tliffcrcnc<', ns if A6-y'I' expressed tLe instru- knows our sins; but lio also kno1,s r.nr 111cut, flll(l '" fp-yrp the clcm1:11t or Bf hero. temptations, our etrugglca, our sorrow, an,l 'l'liia i11truducc~ n fo]ijo nntitl10-iP, liko "Do our Jove. noL <lig wilh n et,ck, but dig in tho earth." Ver. 21.-Baloved (eh. ii. 7; iii.:.!), there (For the Hcbrnic Iv to express the inetru- is e. still more blessetl possibility. lf the mont, comp. Ilvv, xiii. 10.) "Nor yet with consciousness of genuine love will sustain us the tonguo" is not e. tnutologice.l e.ddition, before Gou when our hcnrt reproaches ns, One me.y love i~ word only, e.nd yet the much more may w.i have confidence to.-·uds affectionate words may be quite sincere; him ( eh. ii. 28) when 1~ does not reproach and this is a common case. People say kind llll, things which they menu nt the moment, but Ver. 22.-And (as a guarantee that this nfterwnrds they do not tnke the trouble to confidence is not baseless ur misdircctcJ) act kindly. But to love with the tongue whatsoever we ask, we receive from hi:n. only is far worse. This is to say kind Note the present tense; l\a1,/?dvoµ.ev, not things which one does not mean, and which J\11,j,6µ0611. Whatever the child of Go<l asks one knows to be unrenl. Deeds are nee,lcd as such, he ipso facto obtains (John xv. 7). to completQ the- kind wonl; trnth ii needed This is the ideal condition of thi ogs; for to correct the insincere tongue. the child of God cannot ask what dis- Ver. 19.-In this; or, hereby (111 .-o6Trp), pleases his Father. Aud we a.re his chil- here clearly refers to what precedes; and the dren "because we keep bis commandments." thought is similar to that in var. 14. By The 3'TI must not be connected too closely sincere e.nd active love we shall come to with l\aµ.f','1voµev, e.s if our obedience were know ( -yvwu&µe6o.) that we are children of the cause of God's bearing our prayers. Our the truth. "The truth" here is almost obedience shows that we a.re such as can equivalent to ".God;" and we seem to have pray efficacio11sly. (For the parallelism, here an echo of Christ's words to Pilate, comp. Exod. xv. 26; Isa. xxxviii. 3.) "Every one that is of the truth hcnreth my Ver. 23.-And his commandment is this voice" (comp. eh. ii. 21; Jolm iii. 31; viii. (comp. ver. 11), that we shouid believe the 23, 47, etc.). The construction in what fol- Na.me, etc. "Do not forgd," St. John would lows contains several doubtful points; (I) my, "what the foll sc,pe of his command- whether 1reluol'-•" is co-ordinate with -yvwu&- ment is. It is not exhausted by loving the J.L•Ocz or iuµ,v; (2) if the former, whether brethren; we must nlso·believe in h1s Sou; lv .-06-rq, goes on to 1r,luo/J-EV, or is confined aud the one implies the other." Wh.,t is to -yvwv&µ,8cz; (3) whether we should read the meaning of "believing the Name (,r,- 3 .-, .,;.., or 3.-, U,v. In e.11 three cnses the O'TEJ.,.,,.'P lw&µ.a.-,)"? ,ve oan believe a docu- first alternntive is perhaps preferable: And ment (John ii. 22; v. 47), or a. statement hereby we shall persuade our heart before (John v. 47; xii. 38), or e. person (John x. him (that w1o are of the truth, and there- 37, 38); .but how ce.n we believe a. nnme? fore have nothing to fear), whereinsoever By believing those truths which the name our heart condemn us. But on the third implies: in the present case by believing point see. Dr. Field's note in 'Otium Nor- that Jesus is the Saviour, is the Messiah, vicense,' pars iiL :Before him is very em- is the Son of God. To produce this belief phatic; it is iu God's sight that the children and its consequence, eternal life, is the pur- of the truth are able to quiet their hearts, pose of St. John's Gospel (John :u. 31); not merely in their own eyes. (For ,,,.,,ow it is also the will of God (John vi. 40), and used 8:~solutely, comp. Matt. xxviii. 14; the command of his Son (John xiv. 1). This Acts xu. 20; 2' Cor. v. 11.) belief will inevitably produce as its fruit that Ver. 20.-0ur heart means our conscience, we "love one another [present tense of wbo.t not the affections, which would be .-a is habitual], even as Christ gave us com- u1rl\d-yx111& (ver. 17). If we a1·e conscious mandment" (John xiii 34; xv. 12, 17). of sincere and habitual love, this will calm Throughout the Epistle, and especially in us when conscience reprouches us (comp. this pnssage (vers. 22-2!), the references eh. i. 9; ii. 1, 2). St. John never u;;es the to Christ's forew~ll discourses in the Gospel more technical term uwel671,,-ir, which oceurs nre frequent. Here the main ideus of those In the Acts and 1 Peter, and is very frequent discourses are repr~sented-obedience to the in St. Paul. God is greater thBll our heart. Divine commands, particularly as to faith It is asked whether this means that he is and love; promised answer to prayer, abiding more merciful or more rigorous. Neither in God; the gift of t'le Spirit (see on oh. the one nor the other. It mee.ns that, al- iv. 5). thon"'h our conscience is not infollible, Goll Ver. 2-1:.-We are ay.nin in doubt as to is. Our hearts may bo deceived; he cannot whether czbToii and aimis refer to God the be. He knoweth all things. An av.ful Father or to Christ. rhe former seem11 Uiought fo1· the impenitent, e. blessed 11ml better on account of ver 22; but the lattar i,ncouragiug thought for the penitent, He may he right (John xiv. 15; xv. 5). ('om• 'iG THE FIRST EPISTLE GENEltAL Oll' JOlIN. [en. tn.1-24.
pare the <.>onchrnion ofthe fll'l!t m1tin division tl1e norist (f3.,,,..,) refers to the specinl oc- (eh. ii. 24-28). In thh (or, hereby) pro- eA.Sion or Pl'\nlecoat. Hitherto St. John has bnbly refers to what follows; the ,., does mentioned only the Father aud the Son : not disprove this, in spite of the /1< which now the Spirit also (alluded to in eh. ii. 20, follows. St. John has combined two oon- 27) is introduced by name as a witness ond ~tru<.>tions : "In this we J.71ow , .. in tha.t" test of the truth. The sentence forms the (lv 'TOVT'!' -,,,.,rl,,r1<oµ•v ..• g.,.,), as in ver. 16; transition to the subject of the noxt section and " From this we know , .. from" (11< (eh. iv. 1-6), 'll·hich is a sort of digression, .,.• .i.,.ov -,,ivrl,,r,,0µ•11 .•• 11< 'Toii); oomp. ob. iv. 6. the subject of love being mentioned in ver. 7. From the Spirit whioh he gave us. "He'' This verse is said to have been a favourite is prob11bly the Father (ob. xiv. 16, 17), and with Spinoza.