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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST. JOHN.

INTRODUCTION.

"JOHN, the Evangelist and Apostle, was the son of Zebedee, a fisherman of the town of Bethsaida on the sea of Galilee, and the younger brother of James the elder. His mother's name was Salome. Zebedee, though a fisherman, appears to have been in good circumstances; for the evangelical history informs us that he was the owner of a vessel, and had hired servants (Mark i. 20), and therefore we have no reason to imagine that his children were altogether illiterate, as some critics have imagined them to have been, from a misinterpretation of Acts iv. 13. . . . . . John and his brother James were, doubtless, well acquainted with the Scriptures of the Old Testament, having not only read them, but heard them publicly explained in the Synagogues; and, in common with the other Jews, they entertained the expectation of the Messiah, and that his kingdom would be a temporal one. It is not impossible, though it cannot be affirmed with certainty, that John had been a disciple of John the Baptist before he became a disciple of Christ at least the circumstantial account which he has given (in ch.i. 37-41) of the two disciples who followed Christ, might induce us to suppose that he was one of the two. It is, however, certain that he had both seen and heard our Saviour, and had witnessed some of his miracles, particularly that performed at Cana of Galilee (ii. 1—11). John has not recorded his own call to the Apostleship; but we learn, from the other three Evangelists, that it took place when he and James were fishing upon the sea of Galilee. . . . . . . From the time when John and his brother received their immediate call from Christ, they became his constant attendants, they heard his discourses, and beheld his miracles; and after previous instruction, both public and private, they were honoured with a selection and appointment to be of the number of the Apostles.

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"What the age of John was at this time, his history does not precisely ascertain..... Dr. Lardner is of opinion that none of the Apostles were much under the age of thirty when appointed to that important office. Whatever his age might have been, John seems to have been the youngest of the twelve, and (if we may judge by his writings) to have possessed a temper singularly mild, amiable, and affectionate. He was eminently the object of our Lord's regard and confidence, and was, on various occasions, admitted to free and intimate intercourse with him, so that he was characterized as 'the disciple whom Jesus loved.' John xiii. 23.

"The precise time when this Gospel was written has not been ascertained, though it is generally agreed that John composed it at Ephesus. Basnage and Lampe suppose it to have been written before the destruction of Jerusalem; and, in conformity wita their opinion, Dr. Lardner fixes its date in the year 68, Dr. Owen in 69, Michaelis in 70; but Chrysostom and Epiphanius, among the ancient fathers, and Dr. Mill, Fabricius, Le Clerc, and Bp. Tomline, among the moderns, refer its date, with greater probability, to the year 97, and Mr. Jones to the year 98.

INTRODUCTION.

.....

"The Gospel by John has been universally received as genuine. The circumstantiality of its details proves that the book was written by an eye-witness of the discourses and transactions it records. . . . . . . Besides this incontestable internal evidence, we have the external and uninterrupted testimony of the ancient fathers of the Christian Church His Gospel is alluded to once by Clement of Rome, once by Barnabas, and four times by Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, who had been a disciple of the Evangelist, and had conversed familiarly with several of the Apostles. It was also received by Justin Martyr, Tatian, the Churches of Vienne and Lyons, Trenæus, Athenagoras, Theophilus of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, &c.; and, in short, by all subsequent writers of the ancient Christian Church." (Horne's Crit. Introd. vol. iv. pt. 2, ch. 2.) "The Gospel of John (says Dr. Pye Smith) is distinguished, by very observable characters, from the composition of the other Evangelists. It has much less of narrative, and is more largely occupied with the doctrines and discourses of the Lord Jesus. The topics also of the discourses possess a marked character, indicating that they have been selected with an especial view to the presenting of what, during his earthly ministry, Jesus himself had taught concerning his own person, and the spiritual and never-dying blessings which he confers upon those who believe on his name. Our being destituté of any certain knowledge of the human motive which dictated this principle of selection, does not render the work less valuable, since we need nothing to increase a conviction, arising from the truths themselves, of their supreme importance, and of our deep interest in them. It should, indeed, the more excite our gratitude to the Spirit of Grace and Truth, the Spirit of Christ, to whose directing and inspiring influence we owe this unspeakable treasure." (Smith's Messiah, vol. ii. p. 497-8.)

The very important introduction to this Gospel, which treats particularly of the divine Logos, will fall immediately under notice in our Exposition of the first Chapter. Much learned discussion has been excited, as to the origin of this term, which has been traced to the Jewish Targums, to Philo, and to the Platonic Philosophy. Our readers know that, in different captivities, the Jews were carried, some to Egypt, and some to Babylon; that, in the latter city, their language was mingled with, and in a great measure lost in, the Chaldee; in consequence of which, on their return to Jeru salem, when Ezra read to them the law, he was obliged to interpret it to them in Chaldee, and so his successors; and from these interpretations were at length formed (about our Saviour's time) the most ancient Targums, in which the word Memra was introduced in a manner analogous to the use of Logos by Plato, Philo, and the Alexandrine School of Philosophy. Thus Logos came to signify, 1. Wisdom, as a divine perfection; 2. A word, or speech, by which the wisdom of God was revealed; 3. A personal word, i. e. an agent, or angel, sent to deliver that word; and from these sprung several other meanings, as stated in the Lexicons. We have no idea that John studied in the schools of either the Greeks or Rabbins; but he might be acquainted with the early Targums, and in the latter part of his life, though residing at Ephesus, gained probably some knowledge of the Greek philosophy and elocution; but he himself studied in the school of Christ. (On this subject see Allix. on the Jewish Church; Watts's Fourth Disserta tion on the Trinity; and especially Dr. Smith's Messiah, vol. i. p. 409, 445; ii. 495,499; and Preb. Townsend's N. T. Arr. vol. i. pp. 7—26, Note s.

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This Gospel of John is generally considered to have been written in Greek; and Michaelis prefers his style, in respect of purity, to the other Evangelists,, which he attributes to his long residence at Ephesus. Whether the Evangelist had herein any allusion to Cerinthus, or other ancient heretics, is much disputed among the learned. That he might have some reference to them, is, we think, hardly to be doubted; but the Scripture method of confuting error, was by stating the opposite truths, which John does very fully.

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The word of God]

IN

CHAP. I.

S. JOHN.

N the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

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

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.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe.

9

[made flesh:

8 He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only be

NOTES.

CHAP. I. Ver. 1. The Word.-In addition to what is remarked above, we add from Dr. Campbell, "The Greek work Logos, is susceptible of several interpretations, the chief of which are reason and speech. .... The latter acceptation has been adopted by most interpreters. If the practice of preceding translators is ever entitled to implicit regard from their successors, it is where the subject is of so abstruse a nature, as hardly to admit an exposition which is not liable to great objections..... Were I to desert it (which I do not think there is here sufficient evidence to warrant), I should prefer the word

reason. ......

I entirely agree with those who think it most likely that the allusion here is to a portion of holy writ, and not to the reveries of either Philo or Plato, The passage referred to is Proverbs viii. throughout. There is such a coincidence in the things attributed to each, as evidently shows, that both were intended to indicate the same divine personage. The passage in Proverbs, I own, admits of a more familiar explanation, as regarding the happy consequences of that mental quality, which we call true or heavenly wisdom: but it is suitable to the genius of scripture prophecy to convey, under such allegorical language, the most important and sublime discoveries."-Compare our Exposition, which was written before we observed this Note.

In our exposition of this verse, we have mentioned the Chaldee word Memra, which the Targums use, as corresponding both to the Heb. Debar, and the Gr. Legos. They use it not only for the Word of God, the Angel of God, and the Messiah, but for God himself; and sometimes in a way that can only Be accounted for by considering it as a favourite term, which they seem often to introduce with. out occasion, and even without any distinct meaning. But it had been imported from the Alexandriam School, and become naturalized among the Jews before the time of John; and in Greek. Logos was always used as corresponding with it, and was the only term, therefore, adapted to the use of the Evangelist. See the Bp. of St. David's (now of Salisbury), "The Bible, and nothing but the Bible," &c, p. 124-130. Also Dr. Smith's Messiah, vol. i. p. 400, &c.

**1bid. The word was God.—Luther, and the English translators of Henry VIII., adhering to the order of the original, read, "God was the word." The sense

is the same, but it is worse English. Because the Greek article is prefixed to the word, but not to God, same would render it (as the Unitarian version), "The word was a God.” But Dr. Campbell remarks, that "though the article prefixed shows a noun to be definite, the bare want of the article is not sufficient evidence that the noun is used indefinitely. See verses 6, 12, 13, and 18, of this chapter, in all which, though the word "God" (Theos) has no article, there can be no doubt that it means God, in the strictest sense. ""

Ver. 3. All things were made by him.-Camp. “by IT," as better corresponding with "the word;" but we doubt this, and conceive that the perpetual iteration of the impersonal pronoun, both impoverishes the style and confounds the sense, when applied to the Word as a person.

Ver. 5. The darkness comprehended it notDoddr. "apprehended it not."-Camp. "admitted it not." The allusion seems to be to air, so gross and foul as to extinguish any light (link or torch) that may be introduced into it.

Ver. 7. That all men through him—i. e. all who heard his testimony-might believe-in Jesus.

Ver. 9. Which lighteth every man that cometh, &c.-Doddr. "which coming into the world enlighteneth every man."-" He that cometh," was a periphrasis for the Messiah. See ch. vi. 14, &c.

Ver. 10. Knew him not.-They neither knew not acknowledged him, as the word often means.

Ver. 11. He came unto his own, and his own, &c. -The word "own," in the first instance, is neuter, in the second, masculine; it is, therefore, properly rendered by Camp. " He came unto his own (land), and his own (people) received him not." See Luke xx 9-16.

Ver. 12. To them gave he power.-Marg. "The right or privilege." Doddr. and Camp. both adopt the latter term.

Ver. 13. Born, not of blood.-Gr. "bloods," which may refer to the two ways in which men became children of Abraham-by natural generation, and by circumcision.

Ver. 14. The Word was made flesh.-Camp. " be came incarnate," which is doubtless the true sense though not so simple. The word made, is the sam that is used ver. 3; it is of very extensive use, and in most of its senses is applied to Christ. Ver. 3 an 10, Schleusner understands it of creation: so als

CHAP. I.

grace]
the Father,) full of grace

are witness of him, and
This was he of whom I

at cometh after me is pre

ole me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we ved, and grace for grace.

[and truth.

17 For the law was given by Moses; but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (A)

CHAP. I.

EXPOSITION.

(A) Ver. 1-18. Christ, the word of God. -There can be no reasonable doubt that the Word here (in Greek, Logos) is used personally, and intends the Son of God. We have already shown, in our Introduction, the connexion of this term with the Chaldee Memra, which Dr. Pye Smith considers as primarily importing "whatever it may be, which is the medium of communicating the mind and intentions of one person to another," and in this sense he apprehends it was very early used to designate the Messiah as the only mediator, and the only authorized medium of conmunication between God and sinners. (See Messiah, vol. i. p. 408, 445; ii. 499, &c.)

Such we consider to be the meaning of the term Logos, which our translators have rightly rendered "the Word." This Word, it is said, "was in the beginning," and when that phrase is not limited by the context, we conceive it always carries us back to "the beginning of the creation of God," at least of the Mosaic creation; for this only is the subject of divine revelation. The Son of God then, from the beginning, was "with God.” Not as then first brought into being, but as Solomon speaks of Wisdom in his book of Proverbs (chap. vii. 30), "Then was I by him as one brought up with him." It is added, "Re

joicing in the habitable parts of the earth, and my delights were with the sons of men;" and if, with Bp. Patrick, Mr. Holden, and many others, we refer this passage to the Son of God, we may trace this analogy farther than is commonly done. "The word (or wisdom, for Logos means both,) was made flesh, and dwelt among us-full of grace and truth." Thus "the word" was with God, and came down to dwell with us.

But the word was not only "with God;" he also was God." Some translators have rendered it "was a god;" but this is a Pagan translation, and implies a plurality of gods. Neither would it do to introduce the definite article, and render it was the God," as that would exclude from the rights of Deity the sacred person of the Father.

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The beginning here is, by some, referred to "the beginning of the Gospel," which is the expression of the evangelist Mark (ch. i. 1): but he goes no farther back than the preaching of John the Baptist; John, the apostle, to the creation of all things. For, speaking of the same Word, he says, "All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made;" but this comes short of the original, and is very tamely expressed. Doddridge renders it, "without him was not made so much

NOTES.

Heb. xi. 3; James iii. 9. It is also applied to his incarnation," made of a woman," Gal. iv. 4; to his being "made," or constituted," a prophet," Luke xxiv. 19; and in various other ways.And dwelt; literally, tabernacled." (So Wesley.) Camp." sojourned." See Heb. xi. 9. But Doddr. thinks it an allusion to the Shechinah (or divine) glory which resided in the tabernacle.

The incarnation of the Son of God was doubtless anticipated under the Patriarchal dispensation. Abraham, and other Old Testament believers, by faith saw his day," and rejoiced in it. (Chap. viii. 56.) From them the doctrine spread among the heathen, all whose deities became occasionally incarnate; but the most extraordinary notions of this kind are to be found among the Hindoos. According to them, Veeshnu (or Chreeshna) was nine times incarnate, for various great and important purposes, of which the last was, to put an end to human sacrifices. See the author's Dictionary of Religions," 3d edit. under Hindoos.

Ver. 15. John bare witness, &c.-Camp. includes

this verse in a parenthesis, and connects the 16th with the 14th, thus,-The Word was "full of grace and truth;" and "of his fullness have all we received," &c.

Ibid. He was before me.-Though the Gr. protos, is sometimes used for pre-eminence (as Lardner shows), yet as the preceding clause ("he that cometh after me") refers to time, it seems far the most natural to understand this in the same manner as Doddr. does, "He existed before me." This ver. seems in anticipation of ver. 19. See ver. 20.

Ver. 16. Grace for grace.-The Gr. preposition (anti) rendered for, is capable of various acceptations; we shall mention only two, which we think most probable. "Grace for grace" is then either, 1. Grace upon grace; so Doddridge, Wesley, and others; or, 2. Grace answering to grace. See Parkhurst.

Ver. 18. He hath declared him. - Doddr. and Camp. "Hath made him known." Comp. chap. vi. 46.

All grace bestowed]

S. JOHN.

[through Jesus Christ. 19 ¶ And this is the record of John, from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art when the Jews sent Priests and Levites thou?

EXPOSITION-Chap. I. Continued.

as one single being :" Campbell (perhaps better) "not a single creature." Both versions exclude the Word from being himself a creature. On the contrary, he is represented as the source of life and light, and every other blessing to mankind. John the Baptist is then introduced as bearing witness to "this light," which, by becoming incarnate, enlightened the world with the knowledge of the truth. John, however, declares that he was not that light, but only came (so the morning star precedes the sun) as his harbinger and prophet.

But this same Word, by whom were made all things both in heaven and earth, was himself "made flesh." He had often, indeed, under the old dispensation, assumed a human or angelic form, and sometimes appeared in the "form of God;" but now he became or was "made flesh;" not transiently appearing, as of old, in the human form, but he tabernacled, or, as Doddridge expresses it, "pitched his tabernacle," to abide for some time with men ; the glory of the Divine Nature being veiled in the humanity, just as that of the Shechinah was shrouded in the accompanying cloud; and as the glory shone at times more or less conspicuously through the cloud, so the glory of the Word, "as of the only begotten of the Father," shone through the veil of human nature with beams of grace and truth. These beams, however, were seen but by a few only. He came to the world which he had made, to the nation whom he had chosen, but they received him not; a few only excepted, on whom he bestowed the privilege of becoming sons of God by adoption and by grace. This St. John expresses in his usual manner, both negatively and positively. They were "born, not of blood;" that is, they were not sons of God merely by natural generation, as sons of Abraham, -not by circumcision, as in the case of proselytes from other nations-not by "the will of the flesh," that is, by any natural effort of their own, nor "of the will of" any other "man," as in the case of adoption, at this time a common practice with the Romaus,--" but of God;" by which we understand that the true regeneration of which our Lord here and elsewhere discourses, is wholly of divine grace. This passage might lead us to enquire into the Scripture doctrine of Regeneration, but as that subject will necessarily come more fully under discussion in the third chapter

of this Gospel, we shall not here enlarge; but only add one remark, that it is by faith in Christ only that we obtain the privilege of becoming sons of God: it is a favour granted to them only who believe in his

name.

The 14th verse of this chapter speaks of Christ in reference to his two natures, divine and human: considered in respect to the former, he is "the only begotten of the Father;" that is, he is his Son in a sense to which neither men nor angels can pretend; he is "the express image of the Father" (Heb. i. 3). And in respect of the latter, as man and mediator, he is full of grace and truth: he is the great deposi tory, and the only channel of revealed truth and grace to inen. Taking the 15th verse as a parenthesis, as we are strongly inclined to do (see Note), we defer the consideration of it till after the 18th (which some consider its proper place), and connect it with the 14th, the 16th, and two following, which leaves the narrative un broken. John had said that the Word, or Son of God, was full of grace and truth, and therefore very naturally adds, "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." 1. He was "full of grace," and therefore his ministers and people receive from him an accumulation of grace-grace in rich abundance. And, 2. He possessed a rich variety of graces, and therefore does he communicate to us

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grace answerable unto" all the graces which himself possesses, though at humble distance in respect of measure and perfec

tion.

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It is added, "the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." The law given by Moses was either the moral law, and that had no grace; "The soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezek. xviii. 4); or it was the ceremonial law, and that had no truth: that is, no reality; for it was only "the shadow of good things to come," of which Christ was the substance. (Heb. x. 1, &c.) For " grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." Chrysostom, the eloquent Greek father, remarks, these words are evidently not the language of the Baptist, who uses not the name of Jesus. "No man bath seen God [the Father] at any time:" the divine nature is invisible; "but the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,"-that is, who occupies the seat next to him in dignity and power (See Expos. of Luke xvi 22 "He hath made him known."

He is

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