The Pulpit Commentary — 3 John — Section 11

him?elf !1?r allow others to do so. "The dog in the manger" is the best exponent of his spmt nncl concllld, He prevented some from d,,in ( two thin"'B which nre at onco duties nnd privileges: (1) exercising hospitality to the "brethren 7md strangers; " (2) aiding thorn in their work of evangelization. How terribly evil was the course he pllrsuvd I Ho injured the apostle, the missionaries, tho~e who woultl have received them, those to whom they were sent, the whole Church, and the Church's Lord • and yet he was a member of the Church, and the chief man in it! He went so far 'as to expel from the Church those who would have entertained the evangelists. "And casteth them out of the Church." !JI. 1'1-IE 0IIARACTER AND CONDUCT OF DIOTREPHEB CO:<i'DEMNED, ln this letter they are justly censured. And further rebuke is referred to: "If I come, I will bring to ,-emembrance his works which he doeth," etc. 'fhere is nothing vindictive in this. The apostle would vindicate his own authority and the commission of the missionaries, enlighten the Church, and rebuke Diotrephes. "There are awkward men in the Church; men who, if they have any grace at all, have so much of the devil in them still that their grace has but little control over them. Good men should resist such persons. It may be very pleasant to talk of dealing with them in a spirit of charity, and being gentle with them, and forbearing and kind. Up to a certain point this is perfectly right. There is a work which compassion has to do; there is a sphere in which pity may be called into active exercise, at the same time, we are to mark those who cause divisions and offences, and to avoid them ; and there is a. certain class of men on whom pity has no effect, and compassion is lost; and the only thing which can be done is to 'deliver them over unto Sa.tan, that they may learn not to "bla.spheme'" (Dr; Joseph Parker). One.masterful, power-loving man in a. Church may work incalculable mischief and injury; therefore (1) let us guard a.gainst the presence or growth of such a. spirit in ourselves; (2) let us take heed that we afford no encouragement or countenance to such a. spirit in others.-W. J. Vers. 11, 12:-Imitating the good. "Beloved, follow not that which is evil," etc. This exhortation occurs here very naturally after the mention of Diotrephes. "Be- loved, imitate not that which is evil;" do not copy Diotrephes; regard him not as an example, but a.s a. beacon. But imitate the good; take Demetrius as a pattern; copy his conduct. I. MAN IMITATES. It is implied here that Gaius would imitate either the good or the evil-either Demetrius or Diotrephes. The propensity to imitation is one of the strongest in human nature. It is this which makes example so much mightier than precept. This propensity is one of the earliest to be called into exercise in human life. 'l'he tender infa.nt is stirred by it almost before it knows anything. Very fre- quently we imitate others unconsciously. The extent of our conscious and intentional imitation is very small as compared with our unconscious and unintentiona.l imitation. This tendency plays a. most important part in human education. Without intentional imitation ,instruction would be impossible, as in reading, writing, etc. And unin- tentional imitatiun has great influence in the growth of habit a.nd the formation of character. A very important thing is this tendency tu imitation. II. MAN SIIOULD IMITATE ONLY THE GOOD. "Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good," etc. Many and forcible reasons may be assigned for this; e.g. tha:t the opposite course must inevitably lead to ruin; that this course ennobles a.nd blesses him who pursues it. But let us confine ourselves to the reasons assigned in the text,, 1. Because the good-doer is of God. "He that doeth good is of God;" i.e. he that doeth good truly o.ud naturally, in whom well-doing is not the exception, but the rule of life, is of God. He is "begotten of God" (1 John iii. 9). He proves that he. is a child of God by his likeness to his Father in character and conduct. He is inspired by God both as to his inner life and as to his outward prac- tice. Notice how practical is the apostle's idea of true personal religion. The godly man is the man who does good; his good works are the evidence of his godliness. We should imitate the good because of their intimate and blessed relation to God. 2. Because the, evil-doer has no t"'e kno_wledye of God. " He that_ doeth ,evil hath not eeen God." By doing evil we must understand not an occasional au-d e:tceptione.l 12 THE THIRD EPISTLE OF JOHN. [1-14.