3s uncertain ; ſome think, about the latter part of his Life ; he died the laſt of all the Apoſtles, judged about an hundred Tears after the Birth of Chriſt. It # ſaid that the Hereſies of Ebion ang Ce. rinthus, who denicd Chriſt's Divinity, and of the Nicholaitans, who held many abſurd things about his Perſon, gave occaſion to the writing of this Goſpel; himſelf mentioneth the Dottrine of the Nicholaitans, Rev, 2. 6. andEbion 414 Cerinthus are thought to be thoſe Antichriſts which he in his Epiſtles refletteth upon, — T wo things are obſerved of him : 1. That he inſiſts more 0n the proof of Chriſt's Dzvomity than any of the Evange« 2. That he mentions Nay or » 7m 5 Angora Ewan. its : Bch I think may be added, that he delivereth the Hiſtory of the Goſpel after Chriſt's ReſurreQtion gelits I-y cope "ks rg gives ho alſo a more aiſtintt acconnt of the four Paſſovers happening after Chriſt { The neceſſity of Faith in Chriſt, and Regeneration, the Dottrine of our Myſtical Union with Chriſt ; the ſending and end of the Holy Spirits Miſſion, avd the advantage that the Apoſtles and others ſhould receive fron it. His Goſpel is moſt particularly remarkable for the ſublimeneſs and myſteriouſneſs of the matter, and ſweetneſs of his
|
Lam. 2. 22, and ig many other Texts, The term without him,
be the ſame with before the foundation of the World ; ſo 2 Tim. 1, g, c Leſt any ſhould ſay, Where was this Word before the foundati. ons of the Earth were laid ? The Evangeliſt ſaith, with God ; which agreeth with Prov. 8. 27, 30. This both diſtinguiſheth Chriſt from all Creatures, (none of which were with God in the beginning ;) and alſo ſheweth the Vanity of Sabellizs, and thoſe we call Suaber,, who will not allow Chriſt to be a diftin& Subſiſtence, or Perſon from his Father 3 it alſo denoteth the Sons co-exiſtence, and his equality with his Father ; and yet, his Filial Relation ; for God is not ſaid to have been with the Word, but the Word was with God, which alſo ſpeaks a perfe& unity and conſent betwixt them. d Leſt any ſhould ſay, What but God can be Eternal ? or be ſaid to have heen and had an Exiſtence in the beginning of the World ? The Fyar- geliſt addeth, That the Word was God; that is, the perſon or ſub- hiſtence ſpoken of, and intended by him, was the Divine Bein which is but one, tho' in it there be three diſtin& Subſiſtences ; al make but One and the ſame Divine Being. The firſt thing ſpoken nere of Chriſt, attributed to him Eternity : The ſecond fpcaks his Relation to the Father ; this ſpeaks the Oneneſs and Sameneſs of his Eſſence with that of the Father. The term Ged, which in the fore- going words is to be taken perſonally for God the Father, is here to he taken Eſſentially, zs it ſignifieth the Divine Being.
2 The ſame was * in the Beginning with God e, *Get, e Theſe Words are a farther Confirmation and Explication of
what the Evangeliſt had faid before ; afferting the Eternity of the Vas | Son, and his Relation to the Father, and Oneneſs of Eſſence with the that Father, Whether the Evangeliſt forewarned by the Spirit of God, the G did add this repetition to fore-arm Chriſtians againſt thoſe Eirors Chriſ which did afterward trouble the Church, I cannot ſay ; but certain it 1s, That theſe words do effeually confate the Eunomians, who 7 diſtinguiſhed betwixt the Word which in the Beginning was with of t God, and that Word by which all things were made; and the Arirns, lieve who make the Father to have exiſted before the Son ; as alſo the Þ F: Anomians, who would make the Father and the Sen diverſe both in to den Nature and Will. Some others make this Verſe a tranſition to the Goſpe Fourth, and the ſenſe to be, This ſame was not manifeſt to the knowr World from the Beginning of the World, but was with God uncil he Shephe came to be manifeſted in the Fleſh : Thus x Fohn 1. 2. it is ad, When | was with the Father, and was manife$ed unto us. He was manifest in Lord; the fleſh, 1 Tim. 3. 16. | could t . . n . þ oy, . 3 * All things were made by him f ; and without him '*" —y was not any thing made that was made g. and 15, f The Divine Nature, and Eternal Exiſtence of the Lord Clift whoſoe is evident from his efficiency in the Creation of the World 3 what = - (
the Evangeliſt here calleth Al things, the Apoſtle to the Hebrers, ap chap. 1. 2. calleth the Worlds. And St. Paul, Col: 1. 16. calleth all ao things that are in Heaven and Earth, viſible and inviſible. Moſes calls aptiſt,
the Heavens and the. Earth, Gen. 1.1. Theſe were all made by the - Wirn Word ; not as an Inftrumental Cauſe, but as a principal effcien* - only Cauſe ; for tho' it be true, that the Prepoſition Az, 15 ſometimes Ng Þ
[ON
uſed to ſ1gnifie an Inſtrumental Cauſe, yet it 1s as true, that 1t 15 of- ten uſed to ſignifie the principal efficient Cauſe 3 as Fohn 6. 57+ AM: revea
| ; Texts thers gto $. 5. and 11. 36. Eph. 4.6. Ads 3. 16, and in many other = it here only denoteth the order of the working, of the Holy Trim): Thy *y
2 Nothing that was made, neither the Heavens nor the Earth, net-
. Bn ith- Of Johy? ther things viſible nor inviſible, that were made, were made _ es 4 out him. There is nothing more ordinary in Holy Writ, __ vs . nd Is the laying down an Univerſal Propoſition, (where no Synecavc'r the Bus,
uſed), to add alſo an Univerſal Negative for the confirmation 01
; ; » not one, * it: So Rom. 3+ 12. There is none good ; then 15 added, mn won not
3 fame,
\Wip
Chap» 5?
' darkneſs comprehended it not 72.
S. f0
t exclude the efi-.ency either of the Firſt or Third Perſon in the Sn 1 the Creation Of all things ;- the Father created the World 2 the Sol His Word'; -_ the Creation of the World is attributed to the Spirit, Gen. I. I. Job 33. 4o P/al. 33. 6.
I,
4 *in him was life -; and * the life was the light of
en 7. ck = | "= in this Word was Lif: Corporal, Spiritual, Eternal ; It was in
him as in the Fountain. Som? underftard this of Corporal life, both *" thefirſt Being and Preſervation of it; it is certain that this 1s in Chriſt for he upholdeth all things by the word of his Power, Heb. 1.