am. 1.8, r Which is not to be underſtood ſimply, as 1f he could not tin at all, which were to contradit what he had faid before, Chap. 1.8. and ſuppoſed, Chap. 2. r. But he cannot commit 5'n. verſe 8. And *tis plain, the Apoſtle intends by theſe two Expre ffi ons the ſame thing. He cannot ſin, i.e. do an AR of known, grols Sin, deliberately, eafily, remorſleſly, maliciouily, as Cain, verſe 12 out of an hatred of Goodneſs : Or, do not ſuch As cuſtomarily, cr not ſo unto Death, ( as Chap. 5. 16.) but that throuzh the Advantage of inlaid Principles, or the remaining Seed, by dependence upon the Grace, Spirit, and Covenant of God in Chriſt, he may timouſly re- cover. Becauſe he is born of God, i.e. in as much as it belongs to his Temper and Inclination, in reſpect of the holy new Nature receigy in Regeneration, to abhor from the grofſer Affs, much more from Courſe of Sin, { Gen. 39.9. Affs 4. 20. 2 Cor. 13. 8. Gal. 5. 17.) And to his Rate, as he is a Child of God, to have that Intereſt 1n the Grace of Chrift, thit he may jmplore, truſt, obtain, and improve it, to his beinz kept from ſuch deſtructive ſinning. And it being evi-
TE NM od & Mm”
dent by his deep and thorough Change, that he 1s born of God, and
choſen tobe an Heir of eternal Lite, { as his Children are Heirs ) he may and ought { not in a way of preſumptuous Negligence, but of Vi-ilance and humhle Depcndance ) certainly to expe being fo kept. Noris it ſtrange ſo much ſhould beatfirm'd, upon ſo unſpeakably bet- ter Grounds of the Chriftian State, when ſuch Boaſts are to be read concernin? ſome among the Pagans, that one might as ſoon divert the Sun from its Courſe, as turn ſuch a one from the Courſe of Righte- ouſneſs. Though we may alſo ſuppoſe this Form of Speech, might be intended by the Apoſtle to be underſtood by the more ſuperficial Profcifors of Chriſtianity, { who night be generally apt enough fo look upon themſelves as born of God, and his Children ) as parene- tical, and more enforcinzly hortatogg, 1n purſuance of his former Scope, to keep them off from the liecntious Courſes of their Sedu- cers; 9. d. It carrot be, that you who avow your ſelves born of God, thould do like them. So we uſually fv, that cannot byt be, or c:mmt be, which we apprehend more highty and clearly reaſonable ſhould be, or not he. Nom potes avelli, &. Such Rhetorick the Apoſtles uſes with Agrippa, 1 know thou believe, as 1t it were 1mpoſ- ib!che ſhouid not.
10 In this the children of God are manifeſt, and the children of the devil : Whoſvever doth not righte- ouſneſs, is not of God, * neither he that loveth not his brother £.
s Upon what was fad, he redyces alt Men each to their own Fa- mily and Father, concluding it manifeſt whither they belonged, 7.e. He ſtews upon the Grounds before expreſſed, who do not belong to Gol and his Family, leavinz it thence to be collefted, ſince two Fa- thers and Families divide the W - ©, to which tney muſt be reckon- e4, i.e. They belong not to God, 2nd conſequently to that worit of Eithers, whofirſt in the general do not Righteouineſs , the Devil
1 FOHN
being the firſt Sinner, they are his Deſcendents ; 2nd next, who var-
ticularly love not their Brethren, which moſt ex reſly demonitrates 4 Diabolical Nature. |
11 For * this is the || meſſage that ye heard from the *
beginning, ? + that we ſhould love one another.
t See Chap. 2, 5, 8. 9. d. They cannot be of G4, therefore, tht ”
croſs ſo fundamental a Precept, fo expretſiveof his Nztu;e and 4/7. 12 Not as * Cain, who was of that wicked cn2 x.
and {Jew his brother : And wherefore {lew- he him 7 Sccauſle his own works were evil, and his brothers righteous. |
4 And what again, on the other hand, ( 4. 4.) can be more Pe- vil like than ſuch a Temper as C4in's was, whoſe Hatred of this Bro- thes brake out into aftual Murder, upon no other account but becauſe his Brother was better than he ? which ſhewed him to be of tl:zt wicked One, of the Serpent's Seed : $9 early was ſuch Secd ſown, and lo ancient the Enmity between Seed and Sced.
13 Marvel not, my brethren, it F the world hate + 7
YOu tv.
w This beiny fo devilliſh a quality, and the World fo generally under his Power, as the God of it, 2 Cor. 4. 4. it is aot to be thovs!;t ſtrange, that good Men ſhould be the Marks and detigned Objctt. Ut
the World's Hatred.
14 * We know that we have paſſe] from death unto
life, becauſe we love the brethren : + he that love: not his brother, 2bilerh in death.