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Signs of Christ's

Chap. iii. coming to judgment..

great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them, who live in error.

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy command-, ment delivered unto them.

22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and, The sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

CHAP. III. 1 The certainty of Christ's coming to judgment. 11 An exhortation to godliness. THIS second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance;

2 That ye may be mindful of the words, which were spo

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ken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days a scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4 And saying, where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water :b

6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

a The last days. See 1 Tim. iv. I.

Some have thought, that the meaning of verse 5th would be better conveyed, if rendered as follows: according to Moses, the heavens, that These scoffers willingly forget, that is, the atmosphere, and the earth were, by the word of God, originally made of water, and through water the earth consists.

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Caution against seduction. II. Peter.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward,c not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless, we according to his promise, look for new heavens & a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

To as-ward, toward us.

Of growth in grace.

14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

15 And account that the long suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you;

16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.

18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

PREFATORY REMARKS

TO THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN.

ST. JOHN, who wrote this Epistle, and the Gospel which bears his name, was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and the brother of James. He was the disciple whom Jesus loved, and on whom he bestowed particular marks of favour and friendship. For a sketch of his life, see Prefatory Remarks to John's Gospel.

John describeth the

Chap. i.

person of Christ. At the time this Epistle was written, the church was infested by numerous false teachers, whose doctrines were, as well inconsistent with each other, as they were subversive of morals and the religion of the Gospel. The person and offices of Christ were the subject of various and opposite opinions. Some, following the Jewish high priests, elders, and scribes, condemned Jesus as a blasphemer, because he called himself the Son of God. Some denied the humanity, others the divinity of our Lord; not believing it possible, that the same person could be both human and divine. And because Paul had taught the doctrine of justification by faith without the works of the law, some believed, and taught, that all works were useless; that Christ had set men free from all moral obligations, and that the knowledge and profession of the Gospel were alone necessary to salvation. Wherefore, to oppose these pernicious errors, which were the source of great corruption and licentiousness of manners, and to establish the truths concerning the son and offices of Christ, John wrote this Epistle, which every where breathes the gentle spirit of its author, and of that religion, which is peace and love. It is supposed to have been written in Judea, a short time before the destruction of Jerusalem, which took place a. D. 69. It was designed for believers generally, but more particularly for the Christians in Judea.

THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN.

CHAP. I. 1 He describeth the person of Christ, in whom we have eternal life, by a communion. with God, 5 to which we must adjoin holiness. HAT which was from The beginnings which the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life;

a That which was from the begin ning of the Gospel, which we apostles have heard, seen, and handled, concerning the Word of Life or the life of the Word, that is, of Jesus Christ. declare we unto you, &c.

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2 (For the Life was mani-^ fested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal Life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us ;) That

and beat hich we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

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

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him,

I. John.

Comfort against and declare unto you, that God is light,b and in him is no darkness at all.c

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

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another; and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

CHAP. II. 1 Comfort against sins of infirmity. 3 To know God is to keep his commandments. 18 To beware of seducers; 20 from whose deceits the godly are safely preserved by faith and holiness of life. MY little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righ

teous:

2 And he is the propitiation a for our sins; and not

b God is light, is holiness and truth.

Darkness, ignorance and error. a Propitiation, a sacrifice of atonement, which procures pardon or forgiveness.

sins of infirmity.

for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.b

3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

4 He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in him.

6 He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk c even as he walked.

7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment, which ye had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you; because the darkness is past,d and the true light now shineth.

9 He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him:

11 But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and

b Of the whole world, of penitent persons, who forsake their sins. c To walk, to live.

d The darkness of heathenism and of the Mosaic dispensation, is past, or is passing away.

I. John

Of loving the world. walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.

13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God, abideth forever.

18 Little children, it is the last time ;e and as ye have heard that antichrist shall

e It is the last time of the dura

Of seducers, &c.

come,f even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

19 They went out from us; but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us; but they went out, that they might be made manifest, that they were not all of

us.

20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One,g and ye know all things.

21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

22 Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son.

23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but he that acknowledgeth the Son, hath the Father also.]

24 Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning, shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

25 And this is the promise

f That antichrist shall come; for this prediction see Matt. xxiv. 5, II.

false Christ, the other opposers of Antichrist has two meanings-one a

Christ.

g An unction from the Holy One, the tion of the Jewish church and state. inspiration of the Holy Spirit,

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