25 (Kai, 207.) For this is the promise which he hath promised to us, EVEN the life which is eternal.1

26 These things1 I have written to you concerning them who deceive you, (Ess. iv. 1.)

27 (xas, 211.) although the unction which ye have received from him (ver. 20.) abideth in you, and ye have no need that any one should teach you,1 (αλλa, 80.) unless as the same unction teacheth you concerning all things, and is truth, and is no lie. (xa, 208.) Wherefore, as it hath taught you, (MEVEITE, 13.) abide in him.

25 And great will be your felicity in that fellowship. For this is the promise which the Father hath promised to us by his Son, even a life of happiness in heaven, which will be eternal.

26 These things I have written to you, concerning the antichrists who endeavour to deceive you, that ye may shun all familiar intercourse with them,

27 Although I know that the gift of discerning spirits, which ye have received from the Holy Ghost, remaineth in you, and that ye have no need that any one should teach you, how to judge of these deceivers and their doctrines, unless to exhort you to judge of them, as the same gift teacheth you concerning all things, and is a real, not a feigned gift. Wherefore as it hath taught you that these teachers are antichrists, reject their doctrine, and abide in the truth concerning him.

the persons who had no need of this kind of teaching, were those only who had an unction from the Holy Spirit. Wherefore, as it appears from 1 Cor. xii. 10. that the discerning of spirits was a gift bestowed, not on believers in general, but on some individuals only, it is evident that when the apostle said, ye have an unction from the Holy Spirit, his discourse was directed only to such as possessed the gift of discerning spirits: consequently he did not mean, that Christians in general had no need of being taught the doctrines of the gospel in the ordinary method; but that those who had received the unction from the Holy Ghost, needed nothing but to be directed or exhorted to judge of teachers pretending to inspiration, and of their doctrine, according as the unction which abode in them led them to judge: because that unction being a real gift, if they followed its suggestions, they would judge truly concerning all things; that is, concerning teachers and their doctrines.—From these things it is plain, that the Quakers and other fanatics, who from what is said in this and in the preceding 20th verse, that all believers have still an unction or inspiration from the Holy Ghost, and hold that that inspiration is superior to the scriptures, are in a most dangerous error, as they dignify the productions of their own distempered brain, with the name of revelations of the Spirit.-They likewise err greatly from the truth, who on pretence that the inspiration of the Spirit is conti

infer

nued to believers in every age, contend that the outward ministry of the word, by pastors and teachers set apart to the office, and even the scriptures themselves, are unnecessary in the church. Holding such principles, is it any wonder that these enthusiasts and fanatics, have fallen into the grossest extravagances, and licentiousness?

Ver. 28.-1. Now therefore little children. The adverb vov, is used here as an interjection of beseeching.-The word Tenvia, little children, comprehends the whole body of the disciples to whom this epistle was written, and whom John had before divided into three classes. See ver. 12. note, and ver. 13. note 1.

2. That when he shall appear. vegan, being the term by which Christ's appearing in the flesh was expressed, chap. i. 2. note 2. when applied to Christ's second coming, it signifies that he shall then be the object of men's senses by means of his body, as he was at his first coming. See 1 Pet. i. 7.

note 2.

Ver. 29.-1. Every one who worketh righteousness, bath been begotten. This is the literal signification of eyevvntal, from gevvac genere, gigno, I beget. Accordingly, our translators have so rendered the word, chap. v. 18.-Besides, born of God, is an idea no where else found in scripture.

To understand, the true import of the high titles, which in the New Testament are given to the disciples of Christ; namely the begotten of God, as here; the sons of God, and children of God, as in the next chapter; the heirs of God, Rom. viii. 17. The elect of God; the adopted of God; saints, a royal priesthood; an holy nation; a peculiar people, 1 Pet. ii. 9. the following observations may be of use.-1. That these high titles were anciently given to the Israelites as a nation, because they were separated from the rest of mankind to be God's visible church, for the purpose of preserving the knowledge and worship of him in the world, as the only true God. This appears from God's own words, Exod. xix. 3, Tell the children of Israel; 4. Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagle's wings, and brought you unto myself. 5. Now therefore if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people.-6. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an boly nation.— Deut. xiv. 1. Ye are the children of the Lord your God:-2. For thou art an holy people to the Lord thy God.-2. In particular, the title of God's Son, even his first born, was given to the whole Israelitish nation by God himself, Exod.

28 (Kai vv, 208.) Now, therefore, little children,1 abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and may not be put to shame by him at his coming. (See 2 John, ver. 8.)

29 (Eav) If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one1

28 Now therefore, my dear children, abide in the doctrine and precepts of Christ, that when he shall appear to judge the world, we your teachers may have confidence concerning your acceptance, and may not be put to shame by him at his coming, on account of your errors and vices.

29 If ye know that God is righteous, in the commandments which he hath given to mankind, ye will

iv. 22. chiefly because they were the descendants of Isaac, who was supernaturally begotten by Abraham through the power which accompanied the promise, Gen. xviii. 10. Lo Sarab shall have a son. So St. Paul informs us, Rom. ix. 7. Neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children, namely of God, But in Isaac shall a seed be to thee. 8. That is, the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God. But the children of the promise are counted for seed. The apostle's meaning is, That Ishmael and his posterity, whom Abraham procreated by his own natural strength, being children of the flesh were not the children of God; that is, they were not made the visible church and people of God. But Isaac and his descendants, whom Abraham procreated through the strength which accompanied the promise, Lo Sarah shall have a son, being more properly procreated by God than by Abraham, were the children of God; that is, were made the visible church and people of God, because by their supernatural generation and their title to inherit Canaan, they were a fit image of the Catholic invisible church of God, consisting of believers of all ages and nations, who being regenerated by the Spirit of God are the true children of God, and heirs of the heavenly country of which Canaan was the type.-3. As the promise, Lo Sarah shall have a son, which was given to Abraham when he was an hundred years old and Sarah was ninety, implied that that son was to be supernaturally procreated, so the promise given to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 5. A Father of many nations I have constituted thee, implied that the many nations of believers, who by this promise were given to Abraham för seed, were to be generated by the operation of the Spirit of God producing in them faith and obedience, similar to the faith and obedience for which Abraham was constituted the father of all believers.-This higher generation, by which believers have the moral nature of God communicated to them, is excellently described, John i. 12. As many as received him, to them gave be power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on his 13. O eyevvnnoav which were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God: that is, men become the true sons of God, not by their being naturally descended from this or that father,

name.

ry one that doeth righ- ποίων την δικαιοσυνην, εξ αυτ

teousness is born of him.

του γεγέννηται.

nor by their being called the sons of God by men like themselves, but by God's bestowing on them that high appellation on account of their faith and holiness.-4. If the Israelites, of whom the ancient visible church and people of God was composed, were all called the sons of God, because Isaac from whom they descended was supernaturally begotten by the power of God, certainly believers of all ages and nations, of whom the invisible Catholic church and people of God is composed, may with much greater propriety be called the sons of God, since they are begotten of God, and possess the moral nature of God.-This catholic invisible church of God, is not limited to any one race of men, nor to any one age or country of the world. It hath subsisted from the beginning, and is scattered over the whole earth. But after the general judgment, the members of this widely extended church will be gathered together and carried by Christ in a body, into the heavenly country their promised inheritance, of which Canaan, the inheritance of Abraham's natural seed by Isaac, was the emblem and pledge.

Thus it appears that the high titles above mentioned; namely, the sons of God, the children of God, the elect of God, the adoption of sons, the election, saints, a boly nation, a royal priesthood, and a peculiar people, were anciently given to the Israelites as a nation, merely on account of their being the visible church and people of God, without any regard to the personal character of the individuals of whom that nation was composed.-Also, it appears that under the gospel the same high titles were bestowed on whole churches, merely on account of their profession of Christianity, without any regard to the personal character of the individuals who composed these churches. But these high titles, with some others of greater importance, such as, the begotten of God, the heirs of God, the adoption, were given in an appropriated sense to individuals likewise, on account of their faith and holiness. When given to whole churches, these titles imported nothing more but that the society to which they were given was a church of Christ; and that the individuals of which that society was composed were entitled to all the privileges belonging to the visible church and people of God. But when

CHAPTER III.

View and Illustration of the Matters contained in this Chapter. THE apostle, in the last verse of the preceding chapter, having declared that every one who worketh righteousness hath been begotten of God, and is his Son, begins this chapter with an exclamation, expressive of his high admiration of the love of God

who worketh righteousness, (chap. iii. 7. note 2.) hath been begotten of him.2

also know, that every one who worketh righteousness, hath been begotten of him. He is a son of God by partaking of his nature, and shall obtain that eternal life, which God hath promised to his children, ver. 25.

appropriated to individuals, these titles implied that the persons to whom they were given were really partakers of the nature of God by possessing his moral qualities, and that they were the objects of his paternal love, and heirs of his felicity.-Wherefore, in reading the scriptures, by attending to the different foundations of these titles, and by considering whether they are applied to churches or to individuals, we shall easily understand their true import. Thus when St. Paul writing to the Thessalonians, saith 1 Thess. i. 4. Knowing brethren beloved of God, your election, he could not mean their election to eternal life, since many of them were living disorderly, 2 Thess. iii. 11. but their election to be the visible church and people of God, under the gospel dispensation. Whereas when John saith in the verse before us, Every one who doth righteousness hath been begotten of God, by restricting the title to individuals of a specific character, he teaches us that the persons of whom he speaks are the sons of God in the highest sense, and heirs of eternal life. Accordingly, in the following chapter, he assures us that such shall see God.

2. Begotten of him. E auty. The relative aurs, stands here, not for Christ, though he be spoken of in the verse immediately preceding; but for God, of whom it is said that he is righteous. For no where in scripture, is Christ said to beget believers; nor is he ever called their father. These things are attributed to God only, or to the Spirit, as his agent. Accordingly, in the first verse of the following chapter, the apostle extols the love of the Father in making believers his sons.-That the relative often stands for a person or thing, not mentioned before, See proved, Ess. iv. 64.

.

Because in the following chapter the apostle describes the great honours and privileges of believers as the sons of God, Cajetan and Estius were of opinion, that that chapter should have begun with this 29th verse.

in calling those who work righteousness, his children, although they are not acknowledged to be such by the men of the world, because wicked men have no just notion of the character of God, ver. 1.-Then, to explain the ground of his admiration, he described the dignity and happiness, to which the children of God