not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his 4 commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth

not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in 5 him. But whoso keepeth his word, verily in him the love of God is perfected: hereby we know that we are 6 in him. He that saith he abideth in him, ought him7 self also so to walk, even as he walked. Beloved, I write not a new commandment to you, but the old commandment, which ye have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the 8 beginning. Again, I do write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you: for the darkness is 9 passed away, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in dark10 ness until now. He that loveth his brother, abideth in

the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him: 11 But he that hateth his brother, is in darkness, and walketh

of God is appeased: for our sins-Who believe: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world—Just as wide as sin extends, the propitiation extends also.

V. 3. And hereby we know that we truly and savingly know him—As he is the advocate, the righteous, the propitiation: if we keep his commandments— Particularly those of faith and love.

V. 5. But whoso keepeth his word-His commandments, verily in him the love of God-Reconciled to us through Christ, is perfected-ls perfectly known: Hereby-By our keeping his word, we know that we are in him-So is the tree known by its fruits. To know him, to be in him, to abide in him, are nearly synonymous terms: only with a gradation: knowledge, communion, constancy. V. 6. He that saith he abideth in him—Which implies a durable state, a constant, lasting knowledge of, and communion with him: ought himself Otherwise they are vain words, so to walk, even as he walked-In the world. As he, are words that frequently occur in this epistle. Believers having their hearts full of him, easily supply his name

V. 7. When I speak of keeping his word, I write not a new commandment— I do not speak of any new one; but the old commandment, which ye had-Even from your fore-fathers.

V. 8. Again, I do write a new commandment to you-Namely, with regard to loving one another. A commandment, which though it also was given long ago, yet is truly new in him and in you. It was exemplified in him, and is now fulfilled by you, in such a manner as it never was before. For there is no comparison between the state of the Old Testament believers, and that which ye now enjoy: The darkness of that dispensation is passed away; and Christ the true light now shineth in your hearts.

V. 9. He that saith he is in the light-In Christ, united to him, and hateth his brother (The very name shews the love due to him) is in darkness until now-Void of Christ, and of all true light.

V. 10. He that loveth his brother-For Christ's sake, abideth in the light Of God, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him-Whereas he that hates his brother, is an occasion of stumbling to himself. He stumbles against himself, and against all things within and without: while he that loves his brother, has a free, disencumbered journey.

V. 11. He that hateth his brother-And he must hate, if he does not love

in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because 12 darkness hath blinded his eyes. I have written to you,

beloved children, because your sins are forgiven you for 13 his name' sake. I write to you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because ye have known the 14 Father. I have written to you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked Love not the world, neither the things that are in

15 one.

the world: if any one love the world, the love of the 16 Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

him; there is no medium: is in darkness-In sin, perplexity, entanglement. He walketh in darkness, and knoweth not, that he is in the high road to hell.

V. 12. I have written to you, beloved children-Thus St. John bespeaks all to whom he writes. But from the 18th to the 27th verse he divides them particularly into fathers, young men, and little children: because your sins are forgiven you-As if he had said, This is the sum of what I have now written, He then proceeds to other things, which are built upon this foundation.

V. 13. The address to spiritual fathers, young men, and little children, is first proposed in this verse, wherein he says, I write to you, fathers: I write to you, young men: I write to you, little children; and then enlarged upon, in doing which he says, I have written to you, fathers, ver. 14. I have written to you, young men, ver. 14-17. I have written to you, little children, ver. 18—27. Having finished his address to each, he returns to all together, whom he again terms (as ver. 12) beloved children. Fathers, ye have known him that is from the beginning-Ye have known the eternal God, in a manner wherein no other, even true believers, have known him. Young men, ye have overcome the wicked one-In many battles, by the power of faith. Little children, ye have known the Father-As your Father, (though ye have not yet overcome) by the Spirit witnessing with your spirit, that ye are the children of God.

V. 14. I have written to you, fathers--As if he had said, Observe well what I but now wrote. He speaks very briefly and modestly to those, who needed not much to be said to them, as having that deep acquaintance with God, which comprises all necessary knowledge. Young men, ye are strong-la faith, and the word of God abideth in you-Deeply rooted in your hearts, whereby ye have often foiled your great adversary.

V. 15. To you all, whether fathers, young men, or little children, I say, Love not the world-Pursue your victory by overcoming the world. If any man love the world-Seek happiness in visible things, he does not love God.

V. 16. The desire of the flesh-Of the pleasure of the outward senses, whe ther of the taste, smell, or touch: the desire of the eye-Of the pleasures of imagination, (to which the eye chiefly is subservient;) of that internal sense, whereby we relish whatever is grand, new, or beautiful: the pride of life-All that pomp in clothes, houses, furniture, equipage, manner of living, which generally procure honour from the bulk of mankind, and so gratify pride and vanity. It therefore directly includes the desire of praise, and remotely, covetousness. All these desires are not from God, but from the prince of this world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the desire thereof; but 18 he that doth the will of God abideth for ever. Little

children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist cometh, so even now there are many antichrists, 19 whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest, that they were not 20 all of us. But ye have an anointing from the Holy One, 21 and know all things. I have not written to you, because

ye know not the truth; but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is that liar, but he that 22 denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who 23 denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth

the Son, he hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth 24 the Son, hath the Father also. Therefore let that abide

V. 17. The world passeth away, and the desire thereof-That is, all that can gratify those desires passeth away with it: but he that doth the will of GodThat loves God, not the world, abideth-In the enjoyment of what he loves, for ever.

V. 18. My little children, it is the last time-The last dispensation of grace, that which is to continue to the end of time, is begun: Ye have heard that antichrist cometh-Under the term antichrist, or the spirit of antichrist, he includes all false teachers, and enemies to the truth, yea, whatever doctrines or men are contrary to Christ. It seems to have been long after this, that the name of antichrist was appropriated to that grand adversary of Christ, the man of sin, (2 Thess. ii. 3.) Antichrist, in St. John's sense, that is, Antichristianism, has been spreading from his time till now; and will do so, till that great adversary arises, and is destroyed by Christ's coming.

V. 19. They were not of us-When they went; their hearts were before departed from God, otherwise they would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest―That is, this was made manifest, by their going out.

V. 20. But ye have an anointing-A chrism; perhaps so termed in opposition to the name of antichrist, an inward teaching from the Holy Ghost, whereby ye know all things-Necessary for your preservation from these seducers, and for your eternal salvation. St. John here but just touches upon the Holy Ghost, of whom he speaks more largely, ch. iii. 24. iv. 13. v. 6.

V. 21. I have written-Namely, ver. 13, to you, because ye know the truthThat is, to confirm you in the knowledge ye have already. Ye know that no lie is of the truth-That all the doctrines of these antichrists are irreconcilable to it.

V. 22. Who is that liar-Who is guilty of that lying, but he who denies that truth which is the sum of all Christianity: that Jesus is the Chaist; that he is the Son of God; that he came in the flesh, is one undivided truth; and he that denies one part of this, in effect denies the whole. He is antichrist-And the spirit of antichrist, who in denying the Son denies the Father also.

V. 23. Whosoever denieth the eternal Son of God, he hath not commuuion with the Father, but he that truly and believingly acknowledgeth the Son, hath

communion with the Father also.

V. 24. If that Truth, concerning the Father and the Son, which ye have heard from the beginning, abide-Fixed and rooted in you, ye also shall abide ip that happy communion with the Son and the Father.

in you, which ye heard from the beginning: if that which ye heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall 25 abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the pro26 mise which he hath promised us, eternal life. These things have I written to you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any should teach you, save as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is true, and is no lie; and as it has taught you, ye shall abide in him.

27

28

And now, beloved children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed 29 before him at his coming. Since ye know, that he is righteous, ye know that every one who practiseth righteousness is born of him.

CHAP. III. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because 2 it knoweth not him. Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for

V. 25. He-The Son, hath promised us-If we abide in him.

V. 26. These things-From ver. 21. I have written to you-St. John, according to his custom, begins and ends with the same form, and having finished a kind of parenthesis, (ver. 20—26,) continues ver. 27, what he said in the 20th verse. Concerning them that would seduce you.

V. 27. Ye need not that any should teach you, save as that anointing teacheth you-Which is always the same, always consistent with itself, But this does

not exclude our need of being taught by them who partake of the same anointing of all things-Which it is necessary for you to know and is no lie Like that which antichrist teaches. Ye shall abide in him-This is added, both by way of comfort and of exhortation. The whole discourse, from ver. is to this, is peculiarly adapted to little children.

V. 28. And now, beloved children-Having finished his address to each, he now returns to all in general: abide in him, that we-A modest expression : may not be ashamed before him at his coming-O how will ye, Jews, Socinians, nominal Christians, be ashamed in that day.

V. 29. Every one-And none else, who practiseth righteousness-From a be lieving, loving heart, is born of him-For all his children are like himself.

CHAP. III. Ver. 1. That we should be called-That is, should be the children of God. Therefore the world knoweth us not-They know not what to make of us. We are a mystery to them.

V. 2. It doth not yet appear-Even to ourselves, what we shall be-It is something ineffable, which will raise the children of God to be in a manner as God himself. But we know-In general, that when he-The Son of God, shall appear, we shall be like him-The glory of God penetrating our inmost substance, for we shall see him as he is-Manifestly, without a veil. And that sight will transform us into the same likeness.

VOL. II.

Y

S we shall see him as he is. And every one that hath this 4 hope in him, purifieth himself even as he is pure. Who

soever committeth sin, transgresseth also the law; för sin 5 is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested, to take away our sin, and in him is no 6 sin. Whosoever abideth in him, sinneth not; whosoever sinneth, seeth him not, neither knoweth him. Beloved 7 children, let no one deceive you: He that practiseth 8 righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning: to this end the Son of God was 9 manifested, to destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed abideth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of 10 God. Hereby the children of God are manifested, and the children of the devil: whosoever practiseth not righteousness is not of God; neither he that loveth not his II brother. For this is the message which ye have heard 12 from the beginning, that we love one another. Not as

Cain, who was of the wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works -13 were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my

V. 3. And every one that hath this hope in him-In God.

V. 4. Whosoever committeth sin-Thereby transgresseth the holy, just, and good law of God, and so sets his authority at nought: for this is implied in the very nature of sin.

V. 5. And ye know that he-Christ, was manifested-That he came into the world for this very purpose, to take away our sins-To destroy them all, root and branch, and leave none remaining. And in him is no sin-So that he could not suffer on his own account, but to make us as himself.

V. 6. Whosoever abideth in communion with him-By loving faith, sinneth not-While he so abideth: Whosoever sinneth certainly seeth him not-The loving eye of his soul is not then fixed upon God; neither doth he then experimentally know him-Whatever he did in time past.

V. 7. Let no one deceive you Let none persuade you, that any man is righteous, but he that uniformly practises righteousness: he alone is righteous— After the example of his Lord.

V. S. He that committeth sin is a child of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning-That is, was the first sinner in the universe, and has continued to sin ever since. The Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil-All sin. And will he not perform this in all that trust in him?

V. 9. Whosoever is born of God-By living faith, whereby God is continually breathing spiritual life into his soul, and his soul is continually breathing out divine seed-Of loving

love and prayer to God, doth not commit sin. Fornnot sin, because he is born

faith, abideth in him: and-So long it doth, he

of God-Is inwardly and universally changed.

V. 10. Neither he that loveth not his brother-Here is the transition from the general proposition to one particular.

V. 13. Who was of the wicked one-Who shewed he was a child of the devil, by killing his brother. And wherefore slew he him? For any fault? To: but just the reverse: for his goodness.

V. 13. Marvel not, if the world hate you-For the same cause.