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IO If we fay that we have not finned, we make (Eff. iv. 1.) him a liar, and his word is not in us.

10 If, with the Nicolaitans, we fay that we have not finned by any thing we have done, because all actions are free to us, we endeavour to make God a liar, who by appointing his Son to die as a propitiation, and by promifing to pardon us on account of that propitiation, hath declared that we are finners; confequently his word is not in us.

formation, without which no finner will be pardoned, if space of amendment is allowed to him.

life, was to poffefs the knowledge of the true God and of Jefus Chrift, but affirmed, that the person who poffeffed this knowledge, was under no obligation to obey God's commandments. For, in oppofition to these impious tenets, John declared, that it is only by the keeping of God's commandments, that any man can know that he knoweth God aright; confequently, that that is the only right knowledge of God which leadeth men to a holy life, ver. 3.-Wherefore, if any one affirmeth that he knoweth God, and doth not keep his commandments, he is a liar, and the true knowledge of God is not in him, ver. 4.- Farther, it seemeth to have been a doctrine of the Nicolaitans, that the enjoying of fenfual pleasures without restraint, was a proper expreffion of their love and gratitude to God, for his having freed them, under the gofpel, from the obligations of morality. For the apostle, in oppofition to that impious doctrine, declared, that whofoever keepeth God's injunction to obey Chrift's precepts, in that man, the love and gratitude which he oweth to God is carried to perfection; and that fuch a perfon may thereby know, that he is in the fellowship of God, ver. 5.And with refpect to fellowship with Chrift, the apoftle declared, that he who faith he abideth in fellowship with Chrift, ought to live in the holy manner, in which Chrift lived while he was on earth, ver. 6.

Next, the apostle told his difciples, that in enjoining them to obey Chrift's precepts, he wrote no new commandment, but an old commandment given by Mofes in the law, who ordered the Ifraelites to hearken to the prophet, whom God was to raise up from among their brethren, like to him, yer. 7.-But he wrote

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a new commandment, when he enjoined them to walk even as Chrift walked; because it implied, that they were to lay down. their lives for one another, (chap. iii. 16.) as Christ laid down his life for them, ver. 8.-And, because fome of the Jews, like the initiated in the heathen myfteries, thought themselves enlightened perfons, notwithstanding they were void of love to the rest of mankind, and even hated them, the apoftle told them, that the person who thought himself enlightened, and yet hated his brother, was ftill in darkness, notwithstanding he called himself a Christian, ver. 9.- But he who loveth his brother, in fuch a manner as to do him every good office in his power, is in the light; he is a truly enlightened perfon, and there is nothing in him to occafion his falling into fin, ver. 1o.-Then, to imprefs his difciples the more flrongly, with a fenfe of the obligation. they were laid under by the light to love one another, the apostle repeated the fentiment which he had delivered in verse 9th, that he who hateth his brother is in the darkness of ignorance, and doth not know whither that conduct will lead him,. because the darkness of ignorance hath blinded the eyes of his understanding, ver. II.

Having finished these subjects, John told all the brethren in general, that he was going to write a precept which he knew would be agreeable to them, becaufe their fins were to be forgiven through Chrift, ver. 12.-Accordingly, first of all addreffing fuch of them as were of long ftanding in the church, whom on that account he called fathers, he said he would write to them the precept of which he spake, because they had known. Chrift from the beginning, confequently they would know that what he should write to them was Chrift's precept. Then turning his difcourfe to those who were in the vigour of the Christian life, whom therefore he called young men, he obferved, that his precept would not be difficult to them, because they had already overcome the wicked one, the devil, by refifting his ftrongest temptations. And with refpect to the newly converted, whom he termed young children, what he was going to write would, he believed, be approved by them, because they were acquainted with the will of the Father, ver. 13. However, before he wrote the precept of which he spake, he told the fathers, that he had written to them the precept of walking as Chrift walked, because they had known Chrift from the beginning. The fame precept he had written to the young men, because they were ftrong in the Chriftian virtues through the doctrine of God abiding in them, and because they had already overcome the wicked one, ver. 14.-Having thus roufed the attention of the old, the middle aged, and the young, John told

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them his precept was, Not to be in love with the men and manners of the world, neither with the things which the men of the world pursue: because, if any one loveth the world much, the love of the Father is not in him, ver. 15.-Besides, the evil affections towards the things of the world, which fubfift in the minds of idolaters and unbelievers, do not proceed from the Father, as wicked men falfely fuppofe, who on that account fancy they may fafely gratify them; but they are raised in them, by the things of the world, ver. 16.-Further, though wicked men propose to make themselves happy, by the unrestrained enjoyment of the things which are in the world, they delude themfelves. For the world, together with the things which it contains, and the lufts which are gratified by these things, paffeth away; they are all of a fhort duration. But he who doth the will of God by not indulging worldly lufts, shall abide in happiness through all eternity, ver. 17.

At the time John wrote this letter, the Chriftians in Judea and in the neighbouring countries, were greatly haraffed by the unbelieving Jews, in the tumults which they excited immediately before their last war with the Romans. Wherefore, to comfort more especially the newly converted under thefe fufferings, he affured them that it was the last hour of the duration of the Jewish ftate; fo that the power of their perfecutors would foon be broken: And to prove that it was the laft hour, he put them in mind that Chrift, in his prophefy concerning the destruction of Jerufalem, had mentioned the appearing of many falfe prophets, as a fign of the impending ruin. Wherefore, fince many falfe teachers, whom the apoftle called antichriffs, because they were opposers of Christ, (ver. 22.) were then going about deceiving many, they might from that circumstance know it was the laft hour of the Jewish commonwealth, ver. 18.-These false teachers, the apostle obferved, had gone out from them, having been once in the Christian church; but they were not of the number of the teachers, who were commiffioned and infpired by Chrift. For if they had been of that number, they would have remained with the apoftles. But they were permitted to depart from the fociety of the apoftles, that they might be known to be impoftors who taught falfe doctrine, yer. 19. However, as many of the difciples had the gift of difcerning fpirits, and could judge with certainty both of teachers and of their doctrine, there was the less occafion to caution them to beware of thefe deceivers, ver. 20.-The apostle, therefore, added, I have not written to you, becaufe ye know not the truth concerning the life of the word in the flesh, but because ye know it, and know alfo that the falfe teachers affirm an abomina

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ble lie in direct contradiction to the truth, when they say Christ did not come in the flesh, neither did any of the things related of him, ver. 21.-Who then, faid he, is the liar, or falfe prophet foretold to arife before the deftruction of Jerufalem, but he who denieth that Jefus is the Chrift come in the flefh. They are antichrifts, who deny the Father's teftimony, that he hath fent his fon in the flesh, and the Son's teftimony that he actually came in the flesh, ver. 22.-Whofoeyer denieth Jefus to be the Son of God come in the flesh, doth not acknowledge the Father's teftimony, delivered at the baptism and transfiguration of Jefus, ver. 23.-Therefore, faid the apoftle, let the belief of the Father's teftimony concerning his Son, which ye have heard from the beginning, abide in you, that ye may abide in the fellowship of the Son and of the Father, and thereby obtain eternal life, ver. 24.-For this is the promise which the Son hath made in the Father's name, to them who abide in his fellowship; namely, that they shall obtain eternal life, ver. 25.

OLD TRANSLATION.

CHAP. II. 1 My little children, these things write I unto you that ye fin not. And if any man fin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the righteous:

GREEK TEXT.

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1 Τεκνια με, ταύτα γρα φω ύμιν, ίνα μη άμαρτητε και εαν τις ἁμαρτη παρα κλητον έχομεν προς τον πας τερα, Ιησεν Χρισον δικαιον.

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Ver. 1.-1. My little children. The word rexa, being the diminutive of TEXva, is a tender and affectionate appellation, denoting, as Lardner obferves, paternal authority, love, and concern, which, in the character of an apoftle, John might have ufed in any period of his life but in this epiftle it feems to imply, together with apoftolical authority, advanced age.

2. Thefe things I write to you, that ye may not fin. Having told them, chap. i. 10. that no man is without fin, it is plain, that by their not finning, the apoftle meant, either their not finning habitually, or their not finning wilfully. He wrote the things contained in the preceding chapter to prevent them from finning, because the confideration, that God is faithful to forgive our fins, and to cleanfe us from them, fuggefted chap. i. 9. must have a powerful influence on every good man, to make him folicitous to avoid fin, as far as human infirmity will permit.

3. We have an advocate with the Father. Some critics observe that Пapaxλntos, Advocate, here anfwereth to Patronus, Patron, among the Latins. Doddridge thinks the import of this appellation, may be illuftrated by the custom of tributary ftates, who were wont to have

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In apology for his writing with fuch earneftnefs, against the teachers who endeavoured to deceive them, he told them he had written these things to them, ver. 26.—notwithstanding he knew they. poffeffed the gift of difcerning fpirits, and had no need that any one should teach them, unless it was to confirm them in the belief of what they were taught by their own gifts. Wherefore, faid he, as your own gifts have taught you that these teachers are antichrifts, reject their doctrine, and hold fast the truth concerning Chrift, ver. 27.-I fay little children, by holding the truth concerning the Son, and practifing holiness, abide in his fellowship, that when he appears to judge the world, we may have confidence of your being accepted, and may not be put to fhame by the errors and vices of our difciples, ver. 28.This excellent difcourfe, the apoftle concluded by faying to them, if ye have a juft idea of the righteousness of God, ye will know that every one who resembles God by working righteoufnefs, is begotten of him; he is a child of God, ver. 29.

NEW TRANSLATION. CHAP. II. My little children,' these things I write to you, that (un auaginte, 2. aorift fubjunct.) ye may not fin. (Kai, 211.) Yet if any one hath finned, we have an advocate' with the Father Jefus Chrift the just

one.

COMMENTARY.

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CHAP. II. 1 My dear children, These things I write to you concerning the faithfulness and righteoufnefs of God in the forgiveness of fins, not to encourage you to fin, but that ye may not fin; the confideration of the mercy of God being a ftrong incitement to avoid fin. Pfal. cxxx. 4. Yet if any one hath finned, and hath repented of his fin, let him not defpair: We have an advocate. abiding with the Father, Jefus Chrift the just one, or Meffiah.

certain eminent perfons refiding in the courts of the princes to whom they were tributaries, who negociated their affairs, vindicated their rights and promoted their interests with the reigning powers.-Concerning the interceffion of Christ for his people, See Rom. viii. 34. note 3. Heb. vii. 25.

4. Jefus Chrift the just one. Aixao. This appellation is given to our Lord as the Meffiah, in different places of the New Teftament, to denote either that he was juft or righteous, in calling himself the Christ, and the Son of God, (See James v. 6. note 1.) or that he was ablolutely free from fin. It is introduced in this place, to make us fenfible of the dignity of our advocate, and of the efficacy of his interceffion on our behalf, founded on the merit of his death.

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Ver. 2.

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