19 They went out from us, but they were not of that they were not all of us. have an Και μεις χρισμα έχετε unction from the Holy απο του ἅγιον, και οιδατε One, and ye know all things. παντα. See James i. 13, selves, through indulging their lusts without restraint. 14.-Or, the meaning of the phrase, uλλd ex rou xoσμov 151, may be, that the lusts mentioned, are not excited in us by the Father, but by the ruler of the darkness of this world.-The apostle mentions, the lust of the flesh, the Just of the eye, and the pride of life, because these inordinate affections, are the source of the greatest part of the wickedness which exists among men Ver. 18.-1. Young children, it is the last hour, namely of the duration of the Jewish church and state: God will soon destroy the Jewish commonwealth ; so that the power of your persecutors will speedily be broken.— Some, by the last bour, understand the last hour of the world. But, that none of the apostles fancied the end of the present mundane system was at hand, when they wrote their epistles, see proved in the 3d sect. of the preface to 2 Thessalonians. 2. And as ye have heard that the antichrist cometh. The word AvTixg1505, antichrist, is no where found but in John's first and second epistles. It may have two meanings. For, if the preposition avt, in αντιχρίδος, denotes, in place of, the name will signify one who puts himself in the place of Christ consequently antichrist is a false Christ. But if the prepositon de notes opposition, antichrist is one who opposeth Christ.-The persons to whom this epistle was written, had heard of the coming of antichrist, in both senses of the name. For the first sort of antichrists were foretold by our Lord, Matth. xxiv. 5. Many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ, ed shall deceive many. The second sort were foretold, Matth. xxiv. 11. Many false prophets will arise, and deceive many. From what John hath written, ver. 22. of this chapter, and chap. iv. 3. and 2 Epist. ver. 7. I am inclined to think that by antichrist, he means those false prophets, or teachers, who were foretold by our Lord to arise about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, and who were now gone abroad. Some of these denied the humanity of Jesus Christ, others of them denied his divinity: and as both sorts opposed Christ, by denying the redemption of the world through his death, I suppose it is of them chiefly that John speaks in his epistles.— When the apostle mentions these false teachers collectively, he calls them, the antichrist in the singular number, as St. Paul called the false teachers 19 These antichrists, though they once professed themselves Christian teachers, went away from us on the pretence that Jesus is not the Christ. But they were not inspired like us; for if they had been inspired like us, they would have abode with us. But they were permitted to apostatize, that they might be made manifest, that they were not inspired like us; and that their doctrine is false. 20 But there is little occasion to put you on your guard against these deceivers; ye have an unction from the holy Spirit, whereby ye can know whether a teacher is really inspired, and whether his doctrine is true or false. collectively, of whom he prophesied, 2 Thess. ii. 3. The man of sin. But when John speaks of these teachers as individuals, he calls them many antichrists in the plural number. S. So now there are many antichrists. The preterite tense oval, is used here to signify, not only the existence of many antichrists at that time, but also that there had been many antichrists, who were gone off the stage. Ver. 19.-1. They went away from us. Hence it is one of the marks of antichrist, that he had been once in the Christian church, and a teacher by profession, but had left it or apostatized. Ver. 20.-1. But ye have an unction. Under the law, persons called to offices, to the execution of which singular endowments were requisite, were anointed with perfumed oils, in token of God's conferring these endowments -on them. In allusion to that ancient rite, John calls the communication of the spiritual gifts to the primitive Christians, especially the gift of discern ing spirits, an unction, because it was an endowment bestowed by God, for preventing the faithful from being deceived by false teachers, who, to gain the greater credit to their erroneous doctrine, falsely pretended to be inspired. Wherefore the apostle, knowing that many of the brethren to whom he wrote possessed the gift of discerning spirits, appealed to that gift as enabling them to detect the antichrists, or false teachers who were gone abroad; and exhorted them, chap. iv. 1. not to believe every spirit, but to try the spirits whether they be of God, because many false prophets were gone forth into the world.-See ver. 27. note, for a confutation of the pretensions of modern fanatics to inspiration, founded on the apostle's exhortation to try the spirits, and on his affirmation that the persons to whom he wrote, had an unction from the Holy Ghost, and knew all things. 2. From the Holy Spirit. So I supply and translate the clause awo тx ays from the holy.-Beza thinks that our Lord was meant here, because he is called, acts iii. 14. The holy One, anil the just. But as Jesus himself is said to have been anointed with the Holy Ghost, Acts x. 38. I think the word πνευματ@ may be supplied here. Ver. 21. 1. I have not written to you. Beza saith, the aorist εγραψα may be translated in the past time, because, when the brethren, to whom his letter was sent, read it, the writing of it would be past. But I rather think the apostle refers to what he had written in the preceding part of his letter, concerning the life of the word in the flesh. 2. Because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Lie, here means a doctrine contrary to that taught by the apostles, which being the true doctrine, its contrary must be false or a lie. Or, it may be called a lie, because the teachers who propagated such doctrines, knew them to be false, especially the doctrines which the antichrists propagated, concerning the person and actions of Christ. They, therefore, in particular, are called, the liar, ver. 22. 21 I have not written1 to you, because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie 2 is of the truth. 22 Who is the liar,1 but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist, who denieth the Father and the Son.2 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, doth not acknow ledge the Father, 1 24 Therefore, let what ye have heard from the beginning abide in you. If what ye have heard from the beginning abide in you, ye also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father. 21 I have not written to you, because ye know not the truth concerning the life of the word in the flesh; but because ye know it, and know likewise that none of the lies propagated by the false teachers concerning Christ, że any part of the gospel. 22 Who is the false prophet foretold to come before the destruction of Jerusalem, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ or Son of God? He, certainly, is the antichrist, who denieth the Father's testimony concerning his Son, chap. v. 6. and the Son's testimony concerning himself, John x. 36. 23 Whosoever denieth Jesus to be the Son of God, doth not acknowledge the Father, who, at his baptism and transfiguration, declared him his Son. 24 Therefore, let what ye have heard us preach from the beginning, concerning the word's being made flesh, abide in you. If what ye have heard from the beginning concerning that matter, abide in you, ye also shall abide in the fellowship of the Son and of the Father, chap. i. 3. Ver. 22.-1. Who is the liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? What is meant by denying that Jesus is the Christ, see explained, chap. iv. 2. note, and ver. 3. note 1. 2. He is the antichrist, who denieth the Father and the Son. Estius saith, the opinion of Irenæus is probable, who understood John as speaking here of the false teachers of his own time, who denied Christ to be the Son of God, and God to be the Father of Christ. See Pref. to 1 John, Sect. 3. Ver. 23.-1. Whosoever denieth the Son, doth not acknowledge the Father. The expression in the original ɗ tov tarega exe, doth not hold the Father, is elliptical. We have it in its complete form, Rom. i. 28. As they did not approve τον Θεον εχειν εν επιγνώσει of holding God with acknowledgment, that is of acknowledging God. See note 2. on that verse, Wherefore, de έχει this passage is rightly translated, doth not acknowledge: as is plain likewise from this, that acknowledging, here, is the opposite to denying, in the preced in 25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. 26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27 But the anointing, which ye have received of him, abideth in you; and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. 25 Και αύτη εςιν ή επαγ γελια, ην αυτος επηγγείλατο ἡμιν, την ζωην την αιώνιον. 26 Ταύτα εγραψα ὑμῖν πε ρι των πλανώντων μας. 27 Και μεις το χρίσμα ελαβετε απ' αυτού, εν ύμιν μενει, και ου χρείαν έχετε ίνα τις διδασκ μας, αλλ' διδασκει ὡς το αυτο χρισμα ὑμας περι παντων, και αλη θες εςι, και ουκ εςι ψευδος. Και, καθως εδίδαξεν ύμας, μένειτε εν αυτῷ. ing clause. Accordingly in the Syriac it is, neque in patrem credit, doth not believe on the Father. In our English Bible the following words, But he that acknowledgeth the Son, bath the Father also, are printed in Italic letters, to shew that they are not in the common Greek copies. Beza however hath inserted them in his edition of the Greek Testament, on the authority of four ancient MSS. and of the Syriac and Vulgate versions. See Mill on this verse, who mentions a number of MSS. which have this clause.-Estius reckoned it genuine : as did Doddridge: But I have omitted it, because it is wanting in the common edition of the Greek Testament from which my translation is made. Ver. 25.—1. This is the promise which he bath promised to us, even the life which is eternal. Thy (way being in the accusative case, and standing in apposition with wy, it is governed as ἦν is, by επηγγειλατο.-This promise John hath recorded in his gospel, chap. xvii. 1. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.-From these words, so solemnly pronounced by Christ in an address to his Father, we learn that the great end of his coming into the world was to glorify his Father, by procuring through his own death eternal life for all good men, and by bestowing it on them after the judgment. See chap. v. 10. note 1. Ver. 26.-1. These things I have written to you, namely the things beginning ver. 18. Ver. 27.1. And ye have no need that any one should teach you. Here two things claim the reader's attention. 1. That when John said to his disciples, ye have no need that any one should teach you, his meaning was, that they had no need to be taught how to distinguish pretenders to inspiration, from those who were really inspired. This the connexion sheweth plainly.-2. That |