The Pulpit Commentary — 2 John — Section 3

equal oompreheueion of the truth, and an this kind come-and it is well known that equol affection for it. The etrong words of they do--<l.o not receive them or give them the apostle a.re the expreeeion of a glowing a welcome." It is of the utmost importoace oonv1ction. Our strong words a.re too often to remember that St. John is hero !!ivin"' a the expression of o heated temper; and e. rule for a special case, not layin"'"'clow~ a man who loses hie temper in argument cares general principle. His words giv~ no sanc- more obout himself thon about the truth. tion to the view that no hospitality is tr, be Let us remember the noble words of St. shown to heretics, still less to the monstrous Augu~tine to the heretics of his own day: medimve.l doctrine that no foith need be "Let those rage age.Inst you who know not kept with them. The apostle is giving with what toil truth is found, and how diffi- directions to a particular Christian household cult it ie to avoid errore; who know not during a particular crisis in the history of with how much difficulty the eye of the the Christian faith. It by no means follows inner man is made whole; who know not that he would have given the same directions with what sighs and groane it is made pos- to every household during that crisis, or to sible, in however small a degree, to compre- any household under totally different cir- hend Goel." cumstances. We may well believe that he Ver. 8.-The authorities vary much a.e to would not have followed them himself, but the persons of the three verbs," lose," "have would have endeavoured "to convince the wrought," "receive;" some reading "we," gainsayers." His charity towards them and eome " ye," in ea.eh caee. The best would not have been misunderstood, and reading seems to be, " That ye lose not the his faith would not have been. in danger of things which we have wrought, but that ye being subverted.. It wa.s otherwise with her receive a fall reward;" i.e. beware of allowing and her children, ea experience had proved. our work in you to be undone to your grievous And before we take this verse as a rule for loss. Through not seeing the meaning of our own guidance, we must consider the the passage, some scribes changed "ye " into difference, which may well constitute an "we," and others changed '' we '' into "ye," essential difference, between a time in which thus making all three verbs in the same those who confessed Jeans Christ coming in person. There is a similar case in John ix. the flesh were a despised and persecuted 4, where the true reading seems to be, " We handful, and one in which some courage is must work the works of him that sent me;" required to avow that one denies him. but in order to produce uniformity some Ver. 11.-To give countenance and eanc- scribes altered "we" into "I," while others tien to false doctrine is to share in the turned " me" into "us." The next vel'lle responsibility for all the harm which such explains the nature of the "full reward " false doctrine does. With which solemn which the lady and some of her children warning the ma.in portion of the Epistle are in danger of losing,-it_is nothing less ends. than God himself. Ver. 9.-For whosoever transgresseth ( ,riis Vera. 12, 13.-3. TB:E"CoNCLl:BION 01!' THE 6 ,ra.pa.Pa.£110,11) we must substitute whosoever EPISTLE. It is in their openings and con- advanceth ( ,riis t, ,rpoJ.-,.,,,) : both external clusions, and especially in the latter, that and internal evidence a.re strongly in fe.vonr the Second and Third Epistles have so of this correction. "Whosoever e.dve.nceth" strong a resemblance that we are almost probably means whosoever goes beyond revealed truth and professes to teach some- compelled to assign them not merely to the thing more profound. Gnostic tee.ohers pro- Slime author, but to the same period in the fessed to have advanced a long way beyond author's life. St. John had a tenacious the simple facts and simple moral teaching memory, as his writings prove; but we may of the gospel; they " knew the depths ; " they doubt whether so tri vinl a mo.tter as the had " things ineffable, eecret, higher than mode of beginning and ending a. short the heavens," to disclose; and these secret things were often not merely incompatible letter would have remained for years to- with Scripture, but a complete reversal of it. gether in his mind. We mt1y reasonably But it is possible that ..-iis t, ,rpor/.-yo,11 may conclude from their similarity that these mean no more than_" every one who takes two Epistles nro separ:ited from one another the lead," i.e. chases a line for himself, by only o short interval of time. which in matters of doctrine means creating a heresy. Ver. 12.-Having many things to write. Ver. 10.-If any one oometh unto you. As This remark is almost conclusive against in I John v. 9, the Greek construction (in- the supposition that the Second Epistle was dicative with ,i, not conjunctive with erl.v) sent us a companion-lettorto the Fir;;t. Tllo shows tho.t the co.so is state,\ as o. fact, and hypothesis ho.s little or nothing to support it. not as a mere supposition. " If people of I would not (do so) by metins of pa.per a.nil 4 THE SECOND EPISTLE OF JOHN. [1-13.