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Jefus Chrift his Son, would procure them pardon for all such fins as they might fall into, not prefumptuously, but through human infirmity. Such is the nature of the Christian fellowfhip, and fuch its unspeakable advantages, ver. 7.

To his account of the motives offered in the gospel, to the members of the fellowship of God to live in holiness after the example of God, the apoftle fubjoined an exprefs condemnation of the corrupt doctrine of the Nicolaitans, defcribed, pref. sect. 3. toward the close. For he declared, That whofoever faith he hath no fin to be cleanfed from, deceiveth himself, and the true Christian doctrine is not in him, ver. 8.-He, therefore, advised every one to confefs his fins to God, who, agreeably to his promife publifhed in the gofpel, and to his own righteousness, will cleanfe penitent finners from the pollution and punishment of all their fins, ver. 9.-Farther he declared, If any one affirmeth that he hath no fin to be cleansed from, he strives to make God a liar, who, as the apoftle obferves in the beginning of the next chapter, hath fent his Son to be a propitiation for the fins of the world, ver. Ic.

NEW TRANSLATION.

I

COMMENTARY.

CHAP. I. 1 That CHAP. I. I That which was which was from the be- from the beginning of the gofpel, ginning, which we have which we apostles have heard with heard, which we have our ears, which we have feen with our seen with our eyes, which eyes, which we have contemplated at we have contemplated, and leifure and with the greatest attenour hands have handled 3 tion, and our hands have handled perconcerning the living word.+ taining to the really living word.

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his afcending into heaven in a fhining cloud, while they looked

on.

2. Which we have feen with our eyes, which we have contemplated. The expreffion o iwgazaper, auhich we have feen, is different from, Dacaμd. For the latter, as diftinguished from the former, denotes the ap itle's beholding attentively and confidering at leifure, the life of the word in the flesh; his words, his actions, his fufferings, and all the other particulars by which he manifefted the reality of his life in the flesh. o mark this difference in the expreffions, I have tranflated & Excμda, which we have contemplated.

3. And our hands have handled. In this John alludes to what Chrift faid to his difciples, when he appeared to them after his refurrection, Luke xxiv. 29. Handle me and fee; for a Spirit hath not fleb and bones, as ye fee me have On many other occafions, the difciples had an opportunity of handling their mafter, and knowing that he had a real body. For example, when he washed their feet; when he took

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Peter by the hand to prevent him from finking as he walked on the water; when the difciples gave him the loaves and fishes, and when he, after multiplying them, put them into their hands to be diftributed to the multitude. John, in particular, had an opportunity of feeling Christ's body, when he leaned on his bofom, during the last paffover fupper, John xiii. 23.

4. Concerning the living word. Eg To hoy8 Tns (wns: literally conterning the word of life. But the expreffion is an Hebraifm, which, as the context fheweth, ought to be tranflated, concerning the living word. See Eff. iv. 18.-The fentiment in this claufe, John hath expreffed more fully in his gofpel, chap. i. 4. where fpeaking of the word he faith, In him was life, and the life, namely of the word, was the light of men. And ver. 14. The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The herefy which the apoitle condemned in this and the following verfe, is mentioned, 2 epiftle, ver. 7. Many deceivers are entered into the world, who do not confefs Jefus Chrift did come in the Heb. See Preface to 1 John, Sect. 3. paragr. 2. Alfo 1 John iv. 3. note 1. In oppofition to that pernicious doctrine, which overturned the gofpel entirely, John folemnly affirmed, That what he and his brethren apoftles, publifhed to the world concerning the real manifeftation of the word or Son of God in the flesh, and concerning his actions and fufferings in the flesh, all actually happened. That having heard him fpeak, and feen him die, and handled him both before his death and after his refurrection, they could not be mistaken in believ ing that he really appeared in the flesh.

Ver 2-1. The life. By this expreffion Benfon understands Chrift himfelf the author of eternal life, chap. v. 11. But as the apostle adds

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2 For the life of the word, or Son of God in the flesh, was manifefted to the fenfes of all who converfed with him. And we apoftles, who accompanied him during his abode on earth, have feen it, and bear witnefs, and declare to you that life which is eternal, which the word poffeffed with the Father, and which was ma◄ nifefted to us at his baptifm, tranffiguration, and refurrection.

3 I fay, that which we apoftles have actually feen and heard, pertaining to the appearing of the word in the flesh, we declare to you as abfolutely certain, that, by believing our teftimony, ye also may enter into our fellowship; and our fellowship truly is with the Father of the universe, and with his Son Jefus Chrift; confequently it is a more honourable and a more powerfully protected fociety, than any of the heathen fellowships.

that they had feen the life, I rather think he means the life of the word in the flesh.

2. Was manifefted EQavspwn. This word is applied, not only to our Lord's appearing in the flesh, but to his fecond appearing at the end of the world, chap. ii. 28. See note 2. on that verse, and 1 Pet. i. 7. notę 2.

3. And declare to you that life which is eternal, which was with the Father and was manifefled to us. By the life which is eternal which was manifefted to the apofiles, fome understand that immortal life of bleffednefs which was brought to light, and promifed in the gospel to believers. But as that life is faid to have been with the Father, it muft mean, either the eternal life, or existence of the Father himself, or of fome other perfon. Now fince the eternal existence of the Father could not be manifefted to the apostles by revelation, which prefuppofes the existence of God, the life which is eternal must be that which the Word, or Son, poffeffed with the Father before the world was; and which was manifefted to the apoftles at our Lord's baptifm and transfiguration, when, by a voice from heaven, God declared him his beloved Son: It was manifefted likewife by God's raifing Jefus from the dead.-That this ver. 2. is a parenthefis, is evident from the repetition of the words of the first verse, in the beginning of the third. Ver. 3.

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4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

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4 Ka ταυτα γραφομεν ὑμῖν ἵνα ἡ χαρα ύμων η πέν iva πληρωμενη.

Ver. 2.-1. That which we have seen and heard. John having affirmed this in the firft verfe, he repeats it here to fhew that he and his brethren apoftles were the perfons to whom Chrift faid, Matt. xiii. 16. Blefed are your eyes for they fee, and your ears for they hear.— Further, becaufe the apoftles by hearing and feeing had the fulleft affurance of the things which they teflified concerning their mafter, John told the elders of the Jews, Acts iv. 20. We cannot but speak the things which we have feen and heard; namely the doctrine, miracles, refurrection, and afcenfion of their mafter, and his return to judge the world.

2. We declare to you. As I am of the opinion of those who think John wrote his gospel a confiderable time before the deftruction of Jerufalem, I fuppofe he here alluded to his own gospel, in which hẹ had related the particulars, whereby the word was proved to have been made flesh.

3. That ye alfo may have nowway fellowship with us. In fcripture, xowna fignifies both the communication of fomething to others, and the participation of fomething with others: A joint participation. In the former fenfe it is ufed, 2 Cor. ix. 13. where it is tranflated, diftribution. In the latter fenfe it is ufed, I Cor. x. 15. Is it not xovwva the joint participation of the blood of Chrift? The Greeks likewife, as Chandler informs us, in his note on Ephef. v. 11. ufed the word xox, to denote a participation in their religious rites and myfteries, and in the benefits fuppofed to be procured by them.-Kovavia, alfo fignifies A fellowship, or company of men joined together by fome common bond, for the purpofe of obtaining certain advantages by mcans of their union, Among the heathens there were a variety of fuch fellowships, called by the Latins Sodalitia. And because many of them were instituted for celebrating the myfteries, or fecret wor fhip of their gods, the particular god in honour of whom the fellowfhip was inftituted, was confidered as the head of it, and the author of the benefits which the affociated expected to derive from their fellowship in his worship.-In this fenfe, the word fellowship, is with great propriety applied to the difciples of Chrift united, by their com mon faith, into one fociety or church for worshipping the only true God, through the mediation of his Son Jefus Chrift, and for receiving from him through the fame mediation, the great bleffings of protection and direction in the prefent-life, and of pardon and eternal happinefs in the life to come.-Agreeably to this account of the Chriftian fellowship the apoftle in this 3d verfe contrafts the heads thereof with the heads of the heathen fellowships: Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jefus Chrift. The heads of the Chriftian fellowship are the great Father of the univerfe, and his Son Jefus Chrift, who governs the world under him. Whereas the heads of the heathen fellowships, were mere non-entities. Or if any of them were

real

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4 And these things e write to you, that your joy may be complete.

4 These things concerning our fellowfhip with the Father and the Son, we write to you who have entered into our fellowship, that your joy, on account of the great honour and fafety which ye have obtained therein, may be complete.

real beings, they had no power in human affairs: confequently their votaries could derive, neither protection, nor any bleffing whatever from them.-Farther, in verfe 5. the apottle contrafts the knowledge of the nature and perfections of the true God, communicated in the gofpel to the members of the Chriftian fellowship, with the knowledge of the pretended heathen divinities, communicated in their myfteries to the initiated. This is the meage we have received from him and declare to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. He poffeffes every poffible perfection, and is abfolutely free from evil. Whereas the heathen gods, according to the reprefentation given of them in their myfteries, were polluted with every kind of vice. - Next, in verfe 6. he contrafts the character and manners of the members of the fellowship of the true God, with the character and manners of the initiated into the fellowships of the heathen gods. No perfon could be in the fellowship of the Father who habitually practifed any wickednefs. Whereas, to be in the fellowship of the heathen gods, it was neceffary to imitate them in their characters and vices.-In verfe 7. the apoftle contrafts the benefits which, the members of the fellowship of God, who imitate him in his moral qualities, receive from him, with the benefits which the votaries of the heathen gods receive from them. The former are the objects of God's love and care, and are cleanfed/ both from the power and from the punishment of their fins through the blood of Christ: Whereas the latter receive neither of these bleffings from their gods; nor indeed any benefit whatever.

Before this note is concluded, it may be proper to observe, that XOSYWIX fellowship, is ufed by the apostle Paul likewife, to denote that intercourse which the members of a fellowship or fociety have with each other, 2 Cor. vi. 14. Now what xovana (fellowship) intercourfe bath light with darkness?

4. And our fellowship, truly is with the Father, and with his Son Fefus Chrift.-Fellowship with the Father and the Son, means our being members of that religious community, of which the Father and Son are the heads; and our sharing in all the benefits which the members of that community derive from the Father and the Son, on account of their relation to them, as votaries or worshippers.-Paul likewife hath mentioned this fellowship, under the denomination of the fellowship of Christ. 1 Cor. i. 9. Faithful is God, by whom ye have been called into the fellowship of his Son Jefus Christ our Lord.

Ver. 4. 7hefe things we write. Etius faith the apostle ufeth the plural we, because the things which he wrote were perfectly confonant to the doctrine of his brethren apoftles.

Ver. 5.

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