750,2. The Father hath bestowed on you. Literally, This implies that the blessing had been realized by them; whereas &c., That the Father hath offered to bestow on you; hence &c., 321.

751. The world acknowledges not us to be. Literally, It does not perceive us to be; whereas &c., It does not admit us to be; hence &c., 322,1.

752. We shall exist to him. Literally, We shall resemble him; whereas &c. as in the Paraphrase; hence &c., 321.

753. In order that he should have taken away the sins, does not mean, as the Literal Sense requires that it should, The sinful acts committed, that is, The guilt incurred by them; but, That he should have taken away the power of such sins to necessarily continue their existence. In Christ, No sin has the power of a continued existence, as Repentance will always release Man in Christ from every sin.

755. Every one that abideth in him. Literally, Every one that is straight, cannot be crooked; whereas &c., Every one that does not permanently forsake him; hence &c., 321.

756. Sinneth not. Let this be noted, that it is not here said, Transgresseth not, but Sinneth not, that is, he cannot do any act that will make him necessarily ultimately responsible for sin. A Sinner

is not one that hath transgressed God's commands, and now lives in the enjoyment of pardon and reconciliation through Christ; he is one, "that abideth in Christ," yet he hath transgressed, or, in an active sense, hath committed sin; but he is a sinner, and in the Apostle's Sense, he alone is one That sinneth, that after transgression does not secure pardon for his transgression; it may be, because he alone not merely commences an act of sin, but also completes the same; seeing that he alone devises, performs, and perfects, by rejection of repentance, that which constitutes at the day of judgment a sin. I consider sin, as here used, to be that act for which man cannot obtain pardon, this, a man so long as he abides in Christ is unable to commit, See Verse 9, He is not able to sin.

757. Are. See Rule 312. Literally, In every case; whereas &c., Generally such is the case; hence the Irregular Government here. See Rule 382.

758. Exists not of the God. Literally, This has reference to his Natural life; whereas &c. has reference to his Spiritual life; hence &c., 322,1.

761. If the world hates you. Literally, You personally; whereas &c., Your doctrine; hence &c., 321.

210

17. Then whosoever should have the property of the world, and should see his brother need having, and should have shut up his bowels of compassion, from him, how dwelleth the love of the God in him, 18. little children. We should not love by a command. Or not by the tongue's persuasion to do so, but by work and truth effected in so doing,

19. by this, we know, that of the truth, we do exist, and as to our state before him, we shall assure our heart,

763. No murderer hath. Literally, What is stated; whereas &c., He hath it not so long as he is answerable for the murder; hence &c., 322,1.

764. Laid down &c. Literally, Personally accomplished his death; whereas &c., Voluntarily consented to his life being taken away; hence &c., 321.

765. Because if our heart should condemn. Literally, Our rejection of or imperfect obedience to the injunction; whereas &c., The attainment of the blessing by the observance of the injunction; hence &c., 321.

766. Because we keep his commandments. Literally, Effect what is stated; whereas &c., Acknowledge our obligation to do so; hence &c., 321.

767. Believe not every spirit. Literally, Every person that

1. beloved. Believe not every kind of spirit, but try the spirits, whether accepted of the God, they exist, for many false prophets i e false claimers of gifts from God have gone out into the world,

772

333

773

2. by this, ye know the spirit that is accepted of the God, every spirit which assents to Jesus Christ, in the flesh, to have come, accepted of the God, it exists,

322,2

774

3. but every spirit which assents not to the Jesus, accepted of the God, exists not, and this the spirit of the anti-christ is, which ye have heard, that it comes, and now in the world, exists.

4. Already ye, accepted of the God, exist, little children, and have overcome them that are accepted of the world, for greater he that is in you is, than he that is in the world,

322,2

5. they, accepted of the world, exist on account of this, viz, things accepted of the world, they talk, so the world hears them,

775

6. we, accepted of the God, exist, he that knoweth the God, he heareth us, he who exists not accepted of the God, he heareth not us, by this hearing, we know the spirit after the truth, and the spirit after the error respecting acceptance of God,

322,2

7. beloved, we should love one another, for the love that is accepted of the God it is, so every one that loveth, accepted of the God, has become, and knoweth the God,

8. he that loveth not, did not know the God, for the God love is,

322,2

9. by this, the love of the God was manifested

speaks by the spirit; whereas &c., Every statement that any person makes as dictated by the spirit; hence &c., 321.

772. They exist. Literally, As a whole; whereas &c., Whether each separately is accepted of God; hence the Irregular Government here. See Rules 312 and 382.

773. Many false prophets have gone out. Literally, Many advocates of a false system; whereas &c., Many advocates of posi tions that are false, it may be and possibly was, positions attached by them to Christianity; hence &c., 321.

774. Spirit. I imagine that this word is omitted, in order to shew, that Literally, what is here referred to cannot be so designated. 775. So the world hears them. Literally, What is stated; whereas the Metaphorical Sense is intended to be conveyed, The world regards what they state; hence &c., 322,1.

6. this he Jesus Christ that came to believers by means of water and blood is, not by only water, but by faith in the water and by faith in the blood of the gospel ordinance, as the spirit that beareth witness to the fact it is, even the spirit that is truth it is,

786

322,2...

322,2

7. so three agents that bear witness there are,

specified command; whereas &c., An obligation of observance obtained by deduction; hence &c., 321.

784. When we should love the God. Literally, When it is our duty to do so; whereas &c. as in the Paraphrase; hence &c., 321. 785. We should keep &c. Literally, Be enabled to keep; whereas &c. as stated in the Paraphrase; hence &c., 321.

786. So three agents that bear witness there are. Had the rela

322,2

14. and this the confidence is, which we have in him, that if any thing we should ask for according to his will, he heareth us,

15. and were it possible we have knowledge, that he heareth us, whatsoever we should ask, we have

tion here been immediately to the three acts specified, namely, the water, the blood, and the spirit, I see no justification for these words all being in the Masculine Gender, and hence my Paraphrase Agents, as by the Gender I suppose that the Sense here has reference not to the Immediate Effects or Consequences of the specified acts, but to that which Man derives from these acts as Teachers or Agents of God for Man's instruction.

787. If we receive the witness of the men. Literally, If it is given to us; whereas &c., If we accept its teaching; hence &c., 321. 789. He hath made &c. Literally, This is an impossibility; hence &c., 321.

791. The God gave life eternal. Literally, Gave an actual donation of what is stated; whereas &c., Gave us an assurance of the efficacy of means that he prescribed for attaining it; hence &c., 321.

792. He shall ask for and give &c. It cannot be justified as admissible in Greek, that the two pronouns, He shall ask, and, He shall give, can have relation to other than one and the same individual; hence the Sense of the Authorized Translation cannot be

792

16. if any one should have seen his brother sinning i e pursuing sin. Not subjecting him unto death, he shall ask for and give to him a place in life with those that sin not sins subjecting unto death, sin exists subjecting to death, not concerning that, I speak, in order that he should have prayed, 17. every unrighteousness sin it exists, and so sin exists, not subjecting unto death,

18. we have seen, that every one that has been accepted of the God, does not sin i e so transgress as that he can never be pardoned, yea he that was truly begotten of the God, does now observe him, so the wicked state binds not him,

793

21. little children, keep yourselves, from the false Gods presented to you.

admitted. This passage deserves especial Note, as by it Man is clearly taught, That in Christ he is required to visit certain sins with the punishment of death, A sin there is subjecting unto death. I consider the Sense of, And give to him life with them &c., means, And admit their place in life to be with them that sin not sins subjecting unto death.

793. The wicked state binds not. Literally, Under any circumstances; whereas &c., In respect of the matter referred to in the Context; hence &c., 322,1.

794. The Son of the God comes. Literally, Again makes his appearance; whereas &c., When required, he comes; hence &c., 322,1.

795. In the Dispensation of Jesus. See 491. I consider that the Sense determines the Arrangement here to be Irregular, the object of which I consider was designed to show, that the Sense is not, We exist in his Son Christ by Jesus, which is the Literal Sense of the Passage if Regularly Arranged, but that the Sense intended to be conveyed is as expressed in the Paraphrase; hence &c., 321.

1. The presbyter unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth i e I truly love, and not I only, but also all that have knowledge of the truth,

2. on account of the truth that abideth in us, and with us, shall exist unto the ever,

3. grace, mercy, and peace, from God Father, and from Jesus Christ the son of the Father, shall exist with us, in truth and love,

4. I was rejoiced greatly, that I have found of thy children walking in truth i e truly walking. As we received commandment, from Father,

519

7. I say in it, because many deceivers entered into the world, that confess not Jesus Christ's coming

797. Received a reward. Literally, What we ourselves obtain; whereas &c., The full donation that God has promised to bestow; hence &c., 321.

798. Hath not God. Literally, Does not possess; whereas &c., Does not realize his position; hence &c., 321.

799. If any one comes to you. Literally, Under any circumstances; whereas &c., As a Brother or Instructor in Christ; hence &c., 322,1.

800. Brings not. Literally, Proclaims not this doctrine; whereas &c., Does not assent to it; hence &c., 321,

11. For he that speaketh to encourage him in his evil ways, he partakes in his works that are evil,

12. many things having to you to write, I was not determined not to proceed, on account of deficiency of paper and ink, but I trust to have been with you, and face to face to have spoken, in order that your joy having been made full it should exist,

803

13. the children of thy sister that is elect greet

thee.

802. Speak not &c. Literally, To benefit him; whereas &c. as in the Paraphrase; hence &c., 321.

803. The children of thy sister that is elect greet thee. I think it probable that had the Arrangement here been Regular, it would have implied, That St. John had received an express request to convey greetings to those he addressed, and that the Disarrangement is intended to show, that though he had not actually received such a request, he was confident he should have received it, had an opportunity occurred for his so doing.