Domitian ; and also the return of that young man , whom the apostle, with the greatest gentleness, led back from robbery to repentance (although the apostle made that expedition not until he had returned from Patmos : comp. ver. 22, note), as it is most pleasantly de- scribed by Clement of Alexandria,, in his treatise, What rich man can be saved ? ch. 42 ; by Eusebius , Eccle. Hist., Book iii. 20 ; and by Chrysostom , in his 1st Exhortation to the fallen Theodore, ch. 11.
15. M'/} ayanan rbv xof/tov, love not the world) This has special re- ference to you, young men. Follow up your victory against the wicked one , in whom the world lies: ch. v. 19. — oux eonv, is not) Con- traries do not exist together. — h dydnr\ rou Uarpbg) the love of the Father towards His children, and filial love [of the children] towards the Father.
16. Uav — i] enidu^/a ryjg ffapxog, xui r\ smGujuiu ruv o<p&a,X/xu v, xai r, aXafyvetu rou (3iov, all — the lust of the flesh , and the lust of the eyes , and the pride of life) The world contains all these,, and nothing besides them. The lust of the flesh means those things, on which the senses of enjoyment, as they are termed, viz. the taste and touch, feed. The lust of the eyes means those things, by which the senses of in- vestigation, the eye or sight, hearing and smelling, are occupied. ’ AXoL^on i a is arrogant pomp , when any one assumes too much to himself either in words or in actions. See Raphel. It is also com- prised under the word, lust , in the next verse : and therefore arro- gance of life , is that which leads forth lust abroad, and diffuses it more largely into the world, so that a man wishes to be as great as possible in food , in dress, in plate, in furniture, in buildings, in estates, in servants, in his retinue, in his equipage, in his offices, etc. Comp. Apocal. xviii. 12, 13. Chrysostom, in the passage referred to above, speaks of rbv rutpov rbv (3iwnxbv, the vanity of life , and rr,v pavruff/av rou (3lov , the display of life : where he relates a youthful example of such insolence overcome by sacred love. Either kind of lust is the little fire (spark) ; arrogance is the conflagration. Even those who do not love arrogance of life , may possibly pursue the lust of the eyes ; and they who have overpowered this, yet frequently retain the lust of the flesh : for this prevails in the greatest degree, and to the widest extent, among the poor, the middle classes, and the powerful; even among those who appear to exercise self-denial : and again, unless it is overcome, a man easily advances from it to the lust of the eyes , where he has the means [materials for it] ; and from this to pride of life , where he has the opportunity [resources]. The second