ten of God guardeth himfef, and the devil doth not lay hold on him so as to inflave him: For such an one, when fick, ye may pray in the hope of being heard. 19 By keeping ourselves from ha bitual fin, we know that we are begotten of God. But the whole world of idolaters and infidels lieth under the dominion of the devil. See Col. i. 13. notes. 20 Moreover, we know that the Son of God hath come in the flesh to destroy the works and power of the devil, (chap. iii. 8.) and hath given us his disciples understanding, that we might know the true God; and fo we are fubject to the true God, by being fubject to his Son Jefus Chrift. This is the true God, and the eternal life which God hath promised to all them who know him, John xvii. 3. Farther, wicked men are faid, 2 Tim. ii. 26. To be held in the fnare of the devil. And Ephef. vi. II. He is faid to ufe crafty methods for the deftruction of mankind.-And 2 Cor. xi. 3. He is faid to have beguiled ·Eve by his fubtilty.—And Coloff. i. 13. believers are laid to be delivered from the power of darkness, and tranflated into the kingdom of his beloved Son. See the notes on 2 Cor. iv. 4. and on Ephef. ii. 2.- -Becaufe Homer uses the word xara, to denote the bodies of men lying on the ground flain, Doddridge thinks the apoftle, by ufing that word here, represents the wicked men of the world as lying flain by the devil, to give us an affecting idea of the miferable and helpless state of mankind fallen by the ftroke of that malicious mercilefs enemy. Vei, 20.-1. Hath given us understanding, that we might know the true God. In the tranflation of this claufe I have fupplied the word Ged from the end of the verfe, not only because it is found in the Alexandrian MS. and in the Vulgate, verfion, but because the sense of the paffage requires it.-In the Vulgate, this verfe is tranflated as follows, Et dedit nobis fenfum ut cognofcamus verum Deum, et fimus in vero filio ejus s Hic eft verus Deus, et vita eterna. And hath given us understanding that we might know the true God, and might be in his true Son: This is the true God and life eternal. It feems the copy from which the Vulgate tranflation was made, read here, Τον αληθινον θεον, και ωμεν εν τω αληθινῳ εν AUTH, 2. This 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. A men. 21 Τέκνια, φυλαξατε αυτους άπο των ειδώλων. Αμην. z. This is the true God. Because the perfon last mentioned in what goes before, is Jefus Chrift, many commentators and theologians contend, that the demonftrative pronoun duros, ftands here for Jefus Chrift, and that he is the perfon who is called the true God. But as pronouns often denote the remote antecedent, when the circumstances of the cafe require them to be fo understood, (Eff iv 63.) others are of opinion that duros, in this paffage, refers not to Jefus Christ the near antecedent, but to torandivoy, the true one, or true God, whom the Son of God had given the Chriftians understanding to know. And this opinion they think probable, because, if the apoftle by auros, means Jefus Christ, he maketh him the true God, notwithstanding in the fentence which immediately precedes duros, he diftinguisheth the true one, from his Son Jefus Chrif; Και εσμεν εν τω αληθινῳ, εν τῳ διῳ αυτε Ιησε Χρισῳ : And we are under the true one, under his Son Jefus Chrift Now, although our tranflators have destroyed that distinction, and have made Jefus Chrift the true God, by inferting the word even, in their translation between the two claufes of the fentence, in this manner, And we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift; yet as they have inferted that word without the authority of any ancient MS. the critics who make čutos refer, not to Jefus Chrift, but to Toy and, think their opinion ought to have no weight in a matter of fuch importance.-Glaffius, Philolog Sacr. p. 714. tells us that Athanafius in the council of Nice, difputing against Arius, called this text of John, a written demonflration and added, That as Chrift faid of the Father, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, fo John faid of the Son, This is the true God and eternal life: And that Arius then acquiefced in this written demonftration, and confeffed the Son of God to be the true God. For thefe facts Glaffius appeals to Athanafij Oper. Tom. 3. p. 705. Ver. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. I 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from worfhipping falle gods and images. Now to fhew my fincerity in this, and in all the things I have written to you, I conclude the whole with an Amen. Ver. 21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. For the meaning of the word Edenwy idols. See 1 Cor. viii. 4. note 2.-The apoftle cautioned his difciples againft going with the heathens into the temples of their idol gods, to eat of their feafts upon the facrifices which they offered to thefe gods, and againft being prefent at any act of worship which they paid to them, because, by being prefent at the worship of idols, they participated in that worship; as is plain from what St. Paul hath written on that subject. 1 Cor. viii. and x.- -The exhortation to the brethren to keep themselves from idols, fheweth that this epiftle was intended for the converted Gentiles every where, as well as for the Jews in Judea to whom I fuppofe it was firft fent. A NEW A NEW LITERAL TRANSLATION OF THE SECOND EPISTLE OF THE APOSTLE JOHN. PREFACE. SECT. I. Of the Authenticity of John's Three Epiftles. THE HE internal evidence of the authenticity of the three epiftles commonly afcribed to John, having been explained in the preface to the first epistle, fect. 2. this fection shall be employed in setting before the reader what is called the external evidence, arising from the testimony of contemporary, and of fucceeding authors, who speak of these epiftles as writ ten by John the apoftle. Lardner on the Canon, vol. iii. p. 262. hath fhewed, That the first epistle of John is referred to by Polycarp, and by the martyrs of Lyons ;-That his first and fecond epiftles are quoted by Irenæus, and were received by Clemens of Alexandria;-That Origen faith, "John, befide the Gospel and Re"velation, hath left us an epiftle of a few lines: Grant also a VOL. VI. " fecond K |