1By water and blood.-Commentators are very much divided as to the meaning of these words. One opinion is that reference is made to Our Lord's death upon the Cross; another that His Baptism is contrasted with John's, inasmuch as He gave virtue to the water of baptism by His Blood, and sent the Holy Ghost to testify the same. The most likely opinion is that as S. John wrote immediately for the then prevailing heresies, he met one which asserted that "Our Lord became Christ only at His baptism by John, and ceased to be the Christ when He died upon the Cross." The sixth verse would meet this heresy precisely, and this meaning gives a key to the reading of the next two verses. A recent writer, Drach, says this opinion is founded upon the interpretation of Tertullian and Venerable Bede, and is generally adopted by modern critics.

2Water only. This must refer to the baptism of S. John, which did not give grace ex opere operato.

3Christ is the truth.—The Greek has the "Spirit is the truth," but there must be an elision here. The object of S. John, as remarked above, is to assert the reality of Christ's humanity and Divinity in His life, death, Resurrection. This is attested in various ways.

*Three in heaven.-The testimony from heaven has been recorded by the Evangelists. The Father spoke at the Baptism, and at the Transfiguration. The Son Himself spoke several times, and appealed to His miracles in proof of His Divinity. The Holy Ghost gave evidence at the Baptism, and on the Day of Pentecost.

The Word.-Aoyos, this is one of the pieces of internal evidence which shows the words to be S. John's. Witnessing is another expression common to the Beloved Disciple, and seldom used by the other Evangelists.

These Three are one.-One in nature, but three in persons. This is one of the proofs of the Trinity.

"Three . . . . on earth.—This is taken by some to prove His humanity, as the other was taken to prove His Divinity. The water and blood which came from His side, as S. John relates in his Gospel, and the loud voice in which He breathed forth His soul are the three witnesses here referred to.

The Spirit, the water, and the blood.-Given in the order in which they gave their testimony that Jesus was, as man, composed of body and soul.

Are one.-Theologians explain the analogy here, where there is not a perfect simile. Similes never are perfect. The Greek has unto one, and such a reading in the Latin and English would obviate many of the difficulties which are to be met with in the exposition of these very obscure passages.

The end of all this trouble and anxiety on the part of the Sacred Writer is to try and make his beloved little children go

on in the sure way towards eternal life. Faith is the first requisite for this, and faith in the Trinity, in the Incarnation of the Son of God, who was Man really and truly, died for our salvation, and then appointed a Church in which he placed Sacraments as means through which His merits might be applied to us, not merely as giving us exteriorly rights to be numbered amongst the Christians of a certain flock, but interiorly washing away our sins. If we sin again, we have to go to confession, and the birthright which was lost will be restored to us. We proceed then to understand the importance of that unity of doctrine which heretics try to rend by their novelties and dissensions.

Now the righteousness which is required in a child of God is not a barren faith whereby we merely assent to what we are taught either by His written or spoken word. It must be a faith working by charity. This charity S. John insists upon again and again, and he makes it include the observance of all the commandments.

The comprehensive faith which the Church exacts is here very strongly and forcibly put. God has appointed His Church as His organ and she is to teach all things whatsoever He commands her. If anyone will not believe her then he makes God a liar, who said that she should teach all truth to the end of time, and that error should never be able to prevail against her. For this reason is one who will not hear the Church to be considered as on the same level with a heathen or a publican. Nay, he is even worse, as we shall see further on.

It is obvious to anyone who carefully reads this Epistle, that there must have been some gaps in the closing verses. We do not see that clear eye of S. John looking straight into us, and putting, in the simplest language, sublime truths of heaven before us. We see the sublime, but we cannot comprehend it, and we see that wisdom is concealed, for the understanding of which our sinfulness unfits us.

1Testimony of men.-In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall stand in human evidence-a fortiori in Divine evidence, where one is enough.

2He hath testified. This testimony has been recorded in the Gospel, especially that written by S. John.

In himself. His own faith is a light to every man.

The Son.-What the Son says as well as what the Son has done. This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him.

Believeth not. This is the reason of the conclusion given in the preceding verse.

Eternal life.-Eternal life is given here in germ or in promise by sanctifying grace. If anyone dies in that state he shall be happy for ever.

"Hath life. He has such life that all his good actions, in grace, are worthy of eternal life.

8Hath not the Son.-A heretic may do good actions, aye, and better than those which a Catholic does, but they will not merit an eternalonly a temporal-recompense.

That you may know.-S. John wishes to show the difference between living in the Church and out of it. It is not a matter of good works merely, there is faith required, one and undivided.

Testimony:

Ist. Must be clear and distinct.

2nd. Must not be contradicted.

3rd. Must be true.

14. Et hæc est fiducia quam habemus ad eum, quia quodcumque petierimus secundùm voluntatem ejus, audit nos.

15. Et scimus quia audit nos, quidquid petierimus; scimus quoniam habemus petitiones quas postulamus ab eo.

16. Qui scit fratrem suum peccare peccatum non ad mortem, petat, et dabitur ei vita peccanti non ad mortem. Est peccatum ad mortem: non pro illo dico ut roget quis.

17. Omnis iniquitas peccatum est: et est peccatum ad mortem.

Life of Faith:

Ist. The only life here.

2nd. Those who have it not are dead.

3rd. Those who reject faith commit spiritual suicide.

14. And this is the confidence which we have in him, that whatsoever 1we shall ask according to his will, he heareth us.

15. And we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask: we know that we have the petitions which we request of him.

16. He that knoweth his brother to sin a sin which is 'not unto death, let him ask, and life shall be given to him, that sinneth not to death. There is a sin unto death: "I do not say that any one should ask for it.

17. All iniquity is sin; and there is a sin unto death.

Prayer, which is the breathing of the spiritual life of grace, is put before us by S. John as one of the duties we owe to God and our neighbour. We should pray always, and not forget our sinful brethren in our petitions. Intercession, whether made by the living or the dead, is always pleasing to God, and he hearkens unto it.

Praying for sinners, who forget to pray for themselves, has always been considered a very great work of charity. Indeed it is the theme of all Catholic writers and moralists.

The sin unto death mentioned above is very hard to define. There are various theories concerning it. The greatest number of interpreters consider it to be the sin of apostacy. This sin is sometimes pardoned. If we might venture an opinion, we should consider it the sin of one who broaches a new error and sticks to it, or what is called the sin of a heresiarch. No one ever heard of a heresiarch being converted or doing penance, even on his death-bed. His sin is death to himself, and, worst of all, death to the thousands who adopt his errors.

1We shall ask.-F. Vercellone, in correcting the punctuation of the Vulgate, puts a colon after petierimus in the Latin. This is not generally considered an improvement; it would make the sense be-He heareth us according to His will. The present reading is simpler and more like the original.

2Heareth us.-The hearing is not simply catching the sound of the voice, but it is being attentive, or hearkening to the petition sent upwhether by voice or mental act.

Have the petitions.-Asking is the same as if we saw Him granting. He does not refuse to fulfil His promises.

*Not unto death.-This means an ordinary sin without special malice.

A sin unto death.-The explanations of this sin are various. Besides the one given above, S. Ambrose thinks it a sin for the forgiveness of which a saint only can pray. Cassian thinks it a mortal sin, for which a priest only can pray in absolution. Rosenmuller thinks it a sin which deserves capital punishment by the law of the land; no Christian ought to commit such, and if he did, he deserves to be left to his fate. A'Lapide gives a great many other interpretations.

"I do not say. The translation is imperfect. The meaning is: I do not tell you to pray for such an one. It is useless. Your prayer will not be granted, as God punishes such after His own manner.

A sin unto death.-There is a negative here in the Greek, but any one form of words implies its contrary.