Now let us see how the second Epistle may well have been related to the first.
Supremely, and above all else, the first Epistle containedthreewarnings, very necessary for those times. (1) There was a danger oflosing the true Christ, the Word made Flesh, Who for the forgiveness of our sins did shed out of His most precious side both water and blood—in a false, because shadowy and ideal Christ. (2) There was danger oflosing true love, and therefore spiritual life, with truth. (3) With the true Christ andtrue love there was a danger of losingthe true commandment—love of God and of the brethren. Now in the second Epistle these very three warnings were written on a leaflet in a form more calculated for circulation and for remembrance. (1) Against the peril of faith, oflosing the true Christ. "Many deceivers are gone out into the world—they who confess not Jesus Christ coming in flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist."[360]With the true Christ, the true doctrine of Christ would also vanish, and with it all living hold uponGod.Progresswas the watchword; but it was in realityregress. "Every one who abideth not in the doctrine of Christ hath not God."[361](2) Against the peril oflosing love. "I beseech thee, Kyria ... that we love one another."[362](3) Against the peril of losingthe true commandment(the great spiritual principle of charity), or the true commandments[363](that principle in the details of life). "And this is love, that we walk after Hiscommandments. This is thecommandment, that even as ye heard from the beginning ye should walk in it."[364]
Here then were the chief practical elements of the first Epistle contracted into a brief and easily remembered shape.
Easily remembered, too, was the stern, practical prohibition of the intimacies of hospitality with those who came to the home of the Christian, in the capacity of emissaries of the antichrist above indicated. "Receivehim not into your house, and good speed salute him not with."[365]
Many are offended with this. No doubt Christianity is the religion of love—"the epiphany of the sweet-naturedness and philanthropy of God."[366]We very often look upon heresy or unbelief with the tolerance of curiosity rather than of love. At all events, the Gospel has its intolerance as well as tolerance. St. John certainly had this. It is not a true conception in art which invests him with the mawkish sweetness of perpetual youth. There is a sense in which he was a son of Thunder to the last. He who believes and knows must formulate a dogma. A dogma frozen by formality, or soured by hate, or narrowed by stupidity, makes a bigot. In reading the Church History of the first four centuries we are often tempted to ask, why all this subtlety, this theology-spinning, this dogma-hammering? The answer stands out clear above the mists of controversy. Without all this the Church would have lost the conception of Christ, and thus finally Christ Himself. St. John's denunciations have had a function in Christendom as well as his love.
3. There are two most precious indications of the highest Christian truth with which we may conclude.
We have prefixed to this Epistle that beautiful Apostolic salutation which is found in two only among the Epistles of St. Paul.[367]After that simple, but exquisite expression of blessing merged in prophecy—"the truth which abideth in us—yes! and with us it shall be for ever"[368]—there comes another verse set in the same key. "There shall be with us grace, mercy, peace, from God the Father, and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth" of thought, "and love" of life.[369]
This rush and reduplication of words is not very like the usual reserve and absence of emotional excitement in St. John's style. Can it be that something (possibly the glorious death of martyrdom by which Timothy died) led St. John to use words which were probably familiar to Ephesian Christians?
However this may be, let us live by and learn from those lovely words. Our poverty wantsgrace, our guilt wantsmercy, our misery wantspeace. Let us ever keep the Apostle's order. Do not let us putpeace, our feeling of peace, first. The emotionalists' is a topsy-turvy theology. Apostles do not say "peace and grace," but "grace and peace."
One more—in an age which substitutes an ideal something called the spirit of Christianity for Christ, let us hold fast to that which is the essence of the Gospel and the kernel of our three creeds. "To confess Jesus Christ coming in flesh."[370]Couple with this acanon of the First Epistle—"confesseth Jesus Christcomein flesh."[371]The second is the Incarnationfactwith its abiding consequences; the first, the Incarnationprincipleever living in a Person, Who will also be personally manifested. This is the substance of the Gospels; this the life of prayers and sacraments; this the expectation of the saints.
Ver. 1.The Elder.] This word has played a great part in an important controversy. It is argued that the Elder of this and of the Third Epistle is the author indeed of the first Epistle and of the Gospel, but cannot be the Apostle St. John, who would not, (it is alleged,) call himself ὁ πρεσβυτερος. And Eusebius (H.E.lib. iii., cap. ult.) preserves a fragment from Papias, which he misunderstands to indicate that there were two Johns (see Riggenbach,Leben Jesu, 59, 60). But even if the word be Presbyter, and points to an ecclesiastical title, it might stand precisely on the same footing as St. Peter's language—"the elders among you I exhort, who am afellow elder" (1 Pet. v. 1). The Elder at the opening of the Second and Third Epistles of St. John, may well signify the aged Apostle, the oldest of the company of Jesus, the one living representative of the traditions of Galilee and Jerusalem.
Ver. 7.The seducer.] ὁ πλανος. The almost technical force of this word would be adequately appreciated only by readers more or less imbued with Jewish ideas. It was indeed the really strong motive in the terrible game which the Jewish priests played in bringing about the death of our Lord. The process against theMesith, "seducer," is drawn out in the Talmud with an effrontery at once puerile and revolting. The man accused ofseductionwas to be drawn into conversation, while two witnesses were hidden in the next room,—and candles were to be lighted, as if accidentally, close by him, that the witnesses might be sure that they had seen, as well as heard the heretic. He was to be called upon to retract hisheretical pravity. If he refused, he was to be brought before the Council, and stoned if the verdict was against him. The Talmudists add that this was the legal process carried out against Jesus: that He was condemned upon the testimony of two witnesses; and that the crime of "misleading" was the only one which was thus formally dealt with. (See references to the Talmud of Jerusalem, and that of Babylon,Vie de Jesus, Renan, 394, N. 1). The Gospels tell us that the accusation against our Lord was "misleading:" and the terrible word in the verse which we are examining was actually applied to Him (εκεινος ὁ πλανος, Matt. xxvii. 63; πλανα τον οχλον John vii. 12; μη και ὑμεις πεπλανησθε John vii. 47).
"Excepting some minutiæ which were the product of the Rabbinical imagination, the narrative of the Evangelists answers, point by point, to the process actually laid down by the Talmud" (Renan, ut sup.).
Ver. 9.Every one who leadeth forward.] πας ὁ προαγων is certainly the true reading here; the commander himself pushing boldly onward, and also carrying others with him. The allusion is polemical to the vauntedprogressof the Gnostic teachers.
"The doctrine which is Christ's."] What is that? John vii. 16, 17. The doctrine which Christ emphatically called "My doctrine," "the doctrine." No doubt the word (διδαχη) sometimes means theact, sometimes themode, of teaching(Mark xii. 38; 1 Cor. xiv. 6); but "it underwent a transformation which converted it into a term synonymous with dogmatic teaching," with the body of faithful doctrine which was the ultimate type and norm to which all statements must be conformed. (Acts vi. 42; Tit. i. 9; Rom. vi. 17, xvi. 17; see also Matt. xvi. 12; Acts v. 28, xvii. 19; Heb. xiii. 9.) It is much to be regretted that in the R.V. the word "doctrine" has disappeared from all these passages, Romans xvi. 17 alone excepted. St. John's language in this verse seems quite decisive.
Ὁ πρεσβυτερος Γαιω τω αγαπητω, ὁν εγω αγαπω εν αληθεια. Αγαπητε, περι παντων ευχομαι σε ευοδουσθαι και ὑγιαινειν, καθως ευοδουται σου ἡ ψυχη. εχαρην γαρ λιαν ερχομενων αδελφων και μαρτυρουντων σου τη αληθεια, καθως συ εν αληθεια περιπατεις. μειζοτεραν τουτων ουκ εχω χαραν, ἱνα ακουω τα εμα τεκνα εν αληθεια περιπατουντα. Αγαμητε, πιστον ποιεις ὁ εαν εργαση εις τους αδελφους και εις τους ξενους, οι εμαρτυρησαν σου τη αγαπη ενωπιον εκκλησιας, ους καλως ποιησεις προπεμψας αξιως του Θεου. ὑπερ γαρ του ονοματος εξηλθον μηδεν λαμβανοντες απο των εθνων. ἡμεις ουν οφειλομεν απολαμβανειν τους τοιουτους, ἱνα συνεργοι γινωμεθα τη αληθεια. Ἑγραψα τη εκκλησια· αλλ' ὁ φιλοπρωτευων αυτων Διοτρεφης ουκ επιδεχεται ἡμας. δια τουτο, εαν ελθω, ὑπομνησω αυτου τα εργα ἁ ποιει λογοις πονηροις φλυαρων ἡμας, και μη αρκουμενος επι τουτοις ουτε αυτος επιδεχεται τους αδελφους, και τους βουλομενους κωλυει και εκ της εκκλησιας εκβαλλει. Αγαπητε, μη μιμου το κακον, αλλα το αγαθον. ὁ αγαθοποιων εκ του Θεου εστιν· ὁ δε κακοποιων ουχ ἑωρακεν τον Θεον. Δημητριω μεμαρτυρηται ὑπο παντων και ὑπ' αυτης της αληθειας· και ἡμεις δε μαρτυρουμεν, και οιδατε ὁτι ἡ μαρτυρια ἡμων αληθης εστι. Πολλα ειχον γραφειν, αλλ' ου θελω δια μελανος και καλαμου σοι γραψαι· ελπιζω δε ευθεως ιδειν σε, και στομα προς στομα λαλησομεν. Ειρηνη σοι. Ασπαζονται σε οι φιλοι· ασπαζου τους φιλους κατ' ονομα.
Senior Gaio carissimo, quem ego diligo in veritate. Carissime, de omnibus orationem facio prosper te ingredi et valere, sicut prospere agit anima tua. Gavisus sum valde venientibus fratribus et testimonium perhibentibus veritati tuæ, sicut tu in veritate ambulas. Maiorem horum non habeo gratiam quam ut audiam filios meos in veritate ambulantes. Carissime, fideliter facias quidquid operaris in fratres, et hoc in peregrinos; qui testimonium reddiderunt caritati tuæ in conspectu ecclesiæ; quos bene facies ducens digna Deo. Pro nomine enim profecti sunt nihil accipientes a gentibus. Nos ergo debemus suscipere huiusmodi ut cooperatores simus veritatis. Scripsissem sitan ecclesiæ: sedis qui amat primatum gerere in eis Diotripes non recipit nos. Propter hoc, si venero, commoneam eius opera quæ facit verbis malignis garriens in nos, et quasi non ei ista sufficiant, nec ipse suscipit fratres, et eos quo cupiunt prohibet et de ecclesia eicit. Carissime, noli imitari malum, sed quod bonum est. Qui bene facit, ex Deo est: qui male facit, non videt Deum. Demetrio testimonium redditur ab omnibus et ab ipsa veritate: et nos testimonium perhibemus, et nosti quoniam testimonium nostrum verum est. Multa habui scribere tibi, sed nolui per atramentum et calamum scribere tibi: spero autem protinus te videre, et os ad os loquimur. Pax tibi. Salutant te amici. Saluta amicos per nomen.
The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest to the brethren, and to strangers; which have borne witness of thy charity before the church: whom if thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, thou shalt do well: because that for Hisname's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we might be fellowhelpers to the truth. I wrote unto the Church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteththemout of the church. Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath good report of allmen, and of the truth itself: yea, and wealsobear record; and ye know that our record is true. I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: but I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peacebeto thee.Ourfriends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.
The elder unto Gaius the beloved, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that in all things thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when brethren came and bare witness unto thy truth, even as thou walkest in truth. Greater joy have I none than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth. Beloved, thou doest a faithful work in whatsoever thou doest toward them that are brethren and strangers withal; who bare witness to thy love before the church: whom thou wilt do well to set forward on their journey worthily of God: because that for the sake of the Name they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore ought to welcome such, that we may be fellow-workers with the truth. I wrote somewhat unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them, receiveth us not. Therefore, if I come, I will bring to remembrance his works which he doeth, prating against us with wicked words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and them that would he forbiddeth, and casteththemout of the church. Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: he that doeth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius hath the witness of allmen, and of the truth itself: yea, we also bear witness; and thou knowest that our witness is true. I had many things to write unto thee, but I am unwilling to writethemto thee with ink and pen: but I hope shortly to see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peacebeunto thee. The friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.
The Elder unto Gaius the beloved, whom I love in truth. Beloved, in all things I pray that thou mayest prosper, and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I was exceeding glad of brethren coming and witnessing to thy truth, even as thou truly walkest. Greater joy than thesejoysI have not, that I should hear of my own children walking truly. Beloved, thou doest in faithful wise whatsoever thou art working towards the brethren who are moreover strangers; which witness to thy charity before the Church; whom thou wilt do well to speed forward on their journey worthily of God: because that for the sake of the Name they went out taking nothing of the Gentiles. We therefore are bound to take up such that we may become fellow-workers with the truth. I wrote somewhat unto the Church: but Diotrephes who loveth to have primacy over them receiveth us not. Wherefore if I come I will bring to remembrance his works which he is doing, prating against us with wicked words: and not contented hereupon neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and them that would he hindereth, and casteth them out of the Church. Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good. He who is doing good is from God; he that isdoing evil hath not seen God. To Demetrius witness stands given of all men and of the truth itself: yea, and we also are witnessing, and ye know that our witness is true. Many things I had to have written, but I am not willing to be writing unto thee with ink and pen: but I am hoping straightway to see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace unto thee. The friends greet thee. Greet the friends by name.
"The elder unto the well beloved Gaius.... He that doeth good is of God; but he that doeth evil hath not seen God."—3 John1, 11.
"The elder unto the well beloved Gaius.... He that doeth good is of God; but he that doeth evil hath not seen God."—3 John1, 11.
The mere analysis of this note must necessarily present a meagre outline. There is a brief expression of pleasure at the tidings of the sweet and gracious hospitality of Gaius which was brought by certain missionary brethren to Ephesus, coupled with the assurance of the truth and consistency of his whole walk. The haughty rejection of Apostolic letters of communion by Diotrephes is mentioned with a burst of indignation. A contrast to Diotrephes is found in Demetrius, with the threefold witness to a life so worthy of imitation. A brief greeting—and we have done with the last written words of St. John which the Church possesses.
I.
Let usfirstsee whether, without passing over the bounds of historical probability, we can fill up this bare outline with some colouring of circumstance.
To two of the three individuals named in this Epistle we seem to have some clue.
TheGaiusaddressed is, of course,Caiusin Latin, a very common prænomen, no doubt.
Three persons of the name appear in the New Testament[372]—unless we suppose St. John's Caius to be a fourth. But the generous and beautiful hospitality adverted to in this note is entirely of a piece with the character of him of whom St. Paul had written, "Gaius, mine host, and of the whole Church."[373]We know further, from one of the most ancient and authentic documents of Christian literature, that the Church of Corinth (to which this Caius belonged) was, just at the period when St. John wrote, in a lamentable state of schismatic confusion. Diotrephes may, at such a period, have been aspiring to put forward his claim at Corinth; and may, in his ambitious proceedings, have rejected from communion the brethren whom St. John had sent to Caius.[374]A yet more interesting reflection is suggested by a writing of considerable authority. The writer of the "Synopsis of Holy Scripture," which stands amongst the Works of Athanasius, says—"the Gospel according to John was both dictated by John the Apostle and beloved when in exile at Patmos, and by him was published in Ephesus, through Caius the beloved and friend of the Apostles, of whom Paul also writing to the Romanssaith,Caius mine host, and of the whole Church."[375]This would give a very marked significance to one touch in this Third Epistle of St. John. The phrase here "and we bear witness also,and ye know that our witness is true"—clearly points back to the closing attestation of the Gospel—"and we know that his witness is true."[376]He counts upon a quick recognition of a common memory.[377]
Demetrius is, of course, a name redolent of the worship of Demeter the Earth-Mother, and of Ephesian surroundings. No reader of the New Testament needs to be reminded of the riot at Ephesus, which is told at such length in the history of St. Paul's voyages by St. Luke. The conjecture that the agitator of the turbulent guild of silversmiths who made silver shrines of Diana may have become the Demetrius, the object of St. John's lofty commendation, is by no means improbable. There is a peculiar fulness in the narrative of the Acts, and an amplitude and exactness in the reports of the speeches of Demetrius and of the town-clerk which betray both unusually detailed information, and a feeling on the part of the writer that the subject was one of much interest for many readers.[378]The very words of Demetrius about Paul evince that uneasy sense of the powers of fascination possessed by the Apostle which is oftenthe first timid witness of reluctant conviction.[379]The whole story would be of thrilling interest to those who, knowing well what Demetrius had become, were here told what he once had been. In a very ancient document (the so-called "Apostolic Constitutions")[380]we read that "Demetrius was appointed Bishop of Philadelphia by me,"i.e., by the Apostle John. To the Bishop of a city so often shaken by the earthquakes of that volcanic soil came the commendation—"I know thy works that thou didst keep My word;" and the assuring promise that he should, when the victory was won, have the solidity and permanence of "a pillar" in a "temple"[381]that no convulsion could shake down. The witness then, which stands on record for the Bishop of Philadelphia, is threefold; the threefold witness of the First Epistle on a reduced scale—the witness of the world;[382]the witness of the Truth itself, even of Jesus;[383]the witness of the Church—including John.[384]
II.
We may now advert to thecontentsandgeneral styleof this letter.
1. As to itscontents.
1. It supplies us with a valuable test of Christian life, inwhat may be called the Christian instinct ofmissionary affection, possessed in such full measure by Caius.[385]
This, indeed, is an ingredient of Christian character. Do we admire and feel attracted by missionaries? They are knight-errants of the Faith; leaders of the "forlorn hope" of Christ's cause; bearers of the flag of the cross through the storms of battle. Do we wish to honour and to help them, and feel ennobled by doing so? He who has no almost enthusiastic regard for missionaries has not the spirit of primitive Christianity within his breast.
2. The Church is beset with different dangers from very different quarters. The second Epistle of St. John has its bold unmistakable warning of danger from the philosophical atmosphere which is not only round the Church, but necessarily finds its way within. Those who assume to be leaders of intellectual and even of spiritual progress sometimes lead away from Christ. The test of scientific truth is accordance with the proposition which embodies the last discovery; the test of religious truth is accordance with the proposition which embodies the first discovery,i.e., "the doctrine of Christ." Progress outside this is regress; it is desertion first of Christ, ultimately of God.[386]As the second Epistle warns the Church of peril fromspeculative ambition, so the third Epistle marks a danger frompersonal ambition,[387]arrogating to itself undue authority within the Church. Diotrephes in all probability was a bishop.[388]At Rome there has been a permanent Diotrephes in the office of the Papacy; how much thishas had to say to the dislocation of Christendom, God knows. But there are other smaller and more vulgar continuators of Diotrephes, who occupy no Vatican. Priests! But there are priests in different senses. The priest who stands to minister in holy things, the trueLeitourgosis rightly so-called. But there is an arrogant priestship which would do violence to conscience, and interpose rudely between God and the soul. Priests in this sense are called by different names. They are clad in different dresses—some in chasubles, some in frock-coats, some in petticoats. "Down with priestcraft," is even the cry of many of them. The priest who stands to offer sacrifice may or may not be a priest in the evil sense; the priest (who abjures the name) who is a master of religious small-talk of the popular kind, and winds people to his own ends round his little finger by using them deftly, is often the modern edition of Diotrephes.
3. This brief Epistle contains one of those apparently mere spiritualtruisms, which make St. John the most powerful and comprehensive of all spiritual teachers. He had suggested a warning to Caius, which serves as the link to connect the example of Diotrephes which he has denounced, with that of Demetrius which he is about to commend. "Beloved!" he cries, "imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good." A glorious little "Imitation of Christ," a compression of his own Gospel, the record of the Great Example in three words![389]Then follows this absolutely exhaustive division, which covers the whole moral and spiritual world. "He that doeth good," (the whole principle of whose moral life is this,) "is of," has his origin from, "God;" "he that doeth evil hath not seen God," sees Him not as a consequence of havingspiritually looked upon Him. Here, at last, we have the flight of the eagle's wing, the glance of the eagle's eye. Especially valuable are these words, almost at the close of the Apostolic age and of the New Testament Scripture. They help us to keep the delicate balance of truth; they guard us against all abuse of the precious doctrines of grace. Several texts aremutilated; more are convenientlydropped out. How seldom does one see the whole context quoted, in tracts and sheets, of that most blessed passage—"if we walk in the light, as He is in the light,the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin?" How often do we see these words at all—"he that doeth good is of God, but he that doeth evil hath not seen God?" Perhaps it may be a lingering suspicion that a text which comes out of a very short Epistle is worth very little. Perhaps doctrinalismà outranceconsiders that the sentiment "savours of works." But, at all events, there is terrible decisiveness about these antithetic propositions. For each life is described in section and in plan by one or other of the two. The whole complicated series of thought, actions, habits, purposes, summed up in the wordslifeandcharacter, is a continuous stream issuing from the man who necessarily isdoingevery moment of his existence. The stream is either pure, bright, cleansing, gladdening, capable of being tracked by a thread of emerald wherever it flows; or it carries with it on its course blackness, bitterness, and barrenness. Men must be plainly dealt with. They may hold any creed, or follow any round of religious practices. There are creeds which are nobly true, others which are false and feeble—practices which are beautiful and elevating, others which are petty and unprofitable. They may repeat the shibboleth ever so accurately; and follow the observances ever so closely.They may sing hymns until their throats are hoarse, and beat drums until their wrists are sore. But St. John's propositions ring out, loud and clear, and syllable themselves in questions, which one day or other the conscience will put to us with terrible distinctness. Are you one who is ever doing good; or one who is not doing good? "God be merciful to me a sinner!" may well rush to our lips. Butthat, when opportunity is given, must be followed by another prayer. Not only—"wash away my sins." Something more. "Fill and purify me with Thy Spirit, that, pardoned and renewed, I may become good, and be doing good." It is sometimes said that the Church is full of souls "dying of their morality." Is it not at least equally true to say that the Church is full of souls dying of their spirituality? That is—souls dying in one case of unreal morality; in the other of unreal spirituality, which juggles with spiritual words, making a sham out of them. Morality which is not spiritual, is imperfect; spirituality which is not moralized through and through is of the spirit of evil.
It is a great thing that in these last sentences, written with a trembling hand, which shrank from the labour of pen and ink,[390]the Apostle should have lifted a word (probably current in the atmosphere of Ephesus among spiritualists and astrologers[391]), from the low applications with which it was undeservedly associated; and should have rung out high and clear the Gospel's everlasting justification, the final harmony of the teaching of grace—"he that doeth good is of God."
III.
The style of the third Epistle of St. John is certainly that of an old man. It is reserved in language and in doctrine. God is thrice and thrice only mentioned.[392]Jesus is not once expressly uttered. But
"... They are not empty-hearted whose low soundReverbs no hollowness."
"... They are not empty-hearted whose low soundReverbs no hollowness."
In religion, as in everything else, we are earnest, not by aiming at earnestness, but by aiming at an object. Religious language should be deep and real, rather than demonstrative. It is not safe to play with sacred names. To pronounce them at random for the purpose of being effective and impressive is to take them in vain. What a wealth of reverential love there is in that—"for the sake of the Name!"[393]Old copyists sometimes thought to improve upon the impressiveness of Apostles by cramming in sacred names. They only maimed what they touched with clumsy hand. A deeper sense of the Sacramental Presence is in the hushed, awful, reverence of "not discerning the Body," than in the interpolated "not discerning of the Lord's Body." Even so "The Name," perhaps, speaks more to the heart, and implies more than "His Name." It is, indeed, the "beautiful Name," by the which we are called. And sometimes in sermons, or in Eucharistic "Gloria in Excelsis," or in hymns that have come from such as St. Bernard, or in sick rooms, it shall go up with our sweetest music, and waken our tenderest thoughts, and be "as ointmentpoured forth." But what an underlying Gospel, what an intense suppressed flame there is behind these quiet words! This letter says nothing of rapture, of prophecy, of miracle. It lies in the atmosphere of the Church, as we find it even now. It has a word forfriendship. It seeks toindividualiseits benediction.[394]A hush of evening rests upon the note. May such an evening close upon our old age!
Ver. 2 ...thy soul.] Strange difficulty seems to be felt in some quarters about the word ψυχη, as used by our Lord and the Apostles. The difficulty arises from a singular argument advanced by M. Renan. He maintains that Christ and His first followers knew nothing of "the soul" as the immortal principle in man—that in him which is capable of being saved or lost. It was simply, according to him,eitherthe animal natural life[395](Matt. ii. 20; John xii. 25);orat most the vague Greek immortality of the shadows, as opposed to the later Hebrew Resurrection-life. But there are very numerous passages in the New Testament where "soul"canonly be used for "life as created by God;" for the thinking substance, different from the body and indestructible by death, created with possibilities of eternal happiness or misery. (The following passages are decisive—Matt. x. 28, xi. 29; Acts ii. 27; 2 Cor. xii. 13; Heb. xiii. 17; 1 Pet. i. 9, 22, ii. 11, 25; Jas. i. 21, v. 20; 3 John 2; Apoc. vi. 9, xx. 4).
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GENESIS.Rev. ProfessorMarcus Dods, D.D.EXODUS.Very Rev.Dean Chadwick, D.D.LEVITICUS.Rev.S. H. Kellogg, D.D.NUMBERS.Rev.R. A. Watson, D.D.DEUTERONOMY.Rev. ProfessorA. Harper, B.D.JOSHUA.Rev. ProfessorW. G. Blaikie, D.D., LL.D.JUDGES AND RUTH.Rev.R. A. Watson, D.D.1 SAMUEL.Rev. ProfessorW. G. Blaikie, D.D., LL.D.2 SAMUEL.By the same Author.1 KINGS.Very Rev.Dean Farrar, D.D., F.R.S.2 KINGS.By the same Author.1 & 2 CHRONICLES.Rev. Prof.W. H. Bennett, M.A.EZRA—ESTHER.Rev. ProfessorW. F. Adeney, M.A.JOB.Rev.R. A. Watson, D.D.PSALMS.Rev.Alex. Maclaren, D.D. 3 Vols.PROVERBS.Rev.R. F. Horton, M.A.ECCLESIASTES.Rev.Samuel Cox, D.D.ISAIAH.Rev. ProfessorG. Adam Smith, D.D. 2 Vols.JEREMIAH, THE PROPHECIES OF.Rev.C. J. Ball, M.A.JEREMIAH(Chaps. xxi.—lii.). Rev.W. H. Bennett, M.A.EZEKIEL.Rev. ProfessorSkinner, M.A.DANIEL.Very Rev.Dean Farrar, D.D., F.R.S.THE TWELVE PROPHETS.Rev. Prof.G. A. Smith, D.D. 2 Vols.
ST. MATTHEW.Rev.J. Monro Gibson, D.D.ST. MARK.Very Rev.Dean Chadwick, D.D.ST. LUKE.Rev.Henry Burton, M.A.ST. JOHN.Rev. ProfessorMarcus Dods, D.D. 2 Vols.THE ACTS.Rev. ProfessorG. T. Stokes, D.D. 2 Vols.ROMANS.Rev.H. C. G. Moule, M.A., D.D.1 CORINTHIANS.Rev. ProfessorMarcus Dods, D.D.2 CORINTHIANS.Rev.James Denney, D.D.GALATIANS.Rev. ProfessorG. G. Findlay, B.A.EPHESIANS.By the same Author.PHILIPPIANS.Rev. PrincipalRainy, D.D.COLOSSIANS.Rev.A. Maclaren, D.D.THESSALONIANS.Rev.J. Denney, D.D.PASTORAL EPISTLES.Rev.A. Plummer, D.D.HEBREWS.Rev. PrincipalT. C. Edwards, D.D.SS. JAMES AND JUDE.Rev.A. Plummer, D.D.EPISTLES OF ST. PETER.Rev. ProfessorLumby, D.D.EPISTLES OF ST. JOHN.The Right Rev.W. Alexander, D.D.REVELATION.Rev. ProfessorW. Milligan, D.D.
THE CLERICAL LIBRARY.Complete in Twelve Volumes.Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s. each.1.Three Hundred Outlines of Sermons on the New Testament.2.Outlines of Sermons on the Old Testament.3.Pulpit Prayers.By Eminent Preachers.4.Outline Sermons to Children.With numerous Anecdotes.5.Anecdotes Illustrative of New Testament Texts.6.Expository Sermons and Outlines on the Old Testament.7.Expository Sermons on the New Testament.8.Platform Aids.9.New Outlines of Sermons on the New Testament.By Eminent Preachers. Hitherto unpublished.10.Anecdotes Illustrative of the Old Testament Texts.11.New Outlines of Sermons on the Old TestamentBy Eminent Preachers. Hitherto unpublished.12.Outlines of Sermons for Special Occasions.
ST. PAUL THE TRAVELLER AND THE ROMANCITIZEN.ByW. M. Ramsay, D.C.L., LL.D., Professorof Humanity, Aberdeen; Author of "The Church in theRoman Empire," etc. Second Thousand. 8vo, cloth, withMap, 10s.6d.
"Professor Ramsay brings not only his great experience as a traveller and archæologist, but the resources of an ingenious mind, and a lively style. The book is, like everything Professor Ramsay does, extraordinarily alive. It shows everywhere personal learning, personal impression; it has the sharp touch of the traveller and the eye-witness."—Times.
"His book is at once a critical reconstruction of the narrative in 'Acts.' A new reading of the life of the Apostle of the Gentiles, a fresh explanation of the relation between first-century Christianity and the social and political conditions amid which it developed, and an announcement of the discovery of an historical star of the first magnitude. The light thrown by Professor Ramsay on the career of the Apostle Paul is often startling in its freshness. There is, indeed, scarcely a single incident in the Apostle's life upon which he has not something new to say."—Glasgow Herald.
THE CHURCH IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE BEFOREA.D. 170.ByW. M. Ramsay, M.A., D.C.L., Professor ofHumanity in the University of Aberdeen. Fourth Edition.With Maps and Illustrations, 8vo, cloth, 12s.
"This volume is the most important contribution to the study of early Church history which has bean published in this country since the great work of Bishop Lightfoot on the Apostolic fathers. It is, too, unless our memory fails us, without a rival in any foreign country."—Guardian.
THE HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE HOLYLAND.ByGeorge Adam Smith, D.D., Professor ofHebrew and Old Testament Exegesis, Free Church College,Glasgow. With Six Maps, specially prepared. Fifth Thousand.8vo, cloth, 15s.
"Professor Smith is well equipped at all points for this work. He is abreast of the latest findings of Scripture exegesis, and of geographical survey, and of archæological exploration; and he has himself travelled widely over Palestine. The value of the work is incalculably increased by the series of geographical maps, the first of the kind representing the whole lift and the of the land by gradations of colour."—Scotsman.
"A very noteworthy contribution to the study of sacred history, based upon the three indispensable conditions of personal acquaintance with the land, a study of the explorations, discoveries, and decipherments ... and the employment of the results of Biblical criticism."—Times.
THE ASCENT OF MAN.ByHenry Drummond.Twenty-first Thousand. Net, 7s.6d.
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BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
NATURAL LAW IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.Thirty-second Edition, completing 119,000. Crown 8vo,cloth, 3s.6d.
"We have no hesitation in saying that this is one of the most able and interesting books on the relations which exist between natural science and spiritual life that has appeared. Mr. Drummond writes perfect English; his ideas are fresh, and expressed with admirable felicity. His book is one to fertilise the mind, to open it to fresh fields of thought, and to stimulate its activity."—Literary Churchman.
TROPICAL AFRICA.Seventh Edition, completing 34,000.Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s.6d.
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THE PERMANENT MESSAGE OF THE EXODUS;or, The Mission of Moses. By Rev.John Smith, D.D.,of Broughton Place Church, Edinburgh. Crown 8vo, cloth,3s.6d.
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THE PROBLEM OF THE AGES.A Book for YoungMen. By the Rev.J. B. Hastings, M.A., of Edinburgh.Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s.6d.
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WORKS BY SIR J. W. DAWSON, LL.D., F.R.S.
1. EDEN LOST AND WON.Studies of the Early Historyand Final Destiny of Man as taught in Nature and Revelation.Crown 8vo, cloth, 5s.
"Sir William Dawson, in his exalted position as one of the ablest of our modern scientific teachers, is a devout believer in Holy Scripture, and a fearless student of evidence. In these chapters he stands resolutely by the validity of the earlier books of the Hebrew Scriptures.... We need scarcely say that these chapters are enriched by a great deal of special knowledge, both scientific and antiquarian."—Methodist Recorder.
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5. THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD ACCORDING TOREVELATION AND SCIENCE.Sixth Edition.Crown 8vo, cloth, 7s.6d.
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6. THE STORY OF THE EARTH AND MAN.WithTwenty Illustrations. Eleventh Edition, Revised. Crown8vo, cloth, 7s.6d.
"A geological treatise has rarely, if ever, been put into a more readable and popular form. General readers, who have been puzzled and perplexed by elementary text-books, and who have found little satisfaction in the vague generalisation and unmethodical picturesqueness of other popular expositions, will obtain in these pages a clear, trustworthy, and sufficiently panoramic version of the story of the earth and man."—Glasgow Herald.
THE DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE.ByIan Maclaren.Third Edition, completing 50,000. Crown 8vo, gilttop, 6s.
"There is, we think, a sense in which the new volume is not merely an addition but a supplement to its predecessor. In 'Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush' were passages, and indeed whole stories, which were masterstrokes or masterpieces of a fine poignant pathos, or a dry yet genial humour, but the former preponderated, and gave tone and expression to the book. It may be doubted whether the humorous quality of that Scots canniness which stands out most conspicuously in a difficult negotiation has ever been rendered with happier fineness of observation or intimacy of touch than in the opening study, 'A Triumph in Diplomacy.'"—Daily Chronicle.
BESIDE THE BONNIE BRIER BUSH.By the sameAuthor. Ninth Edition, completing 60,000. Art linen, crown8vo, gilt top, 6s.
"As an artist in Scotch character of the sort that is found at its best in country villages he has no superior among his contemporaries, ambitious and able as several of these are."—Spectator.
STRANGERS AT LISCONNEL.A second Series of "IrishIdylls." ByJane Barlow. Second Thousand. Crown 8vo,cloth. 6s.
"In 'Strangers at Lisconnel' Miss Barlow returns to her early love, and has produced a second series of 'Irish Idylls' which are in every way as delightful as the sketches of peasant life that at one bound brought her into the very front rank of delineators of Irish character. The sketches possess in a high degree all the charm, simplicity, and tenderness of the original series, while revealing the same fidelity to nature as well as the rich humour and pathos characteristic of the people which Miss Barlow so admirably describes."—Scotsman.
"Only the nature of a genuine artist, combined with the skill of a master of language, could lend so powerful and vivid an interest to the section of barren Irish bogland where the scenes are laid, and only one who had a tender interest and affection for the people could weave such a truthful yet fascinating web of romance around their simple lives."—Derry Standard.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
1. IRISH IDYLLS.Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.
"The 'Irish Idylls' are delightful reading, and afford a truer insight into Irish peasant character, and ways of light and thought, than any book that it has been our fortune to read for a long time."—Athenæum.
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LITERARY ANECDOTES OF THE NINETEENTHCENTURY: Contributions towards the Literary Historyof the Period. Edited byW. Robertson Nicoll, M.A.,LL.D., andThomas J. Wise. Volume I., 20s.net.
Preface.—The work, of which this is the first volume, has been suggested by Nichols's well-knownLiterary Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century. The editors hope to provide in it a considerable amount of fresh matter, illustrating the Life and work of British Authors in the Nineteenth Century. To a large extent they rely upon manuscript material, but use will be made of practically inaccessible texts, and of fugitive writings. While leading authors will receive due attention, much space will be devoted to the less-known writers of the period. It is intended to supply Biographies, Letters hitherto unpublished, additions from Manuscript sources to published works, together with a series of full Bibliographies of the writings of the greater authors. Every precaution has been taken to avoid the infringement of copyright, and the editors hope that they will be forgiven any involuntary transgression. Illustrations and numerous fac-similes will be provided in each volume. While only one thousand copies are to be printed, of which two hundred and fifty are for America, in no circumstances will a reprint be undertaken. The editors, however, reserve the right to issue separately any section of the work.
It is hoped that the second volume will be published in October, 1896.
SONGS OF REST.Edited byW. Robertson Nicoll, M.A.,LL.D. Presentation Edition. Second Edition. Elegantlybound in Buckram, gilt top, 5s.This volume includes theFirst and Second Series. They have been thoroughly revised,and increased by one-third. The Bijou Edition is still on sale,First and Second Series, 1s.6d.each.
"He has collected many beautiful things."—Daily Chronicle.
"We are not surprised that this new and dainty edition, in one handsome volume, is demanded.... Some of the most exquisite verses in this book are by singers whose praise is certainly not in all the churches, but there is, nevertheless, a deep and impressive unison in all the music."—The Speaker.
A WINDOW IN THRUMS.ByJ. M. Barrie. FourteenthEdition. Crown 8vo, buckram, gilt top, 6s.
"We think that this is the very best of the many good sketches of Scottish peasant life which we have ever read"—Standard.
"This remarkable little book. We follow the homely record with an interest which the most sensational drama could not surpass."—Blackwood's Magazine.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
1. MY LADY NICOTINE.Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo,buckram, gilt top, 6s.
"Humour refined, irresistible, characteristic."—Echo.
"A very delightful book. The book should be read straight through, and then picked up at intervals and opened anywhere. Wherever it is opened it will please."—Speaker.
2. AULD LICHT IDYLLS.Tenth Edition. Crown 8vo,buckram, gilt top, 6s.
"Racy, humorous, and altogether delightful."—Truth.
"At once the most successful, the most truly literary, and the most realistic attempt that has been made for years—if not for generations—to reproduce humble Scottish life."—Spectator.
An Édition de Luxe of
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LOVE AND QUIET LIFE.Somerset Idylls. ByWalterRaymond, Author of "Gentleman Upcott's Daughter,""Young Sam and Sabina," etc. Second Edition. Crown8vo, gilt top. 6s.
LONDON IDYLLS.ByW. J. Dawson. Second Thousand.Crown 8vo, cloth, 5s.
"A collection of stories of much promise. Mr. Dawson has a pleasant style, an easy command of effective expression, and he passes lightly from pathos to humour, or rather he can blend the two with no sensible transition."—Times.
"In 'London Idylls' W. J. Dawson has written a book that will be treasured. The poem, in which the author seeks to express the indefinable poetry of London, could only have been written by one very nearly attuned to the spirit, to the loves and passions, joys and sorrows of the world's greatest centre of romance. Of the idylls themselves little may be written to convey any real sense of their charm. The themes on which they turn are such as only London could have supplied. Than the first exquisitely rendered story—infinitely simple and tender—it is not too much to say that nothing more heartsearching has been written since the historian of Joe, the crossing-sweeper, laid down his pen. Dickens himself might have wept over it."—Dundee Advertiser.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
1. THE REDEMPTION OF EDWARD STRAHAN:A Social Story. Third Edition. Paper covers, 1s.
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"A powerful book, with a pure and high aim."—Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone.
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WORKS BY DR. DALE.
The Lord Bishop of Winchestersays: "I consider Dr. Dale to beone of the most enlightened and profound theologians of the time. Myshelves contain nearly all—if not all—of his books, and we are friends."THE EPISTLE OF JAMES AND OTHER DISCOURSES.Third Thousand. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.CHRIST AND THE FUTURE LIFEFourth Thousand.Elegantly bound in cloth, 1s.6d.CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.A Series of Discourses. FifthThousand. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST, and Other DiscoursesDelivered on Special Occasions. Fifth Thousand. Crown8vo, cloth, 6s.THE LIVING CHRIST AND THE FOUR GOSPELS.Eighth Thousand. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.LAWS OF CHRIST FOR COMMON LIFE.EighthThousand. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.NINE LECTURES ON PREACHING.Eighth Edition.Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.THE JEWISH TEMPLE AND THE CHRISTIANCHURCH.A Series of Discourses on the Epistle to theHebrews. Ninth Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.Its Doctrinesand Ethics. Eighth Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 7s.6d.WEEK-DAY SERMONS.Sixth Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth,3s.6d.THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.Seventh Edition. Crown8vo, cloth, 5s.
A. M. MACKAY, Pioneer Missionary of the Church MissionarySociety to Uganda. By hisSister. With Etched Portraitby H. Manesse. Fifteenth Thousand. Crown 8vo, cloth,7s.6d.
"Even for lay readers a fascinating book of African exploration and Adventure."—St. James's Gazette.
THE LIFE OF MACKAY FOR BOYS.
THE STORY OF THE LIFE OF MACKAY OFUGANDA.Told for Boys. By hisSister. The wholeof the matter in this volume is fresh, and is not found in thelarger book, "A. M. Mackay." With Portrait and Illustrations.Eleventh Thousand. Handsomely bound in cloth,8vo, gilt edges, 5s.A. MACKAY RUTHQUIST; Or, Singing the Gospel amongthe Hindus and Gonds. By the Author of "A. M. Mackay,Pioneer Missionary of the C.M.S. to Uganda," etc. WithPortrait and Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.TWENTY YEARS IN KHAMA'S COUNTRY, AndPioneering among the Batauana of Lake Ngami. By the Rev.J. D. Hepburn. With Photographic Illustrations. ThirdEdition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.CHARACTERISTICS AND CHARACTERS OF WILLIAMLAW.Selected and arranged with an IntroductionbyAlexander Whyte, D.D. Crown 8vo, cloth, 9s.W. P. LOCKHART, Merchant and Preacher. His Life andLetters. Compiled by hisWife. With an Introduction bythe Rev.Alexander Maclaren, D.D., of Manchester, andPortrait. Second Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s.6d.THE BRONTES IN IRELAND; or, Facts Stranger thanFiction. By Dr.William Wright, Author of "The Hittites,"etc. With Illustrations. Third Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.CHARLES G. FINNEY. An Autobiography. With SteelPortrait. Crown 8vo, cloth, 3s.6d.