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far as to Bethany: and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

52. And they worshipped him; they bowed down in token of homage. See also Acts 1:11. The circumstances show that more than civil respect was paid to Jesus by the apostles on this occasion. They had received much instruction from him since his resurrection, and their views respecting him had become much enlarged and corrected. Their reverence for their Master had greatly increased; and when, after so much elevating and endearing intercourse, they saw

52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy;

53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

him (Acts 1: 9, 10) rising to heaven, to take his station at the right hand of God, they felt and expressed such love, and reverence, and confidence, as well deserved the name of worship. And well may we respond our hearty AMEN. And let "every creature which is in heaven and on the earth, say, Blessing and honor, and glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, forever and ever." Rev. 5: 13.

NOTE ON LUKE 21: 18, p. 110. There shall not a hair, &c. These words contain a promise of special divine protection. Compare Acts 27: 34. The .followers of Christ, as a collective body, would enjoy such protection; and though some of them might suffer death (v. 16) yet even they would meet with no real loss. Their eternal welfare would be secured.

PREFACE

TO THE

GOSPEL OF JOHN.

JOHN was a son of Zebedee, and was associated with his father in the occupation of fishing on the lake Gennesaret. See Matt, 4: 21. Mark 1: 19, 20. His mother's name was Salome. Compare Matt. 27: 56 with Mark 16: 1. From the manner of expression in the first chapter of John's Gospel, vs. 35 and 40, there is reason to believe that he was a disciple of John the Baptist, and that he was among the first who welcomed Jesus as the Messiah. Between him and the Saviour there seems to have existed a peculiar mutual intimacy. See John 13: 23, 24. 19:26, 27. Though, on one occasion, he was betrayed into an unworthy fervor of feeling through a mistaken zeal for the honor of his Master (Luke 9:54), yet his general character partook largely of the benevolence which was so conspicuous in Jesus himself. He also manifested, on two other occasions, an unholy, ambitious selfishness (Mark 9:38. Matt. 20: 20, 21, compared with Mark 10:35), which yielded, at length, in the maturity of his religious character, to humility and fraternal love. The other notices of him which are found in the New Testament, prove his steady and zealous devotion to the cause of his Master. See Acts 3:1. 4: 13, 19, 20. 8:14, 25. Gal. 2:9. Rev. 1:9. The accounts which have been handed down from the earliest times, after the writings of the New Testament, bear testimony to his unwearied assiduity in promoting the welfare of the churches, and

130

PREFACE TO THE GOSPEL OF JOHN.

cherishing the spirit of brotherly love among the followers of Christ.

I cannot prevail on myself to omit the interesting anecdote which has been so often told, but which never loses its freshness.

66
"When John

was far advanced in age, he was too feeble to walk to the meetings. He suffered himself then to be carried in by his disciples. Being unable to speak much, he repeated continually the words, 'Little children, love one another.' And when it was asked why he always repeated these words alone, he replied, 'Because such is the commandment of the Lord, and because it is sufficient, if this is done.'" He lived beyond the age of ninety years, and died a natural death at Ephesus, in Asia Minor.

From the earliest dates of Christianity, John has been acknowledged as the author of this Gospel. It was written the last of the four Gospels in the order of time, and probably not long before the year 70 of the Christian era. It is believed to have been written in Ephesus. Its explanations of Jewish terms (see, for instance, 1: 38, 41. 6:4) indicate that it was written at some distance from Palestine; for such explanations would not be needed in the very country of the Jews.

The Gospel of John differs materially in its structure from the other Gospels. It is not so much a record of facts, as a record of the Saviour's discourses and conversations. The events which John relates seem to have been recorded mostly in order to introduce the conversations, or discourses, to which they gave rise; and such a selection was made from our Lord's discourses as would most amply illustrate the dignity of Jesus Christ as the Saviour of men, and THE SON OF GOD, not only by his office, but also by his possessing a divine nature. The mind of John was deeply impressed with a sense of the unspeakable excellence and glory of the Saviour; and he wished to convey to his readers the same impression.

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN.

with God, and the Word was the God.

CHAPTER I. N the beginning was Word, and the Word was

IN

CHAPTER I.

1. In the beginning. Compare Gen. 1:1. The connection clearly shows, that these words relate to the beginning of the creation, or to the period when the world was not yet brought into existence. It is equivalent to the expression when the world began, and carries back our minds to the very commencement of time. || The Word. By this term, the evangelist designates Christ as existing in a spiritual nature, before time began. Previously to our Saviour's coming into this world, he existed (see 17: 5, 24) in a purely spiritual nature. To designate him in that nature, not yet as a partaker of human nature, John employed this term. Why he selected this particular term, we are unable to say with perfect confidence; nor is it necessary, since he clearly uses it as a kind of proper name applied to Christ in his preexistent state. That Christ was meant, is plain from the fourteenth verse, and from the mention of John the Baptist as bearing witness of him (vs. 6-8). The term in the Greek language corresponding to word, had been em'ployed by some Greek and Jewish philosophers, in their speculations respecting the Deity, to signify a being whom they supposed to exist, of a very exalted nature, and holding a very intimate relation to the Deity. Their speculations had occasioned the term Word to be extensively known in conversations and discussions about the Deity. Among the Jews in general, also, a term corresponding to Word had come into frequent use as signifying that exalted Being who is

described in the Old Testament as appearing to the patriarchs and other distinguished men, and who used language respecting himself appropriate to the Deity. That Being they generally believed to have been the Messiah in his preexistent state of glory, thus occasionally revealing himself to his people for instruction and consolation, and anticipating the manifestation which he was, in after ages, to make to the nation. Thus it happened that this term was very widely diffused as a religious term, and as particularly referring either to Him who was to be the Messiah, or to an exalted spiritual nature conceived to exist in very intimate connection with the Deity. When, then, John was about to speak of the Messiah, in his spiritual nature, as existing before time began, and as most intimately connected with the Deity, and as possessing attributes and performing deeds appropriate to the Deity, the term Word would naturally occur to his mind. There had, indeed, been connected with that term various erroneous notions; but John could avoid the sanctioning of those errors, by giving himself a description of Him to whom he applied it. While the term, then, was derived from common use, the nature and character of the Being expressed by that term must be learned from John's own description. || The Word was with God; was intimately united with God.

It may be interesting to notice, that the term Word is applied by John to Christ not only in his state of existence before time began, but

2 The same was in the be-1 ginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

also in his state of glory after having finished his work on earth. See Rev.

19:13-16.

2. The same was in the beginning with God. This is a repetition of the sentiment contained in the preceding verse, with the additional thought that the intimate union of the Word with God existed before time began.

3. All things were made by him. Compare Col. 1: 16. || Not any thing. The thought just expressed is repeated with more particularity. Nothing at all, not even one thing of all that had been made, was made without him.

The work of creation is appealed to in the Scriptures as clearly proving its author to be the true God. See Ps. 96: 5. Jer. 10: 11, 16. Heb. 3: 4. Hence this assertion that "all things were made by him," agrees exactly with the declaration in the first verse" the Word was God."

The statement made in this verse has sometimes been regarded as not wholly compatible with the remark in Heb. 1: 2, in which God is said to have made the worlds by his Son. But there is no inconsistency between the two statements. The testimony of the Bible is, that creation is the work of Deity. According to the Bible, the Deity is such that the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, may severally be spoken of as possessing divine attributes and performing divine works. Hence there is no contradiction between the two declarations, Jehovah created the world, and, The Word created the World. In perfect consistency too, it may be said, The Word created the world, and, Jehovah created the world by the Word. 4. In him was life. The term life has frequently in the Scriptures a very extensive import, referring to spiritual and eternal happiness, as well as to natural life; and when spoken of as being in God, or Christ, it signi

4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

fies the power of imparting such life. Here, Christ, in his spiritual, divine nature, is declared to be the source of life; the word life being understood in its most comprehensive sense. He had just been spoken of as the creator of all things; he is now declared to have been the source or author of all life, natural and spiritual; to have had in himself a life-giving power; to have been the source of all real good, both in respect to the present world and to the eternal world. || The life was the light of men. The term light, used metaphorically, includes the ideas of knowledge and happiness. The knowledge meant, in the Scriptures, by this term, is divine knowledge, authentic instruction respecting God and eternity; the happiness meant by the term light is that which results from a hearty reception of such instruction and a ready obedience to it; in other words, spiritual and eternal happiness, or salvation. Now, the life-giving power which dwelt in Christ, is here represented as a fountain of knowledge and happiness to men. In other phraseology, The Word, who possessed in himself the source of all life, the ability to impart life both for time and for eternity, bestowed knowledge and salvation; became THE LIGHT of men by the religious truth which he revealed, and by the salvation which he pro cured for them.

5. The light shineth in darkness. The word darkness, used figuratively, signifies ignorance of divine truth, and the misery consequent on such ignorance, and on sin. The term is here employed as designating men who are in a state of ignorance and misery. To the world, enveloped in ignorance and misery, Christ came as a light; or, to express the same thought in different words, on the world, wrapped in the darkness of

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