ployed, in a free and independent way, the words of
Jude, or Jude those of Peter. Upon either supposition his writing is as
much inspired as if he had written independently. The most prominent
idea of Peter's first epistle is patience and steadfastness in the
endurance of suffering for Christ's sake; that of this second epistle is
caution against the seductions of false teachers. Thus each epistle
fills an important place in the entire economy of revelation.

III. EPISTLES OF JOHN.

14. THE FIRST EPISTLE OF JOHN bears throughout the impress of its
_authorship_. That it was written by the same man who wrote the fourth
gospel is too evident to be reasonably controverted. On this ground
alone its genuineness and authenticity may be regarded as established on
a firm basis. But the external testimonies to its authorship are also
abundant from Polycarp, the disciple of the apostle, and onward. It is
unnecessary to enumerate them. In respect to the _date_ of this epistle
we have no certain knowledge. The common opinion is that it was written
after the gospel, and towards the close of the first century. With this
supposition the contents agree. It contains the affectionate counsel of
an aged apostle to his younger brethren, whom he addresses as his
"little children." He writes, moreover, in "the last time," when,
according to the prediction of our Lord and his apostles, many
antichrists and false prophets are abroad in the world (chaps. 2:18;
4:1-3), and there are some who deny that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh (chap. 4:2, 3). As to the _place_ of the apostle's writing, if we
follow ancient tradition, which makes Ephesus his home in his old age,
we may well believe that he wrote from that city, and that the epistle
was addressed primarily to the circle of churches which had Ephesus for
a centre.

Some of the ancients refer to the present epistle as written to
the _Parthians_. But this is a very improbable assumption, and
rests apparently on some mistake. The apostle evidently writes
to those who are under his spiritual care; and these are not the
Parthians, but the Christians of Asia, to whom also the seven
letters of the Apocalypse are addressed.

15. The epistle has unity throughout, but not the unity of systematic
logical arrangement. Its unity consists rather in the fact that all its
thoughts revolve around one great central truth, _the incarnation of the
Son of God in the person of Jesus