ART. V.

NEANDER ON THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN.

The First Epistle of John, Practically Explained. By Dr. Augustus Neander. Translated from the German, by Mrs. H. C. Conant. New York: Lewis Colby. 1852.

By Rev. NELSON HEAD, Norfolk, Va.

Neander has become a familiar and an honored name wherever the science of church history is valued and cultivated. And perhaps, one of the most valuable contributions, which has for many years been given to the religious literature of our country, is Professor Torry's translation of Neander's "General Church History." Profound, thorough, truthloving and spiritual, it is eminently calculated to enlarge the mind, instruct the heart, and improve the life of the earnest student. By this, together with his other invaluable historical works, our author is chiefly known in this country. But now by the accomplished pen of Mrs. Conant, he is introduced to us in a new character, that of a practical expounder of sacred Scripture. We have thus placed in our hands three excellent commentaries by Neander, severally, on Philippians, James, and the first epistle of John. These form only a small part of a more extended plan of biblical exposition, which the author was laboring to fill up during the latter portion of his valuable life. And the great excellence of that which has been executed, causes deep regret that the whole conception had not been realized. But by the dispensation of God, Neander was removed by death, in the very midst of his plans and toils in the service of Christ and his church. Of him it may truly be said, that "he ceased at once to work and live." And how beautiful a close to his long and earnest life-labour, were these preeminent practical commentaries on the inspired epistles of Paul, James, and John. These all bear the un

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mistakeable marks of the surpassing powers, both mental and spiritual, of this distinguished German teacher of the Christian church. But to the latter, that is, the practical explanation of John, we cling with a special fondness. Here the genius, and the Johannic type of piety, which so remarkably distinguished Neander, found their most congenial theme. And the exposition indicated at the head of this article, we regard as the most precious gem which the prolific pen of its great author has bequeathed to the church of Christ.

Neander in some of his more scientific works, is justly chargeable with what we esteem to be gross errors. Especially have we remarked this in his "Life of Jesus." By the tolerant spirit in which he conducted his investigations in scientific theology, and by his over-weening, but amiable desire, to conciliate those who occupied a different theological position to the one on which he was himself so firmly planted, we think he has conceded to rationalism some important principles. The views which he entertained on the doctrine of inspiration, especially, we deem to be fraught with much mischief to the sceptical tendency of many minds in the present day of searching inquiry. And we would warn those who may be our juniors, into whose hands the otherwise able and suggestive work on "the Life of Jesus" may fall, to be on their guard, lest they imbibe views on the doctrine of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, which a sound theology cannot approve. But while Neander was not wholly free from error, it should be remarked that his errors were rather scientific and speculative, than practical. They were errors of the head, and not of the heart. And with him it was a favorite maxim, and one worthy of profound consideration, by every student of the Bible, in this age of almost idolatrous deference to mere intellectuality, that "It is the heart that makes the theologian." It is wonderful, and an instance of the great mercy of God to his dear servant, considering the circumstances and associations of his life, that he was enabled to come out of the crucible of the rationalistic criticisms and sceptical speculations of a most critical and sceptical age and

country, retaining so much pure gold, with so small an alloy of baser metal. But whatever may have been the errors of this distinguished man, they will be searched for in vain in this commentary on the first epistle of John. In this work, Christ, the historical, personal Christ, is the centre, around which the community of believers is gathered, holding a life-fellowship with their glorious head. And from Christ, as the central orb, there is a ceaseless radiation of truth, love, and life; reaching, invigorating, and adorning each believer, while its holy attractions bind them all in one harmonious whole, imbibing, and diffusing an atmosphere of pure, heavenly love.

It will be proper here to present a view of the general principles, by which Neander was guided as a scriptural expositor. And as these principles cannot be better stated, than has been done by his own able pen, we shall allow him to speak for himself. We shall quote from the beginning of his commentary on Philippians.

"If the Spirit of God has revealed to holy men of old the word of truth, that they might proclaim it for the salvation of mankind; if God has revealed himself through their lives, their discourses, their writings, as the depositories of his Spirit; this is not to be regarded merely as an isolated fact belonging solely to the past. To us as living members of the body of Christ, as partakers in that fellowship of his Spirit, which unites the instant of the present with the whole progressive development since the first out-pouring of the same spirit by the glorified Son of man, to us, this should be no external, no foreign thing. The past must become to us the présent. We need no further revelations. On the contrary, it must be to us as if the Lord had himself at this moment spoken to us, inasmuch as he has given us the instruction required for all the higher necessities of the present; as if he had himself said to us all which it concerns us to know, in order to find consolation under present sufferings; the means of certain victory in all conflicts, the clue to guide us out of all the perplexities of a distracted age safely to our goal. For the attainment of this object, we must carefully investigate the precise historical conditions and relations under which these depositories of the Divine Spirit spoke and acted. We must transfer ourselves into that past time, so as to live, as it were, in the midst of the circumstances under which these holy men acted, and in reference to which they spoke. The objects of the divine wisdom in its guidance of the church, we perceive in this, viz; that divine truth has been revealed to us, not in a law of the letter, not in a digested summary of specific articles of faith, but in this historical embodiment, in this appli

cation to individual cases, to specific historical circumstances and social relations, imparted through the instrumentality of individual men, who lived as depositories of divine truth among their fellow men; who, in the common intercourse of human life, testified of and revealed the divine, speaking and acting as men, each in his own peculiar human manner, though hallowed indeed by the Spirit of God. Thus was divine truth to be brought humanly near to us. Thus to our own spiritual activity, under the guiding and quickening influences of the Spirit of God, without whom nothing divine can be received or understood, was to be left the work of investigating the divine in connection with the human; from the particular to deduce the universal; and again by an application of this to the peculiar circumstances of the age and society in which we live, to reconvert it into the particular for ourselves; to detect in that which was said or done by the organs of Christ's Spirit, under the peculiar circumstances of the past whatever is applicable for our use, to the cir cumstances and relations of the present. Whilst, therefore, an humble dependence on that Divine Spirit, who alone leads into all truth, and unlocks the depths of his word, is an indispensable condition to the right understanding and application of the divine word in its human embodiment; so also is a careful attention to all the human relations. The word of God allows no slothful hearers; it demands all the powers of the mind and soul. Only thus can its treasures be brought to light. If we fail of discovering these treasures, and lament over the want of light to illumine the darkness of the present state, it is because we have not met the required conditions. We have to reproach but ourselves. We may here apply those weighty words of our Lord, adapted no less to stimulate and encourage diligent inquiry, than for warning and rebuke: He that hath to him shall

be given.'

The value of this quotation must apologize for its length. It is a text on which expanded comment might be profitable. It is pregnant with the most important suggestions, which we especially commend to the meditations of all students of the Bible, and more especially to those whose holy office requires them to "bring forth things new and old out of the treasury" for the profit of the congregations of Christ's people. Few men possessed to the same extent the conditions, here specified, for the understanding, explanation, and practical application to the various uses of individual and social life, the word of God, as Neander himself. In him were combined in a wonderful degree the historical, critical, and spiritual elements of a sound and practical exposition of the Sacred Scriptures. These principles he applies in the work before us. And the

result theologically, practically and spiritually, fully and beautifully illustrate their excellence and importance as a guide to scriptural investigation. These results, severally, we propose briefly to review, and to furnish on each point illustrative passages from the work itself.

1. The theological results attained by Neander in this commentary are worthy of the principles which he laid down for his guidance in the investigation. In reviewing the historical features of the Johannic age, as few, if any, besides Neander could review them, he ascertained that the great question of that church period, concerned the person of Christ. He glances at three false views of the person of the Redeemer, with which the church at that day was troubled, and the integrity of its faith threatened. The Ebionitish, which reduced the Messiahship of Jesus to the office of a mere prophet, and recognized in Christ, as it regarded his nature and person, nothing above the level of mere humanity. The Docetish, which ascribed to Christ the glories of the Divine nature, but lost sight of the human, which they regarded as the visible form, through which the Divine existence made its appearance, in adaptation to the powers of human perception. A third party arose, that of Cerinthus, "which," says Neander, "seemed to reconcile the two extremes, but which was at bottom a compound of what was erroneous in both, and allowed neither to the Divine nor human its just claims." Now, while we do not regard this Epistle of John, as a formal polemical treatise, designed to refute these heresies, yet it is quite obvious that there are statements in it, which these false systems originated, and which are designed to warn and preserve the church against their pestiferous influence. But the method of John in exposing what is false, is mostly by a clear presentation of what is true. And such chiefly is the method pursued in this epistle. And our author in developing the theological lessons of this noble portion of the word of God, brings to view with uncommon precision of statement, and power of expression, the fundamental doctrines of our holy religion. With him, as with John, Christ, the real,