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From Gal. ii. 9, it appears that John was present at the council of Jerufalem, which met A. D. 49. or 50. to determine the great question agitated in the church of Antioch; namely, whether it was neceffary to the falvation of the believing Gentiles, that they fhould be circumcifed.-And if, as is probable, John had his ordinary refidence in Jerufalem till that time, he had his share in working the many figns and wonders, which are faid to have been done by the hands of the apostles, Acts ii. 43. 33. V. 12.

iv.

We are told, Rev. i. 9. That John was banished to the Ifle of Patmos, for the word of God, and for the teftimony of Jefus. In that ifland, he was favoured with the vifions, which he hath recorded in his book of the Revelation.

The foregoing particulars concerning John, are all mentioned in the New Teftament. The fathers in their writings add, that John lived to a great age; that he spent the latter part of his life moftly at Ephesus the metropolis of the province of Afia; that the Roman emperor Domitian banished him to Patmos about the year 95; confequently after the deftruction of Jerufalem. But Grotius and Sir Ifaac Newton, place John's banishment to Patmos, the former in the reign of Claudius, the latter in the reign of Nero: confequently before the deftruction of Jerufalem. And in support of their opinion, they allege fome teftimonies of later writers, together with other particulars: But Lardner, Can. vol. 1. p. 359-377. hath fhewed, that these things are infufficient for establishing the early date of John's banishment. He therefore adheres to the common opinion, that John was banished to Patmos, by Domitian's edict for perfecuting the Christians, published in the latter part of his reign, A. D. 95. Domitian died September 18. A. D. 96. and was fucceeded by Nerva, in the first year of whose reign, if not fooner, John being released, returned to Ephesus, where, according to the ancients, he died in the third year of the Emperor Trajan, answering to A. D. 100. Or, as Jerome expreffes it, he died in the 68th year after our Lord's paffion; which was the third of Trajan. Wherefore, if Lampe's opinion is well founded, that John was born in the fame year with his mafter, he must have been an hundred years old when he died.

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The time of John's leaving Judea is unknown. But, as in Luke's history of Paul's travels, John is not mentioned, and no falutation is fent to him in any of the epiftles which Paul wrote from Rome to the churches of Afia, not even in his epiftle to the Ephefians, nor in the epiftles which in the latter part of his life he wrote to Timothy in Ephefus, it is reasonable to think, that John was not at Ephefus while Paul was alive. I therefore am of their opinion, who fuppofe that John remained in Judea, from the time of the council of Jerufalem, till he faw Jerufalem encompaffed with armies, and observed the other figns of its approaching deftruction foretold by his master; that he then fled into Afia; and coming at length to Ephefus, he fixed his ordinary refidence in that city, and abode there till his death; as all the ancient Chriftian writers teftify.-Because none of these writers fay our Lord's mother went with John into Asia, Cave, Bafnage, and Lardner conjecture that he died before John left Judea,

The other particulars, faid by the ancients to have happened to John after he fettled at Ephefus, it is needless to mention as fome of them are not fufficiently attefted, and others of them are embellished with circumftances evidently fabulous. Yet, if the reader is defirous to know, what ancient authors have reported concerning our apoftle after he went into Afia, he will find the paffages of their writings, in which these things are mentioned, quoted by Lardner, Canon, vol. 1. beginning at page 349.

SECT. II. Of the Authenticity of the first Epistle of John.

The authenticity of any ancient writing is established, First, by the teftimony of contemporary, and of fucceeding authors, whose works have come down to us; and who speak of that writing, as known to be the work of the perfon whofe name it bears. Secondly, by the fuitableness of the things contained in fuch a writing, to the character and circumstances of its fuppofed author; and by the fimilarity of its ftyle, to the ftyle of the other acknowledged writings of that author.-The former of these proofs is called the external evidence of the authenticity

of

of a writing: The latter its internal evidence. Where these two kinds of evidence are found accompanying any writing, they render its genuineness indubitable.

The external evidence of the authenticity of John's first epiftle shall be laid before the reader in the preface to the second epiftle, fect. 1. by fhewing that the earliest and best Christian writers have all with one confent, and without any hesitation, afcribed the first epiftle to him. And their teftimony is confirmed by this circumftance, that the Syriac translator who omitted the second epistle of Peter, the second and third epiftles of John, and the epiftle of Jude, because fome doubts were entertained concerning them in the firft age, or perhaps because they had not come to his knowledge, hath tranflated John's first epiftle, as an apoftolical writing of which there never was any

doubt.

In this preface, therefore, we shall state the internal evidence of the authenticity of the firft epiftle afcribed to John, by shewing, First, that in respect of its matter; and Secondly, that in respect of its ftyle, it is perfectly fuitable to the character and circumftances of its fuppofed author.-In refpect of the matter or fubject of the epiftle under confideration, the writer of it hath difcovered himfelf to be John the apostle, by introducing a number of fentiments and expreffions found in the gofpel, which all Chriftians from the beginning, have acknowledged to be the work of John the apostle.

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II. 6. He who faith he XV. 4. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bring forth fruit' of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide.

abideth in him, ought himself alfo fo to walk, even as he walked. See chap. iii. 24. iv. 13. 16.

II. 8. I write to you a new commandment.

in me.

XIII. 34. A new commandment I give to you,

III. 11. This is the meffage which ye have heard from the I have loved you. beginning, that we should love one another.

that ye love one another as

II. 8. The darkness paffeth away, and the light which is true, now shineth.

10. Abideth in the light, and there is no ftumblingblock to him.

II. 13. Young children, I write to you, becaufe ye have known the Father.

14. Because ye have known him from the beginning.

II. 29. Every one who worketh righteousness, is begotten of God. See also iii. 9. v. 1.

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I. 5. The light fhineth in darkneís.

9. That was the true light.

XI. 1o. If a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, becaufe there is no light to him.

XVII. 3. This is the eternal life that they might know thee the only true God.

And Jefus Christ whom thou haft fent.

III. 3. Except a man be begotten again.

5. Except a man be begotten of water and of the Spirit.

I. 12. To them he gave power to become the fons of God, even to them who believe on his name.

XVII. 24. Be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory.

VIII. 44. Ye are of your father the devil-He was a murderer from the beginning.

III. 13. Dq

III. 13. Do not wonder, my brethren, that the world hateth you.

IV. 9. By this the love of God was manifested, that God sent his Son, the only begotten, into the world, that we might live through him.

IV. 12. No man hath feen God at any time.

V. 13. These things I have written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life; and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

V. 14. If we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth

us.

V. 20. The fon of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift. This is the true God, and eternal life.

XV. 20. If they have perfecuted me, they will also perfecute you.

III. 16. God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life.

I. 18. No man hath feen God at any time.

XX. 31. These things are written that ye might believe that Jefus is the Chrift the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name,

XIV. 14. If ye shall afk any thing in my name, I will do it..

XVII. 2. Thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he might give eternal life to as many as thou haft given him. 3. And this is the eternal life, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou haft fent.

From the above comparison of the first epistle of John with his gofpel, there appears fuch an exact agreement of fentiment in the two writings, that no reader who is capable of discerning what is peculiar in an author's turn of thinking, can entertain the leaft doubt of their being the productions of one and the fame writer. Farther, fince John hath not mentioned his own name in his gofpel, the want of his name in the epistle, is no proof that it was not writtten by him; but rather a prefumption

that

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