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answers. Comp. ch. ii. 1, 12, and following verses. Writing gives strong confirmation. — iva, that) Fulness of joy arises from a full and abundant confirmation of soul in faith and love. To this, declaration and writing in conjunction especially tend : 2 John ver. 12. — jog) Thus also John writes in his Gospel, eh. xv. 11, xvi. 22. There is the joy of faith, the joy of love, the joy of hope. In this place the joy of faith is first noticed ; and the expression is abbreviated, your joy ; that is, your faith, and the joy which springs from thence : but there is also intended the joy of love and of hope, flowing from thence.
5. 'H dyyiXia) Ch. iii. 11. The declaration , which relates to the main subject. Neither in the gospel nor in the epistles does John speak of the Gospel by name ; but he terms it the testimony , the word , the truth; and here, by a closely resembling sound, dyyiXtav, the de- claration. That which was in the mouth of Christ dyyiX/a, a de- claration, the apostles avayyzXXovci, declare; for they in turn give forth and propagate dyyzX/av, the declaration received from Him. It is called the word , ch. ii. 7. — a-x’ avrov, from Him) from the Son of God : John i. 18. — (pug) The Light of wisdom, love, and glory. What the light is to the natural eye, that God is to the spiritual eye. As he here calls God Light, so ch. ii. 8, he calls Christ Light. — tfxor/a, darkness) The meaning of this is plain from the opposite.
6. ’E dv g/Vw,tt£i/, if we say) To say anything at variance with the
fact, is fraud : ver. 8, 10. So he that saith , ch. ii. 4, 9 ; if a man say , ch. iv. 20. To say , is to persuade one’s self and others, to think,
to bear before one’s self [to profess openly], to pretend. — hoivuvIm, fellowship) ver. 3. — h ru tfjcoVg/, in darkness) Comp. ch. ii. 8-11. — nzpinaru/uev, we walk) by internal and external action, wherever we turn ourselves. — -^zvbopiQa, we lie) A similar expression occurs, ch. ii. 4. — ou 7:oiov/xsv rfi v dXqQeiav, we do not the truth) that is, the truth has no place with us in our very action.
7. 'ng, as) Imitation of God is the test of fellowship with Him. — avrbg, He Himself) God. So the Hebrews often say, Kin, He , that is, God. So abrog , 1 Macc. iii. 22. — eVr/v, is) This word is more in- ward, and more worthy of God, than to walk. — xoivuvlav £%o^£i/, we have fellowship) that is, Then we truly say, that we have fellowship : for walking in the light certainly and immediately follows this. — air dXXijXuv) mutual , between us and you : ver. 3 : for dXXijXu^ reciprocally , does not appear an appropriate expression respecting God and men : comp. John xx. 17. It is however an abbreviated