2 For the life of the word, or Son of God in the flesh, was manifested to the senses of all who conversed with him. And we apostles, who accompanied him during his abode on earth, have seen it, and bear witness, and declare to you that life which is eternal, which the word possessed with the Father, and which was manifested to us at his baptism, transfiguration, and resurrection.

SI say, that which we apostlés have actually seen and heard, pertaining to the appearing of the word in the flesh, we declare to you as absolutely certain, that, by believing our testimony, ye also may enter into our fellowship; and our fellowship truly is with the Father of the universe, and with his Son Jesus Christ; consequently it is a more honourable and a more powerfully protected society, than any of the heathen fellowships.

Ver. 2.-1. The life. By this expression Benson understands Christ himself the author of eternal life, chap. v. 11. But as the apostle adds that they had seen the life, I rather think he means the life of the word in the flesh.

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

3. And declare to you that life which is eternal, which was with the Father and was manifested to us. By the life which is eternal which was manifested to the apostles, some understand that immortal life of blessedness which was brought to light, and promised in the gospel to believers. But as that life. is said to have been with the Father, it must mean, either the eternal life, or existence of the Father himself, or of some other person. Now since the eternal existence of the Father could not be manifested to the apostles by revelation, which presupposes the existence of God, the life which is eternal must be that which the Word, or Son, possessed with the Father before the world was; and which was manifested to the apostles at our Lord's baptism and transfiguration, when, by a voice from heaven, God declared him his beloved Son: It was manifested likewise by God's raising Jesus from the

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

4 Και ταυτα γραφομεν uv iva xapa vμwv n tεμιν ἡ χαρα ὑμων η πε πληρωμενη.

dead. That this ver. 2. is a parenthesis, is evident from the repetition of the words of the first verse, in the beginning of the third.

Ver. 3.-1 That which we have seen and heard. John having affirmed this in the first verse, he repeats it here to shew that he and his brethren apostles were the persons to whom Christ said, Matt. xiii. 16. Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear -Further, because the apostles by hearing and seeing had the fullest assurance of the things which they testified concerning their master, John told the elders of the Jews, Acts iv. 20. We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard ; namely the doctrine, miracles, resurrection, and ascension of their master, 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 considerable time before the destruction of Jerusalem, I suppose he here alluded to his own gospel, in which he had related the particulars, whereby the word was proved to have been made flesh.

3. That ye also may have nowvwvav fellowship with us. In scripture, Holywyta signifies both the communication of something to others, and the participation of something with others: A joint participation. In the former sense it is used, 2 Cor. ix. 13. where it is translated, distribution. In the latter sense it is used, 1 Cor. x. 16. Is it not novavia the joint participation" of the blood of Christ? The Greeks likewise, as Chandler informs us, in his note on Ephes. v. 11. used the word navovi, to denote a participation in their religious rites and mysteries, and in the benefits supposed to be procured by them.-Kovova, also signifies A fellowship, or company of men joined together by some common bond, for the purpose of obtaining certain advantages by means of their union. Among the heathens there were a variety of such fellowships, called by the Latins Sodalitia. And because many of them were instituted for celebrating the mysteries, or secret worship of their gods, the particular god in honour of whom the fellowship was instituted, was considered as the head of it, and the author of the benefits which the associated expected to derive from their fellowship in his worship. In this sense, the word fellowship, is with great propriety applied to the disciples of Christ united, by their common faith, into one society or church for worshipping the only true God, through the mediation of his Son Jesus Christ, and for receiving from him through the same mediation, the great blessings of protection and direction in the present life, and of pardon and eternal happiness in the life to come.— -Agreeably to this account of the Christian fellowship the apostle in this 3d verse contrasts the heads thereof with the heads of the heathen fellowships: Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. The heads of the Christian fellowship are the great Father of the universe, and his Son Jesus Christ, who governs the world under him. Whereas the heads of the heathen fellowships, were mere non-entities. Or if any of them were real beings, they had no power

4 And these things we1 write to you, that your joy may be complete.

4 These things concerning our fellowship 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 safety which ye have obtained therein, may be complete.

in human affairs: consequently their votaries could derive, neither protection, nor any blessing whatever from them.-Farther, in verse 5. the apostle contrasts the knowledge of the nature and perfections of the true God, com-. municated in the gospel to the members of the Christian fellowship, with the knowledge of the pretended heathen divinities, communicated in their mysteries to the initiated. This is the message we have received from him and declare to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. Не possesses every possible perfection, and is absolutely free from evil. Whereas the heathen gods, according to the representation given of them in their mysteries, were polluted with every kind of vice.-Next, in verse 6. he contrasts 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 person could be in the fellowship of the Father who habitually practised any wickedness. Whereas, to be in the fellowship of the heathen gods, it was necessary to imitate them in their characters and vices. In verse 7. the apostle contrasts 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 cleansed both from the power and from the punishment of their sins through the blood of Christ: Whereas the latter receive neither of these blessings from their gods; nor indeed any benefit whatever.

Before this note is concluded, it may be proper to observe, that nowvavia fellowship, is used by the apostle Paul likewise, to denote that intercourse which the members of a fellowship or society have with each other, 2 Cor. vi. 14. Now what novavia (fellowship) intercourse hath light with darkness ? 4. And our fellowship, truly is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.-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 likewise 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 Jesus Christ our Lord.

Ver. 4.-1. These things we write. Estius saith the apostle useth the plural we, because the things which he wrote were perfectly consonant to the doctrine of his brethren apostles.

5 This then is the mes

sage which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and

in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

5 Και αύτη εςιν ή επαγ γελια ην ακηκόαμεν απ' αυ του, και αναγγελλομεν ὑμῖν, ὅτι ὁ Θεος φως εςι, και σκοτια εν αυτῷ ουκ εςιν ουδεμια.

6 Εαν ειπωμεν ὅτι κοινω νιαν εχομεν μετ' αυτου, και Εν τῷ σκοτει περιπατώμεν, ψευδομεθα, και ου ποιούμεν την αληθειαν.

Ver. 5-1. This is the message.

Here the common reading is, eπayyana, the promise. But our translators have justly followed the reading of above thirty MSS. and several ancient versions, which have here aggsake the message. Or they have supposed, that sayλ may be translated a message. For it is plain, that the apostle is not speaking of a promise, but of a message.

2. Which we have received from him, and declare to you. The initiated into the heathen fellowships gloried in their mysteries, or hidden doctrines, as the only effectual means of purifying the soul from ignorance and error. But the real tendency of these mysteries was to corrupt the minds of the initiated, with false notions of the objects of their worship, and of the duties of morality for which reason they were always communicated under the scal of the greatest secresy. See pref. to Ephesians, sect. 7. paragr. 4. The Christian mysteries, or doctrines, being of a very different nature, and having a real tendency to enlighten the soul, the apostles published them to all mankind: particularly that great doctrine concerning the nature of God, which was delivered to them by Christ as a message from God himself, namely, That God is light, He is righteousness, goodness, and truth; and in him is no darkness at all, no ignorance, nor error, nor evil of any kind. See the following note 3. Moreover, he is the source of all the knowledge, truth, and goodness existing in the universe. This important doctrine, having been delivered by the living word, as a message from God himself to the apostles, their declaration of it, was thereby rendered more solemn and certain. Thus it appears, that while the minds of the heathens were utterly corrupted by the representations given of their gods in the mysteries, the initiated in the followship of Christ, had in their mysteries, that is in the preaching of the word and in the sacraments, the highest ideas given them of the holiness and other perfections of God; and were taught to aspire after the greatest sanctity of manners, by imitating him.

This message concerning God, so solemnly declared by the apostle, may have been designed likewise as a condemnation of the impure doctrines and practices of the Nicolaitans, and other heretics, who in the first age,

5 Moreover, to shew you the advantage of being members of our fellowship, this is the message which we apostles have heard from the living word, and which we declare to you, that God, the Father of the universe and head of our fellowship, is possessed of all moral perfection, and in him is no evil nor errour at all.

6 Wherefore, If we say, certainly we have fellowship with God, (ver. 3. note 3.) although we practise wickedness, we lie and do not the truth; we do not act agreeably to the true doctrine of the gospel, nor to the true nature of the fellowship which we pretend to have with God.

endeavoured to seduce the faithful to commit idolatry, lewdness, and other impurities.

3. That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Light being the purest of all material substances, and that which, by means of the eye, conveys to the mind pleasures more grateful, and more various, than those communicated by the other senses, it is fitly used, metaphorically, to denote knowledge and virtue. Wherefore, when we are told that God is light, it signifies not only that he is infinite in knowledge, and possessed of all moral perfection, without the least mixture of evil, but that the contemplation of his nature and perfections is as pleasant to the minds of his rational creatures, as light is to the eye.-On the other hand, darkness admitting all manner of mixtures, and concealing every thing from our view, and being extremely unpleasant as well as hurtful, is used with propriety to denote ignorance, error, and moral evil or vice, which of all things are the most destructive of our rational nature. Hence the devils, the most immoral beings in the universe, and the greatest promoters of ignorance and wickedness, are styled, Ephes. vi. 12. The rulers of the darkness of this world and their kingdom is called, Luke xxii 53. and Col. i. 13. The power of darkness : And the idolatrous heathen their subjects, who were converted to Christianity, are said Ephes. v. 8. to have been formerly darkness, but now light in the Lord. So likewise the Jews converted to Christ, are called, Col. i. 12. Saints in the light-Bengelius thinks the apostle, by calling God light, means to tell us, that God is to the eye of the mind what light is to the eye of the body.-Estius in his note on this verse says, the Manicheans held that God is a light visible to the bodily eye: and that Christ is the visible sun which we behold.

Ver. 61. If we say. This is an expression repeatedly used by John;