important facts, the teftimony of God by the witneffes in heaven and on earth, certainly is better and more worthy of credit, than the testimony of men. Now this is the witness of God, which he hath borne by the witneffes in heaven and on earth, concerning his Son.

10 (But before I declare what the thing witneffed is, I must take notice, that he who believeth on the Son of God hath the thing witnessed by God, begun in himself. But he who believeth not God's witness concerning his Son, hath endeavoured to make him a liar, by refusing to believe the witness which God hath witneffed concerning his Son.)

Ver. 9-1. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater. The apoftle here alludes to Chrift's words recorded, John viii. 17. It is alfo written in your law, that the teftimony of two men is true. 18. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that fent me beareth witness of me.

2. The witness of God is greater. In the 7th verfe, the Father in particular is faid to bear witnefs in heaven. But in this verse his witnefs is confidered in conjunction with the witness, not only of the other witneffes in heaven, but of the three on earth: and the whole is termed the witness of God, because in witneffing, they all act in fubordination to him, and agree with him in witnefling the great truth mentioned ver. 11. namely, that he hath promifed to give us eternal life through his Son. This witnefs of God, John affirms, is greater, that is, more certain and more worthy of credit, than the witnefs of men, be they ever so numerous or ever fo refpectable for their understanding and their integrity; fo that we may rely on it with the greatest affu

rance.

Ver. 10.-1. He who believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness in himself. Here, as in the next verfe, the witness, by an ufual metonymy, is put for the thing witneffed. And the thing witneffed being, that God hath given us eternal life through his Son, he who believeth on the Son of God, may juftly be faid to have eternal life, the thing witneffed, in himself, becaufe by his faith on the Son being begotten of God, he hath, in the difpofitions of God's children communicated to him, eternal life begun in him, which is both a pledge and a proof that God in due time will completely beftow on him eternal life through his Son.

VOL. VI.

I

2. He

2. He woho believeth not God, that is, believeth not the witnefs which God bare concerning Jefus, when at his baptifm he declared him his Son by a voice from heaven, and when after his death he demonstrated Jefus to be his Son, by raising him from the dead. The refufing to believe these teftimonies, John terms, a making, that is, an endeavouring to make God a liar, or falfe witnefs. Some MSS. and ancient verfions, particularly the Vulgate, inttead of τῷ Θεῷ have here τῳ ύνῳ, He wh believeth not the Son: which Grotius and Bengelius think the true reading. But, like moft of the various readings, this makes no alteration in the fenfe of the paffage.

Ver. 11. Now this is the witness, (this is the thing witneffed. See ver. Io. note 1.) that God bath given to us eternal life; and this life is through his Son. Here I fuppofe the apoftle had in his eye his malter's words which he himself had recorded in his gofpel, chap. xvii. 2. Thou baft given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hall given him. Though the apottle, in what goes before, hath fpoken particularly of the three in heaven and of the three on earth who bear witnefs continually, he deferred mentioning till now, what it is they are witneffing; that by introducing it laft of all, and after fo much preparation, it might make the ftronger impreffion on the mind of his readers. In this, as in other paffages of fcripture, the

preterite

11 Now this is the thing which God hath witnessed, by the three in heaven and the three on earth; namely, that God will give to us who believe eternal life, and that this life is to be bestowed on us through his

Son.

12 He who acknowledgeth the Son, hath this life begun in him, and made fure to him, by the virtues which his faith produceth in him: He who acknowledgeth not the Son of God, hath no reason to expect this eternal life which is through Chrift.

13 These things concerning the water and the blood, and concerning the witneffes in heaven and on earth, and concerning the things which they have witneffed, I have written to who believe on the name you of the Son of God, that ye may be certain ye shall have eternal life through his Son; and that ye may continue to believe on the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the boldness avhich we have with the Father through our believing on his Son, that if we ask any miracle according to his will, for his glory and the good of our fick brethren, he lendeth a favourable ear to

us.

preterite tense God hath given, is ufed inftead of the future God will give to us eternal life, to fhew the certainty of our obtaining that great bleffing through his Son. See Eff. iv. 1o.

Ver. 12. 'O xwy, He who acknowledgeth the Son hath this life. As the word yu is ufed in the fenfe of acknowledging by our apoftle, chap. ii. 23. note, I am of opinion the fcope of the paffage directs us to take it in that fenfe here. For notwithstanding ex in the last claufe of this verfe is used in its ordinary fignification, it is no uncommon thing in fcripture, to find the fame word used in different fenfes in the fame paffage.

Ver. 13. And that ye may ISEUNTE continue to believe. true tranflation of the claufe: For in John's ftyle is continuing to believe. John ii. 11. xi. 15. xx. 31.

I 2

This is the

often fignifies,

Ver.

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have

15 Και εαν οιδαμεν ότι ακούει ἡμων ὁ αν αιτωμεθα,

the petitions that we defired οίδαμεν ότι εχομεν τα τήματα ο ητηκαμεν

of him.

16 If any man fee his brother fin a fin which is not

αυτού.

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παρ

16 Εαν τις ίδη τον αδελ Φον αυτού ἁμαρτανοντα ά

Ver. 14. Now this is ʼn wappnoia the boldness which we have with him, that if we afk any thing according to his will, he hearkeneth to us. It is commonly thought that this and the following verse, is spoken of Chriftians in general, to affure them, that if they ask any thing necefiary to their own falvation, God will grant it to them. In this fenfe Eftius understood the apoftle. See his note on these verses, where he defcribes the qualifications of a prayer according to the will of God. Nevertheless, from verfes 16, 17. it is plain that the apostle is speaking, not of our asking spiritual blessings for ourselves, but of our afking. life for a brother who hath finned a fin not unto death. Others, there fore, think John, in these verses, directs Chriftians in general to pray for the eternal pardon of each others fins. But as no perfon's fins will be pardoned at the requeft of another, a better interpretation will be fuggefted, by obferving that in this direction, there is an allufion to the promife which our Lord made to his apoitles, and which John himfelf hath recorded in his gofpel, chap. xiv. 12. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, be that believeth on me, the works that I do fball he do alfo, and greater works fball he do, because I go unto my Father. 13. And whatfoever ye fhall afk in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14. If ye fhall ask any thing in my name I will do it.Alfo chap. xvi. 23. Verily, verily, I fay unto you, whatsoever, ye shall afe the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24. Hitherto have afked nothing in my name; afk and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. Now, fince in the firft mentioned paffage, Chrift promifed that his apoftles fhould do greater miracles than he himfelf had done, and, that whatfoever they should ask in his name, he would do it, the meaning plainly is, that whatever miracle they should ask for the confirmation of their miffion as his apoftles, he would do it.-In like manner, when he promised, in the fecond mentioned paffage, that whatsoever they fhould ask the Father in his name, he would give it them: and then faid to them, Alk and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full; it cannot be doubted that the things he directed them to afk of the Father, were miracles for the manifeftation of his character as the Son of God, and for the fuccefsful propagation of the gospel, whereby their joy as his apoftles would be rendered complete.-Thefe declarations and promiles were the foundations of the boldness which the perfons, of whom John fpeaks, had with the Father, that if they asked any thing according to bis will, he would hearken to them. That John is

3

ye

fpeaking

fpeaking of their boldness in afking miracles, is evident from ver. 16. where he faith, Let him afk God, and he will grant to bim life for those who fin not unto death.-Tillotfon being fenfible that the boldness in afking of which John fpeaks, was boldnefs in afking miracles, fuppofes that this is to be underflood of the apoftles alone. But, that this boldness belonged alfo to fuch of the difciples as, in the first age, were endowed with the gift of healing diseases miraculously, is evident from Mark xvi. 17. Thefe figns fhall follow them that believe, &c. 18. They shall lay their hands on the fick, and they fball recover.

Ver. 16. -1. If any one fee his brother finning a fin not unto death, let him afk God, and he will grant to him life for thofe who fin not unto death. According to Benfon, the fin not unto death of which Joha fpeaks, is any fingle fin which a good man commits through infirmity, or furprife. According to Doddridge, it is any fin whatever, except that which Chrift himself declared unpardonable. But as no fin will be pardoned which is not fincerely repented of, the circum. ftance by which the finner for whom life might be asked, is diftinguished from those for whom life might not be afked of God, namely that his fin is not a fin unto death, implies that he hath repented of his fin. In this perfuafion, the learned perfons above mentioned give it as their opinion, that John here authorizes any pious perfon whatever, to afk of God eternal life for all penitent finners, excepting those who have finned against the Holy Ghoft; and affures him, that in anfwer to his prayer, God will grant to him eternal life for fuch finners. But their opinion is liable to two great objections. 1. No ordinary Chriftian, however pious, can know certainly whether the perfon, for whom he afketh life, hath fincerely repented of his fins and yet unlefs he certainly knows this, he is not warranted to afk life for him; far lefs to afk it with the boldness mentioned in the 14th verfe.-2. Although any pious perfon, as an exercise of his own benevolence, may pray for eternal life to his brother, the fcripture gives no one ground to think, that his afking eternal life for his brother, hath any influence in procuring that bleffing for him. As little doth right reafon warrant fuch an expectation. Neverthelefs in this verfe, according to Benfon and Doddridge, it is exprefsly promifed, that any one who feeth his brother finning a fin not unto death, and afketh of God eternal life for him, fhall certainly have it granted to him; as if, without such a prayer, the finner's own repentance would not pro

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cure