Of the three A. M. cir. 4073. A. D. cir. 69. Impp. Galba, Othone, Vitel. et Vespasiano. CHAP. V. a heavenly Witnesses. beareth witness, because the Father, the Word, and the Spirit is truth. Holy Ghost 7 For there are three that are one. bear record in heaven, the and these three 8 And there are three that A. M. cir. 4073. A. D. cir. 69. Impp. Galba, Othone, Vitel, et Vespasiano. John i. 1. Rev. xix. 13. b John x. 30. cruel, yet a sacrificial, death; he is said here to bear witness, because he is the Spirit of truth. Perhaps St. John makes here a mental comparison between CHRIST, and Moses and Aaron; to both of whom he opposes our Lord, and shows his superior xcellence. Moses came by water-all the Israelites vere baptized unto him in the cloud and in the sea, nd thus became his flock and his disciples; 1 Cor. -.1, 2. Aaron came by blood—he entered into the oly of holies with the blood of the victim, to make tonement for sin. Moses initiated the people into le covenant of God by bringing them under the oud and through the water. Aaron confirmed that wenant by shedding the blood, sprinkling part of it pon them, and the rest before the Lord in the holy holies. Moses came only by water, Aaron only by od; and both came as types. But CHRIST came th by water and blood, not typically, but really; t by the authority of another, but by his own. sus initiates his followers into the Christian venant by the baptism of water, and confirms and als to them the blessings of the covenant by an plication of the blood of the atonement; thus urging their consciences, and purifying their souls. Thus his religion is of infinitely greater efficacy an that in which Moses and Aaron were ministers. e Schoettgen. It may be said, also, that the Spirit bears witness Jesus by his testimony in the souls of genuine iristians, and by the spiritual gifts and miraculous wers with which he endowed the apostles and imitive believers. This is agreeable to what St. hn says in his gospel, chap. xv. 26, 27: When the mforter is come, the Spirit of truth, which prodeth from the Father, he shall testify of me; and also shall bear witness, because ye have been with from the beginning. This place the apostle seems have in his eye; and this would naturally lead m to speak concerning the three witnesses, the IRIT, the WATER, and the BLOOD, ver. 8. Verse 7. There are three that bear record] The ATHER, who bears testimony to his Son; the WORD Aoyos, Logos, who bears testimony to the Father; ad the HOLY GHOST, which bears testimony to the ather and the Son. And these three are one in sence, and agree in the one testimony, that Jesus ime to die for, and give life to, the world. But it is likely this verse is not genuine. It is ranting in every MS. of this epistle written before he invention of printing, one excepted, the Codex Montfortii, in Trinity College, Dublin: the others which omit this verse amount to one hundred and welve. It is wanting in both the Syriac, all the Arabic, Ethiopic, the Coptic, Sahidic, Armenian, Slavonian, &c., in a word, in all the ancient Versions but the Vulgate; and even of this Version many of the most ancient and correct MSS. have it not. It is wanting also in all the ancient Greek Fathers; and in most even of the Latin. The words, as they exist in all the Greek MSS.. with the exception of the Codex Montfortii, are the following: "6. This is he that came by water and blood Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7. For there are three that bear witness, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one. 9. If we receive the witness of man, the witness of God is greater, &c." The words that are omitted by all the MSS., the above excepted, and all the Versions, the Vulgate excepted, are these: [In heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one: and there are three which bear witness in earth.] To make the whole more clear, that every reader may see what has been added, I shall set down these verses, with the inserted words in brackets. "6. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 7. For there are three that bear record [in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. 8. And there are three that bear witness in earth,] the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and these three agree in one. 9. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater, &c." Any man may see, on examining the words, that if those included in brackets, which are wanting in the MSS. and Versions, be omitted, there is no want of connexion; and as to the sense, it is complete and perfect without them; and, indeed, much more so than with them. I shall conclude this part of the note by observing, with Dr. Dodd, "That there are some internal and accidental marks which may render the passage suspected; for the sense is complete, and indeed more clear and better preserved, without it. Besides, the Spirit is mentioned, both as a witness in heaven and on earth; so that the six witnesses are thereby reduced to five, and the equality of number, or antithesis between the witnesses in heaven and on earth, is quite taken away. Besides, what need of witnesses in heaven? No one there doubts that Jesus is the Messiah; and if it be said that Father, Son, and Spirit are witnesses on earth, then there are five Of the three A. M. cir. 4073. A. D. cir. 69. Impp. Galba, Othone, Vitel. et Vespasiano. I. JOHN. C earthly witnesses. A. M. cir. 4073, bear witness in earth, the Spirit, hath the witness in himself: he and the water, and the blood; that believeth not God, dhath and these three agree in one. made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. a b 9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his Son. 11 And this is the record, given to us eternal life, and witnesses on earth, and none in heaven; not to say that there is a little difficulty in interpreting how the Word or the Son can be a witness to himself." It may be necessary to inquire how this verse stood in our earliest English Bibles. In COVERDALE'S Bible, printed about 1535, for it bears no date, the seventh verse is put in brackets thus: And it is the Sprete that beareth wytnes; for the Sprete is the trueth. (For there are thre which beare recorde in heaven: the Father, the TWoorde, and the Holy Goost, and these thre are one.) And there are thre which beare recorde in earth: the Sprete, water, and bloude, and these thre are one. If we recepbe, &c. TINDAL was as critical as he was conscientious; and though he admitted the words into the text of the first edition of his New Testament printed in 1526, yet he distinguished them by a different letter, and put them in brackets as Coverdale has done; and also the words in earth, which stand in ver. 8, without proper authority, and which being excluded make the text the same as in the MSS., &c. Two editions of this Version are now before me; one printed in English and Latin, quarto, with the following title. The Newe Testament, both in Englyshe and Laten, of Mayster Erasmus translation - and imprinted by William Powell-the yere of our Lorde M.CCCCC.XLVII. And the fyrste yere of the kynges (Edw.VI.) moste gracious reygne. In this edition the text stands thus: And it is the Spirite that beareth wytnes, because the Spirite is truth (for there are thre whiche beare recorde in heaven, the Father, the Horde, and the Holy Ghost, and these thre are one). For there are thre whiche beare recorde (in earth), the Spirite, water, and blode, and these thre are one. Ef we receybe, &c. The other, printed in London "by William Tylle, 4to, without the Latin of Erasmus in M.CCCCC.XLIX. the thyrde yere of the reigne of our moost dreade Soverayne Lorde Kynge Edwarde the Syxte," has, with a small variety of spelling, the text in the same order, and the same words included in brackets as above. The English Bible with the book of Common Prayer, printed by Richard Cardmarden, at Rouen in Normandy, fol. 156, exhibits the text faithfully, but in the following singular manner: And it is the Spyryte that beareth witnesse, because the Spyryte is truthe. (for there are three which A. D. cir. 69. Impp. Galba, Othone, Vitel, et Vespasiano. that God hath this life is in d John iii. 33. v. 38.- e Ch. ii. 25. — John i. 4.Ch. iv. 9. beare recorde in heaven, the Father, the Woorde, and the Holy Ghost; and these Three are One) And three which beare recorde * (in earth) the Spirit. and water, and bloode; and these three are one. The first English Bible which I have seen, where these distinctions were omitted, is that called The Bishop's Bible, printed by Jugge, fol. 1568. Since that time, all such distinctions have been gener disregarded. Though a conscientious believer in the doctrine of the ever blessed, holy, and undivided Trinity, and the proper and essential divinity of our Lord Jes Christ, which doctrines I have defended by many and even new, arguments in the course of this work. I cannot help doubting the authenticity of the ter: in question; and, for further particulars, refer to the observations at the end of this chapter. Verse 8. The Spirit, and the water, and the blood This verse is supposed to mean "the Spirit-in the word confirmed by miracles; the water—in baps wherein we are dedicated to the Son (with the Fai and the Holy Spirit), typifying his spotless pr and the inward purifying of our nature; and the bes represented in the Lord's supper, and applied the consciences of believers: and all these harms ously agree in the same testimony, that Jesus Chr is the divine, the complete, the only Saviour of the world."-Mr. Wesley's notes. By the written word, which proceeded from the Holy Spirit, that Spirit is continually witnessing p earth, that God hath given unto us eternal life. By baptism, which points out our regeneration, the renewing of the Holy Ghost, and which is s maintained as an initiatory rite in the Christe church, we have another witness on earth of truth, certainty, importance, and efficacy of the Christian religion. The same may be said of the blood, represented by the holy Eucharist, which c tinues to show forth the death and atoning sacrifice of the Son of God till he comes. See the note o verse 6. Verse 9. If we receive the witness of men] Which all are obliged to do, and which is deemed a sut cient testimony to truth in numberless cases; ** witness of God is greater-he can neither be deceived nor deceive, but man may deceive and be deceived. Verse 10. He that believeth on the Son of God] This is God's witness to a truth, the most important and interesting to mankind. God has witnessed that whosoever believeth on his Son shall be saved, and have everlasting life; and shall have the witness of it in himself, the Spirit bearing witness with his spirit that he is a child of God. To know, to feel his sin forgiven, to have the testimony of this in the heart from the Holy Spirit himself, is the privilege of every true believer in Christ. Verse 11. This is the record] The great truth to which the Spirit, the water, and the blood bear testimony. God hath given us eternal life—a right to endless glory, and a meetness for it. And this life is in his Son; it comes by and through him; he is its author and its purchaser; it is only in and through HIM. No other scheme of salvation can be effectual; God has provided none other, and in such a case a man's invention must be vain. Verse 12. He that hath the Son hath life] As the eternal life is given IN the Son of God, it follows that it cannot be enjoyed without him. No man can have it without having Christ; therefore he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life. It is in vain to expect eternal glory, if we have not Christ in our heart. The indwelling Christ gives both a title to it, and a meetness for it. This is God's record. Let no man deceive himself here. An indwelling Christ and GLORY; no indwelling Christ, No glory. God's record must stand. Verse 13. That ye may know that ye have eternal life] I write to show your privileges-to lead you into this holy of holies-to show what believing on the Son of God is, by the glorious effects it produces: it is not a blind reliance for, but an actual enjoyment of, salvation; Christ living, working, and reigning in the heart. And that ye may believe] That is, continue to believe; for Christ dwells in the heart only by FAITH, and faith lives only by LOVE, and love continues only by OBEDIENCE; he who BELIEVES loves, and he who LOVES obeys. He who obeys loves; he who loves believes; he who believes has the witness in himself: he who has this witness has Christ in his heart, the hope of glory; and he who believes, loves, and obeys, has Christ in his heart, and is a man of prayer. confidence in God. e 14 And this is the confidence that we have din him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us : A. M. cir. 4073. A. D. cir. 69. Impp. Galba, Othone, Vitel. et Vespasiano. 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and e Ch. i. 1, 2. that God has promised we are justified in expecting; and what he has promised, and we expect, we should pray for. Prayer is the language of the children of God. He who is begotten of God speaks this language. He calls God Abba, Father, in the true spirit of supplication. Prayer is the language of dependance on God; where the soul is dumb, there is neither life, love, nor faith. Faith and prayer are not boldly to advance claims upon God; we must take heed that what we ask and believe for is agreeable to the revealed will of God. What we find promised, that we may plead. Verse 15. And if we know that he hear us] Seeing we are satisfied that he hears the prayer of faith, requesting the things which himself has promised; we know, consequently, that we have the petitions-the answer to the petitions, that we desired of him; for he cannot deny himself; and we may consider them as sure as if we had them; and we shall have them as soon as we plead for and need them. We are not to ask to-day for mercy that we now need, and not receive it till to-morrow, or some future time. God gives it to him who prays, when it is needful. Verse 16. A sin which is not unto death] This is an extremely difficult passage, and has been variously interpreted. What is the sin not unto death, for which we should ask, and life shall be given to him that commits it? And what is the sin unto death, for which we should not pray? I shall note three of the chief opinions on this subject. 1. It is supposed that there is here an allusion to a distinction in the Jewish law, where there was non chattaah lemithah, "a sin unto death;" and xx chattaah lo lemithah, "a sin not unto death;" that is, 1. A sin, or transgression, to which the law had assigned the punishment of death ; such as idolatry, incest, blasphemy, breach of the sabbath, and the like. And 2. A sin not unto death, i. e. transgressions of ignorance, inadvertence, &c., and such as, in their own nature, appear to be comparatively light and trivial. That such distinctions did exist in the Jewish synagogue both Schoettgen and Carpzovius have proved. Verse 14. This is the confidence] Пappnoia, The liberty of access and speech, that if we ask any thing 2. By the sin not unto death, for which intercession according to his will, that is, which he has promised might be made, and unto death, for which prayer in his word. His word is a revelation of his will, in might not be made, we are to understand transthe things which concern the salvation of man. Allgressions of the civil law of a particular place, some Whosoever is born A. M. cir. 4073. a for it. d I. JOHN. " he shall give him life for I do not say that he shall pray of God sinneth not. 17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there derstanding, that we may know him that is is a sin not unto death. true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God,' and eternal life. 21 Little children," keep yourselves from idols. Amen. have proved no man can now commit. See the note on Matt. xii. 31, 32. Verse 17. All unrighteousness is sin] Пaca acinia, Every act contrary to justice is sin—is a transgression of the law which condemns all injustice. of which must be punished with death, according to the statutes, the crime admitting of no pardon : others might be punished with death, but the magistrate had the power of commuting the punishments, i. e. of changing death into banishment, &c., for reasons that might appear to him satisfactory, or at the inter- Verse 18. Whosoever is born of God sinneth no!] cession of powerful friends. To intercede in the This is spoken of adult Christians; they are cleansed former case would be useless, because the law would from all unrighteousness, consequently from all sin, not relax, therefore they need not pray for it; but | chap. i. 7—9. intercession in the latter case might be prevalent, therefore they might pray; and if they did not, the person might suffer the punishment of death. This opinion, which has been advanced by Rosenmüller, intimates that men should feel for each other's distresses, and use their influence in behalf of the wretched, nor ever abandon the unfortunate but where the case is utterly hopeless. 3. The sin unto death means a case of transgression, particularly of grievous backsliding from the life and power of godliness, which God determines to punish with temporal death, while at the same time he extends mercy to the penitent soul. The disobedient prophet, 1 Kings xiii. 1—32, is, on this interpretation, a case in point: many others occur in the history of the church, and of every religious community. The sin not unto death is any sin which God does not choose thus to punish. This view of the subject is that taken by the late Reverend J. Wesley, in a sermon entitled, A Call to Backsliders.-WORKS, Vol. X., page 92. I do not think the passage has any thing to do with what is termed the sin against the Holy Ghost; much less with the popish doctrine of purgatory; nor with sins committed before and after baptism, the former pardonable, the latter unpardonable, according to some of the Fathers. Either of the last opinions (viz., 2 and 3) make a good sense; and the first (1) is not unlikely: the apostle may allude to some maxim or custom in the Jewish church which is not now distinctly known. However, this we know, that any penitent may find mercy through Christ Jesus; for through him every kind of sin may be forgiven to man, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; which I Keepeth himself] That is, in the love of God, Jude 21, by building up himself on his most holy faith, and praying in the Holy Ghost; and that wicked one-the devil, toucheth him not-finds nothing of his own nature in him on which he can wed, Christ dwelling in his heart by faith. Verse 19. We know that we are of God] Have the fullest proof of the truth of Christianity, and of our own reconciliation to God through the death of his Son. The whole world lieth in wickedness.] Ev Ty Toy KEITAI Lieth in the wicked one-is embraced in the arms of the devil, where it lies fast asleep and carnally secure, deriving its heat and power from its infernal fosterer. What a truly awful state! And do not the actions, tempers, propensities, opinions, and maxims of all worldly men prove and illustrate this? 'In this short expression," says Mr. Wesley, "the horrible state of the world is painted in the most lively colours; a comment on which we have in the actions, conversations, contracts, quarrels, and friendships of worldly men." Yes, their ACTIONS are opposed to the law of God; their CONVERSATIONS shallow, simulous, and false; their CONTRACTS forced, interested, and deceitful; their QUARRELS puerile, ridiculous, and ferocious; and their FRIENDSHIPS hollow, insincere, capricious, and fickle:-all, all the effect of their lying in the arms of the wicked one; for thus they become instinct with his own spirit: and because they are of their father the devil, therefore his lusts they will do. Verse 20. We know that the Son of God is come] In the flesh, and has made his soul an offering for sin; and hath given us an understanding—a more eminent degree of light than we ever enjoyed before; for as he lay in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him unto us: and he hath besides given us a spiritual understanding, that we may know him who is true, even the TRUE GOD, and get eternal life from him through his Son, IN whom we are by faith, as the branches in the vine, deriving all our knowledge, light, life, love, and fruitfulness from him. And it is through this revelation of Jesus that we know the ever-blessed and glorious Trinity; and the Trinity, Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, in the eternal, undivided unity of the ineffable Godhead. Verse 21. Little children] Teкvia Beloved children; he concludes with the same affectionate feeling with which he commenced. Keep yourselves from idols.] Avoid the idolatry of the heathens; not only have no false gods, but have the true God. Have no idols in your houses, none in your churches, none in your hearts. Have no object of idolatrous worship; no pictures, relics, consecrated tapers, wafers, crosses, &c., by attending to which your minds may be divided and prevented from worshipping the infinite Spirit in spirit and in truth. The apostle, says Dr. Macknight, cautioned his disciples against going with the heathens into the emple of their idol gods, to eat of their feasts upon he sacrifices they had offered to these gods; and gainst being present at any act of worship which hey paid them; because, by being present, they paricipated of that worship, as is plain from what St. Paul has written on the subject, 1 Cor. viii. x., where Wiclif ends his epistle thus: My little sones, kepe e you fro mawmitis, i. e. puppets, dolls, and such ike; for thus Wiclif esteemed all images employed a religious worship. They are the dolls of a spurious Thristianity, and the drivellings of religion in nonage and dotage. Protestants, keep yourselves from such naumets! three heavenly Witnesses. Lord Jesus Christ; may his intercession be with us for ever and ever! Amen. In the MANUSCRIPTS: The First of John.-AB. The First Epistle of John the evangelist. The First Catholic Epistle of St. John the divine,written from Ephesus. The Epistle to the Parthians.-See several Latin MSS. The word Amen is wanting in all the best MSS. and in most of the Versions. For other matters relative to the epistle itself see the preface: and for its heavenly doctrine and unction read the text, in the original if you can; if not, in our own excellent translation. OBSERVATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THE Advocates THREE DIVINE WITNESSES, Accompanied with a Plate containing two very correct fac similes of 1 JOHN, chap. v. ver. 7, 8, and 9, as they stand in the first edition of the New Testament, printed at Complutum, 1514, and in the Codex Montfortii, a manuscript marked G. 97 in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin. Παντα δοκιμάζετε, το καλον κατεχετε. 1 Thess. v. 21. The seventh verse of the fifth chapter of I. JOHN, has given rise to more theological disputes than any other portion of the sacred writings. and antagonists have arisen in every quarter of the civilized world: but the dispute has been principally confined to the Unitarians of all classes, and those called Orthodox; the former asserting that it is an interpolation, and the latter contending that it is a part of the original text of St. John. It is asserted that (one excepted, which shall be noticed by and by) all the Greek MSS. written before the invention of printing omit the passage in dispute. How the seventh and eighth verses stand in these may be seen in the following view, where the words included between brackets are those which are wanting in the MSS. Ότι τρεις εισιν οἱ μαρτυρουντες [εν τῳ ουρανῳ, ὁ πατηρ, ὁ λόγος, και το άγιον πνευμα και οὗτοι οἱ τρεις éveil. Και τρεις εἰσὶν οἱ μαρτυρούντες εν τη γη] το πνευμα, και το ύδωρ, και το αίμα και οἱ τρεις εις το έν Lov. Of all the MSS. yet discovered which contain this Amen.] So be it! So let it be! And so it shall be, epistle, amounting to one hundred and twelve, three God being our helper, for ever and ever! only, two of which are of no authority, have the text, viz.: 1. The Codex Guelpherbytanus G, which is demonstrably a MS. of the seventeenth century (for it contains the Latin translation of Beza, written by the same hand), and therefore of no use or importance in sacred criticism. 2. The Codex Ravianus or Berolinensis, which is a forgery, and only a copy of the Greek text in the Complutensian Polyglot, printed in 1514, and so close an imitation of it, that it copies even its typographical errors; hence, and from the similarity of the letters, it appears to have been forged that it |