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eye-witnesses of the majesty of the first, which was attested by a voice from heaven, and by the sure word of prophecy. He reproves these "scoffers of the last days," who would " say, Where is the promise of His coming*?" He cautions them against false teachers, represents the certainty of the day of judgment, and reminds them, who were, for the most part, St. Paul's converts, of the doctrines which he had inculcated. The affection with which St. Peter, on this occasion, spake of St. Paul, and the honourable testimony he bore to his writings, deserves great praise. He had formerly been rebuked by St. Paul at Antioch ; but whatever resentment he might have entertained of that affront at the beginning, he had long ago laid it aside. At length he finished his course in an honourable manner;—he died a martyr (it is thought, when he was about seventy-five years old), and sealed with his blood the truth which he had preached. His Lord had foretold, that he should be taken off by a violent death, and expressly named that of crucifixion; and this came to pass under the tyranny of Nero. It is believed that St. Peter was crucified with his head downwards, at his own desire, as if he thought himself unworthy to resemble his Master in the manner of his death". • Dr. Robinson.

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✦ Bp. Warburton.

Dr. Macknight.

SECT. CCLXIV.-The First Epistle of John.-1 John i.—v.

"THE first Epistle general of John" is not composed in any epistolary form: it is neither inscribed to an individual, nor to a particular Church, nor to the faithful of any particular region, nor to any particular branch of the Christian Church, nor to the Christian Church in general; it begins without salutation, and ends without benediction. The writer sometimes speaks in the first person, without naming himself, and addresses his reader without naming him in the second; but this colloquial style is very common in all the writings of a plain familiar cast, and is by no means the distinguishing character of epistolary composition. This book appears to have acquired the title of an Epistle for no other reason, but that in the first Canon it was put into the same volume with the didactic writings of the other Apostles. It is, indeed, a didactic discourse upon the principles of Christianity, both in doctrine, and in practice'. The unanimous suffrage of antiquity attributes the authorship of it to St. John the Evangelist; but there has been as much doubt as to the place whence it was written, and as to the persons to whom it was addressed. It was probably written in Judæa, and addressed to Christians in general of every place, and of Bishop Horsley.

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every description; yet ancient tradition would give support to the notion that it was written from Ephesus; and some even suppose it was written from the isle of Patmos. But these questions have arisen with the doubts which exist as to the date of the Epistle, on which very different opinions have been entertained; some concluding that it was written before the destruction of Jerusalem, while others suppose it was written towards the close of the Evangelist's life, long after that event. Its principal design was to preserve the Christians in the true faith of Christ, in opposition to the erroneous doctrines which had already began to make their appearance, and were afterwards maintained by the Gnostics and others. Our knowledge of the sects and heresies of the first century is very incomplete; but it is thought that these sceptics entertained the opinion of the sect named Nicolaitanes, mentioned in the Book of Revelation, who denied the humanity of our Lord, and His real sufferings in the flesh. The Apostle begins, by assuring the Christian converts, that he had seen and heard every thing which he delivered to them concerning Christ; he states the universality of Christ's propitiation; he cautions against false teachers, and especially against those who deny that Christ is come in the flesh, that is, who Bishop Tomline. 9 Pictorial Bible. 1 Dean Woodhouse.

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1

deny the pre-existence, and the incarnation of the Son of God. By the love of God to mankind, he inculcates mutual love among men, and the observance of all His commandments'; and, whether we consider the sublimity of the opening of this Epistle, the perspicuity with which it propounds the deepest mysteries of our holy faith, and the evidence of the proof which it brings to confirm them; whether we consider the sanctity of its precepts, and the energy of argument with which they are persuaded and enforced; whether we regard the importance of the matter, the propriety of the style, or the general spirit of fervid zeal, ardent piety, and warm benevolence, which breathes throughout the whole composition, we shall find it in every respect worthy of the holy author, to whom the constant tradition of the Church ascribes it, -"the disciple whom Jesus loved "."

SECT. CCLXV.-The Second and Third Epistles of John.2 John 1-13; 3 John 1-14.

THE second and third Epistles are supposed to have been written from Ephesus, and are improperly called Catholic, as they are addressed to private persons; the former, "to the elect lady," considered to be some lady of eminence styled "elect," on account of her profession of the Gospel, but whose place of residence 2 Bishop Tomline. Bishop Horsley.

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is not known

and the latter to Gaius or Caius, of whom nothing whatever is known. The name was a very common one, and several persons bearing it are named in the New Testament. The Apostle's studied omission of his own name in his Gospel, accounts for its being wanting in these three Epistles; and in these two latter he styles himself "the elder," which title he probably adopted as being a term of honourable distinction in the primitive Church3.

SECT. CCLXVI.-The Epistle of Jude.-1-25. JUDE or Judas, who is called also Lebbeus and Thaddeus in the Gospels, in order to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, was the son of Alpheus or Cleophas, and consequently brother of James the Less, and cousin-german to our Lord. Excepting in the catalogue of the twelve Apostles, of which he was one, he is only once mentioned in the Gospels, and is not spoken of at all in the Acts; nor is any circumstance recorded of him in any ancient author to be relied on 6. The Syrian Christians regard Jude as their Apostle, and it is probable that he preached the Gospel in the countries eastward of Palestine, as he has been thought to have suffered martyrdom in Persia. There is no satisfactory evidence for determining the date of the Epistle'. His allusions to the Second

4 Pictorial Bible.

6 Ibid.

5 Bishop Tomline.

Pictorial Bible.

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