Annotations upon all the New Testament philologicall and theologicall wherein the emphasis and elegancie of the Greeke is observed, some imperfections in our translation are discovered, divers Jewish rites and customes tending to illustrate the text are mentioned, many antilogies and seeming contradictions reconciled, severall darke and obscure places opened, sundry passages vindicated from the false glosses of papists and hereticks / by Edward Leigh ...

CHA. V.

Vers. 1. EVery one that loveth him that begat] That is, God the Father.

Loveth him also that is begotten of him] That is, all the faithfull.

Vers. 3. For this is the love of God, that we keepe his Commandements, and his Com∣mandements are not grievous] The Holy Ghost setteth down 2. notes whereby we may know that we love God:* 1.1 1. That we keepe his Commandements, Exod. 20.6. John 14.15. 2. That his Commandements are not grievous, for nihil difficile amanti, nothing is difficult to him that loveth. Gen. 29.20. a miosis, That is, pleasing, delightsome. The Rhemists quarrell with this Translation, they translate it, And his Commandements are not heavy. Our English word grievous * 1.2 commeth of the Latine word grave, which is not only weighty, but also troublesome; it better answers the Greeke and Latine than the word heavy, which is properly that which is of great weight.

Vers. 4. And this is the victory that overcommeth the world, even our faith] Faith over∣commeth the world two waies, 1. It discerneth a vacuity and emptinesse in all terrene objects. 2. Because it uniteth to Christ, making the subject in which it is a member of him, and so a conquerour with him, John 16. ult.

1. The world frowning, with the troubles, feares, and dangers of it; he that be∣leeves is above the worlds frowning.

2. Fawning, faith overcomes the world that it shall do us no hurt that way, Heb. 11.26.

Vers. 6. This is he that came by water and bloud] The Apostle alludes to the ancient Jewish rites,* 1.3 wherein there was a purification by water, which was to take away the filth of sin, and an expiation by bloud, which was to take away the guilt; Christ came not only to justifie, but to sanctifie. See Calvin.

Vers. 7. For there are three that beare record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost] Three,* 1.4 1. In the true and reall distinction of their Persons. 2. In their inward proprieties, as to beget, to be begotten, and to proceed. 3. In their severall Offices one to another, as to send and to be sent.

In heaven] That is, è Coelo, from heaven say some, as God the Father, and the Holy Ghost by cloven tongues, and Christ is the faithfull and true witnesse; rather because their testimony is to witnesse the things done in heaven; there is the work of God up∣on us as Election. 2. A work of God in us as Conversion, Sanctification, 1 Phil. 6. The Father witnesseth by the Spirit, Matth. 16.17. compared with Rom. 8.17. 1 Cor. 12.3. The Son by bloud, Justification, the doctrine of free grace in the

Gospell, 1 Thes. 15. The Holy Ghost by water, sanctification.* 1.5 Hee that doth righteousnesse is righteous, hence we know that we are translated from death to life, and these three are one] In nature and essence, one in power and will, and one in the act of producing all such actions, as without themselves any of them is said to performe.

Vers. 8. And there are three that beare witnesse in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the bloud] Baptisme,* 1.6 the Lords Supper, and the Ministrie.

The Spirit is mentioned in both, the end of a witnesse is to decide a controversie vers. 10. The spirit is said to be a witnesse in heaven and earth, in regard of the things that are witnessed, that our names are written in heaven, and that grace is wrought in our hearts. The Lord alludes to the manner of purging sin under the Law by bloud and water, their sacrifices and washings must bee bloud for satisfaction, as well as water for sanctification. There was a double use of bloud under the law for effusion and aspersion, it assures our interest in Christs bloud.

Vers. 10. Hee that beleeveth not God hath made him a lier] Not by transmutation of God, he esteemes his word and promises as false.

Vers. 11. And this is the record] Or testimony, and this life is in his Son] there is a life of righteousnesse, holinesse and comfort laid up in Christ.

Vers. 12. And he that hath the Son hath life] Of justification, of Sanctification, of glory.

Vers. 13. That ye may know, that yee have eternall life] If a man could not know both that he were in the state of grace,* 1.7 and that he should be maintained and kept in that estate for ever, he could not know that he had eternall life. Therefore a multitude of markes, signes, or discoveries of a beleevers Spirituall estate are plainely laid downe in this Epistle more than in any other so short a piece of Scripture in the whole Bible.

Vers. 14. If we aske any thing according to his will he heareth us] God heareth an e∣nemy, but to heare with favour is here meant, and so wee ordinarily say of a Favou∣rite, that he hath the Kings eare; and if a man be obstinate to a mans counsell, wee say hee would not heare though he gave the hearing.* 1.8

Vers. 15. And if we know that he heare us, whatsoever we aske, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him] That is,* 1.9 if we can perceive and discerne that God liste∣neth to our prayers, hereby wee may assure our selves that hee grants our requests.

Vers. 16. If any man see his brother sinne a sinne which is not unto death,* 1.10 hee shall aske] That is, which undoubtedly bringeth death, the sinne against the Holy Ghost, for every other sinne, we may pray for forgivenesse of it to others.

There is a sinne unto death] By which he meaneth not, that there is a sinne that de∣serveth death (for so every sin doth) but a sin, which whosoever falleth into,* 1.11 and committeth, he must needes dye and perish everlastingly.

Vers. 18. We know that whosoever is borne of God sinneth not] That is,* 1.12 he sins not unto death, v. 16.

And that wicked one toucheth him not] That is, tactu qualitativo, Cajetan. So as to leave an impression of his owne devilish Spirit,* 1.13 as the needle is touched by the Load∣stone.

Vers. 21. Little children keepe your selves from idols] He biddeth them take heed not onely of Idolatrie as from the service, but of Idoles themselves, that is,* 1.14 the very ima∣ges or shewes of them. For it is unworthy that the image of the living God should bee made the image of an idoll, and that being dead. At that time in which St. Iohn

wrote,* 1.15 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signified an image generally, therefore it may be translated an image generally, and seeing he speaketh of the unlawfull use of images, it may also bee translated an idoll, as the word is now taken to signifie.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The meaning is, to him that loveth God, his Commande∣ments are not grievous, but he delighteth in them according to the inward man.
• * 1.2

  Dr Fulke.
• * 1.3

  Water and bloud issuing from Christs side prefigured both these.
• * 1.4

  Dr. Taylor. Multa sunt lo∣ca, in quibus Syrus cum Vul∣gato concinit: plurima tamen loca sunt alia, quae discrepant quam maximè; quae mediocris lectio suppeditat. E. g. locus luoulentissimus, 1 John 5.7. tres sunt qui testimonium dant in Coelo, &c. In Vulgato legitur, non autem in Syro. Fidem igitur & adsensum à nobis difficulter impetrant, qui, ad deprimendem Syri utilitatem, & ad excusandam suam ignorantiam, Syriacam Paraphrasin non nisi vulgatam versionem esse contendunt. Dilh. Eclog. Sac. Dictum 11.
• * 1.5

  Rev. 2.17. Vide vorstium Dr Taylor.
• * 1.6

  Spirit] That is, by a meto∣nymie, the heavenly doct∣rine delivered by the Spirit, water against the power of sin, bloud a∣gainst the guilt of sinne, the bloud of Iesus Christ as sprinkled upon our consciences within us, as Heb. 12.24.
• * 1.7

  By eternall life here is meant the truth of grace, grace is called glory, 2. Cor. 3. vlt. see ch. 3. of this Epistle. v. 14. John wrote this generall Epistle to all the faithfull, yea even to such amongst them as he calleth little children, 1 Iohn 3.18. the weakest and meanest of all the faithfull.
• * 1.8

  Mr Goodwin.
• * 1.9

  Perkins.
• * 1.10

  Non hic inter veniale & mor∣tale Peccatum distinguit A∣postolus sicuti postea vulgo factum est: Prorsus enim insulsa est illa distinctio quae in Papatu obtinuit. Calvinus.
• * 1.11

  Mr Hildersam.
• * 1.12

  Mr Hildersam and B. Down.
• * 1.13

  Scilicet letha∣liter. Calvinus, Vorstius.
• * 1.14

  Tertull. Vide Bezam.
• * 1.15

  The vulgar translatour saith filioli custodite vosà simulacris, which is all one as if he should have said, ab imaginibus, children or babes keepe your selves from images, as we translate it, against which Martin excepteth, and it sore grieveth him that this sentence is written in the top of Church-dores, o•• in the place where the Rood loft stood, as confronting and condemning the Crucifixes and Images that were wont to stand there. Dr Fulke against Martin.