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The fact of the true deity of the Lord Jesus, being established by the expression, "that which was from the beginning," our apostle proceeds to give us more exact descriptions of the glorious person of our Emmanuel. And he calls him "The Word of Life." In the opening of his gospel, John announced him simply as "the Word." Here he is more explicit. For the word " signifies only a manifestation of deity; "the word of life," a peculiar manifestation of that deity; even a putting forth of that principle of life which is essential to the godhead. The apostle in his gospel also informs us afterwards, concerning" the word," that in him was life. ver. 4. But here he places before us at once the fact, that Christ did not only possess life in himself, but was the manifestation of life, even of that eternal life, which from the beginning he possessed, as God, and with God. (see John i. 1, 2, and this epistle, ver. 2. where the apostle speaks of "that eternal life which was with the Father.") Let us pause for a moment, amidst the sublime and in some respects abstruse views, which the apostle presents us with, in connexion with the person of the Lord Jesus, and inquire why he sets them before Now his intention is this: he would have us understand the nature of our salvation by Christ; and this cannot be effected whilst we remain in ignorance of the person and nature of our incarnate God. We acknowledge Jesus to be a Saviour, and we profess ourselves satisfied in his fitness to accomplish the work of our redemption. And such general acknowledgments, and perception of his fitness, may suffice for those whose faith is merely external and nominal; but let the conscience be convinced of sin by the Holy Ghost, and let the wrath of God against sin be revealed to the troubled spirit, then the inquiry will be, has God indeed laid

us.

help upon one that is mighty," and "is Jesus able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him? 'Surely,' says the trembling sinner, no other than a God could bear the weight of the world's sin; no other than God could bear the wrath of God, taking vengeance for iniquity. Satisfy me that Jesus could sustain the burden of man's guilt, or I dare not trust him with my soul. I dare not confide it to any, save to its Creator. In my redemption and salvation, the attributes of Deity must be displayed. No creature, however excellent or glorious, can impart life to my dead soul: it is only "the Prince of Life" who can do this! In vain do the carnally-minded object, that belief in the deity of Christ is rather speculative than practical. The believer can attest that it is not so. He is in quest of life, of life eternal; and is it to him a mere speculative matter, when the Scripture unfolds to him, that Christ is life, eternal life, and that this Christ is the believer's portion? To the ignorant and careless, those researches are unimportant, which the Scripture presents as most important. And with the ignorant and careless we must class all those persons, however they may be morally and intellectually endowed, who remain unconscious of the fact of their ruin in Adam, and recovery in Christ. To such as these, the Lord Jesus has "neither form nor comeliness that he should be desired "—at least, he has no merit beyond that of the philosophic teacher, who frames a new and approved system of ethics. But with believers it is far otherwise. They find themselves, according to the testimony of the Scriptures, ruined, lost, undone,also, they discover by the same word of truth, that sin, and the wrath of God in consequence of sin, has caused their destruction.

And they cannot be persuaded that

their views are fictitious, and their alarm unfounded, for they find that they have the sentence of death in themselves. Now it is for the consolation of such convinced sinners that the apostle writes. He preaches to them "Jesus;" and proclaims him to be the deliverer, who having "Life in himself," quickeneth whom he will; at whose voice, the dead hear, and live; in whom believing, the dead soul is not only quickened to a new life, but to an everlasting life: for "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Do not let us forget the object of the beloved disciple in writing this epistle. He says to the church, "These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." And hence his promptitude in presenting to the faithful the person of Christ, as life; the word of life; life manifested; eternal life.

We may add, that amidst the variety of descriptive epithets applied in Scripture to the Lord Jesus, there are not any, more aptly significant of his work as well as person, than those just enumerated. We read, that life and immortality are brought to light in the Gospel." That is, they are clearly manifested in the person of that Christ who is the sum and substance of the gospel. Jesus was the personification, if we may, so speak, of the principle of life. How do we behold him in his progress through this world of death, continually triumphing over that death, which at last he "abolished!" (2 Tim. i. 10.) And how did he destroy death? Even by his becoming obedient to the same. In this stupendous way "destroying him who had the power of death, and delivering them who through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage." In virtue of his own eternal life, he rose again from death; "for it was not possible that he should be holden of it." (Acts ii. 24.) But why did he

thus mauifest himself to be "the Prince of life?” It was for the full assurance of his people's faith and hope, that having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." It is for us that "" the life was manifested; " even

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that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us." And how deeply consolatory are the reflections which are suggested to the believing heart, in connexion with Christ's assurance to his people; "Because I live, ye shall live also ; and with the words, "I give unto my sheep eternal life." Also with the apostle's assertion, "Our life is hid with Christ in God." Believers do indeed esteem Christ to be their life; they cling to the assurance that he is so. For they do not forget that he has said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

3. That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

Should any persons be disposed, as too many are, to interpret the first verse of this epistle as merely expressive of an external knowledge of Christ after the flesh, they are convicted of error, by the further declaration of the apostle, in the verse now under consideration. Very many commentators, in expounding this portion of Scripture, do not get beyond the letter of the text. But how clearly are they refuted, and the spiritual exposition of the preceding pages vindicated, by the reason which John proceeds to assign for his

"That

declaring that which he had seen and heard. which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." Now it is evident that something more is implied by the term "fellowship," than a mere participation of the apostle's complete knowledge of the personal history of Jesus; for he defines this "fellowship " to have reference to " the Father as well as to that Christ whom he had known in the flesh. The case appears to be this. The seeing, hearing, looking upon and handling of the Word of Life, had been productive in John's experience of a particular result, which he calls "Fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." And the Apostle says, he will declare to others that Christ, in and through whom he had been introduced into this fellowship, in order that they may be made partakers of the same. But John does not advert in this epistle to a single fact of Christ's personal history. He seems purposely to fix our attention at once upon his essential nature as the life-giving God. And in connexion with this clearly indicated purpose, we perceive at once what that " fellowship" is, to which he had

attained. It is communion with the Son in his eternal life. A participation, as Peter expresses it, of the divine nature. Now it is plain, that no intimacy, however great, with the Man Jesus, could have issued in the possession of a divine and eternal life; nor can a nominal Christianity, by any possibility, bestow upon us the fellowship intended by the apostle. It is the privilege of faith alone to introduce us into this happy state of communion with the Father and the Son. First, we have by faith, union with Christ, and then communion with him in his life. Union with the Lord