a glory, like that which beamed &om MdSes's face, when he carae down from the mount. This miraKf Syria. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 2W where he heard and saw things which it was not possible forliim to utter ; but which were made-known to him in this miraculous manner, to encourage him in the dangerous work of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, whereunto Christ had called him. Nevertheless on that occasion, lest he should have been exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to him- a thorn in the fiesh, the messenger of SaSan to buffet him. This in all probability is what he calls. Gal. iv. 13. His infirmity of the fiesh .; and 1 4. His temtitation which was -in his fiesh J -through which he preached to the Galatians at the first. If BO, Saul must have converted the Galatians, soon after his rapture, having gone from Cilicia into Galatia through Lycaonia, This thorn in the fiesh, or infirmity of the fiesh, or temptation which was in his fiesh, under vvhich the apostle at the first preached to the Galatians, may have been some bodily distemper Of the paralytic kind, which by affecting his countenance and speech, made him, as be thought, unfit for public spedking-; and therefore, fearing it might render his preaching unsuccessful, he prayed thrice in the most earnest manner to be delivered from it. But Jesus told him, 2 Cor. xii. 9. My grace is sufficiens for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. By this answer, Saul was perfectly reconciled to his condition. ¦ Nay he gloried in his infirmities, that the power of Chriat might rest ¦upon him. Here, while we leave Saul in Cili-cia, it will be proper to relate, that certain of the brethren who fled from Jenisalem after the death of Stephen, Acts xi. 19. TraveUed as far as Phanice, ,and Cyprus and Antioch, (No. VIII.) preaching the word to none but ¦unto Jews only. 20. Also certain men of Cyprus and Cy rene, coming lo Antioch, spake to the Hellenists, that Ts, (if the present reading be genuine) to the Jewsljorn in foreign coun tries who used the. Greek language ; preaching the Lord Jesus. 21. And the hand of the Lord was wifh them; they wrought miracles, in proof of their doctrine concerning the Lord Jcaus, And a great number believed, and turned to the Lord. The church of Christ at Antioch which was originally gathered from among the natives of Judea, being greatiy increased'by the con version of the Hellenist Jews. 22. When the tidings thereof came to the ears of the church which was at Jerusalem, they .sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Tliis was Joses the Levite of Cyprus, to whom tbe name of Tlarnahati, ¦ihat is, the Son of consolation, .was given, on -account .of As 298 THE LIFE OF relief which he afforded to the brethren, by selling his land and dividing the price of it among thera ; and who by the gifts of the Spirit which he possessed, was one of the superior prophets. 23. Who when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that wilh purpose of heart they would cleave 'unto the Lord. 24. For he was a good man, and full ofthe Holy Ghost, and of faith ; and much people was added unto the Lord. The increase ofthe church of Antioch last mentioned, was owing, I suppose, to the conversion of the devout proselytes. For as Barnabas carae to AntioCh after Peter had preached to Cor nelius, it is reasonable to think, that if the gospel was not forraerly preached to the proselytes of Antioch, Barnabas would without scruple preach to them now. Wherefore finding the work too heavy for him singly, and wishing to have the assis tance of an able fellow-labourer, he went into Cilicia in quest of Saul ; and having found him, brought him to Antioch, A. D. 44. after he had been about five years in Cilicia, (No. IX.) Barnabas and Saul being corae to Antioch, Acts xi. 26. As sembled themselves with the churcll a whole year, aud taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians, (No. 'Si.) first in Antioch, perhaps about the tirae Barnabas and Saul came thither from Cilicia. — Ver. 27. And in those days came p-rophets from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28. And there stood up one of them named Agabus,* and signified by the Spirit, that there should be a great dearth throughout all the world, that is, throughout all the land of Judea ; for the original word often denotes a particular land or country ; which came to pass in Ihe days of Claudiua Cesar. This famine began in the fourth year of Claudius's reign, answering to A. D. 44. But it raged chiefly in the Sth and 6th year ofthat eraperor.— Acts xi. 29, Then the distiples, every man according to Ms ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea. This deterraination was extremely proper : For the churches of Judea, being more exposed than other churches, to persecution and to the rapacity of the Roman officers, and to those outrages which the populace, under weak and corrupt go vernraents, coramit upon the objects oftheir hatred, the brethren In Judea could not have supported this dearth, if they had not been assisted from abroad. The church of Antioch therefore, * Before the( clause above mentioned, the Cambridge MS. hath the fol lowing words : And ixhite we viere gathered together, one df them named Jgaiiis, &c- wliich reading if genuine, implies that Luke the writei' of the histoi-y wastlien present. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 29S made collections for them, which they sent by the hands of Bar nabas and Saul ; not to the apostles, (for they had now given up the custody and raanagement of the funds of the church in Jerusalem, Acts vi. 2.) but to the elders or rulers of that church, chosen perhaps out ofthe 120 on whom the Holy Ghost fell at the first. And these were to make distribution thereof, to the brethren according to their need. By sending this seasonable gift to the disciples in Judea, the church of Antioch, in which were many gentile proselytes, did what they could to conciliate the good will of the Jewish believers. And this mark of their re gard, seeras to have been well received by the brethren in Judea. After a short abode at Jerusalem, Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch, in the end of the year 44, or in the beginning of 45, and took with them John, whose sirname was Mark, to assist thera in the ministry there. This is he who is called Barnabas' sister's son. Col. iv. 10 — Sometime after this, as Barnabas and Saul, with the other prophets and teachers of tbe church at An tioch, Acts xiii. 2. Ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, with an articulate audible voice. Separate me boih Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I liave called them. — Saul at his conversion was expressly called to preach to the Gentiles : and that call was renewed at the tirae Jesus appeared to hira during his trance in the temple. But at what tirae Bar nabas was called by the Holy Ghost to preach to the Gentiles, is not told. However the work here meant, being that of convert ing the idolatrous nations, and the present being their first separation thereto, it is more than probable that no idolaters were at that time converted. Wherefore, though tbe brethren of Antioch did not understand the nature of the work which Barnabas and Saul were now called to fulfil, yet as they knew they were going into distant countries, they willingly agreed to be deprived of tbsir useful labours. Accordingly, Acts xiii. 3. When they had fasted and prayed ior a.h\essing on their undertak ing, and laid their hands u/ion Ihem, after the manner ofthe Jews in their solemn prayers, (See Acts vi. 6.) they sent them away, that is, gave them leave to depart : for they were sent forth, not by the church of Antioch, but by the Holy Ghost : as the histo rian observes, ver, 4. However, lest the nature of this transaction should be mistaken, it is proper to observe, that by their separation of Barnabas and Saul, the church of Antioch did not confer upon them the apostolic office, (No. XI.) nor even authority to preach the gospel : far less did they communicate to them any spiritual 294 THE LIFE OF gift, or miraculous power, to fit them fbr being apostles. AH they did was siraply this, they agreed to send them away, and by prayer recommended tbem to the grace of God, Acts xiv. 26. XV. 40. As the separation of Barnabas and Saul by the prophets of Antioch, is recorded in the history after the death of Herod Agrippa, vvhich happened A. D. 44^ the order of the narration seems to imply, that Barnabas and Saul went araong the Gen tiles after that event. But how long after it, I cannot pretend to deterraine : perhaps they left Antioch in the year 45. The hand of providence appeared visible at tiiis time, in the removal of Herod Agrippa by death. The emperor Claudius io the second year of his reign, had given him tbe kingdom of his grandfather Herod the Great. After which Agrippa lived raostly at Jerusalem, observed the Jewish institutions, and prac tised the purity which they required. Josephus tells us, Antiq. xix 7. " He did not let a day pass, without worshipping God " according to the law." Wherefore, being a zealous Jew, his principles led hira to .persecute the Christians. And as he possessed the supreme, power in Judea, he was not under those restraints, wliich tied up the hands of the chief priests, wliilethc Rom-ans governed the country. Herod's zeal, therefore, or his policy, having free scope to operate, when he saw the Jews pleased with his putting tbe apostle James to death, he meant to proceed to farther cruelties, when God cut hira off by'a mortal disease, after be had reigned three years, and thereby gave great relief to the Christian churches. Upon Herod's death, the Romans reduced Judea a second time into the f(.-rm of a province. But as they were not animated with any zeal for the institutions of Moses, they did not think themselves obliged to take part with the Jews against the Chris tians : but restrained their fury. So that, as the historian observes, Acts xii. 24. The word of ihe Lord grew and multiplied. Cus- pius Fadus was the first procurator of Judea, after Agrippa's death. He came into the province, in the end of A. D. 44. and governed it for the space of two years. -Under, his government, and that of bis successor Tiberius Alexander, the famine hap- - pened which Agabus foretold. — Tiberius Alexander was suc ceeded by Ventidius Cumanus ; and after him carae Antonius Claudius Felix, under whose procuratorship, the tumult wa« raised against Paul in the temple, vvhich ended in his imprison raenl, first at Jerusalem, and after that at Cgesarea, where he was shut up two years complete. THE APOilTLE PAUL, 295 Cl'lAPTEll in. Of the Journey which Barnabas and Saul, by the Direction of the Holy Ghost, made int^l the Lesser Asia, for the Purpose of preaching to the Idolatrous Gentiles. Acts xiii. 4. "So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed with John Mark as their minister, unto Seleucia, a sea-port town on the Orontes, twelve miles below Antioch, and about five from the sea, and thence sailed unto Cyprus, the native country of Barnabas^ (Acts iv. 36.) where the Jews and proselytes were very numerous ; where also tbe gospel bad been forraerly preached to the Jevf s, by the brethren who had fled from the persecution, which arose after Stephen's death. Acts xi, 19. They land at Salamis in the Island of Cyprus, Having landed at Salamisy a considerable town in the eastern end of the island, and Barnabas and Saul preached in the Jewish synagogues there. But before we proceed, it will be necessary to make a pause here, for the sake of explaining the order observed by Saul, from tills tirae forth, in preaching the gospel — Our Lord, atthe tirae he first sent forth his apostlss to preach, having said to thera, Matth. X. 5. Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city ofthe Samaritans enter ye n6t. 6. But go rather to the lost sheep ofthe house of Israel, it was Ibng before they thought themselves at liberty to preach to the Gentiles. And even after they knew the truth concerning this matter, they considered the above di rection, as an order to offer tbe gospel in every country and city to the Jews, if there were any in those parts, before they offered it to the Gentiles. (Acts xiii. 46.) Nor were they raistaken, in putting this interpretation upon their Master's precept, who had- fixed this order of preaching the gospel, for the following reasons. First, The Jews being the keepers of all the former revela tions made to mankind, by the true God, and these revelations being preparations for the introduction of the gospel, and con taining clear predictions thereof, and of Jesus its author, it was necessary that it should be offered first to the Jews : because if they received it as the completion of the former revelations, it would be no small argument to persuade the Gentiles of the divine original of the gospel. The truth is, die converted Jews 296 THE LIFE OF by their knowledge and belief of the former revelations, were well fitted to be zealous and effectual preachers of the gospel, not only among our own countryraen, but among the Gentiles also. Wherefore, it was fit that most of the first preachers of the gospel should be of tb-at nation. Secondly, the vnde dispersion of the Jews araong the Gentiles, by the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, and their extreme passion for commerce, which led them to plant themselves in all the chief cities of the Gentiles, were not accidental events, but vvere brought about by the providence of God, to prepare the world for the reception of the gospel. Nor could any method raore effectual have been devised for that purpose. Because the Jews having from the beginning, possessed the knowledge of the only true God the Maker and Governor of the world, they carried that knowledge with them into the Gen tile countries where they resided, and imparted it to all around them, who were willing to receive it. And having multiplied exceedingly in their dispersion at the time Saul went among the Gentiles to preach the gospel, he found in every country and city great nurabers, not only of his own nation, (No. XII.) but of the Gentiles, whom the Jews had turned from idols to wor ship the only true God. These enlightened Gentiles were called by tiie Jews Religious or worshipping proselytes,* because they assembled themselves with the Je-ftrs in their synagogues, and joined them in worshipping God, by such prayers and hymns as they addressed to him in the character of Maker and Governor of the world : Also, because they joined them in hearing the writings of Moses and the prophets read in the Greek trans lation. These pious Gentiles, by their knowledge of the true * It may be proper here to set before the reader, at one view, the various names given in tlie scripture-history, to those Gentiles whom the Jews had turned from idols to worship the true God. et'jS-^i; io}.a.Cii;, ii. 5. fr^omKwnii, ii. 10. Proselytes. This narae was given likewise to those Gentiles who received circumcision, and who were Jews in every respect, except in their descent. atvJge? eufl-gCsi?, X. 2. 7. foSn/Aivoi TCV @e<^v»i) the devout Gentiles ; for such only frequented the Jewish synagogue. His first converts at Corinth were Epenetus, and the household of Stephanas, whom he calls the first fruits qf Achaia. But whether they were Jews, or Gentiles, is hard to say. Only this -we know, that his sermons had littie influence in converting many of the Jews. AboWthis time Timothy, after establishing the brethren of Thessalonica in their faith, to whom he had been sent from Athens,^eft that city to join Paul at Corinth. In his way call ing upon Silas, who was at Beraea, they travelled together to Corinth, where they found the apostle, and gave him the agree able news, that the Thessalonian brethren stood firm in the faith, bare the persecution ofthe unbelievers vvith exemplary fortitude, and entertained a grateful reraembrance of their spiritual father, .1 Thass. iii. 6. These tidings filled the apostie with joy, and en couraged hira to deal more plainly vvith the Jews at Corinth, than he had hitherto done. — Acts xviii. 5. And when Silas and Tim othy were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in Spirit, .and testified to the Jews, that Jesus was the Christ ; founding his testiraony upon arguraents brought from the scriptures, and upon the miracles which he wrought in confirmation of his doc trine, and upon the spiritual gifts vvhich he conferred upon those who believed. 6. ylnd when they opposed themselves to this doc trine, and blasphemed Jesus, by affirming that he was not the THE APOSTLE PAUL. 331 Christ, but an impostor, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your heads ; I am clean : (agreeably to God's dec aration, Ezek. xxxiii. 8, 9.) from henceforth I will go unto the Gntiles: I will no longer attempt to convert persons who con- ter.iptuously put away the word of God from them, but I vvill preach the gospel tothe idolatrous Gentiles in this city. 7. And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house named Justus, one that worshifified God, whose house joined hard to the sy nagogue. Paul chose to preach in the house of this religious pro selyte, because being near to tbe synagogue, such ofthe Jews as were of a teachable disposition, had thereby an opportunity of hearing him preach. Accordingly, while he preached in the house of Justus, 8. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his houf.e ; and many of the Corinthians, the idola trous inhabitants of the city, hearing him, believed, and were bap tized, by Silas and Timothy I suppose : for the apostle affirms, that he baptized none ofthe Corinthians, but Crispus and Caius, and the household of Stephanas.— .Acts xviii. 9. Then spake the Lord lo Paul by night in a vision. Be not afraid, but sfieak, and hold not thy peace. 10. For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee : speak "freq uently and boldly •,for I have muchpeople in this dty ; I have in this city many who are disposed to hear the gospel, and who on hearing it will believe. — The apostle thus en couraged by bis Master, 11. Continued a year and six months, teaching fhe word of God among them. Tiraothy, in the account which he gave of tbe Thessalonian brethren, had told the apostle, That the persecution against thera raged more than ever ; being carried on by the idolatrous Gentiles, as well as by the Jews : That while the rulers and the raultit'de used force in destroying the church, the philosophers and the raen of learning endeavoured to overthrow the gospel itself by arguraents : Tbat the Thessalonian brethren neverthe less, had stood firm against every shock : And that they had a great desire to see the apostle their spiritual father, to be com forted by him in their distress. These tidings made St. Paul wish exceedingly to return to Thes-salonica ; but the importance of the work in which he was engaged at Corinth, and the suc cess with which he was carrying it on, rendered it improper for him to depart. However, he supplied the want of his presence in some measure, by writing to the Thessalonians his first epistle, wherein he furnished them with a deraonstration of the divine original of the gospel, to enable them to answer such of the 332 THE LIFE OF Grecian sophists as attacked their faith with arguments. In that epistie also, he comforted those who mourned ths loss of their dead relations, by foretelling Christ's retum from heaven to raise the dead, and carry his faithful servants to the abodes of the blessed! — This by many is reckoned the first of all .Paul's apostolical writings : and we may hold it to be so ; unless we think his epistle to the Galatians was written from Antioch, a few months after the Council of Jerusalem. The year and aix "months which Paul is said to have spent, ver. 1 1. In teaching the word of God among them, is not to be under stood of the Corinthians alone ; but of the inhabitants of Achaia also. For it is reasonable to suppose, that the apostle occasion ally left Corinth, and went into the country of Peloponnesus, where there were many synagogues ofthe Jews, especially in the chief cities ; and having preached to the Jews and Gentiles in these cities, he returned again to Corinth. To this supposition we are directed by Paul himself; for he insinuates that he prea ched in the region of Achaia, 2 Cor. xi. 10. And the inscription of his second epistle to the Corinthians, shews that he had made many converts in that country. For it runs thus : To thechurch of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia. Accordingly his return to Corinth from Peloponnesus, or some other part of Achaia, is considered by hira as his second coming to-Corinth- For he tells thera, 2 Cor. xii. 14. xiii. 1. that he was then coming to thera the third time ; although in the history of the Acts, there is no raention of his being at Corinth more than once, before he wrote his second epistle to the church in that city. It seeras, when the letter to the Thessalonians was publicly read, some who vvere not acquainted with the apostle's manner of writing, inferred from certain expressions in that letter, that the day of judgment was at hand. Impostors also came,to Thes salonica, pretending to bring from Paul hiraself the same doc trine. This error occasioning great confusion among the Thes salonian brethren, with a total neglect of their worldly affairs, tidings thereof were brough* to the apostle at Corinth, after his return from the region of Achaia. Wherefore he wrote his second epistle to the Thessalonians, to assure them that the day of judgment was not at liand ; for that day was not to come, till. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 333 there was a falling away first, and the man of sin was revealed, whose coming he there describes*. Paul's great success at Corinth and in Peloponnesus, provoked the Jews to the highest pitch of rage, when they found he led his converts to despise the institutions of Moses, by assuring them that they might be justified and saved through faith in Christ, without the use of these institutions. Wherefore in the year that Gallio, the elder brother of Seneca the philosopher. Acts xviii. 12. was proconsul of Achaia, that is, about the end of A. D. 52. (being the xiith of Claudius, see No. VII.) the Jews made insurrection loilh one accord againat Paul, and brought him be fore the judgment seat ; (all the Jews in Corinth joined in this assault.) 13. Saying, this fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. It seeras Paul had taught, that the law of Moses being now abrogated, raen were no longer to worship God with sacrifices and washings and other bodily services, but in spirit and in truth. And this manner of worship being deem ed contrary to the law of Moses, the unbelieving Jews, in a tumultuous manner, brought Paul the promoter of it, before the proconsul, in order to have him punished as one who, in pre scribing a worship contrary to the law of Moses, had acted contrary to the laws of the empire, which tolerated the Jews in the exercise oftheir religion.^14. But when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio, sensible of the futility of the charge, would not allow him to make any reply : but himself said to the Jews, .^it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness ; ii ye ac cused this man of any injury done to particular persons, or of wantonly distilrbing the peace of society ; O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you. — Acts xviii. 1 5. But if it be a question (a-efi Xiya) of a doctrine, and of names, and of your law ; if your accusation respect opinions taught by Paul which ye think heretical ; and whether the naraes of the Christ, and the Son of God which he hath given to any one, ought to be given to that person ; and whether all who worship the God of the Jews are bound to worship him according to the rites of your law, look ye to it : These are matters which belong to yourselves, and with which as a magistrate I have no concern : Therefore I iintl *As there is no mention in the second epistle to the Thessalonians, of the insurrestion at Corinth whi)e Gallio was proconsul, we may suppose that letter to have been written before the insurrection happened. I have therefore dated it accordingly. 334 THE LIFE OF be no judge of such matters. It seems Gallio knew that Paul had persuaded sorae of the idolatrous Corinthians to receive his opinions ; but be wisely declined deterraining by any judicial sentence, what were their obligations in consequence of that al teration of their faith. ¦ At the sarae tirae, it is plaiii he was not offended with Paul, for having turned many of the Corinthians from idols to serve the true God. He knew the Jews had at terapted to do the sarae thing in Various parts of the empire, though not with equal success. 16. And he drove them from the judgment-seat. 17- Then, after the court was ended, all the Greeks, displeased with the Jews for their turbulent persecuting spirit, took Sosthenes Ihe ruler of the synagogue, who I suppose had succeeded Crispus, and who was the ringleader in this insurrec tion, although afterward, following the example of Crispus, he also believed : and beat him with their fists before the judgment- seat, while Gallio looked on, without hindering them : Gallio cared for none of those things : being pleased with the indignity done by the Greeks, to tbe chief magistrates ofthe Jews, whose malicious disposition he detested. In this manner Christ, according to his proraise, ver, 1 0. pro tected Paul against the rage of the Jews. The rulers likewise shewed no unfriendly disposition towards the disciples. And therefore Paul abode yet a good while at Corn ith after the in surrection.* — Acts xviii. 18. And then took his leave ofthe bre thren and sailed into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea, for he had a vow. (No. XIII.) Tbey took ship at Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth, where Paul shaved his head, and thereby put a period to the duration ofa vow, which he had raade, perhaps on occasion ofthe great deliverfince he had obtained, when the Jews made insurrection against hira. But the ship in wbich they sailed having occasion to touch at Ephesus, Aquila and Priscilla remained there. 1 9 . But he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews, upon whom his discourse made such an impression, that ver. 20. They desired him to tarry longer time with them. How ever, as his vow made it necessary that be should offer the ap pointed sacrifices in Jerusalem, at the ensuing feast, which ac cording to the general opinion was the passover. Acts xviii. 20. * The time the apostle abode at Corinth after the insurrection, I suppose is included in the year and six months, which he is said, ver- 11- to have spent in teaching the isiord among them. If the reader is of different opinion, the apostie- must have spent more than a.year and .six months in teaching at Corinth. THE APOSTLE PAUL. , 335 He consented not. 21. But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh, in Jerusalem. In the mean time, perceiving there was a probability of preaching the gospel with success, both to the Jews and Gentiles in Ephesus, he promised to return. I will return again tcyou, if God will : and he sailed from Ephesus. In this voyage the apostle n;iet with no obstruction. We may therefore believe, that he landed at Cassarea, in such good tirae as to keep the feast in Jerusalem according to his resolution, and complete his vow. Acts xviii. 22. And when he had landed at Cesarea, is'c, CHAPTER VL Paul's History, from his landing at Cssarea, to his going to Jerusalem vvith the Collections for the Saints. As we shall have occasion, in the course of the narration, to mention Csesarea more than once, where Paul now landed after finishing his voyage from Ephesus, it will be proper to give sorae account of a city, which in those days was so celebrated. — An ciently people who came to Jerusalem by sea, landed at Joppa. But the harbour being inconvenient, Herod the Great built one more commodious atStraton's tower, a town situated not far frora Joppa, on an open bay. This harbour he iriade, by running a strong raole into the sea. He likewise enlarged and beautified the city with many edifices both public and private : particularly with a prsetoriura, a theatre, and an araphitheatre ; in wbich latter, his grandson Herod Agrippa was struck with a raortal disease, for as suming the glory which belonged to God, Acts xii. 23. Withal to raake this as like a Greek city as possible, he set up a Colossal statue of Augustus, not inferior to that of Jupiter at Olympia ; and naraed the city Casarea. — Tbe beauty of Caesarea, and the advantages which it derived frora its fine harbour, induced the Roraan governors of Judea to reside there, rather than at Jeru salera. Accordingly in the course of Paul's history, we shall find him imprisoned in that city, and during his imprisonment, brought before Felix and Festus, the governors of the province. Paul, having visited the Churches of Jerusalem and Antioch, goes through Galatia and Phrygia. While he is thus employed, ApoUos comes to Ephesus. After landing at Caesarea, Paul went up to Jerusalem, and sa luted the church.. But as there was no need of his labours in a city where there were so raany apostles and chief brethren, he did not stay long, after keeping the feast, but went down' to Antioch., where formeriy he and Barnabas had laboured so successfully 336 THE LIFE OP in the work of the ministry. Acts xviii. 22. And when he had landed at Ceesarea, and gone up and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch. 23. And when he had apent some lime there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, strengthening all the disciples. — The apostle went at this time into the countries of Galatia and Phrygia by land, taking Syria and Cilicia of course in his way. And seeing we are told he went over all these countries iw order, we may believe he did so for the purpose of visiting every church, and receiving those contributions, which in his former journey he had requested them to make for the saints in Judea, I Cor. xvi. 1. While Paul was thus visiting the churches of Galatia and Phrygia, there came to Ephesus a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria in Egypt. This person having heard John Baptist preach, had become his disciple, and was but imperfectiy instructed by him in the way of tbe Lord. Apollos however being mighty in the sacred writings ofthe Jews, went into.the synagogue of Ephesus, and taught with great accuracy, what he knew concerning the Lord Messiah, whether from John's preaching, or frora the scriptures. But Aquila and Priscilla, who during Paul's abode with thera, had iraproved theraselves in the knowledge of the gospel, and who had been left by him at Ephesus, happening to hear Apollos, and observing that he possessed great goodness of disposition. Acts xviii. 26. took him and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly, by informing him, that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ whose coming John had announced ; and by assuring him that John had even pointed him out, as the Christ to his disciples. Besides, these well-in structed Christians gave Apollos a particular account ofthe birth, doctrine, miracles, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus ; and informed him^ that Jesus had proved himself to be the Christ, not only by his miracles and resurrection, but by his baptizing his disciples with the Holy Ghost and with fire, as John had foretold. — Apollos having received this more perfect instruction in the Christian faith, went with letters from the brethren to Corinth, where he helped them much who had believed through grace. 28. For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Ihe Christ. And, having occasion to tarry some time at Corinth, he became so zealous and useful a ipreacher there, that the fame ofhis labours reached the apostle, during his abode in Ephesus ; and occasioned him, in the letter which he wrote from that city to the Corinthians, to say, 1 Cor. iii. 6, lhave planted, Apollo.* watered. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 397 Paul having .travelled tlirough Galatia and Phrygia, comes with his Assis- tants to Ephesus, where he confers t|ie Holy Gho.rt on twelve of John's Disciples, preaches -in the Synagogue, is opposed by the Jews, teaches in the School of Tyrannus, and works great Miracles- The Magicians burn their Books. He receives a Letter from the Corindiians, in Answer to which he writes his First Epistle to them. Me is assaulted by the Crafls- men,^nd leaves Ephesus after luiving gathered a numerous church there. While ApoUos vvas at Corinth, Paul having passed through the country of Galatia and Phrygia, called. Acts xix. 1., The ¦upper coasts, came to Ephesus. Who were his companions in his journey, Luke has not told us. But it appears that he had several. For Timothy and Erastus are called, ver. 22. Two of ..them who ministered to him. Timothy vtas Paul's constant at tendant : and Erastus was the chamberlain or treasurer of Co rinth, (Rora. xvi. 23.) who having early embraced the gospel, ¦ foj'med such an attachraent to the apostle, that when he sailed - from, Corinth to Judea, he accorapanied him: and from Judea . he now returned with him to Ephesus. Or he may have raet .. the apostle at Ephesus. Titus also was in Paul's train' at fhis time : for he was the bearer of the first epistle to the Corin- ,[, thians, which vvas written from Ephesus. Sosthenes, formerly SI ruler of the synagogue in Corinth, but novv a convert to the gospel, was wilh him likewise ; for he joined him in writing that epistie. Caius too and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, were also with Paul: for in the account given of tbe riot of Demetrius, they are mentioned as Paul's companions in frtivel, Acts xix. 29. At this tirae Ephesus was the metropolis of the province, of , Asia, and an exceedingly populous city. For pot to speak of its native inhabitants, which were very numerous, a great con course of strangers always resorted to Ephesus, some to wor ship the goddess Diana, whose rites were celebrated with great magnificence, in a temple erected to her there at the expense of all Asia : others to learn the arts of sorcery and magic, which were taught and practised at Ephesus with such reputation, that the, magipal. words or sentences, used in the practice of sorcery, had their name from Ephesus : being called, Etpee-ia y^x/i/iaTic, Ephesian letters : others came to prosecute law-suits, or to so licit offices from the Roraan governor of the province, who had rhis, residence, there:, others took Ephesus in their way to and frora Europe : and, otiiers, after thp manner of the easterns, abpde VOL. VI. 43 338 THE LIFE OF there occasionally for the sake of coraraerce. Sec Pref. te Ephes. sect. 1. — Ephesus therefore being a place of such gene ral resort, and the very throne of idolatry, superstition, and raagic, the apostie, when he formerly leit that city, resolved to return and attack these impieties, in this their strongest hold. Wherefore having discharged his vow in Jerusalem, he raade no stay there, nor even at Antioch ; but, as was observed above, he travelled through Syria, and Cilici. , and the upper coasts, as ex peditiously as was consistent with his purpose in visiting those countries ; then came to Ephesus, where he abode three years, and gathered a very numerous church, the raembers of which were so dear to him, that he ceased not to warn every one mght and (lay with tears. Acts xx. 31. On his arrival, the apostie found certain disciples residing at Ephesus, to whom he said. Acts xix. 2. Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed ? and they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there ie any Holy Ghost ; any ef fusion of the Holy Ghost on the disciples, whereby they are ena bled to prophesy and work miracles. 3. And he said unto thera (eii Tl) with what then were ye baptized ? It seems, those who were baptized by the apostles, commonly received the Holy Ghost after their baptism. They said to him, with John's bap. tism. Upon this he took occasion to shew them, that by John's baptisra they had bound thfimselves,-4. to believe on him which should come after him, that is on Christ Jesus. 5. When they heard this, they zoere baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And after their baptism, Paul laying his hands on them, 6. Tht Holy Ghost came upon them, and they spake with tongues, cmd prophesied. 7 . And all the men were about twelve. These bre thren, being not only tbe first disciples of Christ in Ephesus, but the first in that city who received the Holy Ghost, we may believe the apostle afterward ordained them elders ofthat church. If so, they may have been among the elders of Ephesus, who came to Miletus and received frora Paul the pathetic exhorta tion recorded. Acts xx. 18 — 35. Paul, after giving this signal proof of his apostleship, 8. Weiit into ihe synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months (^htcXi'yiti*,ev(^) reasoning and persuading the things, which concern the kingdom of God; that is, reasoning in proof of the things which concern the gospel-dispensation, and persuading the Jews to believe these things. But the Jews, during this second series of preaching, perceiving the drift ofhis discourses to be, to prove THE APOSTLE PAUL. 339 that raen are justified by the gospel, without obeying the law of Moses, Acts xix. 9. Divers zcere hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way, before the multitude in the synagogue ; re presenting it as utterly subversive of the revelations raade by Moses and the prophets. Wherefore, finding the Jews incor rigible, the apostle carried the disciples away frora the syna gogue, and preached daily in the school of one Tyrannus, a phi losopher, who either vvas himself converted, or hired his school tothe apostle to preach in it. 10. And this continued by the space of two years ; so that all they which dwelt in Asia; that is, in the province so called ; heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. It seems the fame of the apostle's doc trine and miracles, brought multitudes to Ephesus from distant parts, and these by what they heard and saw being converted, preached the gospel when they returned to their ovvn cities, and founded those churches which the apostle tells the Colossians, Chap. ii. 1. had not seen his face in the fiesh. As Paul abode longer at Ephesus, than in any other city we read of, he wrought more and greater rairacles there, than in any other city. Acts xix. 1 1 . And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul.. 12. So that from his body, were brought unto the sick who could not conveniently be carried to him, hand. kerchiefs (ti) and aprons belonging to the sick, which had touched his body, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spi rits went out of them. In this respect Paul was equal to Peter, whose shadow as he passed by, overshadowing the sick who were laid on couches in the streets of Jerusalem, cured thera of their distempers, Acts v. 1 5. — Wherefore it was owing to the multitude and greatness of Paul's miracles, that so many of the inhabitants of Ephesus, and of the province of Asia, embraced the gospel. Paul's reputation was greatly increased at Ephesus, by what happened to the seven sons of Sceva, one of the Jewish chief priests. These raen are called vagabond Jews and exorcists, because they strolled through the countries of the Lesser Asia, practising that magic, which was in such vogue among the hea thens. But when they came to Ephesus, hearing of the wonder ful things which Paul performed in the name of Jesus, and per haps seeing sorae of them, they took upon them, in the name of Jesus, to expel an evil spirit out of a possessed person — But, Acts xix. 15. The evil spirit answered, Jesus I know, and Paul I know ; I know the authority and power of Jesus and Paul, and am ready to obey them ; But who are ye ? Acts xix. 1 6. And the 34Cr THE LIFE OF man in whom the evil spirit was, leapt' on them; and overcame them, and prevailed against th6m, so that they' fied out of that' house, naked and wounded. This acknowledgement of the divine authority of Jesus and Paul, made in the -absence of both, IT. was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus ; and fear fell on them all, and the name ofthe Lord Jesus was magnified. 18, And many that believed, strongly impressed by vvhat had happened, came to Paul and confessed, that they had attempted to cure diseases by charms, and other magical prac tices; and shewed their deeds :' the arts by which they had de ceived the raultitude, 19. Many also of them who used these curious arts of exorcism, conjuration, and raagic, now'firmly be lieving the gospel, brought their books, in which the differeiit forms of incantation for different diseases were prescribed, the method of making these incantations was shewed, the herbs and other medicines to be used with these incantations were pointed out, and the seasons for using thera were fixed. And burneif these books before all men : and they counted ihe price of them, and fhey found it fifty thousand pieces of silver : {£. 7500 Ster ling.) For these being books qf raedicine, as' well as of sorcery and raagic, were of "great value : especially if, according tb' the fashion of the times, they were written on parchment. Never theless the owners of them made a willing sacrifice of them to* truth and piety ; because the arts theraselves being unlawful, it ¦vvas not fit that the books which taught thera, should be in the possession of any person whatever. Acts xix, 20. So mightily ' grczt) the word of God, and prevailed. But, notwithstanding this great success, Paul had mariy ene mies iri Ephesus, who on some occasion or other hurried hiwi into the theatre, and forced him to fight with wild beasts, 1 Cor, XV, 32. If after the manner of men, (e^^i>>/.ia^iii!-ei) I htcoe fought with wild beasts at Ephesus. — Some indeed understand this me taphorically, of certain dangerous contests which the apostle Ivdd with the unbelieving 'Jews, vvhom on account of their malice and rage he called wild beauts, as he called the Cretians («««« 5Df(«) evil wild beasts, (Tit. i. 12.) on account of their idleness arid gluttony. Yet I rather think this was a real combat ; be-" cause the apostle seems to allude to such a combat, 2 Cor. i. 8. — ¦ 19. For he tells the Corinthians, he was in such danger that he ^¦dssed the sentence of death upon himself; but God delivered him from so great a death. ^ Beside, the expression after the manner , of men, or the custom which then prevailed among the Greeks, THE APOSTLE PAUL. "¦tl seems to imply that this was a real combat. For though,. being; a- Roman citizen, he could not be- adjudged to such a punislv ment, he may have been forced to it by an enraged raultitude, Further, as the apostle, in every city where he preached anyf length of time, had the same dangerous contests with the un believing Jews, as in Ephesus, there wasno reason for raention ing his contests with the Jews in that city, more than anywhere- else. About this time, sorae of the family of Chloe, a- Corinthian disciple, happening to come to Ephesus, informed the apostle, that great; divisions had taken place in their church, (l.Cor. i. 1 1.) through the bad, practices of a teacher, who had come rer commended from Judea, and who affirraed that Paul was no apostle; and who at the sarae time contradicted many of his doc trines. On such an occasion, Paul's presence at Corinth, without, doubt, was extremely necessary. But the business in which he, was engaged at Ephesus, not permitting him to depart imme diately, he sent Erastus and Tiraothy into Macedonia, (Acts xix. 22.) and frora thence to Corinth, to inquire into the state ofthe. church there. And if they understood that the Corinthians were; not wholly alienated frora the apostle, they were to tell them he, would come among thera soon, to increase the spiritual, gifts of those who acknowledged his authority, and to punish with) the. rod all who persisted in their disobedience, 1 Cor. iv. 1 7. While the things above related were doing at Ephesus,, the sincere part of the Corinthian church, having heard of Paul's residence there, sent three of their number to him with a letter, in which tiiey asked his opinion concerning the subjects, of their dissentions. These messengers arrived at Ephesus, ncit long after the departure of Tiraothy and Erastus : And from the ac count which they brought, the apostie entertained good hopes that the Corinthians might yet be reclaimed. Wherefore, to promote their refi>rmation, he in answer to their letter, wrote his first epistie to the Corinthians; in which he endeavoured to heal their divisions, reproved the faulty, explained and asserted the doctrines which the false teacher had irapugned, and pre scribed rules for the orderly and edifying exercise of their spi ritual gifts. — This epistle the apostle sent, not by the Corin thian raessengers, Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, but by Titus who accompanied them on their return. For he wished to inform the Corinthians, of his great success at Ephesus, by one who was an eye-witness of it. It was likewise proper thai 342 THE LIFE OF the person who carried his letter, should bring him back word how it was received, and what effect it produced. And as Apol los was at Ephesus when Titus and the brethren departed, Paill proposed that he likewise should go to Corinth, in the persua sion that he raight be of great use there. But Apollos declined it- (1 Cor. xvi- 12.) for reasons, of which, at this distance of tirae, nothing but uncertain conjectures can be forraed. The success with which Paul turned the inhabitants of Ephe. sus frora the worship of idols, being very great, the bigots and all who made gain of the established idolatry, were alarmed ; especially one Demetrius, who raade silver shrines* for Diana. Of these shrines, many were sold to the inhabitants of Ephesus, and many to those who carae frora distant parts to worship the goddess, so that great profits were raade by those who dealt in this coraraodity. But Deraetrius perceiving, that there would be an end of the trade, if Paul's doctrine was suffered to spread, called together the raen of like occupation, and said to them. Acts xix. 25. Sirs, ye know that by this craft zee have our wealth. 26. Moreover, ye see and hear, that' not .alone id Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turn. ed away much people, saying, that they be no gods which are made with hands ; Paul it seeras had denied that the gods re sided in their images. 27. So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought ; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana will be despised, and her magnificence will be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth. An inflam matory speech of this kind, addressed to tbe superstition and avarice of the raultitude, immediately produced the desired ef fect. The craftsmen, and all who were employed about the tem ple of Diana, 28. When they heard these things, were full: of wrath, and cried out, saying. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. 29. And the whole city was filled with confusion : for the crafts men ran about the streets, and gave the alarm to the multitude; and having caught Caius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, * In the original it is vane ^e^yvext A^Tefiif®", silver temples of Diana, i. e. representations in miniature of the temple of Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter. This representation beinpr set on an altar, or some other holy place, the door of it vvas opened, and the image stood or sat in state, in the view of the spectator who worshipped it. The taberna cles of Moloch, mentioned Acts vii. 43. vvhich the Israelites carried about in the wilderness, seem to have been things of the same kind with Diana's shrines. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 343 Paul's companions in travel, they ran with one accord into the theatre, intending no doubt to throw them to the wild beasts usually kept there. 30. And when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not ; because ifhe had gone in, there vvould have been no restraining of the multitude. 31. And certain of the Asiarchs, who were his friends, sent to him, desiring that he would not venture himself into the theatre. 32. Some, therefore, cried one thing, and some another ; for the assembly was confused, and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together. 33. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude. This I suppose was Alexander the coppersmith, who, though at that time Paul's disciple, became afterwards a teacher of false doctrine, and his great enemy. This person, it seeras, by erabracing the gospel had offended the Jews, who wished to expose hira to the enraged multitude, as one who was active in destroying the established religion : The Jews putting him forward. Andjilexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people. 34. But when they knew that he wgs a Jew, consequently an enemy to their religion, and to iraage-worship, all with one voice, ahout the space of tivo hours cried out. Great is Diana of the Ephesians. — The rioters, by these violent outcries so long continued, having spent their rage, (o ypaiAMMTevi) the proconsul's secretary, to whora the direction of the affairs of the city was committed, appeased the people ; and said to them, 35. Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth nat how that the city of the Ephesians, is the temple keeper* qf the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter ? 36. Seeing then these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet and lo do nothing rashly. 37. For ye have brought hither these men, Caius and Aristarchus, luliich are neither robbers of temples, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess, so ought not to be thrown to the wild beasts, the punishment ye wish to inflict on them. 38. Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open. — In this speech, the secretary took hold on the multitude by their preju dices ; for without speaking any thing concerning Paul's doc trine, that they be no gods which are made with handa, he desired the Ephesians to consider, that their privileges as the keepers • NeaKog®*, qui templum purgat et ornat, from kojuv, iierrere, ornare. This title was given to those cities which had the care of the games celebrated in honour oi any god or goddess. 3-M THE LIFE OF of the temiple of Diana, and of- her heaven descended: image, were so universally acknowledged, that there i was no danger, of "their losing that"honour,.through anything Paul had spoken ; ¦ and thereftfre they ought toibe quiet, and. to do nothing rashly. 'He> told them farther, that the menwhom they -liad brought into 'the theatre, were- not yet proved to 'be either robbers of temfitea, ¦•or'blaaphemers of their goddesa : Because though they might ihave «iSpoken against the iraages raade by the craftsmen, they hsfd said 'nothing against the image which fell down from Jupiter ;iaiid added, that, if Deraetrius and the craftsmen had these,.ior any , other crimes to lay to their charge, of which they could, prove I them guilty, the courts ¦ of law were open, where the ; matter might be fairly tried- — 39. But if ye inquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a laiiful assembly ; ifye.in- 'iquirej whether the temple of Diana or her worship be in danger, or what persons or religions should be tolerated in the city, these ¦are public matters, which should be deterrained in a lawfu.h as sembly; Acts xix. 40. For we are in danger to be called in ques tion by the- ^omsLns, for this day's uproar, there being, no cause, no private injury done to any person, wlieriby we may give an account I of this day's concourse. 41. And when he had thus spoken^hedis- missed the assembly,- and set Caius and Aristarchus atliberty. On this occasion it appears, th-at some of the principal meuof ¦the city, had embraced the Christian doctrine ; or were dispos ed to do so. For no less persons than the Asiarchsy&re said, to have been Paul's friends (ver. 31.) These were the priests of Diana, who had the care of the games celebrated in honour of ¦that goddess. (See Whitby's note on ver. 31.) For although they derived both dignity and profit frpm the established idola try, yet their sound sense, their love of truth, and their attach ment' to good raorals, led thera to befriend Paul, in his arduous undertaking, of spreading the knowledge of the true God, and of the way of salvation by Christ. The proconsul's secretary, or, as others think, the town-clerk of Ephesus, declared like wise that he had a good opinion of the Christian preachers. They were neither robbers of temples, nor blasphemers of Diana : Nay he told them plainly, that there was no cause for that day's uproar. We may therefore believe, that in preacliing against the established worship, Paul and his assistants had spo ken nothing against Diana ii;i particular, though their general doctrine struck against all the heathen deities in the lump > and even that in speaking against the: established idohitry, they had THE APOSTLE PAUL. 345 used a becoming decency of language. Wherefore, the secre tary observing their prndence, entertained a good opinion of the cause they were engaged in. To these illustrious converts raay be added, such as had studied magic, and who, on their becom ing Christians, burnt the books in which the secrets of their art were contained. For many of tbem, no doubt, were raen of learning, and philosophers. Wherefore, the church gathered at Ephesus, was not more considerable for the nuraber, than for the quality of raany of its members. We are not told how long Paul remained at Ephesus after the riot. It is said indeed. Acts xx. 1. After the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them for to go into Macedonia. This, however, does not necessarily imply his immediate departure ; as hath been shewn in tbe preface to Ephesians, sect. 1. paragr. 4. The apostle therefore. may have I'emained in Ephesus and its neighbourhood some raonths after the riot, to comfort the disciples, and establish the churches of Asia, whose salutation he sent in the conclusion of his first let ter to the Corinthians. Beside, from Paul's own account, it ap pears that he remained in the neighbourhood of Ephesus, wait ing for the coming ot Titus from Corinth. But Titus not arriv ing within the time appointed him, the apostle becarae impa tient, and went forward to Troas in the hope of meeting with him there. But being disappointed in that expectation also, he pass ed over into Macedonia, where at lengtb. Titus came to hira, and gave hira great joy, by the account which he brought him of the good disposition of the Corinthians, as we shall see imraediately. Leaving Ephesus, Paul goes into Macedonia, where he writes his Second Epistle to the Corintiiians, then proceeds to Greece to receive the Col lections. In Corinth he writes his Epistle to the Romans, and returns to Macedonia in his Way to Jerusalem, accompanied by the messengers of the Churches. At Philippi, Luke joins him as one ofhis attendants. When Paul left Ephesus he went to Troas, in expectation of meeting Titus as he returned from Corinth.— 2 Cor. ii. 1 2, 1 3, At Troas the apostle had great success in preaching. Never theless he did not remain any time there, but passed over into Macedonia, being anxious to see Titus. While in Macedonia, he doubtless visited the churches which he had planted at 'Phi lippi, and Thessalonica, and Beraea ; and all the other churches in that large and populous province. So the historian informs tis, Acts XX. 1. And when the uproar was ceased, Paid called id • VOL. VI. 44 346 , THE LIFE OF him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. Here, that he- raight wholly wean tbe Corinthians from the false teacher, Paul wrote to thera his second epistle, in the sumraer of the year 57, about five raonths after the date of his first letter. See No. VII. In that second letter Paul hath given us a short account of his past sufferings, which deserves to be raentioned here ; be cause his sufferings are the strongest proofs of his firra belief of the doctrines and facts which he preached, and of the righ teousness of tbe cause in which he was engaged. From that ac count it appears, that he had been five times scourged by the Jews in their synagogues, and thrice beaten with rods by the Greeks and Roraans: He had been once stoned, and left as dead, namely at Lystra ; and three times shipwrecked. In one of these shipwrecks he had been a whole night and a day in the sea. He had raade many journeys by land, in which he had encountered perils without number, in passing rivers, and from robbers, and from the unbelieving Jews, and from the Gentiles, and even frora false brethren. Also, he had undergone much bodily fa tigue, in working for his own raaintenance, and for the mainte nance of his companions, while they assisted bim in preaching. Lastly, in the course of his many and long journeys, he had en dured much watching, and hunger, and thirst, and cold, and na kedness, 2 Cor. xi. 23 — 28. — But his trials did not end at this period. He lived nine or ten years after this, in which he suf fered yet greater hardships, till at length he was put to death by Nero, for tbe testiraony of Jesus. Would any irapostor have suffered such a long, course of evils, for the sake of propagating a tale, the falsehood of which he was conscious of ? Acts XX. 2. And when he had gone over those parts, (Macedo nia) and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece. 3. And there abode three months. — In going through Macedonia, the apostle, certainly received the collections which the churches made for the poor of the saints in Judea : And had those fight ings and inward fears of which he speaks, 2 -Cor. vii. 5. Perhaps also, it was on this occasion that he preached the gospel on the confines of lUyricum, as raentioned Rom. xv. 19. — During the three months the apostle spent in Greece, he received from the churches of Achaia, the money which they had collected for the saints, agreeably to his direction to the Corinthians, 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2, 3 — At that time also, he wrote from Corinth his epis tie to the Romans, (Rom. xv. 25.) of whose affairs he had heard THE APOSTLE PAUL. 347 from Aquila and Priscilla. And having finished all these mat ters, he proposed to sail directiy into Syria. But the Jews, who h-ad heard of the money he was carrying to Jerusalera, and who besides hated hira as an eneray to their religion, lying in wait for him in Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth, where he was to erabark, he changed his resolution. So that avoiding Cen chrea, which was about nine railes frora Corinth, he returned by land through Macedonia, in such time that he left Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and so began his voyage into Syria. Acts xx. 6. Frora 2 Cor. viii. 23. ix. 4. it appears that before the apostle went into Greece, the Macedonian churches had appointed some of their most esteemed merabers, to accorapany him to Jerusa lem, to assist him in raaking their present acceptable to the Jewish believers, and to witness the delivery of it. This they did at the particular request of Paul hiraself; (1 Cor. xvi. 3, 4.) who in this affair, wished to place his ovvn conduct above all sus picion of fraud : And the rather, because the money intrusted to hira, amounted to a great sum. — At that time likewise, the messengers whom the churches of Galatia, Lycaonia, and Asia, had commissioned for the same purpose, were with him in Ma cedonia. Wherefore, seeing his first intention was to sail into Syria from Corinth, (Acts xx. 3.) after receiving the collections from the churches of Greece, all these messengers must have accompanied him from Macedonia into Greece, (2 Cor. ix. 4.) And when he altered bis purpose, on account of the lying in wait of the Jews, they no doubt came back with hira into Mace donia. — Their names, and tbe naraes ofthe churches whose mes sengers they were, we have Acts xx. 4. And there accompanied him in his return through Macedonia z'jiZo Asia, Sopater of Beraa, and of the Thessalonians Aristarchus and Secundus ; (These are the Macedonians of whom he speaks, 2 Cor. ix. 4.) and Caius of Derbe, the person who with Aristarchus was hurried into the theatre at Ephesus during the riot; and Timotheus : and of Asia Tychicus and Trophimus. This latter being an Ephesian, I sup pose the former was of the same city also. Acts xxiii. 29 Titus is not mentioned in this catalogue, nor Jason, nor Lucius ; yet frora the epistie to the Romans, which, as above-mentioned, was written at Corinth, we know they also were with •Paul there, (Rom. xvi. 22.) But whether they accompanied him into Syria is uncertain. It was not necessary that every church which made the collection, should depute one of their number to attend 348 THE LIFE OP the apostle to Jerusalem. The churches of Galatia, who cer tainly made the collections, (I Cor. xvi. 1.) and of Phrygia, and of Lycaonia, who were many in number, seem to have intrusted that business to Caius of Derbe, and to Timothy of Lystra. The churches of the province of Asia may haye done the same to Tychicus and Trophimus, the Ephesian messengers. The church at Philippi, seems to have committed its interest in the collections, to Aristarchus and Secundus, the messengers of the Thessalonians. And as for the churches of Achaia, they seem to have sent no messengers at all, though expressly invited to do it, (1 Cor. xvi. 3, 4.) but to have intrusted their present to the apostle's cure. Paul, accompanied by the Messengers ofthe Churches, sails from Philippi to Troas, where he raises Eutychus from the dead ; after which he sails to Miletus, and sends for the Elders of Ephesus, whom he addresses in the most affectionate Manner. On Paul's coraing to Philippi from Corinth, he was accom panied by Luke, in his way to Syria. (No. XX.) But his other assistants, Titus and Timothy, with the messengers of the churches, went before him to Troas. This happened in the spring, A. D. 58. For we are told, (Acts xx. 6.) that Paul at tended by Luke, sailed away from Philippi, after the days of un leavened bread, that is, after the passover week was ended : And came to Troas in five days, where we abode seven days. They staid these days in Troas, because there was a numerous church in that city, and neighbourhood, gathered by Paul, who had preach ed there on different occasions (Acts xvi. 8. 2 Cor. ii. 12.)— 7. - A7id on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together frora different parts to break bread, (No. XXIV.) Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow : and continued his speech until midnight, ' On that occasion the roora where they raet was so full bf people, that they opened the windows to let in the air. But a ybung man named Eutychus, who sat in a window,ya//m^ into a deep sleep, while Paul was long preaching, he sank down with sleep, and fell from the third loft, and was taken up dead. Him Paul restored to life by a miracle. Acts Xx. 1 1 . When he therefore was eome up again, and had broken bread, and eaten the Lord's supper, ver. 7. and had talked a long while, even tilt break of day, so he de parted. In this instance, we have an example of the disciples meeting in the night time, to celebrate the Lord's supper, to avoid giving offence to the heathens. And as they performed THE APOSTLE PAUL, 349 this rite with so much secresy, it obtained from the heathens the appellation of the Christian mysteries, which in a little tirae was adopted by the disciples themselves, I suppose to render their religion the more venerable in the eyes of the heathens. From Troas Paul's company sailed to Assos, a city to the south of Troas. But he himself went thither by land, that being alone for a while, he might eraploy hiraself in raeditation and prayer.— Acts xx. 1 4. And when he met with us al Assos we took him in, and came to Mitylene, the chief city of the island of Les bos, and passing Chios, Acts xx. 15. The next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium. — There was a small island of this name near to Samos,"and opposite to a promontory of Ionia, called likewise Trogyllium. Between this island and promontory, there was a bay convenient for ships to anchor in- — 4nd the next day we came to Milelus, a city of Caria south of Trogyllium. 16. F'or Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia : For he hasted, if it were possible for him, to beat Jerusalem the day of Pentecost,* knowing that a prodigious concourse of Jews frora the provinces, would be there as usual, (Acts ii. 1. — g.) to celebrate that festival, and expecting to find among them raany of his friends and acquaintance. — 17. And from Milelus he sent to Ephesus, which was about ten miles dis tant, and called the elders of the church. And when they were come, he spake to them that most pathetic discourse, which the histo rian has accurately recorded, ver. 18. — 35. and which, like the precepts of Moses, deserves to be written on the door-posts of the houses of the rainisters of the gospel, that in going out and in they may have it continually in their view, and adjust their behaviour by it, as in a looking-glass. Having ended tbat ad mirable discourse, Paul kneeled down and prayed, and did not part with the Ephesian elders without much weeping on their part. For they were extremely afflicted, because he had said, they should see his face no more. * The feast of Pentecost was instituted in commemoration of the giving ofthe Law, on the 50th day after the first passover. It seems to have heen the greatest of all the Jewish festivals, and to have been more frequented tlian any of them, especially by the Jews in the provinces- 350 THE LIFE OF I'aul and his Company loosing from Miletus, sail to Syria, and land at Tyre, where they abide seven Days : From Tyre they sail to Ptolemais,then go on foot to Csesarea, where Paul lodges with Philip the Evangelist. They all go up to Jerusalem to deliver the Collections- Having parted with the elders of Ephesus, they loosed from Miletus and carae to Coos. The day following they came to Rhodes, and thence to Patara, a noted sea-port town of Lycia. Here they went aboard a ship bound for Phcenicia ; and having a prosperous voyage, they landed at Tyre,* where meeting with disciples, they abode seven days. These disciples, Acts xxi. 4. said to Paul through the Spirit, That ke should not go up to Jerusa lem : that is, by the Spirit of prophecy, foreseeing the troubles Paul was to raeet with in Jerusalem., they advised hira not to go thither. For if this had been a command of the Spirit, Paul must have obeyed it. But he knowing it to be their own advice only, founded on what they foresaw, rejected it and departed. The Tyrian brethren perceiving hira determined to go to Jerusalem^ they all accompanied hira out of the city with their wives and children, till they carne to the sea-side, where, according to the custom ofthe Jews, (No. XIX.) they kneeled dovvn and prayed, then went aboard, and sailed to Ptoleraais, the ancient Accho, mentioned Judg. i. 3 1 . Here they saluted the brethren : For the disciples of Christ were now grown so nuraerous, as to be found in every city of any note. At Ptoleraais they abode one day, after which they travelled by land to Caesarea, where they abode many days with Philip the evangelist, one of the seven deacons. The gospel vvas first preached in Caes-area by Philip, after he had baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. Acts viii. 40 : but with what * " Tyre, after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, recovered, as fore- " told Isai. xxiii. 17, 18. its ancient trade, wealth, and grandeur ; as it did " likewise after a second destruction by Alexander. It became Christian " early, with the rest ofthe neighbouring countries. St. Paul himself found " many Christians there. Acts xxi. 4- It suffered much in the Diocletian " persecution. It was an archbishoprick, under the patriarchate of Jerusa- " lem, with 14 bishopricks under its jurisdiction. It continued Christian •• till it was taken by the Saracens in 639, was recovered by the Christians " in 1124, but in 12S0 it was conquered by the Mamelucs, and afterwards " taken frora them by the Turks in 1516. Since that time it has sunk into " utter decay ; is noiv a mere ruin ; a bare rock ; a place to spread nets upon, " as the prophet Ezekiel foretold it should be, chap, xxvi- 14-" B. Lowth on Isa. xxiii. 17, 18. who cites his authorities. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 331 success the historian hath not said. He tells us, however, that soon after Philip had preached in Caesarea, Cornelius, a centu rion of the Roman legion stationed there, being admonished by an angel to send to Joppa for Simon Peter, who would tell him what he ought to do, Peter came and preached the gospel to hira and to his friends, and converted them to the faith. Thus, the foundations of a Christian church were early laid in Caesarea, which being visited from time to tirae by Philip and other in spired teachers, soon becarae very numerous. — Atthe tirae Paul carae to Caesarea in his way tq^ Jerusalera, Philip seems to have resided there vvith his four daughters, who were prophetesses. For Luke tells us, he abode with Philip many days : and' doubt less becarae acquainted vvith the brethren in Caesarea, who we may believe visited hira, and did him all the friendly offices in their power, during his two years imprisonment in their city. In later times Caesarea was a bishoprick, which in the 4th cen tury was held by Eusebius, the celebrated ecclesiastical his torian. While the apostie abode with Philip in Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus, the sarae who had foretold the famine which happened in the days of Claudius, (Acts xi. 28.) came from Je rusalem, Acts xxi. 11. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said. Thus sailh the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem, bind the man that twneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands qf the Gen tUes. When Paul's corapany, and the brethren of Caesarea heard this, being ignorant that this and the former prediction, were in tended not to hinder Paul from going to Jerusalera, but to raake him the more courageous, by signifying to him beforehand what was to befal hira, (Acts xx. 22, 23.) and that he was not to be put to death in Jerusalem, they joined in earnestly intreating him not to go up. But he replied. Acts xxi. 13, What mean yoU' to weep, and to break mine heart. For I am ready, not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, aaying. The will of the Lord be done. — And so they all went up to Jerusa lem, having in their company sorae of the brethren of Caesarea, together with one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple who lived in Jerusalem, and with whom Paul and bis company were to lodge. For in those days there were no inns for the accomrao dation of travellers, as with us — Acts xxi. 17. And when we viere come to Jerusalem, the brethren gladly received us. SS3 THE LIFE OF CHAPTER vn. Paul's History, fi'om his Arrival at Jerusalem with the Collections for the Saints in Judea, to his Imprisonment in Csesarea. It seems the apostle perforraed his voyage to Syria so expe ditiously, that, after finishing it, he could spend seven days in Tyre, and raany days at Caesarea, and yet go to Jerusalem in time to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost : for he had left Mace donia with a fixed purpose so to do. (Acts xx. 16.) And there is no reason to think be did not accoraplish his design. Paul, with the Messengers ofthe Churches, go in to James and the Elders, to whom Paul gives au Account of the Success of his preaching to the Gentiles.- The Collections made for the Saints in Judea, are delivered to the Elders by the Messengers ofthe Churches. The day after their arrival at Jerusalem, Paul, with the mes sengers ofthe churches. Acts xxi. 18. M'^ent into James; and all the elders ofthe church of Jerusalem were present, 19, And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by las ministry. — In the account which Paul gave of his rainistry to James and to the elders, he declar ed that many of the idolatrous Gentiles in all the great cities of the Lesser Asia, Macedonia, and Greece, had embraced the gos pel ; and spake of the churches which he had planted in these cities, and ofthe gifts ofthe' Holy Ghost, which by his ministry God had comraunicated to the believers in every church. More over, in that account we raay be sure he did not forget to men tion the liberal collections which the churches of the Gentiles through Asia and Europe, had raade for the poor of the saints in Judea, and which they had sent by his hands, as a testimony of their gratitude for the knowledge of the true God communi cated to them by raen of their nation. These collections Paul, no doubt, novv delivered, in presence of the raessengers of the churches, to James and to the elders, to be by them distributed to the poor of the Jewish Christians, who by tbat expression of the good-will of the Gentile believers, ought to have been dis posed to think favourably of thera as their brethren. Paul goes into the Temple, to assist some of the Brethren to discharge a Vow they were under. The Jews from the Provinces excite the Multi tude to kill Paul. He is rescued by Lysias the Chief Captain, From the Stairs of the Castle he gives the People an Account of the Manner in which he was converted to Christianity. The Jews at Jerusalem, before Paul's arrival, having heard a false report of his teaching the Jews which were among the THE APOSTLE PAUL. S53 Gentiles, Acts xxi. 21. To forsake Moses, saying. That they ought not lo circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs, James and the elders shewed him the propriety of his giving san^action on that ' head to the many thousands of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem, who were all zealous of the law, and who on the news of his arrival, Would corae together to inquire into the matter. For this purpose, they advised hira to assist four of the brethren who were under a vow, to discharge the same. And to shew his attachment to the law, they proposed that he should be hiraself at the charges necessary thereto. (No. XXIII.) Acts xxi. 24. That all may know that those things wherecf they were informed concerning thee, are nothing, but that thou thyself also walkeat orderly, and keepest the law. To this mea sure Paul very willingly agreed. For he neVer taught the Jews in foreign countries to forbear circumcising their children, or to forsake tiie l-aw of Moses. On the contrary, knowing that law to be the civil or political law of Judea, he always enjoined thera to comply with its institutions, as the means of preserving their political rights and privileges ; even as he enjoined the convert ed Gentiles to obey the good laws of the countries where they Resided, I Cor. vii. 17. x. 20. — What he really taught concern ing the law of Moses, was, That neither Jew nor Gentile could be saved by its institutions ; which was the doctrine likewise of James, and of the elders, and of all the more intelligent mem bers of the church of Jerusalem. For, to shew that they did not think obedience to the law of Moses necessary to men's salva tion, James added on this very occasion. Acts xxi. 25. As touching the Gentiles wliich beliexie, we have written and concluded, that they observe no such «&'n^.— But if the Gentiles were not to observe the law of Moses, obedience thereto could not be necessary to the salvation of any person ; and therefore in recommending this measure to Paul, James and the elders had nothing in view, but to establish the duty which the Jews, as citizens, ovved to the muni cipal law of their country, For jt is well known, that in vvhate vet country the Jews were settled, they still considered themselves as citizens of Judea, and observed tbe law of Moses, as far as it was possitde for them to observe it out of Judea, and thereby kept themselves a distinct people from the idolatrous Gentiles, among whom they resided. Wherefore, if Paul had really taught the Jews in foreign parts, not to circumcise their children, and not to walk after the custoras, he would have taught them to put an end to thesj- political constitution, and to renounce their civil VOL. VI. 45 354 THE LIFE OP rights as Jews ; than which nothing was farther from his in tention. Agreeably to the advice which Paul had received from James and the elders, Acts xxi. 26. He took the men, and the nex^aay purifying himself with them, he entered into the temple, to signify to the priest the accomplishment of the days of purification ; that is, their resolution to accomplish the seven d.ayB of purification;; (la; ») even to the time that an offering should be offered for every one of them. 27. And when the seven days of purificatioYi were al- 7nost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, where Paul had preached so long, and who were especially enraged against him, utterly disregarding this proof of his respect for the law when they saw him in the vvomen's court of the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, Acts xxi. 28. Crying out. Men of Israel help ; This is the man who teacheth all men every where against the people : (No. XXV.) by telling' the Jews, that they ought not to circuracise their children, and by assuring thetn that they may be saved without becoming proselytes to Judaism ; and agai'hst the law, and this holy place, by predicting that both are to be de stroyed ; and farther, brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. 29. For they had seen before niiith Mm iti the city, Trophimus an Ephesian Gentile, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. There vvas now in the city a prodigious confluence of Jews from fctf-eign countries, who like Paul had come to the feast of Pentecost, Acts xxi. 30. And all the city was moved, dnd the peo ple ran together, and they took Paul and drew him out ofthe temple: that is, out of the women's court into the court of the Gentiles, as one vvho had polluted the templp ; and forthtbith the doors were shut. 31. And, as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the legion, (No. XX'VI.) that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. This v/as the tribune Claudius Lysiais,. 'whg, C6m- manded the Roman garrison stationed in the castle Antonia, hard by the temple. 3^. Who immediately took soldiers and cerl- turions, and run down unto them. Arid whdi Ihey saw the chief- caplain and the soldiers, Ihey left beating of Paul. Then Lysias coming to him laid hold on him, and after the Romai* raanner or dered him to be bound with two chains to two soldiers, that he might not escape ; And demanded who he was, and what he had done? 34. And some cried one thing,'and some another, arnong the multitude ; and when he could not know the certainty for thelitmult, he commanded him to-be carried into the castle.. (No. XXVII.) THB APOSTLE PAUL. 355 35. And when he came upon the stairs leading to the castle, so it waa that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. 56. For the multitude qf the people followed after, crying. Away with him. But the soldiers halting on the top of the stairs, Paul begged of the chief captain permission to speak to him. Who said. Canst thou speak Greek? 3^. Art thou not that Egyptian which before these days madeat an insurrection, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were Sicarii ? (No. XXVII.) To this question Paul replied. That he was a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia, and begged that he would suffer him to speak to the people, 40. And when he had given him license, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with t/ie hand unto the people, to shew that he was going to speak to them. And when there was made a great silence, he spake to them in the Hebrew tongue, a discourse, which Luke has recorded. Acts xxii. 1 22. In that discourse Pauktold the multitude, that he was verily a Jew, who, though born in Tarsus, had received his education in Jerusalem, according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers : That having been instructed by Gamaliel a Pharisee, and a celebrated doctor well known to the people, he was so zealous of the law, tliat he persecuted the way he was now en gaged in, to death. And for the truth of what he said, he ap pealed, ver- 5. to the high priest, and to the whole estate of the elders, who had given him letters to the synagogues of Damascus for that very purpose. But, that when he came nigh to the city, Jesus himself appeared to him at mid-day, rebuked hira for his folly, and brought him over to his cause. And being struck blind by the brightness of Christ's appearance, a disciple named Ananias carae to hira, restored his sight, and baptized him. And afterward returning from Arabia to Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to bim while he was in a trance in the temple, and ordered him to leave Jerusalem, because he would send hira far hence unto the Gentiles. So that his preaching to the Gentiles was no sclierae of his, but was done by revelation frora Jesiis, who ex pressly commanded him to do so — But no sooner did Paul men tion his preaching to the Gentiles, than the multitude, especially such of them as had come from Asia, perfectly enraged, cried out. Acts xxii, 22. Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it ia not fit that he shoi^ld live. 23. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, 24. The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle ; and think ing him som.e notorious malefactor, bade that he should be ex- 356 THE LIFE OP amincd by scourging, that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. But, to prevent this ignominy, Paul pleaded his privilege as a Roman whom it was unlawful to beat with rods, or even to bind with thongs in order to his being so beaten. 27. Then the chief captain came, and said to him. Tell me, art thou a Roman ? And he said. Yea. 28. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. Bul Paul said, I was free born. 29. Then straightway they departed from him, which should have examined him by scourging. Paul is brought before the Jewish Council. He declares himself a Phari see. The Pharisees and Sadducees in the Council strive with each other. The Soldiers go into the Council and take Paul from among them by Force. The Chief Captain commands the Council to accuse him be fore Felix the Governor, in Casarea. Lysias, now that he understood Paul was a Roman, became the more anxious to know certainly what his crime was. And therefore on the morrow. Acts xxiL 30. He loosed him from hia bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to ap pear. It seems the chief priests had joined the multitude in their clamour against Paul, and had accused him of sedition, with an intention to have him put to death ; being exceedingly enraged against him for what he had said concerning them on the stairs, as well as for having deserted their service, and gone over to the Christians ; And brought Paul down from the castle, and set htm before them in their council. The apostle, being thus placed at the bar ofthe council, looked stedfastiy around on all the members present. And though many of them knew him well, having formerly employed him to per secute the disciples of Jesus ; yet conscious of integrity even in that unrighteous course, as in the whole of his other conduct, he boldly said to them, Acts xxiii. 1. Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God unto this day. But that saying displeasing the high-priest Ananias, as savouring, in his opinion, of falsehood arid vanity, he commanded those who stood by. Acts xxiii. 2. To smile him on the mouth in die raanner Pashur formerly smote the prophet Jeremiali. (Jerem. xx. 2.) But Paul, offended at the injury, replied, S. God shall smite thee, Ihou wjiiled wall; thou hypocrite; for sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and commandest me lo be smitte?i . contrary to the law, which saith, thou shalt do no unrighteousness in judgment? (Levit. xix. 15.) — And surely it was unrighteousness in a judgCj THE APOSTLE PAUL. 3S7 to order one not yet convicted of any crime, to be treated as if he had been already condemned ; and that for no reason, but be cause in beginning to make his defence, he had asserted the up rightness of his general conduct. Wherefore, Ananias having been guilty of injustice under the mask of piety, certainly de served the rebuke which Paul now gave him. — But some present 4. Said, Revilest thou God's high-priest ? — 5. Then said Paul, I wist not brethren that he was the high-priest. For it is written. Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.- In affirming that he did not know Ananias to be the high-priest, Paul assured ly spake the truth. For both the Roraan Governors and the Jewish princes, had for sorae tirae past been in use to sell the high-priesthood to'the best bidders ; and soraetiraes to depose the persons in oflfice, that they raight have it to sell anew. Wherefore, as Paul was but lately come from Greece, after five years' absence, he may very well have been ignorant of Ananias's dignity, notwithstanding he knew him personally. It is alleged indeed, that by his dress and seat in the council, Paul might have known Ananias to be the high-priest. But that does not seem probable ; because, having looked stedfastiy on the council at bis- first coming in, he would by such an excuse have exposed him self to ridicule, if Ananias could have been known to be the high- priest, either by his dress, or by his seat in the council. Paul, seeing many sitting round with whom he was personally acquainted, and knowing that some of them were Sadducees, and some of them Pharisees, Acts xxiii. 6. Cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son ofa Pharisee ; of the hope and resurrection ofthe dead, lam calledin question : meaning, that he was brought before them as a crirainal, for preaching the resurrection of Jesus frora the dead, as a proof of the resur rection of all the dead at the last day. — The council hearing this account ofthe crirae laid to his charge, 7. There arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees ; and the multitude was divided. — ind there arose a great cry ; and the Scribes lliat was ofthe Pharisees party arose and strove in the prisoner's defence, saying, JVe find no evil in this man ; but if a spirit or an angel hath spok^ to him, (so they interpreted what Paul had spoken to the multitude from the stairs concerning the appearing of Jesus to him by the way : For they did not allow that the per son whom they had crucified was really risen fi'om the dead,) lei us not fight againt God. The dissension now became so great, 3S& THE MF« p7 that 10. ^e chi&f captain fearing lea.t Paul ihould have bfin pulled infdecea ef^them, commanded the soldiers, who had set Paul before the council, to go down and take him by force from among them, und to bring lum into the caatle. At the same ^me, he or dered his accusers to declare before the governor hiraself, what tbey had to say against the prisoner, (ver. 30.) because he in tended to remit- the affair to his cognizance. Jesus appears to Paul in the Night. The Jews Conspire to kill Paul, llie Chief Captain sends him to Caesarea, escorted by a strong Guard. Acts xxiii. 1 1. .4nd the night following, the Lord Jesus stood by him and said, Be of good cheer Paul ; for as thou hast testi. fied of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. 12. And when it was day, certain zealots of the Jews banded to. gether, and bound themselves under a curse, saying, That they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 1 3. And there were more than forty who had made this conspiracy. 14. And they came to the chief priests and elders, who were of the sect of the Sadducees, and Paul's greatest enemies, telling them what they had done ; and desiring them to ask the chief captain to bring Paul dovvn to the council on the morrow, aa if to inquire something more perfectly concerning him, that they might have an opportunity of killing hira by the vvay. But the conspiracy being - made known to Paul by his sister's son, he sent him to the chief captain, who on hearing thereof, prudently sent Paul away to Caesarea by night under a strong guard to Felix the governor, (No. XXIX.) with a letter, giving hira an account ofthe whole affair frora the beginning, and informing him that he had ordered the prisoner's accusers, to say before the governor what they had to lay to his charge. — Lysias's letter being delivered to the governor. Acts xxiv. 33. They presented Paul also before him. 34. And wlien the governor had read the letter, he asked ofwhat province he was. And when he understood tliat he was qf Cilicia ; 35. Iwill hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come : And he com manded him to be kept in Herod's prdtoriwn. This, vwas a hall which Herod built in Caesarea for holding courts oJljudicature in, with apartments adjoining, in which the prisoners who were to be tried were confined. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 359 CHAPTER VIIL Paul's History, from his Imprisonment at Cxsarea, to bis Appealing to the Emperor. The High-priest and Elders with Tertullus accuse Paul before Felix. Paul denies the Crimes laid to his Charge, and gives an Account ofhis l^'aith. It seeras, the coraraander of the horsemen who brought Paul to Caesarea, was ordered on his retum to inform the high-priest and the elders at Jerusalem, of the day which the governor should fix for hearing their accusation, and for trying the pri soner. Wherefore, Acts xxiv. 1 . After five days Ananias the high-priest deacended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul. This Roman orator, or barrister, to persuade the governor to punish Paul as a disturber of the public peace, complimented him on the wisdom and vigour of his adrainistration. Acts xxiv. 2, Seeing thcit by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation, life. But in this the orator flattered the governor too rauch. For, although he had repressed the Sicarii and other robbers, he was himself a great oppressor of the na tion, by the cruelty and injustice of his administration. (No. XXX.) — Having ended his fawning preface, Tertullus roundly affirraed, that Paul was 5, A pestilent fellow, and a mover of se dition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ring-leader ofthe sect of the JVazarencs. But in this there was not a word of truth, except that Paul was a ringleader of the JVdzarenea ; a term of reproach which it seeras was given to the disciples of Christ, even in that early period. — 6. Who also hath gone about to prophane the temple, by bringing heathens into it, Tvhom we took and would have judged according lo our law. By this the orator insinuated, that as the Romans permitted the Jews to govern theraselves by their own laws, it was the governor's duty to raaintain them in the possession of that privilege, which he meant to tell bim had been violated by the chief captain ; for he added; The chief captain Lysias came upon us, and with great violence took him out of our ^arad«,-^Lysias took Paul twice out of the hands of the Jews by force ; once, when he delivered him from the enraged multitude who went about to kill him in the temple. Acts xxi, 32. and a second time when he toqk him by force out of the hands of the council, that he might not be pulled in pieces of them. Acts xxiii. 1 0. — Now as the Jews thought their law authorized them to punish notorious offenders in a summary manner, after the example of Phinehas, 360 THE LIFE OF who without any trial or judicial sentence, killed Zimri and Cozbi in the act of transgression, Tertullus, I suppose, called the killing of Paul by the enraged raultitude, in the supposed act of profaning the teraple, a judging or punishing him according to their law. Or, he might- give that appellation to the attempt of the council to pull Paul in pieces. Yet the manner in which he expressed himself, leads us to think that he rather meant the attempt of the multitude : whom we took and would liave judged. For the council did not lake Paul ; but the chief captain placed hira before thera, merely to obtain certain information of the crimes which they laid to his charge ; and by no raeans to judge and punish him, Acts xxii. 30. Whereas the multitude laid hold on Paul in the temple, and would have iraraediately pu nished him with death Tertullus's accusation of Paul, to gether with the circumstances by which he aggravated his ac cusation, were all raere fictions, of which he offered no proof whatever ; only. Acts xxiv. 9, The Jews, naraely, Ananias and the elders, assented, saying. That these things were so. His answer to this accusation, Paul introduced, not Ijy paying any fulsorae compliment to the governor, after the barrister's example; but by saying, Acts xxiv. 10. For as much as I know thou hasi been of many years a judge unto this nation, so canst not be ignorant ofthe affairs ofthe Christians, and of the temper of the Jews my accusers, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself.-— Next, because the charge brought against him, was. That he was a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews' throughout the world. He told the governor. That he had been only twelve days in Jerusalem, during which they had not found him stirring up the people any where. And boldly averred, that his accusers could prove none of the things which they laid to his charge, — Only, as to his being a ring-leader ofthe JVazarencs. 14. This I confess unto thee that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers : I worship the God of my fathers through the mediation of Christ, which they call heresy, because it renders the mediation of the Levitical priests un necessary in the worship of God. But this is no heresy ; the Le vitical services being prefigurations ofthe mediation ofChrist; and the prophets having expressly foretold the sarae. And there fore in thus worshipping God, I believe all things wrilten in the law and the prophets. ,15. And have hope towards God, which they them selves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. All the Pharisees allowed the resurrection. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 361 hoping for it, as Paul did, upon the foundation of* the promises of God delivered'*by Moses and the prophets. This was a very proper defence before a Roman magistrate, who by the law of the empire was bound to allow every man to worship God ac cording to the religion of bis country. Acts xxiv. 16. (E»T«T&>) A-nd on tliis account that I believe tbe resurrection, / exercise myself to have alway i a conscience void of offence towards God and towarda men. So tbat my principles do not lead to sedition.— And as to his profaning the temple, he said, That 1 7. After many years absence he had come with alms to his nation, and offerings to God, which he proposed to raake, by assisting sorae Nazarites to discharge their vow : That with this intention he had gone into the temple : but it was not with any multitude attending him, nor tumult made by hira. And yet the Jewa from Asia laid violent hands on hira, as if he had really profaned the temple. 19. Whq ought lo have been here before thee to object, if they had ought against me. But as they did not appear to make good their charge, it was plain they were conscious of having injured him by their accusation. And doubtless Felix so understood it. — Paul there fore called upon the chief priests and elders, now his only pro secutors, to shew any evil deed that was proved against him, while he stopd' before the council : 21. Except it befor this one saying, which I cried standing among them ; Touching the resur rection of the dead I am called in question by you this day. But as that was one of the great articles of the national faith, he could not be blamed, either for raaintaining it, or ior asserting that God had given a proof of it, in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, -,\cts xxiv. 22. And when Felix heard these things, the orator's 'accusation and the prisoner's defence, having by his long re sidence in Judea more perfect knowledge of that way of worship, mentioned by Paul, ver. 14. or, a more perfect knowledge of Jesus and his disciples, than had been given him by the high- priest and elders and their orator, he did not find any crime proved against Paul : yet he did not acquit him, for fear ot dis-_ pleasing the Jews, but. He deferred Ihem till Lysias should come down : as if he could have given better information concerning the pretended sedition. — In the mean time being fully convinced of Paul's innocence, he ordered that he should not be confined too closely, but that his acquaintance should be allowed to visit him : a liberty vvhich we may believe the brethren of Caesarea made good use of, during his long imprisonment in that city, VOL. VI. 46 362 THE LIFE OF Felix, at the Reqiiest ofhis Wife Drusilla, sends for Paul, who gives them an Account of the Faith in Christ. He reason-, concerning Righteous. ness, Chastity, and a Judgment to come, Felix's Conscience is so roused that he trembles. When recalled from his Government, he leaves Paul in Bonds. Paul's trial having occasioned much discourse in Caesarea, Felix's wife Drusilla (No. XXX.) who was herself a Jewess, and of the Jewish religion, desired to hear hira. Felix therefore sent for him. Acts xxiv. 24. And heard him concerning the faith in Christ; heard hira declare wh-dt the Christians believed concern ing Jesus; namciy, tJud he is the Christ, or Messiah long expect ed by the Jews ; and that he was proved to be the Christ, by God's raising him from the dead -Moreover, being well ac quainted with tbe character and actions of his illustrious hearers, the apostle introduced some other articles of the Christian j-eli-r gion, suited to their particular case ; For, ver. 25. He reasoned pf righteousness or justice, a virtue highly necessary in a ruler, and of continence or chastity, against which Felix and his lady had greatly trespassed in their marriage, and of a judgment to come, at which great and small shall answer to God for their ac tions. — His discourse was uttered with such energy, that Felix, who was avery corrupt governor, was exceedingly terrified and trembled; then dismissed Paul saying. Acts xxiv, 25. Go thy way for this time, when I have a convenient season I will call for thee. — The apostie's discourse however produced no alteration of conduct either in Felix or his lady. He continued his bad practices all the 'time his government lasted ; and she trusting to her privileges as a daughter of Abrahara, paid no regard to. what she had heard Felix indeed sent for Paul, as he promis ed, and communed with him, not about the araendraent of his Jife, but in hopes to receive money from him for releasing him : 26. and the rather that Paul, in his defence, had raentioned his bring ing alms and ofeerings to his nation. Hovvever, his deliverance by raoney, not being attempted, for a reason too obvious to be me;itioned, Felix kept him in prison the two reraaining years of his government; and when leaving the province, did not release hira ; wishing to please the great raen araong the Jews, who earnestly desired to have Pai^l put to death. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 363 Festus succeeds Felix in the Government of Judea. He sits in Judgment on Paul : Hears the Accusation of the Jews, and Paul's Defence : Then asks him if he would go up to Jerusalem, and be judged by him there, Paul appeals from Festus to the Emperor. Felix was succeeded in the governraent of Judea by Porcius Festus, who went up to Jerusalera three days after he landed at Caesarea. — While Festus was in Jerusalem, Acts xxv. 3. the high-priest, and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him. 4. And desired favour against him. (See ver. 15.) that. he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him. Acts xxv, 5. But Festus knowing their design, answered, that Paul should be kept at Ceesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither ; and ordered them to go down with him, and accuse him there. Accorduigly, the day after his arrival in Csesarea, he 'sat in judgraent on Paul: and the Jews who had come from Jerusalem standing round, 7, laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove : (See ver. 18, 19.) 8. While he answered for himself. Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Ccesar, have I offended any thing at all. But Festus to gratify the Jews, asked Paul if he vvould go to Je rusalem and be judged by hira, concerning these things, iu the presence of the chief priests and elders, who understood them much better than he did. To this Paul replied, That he was standing at Caesar's judgment-seat where, as being a Ro man, he ought to be tried ; That Festus knew he had done no wrong to the Jews ; That if he was an offender, he did not re fuse to die: But that if he was innocent, it would be wrong, even in the governor, to make a gift of his life to the Jews, by sending him to Jerusalem to be judged in the presence of his in veterate enemies, vvho by their clamour and threatenings might oblige Festus to condemn him. Wherefore, to prevent that injury, Paul, as being a Roman citizen, appealed from Festus to Csesar: (No. XXXI.) And by so doing, put a stop to any farther judicial procedure against his life in Judea. For after conferring with his council, (No. XIII.) Festus declared In the court. That Paul should be sent to Caesar in consequence ofhis appeal. 364 THE LIPE OF CHAPTER IX. Paul's History from the Time of his Appeal, to his embarking for Italy, fa' prosecute his Appeal before the Emperor. Festus gives an Account of Paul's Cause to King Agrippa, isho desires to bear Paul's Defence fro'm his own ¦mouth. Not long after this, king Agrippa (No. XXXII.) and his sis ter Bernice, cime to Caesarea to pay their repects to Festus, 'who had succeeded their brother-in-law Felix, in the province. Acts xxv, 14. And when they had been there many days, Festus j declared Paul's cause unto the king. For as the crirae of which he was accused, related wholly to the Jewish religion, in which the king was vc ry knowing, Festus wished to have his opinion upon it: and for that purpose beg-an by telling hira, That Felix had left Paul in bonds, and that the chief priests and elders at Jerus-dlem had desired him to condemn hira: Acts xxv. 16. To whom I answered, it is not the manner of the Romans, to deliver any man to die till he is condemned after a fair trial. And there fore having sat in judgment upon him in Caesarea, when his accusers stood up, they did not lay any of those crimes to his charge which I supposed. 19. But had certain questions against him of iheir own religion, und of one Jesus which was dead, whom Pctul affirmed to be alive. 20. A7id because I was in doubt about such questions, whether they were dangerous to the state and punishable, and whether I was a competent judge of thera, / asked him if he was willing to go to Jerusalem, where I could have the advice of persons skilled in the Jewish religion, and there be judged of these matters. But he refused to be judged there, and appealed to Caesar. Agrippa having heard these things, Acts xxv. 22. Said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. This demand the king made, because he was well acquainted with the religious tenets, disputes, and expectations of the Jews, -and because many wonderful things had been reported to hira, concerning Jesus and his disciples. Perhaps also he may have remembered, how his father, vvho was a zealous Jew, had been so displeased with this sect, as to put the apostle Jaraes to death. But whatever was his reason, he obtained his desire. Acts xxv. 22. To mor~ row, said Festus, thou shalt hear him. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 365 Paul is brought into the Place of hearing at Caesarea, and makes his Defence before King Agrippa, Queen Bernice, the Ladles who attended her, the Tribunes, and the principal Inhabitants of Casarea. Festus accordingly perforraed his promise to the king. Acts xxv. 23. For on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Ber nice, with. great pomp of apparel, attendants, guards, &c. and was entered into the place of hearing, with the Tribunes andprin. cipal men ofthe city, at Festus commandment Paul was brought forth. Then Festus rising up, raade an elegant speech to the asserably, in which he declared, that at the former trial no crime had been proved against the prisoner ; but that having appealed to Caesar, he had brought hira forth, that after a second exarai nation, he might have something more certain to write to the emperor, concerning the crimes laid to the prisoner's charge. Acts xxvi. 1. 7%en Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art per. mitted to speak for thyself. Upon this, Paul stretched forth the hand to draw the attention of the assembly, and declared. He thought hiraself happy in being allowed to answer the accusa tions of the Jews, before one so expert in the Jewish laws and religion, as the king:. This he said, because if Agrippa express ed a favourable opinion of his doctrine before Festus and the Tribunes, it would be of great service to the Christian cause. Then in the hearing of this illustrious assembly, he called on all the Jews, present, to bear witness (No. XXXIII.) That he had received his education at Jerusalera, and had early professed hiraself a Pharisee ; That he now stood as a crirainal, for testi fying the resurrection of Jesus, and for believing that God will raise all the dead, as he promised to the fathers ; ver. 7. Unto which happiness, said he, our twelve tribes by serving God day and night hope to come : Tbat formerly, from a principle of con science, he was a great enemy to Jesus of Nazareth and to his disciples. Acts xxvi. 11. And being exceedingly mad against them, he persecuted them even unto strange ciiies : and in parti cular, he went to Damascus for that purpose, with authorily and commission from the chief priests : But tbat Jesus himself appear ed to him at mid-day, as he drew nigh to the city, and spake to him, and convinced hira that he vvas risen frora the dead, as his disciples affirraed : Moreover, Jesus told bim that he had ap peared to him to make hira a witness and preacher of his resur rection : And that he now sent hira to the Gentiles, to open their eyes, Sfc. 19. Whereupon, 0 king, having had this convincing 366 THE LIFE OP evidence of the resurrection of Jesus, I was not diaobedient to the heavenly vision, but preached first to the Jews of Da' mascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles. But the Jews being enraged at rae, for proraising salvation to the Gentiles through Jesus, without re quiring them to obey the law of Moses, they, 21. Caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. But God having pre served me, 22. 1 continue to this day witnessing, both lo small and great, that Jesus of Nazareth is risen from the dead, and that he is the Christ. And in affirming these facts, I say no other things than those which Moses and the prophets did say sholild come; 23. That the Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, to die no more, and should shew light to the people, and to the Gentiles ; so that, instead of being a conqueror, the Christ, according to Moses and the pro phets, was to be a teacher of true religion both to Jews and Gentiles. — When- Festus the governor heard Paul speak of Christ's shewing light to the Gentiles, he considered it as a mere chimera, produced in Paul's brain by his too great appli cation to the study of tbe Jewish learning : And therefore he interrupted him, saying, Acts xxvi. 24. with a loud voice, Paul thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad. Paul replied, I am not mad, most noble Festus : and appealed to the king, as fully acquainted, not only with the doctrine of Moses and the prophets concerning the Christ, but with the miracles, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 26. F'or this thing was not done in a corner. — Then turning to Agrippa, he said, 27. King Agrip' pa, believest thou the prophets ? 1 know that thou believest. Paul knew Agrippa to be of the sect of the Pharisees : For his father being a zealous Jew, had educated him in the Jewish re ligion, according to its strictest form. Acts xxvi. 28. Then Agrippa said to Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Chris tian. Paul's doctrine concerning Jesus of Nazareth, appeared so conformable to the things written concerning the Chrjst, by Moses and the prophets, and his testimony concerning the appearing of Jesus to him by the way, was rendered so probabfe by the total alteration of his sentiments and conduct, that Agrippa declared, he was almost persuaded of the truth of the things which he affirmed concerning Jesus. — -On this new occasion of vindicating himself, and the cause in which he was engaged, the apostle spake vvith such effect, that the king, the governor, and the governor's council, ver. 5 \. going aside, talked between them- THE APOSTLE PAUL. 36/ selves, saying, Thia man doth nothing worthy of death or of bonda. After which, Agrippa, not in the least offended with Paul for having spoken to him so freely, came forward, and, 32. Said to Festus in the hearing of the whole assembly. This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed to CfCiar.— Paul's appeal however was perfectly proper at the time he made it, seeing Festus had shewn an inclination to gratify the Jews by proposing to judge him in Jerusalem. And now, although Agrippa with the consent of Festus, had declared that Paul might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Caesar, Paul very prudently did not withdraw his appeal, because he 'forsaw, that by the solicitations and threatenings of the chief priests and elders, Festus might be constrained, contrary to his inclination, to put him to death, even as Pilate fornierly had been constrained, contrary to his conscience, to put Jesus to death. Remarks on Paul's Defences before the Multitude, the Jewish Council, the ijovernors Felix and Festus, and King Agrippa. Thus it appears, that, besides the defence which Paul made from the top of the stairs to the raultitude in Jerusalera, he at four different tiraes, before the highest courts of judicature in Judea, defended the gospel and his own conduct in preaching it, in the raost public manner: namely, 1. Before the Jewish council, 'consisting of the high-priest, the chief priests, the whole estate of the elders, and the Scribes ; who all sat as his accusers. — 2. Before Felix the Roraan governor, at whose tri bunal the high-priest Ananias, and the elders frora Jerusalem, were likewise his accusers ; and employed a Roman barrister, to plead against him. — 3. Before Festus the governor, on which oc casion the Jews from Jerusalem stood forth, a third time, as his accusers. — 4. Before king Agrippa, Bernice,. the Tribunes, and the principal persons of Caesarea, with raany others, in whose presence Paul boldly asserted his own innocence, with such a strength of evidence, that both Agrippa and Festus declared he might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed to the Eraperor. Now it is to be observed, 1. That at these different trials, although Paul was accused of sedition and heresy, and the pro fanation of the temple, it clearly appeared, that the only offences which with truth could be laid to his charge, were his being a o-ingleader of the sect of the Nazarenes ; bis joining thera in af firming. That Jesus, whom the rulers at Jerusalem had crucified. 368 THE LIFE OF was risen from the dead, and was thereby demonstrated tb be both Lord and Christ ; also his worshipping God through the mediation of Jesus who was now risen from the dead. — These things the chief priests and elders construed into, the crimes of sedition, heresy, and profaneness, most unjustly. For though Paul affirmed that Jesus is Lord, this doctrine had no tendency to sedition, since at the sarae time he taught that Christ's lyng- dom is not of this world'. Next, as to his worshipping God through the mediation of Jesus, it was no heresy, being agi'ee- able to the doctrine of Moses and the prophets. And with re. spect to his having profaned the temple, it was a mere calumny, which had not the least foundation in truth. 2. At these different trials, the high-priest and elders, who were all present, did not, either in their own council, or before the Roman governors, so much as once atterapt to contradict what Paul publicly and directly aflfirraed, concerning the resur rection of Jesus. Apd yet if his affirmation had been a false hood, it might easily have been disproved, as the resurrection of Jesus was said to have happened in Jerusalem, where his ac cusers commonly resided. 3. At all these trials, Paul offered a proof of the resurrection of Jesus, which could not be gain-said. He openly affirmed, that the chief priests -and all the Jews, knew that both by education and principle, he himself was at the first a furious enemy ofthe Christians, and had persecuted them to death. Nay, he told them, he did so by authority and commission frora themselves : But that in going to Damascus, to bring the Christians bound in fetters to Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to him in the way, and thereby convinced him that he was risen from the dead -, and or dered him to preach his resurrection both to the Jews and to the Gentiles. And having so done ever after that, notwithstanding he thereby exposed hiraself to innumerable evils, all impartial persons who heard him, must have been convinced, that so total a change of sentiraent and conduct, in a person of his acknow ledged sense and education, could not have happened, unless Jesus had really appeared to him, as he constantly afllirmed. 4. And lastly, it deserves particular notice, that these public defences, whereby the Christian cause was so well established, Paul would have had no opportunity of raaking, if the Romans had not governed in Judea at that time. For the injurious and violent disposition, which the Jews on every occasion displayed against the disciples of Jesus, would have led them to put Paiil THE APOSTLE PAUL. ^69 to death, at the first hearing, if the supreme power had been in their hands. We raay therefore believe it was owing to the par ticular providence of God that Paul was apprehended and tried' while the Roraans exercised the supreme power in Judea : For they all along behaved towards him, in a fair und impartial man ner, as magistrates who had to answer for their conduct at the Imperial tribunal. So that at all his trials, he had an opportunity of speaking freely in defence of the gospel, and of his own con duct, in the hearing of his enemies, vvho vvere the chiefs of the ' Jews, and who had it in their power to contradict hira, and no doubt would have contradicted hira, if the things he affirraed had been falsehoods. — And though it may seem strange, that when Paul's innocence was so clearly proved, and even acknowledged by his judges, he was not released ; it should be reraerabered, that this failure of justice m the Roraan raagistrates, was owing to the powerful influence of the people of the country, to whose inclinations, governors who are strangers, are obliged to shew too rauch regard, frpra political considerations. CHAPTER X. Festus having determined to send Paul to Italy by Sea, with the other Pri soners who were to be judged' by the Emperor, they all embark at Ca:sa- rea with the Centurion and Soldiers appointed to guard them. Luke and Aristarchus go aboard with them, resolved to accompany Paul to Rorae. They are all shipwrecked on the Island of Melit^, where Paul works many Miracles. The apostle having, by appeal, transferred his cause to the Eraperor, Festus deterrained to send him to Italy by sea; and for that purpose delivered hira, vvith certain other persons vvho were also to be judged at Rorae, to one Julius a centurion of the Italian legion. All these prisoners, with the soldiers who guard ed them, went aboard a ship of Adramyttium, and sailed from Caesarea, in the auturan of A. D. 59. From the history, it appears, that the messengers of the churches, who accorapanied Paul into Judea with the collections, Acts xxi. 4. were not intiraidated by the evils, vvhich the Jewish rage brought upon him in Jerusalera. For, while he continued there, they reraained with hira ; and when he was sent a prisoner to Caesarea, they followed him thither; and in both places minis tered to him, and perhaps attended him at his trials. And when it was deterrained to send him to Italy, two at least of these af- VOL. VI. 47 ^a THE LIFE OF fectionate friends went in the sarae ship with him ; namely Luke the -writer of the Acts, as appears frora the style of his history, and Aristarchus the Thessalonian, Acts xxvii. 2. — Aristarchus had accompanied the apostle in some of his former journeys, Acts xix. 29, And being one of the messengers of the churches who were appointed to attend Paul with the collections to Jerusalem, he went with him into Greece, and abode with him there, while he received the collections from the churches of Achaia ; then returned with hira into Macedonia, where Luke joined them at Philippi : after vvhich they all sailed with the apostle into Judea. The day after Paul and bis company loosed frora Caesarea, the ship in which they sailed happening to touch at Sidon, Julius, vvho was a person of singular huraanity, allowed Paul to go ashore, and refresh hiraself with the brethren in that city : a fa vour which raust have been peculiarly acceptable to one, who had been so long in prison. After that, loosing from Sidon, they sailed to Myra a city of Lycia : and there finding a ship of Alex andria, bound for Italy with a lading of wheat, * they went aboard, and arriving at Crete, they put in at a port called The Fair Ilaveris ; where staying some days, the centurion no doubt, as at Sidon, allowed Paul to go ashore : In which case, we may suppose, he preached Christ to all who came to him. In this port the apostle advised them to winter, because sail ing was now becorae dangerous, on account of the long dark nights, and the terapestuous weather usual at that season : For the fast of the seventh month or anniversary expiation was now past. But the master and the owner of the vessel, not thinking the Fair Havens a safe harbour, they set out for one judged more commodious : and had proceeded a little way, when there arose a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon,'f which soon in creased into an hurricane : so that not being able to bear up against the storm, they let the ship drive, and were exceedingly tossed for raany days, without seeing either the sun or stars Acts xxvii. 20. And now when all hope was gone, an angel of • The greatest part of the corn consumed* in Rome was brought from Alexandria in Egypt; and the vessels employed in that trade were exceed ingly large, as this vessel certainly was ; for there vvere on board of her no fewer than 276 persons. -f Euroclydon comes from Eujos and xw/ifav an eastern storm, for so xw/- i'm signifies, Jonah i. 4. 12. LXX. This kind of tempest is called by those who frequent diose seas, a Levanter. THE APOSTLE PAUL. 371 God appeared to Paul by night, and assured him that there should be no loss of any man's life, but of the ship. Howbeit they were to be cast on a certain island. This revelation Paul comraunicated to all in the ship, and thereby encouraged them. At length, when the fourteenth night from their leaving the Fair Havens -was come, they drew near to land. And by break of day, were driven on an island in the Adriatic sea, naraed Melita. On that occasion, the soldiers proposed to kill the prisoners, fearing they might swim out and escape. But Julius, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose. Acts xxvii. 43. And commanded that they which could swim, should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land, and the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship ; and so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land: not one life being lost, al though there were in the ship, no fewer than two hundred and seventy-six persons, ver. 37. When they came ashore. Acts xxviii. 1. They knew that the island was called Melite. No. XXXIV. — The people of Me- lit^ though re-ckoned by the Greeks and Romans barbarians on account of their ignorance of the Greek and Latin languages, shewed them no small kindness : for they received them in a very friendly manner, by giving them all the assistance in their power, and kindling a fire for thera, because of the rain and cold. But a viper happening to fasten on Paul's hand, as he laid a bundle of sticks on the fire, the islanders who saw him with his chain on, supposed hira some murderer, who had escaped .the sea, but whom (NeftEo-i;) the divine justice did not allow to live. However, when they saw him shake off the beast without receiving any harm, they altered their opinion, and said he was a god. — On this occasion, the promise which Jesus made to his disciples, was fulfilled : Mark xvi. 18. They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them. It happened that the chief man of the island, whose narae was Publius, had his estate in the quarter where the ship was stranded. This excellent person invited thera to his house, and lodged them three days, till they could all be disposed of pro perly through the island. To such goodness, Paul was happy to be able to raake some return. For the father of Publius, Acts xxviii. 8. Lying sick of a fever and bloody flux, he went in to him, and laying his hands upon him, healed him. 9, So 372 THfi LIFE OF tehen this was done, others also who had diseases in the island, came and were healed. The sick people who were thus mira culously cured, together with their relations and friends, grate ful to Paul, perforraed to him, and to all them who were with him, during their abode in the island, every office of kindness in their power : And at their departure laded them with such things as were necessary for their voyage. Paul's Voyage from Melite to Puteoli. His Journey from Puteoli by Land to Rome. His Reception and Confinement in Rome. The Centurion's behaviour to Paul described and praised. And now having abode in Melite three months, they went aboard a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the island, and sailed to Syracuse the chief city of Sicily, where they re mained three days : then came to Rhegium, a town on the Ita lian- shore, opposite to Messana in Sicily : And from thence to Puteoli, a great sea-port town of Campania not far frora Naples. Here finding brethren, to whom Paul was known, at least by his fame, they entreated him to tarry with them seven days : And Julius was so good as to grant their request. After which, Ju lius set out with the prisoners and soldiers for Rome, by land. And novv the brethren in that city, to whom Paul was well known by his letter lately written to the Romans, hearing that he was on the road, carae out to raeet him : being not ashamed of his bonds. Sorae of them therefore came as far as to the town of Appii Forum, which was fifty one miles from the city: And others, to Tres Tabernae, a town at the distance of thirty miles, which afterwards becarae a bishop's see. This unlooked for testiraony of respect from the brethren of Rorae, making a strong impression upon the apostle's raind, he thanked God for it and took courage, being greatly refreshed by the corapany and conversation of such affectionate friends; after which they all went forward to the city, where it is supposed they arrived in the February of A. D. 60. in the seventh year of the reign of the emperor Nero. The huraanity with which Julius, all along treated the apos tle frora the time he was delivered to hira, merits particular at tention. At Sidon he allowed hira to go ashore to visit his Christian friends. And when they were shipwrecked on the •sland of Melit^, he kept the soldiers from killing the prisoners, that- he might save Paul. And because some brethren at Puteoli, wished Paul to remain with them a week, he was so good as to THE APOSTLE PAUL. 373 grant their desire. And, as this worthy person is said by Luke, to have courteously entreated Paul through the whole of the voyage, he raay have bestowed on hira favours which are not particularly mentioned. Those, however, which are raentioned deserve n.'iice, as proofs of esteera and love from a heathen, very honourable to the apostle. — Julius's esteem of Paul, was founded at first on the favourable opinion which Festus, Agrip pa, and the Tribunes, had formed of bis cause, and which no doubt they made known to Julius, before he left Caesarea. But his esteera of the apostle must have increased, by what he him self observed, in the course of their acquaintance. For in his conversation, Paul expressed such just views of God and re ligion and of the duties of raorality, and in his actions, shewed such benevolence to mankind and such a concern jjpr their real interest, as could not fail to endear him to so great a friend to virtue, as this centurion seems- to have been. Besides, if Paul was represented to Julius, as one who could work miracles, that circumstance alone, would induce him to treat him vvith great respect. And more esppcially, when he becarae hiraself a wit ness to the accoraplishmwitof Paul's prediction concerning their shipwreck, and to the miraculous cures which he perforraed on tlie sick, in the island of Melit^. Julius therefore having so great a friendship for Paul, and it may be a favourable opinion of the Christian doctrine, we raay suppose, that when he delivered the prisoners to Afranius Bur- rhus, who was then Praetorian praefect, he did justice to Paul, by representing him, not only as entirely innocent of any real crime, but as a man of singular probity, who was highly favoured of God, and endowed with extraordinary powers. To this re presentation, as well as to Festus's letter, I think the apostle was indebted for the indulgence which was shewn hira, immediately on his arrival at Rome. For he was not shut up in a coraraon jail, with the other prisoners, but frora the very first, vvas allowed to dwell in his own hired house, with a soldier who kept him by means ofa chain fastened to bis right wrist and to the loldier's left arra. This is the chain, of which Paul so often speaks in his. epistles, calling it his bonds ; and which he shewed to the Jews. when they came to hira on the third day after his arrival. 374 THE LIFE OP Paul sends for the Chief of the unbelieving Jews in Rome to his Lodging, and explains to them the Cause of his Imprisonment : but with little Success. The apostie's confinement at Rome, being thus easy from the beginning, and every one that pleased having access to him, it came into his mind, that as the unbelieving Jews might be of fended, when they heard he had appealed from the courts in Judea to Caesar, it would be very proper to raake an apology to them. Wherefore, on the third day after his arrival at Rome, he called the chief of the unbelieving Jews together ; and when they were corae, he said to them. Acts xxviii. 17. Men and brethren, though lhave committed nothing against the people or cus toms of our father s,yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusaleminto the hands of the Romans : 18. Who when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. 19. But when the Jews spake againat it, I waa constrained to ap peal tmto Casar ; adding that he had done so, not because he had any thing to accuse his nation of to tl^emperor, but merely to assert his owrrinnocence. And ther^re he had called them together, to tell thera, that he was bound with the chain they saw on his wrist, because he affirmed that God had accom plished the hope of Israel, by sending the Christ. 21. And they said unto him. We neither received letters out of Judea concerning ¦thee, neither any of the brethren that came, shewed or spake any evil of thee. It seeras the apostle's accusers had not yet arrived. However desiring his opinion concerning the sect of the Chris tians, which they told hira was every where spoken against, they appointed him a day, and many carae into his lodging. Acts xxviii. 23. To whom he expounded* and testified the kingdom of God: he expounded the nature of the Messiah's kingdom, and testified that it was corae in the gospel dispensation. Persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the pro phets, from moming till evening ; that is, in a long discourse, he • Because eKT/S-so-S-ai, when historical matters are spoken of, does not signify to expound, but to narrate fully, Le Clerc proposes to construe and translate ver. 23. thus : "Oit s^st;9-6to til ar«j; tb t>im, iia.fji.a.fTvexiAev®' THV ^ajviKiiAv TS 0gK, tsrtt^m Ti fltuTa? tfjro -re ts vnfAH Maio-EMc nat tuv ^go- THE APOSTLE PAUL. 37S shewed that the birth, doctrine, rairacles, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, had all happened exactly according to the predictions concern ing the Christ, contained in the law and the prophets ; and from that agreement inferred, that Jesus was their long expected Messiah. 24. And some believed the things which were sfioken, and some believed not. 25. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed ; after Paul had spoken one word, or quotation from Isaiah, in which the Jews' unbelief was foretold. And having thus reproved the unbelieving and disobedient araong his hear ers, he added, 28. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they ivilt hear it. 29. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among tliemaehies. For notwithstanding all Paul had said, many of them still retained their sinful and inveterate pre judices against the gospel. Luke, having thus brought Paul's history down to his arrival at Rome, and having related what happened to him at his first coming, adds a short description of his two years' confinement in that city. Acts xxviii. 307 And Paid dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came unto him. 3 1 . Preach ing the kingdom qf God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Chriat, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. This singular indulgence, of preaching the gospel without being hin dered by any person, Paul enjoyed during the whole of his two years' imprisonment at Rome, because he preached only in his own hired house, and to those who came to him of their own accord. Whereas if in Rorae, as at Ephesus and the other great cities where he suffered persecution, he had gone about publicly preaching against the established idolatry, in all pro bability both the priests and the bigots would have been en raged ; and of course the magistrates would have been obliged to interpose. These evils however the apostle avoided. For though he was brought to Rome, by the direction of God, for the purpose of bearing witness there concerning the Lord Jesus, it was not necessary that he should go about gathering the people to hear the gospel, as in places where he was utterly unknown. His fame as a preacher of the new doctrine, and as a worker of miracles, had reached Rome long before he arrived there, hav ing been published by those who came from the provinces of Greece and Asia. Besides, his imprisonment itself, for preach- 376 THE LIFE OP ing doctrines and attesting facts so contrary to the common ex perience of mankind, made a great noise, as the apostle him self insinuates, Philip, i. 12, 13. Wherefore, seeing Paul's house was open to every comer, it is not to be dOubted that many resorted to him, daily, sorae out of curiosity to heal- and see the chief of a sect, which was now becorae so numerous, and who was said to be endued with extraordinary powers; others, from an honest inclination seriously to inquire into the strange things which he spake concerning Jesus of Nazareth, and to examine the evidence, which he offered in support of them. Now to all these the apostle willingly preached, bearing witness to Christ at Rome, even as forriierlyin Jerusalem. And though Luke bas not mentioned it, Paul himself hath told us, that his testimony concerning Jesus vvas well received, and that he made raany converts in Rorae, araong whora were sorae even of the Eraperor's doraestics, whose salutation he sent to the Philippians, chap. iv. 22. — Further, he says that the brethren in Rome, encouraged by his example, perhaps also strengthened by the gifts of the Spirit which he imparted to them, according to his proraise, (Rom. i. 11.) preached the gospel more openly and boldly than they would otherwise have done : while at the same time some ofthe Judaizing teachers preached with the malicious intention of adding affliction to the apostle's bonds ; namely, by provoking the magistrates against him, as the ringleader of the obnoxious sect, Philip, i. 14, 15. An Account of the Letters which Paul wrote during his first Imprison ment at Rome. He is at length set at Liberty. During this his first confinement at Rome, the apostle wrote four epistles, which are still remaining ; namely, one to the Ephesians ; another to the Philippians; a third to the Colossians ; and the fourth to Philemon : and after his release he wrote his epistie to the Hebrews. In tbe epistles to the Philippians, Co lossians, and Philemon, Timothy joined Paul : But he is not mentioned in the inscription of the epistle to the Ephesians, though it was written about the sarne time with the others, and sent along with the epistle to the Colossians. From this circum stance we may infer, that the letters to the Philippians, the Co lossians, and Philemon, were written a little before the letter to the Ephesians, and while Tiraothy vvas at Rorae; but that after they were finished, and before the letter to the Ephesians was be- THE At'OSTLE PAUL, ^fl gun, he left the city to go to Philippi, agreeably to the apostle's promise to the Philippians to send Timothy to them soon, chap. ii, 19, and to what he tells the Hebrews, that Timothy was ac tually sent away, chap. xiii. 23 — The letter to the Ephesians, being written «oon after that to the Colossians, and while the matter and form and very* expressions of that letter were fresh in the apostle's raind, the two resemble each other so much, that they have been termed twin epistles, and throw light on each other. For which reason, the 'apostle very properly order ed the Colossians to cause their epistle to be read in the church ofthe Laodiceans, to which, it is supposed the Ephesians, agreea bly to the direction given thera by Tychicus, sent a copy of their ' epistle. If I ara right in this conjecture, the epistle to the Ephesians is the letter from Laodicea, which the Colossians were ordered to read in their church. Col. iv. 1 6. The apostle's letters just now mentioned, shew that during his confinement in Rome, he was attended by many of his faith ful, disciples and friends, who had eitUer accorapanied hira from Judea, or who had followed him to Rome, Of this number was Tychicus, by whom the apostle sent his epistle to the Colossians, chap, iy. 17. and Onesimus, ver, 9. and Mark, Barnabas' sister's son, ver. 10. to whom the apostle was now fully reconciled, and Jesua called Justus ; all Jews by descent, ver. 11. except Onesi mus. About this time his faithful friend Aristarchus was ira prisoned for his zeal in preaching the gospel. But his other friend Luke had free access to hira, all the tirae of his imprison ment. Demas too was with him, (Col. iy. 14.) and Tiraothy, (Philip, i. 1 .) Besides, the churches of Greece and Asia hear ing of his imprisonment, sent sorae of their raost esteeraed merabers, to inquire concerning his welfare, and to minister unto hira. Of this nuraber was Epaphras, who carae from Co losse, and Epaphroditus from Philippi. These abode a consid erable time with the apostle, and gave him all the assistance in their power, especially in the work of the ministry : not to mention the good offices which he received from the Roman brethren, whose esteera and affection he had forraerly expe rienced in their coraing all the way to Appii Forura, an4 Tres Tabernae, to conduct him into the city. It is now time to relate, th-at Paul during his two years' con finement at Rome, having preached the gospel with great suc cess, and edified the churches of Greece and Asia by the divinely inspired letters, which he wrote them during that period, was vox,. VI. 48 378 THE LIFE OF at length released in the spring A. D. 62. answering to the 9t& year of Nero. Luke indeed has not directly mentioned Paul's release : But by liraiting his confineraent to two years, he has insinuated that he was then set at liberty. His confineraent at Rome issued thus favourably, through the goodness of his cause, and through the intercession of some powerful friends in Caesar's- fe-mily, who had embraced the christian faitb, and who were greatly interested in the fortune of one, who was so strong a pillar of the new religion wbich they had espoused. It is Gonjeetured that Paul had been released, when he wrote his epistle to the Hebrews ; because he says to them, chap, xiii.^ 23. Know ye tliat our brother Timothy is sent away, wilh whom, if lie come shortly, I will see you. Timothy it seems had been sent to- Philippi, according to the apostle's promise, (Philip, ii. 19.) and had been ordered to return as soon as possible ; and the apostle was. waiting his retum at Rorae, or rather in some of the towns of Italy, (Heb. xiii. 24.) when he wrote his letter to the Hebrews. CHAPTER XI. Paul's History from the Time he was released from his first Confinement at Rome, to his Death. Of Paul's travels and preaching, between his release and mar tyrdom, we have no authentic record reraaining. Nevertheless from the intimations which he has given of his purposes, in the epistles vvhich he wrote from Rorae during his first confinement^ we may suppose the following sketch of the transactions of the latter part of his life to bear some resemblance to the truth. Paul sails from Italy to Judea. In his Way he touches at Crete, accompa nied by Titus and Timothy. Leaving Titus in Crete, he sails with Timothy to Judea. -The apostie being released in the spring of A. D. 62. (as was shewn in the preface to the epistle to the Philippians,) embarked- with Titus, perhaps also- with Timothy, in some of the ports of Italy, designing to visit the churches of Judea according to his proraise, Heb. xiii, 23. But in the course of his voyage, hap pening to touch at Crete, he preached in raany cities there ; and either gathered new churches, or increased the churches already gathered. About this time, Judea was full of robbers and Sicarii, who went about in armed bands, and plundered the villages, after killing the inhabitants who made any resistance. Impostors THE APOSTLE PAUL. 279 also arose, who drew raany after thera by promising to work for thera miraculous deliverances. These disturbances were in creased by the extrerae severity ofthe Roman government, which exasperated the people to such a degree, that in asserting their liberty, they raised those seditions which ended in the war, whereby Jerusalem and the Jewish state were overthrown. The mischiefs occasioned by these disorders, falling with equal weight upon the disciples ofChrist, as upon others, the apostle, when he received information thereof, judged his presence and advice might be necessary for suppoi'ting the brethren in Judea. Wherefore, leaving Titus in Crete, to set in order the things which were wanting, and to ordain elders in every city. Tit. i. 1. he set sail for Judea with Timothy, who if he did not accom pany hira from Italy, had come to him in Crete. Being arrived in Judea, Paul visited the church of Jerusa lem, and the other churches in that country, to vvhich he had lately sent an epistie from Rome, inscribed to the Hebrews. Paul and Timothy travel through Syria and Cilicia, and the Countries of the Lesser Asia, visiting the Churches. They abide some Time at Co losse, where Paul writes his Epistle to Titus. He leaves Timothy in Ephesus, and goes into Macedonia. * After spending some time in comforting and instructing the brethren in Judea, Paul, accompanied by Tiraothy, left Judea to visit the churches of the Lesser Asia ; taking, as usual, Antioch in his way, where he had so often and so Successfully ministered in the gospel. From Antioch, Paul and his assistants travelled through Cilicia into Galatia, and after that went to Colosse, -where he had desired Philemon to provide him a lodging, (ver. 22.) because he intended to spend some time in that city. While the apostle abode at Colosse, he wrote his epistle to Titus in Crete. Here also he raet with Tychicus, who before Paul's release, had been sent from Rome, with the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, (Col. iv. 8.) For in his epistle to Titus, he told him, he would send Tychicus, or Artemas into Crete, that Titus might come to him af Nicopolis, where he proposed to winter. And having finished his business at Co losse, he went forward to Ephesus, in his way to Macedonia. At his departure from Ephesus, the apostie left Timothy there to direct the affairs of the numerous church in that city, 1 Tim. i. 3. In travelling to Macedonia, the apostle came to Troas, where lodging with Carpus, he left in his keeping {tpeXavnv) the cloak, which, according to some, his father had received as the badge 380 THE LIPE OF of his being a Roman citizen. But others think, tiiis was a bag or book-case with certain books, supposed to be books of the Jewish scriptures. He left likewise sorae parchments with Car pus, containing perhaps the autographs, or original copies, of his ovvn episties to the churches ; or the epistles vvhich he had received from the churches. These parchments he afterwards ordered Timothy to bring to hira, during his second imprison ment, (2 Tira. iv. 13.) designing I suppose to acknowledge them as hia writings, and to deliver them to Timothy with his own liand, to be kept for the use of the chqrches, after he was gong. Paul vi^it? the Churches in Macedonia, writes his First Epistle to Timpthy, and winters at Nicopolis. From that City he goes into Crete. Leaving Crete, he goes with Titus to Rome, where he is imprisoned a second Time. In Macedonia Paul visited the several churches ; add among the rest that at Philippi, which had shewn him such kindness in his former confinement. From Macedonia he went to Nico polis, (Tit. iii. 12.) a city of Epirus, where he spent the winter. Here Titus came to him from Crete, according to his order, (Tit. iii. 12.) Here also, orat Philippi, he wrote his first epistle to Timothy in Ephesus, to direct him hpw he ought to behave himself in the church of the living God ; fearing it would not he in bis power to return to Ephesus at the time he proposed," vvhen he parted with Tiraothy; 1 Tira. iii. 14, 15. Accordingly, the account given by Titus of the churches in Crete, deterrain ing hira to visit them, he changed his resolution, and instead of returning to Ephesus, he set out early in the spring from Nico polis for Crete, accompanied by Titus, Trophimus, and Erastus ; and taking Corinth in his way, Erastus, who was a native ofthat city, chose to abide there. When they arrived at Crete, Tro phimus fell sick, and vvas left'in Miletus, a city ofthat island, 2 Tim. iv. 20. About this time, the emperpr Nero began that persecution of the Christians, which is reckoned the first of the ten general per-t secutions. The occasion of it was this. Nero himself having set fire to the city, on the tenth of July A. D. 64. a great part of it was laid in ashes. And being generally believed the author of that calamity, he becarae the object of the popular hatred. Whcsefqi'e, to clear himself from the imputation of so odious a crime, Nero, in the month of November following, began to pun ish the Christians as the incendjaries, and treated them with THE APOSTLE PAUL. 381 such cruelty, that at length the people's compassion towards them was raised. The torments which the Christians now en dured on account of their supposed guilt, are described by Ta citus, (Ann. lib. xv. c. 44.) who informs us, that many of them being apprehended, some were covered with the skins of wild beasts, and thrown to dogs to be devoured ; others were cruci fied ; others were fastened to stakes, and daubed over witli pitch, and had fire set to thera, that they might burn instead of torches in the night time. By these and such like cruelties, the historian says (ingens multitudo) a prodigious number of Chris tians were destroyed. The news of these cruelties being brought to Crete, the apos tle thinking his presence might be useful in comforting the brethren, went with Titus to Italj*, where they arrived about the tirae Nero set out for Achaia, and where the praetorian prefect, who was left to govei-n the city in the eraperor's absence, con tinued the persecution with a cruelty equal to that of Nero himself. Wherefore, though the danger was great, the apostle went to Rome in the beginning of A. D. 65. where he exerted the same zeal and activity in proraoting the Christian cause, as for merly. But the priests and bigots pointing him out to the magistrates, as a chief man among the obnoxious sect, he was apprehended and imprisoned, in order to be punished. How long Paul continued in prison, at this time, we know not. But frora his being twice brought before the eraperor, or his prefect, it may be presuraed, that he was iraprisoned a year OJ" more before he was conderaned. Paul appears before Nero the first Time. Writes his second Epistle to Timothy, and at last suffers Martyrdom. The danger to which Paul was exposed, by this second im prisonment, appeared so great to his assistants, that most of thera fled from the city. Luke alone remained with him : and even he was so intimidated, that he durst not stand by hira when he made his first answer, 2 Tim. iv. 11. 16. While the apostle's friends thus deserted him, his eneraies waxed raore bold : es pecially Alexander the Ephesian coppersmith, whora formerly the apOstle had delivered to Satan, for his errors and vices. This person, moved with resentment, came to Rome, and did Paul puch harm by withstanding hia worda, 2 Tim. iv. 14. It seems be joined his prosecutors, and in the presence of his judges, 382 TOE LIFE OF loudly contradicted the facts which Paul alleged in his cwn vin dication. Wherefore, it was with the utmost difficulty he es- caped conderanation after making his first defence t so that he looked for nothing but a sentence of death, when next brought before his judges. Impressed, therefore, with a view of his approaching con demnation, Paul wrote his second epistle to Timothy ; in which he desired him to come to him before winter, (ver, 21.) and to bring Mark with him, (ver. II.) that they might receive his last instructions, and assist him in the ministry duriiig the few months he had to live. Withal, to induce Timothy the raore cheerfully to corae, he told him, he had sent Tychicus to Ephe sus (2 Tim, iv. 12.) to supply his place there. — From this epistle, we learn also, that although the apostle's assistants, terrified with the danger that threatened him, forsook him and fled, he was not altogether without consolation. For the bre thren of Rome came to him privately, and ministered to him ; as we learn from his sending their salutation to Timothy, 2 Tim. iv. 21. Most of the particulars above mentioned, the apostle hath suggested in his own letters, especially in his second to Timo thy. What followed, we learn from ancient Christian Writers, who inforra us. That Paul was condemned and put to death, in the 12th year ofthe reign ef Nero, answering to A, D. 66. And two years after that, namely A. D. 68, Nero put an end to his own life, and to this terrible persecution, after it had continued four years, and swept offa prodigious number of the disciplesof , Christ. CHAPTER XII. Cliaracter and Eulogy ofthe Apostle Paul. Such was the life, and such the death, of Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ. In his younger years, being exceedingly zealous of tbe law of Moses, he persecuted the Christians, as eneraies of God and religion. But after Jesus appeared to him, and shew ed him his error in denying his resurrection, he forthwith be carae a zealous and indefatigable preacher ofthat faith, which formerly he was so active in destroying. In the rolls of.fame, Paul stands deservedly next to his Divine Master as a teacher of religion and morality ; being without comparison a greater hero by that undertaking, and rauch more worthy of admiration, than the greatest of those vvho have been called Great. The THE APOSTLE PAUL. 383 bodily labour which he endured, the dangers which he encoun tered, the sufferings which befel him, and the courage which amidst all these evils, he exerted in his apostolic ofiice, shew that his virtues, both active and passive, were far superior to those, which the most renowned conquerors have exhibited in the pursuits pf ambition, or fame. The end likewise, for which he-exerted such an high degree of all the virtues, was more noble; being not to amass riches, or to acquire power, or to ob tain fame, or to conquer kingdoms, or to enslave raankind ; but to deliver the nations of the world from the thraldom of igno rance, idolatry and wickedness, by imparting to them the knowl edge of God and ofa future state, and by teaching them those duties of religion and morality, on which their happmess both in time and eternity wholly depends. This noble, this beneficent employment, Paul prosecuted with unremitting diligettce for the space of thirty years ; all the while foreseeing and experiencing innumerable evils, as the consequence of his generous undertaking, without reaping from it any worldly advantage whatever. Such heroic benevolence is the more to be esteeraed, as at the tirae Paul carried the light of the gospel through the world, mankind were involved in one thick cloud of darkness, which hindered thera from dis cerning those spiritual matters, ' which as reasonable beings designed to exist through eternity, it was of the greatest irapor tance for tbera to know. Wherefore, if any person ever merited well of mankind, it is Paul, who with such unwearied activity, and with such labour and loss to himself, imparted to the na tions of the world, the knowledge ofthe true God, and ofthe way of salvation. But this most excellent man is entitled to admiration and gra titude, not from those alone who put a just value on religious knowledge, but from those also, who esteem nothing but what promotes the interest of the present life. For the gospel, which Paul spread through the world, hath been the source of many of those good qualities, whereby such as have embraced the Chris tian religion, have been rendered superior to all who have gone before them. More particularly, the gospel hath introduced good faith, which is the foundation of mutual confidence be tween nations, in their leagues and compacts : it hath banished that fierceness with which the most civilized nations anciently carried on war ; it hath diffused that humanity and complaisance, by which modern manners are so happily distinguished from the 384 THE LIFE OF, &c. ancient : Nay, if I am not mistaken, the gospel hath, by accident^ contributed to the improvement even ofthe sciences and the arts: For by the great objects which it presents to the minds of men, their intellectual faculties have been enlarged and strength ened : and by the rewards of immortality which it promises, its votaries have been inspired with a sense of their .own dignity, and such hopes have been infused into their breasts, as have ren dered them not only just, but active, even in the affairs of this life. Let the gospel therefore have its due praise, which holds out distinguished rewards in the future life, even to those who mingle in the affairs ofthe present, and who frora just principles, promote the temporal interest of their fellow creatures. Also let the blessed Paul have his praise, to whom chiefly we in this part of the world are indebted for our knowledge of the gospel, and for all the advantages, teraporal and eternal, of which the gospel hath been the happy occasion to mankind. PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS REFERItED to IN THK PRECKDINO LOnt!. No- I. pag. 279. Stirred up the moat zealous members of the foreign synagogues iii Jerusalem. Vitringa, de Syn. Vet. lib. 1. p. 1. c. 14. tells us from Jewish authors, that there were 480 synagogues in Jerusalem. And learned raen suppose, that of these, a nuraber were composed of Jews from the provinces, ¦who chose to worship God in their native language. Lightfoot (Exercit. Acts vi. 9.) observes, that Jewish authors expressly tnention a synagogue which the Alexandrian Jews had at Jeru-^ salera — With respect to the synagogue of the Libertines, there are facts in history which shew who they were. Libertinus or Jdberiine, is a Latin word, which signifies a slave who hath ob- - tained his freedom : Also the son of such a person. From Philo we learn that the 8000 Jews, who, as Jpsephus (Ant. xvii. 13. initio) tells us, joined at Rome the embassy which came from Judea, to petition Augustus against Archelaus, were mostly of this denomination. For he expressly affirms, that the Jews at Rorae were generally such as had been taken captives, but were made free by their Roraan roasters. Tacitus likewise speaks cf the Jews, when he tells us, Ann. ii. 85.* that 4000 of the Lib ertine race were transported into Sardinia, Besides, Suetonius (Tib. c. 36.) and Josephus (Antiq. xviii. 4. fine.) expressly calls them Jews who were thus transported. • Actum et de sacris -ffigyptiis Judaicisque pellendis '.' factumq;ue Pa trum consultum, ut quatuor millia Libertini generis ea superstitione in- fecti, quis idonea stas, insulam Sardiniam veherentuj;, coercendis illic latrociniis, et si ob gravitatem cjieU interissent, vile damnum ; Cicteri ce» derent Italia, nisi certam ante diem profanos ritus exuissent. rOL. VI. 49 386 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. The Jewish Libertines being so nuraerous at Rome, and in Italy, it is probable that like other foreign Jews, they had a synagogue in Jerusalera. — The members of all these foreign synagogues, being generally very zealous, were most fit instru ments to be employed in opposing the disciples of Christ. Ac cordingly they disputed with great vehemence against Stephen. Acts vi. 9. Then there aroae certain of the synagogue ofthe Lib ertines, and Cyreniana, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia, and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. 11. Then they suborned men, which said. We have heard him speak blasphe- inoua worda againat Moses, and against God. 12, And they stirred up the people, isfc. No, II, pag. 281. It seems the synagogues in foreign parts had a jurisdiction over their own mtmbera. In all the provinces of the Roman empire, the Jews were governed by a senate of their ovvn : and where they were numerous, they had a chief magis trate, elected by themselves, who vvas sometimes called Alabareh, and sometimes Ethnarch. Of the nature and extent of that separate government, which the Jews exercised over those of their own race, we have the raost authentic account, in a decree concerning the Jews of Sardis, of which Josephus had preserved a copy. Antiq. xiv. c. 10. § 17. Gen, edit, page 487. and which deserves a place here. It is as follows, " Lucius Antonius, son of Mark, pro- " quaestor and propraetor, to the magistrates, senate, and people " of Sardis, greeting. The Jews which are our citizens, have " shewn rae, that they, have always had an asserably of their " own, according to the laws of their country, and a place of « their own, in which they decide the affairs aud differences «* wliich concern theraselves. Having desired of rae, that it « raay be lawful for them so to do, I have decreed that this « (right) be preserved and permitted to thera." Wherefoi'e> Paul had reason to blarae the Christians at Corinth, for going to law with one another before the unbelievers, (1 Cor. vi. 5, 6,) since they might have decided these differences by their own judges. Josephus has also preserved an edict of Claudius, published in favour of the Jews, in the beginning of his reign. In that edict Claudius observes, as a precedent, " That when a " Jewish Ethnarch died, Augustus did not forbid the creation of PROOFS ATftt ILLUSTRATIONS. 387 '' a new Ethnarch, willing that all men should remain subject to " him, but in the observation of their own customs." And Strabo, in a passage not now in his works, but cited by Josephus, Ant, xiv. c. 7. § 2. says, " A good part of Alexandria is inhabited by' *< this people, (the Jews). They have likewise an Ethnarch, " who administers their affairs, decides causes, presides over " contracts and mandates, as if he were the governor of a perfect " republic," The Jews in all the provinces of the Roman empire, being thus allowed to live accort^ng to their own customs, they regu lated their conduct in eveiy thing by the law of Moses ; at least as far as it was possible for them to do it out of Judea. And as the high-priest, and elders at Jerusalem, were regarded by all the Jews, as the interpreters and administrators of the law, the foreign Jews considered themselves as actually under their juris diction. And therefore in all countries, they implicitly obeyed the mandates sent them from the council at Jerusalem ; just as in after times, tbe clergy of the Romish coraraunion in every country of Europe obeyed iraplicitly the raandates of the Pope and conclave at Rome. No. III. pag. 282. Saul arose from the earth, and with his bodily eyes beheld Jesus standing in the way. We are absolutely certain, that, on this or on some other occasion, Saul saw Jesus with the eyes of his body. For he hath twice affirmed that he saw Jesus in that manner. 1 Cor. xi. 1. Am I not an apostle. — Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord ? Chap. xv. 8. Last of all, (a(p&7i Kcefui) He was seen of me also, as of an abortive apostle. Now it is to be observed. That this appearance of JesUs, Paul places among his other appearances to the rest of the apostles, which without all doubt, were personal appearances. • Besides, ^ Saul had not seen Jesus, in the body, after his resurrection, he could not have been an apostle ; whose chief business it was, as an eye-witness, to bear testimony to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. — I acknowledge, that if we were to form our opinion of this matter, solely upon the account which Luke hath given of it, (Acts ix. 3.-6.) we could not be sure that Saul now saw Jesus. Yet if we attend to the words of Ananias, both as recorded in this chap. ver. 17. The Lord Jesua who ap peared to thee (i »(p.^eif o-oi who was seen of thee) in the way, and as recorded, Acts xxii. 14. The God of our fat hera haih 38* ?R00rS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. chosen thee, that thou ahouldeat — aee that just one, and shouldest hear the voice of hia mouth : Also if we consider the words of Christ; lhave appeared unto thee, for thia very purpoae, to make thee a nmiater, and a witneaa of those things which thou hast seen .' and that Barnabas declared to the apostles, how he had aeen the Lord iH the way, Acts ix. 27. I say when all these expressions are duly attended to, we shall have little doubt that Saul saw Jesus, Standing before him in the way, (ver. 17.) when in obedience to Ws command he arose from the ground. But. not being able to endure the splendor of his appearancj, or perhaps the better to express his reverence, he fell to the earth anew, and remained before him in that posture, till Christ ordered hira to arise a second time, and go into the city ; where it should be told him wliat he was to do. Acts ix. 6. Then it was, that on opening his eyes, he found hiraself absolutely blind.— »This, I suppose, is a better account of Saul's seeingJesus, after his resurrection, than with some to affirm, that he saw him in his trance in the temple f or in his rapture into the third heaven. For on neither of these occasions, did Saul see Jesus with his bodily eyes ; the impres sion, at these times, having been raade upon his raind by the power of Christ, and not by raeans of his external senses ; so that he would, hot haVe been qualified by such a vision, to attest Christ's resurrection from the dead.— I know that Paul had another corporeal sight of Jesus, naraely after he had made his- defence before the council. Acts xxiii. 11. But as the first epistle to the Corinthians, in which Paul affirraed that he had aeen the Lord, was written before he was favoured with that, se cond corporeal sight of Jesus, he cannot be thought, in that epistle, to have spoken of an event which had not then happened. No. IV. p. 284. That thou mighteat receive thy aight, and be filled with the Holy Ghoat. Frora Ananias administering baptism to Saul, Acts ix. IS. it would seem that he was one of the prophets, or teachers of the church of Damascus. He Inay likewise have possessed the gift of healing diseases : and in that character, may have been sent to restore Paul's sight. But he told him likewise, he was sent that he might befitted with the Holy Ghost. Nevertheless, from the other exainples recorded in thC: Acts, and from the passages in the epistles, where the commu nication of the spiritual gifts is raentioned, and frora Acts viii. 14, 15. 17. it appears, that none but apostles had the power »i PROOFS AN© ILLUSTRATIONS. 389 > conferring the Holy Ghost on believers. For, when Philip had converted the Samaritans, the apostles at Jerusalera sent unto them Peter and John, that they raight receive the Holy Ghost. Wherefore, if Ananias, who was not an apostle, really conferred the Holy Ghost on Saul, he did it by virtue of a special commission; and having accoraplished what was ap pointed him, his power ended with the fulfilment of his com mission, FYom tbe history, however, we cannot gather that any such coramission was given to Ananias. And therefore we may interpret his words to Saul in this manner : The Lovd Je sus hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and when thou hast received thy sight, that thou mightest, by an immediate illapse, be filled with the Holy Ghost. According to this way of understanding the matter, Saul received his sight, when Anatiias spake to hini and put his hands on him, (Acts ix, 12.) But he did not receive the Holy Ghost till he was baptized and then by some visible symbol, which Saul saw, the Holy Ghost fell upon him, as upon the apostles at th-e beginning. So that he was not a whit behind the very greatest apostles, as he himself affirms ; being baptized, not with water only, but with tlie Holy Ghost and with fire, according to John Baptist's pre diction. Besides, If an inferior prophet, or even an apostle, had been employed to communicate the Holy Ghost to Saul, that circumstance would have been urged, as an argument to prove Saul an apostle of an inferior order. Whereas, in the raanner we have supposed hira to have received the Holy Ghost, no argument could be drawn in prejudice of his authority. An ordinary prophet was sent to give Saul premonition of his being to receive the Holy Ghost. This with the recovery of his sight, gave hira the fullest assurance that what had befallen him by tlie way, was no illusion, but a real appearance. To conclude, the supposition that the Holy Ghost was communicated to Paul, by an immediate illapse, will appear still more probable, if the ob servation of many commentators is just, that the phrase filled with the Holy Ghost, is never applied in scripture to those who received the Holy Ghost by the imposition of the hands of men, but to those on whora the Holy Ghost descended in sorae visible symbol. No. V. pag. 287. When Saul was about 34 years of age. The time of Saul's conversion may be deterrained, with a good degree of probability, in the following manner.— .When the 390 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. brethren at Jerusalem sent him forth to Tarsus, it is said. Acts IX. 31. Then had the churches rest, throughout all Judea, and Gali lee, and Samaria, and were edified. — If this rest of the churches throughout all the land, which the historian bath connected with Saul's going to Tarsus, was occasioned, as learned raen and chronologers have thought, by the publication of the emperor Caius's order to set up his statue in the teraple of Jerusalem, we can nearly determine the time of Saul's conversion. For Josephus tells us, (Ant. xviii. 9. al. 1 L) That, " Caius greatly " incensed against the Jews for not paying him tbat respect which "others did, sent Petronius governor into Syria, commanding « him to set up his statue in the temple, and if the Jews oppos- " ed it, to march into the country with an army, and effect it by « force. The same historian adds, (Bell. xi. 10. § 1.) That he « enjoined him, if the Jews opposed it, to put to death all who " made any resistance, and to make all the rest of the nation « slaves. Petronius, therefore, marched from Antioch into Ju- " dea, with three legions, and a large body of auxiliaries raised « in Syria." Now it is allowed, that Caius sent Petronius into Syria, in the third year of his reign, answering to A. D. 39. And it is supposed, he carae into the province, in the autumn of 39, or in the beginning of A. D. 40. Wherefore, as the publication of Caius's order affected the whole people of Judea, we may suppose with Lardner, that it threw the unbelieving Jews into such a consternation, that they had no leisure to think of persecuting the Christians any longer. A disaster hung over themselves, which threatened destniction to their religion, perhaps to their nation ; so that they were wholly possessed by their own fears. Our Saul seeras to have been the last who w*as hurt by the persecution, which had vex ed the- church after the death of Stephen, For the historian having narrated the attempt of the Grecians to kill him, and the care of the brethren to save his life by sending him away, adds, Then had the cliurchea reat. Saul therefore set out for Tarsus in the year 39, a little before Petronius published the emperor's order. Further, according to Saul's oWn account, his arrival at Je rusalem, before he went to Tarsus, happened full three years after his conversion, Gal. i. 1 8. Wherefore, if the rest of the churches, was occasioned by the publication of Caius's order in the end of A. D. 39, or in the beginning of A. D. 40, Saul's con- PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 391 version, three years before, raust have happened in the end of the year 36, or in the beginning of 37, When he was 34 years of age : a time of life at which raen are as well qualified to judge of religious raatters, as at any time whatever. — That Saul was not more than 34 years of age, when he was converted, may be gathered likewise from his being called a young man at the time of Stephen's death, which happened, as is generally believed, A. D. 35, about a year before Saul's conversion. To 34, Saul's age, A. D. 36, add the 26 years which elapsed from that tirae to A. D. 62, when he wrote his epistle to Phileraon, and he will then have been 59 or 60 years old, and so raight very properly then call himself Paul the aged. But if he was more than 60, when he wrote that letter, he raust have been more than 34, at his conversion. No. VI, pag. 287. Straightway he preached Christ in Ihe syna'- gogues, that he is the Son of God. Learned men are not agreed^ whether this preaching in the synagogues of Damascus, hap pened before Saul went into Arabia, or after he returned thence. They who think it happened after his return, found their opi nion on the following argument. If Saul had begun to preach in Damascus, before he went into Arabia, he probably would have preached in that country also. And yet in the account which he gave of his preaching, to Agrippa, he does not say that he preached in Arabia at all. Acts xxvi. 20. Besides, if Paul had preached in Daraascus before he went into Arabia, the news thereof raust have reached Jerusalera, before he went thi ther himself, and by consequence the brethren there could not have been ignorant of his being a disciple. — They who think Saul preached in Damascus before he went into Arabia, found their opinion on the account which Luke has given of the mat ter. Acts ix. 19. And when he had received meat, he was streng thened. Then was Saul with the disciples ceriain days at Damascus : and straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues. Now though it does not necessarily follow from the expression straightway he preached, that this happened a few days after his conversion, yet they think the remark which the Jews at Damascus made on Saul's preaching, shews that it so happened, ver. 21. But all that heard him were amazed, and said, is not this he that destroyed them widch called on thia name in Jeruaalem, and came hither for that intent, thac he might\ bring them bound to the chief priests.— -."Yo the argument taken from Luke's expression, straightway he preached S92 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Christ, m the synagogues, it is replied. That the sacred historiafts often relate things as connected, which happened at a considera ble distance of time from each other, and between which things intervened which they did not think proper to relate. See ex amples of this manner of recording events in Prelim. Observ. iii. prefixed to my Harmony of the Gospels. Next, with respect to the remark which the Jews at Damascus made on Saul's preaching Christy every reader must be sensible that it might as properly be made on his preaching Christ after his retum from Arabia, as immediately after his conversion. No. VII. pag. 287. While Saul was in Cilicia, he had those visions and revelations ofthe Lord, of which he speaks, 2 Cor, xii. 1. The time of these visions, with other dates in Paul's his tory are fixed in the following manner. When Paul first came to Corinth, he found Aquila with his family settled there, after being driven from Rome by Claudius's edict, which was pub lished in the eleventh year of his reign. But according to the best chronologers, the eleventh year of Claudius began January 24, A. D. 51. Wherefore, although his decree was published in the beginning of that year, Aquila could not be settled in Corinth sooner than the end of the spring 51. ¦ See P'ref. to 1 Cor. sect. 1. Consequently Paul did not arrive till auturan. And having abode at Corinth a year and six raonths, he sailed to Caesarea in spring 53 ; then went up and saluted the church of Jerusalem, after which he went down to Antioch ; and having spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the coun try of Galatia and Phrygia in order ; and so carae to Ephesus. His voyage frora Corinth to Caesarea, and his journey by land from Judea to Ephesus, may have been perforraed in a year and ten months ; so that if the apostle left Corinth in the beginning of spring 53, he may have come to Ephesus in the end qf the year 54. At Ephesus he abode two years and three months, then went over to Macedonia, where he arrived early in the year 57. In Macedonia he wrote his second epistle to the Corinthians, (2 Cor. vii. 5, 6. viii. 18.) after which travelling through Mace donia, he preached on the borders of Illyricura, Rora. xv. 19. These transactions would take up all the spring and suraraer and part of the autumn of the year S7. The apostle after that went into Greece to receive the collections which the churches of Achaia had made for fhe brethren in Judea. For it is saii, PROOFS AMD ILLUSTRATIONS. - 393 Acts XX. 2, 3. Having gone over those parts, and given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, and there abode three months. During bis abode in Greece he wrote his epiitle to the Romans at Corinth, not long before he set out for Jerusalem with the collections. In making this voyage he proposed to sail from Cenchrea, But the Jews lying in wait for him there, he changed his purpose, returned to Macedonia, and arrived at Philippi about the time of the passover in the year ^58. For after the days of unleavened bread, he left Philippi and took ship to sail into Syria, Acts xx. 6. I now put the reader in mind of what Paul himself tells us, 2 Cor. xii. 2. 4. naraely, that he was carried up into the third heaven, more than 1 4 years before he wrote his second epistle to the Corinthians. Wherefore, that epistle being written in the beginning of the year 57, (See Pref. to 3 Cor. sect. 3.) his rapture 14 years before, must have happened in the end of A. D. 42, or in the beginning of A. D. 43, full seven years before the council of Jerusalem, which was held in the end of A. D. 50. (No. XXII.) But the council of Jerusalem happened about 14 years after Saul's conversion. Gal. ii. 1. perhaps 14 years wanting some months ; so that by this computation like wise, Saul was converted in the end of A. D. 36. Three years after his conversion, he went up to Jerusalera to see Peter, viz, in the end of A. D. 39 ; and having abode with him 15 days, he was sent forth to Tarsus in Cilicia, in which country Barnabas found him towards the end of A. D. 45. (No. IX.) about three years after his rapture, which, as is said above, happened in the end of 42, or the beginning of 43, consequently six years after his conversion. No. VIII. pag. 28 1. And Antioch. Anciently there were many cities of the name of Antioch. Bat this was the metropolis of Syria, and indeed of all the East, being little inferior in magni* tude and populousness to Alexandria in Egypt, or even to Rome itself. It was built by Seleucus, one of Alexander's successors, who named it after his son Antiochus, and peopled it with Greeks. But many Jews also settied there. For Josephus tells us. Bell. vii. c 3. § 3. « That the kings of Syria allowed the « Jews the freedom of Antioch, equally with the Greeks, so « that their nurabers increased exceedingly ; and that they « were always bringing over a great many qf the Greeks to their ^< religious worahip,whom they made in some sort a part of them- VOL. VI. 60 394 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. «' selves."— -Antioch was remarkable for the beauty of its sittt' ation, the magnificence of its buildings, the extensiveness of its commerce,, and the learning and ingenuity of its inhabitants. Hence, Cicero, in his oration for the poet Arcbias a native of Antioch, says, c. 3- Primum Antiochite, (nam ibi natus, loco nobili,ceiebri quondam urbe et copiosa^ atque eruditissimis homiy nibus liberalissimisque studiis adfiuentef celeriter anlecellere om nibus ingcMi gloria contigit. — But while Antioch was thus fa mous for learning, and the arts, the manners of its inhabitants were exceedingly corrupted by its vicinity to Daphne, a village in Uie neiighbourhood, where under the pretext of religion, all manner of sensuality was practised, in so rauch that the manners of those \1fho frequented Daphne, became a proverb.— But however famous Antioch was for the circumstances mentioned by the orator, it became raore faraous, for its having the light of the gospel so eariy bestowed on it, and for that numerous Christian churcll which was early planted there, and for itsr- giv ing the narae of Christians to the disciples. On the other hand, it brought no small honour to the gospel, that such a numerous church was so early gathered in Antioch, frera araong a people so intelligent, and who at the same time were so dissolute,- but who changed their manners after they embraced the gospel — The Christian religion flourished to such a degree in Antioch for many agesjthat it obtained the narae of (©ebb-oAis) the cit'y of God. And the church there was considered as the first, and chief of all the Gentile churches. No. IX. pag. 292;. After he had been about five years iti Cilicia.. That Saul abode five years in Cilicia and the neighbouring countries, may be proved in the following raanner. He was sent forth from Jerusalem to Tarsus, full three years after his conversion : Then 14 years wanting some months after his con version, he went to Jerusalem to the council, in the end of A. D. 49, or in the beginning of A. D. 50. Wherefore, between these two events, there elapsed somewhat more than IG years. Of these 10 years, Saul spent five years with Barnabas, after they left Tarsus ; as any one may know who considers the account which Luke has given of their joint labours. For on leaving Tarsus, they came to Antioch, where they assembled with the church a whole year. Acts xi. 26. After this, they went up to Jerusalem with the alms of the brethren of Antioch : and having finished that ministry, they retiurned to Antioch, where PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. -39S they abode, till the Holy Ghost commanded the prophets of Antioch, to separate thera for the work to which he had called them. Acts xiii. 2. Upon this, going down to Seleucia, a sea port town on the Orontes, they sailed to Cyprus ; and having travelled through that island, they came to Paphos, and from thence sailed to Pamphylia^, and having preached in that country, they went into Pisidia, and from thence into Lycaonia, preach ing the gospel, and planting churches in all the great cities. In Iconium particularly, they are said to have abode long time, Acts xiv. 3. But being driven out of that city, they went to Derbe, and Lystra, and the region that lieth round about ; (I suppose the regioiB of Galatia and Phrygia.) And there having taught many, they returned, and visited the churches which they had planted, and ordained elders in every city, till they came to .\talia ; where taking ship, they sailed to Antioch in Syria, These different journeys and transactions, could not be accom plished in less than three years. After their return to Antioch, they abode iong time with the disciples before they went up to Jerusalem to the council. Now this, with the three years which they spent in the Lesser Asia, added to the year spent at Antioch, before they tvent to Jerusalem vvith the alms, and the time they abode in Antioch, after their return, cannot raake less than five years complete. And these being deducted from the 10 years, which elapsed between Saul's retreat into Cilicia, and his going to the council of Jerusalem, there will remain full five years, as the duration of his abode in Cilicia, previous to the five years of his labours with Barnabas. No. X. pag. 292. The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. As the name X^i^mvot has a Latin, and not a Greek ter mination, learned men are of opinion, that it was given to the disciples, neither by themselves, nor by the Greeks ; but by the Romans, who imposed that name upon thera, to signify, that they were a new sect, of which Christ was the author. Accordingly, both Luke in his history, and Paul in his epistles, seem indus triously to have avoided the use of that narae, lest it should have been thought, that they meant to represent their Master, as an ordinary leader of a sect, like the noted philosophfers among the Greeks and Romans.--But though the narae was thus offensive at the first, it became afterwards very acceptable to the disciples of Jesus. For it is used by Peter, 1 Epist. iv. 16. And some .396 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. have thought it that worthy name, of which James speaks, chap. ii. 17. Besides, we know that in process of tirae it was much, and justly valued by those who bear it. Hence, in the epistles of the churches of Vienne and Lyons, it is styled an honourable, and glorious, and reviving appellation. Lardner, Can. vol. ii. p. 72, Before the disciples of Jesus were naraed Christians, they were called by their eneraies, men of that way, (Acts ix. 2. xijc. 9, 23.) Galileans, and JVazarencs : But among themselves, they went by tbe name of disciples, saints, brethren, the church, them that call upon the Lord Jesus Christ, or upon his name, or upon the Zorcf, simply, 2 Tim. ii. 2, And the gospel itself was called the way of the Lord, the way of God, the way of salvation, and sometimes simply, the way, Acts xxiv. 22, No. XI. pag. 293. Did not confer on them the apoatolical of fice. Barnabas and Saul, were not on this occasion separated by the church of Antioch to the ministry in general. They had discharged that office long before. Neither were they made apostles by the church of Antioch, An apostle of men, was no apostle, , And thereftire Paul disclaimed that character, in the loudest manner, by affirming. Gal. i. 1 , That he was an apostle, not of men, neither by man, hut by Jesus Christ, and God the Father : In whiph be spake the truth. For at the tirae ofhis conversion, Jesus expressly raade him an apostle, saying to him Acts xxvi. 16. / have appeared to thee, for this purpose, to. make thee a min ister, and a witness, both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee ; 17. Delivering thee from' the people (tbe Jewish .people) and from the Gentiles, (s<5 «5 VVV m «T(ifeAA«) ur^to whom I now send Ihee. 18. To open (heir eyes, and to tum them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, Is'c, To Saul's being made an apostle at his conversion it cannot be pbjected, that he did not then begin to discharge the apostolic office, but retired into Arabia. For, the other apostles, after their election, did not go forth immediately to preach, but they remained mostly with their Master during his ministry, that they raight be eye and eai-rwitnesses of the things which they were afterwards to- testify to the world : and in the course of their aiiendance, they received from their Master various instructions and directions relative to their office. And when he was about to leave them, though he ordered them tp go and tejch all nations, PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 397 they neither understood the full extent'of their commission, nor did they imraediately execute it. Yet they acted and taught as apostles, according to the knowledge they then had oftheir duty. And by degrees proceeded to fulfil their coramission according as it was opened up to them. — This was the case likewise with Saulj who though he was an apostle from the beginning, was fitted for the special duties of his office gradually, as circum stances required, until at length, the whole extent of his com mission was revealed to him. Saul therefore was an apostle frora the tirae of his conversion, and always acted and taught as such ; preaching^rst to them of Damascus, after his return frora Arabia, next at Jerusalem, and throughout all Judea, and then to the Gentiles. No. XII. pag. 296. He found in every country, great numbers, not only ofhis own nation, but of the Gentiles, whom the Jews had turned from idols. Lardner has well illustrated this fact, Cred. vol. i. c. 3. by passages frora Philo, Josephus, and other authors, of which the following are the principal. Philo, in the book which he wrote against Flaccus president of Egypt, in the beginning of Caligula's reign, says, " There is " not less than a million of Jews in Alexandria and other parts " of Egypt," and adds, " For one country does not contain the " Jewish people ; they being extremely nuraerous ; for which " reason, there are of them in all the best and most flourishing " countries in Europe, and Asia, in the islands, as well as on the " continent ; all esteeming for their metropolis the holy city, in " which is the sacred temple ofthe most high God." The same Philo, De Legatione ad Caiura, mentions a letter of Herod Agrippa the elder to the Emperor Caius, to dissuade hira from setting up his statue at Jerusalera, in which he says, " Nor can I " forbear to allege in behalf of the holy city, the place of ray na- " tivity, that it is the metropolis, not of the country of Judea only, " but of many others, on account of the many colonies that have " been sent out of it at different times ; not only into neighbour- " ing countries ; Egypt, Phoenicia, both the Syrjas, but also into " places more distant ; to Paraphilia, Cilicia, and raany parts of " Asia, as well as Bithynia, and the recesses of Pontus. They " are in the same manner, in Europe ; in Thessaly, Boeotia, Ma- '^ cedonia, .iEtolia, Argos, Corinth, in the most and best parts 'f of Peloponnesus. Nor are the continents only full of Jewish SSe PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. « colonies, but also the kiost celebrated islands ; Euboea, Cy- " prus, Crete ; not to mention those which are beyond the Eu- "^phrates. For excepting only a small part of Babylon, and " some other lesser districts, scarce any country of note can be " raentioned, in which, there are not Jewish inhabitants," &c. Lardner," vol. i. p. 232. The zeal of the Jews in making proselytes is well known. Horace has taken notice of it, lib. i. sat. iv. ver. ult. -Ac veluti te Judai cogemus in hanc concedere turbam. Josephus likewise in his second book against Appion, says, « We choose not to imitate the institutions of other people, but "we willingly embrace all that will follow ours." And from various passages in the Acts, it is evident that many Gentiles, especially of the female sex, were brought to worship the one true God after the raanner of the Jews. — To conclude, when the men of Damascus (A. D. 66.) had formed a design to make away with all the Jews of that place, Josephus tells us, Bell. lib. ii. c. 20. § 2. "They concealed their design very carefully from "their wives, because all of them, except a very few, were de- •' voted to the Jewish religion." No. XIII. pag. 298. The proconsul of Cyprus, Sergiua Paulus, resided. When Augustus obtained the supreme power, he gave the inland provinces to the people, and reserved those on the frontiers of the empire to himself; designing by that distribu tion, to kesp in his own hand the whole power of the armies^ Dio (quoted by Lardner, vol. i. p. 52.) tells us, that the govenofs sent by the Emperor into the provinces, were called lieutenants or propretors, though they were consular persons, tbat is, had served the office of consul in the city. But the governors sent by the senate into the provinces which belonged to them, were called proconsuls ; not only those who had been consuls, but those also who had been praetors only The division of the provinces, made at first by Augustus, underwent many changes. For a province originally assigned to the senate, was afterwards given to the Emperor; and on the contrary. — Such a change happened with respect to the province of Cyprus, which, in the first partition, was one of the Emperor's provinces, but was afterwards, together with Gallia Narbonenfis, given to the senate ; instead of which he took Dalmatia, which formerly was PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 393 theirs, as Dio inforras us, lib. liv. p. 523. Wherefore, when Paul visited Cyprus, that island was one of the provinces which be longed to the senate ; consequently the proper title of its gover nor was that of proconsul. Accordingly, Sergius Paulus is so named by Luke ; which shews his perfect knowledge of the state of the countries of which he writes. This honourable and worthy person, like other proconsuls, had perscais learned ih the Roman law to assist him in judging Causes. Also he had a council, (c-vftSaMov) as Festus likewise had, (Acts xxv. 12.) to advise with in difficult matters of state, and an officer to collect the taxes paid by the province. Besides, the presidents appointed to govern the provinces, commonly brought with them frora Rorae, the most intelligent and faithful of their friends. These coraposed their council, and to them were joined some of the most considerable of the Roman citizens, vvho resided in the province : Also some of the most respectable natives of the country, who could give information concerning the state of the province, the customs of its inhabitants, and the genius of their political constitution. All, or raost of these re spectable persons, we raay suppose, were witnesses to the apos tle's transactions in Paphos. No. XIV. pag. 306. Should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles. From this passage of the history, and frora Acts viii. I . Gal. i. 17.. it appears, that while the inferior teachers went to distant parts, whether to avoid persecution, or to make disciples, the apostles of the circumcision, usually resided at Jerusalem. This I suppose they did by the divine direction, that the brethren in distant parts, who had need of their advice and assistance in any difficult matter, might know where to apply to them : And also that they might establish a church, under their own iraraediate inspection, as a pattern, according to which, those who were converted in distant countries, might be formed into assemblies for the public worship of God, and for edifying themselves with the gospel-doctrine, statedly dispensed to them, by the ministers of the word, in these asserablies. No. XV. pag. 307. The decree which they paaaed on the question, runs in the name ofthe whole church : for it begins in this manner. Acts XV. 22. Then it seemed good to the apostles and elders, with the whole church. The historian, however, does not mean, that all the brethren in Jerusalem were gathered together on this pcca- 400 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. sion. For what house could have held so great a multitude :— Peter by one serraon, converted three thousand, and by another, no less than five thousand. And without doubt, many more on other occasions were added to the church 'of Jerusalem, by the joint labours of the whole apostles, who commonly resided there. The Christians being so numerous in Jerusalem, Mosheim (De Reb. Christ, ant. Constant, p. 117.) conjectures, that the faith ful in that city met in separate assem blies Tor worshipping God ; and that all who ordinarily came together in one and the same house, considered themselves as more particularly united. And therefore, when the question concerning the Gentiles was to he determined, seeing they could not all be present, they naturally deputed some of their most esteemed raerabers, to meet with the apostles and elders, to deliberate on that iraportant subject. And these delegates having signified their assent to Jaraes's pro position, it was considered as the determination of the whole church. This assembly hath long been denominated very properiy, The council of Jeruaalem ; for the reason mentioned Pref. to the Galat. Sec(j. 4. last paragr. which see. Concerning this council I have farther to add, That the bre thren of Antioch, having sent to consult, not the apostles singly, but the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, they, it seems, called the brethren of that church to assist them in the deliberation. It is evident, therefore, that in deciding this very important question, the apostles did not use their apostolical authority, but offered an opinion, which they supported by reasons drawn from facts, and frora the testiraony of the scriptures, with a view to convince those, who sat with them as judges of the matter under de liberation ; and who being convinced by the reasons which the apostles offered, agreed to what was proposed ; which thus be carae the unanimous decision of the whole asserably. This raethod of ending the controversy,' the Holy Ghost had pointed out as the most proper, by a revelation raade, either to Paul, or to sorae of the prophets of Antioch. For, as was observed Gal. ii. 2. note 1. the unanimous opinion of such a numerous body of men, respectable for their knowledge of the gospel-doctrine, and of the dispensations of God, and of the writings of the pro phets, and who enjoyed the gifts of the Spirit in abundance, could not but have a greater influence, in quieting the rainds of the zealous Jewish believers, than if the raatter had been decided PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 401 only by a few, even although they were apostles divinely in spired. To conclude, the decision given by this numerous and respectable assembly, being founded on tbe testimony which the Holy Ghost had borne to the justification of the Gentiles without circuracision, by his gifts bestowed on them even as upon the Jewish converts, the whole assembly in tbe way they worded their decree, bare evidence to the reality of that testiraony, and rendered it indubitable, by this their unanimous decision, Acts XV. 28. It seemed good lo the Holy Ghost, and to us, who have been witnesses of that declaration of his mind, vvhich the Holy Ghost made by communicating bis gifts to tbe Gentiles. No. XVI. pag. 309. Had no relation to the idolatrous Gentiles at all. See Preface to Galatians, Sect. 4. where the arguments, which prove that the decree ofthe council of Jerusalera, had no relation to the idolatrous Gentiles, but only to the proselytes, are proposed at great length. See however Lardner's life of Peter, in his 3d vol. on the Canon, where he contends that there were no proselytes of the Gate. No. XVII. pag. 313. And passing through Phrygia, and the Galatian country. This is the first mention that is made in the book of the Acts, of Paul's being in Galatia and Phrygia, But from his ovvn writings, we know he made raany journeys and voyages, which are not recorded by Luke. And even, of the transactions mentioned by that historian, some are passed over very slightly. Wherefore, though Luke has not mentioned it, we may believe that Paul vvas in Phrygia and Galatia before this, and that he planted raany churches there. If so, -vlhat tirae can we assign for that work raore probable, than when he and Barna bas fled frora Iconiura, to Derbe and Lystra, and into the region that lieth round about : for Phrygia and Galatia lay round about Lycaonia. Or, if the circurastances mentioned by Paul in his epistles, lead us to think tbat he, singly, planted the churches of Galatia, we may suppose he performed that work during the five years which be spent in Cilicia, and its neighbourhood, after he fled from Jerusalera. But of this, see raore, in the Preface to Paul's epistle to the Galatians, Sect. 1 . No. XVIII. pag, 316. Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony. Livy, B. 45. c. 9. tells us, that when Paulus Emilius conquered Macedonia, he divided it into VOL. VI. 51 402 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. four parts ; of wbich the first was that which lay between the rivers Strymon and Nessus ; and that tbe chief cily of that first part, was Amphipolis. To avoid contradicting the Roraan his torian, the following translation of Luke's words is proposed by some : And thence lo Philippi which is (¦jt^uth tih ft-i^iS®^ ¦rtis MaxfJ'uiiiais 3-oAi5 yji^Mvin) the first cily of that pari of Macedonia which is a colony. But B. Pearce, in his Commentary on the Acts, tliinks the common translation ought to be retained, be cause Luke, who was with the apostle at this time, could not be mistaken in a fact so obvious. And therefore, although for merly Amphipolis vvas the chief city of that division of Mace donia, we may on Luke's authority believe, that at the tirae Paul passed into Macedonia, Philippi enjoyed that honour. I sup pose, that when Augustus, after the defeat of Anthony, augraented the colony at Philippi by sending Anthony's adherents thither, he, in honour of the colony, transferred the courts of justice from Amphipolis to Philippi, whereby it became the chief city ofthat division of Macedonia. But in whatever manner it hap pened, the fact may be relied on, since Luke who resided long at Philippi, has expressly asserted it. Philippi being a colony, the greatest part of its inhabitants were Romans, and were governed by the laws of Rome. They also enjoyed the rights of Latiura, and worshipped the Gods thereof, and probably spake the Latin language, so that in many respects Philippi was a Latin city. — This is the account which A. Gellius gives oi the colonies. Lib. xiii. c. 13. Et jura in- stitutaque omnia populi Romani, non sui imperii, habent. Quoted by Lardner, Credib. Vol. I. p. 153. No. XIX. pag. 3 1 6. Went out of the city by a river side (s' £»«jk;- i^ETo ¦ff^oe rivers, and sea-water, by far the fittest. See Joseph. Ant. xii. c. 2. Etsner. No. XX. pag. 3 1 8. Then departed, leaving Luke al Philippi. That Paul left Luke at Philippic we know from the phraseology of his history. For before that event, Luke carries on the narra tion in the following manner. — Acts xvi. 1 1. Loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samotkrace. — 13. And on the sab bath-day we went out of the city, by a river-side. — 16. Andit came to pass as we went lo prayer. But after Paul and tbe rest de parted from Philippi, Luke changes his style, in this manner. Acts xvii. 1. J^ow when they had passed through Amphipolis and 404 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica. Nor does he resume his forraer manner of writing, until chap. xx. describing Paul's voyage to Syria he thus writes. 5. These going before tarried for us at Troas. 6. And we sailed from Philippi after the days of un leavened bread, and came unio them to Troas, where we abode seven days. It is therefore more than probable, that when Paul, Silas, and Timothy departed from Philippi, after having gathered a church there, Luke remained with the new converts, until the apostie, in his way from Corinth to Syria the secohd time, came to Philippi and took hini vvith them. If tbe foregoing supposition is well founded, Luke raust have reraained several years at Pliilippi ; and if he vvas the brother whose praise was in the gospel, raentioned 2 Cor. viii. 1 8. he join ed Paul on his coraing into Macedonia, after the riot of De metrius, and was sent by him to Corinth with Titus, who car ried the apostle's second letter to the Corinthians. And having executed that commission, he returned to Philippi, and gave him an account of the success of that letter. And after the apostle set out for Corinth, Luke remained at Philippi till Paul return ed. For there he joined him, in his second voyage to Syria, as has been already observed. No. XXI. pag. 325. Whom therefore ye ignorantiy worship, him declare I to you. Because Paul, on this occasion, told the Athenians, That the true God was he whora they ignorantiy wor shipped, under the title of the unknown 'God, sorae learned men have supposed, that the ahar he speaks of, was raised to ths God ofthe Jews, concerning whose power in the destruction ofthe Egyptians and Capaanites, the ancient Athenians had received some obscure reports. But because the Jews carefully conceal ed his name, and had no image of hira, the Athenians erected no statue to the God of the Jews,'but worshipped "him under the appellation of the unknown God. Others think this one of the altars, whiph Diogenes Laertius speaks of, in Epimenide.. For he relates, that by the advice of Epimenides, the Athenians, when afflicted with a pestilence, brought a number of white and black sheep to Areopagus^nd there let thera go ; appointing a man to follow each, thatwhere any of them lay down it might be sacrificed (x.»^mivTi B-ea) to the God to whom sacrifices were due : after which the plague was staid. Hence, says he, there are among the Athenians various altars, without the ]iamp pf any God, gqt this deliverance being wrought by PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 405 the true God, the apostle justly affirms, that they worshipped him by these altars, though they knew hira not. Dr. Wellwood however, in the introduction to his translation ofthe Banquet of Xenophon, says these altars were erected by Soerates, to express his devotion to the one true God, of whom the Athenians had no idea, and whose nature, he insinuated by this inscription, was far above the reach of human comprehension. According to this account also of the Athenian altars, the apostle's interpre tation ofthe inscription is still perfectly just. No. XXII. pag. 329. Claudius had commanded all Jews to de part from Rome. That the emperor Claudius banished all the Jews frora Rorae, is testified by Suetonius in his life of Claudius. C. 25. Judatos, impulsore Chresto, assidue tumultuantes, Roma expulit. The origin of the turaults vvhich occasioned the ban- ishraent of the Jews frora Rorae, Suetonius in the above passage hath related in such a raanner, as to raake his readers imagine direst or Christ vvas then in Rome, and that the turaults were owing to his instigation. But the true state of the fact seeras to have been this. The Jews, whose darling object was to raake proselytes to their religion, shewed the sarae malicious disposi tion at Rome, which their brethren shewed in the other great cities, where the gospel was preached with success. Being ex tremely displeased with the heathens for embracing the gospel, they published a number of calumnies against the gospel itself, and against its abettors, by which they enraged the idolatrous multitude at Rome to such a degree, that they assisted the un^ believing Jews in their tumultuous attacks upon the Christians, Wherefore the Jews being the ringleaders in these tumults, the Emperor, to preserve the peace of the city, found it necessary toTjanish all the Jews frora Rome ; and among the rest, such of them as had embraced the Christian faith. Claudius's edict against the Jews, according to the best chro nologers, was published in the eleventh year of his reign ; which year began January 24. A. D, 5 1 . Now supposing Claudius to have published his edict in the beginning ofthat year, he cerr tainly would allow the proscribed some raonths at least to settle their affairs, and take themselves away. Wherefore Aquila and Priscilla could not well leave Italy before the end ofthe spring A. D. 51, Besides, their voyage to Corinth would take up some tirae. And when they arrived, a month or two must have 406 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. passed before they could settle theraselves, in such a manner as to be carrying on their business of tent raaking, when Paiil came to Corinth. His arrival therefore cannot be fixed sooner than the autumn of A. D. 51. Having in this manner fixed one date in Paul's history, let us next consider, how it may be applied for determining the time of some other iraportant events, connected with his arrival at Corinth. — After the council of Jerusalera, Paul came down to Antioch, where he abode several months ; then departed with Titus to confirm the churches of Cilicia, Galatia, and Phrygia. This office he performed by delivering thera the decrees ofthe council to keep. And as he remained no longer- in any place than was necessary for that purpose, we may suppose he finished his progress through the churches, in four or five raonths from his leaving Antioch : Then he went over to Macedonia, where, and in Greece, he preached indeed a considerable tirae ; proba bly ten or twelve months before he came to Corinth. These added to the raonths he spent in Antioch after the council, and in confirming the churches in Cilicia, Galatia, and Phrygia, may have raade in all, a year and nine nionths. Wherefore if these are counted backwards, from the autumn of A. D. 5 1 . when Paul arrived at Corinth, they will bring us to the end of A. D, 49, or tbe beginning of A. D. 50, as the date of the council of Jerusalem. And seeing that council was held, about fourteen years after Paul's conversion, (Gal. ii. 1.) perhaps 14 years wanting some montiis, bis conversion will thus be fixed to the end of A. D. 36. or to the beginning of A. D. 37, a date which is likewise confirmed by the rest which the churches of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee enjoyed, through the publication of Caius's order to set up his statue in the temple of Jerusalem in the end pf A. D. 39, or the beginning of A. D. 40, three years after Paul's conversion, as hath been shewn, No. V. No. XXIII. pag. 334. Having shorn Jiis head in Cenchrea, • .for he had a yow. This is thought to have been the vow of the Nazarite, whereby Paul, from the tirae he raade it, until he offered the sacrifices prescribed by the law, bound hiraself to abstain from wine, and all fermented liquors. See Nurab. vi. 1. — 21. That this vow was in use in Paul's days, is evident from vvhat Josephus has related of Bernice, Bell. ii. c. IS. init. " She '¦' was then (A. D. 66.) at Jerusalem, performing a vow to God. '" For it is customary for those vvho have been afflicted with PROOFS And ILLUSTRATIONS- 407 " some distemper, or have laboured under any other difficulty, to "make a Vow, thirty days before they offer sacrifice, to abstain. "from wine, and shave the hair of their head." By the law, the Nazarite was to shave his head at the door of the lubernacle of the congregation. But as there were a vast number of Jews in the Gentile countries, whp lived at a great distance from Jerusalem, they were obliged to dispense with the exactness of many things required in the law. Lardner, vol. i. p. 461. has mentioned a passage ofa Jewish book, quoted by Reland, which says, " They " who make the vow ofthe Nazarite, out of the land of Israel, " shall go into it to coraplete the vow." This accounts for Paul's concern to keep the next feast at Jerusalem, Acts xviii. 21. The vow of the four brethren, mentioned Acts xxi. 23. is likewise thought to have been the vow ofthe Nazarite. There is a passage in Josephus, concerning Herod Agrippa, which shews that it was no unusual thing novv, for zealous men, vvho had it in their power, to bear the whole or a part ofthe charges of the sacrifices, which the Nazarites vvere obliged to offer, at the expiration of their vow. The passage I refer to is. Ant. xix. 6. initio, where, having told that Claudius raade Herod king of all Judea, he adds, " And he, as it was very likely for one to do, who " had had so considerable an advanceraent, made all the expedi- " tion he could into his kingdom. And coming to Jerusalem, " he offered up sacrifices of thanksgiving, and omitted nothing " that was prescribed by the law ; for which reason, he also or- " dered a good number of Nazarites to be shaved." That was the common phrase for completing the vow ofthe Nazarite, by offering the prescribed sacrifices ; and therefore, the brethren at Jerusalem, when they advised Paul to assist the four men in discharging their vow, did not say, Be at charges with them, that they may make their offerings, but that they may shave their heads. An action of this kind being extremely popular, and shevving great zeal for the law, the brethren at Jerusalem very prudently advised Paul to it, to shew that he did not contemn the institutions of Moses. Besides, it was one of those popular actions, by which Agrippa recommended himself to the Jews, when he took possession of the kingdom, as appears from the foregoing quotation. No. XXIV. pag. 348. On the first day ofthe week, when the disciples came together to break bread. From this passage, and 408 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. frora 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2 John xx. 19. 26. it appears to have been the custora of the disciples, after our Lord's resurrection, to observe the first day of the week in honour of that event, by as sembling thereon for the worship of God, and for celebrating the Lord's supper. Accordingly, Justin Martyr, who wrote forty-four years after the death of the apostle John, tells us, Apologet. 2. p. 98. « On Sunday all Christians in the city and " country meet together, because it is the day of our Lord's " resurrection, and then we hear read to us the writings of the " prophets and apostles. This done, the president makes an " oration to tbe assembly, to exhort them to iraitate and do the " things they hear : And then we all join in prayer, and after " that we celebrate tbe sacraraent, and they that are willing and " able give alms," &c. Whitby's note on Acts xx. 7. No. XXV. pag, 354. Teaching all men every where against the people. Lardner, Credib. vol. i. p- 553. observes, that the Jews in Judea considered it as their due, to have particular regard paid to them by their countryraen in the provinces, and by all the Gentiles who worshipped the true God, and who for that purpose asserabled themselves with the Jews in their syna gogues. And in fact, the Jews out of Judea, and all the pro selytes, shewed great regard to the people of Jerusalera and of Judea, and were very ready to assist them in every difficulty. Thus, the disciples at Antioch, when they heard that there was to be a dearth in the land of Judea, (Acts xi. 29.) every m.an ac cording to his ability, determined lo send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea. And in this resolution, not the Jews by birth alone, but the just proselytes also, and even the religious proselytes, joined. And having made a liberal collection, they sent it to the elders at Jerusalem, by the hands of Barnabas and Saul — In like manner, when that famine actually happened, Helene, queen of Adiabene, and Izates her son, both of them proselytes to Judaism, contributed largely for the relief of the inhabitants of Jeriisalem, and of Judea, Joseph Ant. xx. c. 2. § 6. — Also when the aposties at Jerusalem agreed that Paul should go among the Gentiles, they recommended it to him, to remem ber the poor, which very thing he also made haste lo do. Gal. ii. 10. Wherefore, the collections, which Paul afterwards made, among all the churches of the Gentiles, for the saints in Judea, was no 'novelty. It had been often practised ; and was founded in the best reason. For as Paul, writing to the Romans on this subject, PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 489 observed, they were bound to do this both in justice and in gratitude. Rom. xv. 27. They have been pleased verily, and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have partaken of their spi ritual things, they ought certainly to minister to them in carnal things. And considering, tbat in the persecution, the brethren of Judea were often spoiled of their goods, (Heb. x. 34.) these collections were the more necessary. Such being the principles and the expectations of the Jews in Judea, no wonder that the bigots among them were enraged, when they heard that Paul, instead of enjoining the converted Gentiles to observe the law of Moses, taught that they Vere en tirely free from that law : for this, was to break thfc tie by which the Jews held those heathens in subjection, who had turned from idols to worship the true God. And therefore, the outci'y of the Jews against Paul, though wholly unjust, was every word of it expressive and popular, especially at Jerusalem : This is the man who teacheth all men every where against the people. Acts xxi. 28. No. XXVI. pag. 354. I'idings came to the chief captain ofthe legion, XiXia^xv 'w o-rei^cci. The word n^ei^a, is used with considerable latitude. It signifies any gathering of soldiers, without determining their number : hence it is applied to a legion. At other tiraes, it signifies a much smaller number of soldiers.— .The other word, x'^ietgx®"^ properly signifies the commander ofa thousand men. But it is likewise! used for a Roraan military Tribune. Wherefore, as there vvas always a legion stationed in Jerusalem, we may suppose, that Lysias was the eldest, or first Tribune, and by consequence that he was the commander of the garrison, and was intrusted by' the governor Felix, with the power vvhich the chief officer under hira at Jeru salem, usually possessed. — But the word x'^'^^X®^ is likewise used to signify th.e captain of the temple, (John xviii, 12.) vvho is thought to have been a Jewish officer. And Luke speaks of (TT^xTijYcii, the captains of the temple, Luke xxii. 52. These I suppose were the persons who presided over the divisions of the priests and Levites, employed in different ministrations in the temple. Bul the x'^"^?%®"' °^ captain of the temple, was he who had the command of the whole. No. XXVII. pag. 354. Commanded him to be carried into the caatle. This was the castle Antonia, which was built by John VOL. VI. 52 410 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Hyrcanus, high-priest and prince ofthe Jews, on a rock, which stood at the angle of the northern and western porticos of the - outer court of the teraple. It was at first named Baris. But Herod the Great rebuilt it, and raised it so high, as to coramand the temple, and afford a sight of What passed in the two outer courts. Ori the side where it joined tbe porticos of the temple, there were stairs which reached to each portico, by which the soldiers descended to keep guard in several places of the porti cos, especially during the great festivals, to suppress any dis orders which might happen. Further, to render this fortress inacces£,&le, Herod faced the rock on which it stood with white polished marble ; and having, completed the fortress, he named it Antonia, in honour of his friend Mark Anthony. Afterward, when Judea was raade a Roman province, the Romans always kept a strong garrison in that castle". And at the festivals, when the people flocked to Jerusalem in great raultitudes, bodies of armed soldiers went down from this castle, and watched in seve ral places of the porticos of the temple, to prevent tumults. For on such occasions more especially, the multitude was disposed to raake disturbances. No. XXVIII. pag. 355. Leddest out into the wilderness, four thousand men, rav tmh^iuv, of the Sicarii. Tbe raen of whom the Tribune spake, were naraed Sicarii, from their small crooked swords or daggers, (called by the Roraans Sicie,) which they carried u'nder their garraents. With these they comraitted hor rible raurders' in Jerusalera about this tirae. For their custom was, to mix in the crowd at the great festivals, and to stab their eneraies, even in the day-tirae. And to conceal their wicked ness, they affected great indignation against the authors of the slaughter. "Nay, to such a pitch did they carry their cruelty, that they vvould kill any person whatever for hii'e.' Thus Jose phus, Ant. XX. 7. 5. tells us, that one Dora, at the instigation of Felix tbe governor, hired some of these miscreants, who mur dered the high-priest Jonathan. — The sarae historian informs us, (ibid. c. 6.) that when Felix was procurator, a certain Egyptian came to Jerusalem, and pretending to be a prophet, persuaded the people to follow him to MOunt Olivet, promising that they should see the walls of Jerusalem fall down at his command, and have a free entrance into the city, over the ruins. But that Felix attacked them with an army, killed four hundred of them, and totfk two hundred captives. And that the Egyp- PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 411 tian himself, having fled, disappeared. This, it is thought, was the impostor of whora the Tribune spake, when he asked Paul ' ifhe was that Egyptian who before these days made an insurrection, i^c. The Tribune added, that the followers of the Egyptian were Sicarii. Perhaps, besides the Sicarii, raany of this im postor's followers were Zealots, who were very forward in all the tumults against the Romans. Josephus indeed, has not told Us what sort of people the followers of the Egyptian vvere ; only by relating tbe affair, after giving an account of tbe Sicarii, he seems to insinuate, that they were raostiy ofthat description. In the other account which Josephus has given of this affair. Bell. ii. c. 13. he says, the Egyptian gathered thirty thousand; That after bringing thera round out of the wilderness up to the Mount of Olives, he mtended frora thence to attack Jerusalem, and beating tbe Roman guards, to bring the people in subjection to hira. — But Felix, coraing suddenly upon him with the Roman soldiers, prevented the attack ; and that all the people joined with Felix in theirown defence. So that when they came to en gage, the Egyptian fled, followed only by a few : that the greatest part of those who were with him, were either slain or taken prisoners; the rest of tbe multitude being scattered. This ac count of the numbers which followed the Egyptian, being very different from the forraer, no objection can be drawn from either, against the number raentioned by the Tribune. The truth is, Josephus needs raore to be reconciled with hiraself than Luke to be reconciled with him. For it should be reraerabered, that Luke is not answerable for the Tribune's nurabers. All that was incumbent on him, vvas to relate faithfully what he said. No. XXIX. pag. 358. Felix the Governor. Judea, though sometimes called a province, was properly a branch of the pro vince of Syria, as Lardner observes, Credib. B. 1. p. 161. Nev ertheless, it had a Roraan governor, residing in it with suprerae authority, which was a very uncomraon thing. The proper title of this governor was Procurator ; a name that was given to the officer who took care of the Emperor's revenue in the pro vinces belonging to him. Whereas, in the provinces belonging tothe senate, that officer was named Queslor. But though the governors of Judea were properly procurators, they had, as was just now observed, the power of presidents. Hence the sacred writers give to Pilate, Felix, and Festus, the titie of Governors ; 412 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Which isa general woi-d, and very proper according to the usage of th'e best writers. No. XXX. pag. 359. Felix was himself a great oppressor ofthe nation. Antonius Claudius Felix, with bis brother Pallas, were freed-men of tbe Emperor Claudius, with whom Pallas being in high favour, he procured for his brother Felix, the procurator- ship of Judea. But in his government, Felix shewed the mean ness of his disposition and former condition, by exercising his power in the most wanton acts of cruelly and oppression. So Tacitus tells us. Hist. lib. v. c. 9, Claudius, defunctis Regibus, aut ad modicum redaclis, Judteam provinciam Equilibus Romanis, aut libertispermisil. E quibus Antonius Felix per omnem savitiam ac libidinem, jus regium servili ingenio exercuit, Drusilla, Cleopatra; el Anlonii nepte (grand-daughter) z'ra matrimonium accepta : ut ejusdem Anlonii, Felix progener, Claudius nepos esset. — Felix raar ried two ladies of the name oi Drusilla. The one was the grand daughter of Cleopatra and Anthony. She is the lady of whom Tacitus speaks. The other was Drusilla mentioned Acts xxiv. 24. where she is called a Jewess, to distinguish her frora the Roman lady of that name. This Drusilla was the daughter of Herod Agrippa, (whose death is related Acts xii. 23.) and the sister of Herod Agrippa the younger, before whom Paul pleaded his cause. He gave her to Azizus king of the Emessenes, on his consenting to embrace tbe Jewish religion. But she did not remain long with him. For Felix having seen this most beau tiful of women, as Josephus calls her, (Ant. xx. 5.) becarae vio lently ih love with her, and sent his friend Simon^ a Jew of Cy prus, who professed tbe magic art, to persuade her to leave Azizus, and marry hira. This comraission Siraon executed so "well, that Drusilla, to avoid the affronts put upon her by her sistei' Bernice, who envied her beauty, consented to marry Felix, though it was contrary to her religion. This Drusilla having expressed a desire to hear Paul preach, her husband Felix sent for him, and they heard him concerning the faith in Christ. On that occasion Felix's conscience was awakened to such a degree, by Paul's sermon, that he trembled. Nevertheless, he continued his cruel and unjust practices, all the time his government lasted, which vvas about the space of two years. For Nero in the 6th year of his reign recalled hira. After Telix was recalled, some of the principal Jews followed him to Rome, and accused him to the Emperor, who would PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 413 have punished him, if it had not been for the prayers and in- treaties of his brother Pallas, vvho then possessed the favour of Nero, as he had formerly done that of Claudius. No. XXXI. pag. 363. He appealed from Festus to Cxsar. That causes were by appeal, reraoved frora the courts in the provinces, to Rorae, is evident frora Suetonius, who in his life of Augustus, c. 33. says, Appellationes quotannis urbanorum quidem iiligat.orum Prtclori delegavit urbano, at provincialium, consularibus viris, quos singulos cujusque prox'incioc negotiis praposuissel . And that Roraan citizens, tried for their life in the provinces, had a right to transfer their cause by appeal to Rome, is evident from Pliny, lib. x. epist. 97. Ad. Trajanum. Et alii similis amenlite, quos quia cives Romani erant, annolavi in urbem remittendos. No. XXXII. pag. 364. King Agrippa and his sister Bernice. This is he who by Josephus is called. King Agrippa the younger. He vvas the son of that Herod Agrippa, whose death is related Acts xii- 23- and the grandson oi Aristobulus, (whora his father put to death,) consequently the great-grandson of the first He rod, called Herod the Great, in whose reign our Lord was born. Herod Agrippa the younger, was in great favour with the Eraperor Claudius, who gave hira the kingdom of his uncle Herod king of Chalcis. But he afterwards took it from him, and gave him the tetrarchy of Philip, with Batanaea, Trachoni- tis, and Abilene which formerly Lysanias possessed, Luke iii. 1. After this, Nero gave him a part of Galilee, with the cities Ti berias, Tarrichaea, and Julius, beyond Jordan, with fourteen villages. Herod the younger, was the last king of the Herod family. For he lived to see Jerusalem destroyed, and the Jewish nation sold as slaves, to any vvho would purchase them. After that, he went to Rorae, where, as Dio informs us, he obtained prae torian honours, and lived in the palace with his sister Bernice. This is the lady mentioned in the Acts. She was first married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis, but after his death, being talked of as criminally familiar with her brother Agrippa, ^e married Polemon king of Cilicia, to quash that rumour. But soon after, influenced more by lewd inclination, than by a re gard to her reputation, she divorced Polemon, and returned to her brother ; by which the rumour of their unlawful commerce was again revived. ¦414 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Agrippa and Bernice were living together when Festus ar rived in the province. They came therefore to Caesarea, to congratulate Festus upon his advancement to the procuratorship. On that occasion, Agrippa having expressed a desire to hear Paul, Festus gratified him, by producing the apostle in the place of bearing, before him, and Bernice, and the Tribunes, and all the principal men of Caesarea ; so that the apostle had a new op portunity of speaking in his ovvn defence ; which he did to such good effect, that Agrippa declared in the presence of the whole asserably, that he had done nothing worthy of death ; and that he might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed ^o Caesar. Tactitus has spoken of Bernice's beauty, and of the court which she paid to Vespasian, by her raagnificent presents ; and of the love vvhich his son Titus bare to her, Hist, lib, ii. c. 81. JVec minore animo Regina Berenice paries juvabal, fiorens etate formaque, el seni quoque Vespasiano, magnificentia mtincfum, grata. And sjjeaking of Vespasian's son Titus, the same historian says. Hist, lib, ii. c. 2. JVeque abhorrebai a Berenice juvenilis animus. Suetonius adds, that Titus promised to marry her. For after mentioning Titus's cruelty, he speaks of his lust, cap. 7. Mc minus libido, propter exoletorum el spadonum greges, propterque in signem regime Berenices amorcm, cui etiam nuptias pollicitus fere- baiur. Nevertheless, after he becrme Emperor, he for reasons of state dismissed Bernice, though with great regret: Berenicen ex urbe dimisit, invitus invitam. Titus Vesp. cap. 7. No. XXXIII. pag. 365. He called on all the Jews present to bear witness. Bishop Lowth in his note on Isa. liii. 8. tells us, "It " is said in the Mishna, that before any one was punished for a " capital crime, proclamation was made before the prisoner by "the public crier, in these words : Quicunque noverit aliquid de " ejus innocentid, venial et doceat dc eo. On which passage the Ge- " mara of Babylon adds, that before the dealh of Jesus, this pro- " clamation was made for forty days ; but no defence could be found.. " On which words Lardner observes. It is truly surprising to see " such falsehoods contrary to well known fads. Testimonies, vol. i. "p. 198. The report is certainly false, but this false report is « founded on the supposition, tliat there was such a custora, and "so far confirms the account above given from the Mishna. « The Mishna was composed in the middle of the second cen- « tury : Lardner ascribes it to the year ofChrist 180." « Now it is plain from the history of the Four Evangelists, « that in the trial and condemnation of Jesus no snch rule vva^ PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 415 " observed ; (though, according to the account of the Mishna, "it raust have been in practice at that time;) no proclamation "was raade for any person to bear witness to tbe innocence and "character of Jesus; nor did any one voluntarily step forth to ," give his attestation to it. And our Saviour seeras to refer to "such a custom, and to claim the benefit of it, by his answer to "the high-priest, when be asked him of his disciples and ofhis " doctrine ; I spake openly to the world ; I ever taught in the syna- " gogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resorl ; and in " secret hctve I said nothing. Why asketh thou me ? Ask them which "heard me, wimt I have said unto them : Behold, they know what I ^' said, John xviii. 20, 21. This therefore was one remarkable "instance of hardship and injustice, among others, predicted by "the prophet, which our Saviour underwent in his trial and ',' sufferings." " St. Paul likewise, in sirailar circumstances, standing before " the judgment-seat of Festus, seems to complain of the same " unjust treatraent ; that no one was called, or would appear to " vindicate his character. My manner of life from my youth, " which was at the first among my own nation al Jerusalem, know " all the Jewa, which knew me from the beginning, if they would ''^ teatify ; that after the atricleat sect of our religion, I lived a " Pharisee'' Acts xxvi. 4, 5. Thus far Lowth. To coraprehend the force and propriety of the above appeal to the Jews who were present at the apostle's defence before Agrippa, the full extent of his expression. My manner of life, must be attended to, and understood. For the apostie did not raean only. That all the Jewa knew hia education was at Ihe first among his own nation at Jerusalem ; but likewise, that they knew the other particulars which he raentioned in the subsequent parts of his defence ; naraely. That a/Zcr the strictest seel of Iheir religion, he lived a Pharisee, ver. 5. — That he thought with him self, that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Je sus of JVazarelh, ver. 9. — Thai he did these things in Jerusalem : That many of the saints he shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests so to do. And that when they were put to death, he gave his voice against them, ver. 10. alluding to his behaviour at the stoning of Stephen. — That he punished them oftin every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme Jesus ; and that being exceedingly mad against them, he persecuted them even to foreign cilie's, ver. 11 — In particular, that he went to 416 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. Damascus with authority and commiaaion from the chief priests, ver. \2.— .-that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem, Acts ix. 2. namely, to be punished. — All these things, the Jews who were present at his defence before Agrippa in Caesarea, well knew. He therefore called on them in this public raanner to attest the truth of them, because they were clear proofs ofhis bitter enmity to the Christians ; and demonstrated that his forsaking the party ofthe chief priests, and going over to the Christians, whereby he subjected hiraself to the hatred of the Jews, could be owing to nothing but to the appearing of Jesus to hira on the road to Damascus ; of which he gave Agrippa an account in the re maining part of his speech, ver. 12. — 15. Atthe same time he told him, that Jesus said to him, I have appeared lo thee for this purpoae, to make thee, a minister and a witness, both of these things ivhich Ihou hast seen, and of those things in which I wilLappear unto thee afterwards. — 19. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not dis obedient to the heavenly vision : 20. But shewed first lo them of Da-r mascus, Isfc. that they should repent and do works meet for repentance. He added, ver. 22. That in his discourses to the Jews and Gen tiles, he .said no other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come ; 23. that the Christ should suffer, and should be the first who should rise from the dead, and should shew light to the people, and to the Gentiles.— -.The apostle having given this account of his conversion to Christianity, and of the doc trine which he taught after he became a Christian, the one ap peared so rational, and tiie other so consonant to the writings of Moses, and the prophets, that Agrippa entertained a favourable opinion of Paul, and declared that he had done nothing worthy of death, or of bonds. No. XXXIV. pag. 371. The island was called Melite. Bryant, Observ, on Ancient Histoi-y, contends, that this island was not Malta, because Malta is not in the Adriatic sea, notwithstanding Bochart endeavours to prove it to be so. But it was an island belonging to Dalmatia, called anciently Melite, but is now called Mleetby the Sclavonians, and is subject to Ragusa, In support of his opinion, Bryant cites ancient authors, who in enumerating the Adriatic islands, mention Melit^ very particularly, and s^ that it was 20 stadia distant from Corcyra Melaena ; and araong the rest Pliny, Nat. Hist. lib. iii. C. 26. who reckons it among the Adriatic islands, and adds, JJnde Catulos Meliteos appellari Callimachus autor est. INDEX tlF GREEK WORDS EXFLAIKED IN THE PRECBSIKG WORK> A^^^-sc and KitKts, in what respect different. 1 Tim. iii. 1. note 3. Aitti/tot. 2 Cor. xiii. 7. note. 'A^yicm-fiO!. 1 Thess. iv. 3. note 3, ft^yiir/jus, Heb. xii.. 14- note 3. AftafS-o^ut and a.^B'tt^c-ia,, differ in their signification. Tit. ii, 7. note. Aim, the Mosaic dispensation. Rom. xvi. 35. note 3.'1 Cor. x. H. note 3. Aiavet, the Jews under the Mosaic dispensation. Eph. iii. 11. note. Aiav, the course of one's life. Eph, ii. 3. note 1, the material fabric ofthe world^ii, Heb. i. 2. note 4. -£ons, eternal beings. Col. ii. 9. note 1. , Akhkoi. Rata. xvi. 18. note 3. ' A/itt^Tix, a sin-offering. 2 Cor. v. 21. note 1. A^etgTjA-and i7rAgd.vrafjLA, in what re spect different. Eph. ii. 1. note 2. Avafyx.li, 1 Thess. iii. 7. note 2. AvuMuv. Philip, i. 23. note 1. Avae-jefx. 1 Tim. iv. 12. note 1. AvS'ga^tvov h.tytt, KUt' ttvd'gaA'oy hA- ha. Itom. vi. 19. note 1. i Avo/JLitt. ' 1 John iii. 4. note 3. Jt»Te;t6»-3-«. 1 Thess. v. 14, note 3. Tit. i. 9. note. AvtiKdL[tCa.voiJia.i. Rom. viii. 26. note 1. AvtiMiT^ov. 1 Tim. ii. 6- note 1. A'to'Ku'reaTU. Eph. i. 7. note 1. Avtifuvit. 1 Pet. iii. 31. note 3. Aiea^^n. 1 Cor. xv. 20. note 1. James i. 18. note 3. AircKua. James i. 15. note 3. AiTDXit/jiCitvuv. 3 John ver. 8. note. Aros-aa-ieL. 3 Thess. ii. 3. note 1. AgET*. 3 Pet. i. 5. note 3. Af^dCat. Eph. i. 14. note 1. A^X"-' >"" f^xiriai, &c. Eph. i. 21. note 1. A^X'y- Heb. ii. 10. note 3. AreCeia. Tit. ii. 12- ndte 1. Ard-Evuv. Rom. xiv. 21. note. As-ffoyds/. Tim. iii. 3. ¦VOL. VJ. 52 Aurts e^H. Col. ii. 6. note. AvTagxHc Phil. iv. 11. note S. B BtCxiou. 3 Pet. i. 19. note 1. BeCxxeci Heb. xii. 16. note 3. Bim. 1 John iii. 17- note 1. SKArifiinuv. Tit. iii. 3. note. BuM/tai, I command. 1 Tim.ii. 4.note, and ver. 8. See also 1 Tim. v. 14. ¦ I desire. 3 Pet. iii. 9. note 3. ¦ - I wish. Philip, i. 13. r Ttyv/ivitrptvoit. Heb. xii. 11. note 3, Tiifty&. 2 Cor. v. 3, note, • A tiiu/ioviii. 1 Cor. X. 30. note 1. 31. note 1. 1 Tim. iv. 1. note .5. Aenris differs in sense from vportvyh. Eph. vi. 18. note 1. tuitCoKvs, slanderers. 1 Tim. iii, 11. note 2. Eph. iv. 17. note. A/Etd-iwii. Heb. ix. 15. note 1. tiixKoviit. Eph. iv. 12. note 3. Rom. xii. 7. note. iuavtiav. Eph. ii- 3. note 3. iiita,x>i, the thing taught, doctrine. Eph. iv. 11. note 5. AifamitKict, the act, the office of teaching. 2 Tim. iii. 16. note 3. ikiKHus, why Christ is so called,' X John ii. 1. note 4. Ai4u;)^;, so the chief ministers of kings were called. Rom. i. 1. note 1. rightly translated in our Bible^ a servant. Col. iii. 23. note. i^vvdiftit. 1 Thess. i. 5. note 1. E 'BaoTec, used to signify the first, se cond, and third persons. Col. iii, 16. note 3. 418 INDEX OF GREEK WORDS t,^yyoot. Heb. vii. 22. note 1. ^yKitivi^a. Heb. X. 20. note 1. t.-yK^a.'Tiia,, temperance, what. 2 Pet. i. 6. note 1. t-ifaxsv, idol, w^t, 1 Cor. viii/'4. note 2. y, E«air. Heb. x. 1. note 2. Ene/voc, 1 John iii. 16, note 1. £xxc(xEris. 2 Pet. i. 2. note, E3-/sHte(a. Philip, iv. 5, note 1. Stn^ctviiii;, the Christian church. Eph. i. 3. note 2. the air. Eph. v. 12. note 6. Byi&vjuia.. Rom. vii. 7. note 4. EOTo-itoij-iiirTsc. Heb. xii. 13. note 1. E^i;tog»j,sai. 2 Pet. i. 5. note 1. % Euaj'j.EJijfso-S-a/. Rom. i. 15. note. E!/fE3-6(;. Philip, ii. 8. note 1. *- ^ua-xnftovais, 2 Thess. rv. 12- note 2, t.X"v, to acknowledge, 1 John ii, 33. note, 1 John v. 12. note. KatafTi^siv. 2 Cor. xiii. 9. note. Eph,- iv. 12. note 1. Heb. xi. 3. note 2, Karag'yeai. Rom. iii. 31. note 1. KstTas-oM). 1 Tim. ii,9.note. KttT«»-K,eu«f«. Heb. iii. 3. note 2. KitTcKfgoviiv. Rom. ii. 4. note 1. Ko-TEj^af o^£»o/. Rom. i. 27. note 1, KEAEucr^a. 1 Thess. iv. 16. note 2. K£»oc, false. 1 Thess. ii. 1 . note 1. KEcfaA/c- Heb. x. 7. note 2. Ko/vaivEoi. Philem. ver. 6. note 1. Koiir»v/a, its various significations. 1 John i- 3- note 3. See also Eph. iii. 9. note 2. KjoETEiv. I 2 Thess. ii. 15. note 1..^ Kji^a, a judicial sentence especially of condemnation. Rom. ii.2. note 1. punishment the effect of condemnation. 1 Cor. xi. 29. note 1. Ki/fEgvuo-it. 1 Cor. xii. 28. note 4. ZitAot, Zdaom. 2 Cor, xi. 2- note 1. Zuy^ea. 2 Tim^. ii, 26. note 2. 'Hfii^mt Eo-;t''''''"c>'2Tiin.iii,l. note. e ' ©EAEiv,, to command. 1 Tim. li. ,4. note. to take pleasure in. Col. ii. 18, note 2. ; , ©u/ioc, t^yit, different. Eph. iv. 31. l^dffjKi;. 1 John ii.2. note 1. , K R-ttS-atg/MaT*. 1 Cor. iv- 13. note 1. Kamn., maliciousness. James i. 21. note 1. KaMif, aya^is, in what respect diffe rent. 1 Tim.iii. 1. note 3. Kitvaf. Philip, iii. 6. note. - KaTafoAJi. Eph. i, 4. note 1. Heb. xi. 11. note 2. AiiTs^ymi 2 Cor. is. 12.. note. Aoyia. Rom. iii. 2. note 3. Heb. v. 12. note. . Aoiirov. Philip, iii. 1. note 1. AuTjov. 1 Tim. ii. 6. note 1. a bath. Eph. v. 26. note 1. _M ma.'ra.KiT.oyiii. Tit. i. 10. note 1. Ma.'rttiiis, false. James i. 26. note. Tit. iii. 9. , foolish, Eph. iv. 17. note. MittAioTiii, falsehood. 2 Pet. ii. 18. note 1. Mi^Uax. Eph. iv., 14. note 4, Mtb-viiv. 1 Cor. xi. 21. note 2. Ms^vtmo/jLOLi, fjti^vu. 1 Thess, T. 7, note, MEAit. Rom. vi. 13. note 1. Msjuf (ek). 1 Cor. xi. 18. note 3. MnitfxiMitt., MET«yoia. 2 Cor. vii. 10. note 1. Mn, without the negative particle, nonne. Rom. iii. 3. note, MKrd-n^eiToirift, punishment, Heb; xi, 26. note 2. iAivcyivHs, appropriated to tbe Son of God, its import, 1 John iv. 9. note. Mps-njww, Murjfc, pref. to £ph.,.sect- 7. paragraph 8. Mvuvx^tiv. 2 Pet. i, 9. note 2. MaigoAoj/ia. Eph. V. 4. note 1. ¦ . ^ Neo^ii/tcv. ITim. iii. 6. note 1, N»"f£i». 1 Tim. ih. 2. note 2. 1 Pet, iv. 7. note 3. EXPLAINED IN THE PRECEDING 'WORK. 41« ¦Nojuxfa. 1 Cor. vii. 26. note 1. NouS-Eaia. Tit. iii. 10. note 2. Noi/f, meaning. 1 Cor. xiv. 14. note. ¦Nuy, interjection' of beseeching. 1 John ii. 28. note 1. Na^joc. Heb. v. 11. note 2. 3ivi^iT3-»i. 1 Pet. iv. 4. note 1. O OMiVifii*. Eph. i. 10. note 1. OiKot, a temple. Eph. ii. 19. note 2. ¦Oasx/lkjoc James i. 4. note. ^0/u\iiu. 1 Cor. XV. 33. note. i0.i*. Eph. iv. 14. note 3. n«5«ftuyEiy. 2 John ver. 9. note. najzxoAu^S'Eiy. 2 Tim. iii. 10. note. nagairTOi^it, See aftt^ri^. n*5^«*i«!), 3 Tim. i. 12. note 3. n*5«x«Tit9'jiK)i, 1 Tim. ii. 20. note 1. nagaiu/4a<. 1 Pet. i. 12. note. Tln^e^urftoc. 1 Cor. xiii. 5. note 1. najgnwa. Heb. x. 19. note 1- 'Hdi.^^iiTia.^o/teu. 1 Thess. ii. 2. note 2. n«iga^E», to try. James i. 13. note. Tlu^a,!rfto7a).o/isi/d'Si;, saluted. Heb. v, 10. note n pontyayH. ¦ Eph. ii. 18. note. Hfmntujr'rtiv. Rom. xiv. 2 i . note, n/io(rawoxi)4(«. Rom. ii. 11. note. 1 Pet. i. 17. note I. UfitTOTMss. Heb. i. 6. note 2. VH/jta., a command. Heb. i- 3. note 3. Puirtifa. James'i. 2 note 1. -, filtiiiness, moral, what, ^om. vi. i9. note 2. James i. 21. note L SeSitT/tiL. Rom. L 25. note 2, Xe/iviit. 1 Tim. iii. 8- note. ^Kav/axifEiv. Rom. xiv. 21. note. 2»fiuof, the human body. 1 Thess. iv. 4. note J, 2iciivEjy. Tit. ii. 12. note 3. 'Xtc^povi^a, to persuade. Tit ii. 4. note. :Zag»v mind. TaLjreitaitri;. James i. 10. note 1. TeKvitt. I John ii. I. note 1. TE\Bi!i5--9-*i, to be completely reward ed. Philip, iii. 12. note 2. TeKiioTK!, TiKiiaia-it, &c. Ueb. v. 9. note 1. vi. I, note 2. Teaoc, end, issue ofa thing, reward, Rom. vi. 21. note, T/KTffl- James i- 15. note 3. Tiftu, raaintenance. 1 Tim. v. 17. note 3. Tfwpna. James v. 5. note 1. IvTTO!. Hom._vi. 17. note. 1 Tira. i. 16. note 2, 1 Pet. iii. 21. note 2. 9S0 2. INDEX OF GKEBK WORDS^ &e. 1 Tim. iii. 6. note ifovat, <)>^ivt<. Plulip. ii. 9. note !J> ^gcvasriM'sfcf. Tit. i. |0. note 2. r X Xe^Toc 1 Pet. i. 34. note. 'X.fHfuari^uv. Heb. viii. 5. note 3. Xf»s-of, ;tP"''»'''»*. •^al. V. 23. note 2. *r/oS'*nJoyM^. 1 Tim. vi. 17. npte 3. ¦¥a,\f*of. Eph. V. 19. note L Vvx>i and ¦itvm/jui, different, Phil. ii. 30. note 1. 9»vtf Promises in the covenant with Abra ham, a short view of them, Heb. vi. 12. note. ', — put for the things promis ed, Heb. xi. 13, note 3. ^ Pi'ophets, Jewish, the uncommon actions performed by them, on ac count of vvhich they have been re presented as fanatics, were sym bolical, and not performed in vi sions, but really. Ess. viii. sect. 4. last paragraph. Prophesy. Double sense thereof proved. Ess. viii. sect. 5. pargr. 3. from the end. Psalm viii. 6. — 9. applied to Christ, Heb. ii. 6, note 1. ex. a prophecy concerning the Christ, Heb. v, 10. note. Public worship, not to be neglected by any one, 1 Thess, v. 20. note. INDEX OF PRINCIPAL MATTERS. Purgatory, 1 Cor. iii, 13. note, at the end. Putting on Christ, the new man, &c: vvhat, Gal. iii. 27. note. Qiiafcers, their claim to inspiration ill founded, 1 John ii. 27. note 1. their error concerning the Lord's supper, 1 Cor. xi. 24. note 3. R Ransom, vvhatj 1 Tim. ii. 6. note 1. Eph, i, 7. note. Received, vvhat it means in scrip ture. Col. ii. 6. note. _ Receive, when spoken of a person, what, 3 John ver. 8. note. Reconciliation, vvhat, Rom. v. 10. note 1. To redeem, vvhat, 1 Tim. ii. 6. note 1. 1 Pet. i. 18. note 1. Redemption, what, Eph. i. 7. note 1. distinguished into redemption by power, and redemption by pur chase, ibid. Regeneration, how to be understood when joined with baptism, Tit. ili. 5. note 2. Relative duties, in explaining them the apostle Paul adways begins vvith the duty of the inferior and ¦why, Eph. vi. Illustration. Remission of sin obtained by the Le vitical atonements, vvhat, Heb. ix. 22. note 2. Renewing of the Holy Ghost, vvhat. Tit. iii. 5. note 3. Reprobates, vvho, 2 Cor. xiii. 7. note. Respect of persons, what, James ii. Rest of God, what, Heb. iii. 11. note 4. of heaven described, Heb. iv. » *9- note. Resurrection of Christ, ascribed to the Father, to the Spirit, and to Christ himself, 1 Pet. iii. 18. note 2. 1 of the body, not known to the heathen ; or but imperfect ly, 1 Thess. iv. 13. note 3. Ridiculed by the Greek philoso. phers, 1 Cor. Pref sect. 4. 2 Tim. ii. 18. note. Revelation of Jesus Christ, his se cond coming so called, and why, -IPet. i. 7. note2. Revelations preserved by tradition, Pref. to Jude, sect, 2. No. 2. para graph 2. 431 Reward of the righteous, not to be bestowed till after the general judgment, Heb, xi, 40. note 2. Revelling, what, Rom, xiii. 13, note 1. Riches, trusting on them, what, 1 Tim.vi. 17. note 3. Righteous, not to be completely re warded till after the general judg ment, Heb. xi. 40, note 2. Righteousness of the law, what, Rom. viii. 4. note. what. Tit. ii. 12. note 4. Rock of ages, and of Israel, God so called, and why, Rom. xvi. 25. note 3. Sabbath, weekly, to be observed by Christians, and why,' Col. ii. 16. note 5. Sacrifices ofbeasts, incapable of pro curing the pardon of sin, Heb. ix. 22. note 2. why appointed, Heb. x. ll lustr. paragr, 3. how offered according to the Levitical ritual, Heb. viii. 5. note 5. Saints, signifies the apostles, Jude, ver. 3. note 6. in light. Col. i. 12. note 3. dead, what the worship due to them is, Heb. xiii. 7- note 2. Salt, Christian, opposed to Attic, Col. iv- 6. note 2. Salutations sent by tlie primitive Christians to one another, were diff'erent from the salutation of unbelievers, 2 John, ver. 13- note 2. Their use, Rom. xvi. lllustr. to the church, in such a person's house, Rom, xvi. 5. note 1 . Salvatioh denotes the means of sal vation, Rom. ii. 1 1. note 2. o-aTD^i* denotes sometimes a temporal salvation, Philip, i. 19. note, and faith, why called com- mon, Jude, ver. 3. note 2. Sanctify. Ess- iv N6- 53- Sanctification, what, Heb. xii. 14. note 2. Saved, its different meanings, Tit. iii. 5. note 1- signifies deliverance from ig. notance and wickedness, Eph. ii. 8. note 1, 432 INDEX OF PRINCIPAL MATTERS. Saa'our. Sweet smelling, Eph. v. 2. note 2- Saviour. God is so called. Tit. iii. 4. note, Siiy ; ill what sense used by St. John, 1 John i, 6. note- Saxon version of the four gospels. Gen. Pref p 4. Schechinah, what, 2 Pet. i. 17, note 2. Schismaticks, how to be treated, Rom. xvi. 17. note 4. Scriptures, theii' inspiration, 2 Tim. iii, 16, note 4, ofthe Old Testament in timately connected with those of the INew, 2 Tira. iii. 17- note. -of the New Testament, why all written in the Greek lan guage, Pref to Heb- sect. 2, No. 111. paragr- 3. Scripture, words of, to be used in defining articles of faith, 1 Cor. ii. 13.' note 1. Seals, their use, 2 Cor. i. 22. note 2. Serpent who seduced Eve, was the devil, 2 Cor. xi- 3..note 1. Heb. ii. 14- note 1. Shepherd. Christ called himself a shepherd, and why, 1 Pet. ii. 25. note. Shields of the ancients, Eph. vi. 17. note 2. Sick, recovered in the first age by the prayers of the spiritual men, and why, 1 John V. lllustr. at the close. Silvanus, an account of him, 1 Pet. V, 12, note 1. Sinaitic covenant, in what respects faulty, Heb, viii 7, note 1 ¦Sin personified, Rom. vi. 6, note 2. — in what sense those who abide in Christ are said not to sin, 1 John iii. 5. note 6. note 1, Sinners, who, Gal. ii. 15, note 2. of mankind, why saved ra ther than the angels who sinned, Heb. ii. 16. note. Sinless perfection, not attainable here, 1 John iii, 3, note 2. Sins, the power of remitting and re taining sins bestowed on the apos tles, how to be understood, Pref to 1 Tim, sect. 5, No. 3. last para graph. Slavery, Goodwin and Doddridge, their remarks concerning it, 1 Cor. vii. 21. note. See also another re mark, Eph. vi, 5. note. Socrates, his character, Rom. i, 21. note 2. ver. 27. note 1. Socrates, He and the other philoso. phers, accused ot gross dimes, - ibid. Soldiers, why the ministers of the gospel in the first age were called soldiers, Philip- ii. 25. note 1. Son of God. The Jews universally believed, that the Son of God was himself God, 1 John v. 5. note- Sorcery, what. Gal. v. 20. note 2. , Soul, does not sleep between death and the resurrection, Philip, i. 23. note 2. and spirit, different, 1 Thess. v. 23, note 2. Speech, tbe sins men Commit in speech, Eph. iv. 29. note 1. rotten, what, Eph. iv. 29. note 1. Spectator, passages from, transcribi ed, Heb. xii, 14. note 3. Heb, x. 19. note 2. Heb. xiii. 5, 6. notes. Spirit, why the gospel is called the Spirit, Gal, iii, 3. note. Ess. iv. Nd. 43. — ¦ The Spirit raised Jesus fi-om the dead, 1 Pet. iii, 18. note 2. -of God, in what manner he operates on the minds of men, Phihp. ii. 13. note 1. Stealing, the evil of stealing, Eph. iv,28. note 1. Stoics, their arguments to enforce patience and contentment, Heb. xiii. 5. note 2. Strifes, as distinguished from enmi ties. Gal. V. 20. note 3. Supplicate, and supplications, what, Ueb. V. 7. note 4. Surety, who and what, Heb. vii, 22. note 1. Sweet smelling savour, Eph. v. 2. note 2. Syriac versions, 1st and 2d Gen. Pref. page 2. T' Tables, genealogical, were kept by the Jews in the public reposito ries, by which individuals could trace their descent, Heb. vii. 14. note 2, , Temperance, what, 2. Pet. i.6.notel. Timothy, Silvanus, and Sosthenes, the reason why their names are in the inscription of some of the epistles, Pref. to 1 Thess. sect. 3. paragraph 6. Tides given to the members of the , Christian church, 1 John ii. 27. note 1. INDEX OP PRINCIPAL MATTERS. 433 Traditions, Scripture sense of the word, 2 Thess. ii. 15. note 2. Transgression and disobedience, dif ferent, Heb. ii. 3. note 3. Translators ancient, of the scrip tures, their character. Gen. Pref. page 7. Translations ofthe scriptures, their agreeinent accounted for. Gen. Pref. pagfe 1. ^— mostof them were made from the Italic, Gen. Pref page 4. Translation, Jerome's, Gen. Pref. page 3. ¦ Syriac, Gen. Pref p. 3. Italic, Gen, Pref page 3. Saxon,Gen.Pref page3. Vulgatej Gen. Pref. page 3. established by the coimcil of Trent, Gen. Pref. page 5. Mosheim's ac count of it, not just. Gen. Pref. page 9- manner 27.-35. • now offered, in made. Gen. Pref. Typical sense of some passages of scripture, defended. Ess. iii. sect. 5. last paragraph. V Visit, visitation, what, 1 Pet. ii. 12, note 3. Virtues are all so connected that they cannot exist separately, 1 John iii. 14. note 2. Unbelief of Christians described, Heb. iv, 11. Uncleanness, why sin is called un. cleanness, Rom. vi. 19. note 2. Unction from the Holy Spirit, 1 John ii. 20. notel. extreme, not enjoined in scripture, James v. 14. note 3. Ungodliness, what, Tit. ii. 12. note 1. its authority Unitarians. Tlie primitive church of Jerusalem were not Unitarians, Pref to 1 John, sect. 3. paragr, 5. Vulgate translation ofthe scriptures. Gen. Pref. page 3. Declared authentic by the what page merits the appellation of a new translation, premonition to Romans, page 168. Beza's, Gen.Pref.page 5, Castalio's, Gen. Pref, page 31, Translations, English, of the scrip tures, an account of. Gen, Pref. page 10,-26. Translation, Erasmus's, Gen page 32, — — Luther's, Gen. page 10. page 19. Munster's, Gen. Pref Pref. Pref. Olivetan's, Gen. Pref. page 10. Transubstantiation, not founded in scripture, 1 Cor. xi. 24. note 2. — — ^— — ^— ^— confuted, 1 Cor. xi. 24. note 2. Trespasses and sins, different.Ephes. ii. 1. note 2. Truth, signifies the gospel, Rom. ii. 8. note 2. Titus i. 1. note 5. Type, the Jewish church with its privileges, was a Type of the Christian church with its privile ges, Rom. ix. 4. note 1. ver. 8. note, 1 Pet. iii; 21. note 2. Council of Trent, ibid, page 5, W Walk. To walk, vvhat. Ess. iv. No, 59, denotes one's moral and re ligious behaviour, 1 Tim. iv. 12. note 1. Washing away of sins in baptism, what, 2 Pet. i. 9- note 3. Water, born again of, what, 1 Pet, iii. 21. note 2. Wisdom, what, James i. 5. note. Whoredom, 1 Cor. v- 1 note 1. Witness. What the Hebrews meant by bearing witness or testimony to a person, 3 John 12. note 1. Women not allowed to pray or preach in the assemblies for wor ship, 1 Cor. xi. 5. note 1, xiv. 34. note. how to adorn themselves, 1 Tim. ii, 9, 10. notes. 1 Pet, iii. 3. note. Works, (good) what. Tit. iii. 8. note 2. of charity, in what order to be performed. Gal. vi. 10. note. 1 Tim. v. 4. note. Worid, signifies the wicked men of the world, 1 John ii. 16. note. by what power turned from heathenism to Christianity, 2 Cor. iv.7. notes 1, 2, 3. END OF VOLUME VI, 55 YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 3 9002 08837 5523 YALE *)l?^C^i- "¦ '^ XJ' , ' ta-" -:r.. 'rir • . ,. > ;)-!',-t.iw ^1-', i . • <«&'.. WAcrHis., ^.,, ' ¦ • i,&ts.\\3m^'S- ^ tiS^T *•¦' '' ft! *,«>« *''-?*itr -*•••,' -. ."rft.;*- . ' '1*-. ' " , %»^ '¦^^t %M^j j7 t '* - ' ^ (* AK f*'i,.\ '^;*,-' ii> ,.' „H'-j,i', '„. t-.. ,) a-t,'^ v*'^*-t'^V*' ^ 1 « ii-e'v ^ t ,*.i t J, ¦* - * , -1-14 » ^imW«^^' '- V''' -.""iV'-'V'.-j:. ¦•;.,;'' - . 'S t.* /tl"'*"""" A , ?r ¦. ¦i'' HfCfcT'ft J!.,,." „^„„„,„'" i'"* •' • ' > f ^ .,» -» - .»»•«/"- i Mt'- - • './!'''#;,..-. /,., '.v% , • fiw i.,,^ ;!^;*««^{ ituia„ «i^-^^ ^ ^ -- « «, . ^.^ JL ^ » Jf /} -i *f-*-t ,'¦- "J h\ , =¦> .#W 5- - , ,S-