they have been led astray, or are in danger of being led astray, by false teaohers to whom the lady, with mistaken generosity, has given a welcome. Some commentators infer that the lady herself has been seduced into extreme asceticism through the Gnostic doctrine of the vileness of the flesh; that it was a case in which "a noble woman, bent on maintaining purity of spirit and freedom from the baser cares and pleasures of life, baa thought to gain her end by mortification of the body, by renunciation of the world, by sacrificing natural affection and forsaking domestic duties." It may have been so; but it is difficult to find any evidence of this in the Epistle itself. All that is told us there is that she needed to be on her guard, lest, by welcoming those who denied the Incarnation, she and her children should suffer serious harm themselves, and also incur grave responsibility for the effects of such disastrous teaching upon others. Her sister's children, who are with the apostle, send a salutation in his letter, perhaps to indicate that they sympathize with its contents. Of the three people mentioned in the Third Epistle we know nothing from external sources. Gaius is certainly a hospitable and godly man, probably well-to-do and a layman. Diotrephes is apparently an ecclesiastic; but if he does not possess ecclesiastical authority himself, he is influential enough to get it exercised according to his wishes. Demetrius is one whose well-known goodness is a pleasing contrast to the wicked folly of Diotrephes. Whether either Gaius or Demetrius belongs to the same community as Diotrepbes, and there opposes him in his tyrannical action, it is not easy to determine. Apparently, Gains has not known much of Demetrius previously, and therefore they are not likely both of them to have been members of the Church in which Diotrephes prates and persecutes.
IV. THE PLACE AND DATE OF THE EPISTLES. Nothing is known on either point with regard to any one of the Epistles. But as Ephesus was the apostle's chief abode during the later years of his life, we may assume that they were written there. Certainly they were written late in St. John's life. The tone of them is that of an old man writing to a younger generation. Moreover, the First Epistle was almost certainly written about the same time as the Gospel, and probably after it. The internal relation of the two writings is strongly in favour of this view. And ·the Gospel was probably written in the apostle's later years. The Second Epistle implies the existence of the first, and therefore was written after it. The third, from its similarity to the second, appears to have been written about the same time. We shall probably not be far wrong if we suppose that the Gospel and all three Epistles were written between A.D. 80 and A.D. 95. V. THE PLAN OF THE EPISTLES. Each Epistle has an introduction and a conclusion, between which the main portion of the letter lies. In all three Epistles the introduction viii INTRODUCTION TO
occupies four verses. In the First Epistle the conclusion ocoupies four or eight ,erses; in the second, two; and in the third, three. It is the central portion of the First Epistle that is so difficult to analyse satisfaotorily. But the difficulty of framing a satisfactory analysis must not lead us to aoquiesce in the indolent and impotent conclusion that the Epistle has no plan. Somo would ha,e it that in this letter the apostle gives us nothing more con- secutive or organic than a string of disconnected, or very slightly connected, aphorisms. The running analysis which is given side by side with the notes on the Epistle will, it is hoped, convince any thoughtful reader that the aphoristic view is untenable. The analysis here suggested is probably incorrect in some places and inadequate in a great many more; but the mere fact that any such scheme can be brought into any harmony with the words of the Epistle is str0ng evidence that the Epistle is not a fortuitous concourse of aphorisms. A comparison of the various analyses which have been put forth by commentators will show that there is something like general agreement as to three divisions in the letter. Almost all make a break at or near eh. i. 4; ii. 29; and v. 13 or 17. Omitting the introduction and conclusion, we may take oh. ii. 29 as the centre of the Epistle, considering what precedes as the first half, and what follows as the second half. For convenience we need a name for each half; and perhaps no better can be found than the great statement which each contains respecting the Divine nature. The first half, therefore, is entitled "God is Light," and the second, " God is Love." The following table will show the remaining divisions which have been adopted. But it must be borne in mind that these divisions a.re by no means to be insisted upon as present to the apostle's mind while he was writing,-they are put forth merely as a guide in catching the sequence of his thoughts. There are three facts which render a successful analysis of the Epistle almost an impossibility: (1) the divisions melt intc one another; (2) the sections often contain a plurality of subjects, from which it is difficult to select any one as dominating the rest; (3) subjects touched on in earlier sections are constantly reappearing, recnt and reset, in later sections. From this it follows that, to mark tbe divisions between the sections, and also to name the sections when their limitB have been more or less arbitrarily determined, are no easy under- takings. Probably no student of the Epistle will be satisfied with his own results in either of these undertakings. As to the present attempt, Valeat quantum tJaleat.
AN .A.NALYBIS OF THE FmsT EPIBTLB.
L Ch. i. 1---4. IBTBODUOTION. Subject-matter and purpose. 2. Ch. i. 5-ii. 28. FIRST MAIN DIVlBION. God iB Light. (1) Ch. i. &-ii. 6. Positive wu. What walking in the light involvee. Cb. L &-7. Fellowship with God and with the brethren. Oh. i. 8-10. OomoiouBel8 and confession of Bin. Ch. ii. 1---G. Obeuence by imitation of Obrist. THE EPISTLES OF ST. JOHN. ix
(2) Oh. ii. 7-28. Negative Bide. What walking in the light excludes. Oh. ii. 7-11, Hatred of the brethren, Oh. ii. 12-17. The world and its waya. Ch. ii. 18-28. Antichriste. 3. Ch. iii. 1-v. 12. SECOND MAIN DIVISION. God is Love. (1) Ch. iii. 1-v, 24. The evidence of sonship: Righteousness, Cb. iii. 1-12. The children of God a.nd the children of tbe devil. Oh. iii. 13-24. Love and bate; life and death. (2) Oh. iv. 1-v. 12. The sourre of sonship : Possession of the Spirit. Oh. iv. 1-6. The spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Oh. iv. 7-v. 12. Love and faith. 4. Oh. v. 13-21. CONCLUSION,
AN ANALYSIS OF THE SECOND EPISTL&. 1. Vers. 1-4. !NTRODUOTION, .Address and occasion. 2. Vera. 5-11. MAIN DIVISION. Exhortation, Vers. 5, 6. To love and obedience, Vers. 7-9. Against false doctrine, Vers. 10, 11. Against false charity. 3. Vers. 12, 13. CoNOLUBION,