eon of God. Tho aorist participle occurs with us," which is identical with "That nowhoro else in St. John: it expreeeee him they me.y be one, even as we are" (John who, without relation to timo past or preeont, xvii. 11). And here we have, "That we ie tho Bon of Ood. 'l'ho roading a~-r&v is know him the.t is true," which coincides preferable to fov-r&v. The Vulgate has with "That they ehould know thee the only conBervat eum, not conBervat Beip8um, which true God" (John xvii. 3). This prayer of Galvin adopts. The eternal Son of the tho great High Priest is fulfilled. "We are Father preserves the frail children of the in him that is true," eays the apostle, " (by Father from tho common foe, so that the being) in his Son Jesus Christ." This is evil one toucheth them not. Tho verb for the true Ood, and eternal life. Doea "this" " touch" (ll.1ru118a1) is the e11mo as in refer to God or to Christ? We mast be '"!'ouch me not" (John xx. 17). In both content to -leave the question open; both cosee "touch" is somewhat too weak o. interpretations make excellent sense, and rendering; the meaning is rather, "lo.y bold none of the ar~ments in favour of either of," "hold fost." The Magdalene wiehed, are decisive. The question is not important. not merely to touch, hut to hold the Lord "That Jeeue is the Christ, the Son of God," faet, so ae to have hie bodily presence who wus with the Father from all eternity, coutinuo.lly. And hero the meaning is tlao.t, is the very foundation of St. John's t.eacbing though the evil one may attack the children in Gospel and Epistles; and it is not of much of God, yet he cannot get them into hie moment whether this particular text contains power. the doct.riue of the Divinity of Christ or not. Ver. 19.-Omit the "and" before "we But if, with St. Athanasius, we interpret know." '.rhere is no ,cul or •• in the true "this" of Christ, the conclusion of the text; and the asyndeton is impressive. The letter is brought into striking harmony with whole world lieth in the evil one. Thie is the opening of it, in which (eh. i. 2) Christ the second great foct of which Christians is spoken of as "the Eternal Life wbich was have certainty. They, aa children of God, with the Father, and was manifested to us." and preserved from the evil one by his Son, Moreover, we obtain a striking contrast with have nothing to do with the world, which what follows. "Thie Man, Jesus Christ, is still lies in the power of the evil one. Tha.t the true God: it is no idolatry to worship "the evil" (-rrj ""J/7/P¥) is here not neuter him. Whosoever says that he is not God but masculine is evident from the context, makes us i<lolaters. But idolatry is to us an as well as from oh. ii. 13, 14: iv. 4. "By abomination." saying that it lieth in the evil one (in Ver. 21.-Keep yourselves from idols; or, mrLligno) be represents it as being under tlie guard yourBelves from the idols. In ver. I 8 dominion of Satan. Tliere is, therefore, no we had "''IIP''; liere the verb is ipu>..<Qu-re. reaeon why wa ehould hesite.te to shun the The aorist, rather than the present impera- world, which oontemne God and delivers up tive, is used to make the command more itself into the bondnge of Satan; nor is forcible, although the guarding is not there any reason why we should fear its momentary, but will have to continue enmity, becalll!e it is alienated from God" (Compare µ,(vu-re lv iµo(, John xv. 4; -r/u (Calvin). lv-ro>..a.s -ra.s ,µas T'l)p-/i11a-re, John riv. 15). Ver. 20.-And we Im.ow. The " e.nd" Who.t is the meaning of "the idols" (Tciiv (8•') ie here rightly given-it sums up the elowll.wv) here? In o.n,wering this question whole with a final asseveration. Whatever it will be well to hold fast to the common the world and its philosophy chooses to cunon of exegesis, that where the literal in- nssert, Christiane know that the Son of Goel terpretation makes goocl sense, the literal has come in the flesh, and ho.a endowed interpretation is probably right. Here the them with mento.l faculties capable of literal interpretation makes excellent sense. attaining to a knowledge of the true God. Ephesus we.s famous for its idols. To be The Chrietie.n's certainty is not fanaticism "temple-keeper of the gree.t Artemis " or superstition; he is "ready e.lways to give (Acts xix. 35) was its pride. The more.I a.newer to every me.n tho.t asketh a reason evils which had resulted from the ahu!!O conoeming the hope thut is in him" (I Pet. of the right of eanctuary had cimeed tbe iii, 15); by the gift of Christ he is e.ble to Roman senate to cite the Ephesians and obtain an intelligent knowledge of him who other ate.tee to submit their cliarters to the is indeed God. "Him that is true" does government for inspection. Ephesus bud not mean God, who is not, like the devil, a been the first to answer to the summons, liar, but " very God," as opposed to the idols and had strenuously defended its claims. against which St. John goes on to warn It was famous, moreover, for its che.rms and them. The Greek is 471:119iv&r, not all.'1}9,/s. inoantations; and folly of this kind had Thus the Epistle ends ae it bege.n, with a found its way into the Christian Church fulfilment of Christ's prayer. In oh. i. 3 (Acts xu. 13-20). As so often happens we had, "The.t ye a.lso mo.y ho.vo fellowship with converts from a religion full of gl'O!W 144 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. LoH. v. 1-21.
supcretition, a good many of the super- o.ud &bjure (ol,r&) them." Of course, this ~titim;s nb,crYances survfred the &doption literal interpretation plMes no limit on tho ,,r Christi1mity. With facts suoh as these application of the text. To 11, OhristiD-n bl"fore us, we oon hardly be wrong in inter- anything is an idol which usurps the pl,we prct.iug "the idols" quite literally. The of God in the henrt, whether this bo o apostl"'s "little children" could not live in person, or a system, or a project, or weo.lth, Eph('sus without coming constantly in con- or whnt not. All snob usurpntions coma tact with these polluting but attractive within the sweep of the apostle's injunction, inflncnees. They must harn &bsolutely "Guard yourselves from your idols." nothing to do with tliem: "Guo.rd yourselves