10. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe (or believed) on his name. 13. Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth."

In this solemn and emphatic preface to his gospel history, John has unfolded the character and attributes of the Word of God; that is, of the Son in his original and divine nature. That this is the true meaning of that title, is almost universally allowed by Christian commentators, both ancient and modern; and is, in my opinion, amply proved by the known theology of the Jews, at the time when the apostle wrote. At the conclusion of the passage we are informed, that this divine Word was made flesh, (i. e. man,) and dwelt amongst us; and that so his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten Son of God, became visible. But the order in which the apostle has treated his subject, plainly leads us to suppose that, in the previous verses, he is speaking of Christ in his condition of pre-existence, or at least solely with reference to his original and divine nature. I would suggest, that the declarations respecting the Word contained in verses 10 and 11, that he was "in the world," and " came

unto his own," form no exception to this observation; for these declarations may very properly be explained of the appearances and visitations of the Son of God (whether visible or merely spiritual) before his coming in the flesh. But, even if we interpret these verses as connected with verse 14, and as forming a part of the apostle's account of the incarnation, it certainly appears most probable that the preceding doctrine, respecting Christ, relates to his operations only in that glorious and unchangeable character, in which he was with God in the beginning, and in which he was God.

Accordingly, it is declared, first, that by him all things were made; and, secondly, that in him (or by him) was life, and that the life was the light of men. Let us then inquire in what sense the eternal Word of God was thus described as the author or medium of life and light. Since all things were made by him, he is undoubtedly the origin of their natural life, and the bountiful giver of those intellectual faculties by which man is distinguished from the inferior animals; but those who take a comprehensive view of the writings of the apostle John, can scarcely suppose that he is here speaking of the natural life and of the light of reason. The "life," of which in every part of his works he makes such frequent mention, is that of which they only lay hold who are the true children of God-the spiritual life, in the first place, by which the souls of men are quickened in this world, and the eternal life, in the second place, which is reserved for

them in the world to come. That such is here the apostle's meaning is confirmed by a comparison with the opening passage of his first epistle, in which Jesus Christ, in reference to his pre-existence, is expressly denominated that "eternal life" (i. e. that source of eternal life)" which was with the Father." So, also, the word light is no where used by this apostle to designate the intellectual faculty, or the light of reason. With him it denotes spiritual light-the light which is enjoyed by those who come to a real knowledge of the truth-the light in which the children of God walk before their Father.5 I conceive, therefore, that the apostle's doctrine, declared in the fourth verse of his Gospel, is precisely this-that the Son, or Word, of God, or the Messiah, in his original and divine character, was the giver of eternal life, and the spiritual quickener and illuminator of the children of men. And this inference is strengthened by the consideration that "the life" here mentioned was "the light;" for it is the peculiar characteristic of the Spirit of Christ, that it quickens and enlightens at the same time. That very Spirit which illuminates our darkness, raises our souls from the death of sin, and springs up within us unto everlasting life.

Since such appears to be the true meaning of verse 4, we cannot reasonably hesitate in our interpretation of verse 9. In the former, the light is said to be in or by the Word; in the latter, according to a very

4 See John iii. 15; v. 24, 40; vi. 33, 63; viii. 12; xiv. 6; &c. 5 See John iii. 19; ix. 5; 1 John i. 7; ii. 8; &c.

usual figure of speech, the Word being the source of the light, is himself denominated "light." The light, in either case, must be of the same character; and if there be any correctness in the view we have now taken of the whole passage, it can be no other than the light of the Spirit of the Son of God. Hence, therefore, I conclude, on the authority of the apostle John, that a measure of the light of the Spirit of the Son of God" lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

every man

is

* JOHN i. 9. Ην τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον. "That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." It was observed by Augustine (De Peccatorum Meritis et Remiss. lib. i. § 38,) and the suggestion has been adopted by many modern critics, that the words épxóμεvov εis Tòv Kóσμov, in this passage, are capable of being construed in connexion with pus, "the light," instead of with Távтa äv0ρwπоv, “every man;" in which case the sentence must be rendered as follows: "That was the true light, which, coming into the world, lighteth every man." Now, it ought to be remarked, that the term " in itself very strong and precise. It denotes every individual man; and, since there is nothing in the context to limit its signification, it must be considered as signifying the whole of mankind. Were we, therefore, to adopt such a construction and translation of the passage, there would still be good reasons for interpreting it, not of that outward knowledge of Christianity which is enjoyed by a comparatively small number of human beings, but of an internal light bestowed universally on man. It is, however, obvious that the commonly adopted construction of this sentence is more agreeable to the order of the apostle's words, and therefore more consistent with the general simplicity and perspicuity of his style. That construction is, moreover, confirmed by the consideration that John has here adopted a phrase well known amongst the Jews, in its usual sense. With that people, "to come into the world" was a common expression, signifying "to be born;" and "all men who come into the world" was a customary description of "all mankind." Vide Lightfoot, Hor. Heb. in loc.

Such, according to my apprehension of scriptural truth, are the religious advantages which may be deemed the common allotment of mankind in general. God is their equal Judge and compassionate Father: the Son of God, when clothed with humanity, gave his life a ransom for them all and lastly, through the operation of his Holy Spirit, a manifestation of the divine law, accompanied with a portion of quickening and purifying power, is bestowed upon them universally. Here, then, we may perceive grounds of union and brotherly kindness coextensive with the whole world and whilst we cultivate a sense of these animating truths, we shall be disposed neither to think too highly of ourselves, nor to despise others. On the contrary, a feeling of true charity towards our neighbour, of whatever colour or country, will spread in our hearts; and a lively disposition will arise in us to labour for the happiness of that universal family, who not only owe their existence to the same Creator, but are the common objects of his fatherly regard and of his redeeming love.

While I am persuaded of the existence of these broad grounds of union; and am well satisfied, that there is bestowed upon all men a measure of the enlightening and quickening influence of the Holy SpiThe ancient fathers in general appear to have construed this passage in the same manner as the authors of our English version. See, for example, Tertullian, adv. Prax. cap. 12. Ed. Semler, ii. 214; Theodotus, Epitom. in Ed. Bened. Clement. Alex. p. 979; Origen, in Lib. Judicum Homil. Ed. Bened. ii. 460. See also the two Syriac, Ethiopic, Persic, and Vulgate versions.