ſuppoſing their greater Wiſdom to need no more. { See L.yBrugenſ,
Not. in Bibl. ſacr. of the Inſertion of this clauſe 5 ] only the Repe-
tition importeth his earneſt Defire they would again and again confi-
der it. The other he allo puts in mind of their afive Strength and
Vigor, and of the Rootedneſs which the Goſpel muſt now be ſuppoſed
to have in them, whereby they were enabled to overcome the wicked
one. And by all which Endowments they were all both enabled and
obliged to comport the better with the tollowinggPrecept, and its
Enforcements. | 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. It * any man love the world, the love
of the Father is-not in him d.
d What he here means by the forbidden 05jef of our Love, muſt be gathered trom his own Explication, verſe 16. the Love it ſelf for- bidden, in reference thereto, is that exceſs thereof, whereby any adhere to terrene things, as their beſt good ; wherewith as he adds, any ſincere Love to God 1s inconſiſtent, as Matth. 6. 24. Luk, 14. 33. A Conſideration fo awful and tremendous, that it is not ſtrange the Precept it enforces, ſhould have ſo ſolemn and urgent an Intro. duftion. |
16 For all that is in the world, the luſt of the fleſh e, and the luſt of the eyes f, and the pride of lite g, is not of the father, bur is of the world þ.
e Here he explains his meaning,what under the Name of this World,
and the things of it, we are not to love, or under what Notion we ought not to love 1t, viz. the World as it contains the Objetts and
* Jam-4-4-
Nutriment of theſe mentioned Luſts, either more groſely ſenſual, cal- |
led the Luſt of the Fleſh, viz. of Gluttony, Drunkenneſs, Whore- dom, gc. Rom. 13. 13, 14.: f Or that which i excited more imme- diately by the Fancy, unto which the Eye eſpecially miniſtreth, the ex- ceſſive Appetite of much Wealth, and great Pofleſſions. © Which the Eye is therefore ſaid to deſires and not to be ſatisfied with, Eccleſ. 2. 8, 9,10. and 4.8. called therefore the Luſt of the Eye. g And again, the ambitious Affecion of the Pomp and Glory of the World, vain Applauſe, the unmerited and overvalued Praiſe and Obſervance of other Men, with Power over them, affetted for undue ends; or on- ly with a ſelf-exalting Deſign, meant by the Pride of Life, forbidden by our Saviour to his Diſciples, Matth. 20. 25, 26. This triple Di- ſtribution, ſome obſerve to have been before ufed by ſome ofthe an- cient learned Fews, and imitated by certain of the more refin'd Hea- thens; whence, as being formerly known, and underſtood, the Apo- ſtle might be induced to make uſe of it. þ And theſe Zuſts are therefore argued to be inconſiſtent with the Love of the Father, as not being of him, but of the World; not from the Divine Spirit, but the Spirit of the World,
* x Corn. , 17 And * the world paſſeth away, and the luſts 31, thereof ; but he that doth the will of God, abideth Jam. 1.10, for ever z. | ; He ſets the difference in view, of living according to the common Genius, Will, or Inclination of the World ( which is Luſt Jand according to the Divine Will, that he who unites himſelf in his Will and Defire with the former, which vaniſhes (Objets and Appetite all together) Vol, II, ;
IFOHN
Chap. it.
muſt ( which is implied ) periſh therewirh ; but he that unites him- ſelf with the ſupream eternal Good, by a Will that is 2uided by, and conformed to the Divine Will, abideth for ever, partakes a Felicity coeternal with the Obje& and Rule upon which his Heart was fet, and which it was guided by.
13 Little children, ir is the laſt time &, and as we 5 T's have heard that * Antichriſt / ſhall come, even now p —_ are there many Antichriſts ; whereby we know it is * the latt rime. |
& The time here referr'd to, ſeems to be the deſtruction of 7eru- ſalem, and the finiſhing ot the Jewiſh State, both Civil and Eccleſia- ſtical. In the Greek, the aſt haur, the approaching Period of Dani- e's 70 Weeks, as Mr. Mede underſtands it ( Apoſtacy of the Latter
' times.) 1 Whereas therefore it was now a known and expetted
thing among Chriſtians, that the eminent Antichriſt, or Antichriſtian State ( exxrelly foretold, 2 Thefſ. 2. ) was to come, or take place ; therefore the Apoſtle ſays, we, 1. e. the Generality of Chriſtians. have heard ſo much. So he ſays, m even nw, as the Fore-runners of that eminent one, There are many Antichriſts ( foretold alſo by our Saviour, Matth. 24.) viz. noted Heretichs, and Seducers then in be- ing ; not ſuch falſly afſuming vicariozs Chriſts, as only pretended to do that part which the Zews expected from their Meftah, the deli- vering them from the Roman Tjraany, and fo ſet up to be meer!y Ci- ul, or ſecular Chriſts, having themſelves never been Chriſtians ; but ſuch as had revolted from Chriſtianity, and now laboured tundamen- tally to ſubvert it, denying ChriS# to be come in the Fleſh, verſe 22. 2 Epif. 7. having been betore profeſſed Chriſtians, as appears by the tollowing words. whe 19 * They went out from us, but they were not * Deut.13. ot us : for if they had been of us, they would, no jF doubr, have continued with us 7 : but zhey wen? out, pp et gr that they might be made manitett that they were not + 1Cor.12. all ot us o. 19% n Sincere and living Chriſtians are fo ſtrongly held in with Chritt, and the truly Chriſtian Community, by an Union, and Bond of Lite, and by ſenſe of Pleaſures, which thereupon they find 1n that holy Communion, with the ExpeRation which their lively Faith gives * them of eternal Life at laſt, that there is+no doubt of their continu- gnce. 0 Others that are Chriſtians, upon external Inducements al- ter as theſe do, and arc permitted to do fo, that the diffecence may appear between true and counterieit ones, 1 Cor. II. 19. on | 20 But * ye have gn unQtion from the holy one, 2 ©0r7- and t ye know all things. Heb. 1. 9. SeeNote on Verſe 27. + Joh. 14. 21 | have not written unto you becauſe ye know 25. & 15. not the truth : bur becauſe ye know ir, and that no 23- _ lie is of the truth p. ata þ He prudently intimates his Confidence concerning them, toge- ther with the Pleaſure he himſelf took { as any one would ) in com- municating the Sentiments of holy Truth to prepared receptive Minds ; implying alſo, that any part of falſs Dud@rine doth ſo 1ll matci and ſquare with the frame of Divine Truth, that judicious Chri- ſttans may diſcern they are not of a piece,
22 * Whois alter, but he rhart denieth that Jeſus *Chap.g.3*