A paraphrase and annotations upon all the books of the New Testament briefly explaining all the difficult places thereof / by H. Hammond.

Annotations on Chap. I.

[ a] * 1.1 V. 5. Light] The word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 light is a figurative expression to signifie the most perfect,* 1.2 immaculate puri∣ty; and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 darknesse is directly the contrary, mixture of all impurity: The affirming of which con∣cerning God, that he is perfect purity, without any mixture of impurity, is no such strange thing as that the Apostle should introduce it with so much ceremo∣ny as here we see made use of, That which we have heard and seen, which we have looked on, and our hands have felt, V. 1. What we have seen, we declare, V. 3. and, This is that message which we declare, V. 5. That which all this solemnity was thought fit to introduce, was certainly somewhat either doubted of and questio∣ned by the doctrines, or opposed and resisted by the lives of those to whom he writes. And that which seems most probable to be the full importance of it, is in the general to denote the great perfection of puri∣ty which is now commanded in the Christian law, and more particularly the great obligation that lies upon Christians not to make that profession or pre∣tence or excuse for the favouring themselves in any de∣gree of liberty or impurity. Christ came certainly from God to declare his will unto us; that God a God of all purity, and consequently his command∣ments which Christ came to reveale (like himself) made up of severe rules of purity: And then how con∣trary to all piety and Christianity must the Gnostick in∣fusions necessarily be, which allow and practise all im∣purities, and make them a special part of their religi∣on, and call themselves 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 perfect and knowing men, beyond all others, and living in a sink of all uncleannesse, say they have not sinned for all this, ver. 10?

[ b] * 1.3 V. 10. Make him a lyar] What it is to make God a lyar hath no great difficulty in it;* 1.4 it is certainly to deny the truth of that which God hath somewhere af∣firmed; and so 'tis used c. 5. 10. The greater questi∣on is, wherein the truth of this affirmation here is foun∣ded, * 1.5 that if we say we have not sinned, we thus deny the truth of what God hath affirm'd, or give God the lie. The best way of deciding this, will sure be taken from the Context, where v. 6. the foundation of this speech is laid. There it is, If we say we have fellowship or partnership with God, and walk in darknesse, we lie, and doe not the truth. There certainly we may dis∣cern who are the we that are here spoken of, viz. not the Apostle, and the pious Christians (for the first per∣son doth not alwaies signifie so, but is used to personate any other that the Apostle would speak of: see Rom. 7. Note d.) but those that are supposed to walk in dark∣nesse,* 1.6 that is, to go on in unchristian sinnes, and yet to pretend partnership with God,* 1.7 that is, to a state of great innocence and perfection. These are certainly the Gnostick-hereticks, whose character that is, to live in all carnality and uncharitablenesse, &c. and yet to pretend themselves to be the most perfect men: Of those he there saith, that they lie notoriously, their foul actions and pretensions to perfection are very con∣trary, and they doe not the truth,* 1.8 they live contrary to that rule of life which as Christians they have re∣ceived to live by. To these same persons he proceeds, ver. 7. to tell the positive truth, contrary to their lie, that if they walk in the light,* 1.9 that is, live Christian lives of purity and charity, then they may truly be said to have partnership with him, (as the King's MS. seems to have read 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and as is most agreeable with v. 6.) that is, to be blamelesse, pious, perfect men; and then for any frailties, or forsa∣ken sins,* 1.10 the blood of Christ is accepted as a sacrifice of expiation for such. This is again said (both in the former and latter part of it, ver. 8, 9.) but with some little change of the phrase, which must be interpre∣ted by analogie with the former.* 1.11 If we say, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 we have not that is all one with the pre∣cedent, we have partnership with him; for sinlenesse is that property of Gods which they pretended to be communicated to them: and then though there be no∣thing in that verse answerable to their walking in darknesse, ver. 6. Yet the persons being still supposed the same that are spoken of in both verses, the impious carnal Gnosticks, this of their wicked lives is supposed in the 8^th verse, having been already, ver. 6. suffici∣ently express'd: and so as of them, whose lives of car∣nality and pretensions of perfection were so contrary, it had been affirmed, ver. 6. that they lie, and doe not the truth; so in that 8^th verse, 'tis said with little change,* 1.12 they deceive themselves, and the truth is not: in them, which only adds to the former the considera∣tion of their danger that they thus brought upon them∣selves, they flattered themselves to their ruine, whereas v. 9. If they would acknowledg their sins and danger, and forsake them, and flie to God for pardon upon re∣pentance, he having promised it to such, would be faithfull and just to forgive them their sins,* 1.13 would deal with them according to his promise. And then follows v. 10 If we say that we have not sinned (which is directly all one with, we have not sin, v. 8. see Ntoe on c. 3. a.) that is, if these men that thus live, pretend

still that they are the perfect (as of their followers in Irenaeus we read, that they called themselves the spiri∣tual, and affirmed that all the foulest actions did no more pollute them then gold was polluted by being in the mire, or the sun beams by shining on a dunghill) they make God a lyar, (which is an addition to their lying first, ver. 6. and then deceiving themselves, v. 8. and so frees these repetitions from tautologie) that is, directly give God the lie, who hath every where de∣clared such actions as these men practised confidently, (abominable pollutions, &c.) to be most vile and most punishable sins. And so this appears to be the full meaning of this verse, and being so, leaves no place of disputing from hence, whether of any regenerate man it can be said at any time, that he hath not sinned (in that notion which belongs to that phrase in these Epi∣stles of S. John, and is explained Note a. on ch. 3. to belong to wilful, advised, deliberate sin) for sure these Gnostick soul livers were farre from regenerate men. That this is the full meaning of the place will farther appear by the words immediately subsequent, ch. 2. 1. These things I write unto you that ye sin not,* 1.14 which are very fitly adapted to this purpose: for there is no such way to perswade men not to fall off into those soul sins that now solicited them, as this of undeceiving them in this point, and assuring them that if they lived Gno∣stick lives, they should never be deemed perfect men, which as long as they entertained themselves with any hopes of, nothing could convince them of the necessity of so saking them. Whereas any other way of un∣derstanding the place would not tend to that end of exhorting and warning them not to sin. For if it were to be understood of all the best mens being guilty of sinne, how could that be a way of inforcing on them their duty of not sinning? Many more arguments might be used by refuting all other imaginable interpre∣tations of this place to confirm this, but this one of the Context may be sufficient, which accordingly in the next Chapter pursues the same subject more expresly; Hereby we know that we have known him,* 1.15 that we are true Gnosticks indeed, (and not those that falsly assume that name) truly perfect men, such as Christianity was designed to make us, if we keep his commandements,* 1.16 v. 3. practise those vertues of purity and charity which Christ commandeth: and then v. 4. just as here in this Chapter, but more largely and explicitly then in this verse, He that saith, I have known him, that is, calls himself a Gnostick,* 1.17 perfect man, and keepeth not his commandements, lives so contrary to the rules of piety and purity, and all Christian vertue, as these pretended Gnosticks doe, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is a lyar (just as c. 1. 6. we lie) and the truth is not in him, as c. 1. 8. the truth is not in us. But who so keepeth his word v. 5. that is,* 1.18 lives according to the strict commands of Christ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in this man hath the love of God been truly perfected; he may on some grounds of truth pretend to perfection of charity toward God, to which these Gnosticks falsly pretended, and so was the occasion of all this discourse of pretended perfe∣ction, when men live in vile sins, as after of that perfect love which, if truly such, casteth out fear, ch. 4. ••.

Notes

• * 1.1

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• * 1.2

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• * 1.3

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• * 1.4

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• * 1.5

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• * 1.6

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• * 1.7

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• * 1.8

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• * 1.9

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• * 1.10

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• * 1.11

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• * 1.12

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• * 1.13

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• * 1.14

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• * 1.15

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• * 1.16

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• * 1.17

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• * 1.18

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