proclaimed his heavenly doctrine: but, though a few well disposed persons received his message and became his followers, the bulk of mankind disregarded his declarations, and rejected his authority.

Ver. 11, 12, 13. "He came into his own country 21, and his countrymen received him not. Nevertheless, to as many as received him, and believed in his name, he granted the privilege of becoming children of God. Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God 22."

The ministry of Jesus was exercised in Galilee and Judea, among his own countrymen the Jews. These in general rejected his credentials with disdain. number, however, who were of a better temper, acknow

A small

the human race, yet mankind in general did not believe in him.” Ibid. p. 46.

Mr. Cappe gives quite a new turn to the passage. He translates the text; "He was in the world, and the world was made for him." q. d. "He was for some time freely and publicly conversant among his countrymen, preaching the word of God;-yet, though the Jewish dispensation was calculated to excite the expectation of him at this time, to reveal him, and recommend him, &c. ; that world, the subjects of the Jewish dispensation, to whom such advantages in this respect had been vouchsafed, knew him not." Cappe, ibid. p. 10.

Of this interpretation the learned and excellent writer gives a very particular and ingenious vindication, p. 50-62. But though he has brought abundant evidence to prove that dia with a genitive sometimes expresses the final cause, I nevertheless feel some reluctance to understand it in this passage in a sense so unusual, when the construction does not require it, and a very good and obvious sense can be given without it. But the intelligent reader will form his own judgement which of these interpretations is to be preferred.

It may not be amiss to remark, en passant, that the evangelist by this form of expression, ὁ κόσμος δι' αυτό εγένετο, cannot reasonably be understood to teach the popular doctrine that the material world was created by Christ: first, because the word xooμos seldom, probably never, signifies the material world in the writings of this evangelist; and secondly, because the word ywopa never signifies

to create.

21 Came to his own country.] See Cappe and Campbell. "Who were born, &c.] See Improved Version, and Mr. Cappe's Crit. Rem. p. 10, and p. 63, &c.

ledged

ledged his claims and submitted to his authority. And to those who received him as the Messiah he imparted the great privilege of adoption into the family of God, by which they became entitled to the hope of immortal life, And this privilege was not obtained in the mode prescribed by the Mosaic law,-by birth, or by marriage, or by proselytism; but was communicated to all believers without distinction by the free gift and abundant goodness of God.

Ver. 14. "And the Word was flesh 23 and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory.'

Jesus, this great teacher of truth and revealer of the will of God, though so highly honoured above all the prophets. who preceded him, was nevertheless, as it was foretold he would be, (Isaiah liii. 2, 3,) a man, a frail suffering man, compassed with infirmities, in all things like to his brethren. He passed among us a short and transitory life, and was in no respect distinguished from other men, but as he was selected by divine wisdom, and qualified by divine power

23 And (or nevertheless) the Word was flesh] Ayos σas EYEVETO not was made flesh or became flesh, but was flesh. So ver. 6, Eyeveto arÔρwπо5 апEσтaλμɛVos, a man was sent, not was made sent, or became Luke xxiv. 19, the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, ós εγενετο ανηρ προφήτης, who was, not who became, a prophet mighty in word and deed.

sent.

The Word was flesh,] i. e. a man, a proper human being. In this sense the word flesh is often used in the Scriptures. See Psalm 1xv. 2. Rom. iii. 20. John iii. 6; xvii. 2. Acts ii. 17. Luke iii. 6. 1 Cor. i. 29. &c. &c. and it occurs in this sense in the preceding verse. "Frequently and peculiarly," says Mr. Lindsey, Sequel, p. 136," it stands for man as mortal, subject to infirmities and suffering, and as such is particularly appropriated to Christ here and in other places." 1 Tim. iii. 16. Rom. i. 3; ix. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 18; iv. 1. See Improved Version, in loc. Cappe, ibid. p 86. Simpson, ibid. p. 40.

This interpretation of the proem of Jolin's gospel is in the main the same with that of Socinus, Slichtingius, Wolzogenius, and Crellius; only that the Socinian expositors contend for a local ascent of Jesus into heaven after his baptism, and previously to his appearance as a public instructor.

to

to be the messenger of grace and peace to mankind. This was his chief glory, and to this high distinction of our exalted Master we were the personal and admiring wit

nesses.

II.

John i. 15. John bare witness of him. of whom I said, He who cometh after me has me 24, for he was my principal 25."

This is he

got before

John bore testimony to the superior character and dignity of Jesus. This, said he, is the person whose harbinger I was. I announced his approach, and have finished my career. He has now overtaken me, and has taken precedence of me, to which he is justly entitled, because he is the very person whose advent I was commissioned to proclaim.

III.

John iii. 13. "Now no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, who is in heaven."

This is a text the right understanding of which is of

24 He who cometh after me,] onlow us Epxoμevos, the comer after me, he who set out after me, whose harbinger I was, εμρood μs Yayovεy, has overtaken and passed me in the career. The idea is taken from "the relation of the harbinger to the prince whom he precedes." See Cappe, p. 108. Eμrpool is an adverb both of time and place. See Schleusner.

He was my principal,] πрwτos us. The word is used in this sense, 1 Tim. i. 15, 16; Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief." See Mark vi. 21. Luke xix. 47. Acts xiii. 50; xvii. 4.

The common interpretation of the text is: "He who cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was (in order of time) before me." And Hammond, Doddridge, Campbell, and others, contend that the latter clause must refer to antecedency in order of time, otherwise the sentence is tautological, and the evangelist is arguing idem per idem. But Mr. Cappe's interpretation sufficiently obviates this objection. The last clause is a good reason why the person who set out last took precedence of him who was originally first.

great

great importance for settling the controversy concerning the pre-existence of Christ.

The words in their primary signification express a local ascent of the Son of Man into heaven, a local descent from heaven, and a local existence in heaven while he was residing on earth.

In this primary sense the text is not received by any; but by some, one clause, by others, two, and by others, all the clauses are interpreted in a figurative sense.

1. The first clause, which expresses that the Son of Man had ascended into heaven, is understood in a literal sense by the Polish Socinians only, who believed that Christ was taken up into heaven after his baptism to receive his commission from God, and to be instructed in the divine counsels. In support of this interpretation they argue, that the verb is in the preter tense; that the subject of the affirmation is the Son of Man, who as such could have no existence before his birth; that the expression could not with propriety be used of a continued existence in heaven previous to a residence on earth; and that it is improper and unnecessary to have recourse to a figurative interpretation when the literal sense is obvious and probable 26.

Mr. John Palmer 27, improving upon this hypothesis of

26 Avabεbyxe.] "Loquitur non de ascensu suo futuro, sed de ascensu præterito: ut scilicet in cœlo cœlestia edoctus, ea deinde e cœlo remeans loqueretur et doceret in terris. Qui hic ad metaphoras et improprias locutiones confugiunt sine ulla necessitate id faciunt, &c." Slichtingius in loc. See also Wolzogenius in loc. and Christ. Relig. Institut. apud Socini Opp., tom. i. p. 674, 675.

27 Mr. John Palmer was a man of abilities and learning, and an excellent Scripture critic. He was educated at the Warrington Academy, and for some years was settled with a congregation at Macclesfield. He afterwards retired to Birmingham, where he assisted Dr. Priestley in conducting the Theological Repository, in which he wrote some valuable articles, and had planned more, but was prevented by a stroke of the palsy, which put an end to his life in December 1787. Dr. Priestley published an interesting account of him in the Theological Repository, vol. vi. p. 217.

the

the older Socinians, supposes that our Lord while he was in the wilderness was favoured with divine communications, during which he was completely secluded from all connexion with the external world; and, like St. Paul, (2 Cor. xii.) he might imagine himself transported into heaven, and not be able to distinguish whether what he saw and heard was visionary or real. And Mr. Palmer thought that when Jesus spoke of himself as having been in heaven, and as coming down from heaven, it was in allusion to this divine vision.

This very ingenious and plausible hypothesis, which Dr. Priestley mentions in terms of great respect 28, appears liable to the following objections. That a fact of such high importance, and so honourable to the character of Jesus, should not have been mentioned or alluded to by any other of the evangelical historians or sacred writers; that the phrases of ascending up to heaven' and 'descending from heaven,' as applied to Christ, are peculiar to John, and therefore probably (like some other peculiarities of phraseology in this writer) mean nothing more than what the other writers have expressed in different language; and, finally, that it does not appear that any of the early christian sects or ecclesiastical writers ever heard of this supposed assumption of Christ into heaven, or ever attempted to explain the evangelist's phrases by that hypothesis.

As this personal ascent of Jesus into heaven previous to his entrance upon his public ministry, whether real or visionary, is not allowed by the bulk of christian divines, the first clause of this text is generally interpreted in a figurative sense.

28 After having stated Mr. Palmer's hypothesis, Dr. Priestley adds: "I acknowledge myself to be much pleased with Mr. Palmer's ideas upon this subject." Theol. Repos. ibid. p. 221.