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 our

.

7 Εαν δε εν τω φωτί πε ριπατωμεν, ὡς αυτος εςιν εν τῷ φωτι, κοινωνιαν εχομεν

μετ' αλλήλων, και το αἷμα Ιησου Χριςου του διου αυτου καθαρίζει ἡμας απο πασης ἁμαρτίας·

8 Εαν ειπωμεν ότι ἁμαρ τιαν ουκ ἔχομεν, ἑαυτους selves, and the truth is πλανωμεν, και η αληθεια

not in us.

ουκ εςιν εν ημιν.

9 Εαν ὁμολογωμεν τας ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, πιςος εςι και δικαιος, ἵνα αφῃ ἡμιν τας ἁμαρτίας, και καθαρισῃ ἡ

μας από πάσης αδικίας.

the meaning of which according to Bengelius is, If we endeavour to persuade ourselves and others.

Ver. 7.-1. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light. The apostle doth not say, as he walketh in the light, but as he is in the light, to shew that God is essentially and perfectly holy.

2. We have fellowship with one another. As the apostle is speaking here, not of the fellowship which Christians have with each other, but with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, fellowship μετ' αλλήλων with one another, must mean fellowship or intercourse between the head and the members of the community. This fellowship consists in the Father's bestowing blessings on us through the mediation of Christ; and in our receiving these blessings from the Father and the Son with thankfulness.-In some MSS. the reading here is, μετ' αυτ8, with him. But it makes no alteration in the

sense.

3. And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. As the apostle in this passage represents our being cleansed from all sin as the effect of our walking in the light, it is evident that by our being cleansed from all sin, he doth not mean our being delivered from the power but from the punishment of sin; a blessing which hath been procured by the blood or death of Christ as a propitiatory sacrifice. Accordingly Christ's blood is said, Heb. ix. 14. to cleanse the conscience of sinners from dead works; that is, from those fears which always accompany the consciousness of having done works which deserve eternal death. Our actual deliverance however from punishment is not accomplished in the present life; but it is promised in the gospel to all who walk in the light; and that is sufficient.—But there is a cleansing from all sin, in another sense, which is begun in the pre

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,1 we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.3

8 If we say (see ver. 6. note) that we have no sin,1 we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just (ive app) so that he can forgive sins to us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (See ver. 7. note 3.)

7 But if we practise holiness, after the example of God the head of our fellowship, who is infinitely pure, he and we have fellowship with one another; he by bestowing and we by receiving happiness. And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son, shed as an atonement, will deliver us from the punishment of all our sins.

8 If we say, with the Nicolaitans, that we have no sin to be cleansed from, being allowed under the gospel to do what we list, we deceive ourselves, and the true doctrine of God is not in us.

9 The doctrine of the Nicolaitans that believers have no sin to be pardoned, doth not afford men more comfort than the true doctrine of the gospel; which is, If we confess our sins to God with a firm resolution to forsake them, he is faithful to his promise, and just to his Son whom he sent to save sinners; so that he can forgive sins to us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness by his Spirit.

sent life by the blood of Christ, who having died to procure us the influences of the Spirit for sanctifying our natures, may be truly said to cleanse us from all sin by his blood. Of this cleansing the apostle does not speak in this verse, as was observed above: But he speaks of it ver. 9.

Ver. 8.-1. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. This the apostle declared in opposition to the Nicolaitans and Simonians, who corruptly fancying that under the gospel dispensation no action whatever was forbidden, argued that they did not sin by any thing they were pleased to do. As the cleansing of men from all sin, mentioned in the preceding verse, doth not mean that believers are pardoned and rendered perfectly holy in the present life, but only that the pardon of all their sins is attainable, and that the sanctification of their nature is begun and only gradually carrying on, the apostle, without contradicting himself, might affirm that whosoever saith he hath no sin, deceiveth himself. For, through the infirmity of human nature and the strength of temptation, the holiest sometimes fall into sin; but they quickly recover themselves by repentance: So that they do not continue in sin.-This text with chap. iii. 3. overthrows the Pelagian notion, that good men may live without sin: and that many good men have actually so lived,

10 If we say that we

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

10

1ο Εαν ειπωμεν ότι ουχ ἡμαρτηκαμεν, ἡμαρτηκαμεν, ψευςην ποιουμεν αυτόν, και ο λογος αυτου ουκ εςιν εν ἡμιν.

Ver. 9.-1. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just so that he can forgive. Here the apostle shews what is necessary on our part for obtaining pardon through the blood of Christ. We must confess our sins to God. He mentions confession; not as if it were the only thing necessary; but because it is the first step towards repentance and reformation; and because, if it is

CHAPTER II.

View and Illustration of the Doctrines and Precepts contained in this Chapter.

THE apostle, in the preceding chapter, having mentioned the

honour which believers derive from being members of the fellowship of God and of his Son Jesus Christ; also having shewed the obligation which lieth on all the members of that honourable fellowship, to imitate God and Christ in their holiness; and described the benefits to be obtained by being in that fellowship, particularly the great benefit of being cleansed from their sins through the blood of Christ; he, in the beginning of this chapter, declared that he wrote these things to them, not to encourage them to sin, but to prevent them from sinning. Yet if any one happened to sin, through surprise, or strong temptation, or weakness of understanding, he was not to despair of pardon, provided he repented, and did not continue in his sin; because we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the just one, ver. 1. who is the propitiation appointed of God for the sins of the Jews, and not for theirs only, but for the sins of the whole world; so that penitents of all ages and nations, may expect pardon through the merit of his death, ver. 2.—Next it appears that the Nicolaitans, who like the Jews, (Rom. ii. 17.-20.) were great admirers of knowledge, not only inferred from Christ's words, John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, &c. that the only thing necessary to one's obtaining eternal life, was to possess the knowledge of the true God and of Jesus Christ, but affirmed, that the person who possessed this knowledge, was under no obligation to obey God's commandments. For, in opposition to these impious tenets, John declared, that it is only by the keep

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make (Ess. iv. 1.) him a liar, and his word is not in us.

10 If, with the Nicolaitans, we say that we have not sinned by any thing we have done, because all actions are free to us, we endeavour to make God a liar, who by appointing his Son to die as a propitiation, and by promising to pardon us on account of that propitiation, hath declared that we are sinners; consequently his word is not in us.

sincere, it will be followed with reformation, without which no sinner will be pardoned, if space of amendment is allowed to him.

ing of God's commandments, that any man can know that he knoweth God aright; consequently, that that is the only right knowledge of God which leadeth men to a holy life, ver. 3.Wherefore, if any one affirmeth that he knoweth God, and doth not keep his commandments, he is a liar, and the true knowledge of God is not in him, ver. 4.-Farther, it seemeth to have been a doctrine of the Nicolaitans, that the enjoying of sensual pleasures without restraint, was a proper expression of their love and gratitude to God, for his having freed them, under the gospel, from the obligations of morality. For the apostle, in opposition to that impious doctrine, declared, that whosoever keepeth God's injunction to obey Christ's precepts, in that man the love and gratitude which he oweth to God is carried to perfection; and that such a person may thereby know, that he is in the fellowship of God, ver. 5.-And with respect to fellowship with Christ, the apostle declared, that he who saith he abideth in fellowship with Christ, ought to live in the holy manner, in which Christ lived while he was on earth, ver. 6.

Next, the apostle told his disciples, that in enjoining them to obey Christ's precepts, he wrote no new commandment, but an old commandment given by Moses in the law, who ordered the Israelites to hearken to the prophet, whom God was to raise up from among their brethren, like to him, ver. 7.—But he wrote a new commandment, when he enjoined them to walk even as Christ walked; because it implied, that they were to lay down their lives for one another, (chap. iii. 16.) as Christ laid down his life for them, ver. 8.--And, because some of the Jews, like the

VOL. VI.

initiated in the heathen mysteries, thought themselves enlightened persons, notwithstanding they were void of love to the rest o mankind, and even hated them, the apostle told them, that the person who thought himself enlightened, and yet hated his brother, was still in darkness, notwithstanding he called himself a Christian, ver. 9.-But he who loveth his brother, in such a manner as to do him every good office in his power, is in the light; he is a truly enlightened person, and there is nothing in him to occasion his falling into sin, ver. 10.-Then, to impress his disciples the more strongly, with a sense of the obligation they were laid under by the light to love one another, the apostle repeated the sentiment which he had delivered in verse 9th, that he who hateth his brother is in the darkness of ignorance, and doth not know whither that conduct will lead him, because the darkness of ignorance hath blinded the eyes of his understanding, ver. 11.

Having finished these subjects, John told all the brethren in general, that he was going to write a precept which he knew would be agreeable to them, because their sins were to be forgiven through Christ, ver. 12.-Accordingly, first of all addressing such of them as were of long standing in the church, whom on that account he called fathers, he said he would write to them the precept of which he spake, because they had known Christ from the beginning, consequently they would know that what he should write to them was Christ's precept. Then turning his discourse to those who were in the vigour of the Christian life, whom therefore he called young men, he observed, that his precept would not be difficult to them, because they had already overcome the wicked one, the devil, by resisting his strongest temptations. And with respect to the newly converted, whom he termed young children, what he was going to write would, he believed, be approved by them, because they were acquainted with the will of the Father, ver. 13. However, before he wrote the precept of which he spake, he told the fathers, that he had written to them the precept of walking as Christ walked, because they had known Christ from the beginning. The same precept he had written to the young men, because they were strong in the Christian virtues through the doctrine of God abiding in them, and because they had already overcome the wicked one, 14. Having thus roused the attention of the old, the middle aged, and the young, John told them his precept was, Not to be in love with the men and manners of the world, neither with the things which the men of the world pursue: because, if any

ver.