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THE

FAMILY EXPOSITOR;

OR,

A PARAPHRASE

ON

THE SECOND CATHOLIC EPISTLE OF

ST. JOHN;

WITH

CRITICAL NOTES, AND A PRACTICAL IMPROVEMENT OF EACH SECTION.

A

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

TO THE

PARAPHRASE AND NOTES

ON

THE SECOND AND THIRD EPISTLES

OF

ST. JOHN.

THESE epistles have been both very improperly ranked under the denomination, general or catholic; since each is inscribed to a single person; one to a woman of distinction, styled here the elect lady; and the other to Gaius; probably the same person with Gaius of Corinth, who is styled by St. Paul his host, and is celebrated for his hospitality to the brethren; a character very agreeable to that which is here given of Gaius by the apostle John.

There is no fixing the date of these two epistles with any certainty. It in a great measure depends on the date of the first epistle; soon after which, it is generally agreed, both these were written. And this indeed appears exceeding probable, from that coincidence both of sentiment and expression, which occurs in all these epistles; and from hence it is inferred, that the state of things in the Christian church, referred to in these smaller epistles, was very much the same as it was at the time of writing the first epistle, and that the apostle having lately written it, had it now particularly in his view, and the sentiments and expressions of it present to his mind. And possibly about the same time that he sent his

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324

A general introduction, &c.

first epistle to the Christians in general, he might send his se cond to this honoured lady, and his third to his friend Gaius in particular, as a mark of peculiar regard. I shall not here enter into the debate concerning the authenticity of these two epistles, especially as I have already suggested on some former occasions, such general sentiments as are very applicable on this.

The brevity of these epistles renders it needless to give any other analysis of them than I have done in the contents prefixed to each respectively; to which I refer the reader.

PARAPHRASE AND NOTES

ON THE

SECOND EPISTLE OF ST. JOHN.

SECT. I.

The apostle John, addressing himself to a worthy Christian lady, expresses his joy in her good character, and that of her children; exhorts to continued love, and to guard against deceivers, whom it would be dangerous to countenance and encourage; referring what he had further to say till he should make her a visit. 2 John throughout.

2 JOHN 1.

2 JOHN 1.

SECT

Tthe elect lady, known in these parts by the name of the HE elder unto THIS letter is addressed by John, well Elder, called under that character, to preside i

a

The Elder.] The concealment of the name of the author can be no objection against ascribing it to St. John; since his name is also concealed in the first epistle, which is universally allowed to be his. Nor was it customary with this apostle, in any of his writings, to be free in men tioning his own name. His styling him self the elder in this and the following epistle, is probably the reason why they were ascribed by some of the ancients not to the apostle John, universally acknowledged to be the author of the first epis

i.

2John

tle, but to John, an elder or presbyter of Ephesus. He who would see the testimonies of the fathers, that the apostle John was the author of these two epistles, may consult the second part of Dr Lardner's Credibility of the Gospel History. There can hardly be stronger internal arguments, that the three epistles, now commonly ascribed to St. John, were the production of the same author, than may be derived from that very remarkable similarity of sentiment and phraseology which appears in them all, on the slightest attention.

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