66 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 Christians 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 likewise inclines for in his 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."

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CHAPTER I.

View and Illustration of the Matters contained in this Chapter.

Ir is remarkable, that the apostle begins this epistle, with a confutation of those corrupt teachers, whom he afterwards calls antichrists, but who were named by the ancient fathers Doceta, because, as was observed, pref. sect. 3. they affirmed that Christ had not come in the flesh, and that the things which were related 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 of their own senses, ver. 1.-So that the apostles, 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 incontestable 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 honourableness 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 inferior to the Christian fellowship in this respect, that the heathen 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 of the Christian fellowship, the apostle told them, he wrote that their joy in being members of such an honourable and powerfully protected fellowship, 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.

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all; He is goodness and truth, without any mixture of evil or error. Wherefore, the discoveries made in the gospel, to the initiated into the Christian fellowship, concerning the nature and perfections of God, were very different from, and far superior to the boasted discoveries 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 infinitely holy, and admits none but the holy into his fellowship, ver. 6.—In the mean time, to encourage the disciples of Christ, 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. CHAP. I. 1 That which

was from the beginning, which we have heard,

which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life.

GREEK TEXT.

1 Ὁ την απ' αρχής, ö ακηχοαμεν, ὁ ἑωρακαμεν τοις οφθαλμοις ἡμων, ὁ εθεασάμεθα, και αἱ χειρες ἡμων εψηλαφη σαν περι του λόγου της ζωης

ai

Ver. 1.-1. That which was from the beginning. As the apostle is here describing, not the word simply, but the living word, the Son of God made flesh, he doth not say, ev agxy, in the beginning; as he doth, John i. 1. but ar' agxns, from the beginning; a phrase used in other passages, to denote the beginning of the gospel. See John xv. 27. Acts xxvi. 4. 1 John ii. 7. 24. iii. 11. 2 epistle, ver. 5, 6.-That which was from the beginning, which the apostles heard and saw, and contemplated and handled, was the life of the word in the flesh, together with his doing and suffering all the things related of him in the gospel; namely his baptism, the descent of the Holy Ghost on him at his baptism, his temptation of the devil in the wilderness, his preaching, his miracles, his transfiguration, his agony in the garden, his trial and condemnation by the Jewish council, his death on the cross, his resurrection from the dead. Also the eye witnesses conversing with him,

blood of Jesus Christ his Son, would procure them pardon for all such sins as they 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 example of 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 promise 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. CHAP. I. 1 That which was from the beginning,1 which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have contemplated,2 and our hands have handled3 concerning the living word.♣

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. I. 1 That which was from the beginning of the gospel, which we apostles have heard with our ears, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have contemplated at leisure and with the greatest attention, and our hands have handled pertaining to 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 we have seen with our eyes, which we have contemplated. The expression iwganaμsv, which we have seen, is different from, ideaσaueda. For the latter, as distinguished from the former, denotes the apostle's beholding attentively and considering at leisure, the life of the word in the flesh; his words, his actions, his sufferings, and all the other particulars by which he manifested the reality of his life in the flesh. To mark this difference in the expressions, I have translated deaσapeda, which we have contemplated.

3. And our hands have handled. In this John alludes to what Christ said to his disciples, when he appeared to them after his resurrection, Luke

2 (For the Life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal

Life which was with the Father, and was manifest ed unto us ;)

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we

unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

2 (Και η ζωη εφανερώθη, και εωρακαμεν, και μαρτυρουμεν, και απαγγελλομεν υμιν την ζωην την αιώνιον, ήτις ην προς τον πατέρα, και εφανερωπη ήμιν.)

3 Ὁ εωρακαμεν και ακηκοαμεν, απαγγελλομεν ὑμῖν, ἵνα και ύμεις κοινωνίαν έχητε μεθ' ἡμων και ἡ κοινωνια δε ἡ ἡμετέρα μετα του πατρος και μετα του διου αυτου Ιησου Χριςου.

xxiv. 29. Handle me and see; for a Spirit bath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. On many other occasions, the disciples had an opportunity of handling their master, and knowing that he had a real body. For example, when 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 feeling Christ's body, when he leaned on his bosom, during the last passover supper, John xiii. 23.

4. Concerning the living word. Пego T8 2098 THs (ons: literally concerning the word of life. But the expression is an Hebraism, which, as the context sheweth, ought to be translated, concerning the living word. See Ess. iv. 18. The sentiment in this clause, John hath expressed more fully in his gospel, chap. i. 4. where speaking of the word he saith, In him was life, and the life, namely of the word, was the light of men. And ver. 14. The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The heresy which the apostle condemned in this and the following verse, is mentioned, 2 epistle, ver. 7. Many deceivers are entered into the world, who do not confess Fesus Christ did come in the flesh. See Preface to 1 John, Sect. 3. paragr. 2. Also 1 John iv. 3. note 1. In opposition to that pernicious doctrine, which overturned the gospel entirely, John solemnly affirmed, That what he and his brethren apostles, published to the world concerning the real manifestation of the word or Son of God in the flesh, and concerning his actions and sufferings 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 resurrection, they could not be mistaken in believing that he really appeared in the flesh.