The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-06-25
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught by study OF the
international sunday school Lesson APP
pointed for July ., 1891. II. John. lis.

Practical Duties Taught by study OF the
international sunday-sehooI Lesson APP
pointed for July ., 1891. u. John. lis.
Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph fIom the Holy Scriptures ~
indicated above.l
SUBJECT: THE WORD MADE FLEsH-THE IN
CARSATIoN OF THE Son OF COP.
l. Preliminary.
We now begin the study of ST. Johns Gospel
Says w. Lincoln: The Gospel Of John opens
with Christ in the bosom OF the Father. and
closes with sinner in the bosom Of Christ"
Cyprian was converted through reading il.
Prof. w. r. Harper says: The Gospel Of st.
John is the greatest book ever written" Ern-
esti styled the fourth Gospel The heart Of
Christ" Herder. rejoicing over il. declared
1T was written by the hand Of an angel" Or.
LANCE calls il 1.-THE diamond among the Cos
pelS, which is most fully penetrated by the
light Of life, and which reflects the glory Of the
GOdhead in flesh and blood even ia the crown
OF thOrns." DIR. Schaf wrote: "The Gospel OF
John Is the Gospels of Gospels. IA the Epistle to
the Romans IS the Epste OF Epistles Ii is the
most remarkable as 10 is the most important
literary production ever composed by man."
Rev. X. S. Storrs Pronounces it Z" The supreme
literary work in the world it's style is lucid
ms lightning; its contents are beyond thought
celestial. divine" st. Jerome asserts " He
(St. john at once, eagIe-like, perces the en-
pyrean. ascends to the thToue Of God, and
stands self-poised amid its inefable glories, and
beside its awful gulfs." The German poet
Matthias Claudius ID. i743J writes thus Of il:
Most dearly of all do | love TO read in st.
Johns Gospel. In him there is something so
entirely fascinating; twilight and night and
through them the LAM ent flashing lightnings.
soft evening cloud, and behind the cloud the
great full moon itself. Something 50 pensiye
and exalted and full of yearning that one can
not tire Of il. In reading ST. John IL IS always
rs if j saw him before me, leaning on His Mas
ter's bosom, at the last Supper; as if his good
angel stood by me, and IN certain passages
would fall upon my neck aud speak in my ear
/ do not understand all that / read, but often II
is as If his meaning hoated in the distance be-
fore me, and even when look into some dark
place, still have pTesentiment Of great. ma
Jestic meaning which | shall one day under
stand" The late Rev. q. e. Baldwin, Troy,
y. Y, exclaimed, &" What writer in the Bible
so fully equals Moses in sententiOus grandeur Z"
With the Gospel Of 81. John we are now TO
spend six months At each study we may ftly
offer the following prayer:
Merciful Lord, We besereh thee to east thy bright
beams Of light upon thy Church, that II being in
slTueted By the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and
Evangelist Saint John, may 80 walk ia the light of
thy truth that IL may At lengh attain TO everlas-
Ing life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
2. Gnosticism.
A student cannot so fully comprehend st.
Johns Gospel il he fail 20 understand the philo-
sophie cause which probably led tho author to
write. The GnOstles pretended to know more
than Christians understand as 10 divine prin-
ciples and facts. 1t would be we'll to consult
a good encyclopedia rs to this subjeet.)
1t is a curious fact that We owe 10 heresy the
origin OF the precious Gospel OF 81. John. The
II to a a LaEg-
his birth at Bethlehem, but 81. John says, " In
tho beginning was tine Word st. Jerome
said that the bishops Of Asia Minor urged ST..
John to write a Gospel so as 10 check the
heresies which had sprung up ia the Church.
lt may be- true IN part that 1t. John wrote n
Gospel on purpose to supply omissions Of SITS.
Matthew. Mark aud Luke. Eussbius d. 27Ol
states this was the Evangelist's main purpose.
Another great object was TO prevent any con-
founding OF St. John Baptist with Christ
IL was well Gospel was written at so late a
date as that of ST. John. Various errors Of be-
lief. noticeably the heresy Of Cerinthus, bad
had time 10 sprinE w and develop. lt was
providential III authoritative statement of one
of ChTists most intimate and confidential
Apostles set the thcOlOgic world Eight. He did
for the three Gospels what the Nicene Greed
did for the Apostles Greed. He overthrow the
heresies of Simon Magus, Yalentinus, Basilides,
CarpOerates.
the GnOstics taught matter is evil, and that
the Incarnation OF the pure Son OF God could
not be. ". John says plainly, The Word be-
came flesh" Why does st. John so abound in
such titles Of Christ, as {. O., Light. Life, Word
Fulness, Only Beg0tten. The GHosJ:cs held
there different deities represented respect
lively by the words Life, Light, etc. ST. John
wanted to show that the one Divine Person,
Jesus, possesses all said titles.
g. Time and Place
We may date the writing Of the Gospel Of St.
John at about A. ID. 90. IL was written at
Ephcsus, Asia Minor. That city was the head
quarters for heresies. We have the authority
Of Ireueus and other historians for said loca.
ton.
4. Facts Taught By 81. John as TO Christ
St. John teaches ia the paragraph we study
now important facts as TO Christ. We notice
the following:
l. lie is eternal. Heb, 1873: Rev, 1: g
III He is not creature. (Y. 81 He ante
coded every created thing and being. (Col 1
H. Hence, he was never created; hence, he
always was. He did not make himself; if lie
did, he would be part of creation. If so, il
could not be said he was before anything was
created. g: -; G:G2; II: ,. 81: Eph., l 81
Chapter 8 % carries Christ back before Abra-
ham. but Abraham was born A. VI. zoos. Christ
Was III the beginning. Before anything was
created he existed. w. H. If he was before
anything began, then he never began. Then
the Ebionites were in error who held Christ
did not exist prior 10 his birth by ST. Mary.
lie was the Word, or Wisdom, Of God. IL not
eternal, 1t might be q question whether or not
God was at some time without Wisdom.
q Christ is God. (Y.1. Compare Gen., I
with V. 3 of the lesson. Refer to 10: SO and
%: % Of st. John; John, 3 20; Acts, II n
e'fd with V. Of the lesson Heb, l g; 3 4;
Ii, 8 {: Is c'fd with V. IL of the les5ou.l Gre
alton is an attribute Of Deity and Deity alone
hence, Christ must be God.
s. Christ is distinct from th Father. He
was nth the Father in the beginning. 1t
would be strange to say the Father was with
himself lie was sent forth from the Father
God cannot send away ono Of his attributes
nor can one of them enter u man, nor can one
of them be introduced 10 q man as ia v. 10
Chapter II: 5speaks Of the glory Jesus had ,Cih
the Father.
T. Christ is the medium of communication
Of Deity with humanity. This is expressed in
his title, The Word. lie is the manifestation
of God to man. Why is Christ so called2 a.
Verse IS says, Christ declared the Father. AS
IroYds make clear our ideas, so Christ exhibits
the Father. Thus the Father speaks by on
through him. O.: 81 Gen, L 3, unites God
and the Word in the expression, God said" as
is evident from V. 3 OF the lesson. For all
manifestations Of attributes of the Deity, God
employs Christ. (lIob., 1:2; P5, % o. Thus
God displays, c. o., creative power through
Christ. (Ps., III :lS) b. All revelations OF