p. 179 | REMARKS ON SCRIPTURE

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 23, 1860

REMARKS ON SCRIPTURE.

"I WROTE unto the church; but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember the deeds that he doeth, prating against us with malicious words; and not content therewith, neither doth he receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church." 1 John iii, 8-10.

FREE VERSION.

I have written to the church of which you are a member—what I have written is intended for them; but Diotrephes, who loves to put himself forward as a leader among them, does not receive us in a friendly manner for which, if I come, I will remember his conduct; (with the authority which the Lord Jesus has given me for edification and not for destruction;) for he keeps talking about us with injurious words; and not content with this, neither does he give a friendly reception to the brethren, and hinders those who are willing to treat them kindly, and sends them away from the church to seek some place where they can preach the gospel without molestation.

Of Diotrephes we know nothing more than we are here told. Nor are we informed what injurious things he said against the apostles and the other brethren. But he no doubt had specious pretences for his conduct. He did not think they were preachers of the right stamp; and he would have it supposed that it was for the truth's sake that he received them coldly. Or he opposed them because they dared to have an opinion of their own different from his, which they could not possibly have if they were sound and orthodox. Or he would insinuate that John was his rival, and that he and those he sent wished to put him down. He thought it every way fitting that those who came to preach near where he was, and where he had done and was doing so much good, should fall in behind him, and work under him. If he took it into his head that some more distant brother was his rival, and would not be governed by his opinions, he would try if he could not think of some friend in that brother's neighborhood, to whom he would write a friendly, flattering letter, taking care to drop some hints prejudicial to the brother, which his special friend was expected to use in the proper way. Thus he would keep himself and others around him perpetually in hot water. When he got rid of one associate with whom he was constantly quarreling, he would soon find another; for he would be all the time watching his brethren.

So the preachers of the gospel chose to go elsewhere, in order that they might serve God in the gospel of his Son in peace. They would likely have gone to some other denomination, had there been different denominations in the church in that day.—Preacher and Presbyterian.