one so fitted to rule, instead of choosing one of his own family, Nerva showed much wisdom: but, about three months after, he gave a more memorable proof of human folly and imperfection by falling into such a violent passion with one of the senators who had displeased him, that it brought on a fever of which he died, A. D. 98.

CHAP. XX.

FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN.-HERESIES OF THE FIRST CENTURY.CHURCH GOVERNMENT.-SECOND AND THIRD EPISTLES OF JOHN. THE BOOK OF REVELATION. FAILURE OF THE CHURCH AT LARGE.-MEANINGS OF THE WORD CHURCH.LAST DAYS OF THE APOSTLE JOHN.

THE writings of the Apostle John alone remain to be noticed, as belonging to the foregoing period, and as the last of the promised revelations of the Holy Ghost concerning the things of God (John xvi. 12—15). The value of them cannot be measured any more than that of the other inspired writings; and their seasonableness will also be most apparent when we learn the state of the Church at this period.

The epistles of John were written after all the other epistles; and their date is usually fixed in A. D. 90, or even later. The first is addressed to the whole family of God, not to any particular church: the second and third are addressed to individuals. Hence there is instruction for the children of God in their relationship to God, and to each other; and there is instruction concerning the personal responsibility of any single member of the family without reference to what others are doing around him. Paul, in his last epistles, had spoken of heretics, that is, persons who were not sound in the faith themselves, or taught false doctrines to others: and he had given directions as to the right treatment of such, writing thus to Titus, A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." And he warned Timothy that the profane and vain babblings about the things of God already begun would increase unto more ungodliness, and

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the word of such men would eat as a canker. From the epistles of John we find that this had really been the case: he uses still stronger language, saying, "As ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists:" he also adds, "They went out from us," thus fulfilling the prophecy of Paul before referred to, "of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things," &c.

The great heresies of the first century of the Church arose from the foolish attempts of men to explain the great mystery of God manifest in the flesh; in opposition to the Lord's declaration, No man knoweth the Son but the Father." One class of heretics, commonly called the Gnostics or Docetæ,-denied the reality of Christ's human nature, and tried to explain the mystery of his person by saying, that he only suffered in appearance on the cross: and another class, known as the Ebionites, allowed the perfection of his human nature, but denied that he was God. Neither of these classes could understand the value of the atoning blood; and, therefore, preached that men could be justified by their own works. In the epistles, John seems particularly to allude to the first class, those who deny Jesus Christ come in the flesh; and, in the gospel, he sets forth the godhead of Christ most distinctly, in contradiction of the errors of the latter. Here, indeed, we have the ministry of the Holy Ghost contradicting the doctrines of the devil, and triumphing over all that the enemy could bring forth.

Some of these heretics bore an appearance of great holiness, and pretended they were beyond reach of the defilements of the world or the flesh; others boasted they were saved by Christ, and freely indulged every sinful inclination.

The Doceta were probably called Gnostics from some resemblance between their notions and those of the Oriental philosophers. They pretended the world was created by an evil being; denied that the Old Testament was a divine revelation; venerated the serpent as the author of sin, and honoured some of the worst characters in the Bible. The Ebionites held that obedience to the law of Moses was necessary to salvation; they made use of another gospel, and despised the writings of the Apostle Paul. But none of the heretics went to such extremes at first.

No subject, perhaps, has occasioned more divisions among

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even the Lord's people than that of church government; and, without giving any judgment upon this important question, I would just remark that the difficulty first arose when want of subjection to the rule of the Holy Ghost arose, owing to the rebellion or self-will of human nature. Persons who were not walking after the Spirit themselves, could not, or would not, own the gifts proceeding from the Head of the Church; and as even Paul's apostleship was disputed by such, so the ability of all who have since been sent by Christ has been disputed more or less. We must believe that God in his love would never have left his people without pastors according to his own heart, if they had been willing to receive and submit to them. But whilst those who were apostles, prophets, evangelists, teachers, pastors or overseers, were often rejected by the rebellion of man, carnal usurpers of these offices have been set up by the self-will of man, and established in all the power that human authority can bestow. Nothing can more clearly prove the perverseness of human nature than these well-known facts.

The history of the abuse of power in the Church is even more terrible than the history of the abuse of power in the world, inasmuch as the former is the highest and holiest thing. In the apostolical churches we find there were several overseers or elders, or, at least, more than one (see Acts xiv. 23; xx. 17-28; Phil. i. 1): a collective ministry. And this was probably according to the word of God, "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward of their labour," and according to the grace of Christ, who sent out his disciples two and two, and thus put them in a situation to plead his own promise, If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." Even the apostles had fellowlabourers; and Barnabas accompanied Paul, though Paul was the chief speaker. It seems, however, that all who ruled did not teach publicly* (1 Tim. v. 17). The second epistle of John is most important as establishing the right of private Christian

*It may be remarked with regard to the wide difference now made between an Episcopalian and Presbyterian mode of government, that both were one in these early times; for the Episcopos (literally overseer) and the Presbyter (elder) are terms often interchanged and used indifferently in the word of God. All the elders at Ephesus are called overseers (Acts xx. 17-28).

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judgment; or rather the solemn responsibility laid on every individual believer, male or female, not to receive any one who does not bring the doctrine of Christ, whoever he may be, or with whatever authority he may come. Those who are walking in the truth are not only able to distinguish the doctrine of Christ, but also bound to reject that which is contrary to it.

The third epistle of John is as important in establishing it as the duty of every individual believer to receive such as go forth for Christ's name's sake, and not for the sake of gain, (ver. 7, 8). And this last epistle is, also, most important, as it contains the first record of that usurpation of power in the Church which, in its after progress, led to such evil consequences. Here is a description of one who had so far departed from the mind and law of Christ (Mark x. 42-45), that, in his love of pre-eminence, he despises the apostle's letter; speaks evil of him, does not himself receive the brethren, and forbids those who were disposed to do so, casting them out of the Church. Thus the closing epistles of the apostles end with a sorrowful description of decline in the Church; and the last of all actually speaks of a church in which one man ruled so despotically, that he cast out those who received the brethren from other churches. John as an apostle, as also Paul with the same authority, had power to correct; but after their decease such evils grew and multiplied.

It only remains for me to speak of the book of the Revelation, which was probably written in A. D. 97, the year in which Domitian was killed; or, in the year following, when John was set free with all other Christian prisoners and exiles by. the direction of Nerva. I intend merely to notice very briefly the epistles to the seven churches, as they belong to the province of the historian; observing, with regard to the prophetical part of this book, that the various and opposite interpretations of it seem to prove that its contents have never yet been rightly understood by the Church, and, what is still more important, that they remain still to be fulfilled, as to their final intention.

These seven epistles give us some idea of the state of the churches at the close of the first century from the birth of Christ, for it is generally supposed that the churches addressed were the fittest samples of the state of the Church at large then, and it may be through all succeeding ages.

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It will be easily perceived that the churches at Ephesus and Laodicea were in a very different state from the time at which the epistles of Paul were written; for that apostle did not speak of declension, or rebuke lukewarmness (see Ephesians and Col. ii. 1; iv. 13, 16). And there was also a marked change since Peter wrote his general address to the elect of God scattered throughout Asia (1 Peter i. 1). It is very instructive to get these successive epistles of three of the most eminent apostles to the same churches, as we may thus learn the changes that are to be expected through the failure and infirmity of man. The faithful brethren, for whose love Paul gives thanks, have either themselves declined, or are succeeded by others who have not the first love, and, consequently, do not the first works. Moreover, the same errors alluded to by Paul and Peter, and Jude, in their last epistles, are now abounding in these Asiatic churches; and the only church that is without blame, namely, Philadelphia, is that which had obeyed former exhortations in keeping the word of Christ (Rev. iii. 8—10); and its little strength flowed from this obedience to the word.

In the address to the first church there is a warning that, unless there was recovery, the candlestick, that is, the power of bearing the light of Christ would be taken away: and in the address to the last, we have these solemn words, "Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth;" in other words, Christ could not speak through such a channel. And after this period we have no reason to hope there was any general recovery or restoration from lukewarmness: far otherwise. Consequently, the Church at large has never since been, as it once was, the complete representative of Christ, as the light, or His mouth-piece to the world, any more than Israel after its failure was the complete representative of Jehovah, or His faithful witness to the nations. The abundant proof that we have in the close of the New Testament that the collective testimony of believers was marred by the general unfaithfulness, is confirmed by all subsequent church history; and, as in the former dispensation, so in this, the energy of the Spirit, the faithful witness, and the full blessing, can only be found in individuals, and not in the mass, or outward profession. The reception of this truth is most necessary to the understanding of all that follows.