SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY.

The Collect.

MERCIFUL Lord, we beseech Thee to cast Thy bright beams of light upon Thy Church, that it being enlightened by the doctrine of Thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John may so walk in the light of Thy truth, that it may at length attain to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

T. How do we address God in this Collect?

S."Merciful Lord."

T. How did He thus proclaim His Name to Moses on Mount Sinai? Exod. xxxiv. 6.

S. "The Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."

T. What proof of God's mercy and loving-kindness do we commemorate this day?

S. The gift of his blessed Apostle and Evangelist, St. John.

T. Why is he called an Evangelist ?

S. Because he wrote one of the Gospels.
T. Was he also a martyr?

S. He was one in will but not in deed.

T. What do we beseech of God to do?

S." Cast Thy bright beams of light upon Thy Church."

T. How is Christ described as the source of Light?

S. He is "the Sun of Righteousness." Mal. iv. 2. "The Day-star." 2 Peter, i. 19. "The bright and morning Star." Rev. xxii. 16. “A burning and a shining Light.” John, v. 35.

T. How has He cast His bright beams upon the Church?

S. By the gift of the Holy Ghost.

T. Whom did the Holy Spirit first inspire to enlighten the Church?

S. The holy Apostles and Evangelists.

T. How does St. Paul describe the teaching of him. self and the Apostles? 1 Cor. ii. 13.

S. "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth."

T. What do we remark in St. John's doctrine ?

S. He especially taught the divinity of our Saviour. T. Is this truth necessary, if we would attain to the light of everlasting life?

S. Yes; we are taught in the Athanasian creed: "Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation, that we also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man."

T. When we attain to the light of everlasting life, shall we need any more teaching?

S. No: "Now, we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face now we know in part; but then shall we know, even as also we are known." 1 Cor. xiii. 12.

The Epistle. 1 St. John, i. 1.

THAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;) 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. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

T. In these early days of Christianity, certain heretics had denied that Jesus was indeed "made flesh," refusing on that account to receive the sacrament of the Lord's

Supper (Docetæ). Others maintained that Christians were incapable of committing sins (Nicolaitans). This epistle is a refutation of all such false doctrine.

T. How does St. John give the witness of his senses to prove that Christ was made flesh?

S. He speaks of Him as "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled."

T. What instances are recorded of the Disciples touch. ing the Lord?

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S. When He washed their feet, John, xiii. 5. When John was lying upon Jesus' breast at the Last Supper (25); and when He desired them after His resurrection, Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have," Luke, xxiv. 39. The wicked Judas also kissed Him. Matt. xxvi. 49.

T. Whom does St. John mean by the "life ?"

S. Jesus, "in whom was life, and the life was the light of men." John, i. 4.

T. What did the disciples declare to all men?

S. "That which they had seen and heard." Peter and John spoke thus before the Jews: "For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." Acts, iv. 20.

T. How does St. John show his Christian love?

S. By his desire to declare these things unto all men, that they might have fellowship with the disciples.

T. What glorious fellowship were those who believed "through their word" to enjoy ?

S. With the Father and the Son, according to Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: "That they all may be one, as Thou Father art in Me, and I in Thee,

that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me." John, xvii. 21.

T. What is the condition of such fellowship?

S. To "walk in the light, as He is in the light.”

T. What light is given to guide us out of darkness? S. The light of the Holy Spirit—the glorious light of the Gospel.

T. How may we walk in darkness?

S. If we continue in unbelief and sin. "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Cor. vi. 14.

T. What is our privilege in the holy communion to which we are called?

S. "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin."

T. What was the sign of cleansing from sin under the first covenant?

S. "The blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean." Heb. ix. 13.

T. Under what sign do we now receive Christ's body and blood, which cleanses us from all sin?

S. Under the sign of bread and wine in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

T. What if we deny our need of this, saying, no sin?"

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we have

S. "We deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." T. What do we first require ?

S. A knowledge of ourselves and our sins.

T. Then, what must be our preparation ?

S. To confess our sins. See Catechism. [To examine themselves, whether they repent them truly of their former sins.

T. If we persist in thinking ourselves righteous, what is our guilt?