17 All unrighteoufnefs is fin. (Kat, 205.) But there is a fin not unto death. 18 We know that whoever hath been begotten of God doth not fin, (arλa, 78.) because HE tube is 17 Every unrighteous lion is fin, and merits death; but there are fins which, because they are not committed prefumptuously, nor continued in, will not be punished with temporal death. 18 We know that whoever bath been begotten of God, (chap. ii. 29. note.) doth not fin habitually, (chap. ii. 6. note 1.) because he who is begot ters of religion in every age, but merely to teach thofe who in the first age were endowed with the gift of healing diseases miraculously, in what cafes and for what ends they were to exercise that gift. preceding note 2. See the Here a faying, which Bengelius hath quoted from Whitaker, may be introduced as a fit conclufion of this important controverfy. Let them, faith he, anoint with oil who can procure health for the fick, and let thofe, who cannot, ahstain from the vain symbol. 5. There is a fin unto death. From the account of the fin not unto death, given in note 1. the reader will eafily perceive that the fin unto death, is a fin obftinately continued in, or at least not particularly repented of, the punishment of which is therefore to end in the finner's death. This the fpiritual man knowing, by his not being inwardly moved of the Holy Ghoft to pray for his recovery, the apoitle in the subsequent claufe forbade him, in fuch a cafe, to ask it of God. 6. I do not fay concerning it, that he should afk. Doddridge, who understands this of our praying for repentance and pardon in behalf of obftinate finners, thinks the apoftle's meaning is, I do not fay, that he fhould pray with a full affurance of being heard. But as there is neither precept nor example in fcripture, authorizing us to pray for pardon to obftinate finners, the only thing we can pray for in their behalf is, that God would grant them repentance. And if he heareth us in that request, their pardon will follow. On this fubject Doddridge's reflection is both pious and benevolent. "Let us not," faith he, "too foon pronounce the cafe of a finner hopeless; but rather fubject "ourselves to the trouble of fome fruitless attempts to reclaim him, "than omit any thing where there may be a poffibility of fucceed. "ing." Ver. 17. All unrighteousness is fin. By unrighteousness, the apoftle means, every thing by which our neighbour is injured: and by fin, a violation of the law of God. See chap. iii. 4.-Perhaps by making this obfervation here, the apostle intended to intimate to the fick fin. ner, that to render his repentance fincere, reftitution must be made to every one whom he hath injured by his unrighteousness: in which cafe his fin, as the apottle adds, will not be unto death himfelf, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 19 And we know that we are of God, and the / whole world lieth in wice kednefs. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift. This is the true νηθεις εκ του Θεού, τηρεί ἑαυτον, και ο πονηρος ουχ άπτεται αυτου. 19 Οιδαμεν ότι ότι εκ του Θεου εσμεν, και ὁ κοσμα όλα εν τῷ πονηρῳ κειται. 20 Οίδαμεν δε ότι ὁ ὑιος του Θεου ήκει, και δεδωκεν ἡμιν διάνοιαν, ἵνα γινωσκωμεν τον αληθινον και εσμεν εν τω αληθινώ, εν τῳ ύίῳ αυτού Ιησου Χριστο Ουτος εςιν ο αληθινός Θεός, και η ζωη αι Ver. 13. And the quicked one doth not bold him, namely in fubjection ; for απτε fignifies to hold fan, as well as to touch. Thus John xx. 17, Μη με απτε, Hold me not ; for I do not yet afcend to my Father. More over, to touch fignifies to hurt. John ix. 19. 2 Sam. xiv. 10. 1 Chron, xvi. 22. and even to de/lroy, Job. i. 11. - The Syriac verfion of this claufe is Malus, non appropinquat ei.—The devil is called the evil, or wicked one, by way of eminence, because he entertains the greatest malice towards mankind, and is indefatigable in his endeavours to ruin as many of them as he can. Ver. 19. 1. We know that we are begotten of God. In the original it is, we know that we are x T8 9. But the expreffion being ellipti cal mult be completed from ver. 18. by fupplying γεγεννημένος, as I have done in the tranflation. See chap. iii. 12. note 1. 2. But the whole world lieth under the wicked one. Here as in chape ii. 16. note 1. the world fignifies, not the material fabric of the world, but the wicked men of the world. Wherefore, the whole world, de. notes all the idolaters, infidels, and wicked men of the world, who having made themselves the fubjects of the devil, it may be faid of them, that εν τω πονηςῳ κειται, they lie under the wicked one ; they are under his dominion: juft as it is faid of believers in the next verfe, that they are εν τη αληθινῳ, ἐν τῷ ὑῳ, in or under the true God by being under his Son, See 1 Theft i. 1. note.The power of the devil in this lower world, and over its inhabitants, is often fpoken of in fcripture. Thus Ephef. ii. 2. He is called the prince of the power of the air, the Spirit which now inwardly worketh in the children of difobedience.-2 Cointh. iv. 4. he is called The god of this world, and is faid to blind the minas of the unbelievers.-1 Pet. v. 8. He is called our adversary, and is faid to be going about as a roaring lion fecking whom he may swallow up. Farther, ten of God guardeth himself, and the devil doth not lay hold on him fo as to inflave him: For fuch an one, when fick, ye may pray in the hope of being heard. 19 By keeping ourselves from ha bitual fin, we know that we are begotten of God. But the whole world of idolaters and infidels lieth under the dominion of the devil. See Col. 13. notes. i. Farther, wicked men are faid, 2 Tim. ii. 26. To be held in the fnare of the devil.-And Ephef. vi. 11. He is faid to ufe crafty methods for the deftruction of mankind.-And 2 Cor. xi. 3. He is faid to have beguiled Eve by his fubtilty.-And Coloff. i. 13. believers are faid to be delivered from the power of darkness, and tranflated into the kingdom of his beloved Son. See the notes on 2 Cor. iv. 4. and on Ephef. ii. 2.- --Becaufe Homer uses the word xuras, to denote the bodies of men lying on the ground flain, Doddridge thinks the apoftle, by ufing that word here, reprefents the wicked men of the world as lying flain by the devil, to give us an affecting idea of the miferable and helplefs ftate of mankind fallen by the ftroke of that malicious merciless enemy. Ver. 20.-1. Hath given us understanding, that we might know the true God. In the tranflation of this claufe I have fupplied the word God from the end of the verse, not only because it is found in the Alexandrian MS. and in the Vulgate, verfion, but because the fenfe of the paffage requires it.-In the Vulgate, this verfe is tranflated as follows, Et dedit nobis fenfum ut cognofcamus verum Deum, et fimus in vero filio ejus : Hic eft verus Deus, et vita eterna. And hath given us understanding that we might know the true God, and might be in his true Son: This is the true God and life eternal. It feems the copy from which the Vulgate tranflation was made, read here, Τον αληθικον θεον, και ώμεν εν τω αληθινῳ ύσω 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. men. A 21 Τεκνία, φυλάξατε αυτους απο των ειδωλων. Α μην. 2. This is the true God. Because the perfon last mentioned in what goes before, is Jefus Chrift, many commentators and theologians contend, that the demonftrative pronoun duros, ftands here for Jefus Chrift, and that he is the perfon who is called the true God. But as pronouns often denote the remote antecedent, when the circumftances of the cafe require them to be fo understood, (Eff. iv. 63.) others are of opinion that duros, in this paffage, refers not to Jefus Chrift the near antecedent, but to rov androv, the true one, or true God, whom the Son of God had given the Chriftians understanding to know. And this opinion they think probable, because, if the apoftle by uros, means Jefus Christ, he maketh him the true God, notwithstanding in the fentence which immediately precedes ivros, he diftinguisheth the true one, from his Son Jefus Chrif; Και εσμεν εν τω αληθινώς εν τῷ ὑιῳ αυτε Ιησε Χρισῳ : And we are under the true one, under his Son Jefus Chrift Now, although our tranflators have deftroyed that diftinction, and have made Jefus Chrift the true God, by inferting the word even, in their tranflation between the two claufes of the fentence, in this manner, And we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift; yet as they have inferted that word without the authority of any ancient MS. the critics who make duros refer, not to Jefus Chrift, but to Toy andos, think their opinion ought to have no weight in a matter of fuch importance.-Glaffius, Philolog Sacr. p. 714. tells us that Athanafius in the council of Nice, difputing against Arius, called this text of John, a written demonftration: and added, That as Chrift faid of the Father, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, fo John faid of the Son, This is the true God and eternal life: And that Arius then acquiefced in this written demonstration, and confefsed the Son of God to be the true God. For thefe facts Glaffius appeals to Athanafij Oper. Tom. 3. p. 795. Ver. 21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.' Amen. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from worshipping falle gods and images. Now to fhew my fincerity in this, and in all the things I have written to you, I conclude the whole with an Amen. Ver. 21. Little children, keep yourselves from idols. For the meaning of the word Erdorur idols. See 1 Cor. viii. 4. note 2.-The apoftle cautioned his disciples againft going with the heathens into the temples of their idol gods, to eat of their feafts upon the facrifices which they offered to thefe gods, and againft being prefent at any act of worship which they paid to them, becaufe, by being prefent at the worship of idols, they participated in that worship; as is plain from what St. Paul hath written on that fubject. 1 Cor. viii. and x.-The exhortation to the brethren to keep themfelves from idols, fheweth that this epiftle was intended for the converted Gentiles every where, as well as for the Jews in Judea to whom I fuppofe it was firft fent. A NEW |