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of God, which he hath testified one see his brother sin a sin of his Son.

10 He who believeth on the Son of God, hath the testimony in himself: he who believeth not God, maketh him false, because he believeth not the testimony which God hath testified of his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God hath given to us aionian life; and this life is in his Son. 12 He who hath the Son, hath life; and he who hath not the Son of God, hath not life. 13 These things I write to you, that ye may know that ye have aionian life, who believe in the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the confidence which we have in him; that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. 15 And if we know that he heareth whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we ask of him. 16 If any

us,

which is not unto death, let him ask, and he will give him life, for those who sin not unto death.* There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall petition concerning this: 17 all unrighteousness is sin : and there is a sin not unto death.

18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he who is born of God keepeth himself, and the evil propensity hurteth him not. 19 We know that we are from God; and the whole world lieth in wickedness.† 20 And we know that the Son of God hath been sent, and hath given us an understanding that we might ac quire a knowledge of Him who is true: and we are in Him who is true, being in his Son [Jesus Christ]. This is the true God and the aionian life. 21 Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF JOHN.S

1 THE Elder to the chosen but all those likewise who know Cyria, and to her children, whom I truely love; (and not I only,

the truth;) 2 because of the truth which abideth in us, and

* Sin and disease were considered as so inseparably connected, according to the Jewish phi losophy, that, perhaps, the apostle might mean nothing more by the advice which he here gives, than to recommend prayer for the sick where the disease was curable, and to dissuade from unbecoming importunity where the malady was evidently incurable, and fatal. See John ix. 2, 34 ; Matt. ix. 1-8. See Dr. Priestley in loco.

†The heathen world is figuratively represented as under the dominion of Satan. Compare 1 Cor. v. 5, and the note there.

That ouros this, sometimes refers to the remote antecedent, see Acts ii. 22, 23; vii. 18, 19; 2 John 7. It here refers to Tw and the true one, or Him who is true, in the preceding clause. See John xii. 50. xvii. 3.

The second and third epistles of John are placed by Eusebius amongst the books whose ge nuineness had been called in question: but this was probably owing to their brevity, and to their

which will be with us to the age: 3 favour, mercy, and peace be with you, from God the Father, and from [the Lord] Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

4 I REJOICED greatly, that I found some of thy children walking in the truth, according as we have received commandment from the Father. 5 And now I beseech thee, Cyria, not as writing to thee a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment; as ye have heard from the beginning, to the intent that ye should walk in it.

7 For many deceivers have entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ i come in the flesh.* Such an

one is a deceiver, and an antichrist.

8 Take heed to yourselves; that we lose not those things which we have done, but that we receive a full reward.

9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine [of Christ], hath both the Father and the Son.

10 If any one come to you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, nor greet him: 11 for he who greeteth him, is a partaker of his evil deeds.

12 Having many things to write to you, I am not inclined to communicate them by paper and ink: for I hope to come to you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. 13 The children of thy chosen sister salute thee.

THE THIRD EPISTLE OF JOHN.

1 THE Elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I truely love. 2 Beloved, I wish that thou mayest prosper in all things, and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth 3 for I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and bare testimony of the truth which is in thee, according as

thou walkest in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than in these things, to hear that my children walk in truth.

5 Beloved, thou dost faithfully, whatsoever thou performest for the brethren and for the strangers; 6 who have borne testimony of thy love before

being addressed to particular persons; for, as Dr. Priestley observes, "both the subjects and the language are so much the same with those of the former epistle, that there cannot be a doubt of their having the same author."

* i. e. who confess not that he is a real man; alluding to the errors of the Doceta.

the church: whom if thou con- and casteth them out of the duct on their journey in a man-church. ner worthy of God, thou wilt do well; 7 for they went forth for the name of Christ, taking nothing from the gentiles. 8 We ought therefore to receive such; that we may be fellowlabourers for the truth.

9 I WOULD have written to the church but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them, receiveth us not. 10 Wherefore, if I come, I will call to remembrance his deeds which he doth, tattling against us with evil words and not content herewith, he receiveth not the brethren himself, and forbiddeth those who would,

11 Beloved, imitate not that which is evil, but that which is good. He who doth good, is of God, but he who doth evil, hath not seen God.

12 Demetrius hath a good testimony from all men, and from the truth itself: and we also bear him testimony; and ye know that our testimony is true.

13 I HAD many things to write; yet I will not write to thee with ink and pen: 14 but I hope that I shall shortly see thee, when we shall speak face to face. 15 Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.

THE EPISTLE OF JUDE.*

1 JUDE, a servant of Jesus | should earnestly contend for Christ, and brother of James, the faith which was once delivto those who have been sancti-ered to the saints. fied in God the Father, and preserved and called in Jesus Christ: 2 mercy, and peace, and love be multiplied to you.

3 Beloved, while I gave all diligence to write to you of the common salvation, it became necessary for me to write to you, and exhort you, that ye

4 For some men have crept in privily, who were before, of old, set forth for this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the favour of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only sovereign, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

5 Now I desire to remind

"This epistle is one of those books the genuineness of which was disputed in the primitive ages, and which therefore, as Dr. Lardner well observes, "ought not to be alledged as affording alone sufficient proof of any doctrine." Grotius ascribes it to a bishop of Jerusalem in the reign of Adrian: but it is commonly believed to have been written by Judas, otherwise called Lebbeus and Thaddeus, the son of Alpheus, the brother of James the less, and first cousin to our Lord. The design of the epistle is to guard its readers against the errors and the crimes of the Gnostics. He is thought to have made quotations from the same apocryphal work which is referred to in the second epistle of Peter; which epistle Dr. Benson conjectures to have been consulted by him while he was writing his own. The epistle of Jude has as little evidence, either external or internal, in its favour, as any book of the New Testament." Im. Ver. note.

Balaam for reward, and destroyed themselves by gainsaying like Korah.

12 These are blemishes in your love-feasts, when they banquet with you, feeding themselves without restraint: clouds without water, carried aside by winds; trees whose fruit withereth, barren, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom the blackness of darkness is reserved to the age.

you, who once knew this, that | have gone in the way of Cain, the Lord, having saved his and rushed after the error of people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who believed not. 6 And the messengers who kept not their first state, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in unseent chains, under darkness, to the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, which in a manner like to these had habitually committed fornication, and gone after other flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of aionian fire. 8 In like manner also these dreamers defile the flesh, set at nought dominion, and speak evil of dignities. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when, contending with the impostor, he disputed about the body of Moses, did not attempt to bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke thee." 10 But these blaspheme what they do not understand: but what they know naturally, as brute creatures, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Alas for them! because they

14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied even concerning these, saying, "Behold, the Lord cometh with his holy myriads of angels, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly [among them] of all their [ungodly] deeds which they have committed, and of all the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own evil desires: and their mouth speaketh very swelling

"Or, the messengers who watched not duly over their own principality, but deserted their proper habitation, he kept with unknown chains under darkness (punished them with judicial blindness of mind) to the judgment of a great day, i. e. when they were destroyed by a plague.' Alluding to the falsehood and punishment of the spies. Numbers xiv. See Simpson's Essays, P. 210. Perhaps, however, the writer may refer to some fanciful account of a fall of angels contained in the apocryphal book which lay before him, without meaning to vouch for that fact any more than for the incident mentioned ver. 9. He might introduce it merely to illustrate his argument. At any rate, a fact so important is not to be admitted upon such precarious evidence." Im.

Ver. note.

+ Gr. aïdios, which most Lexicon-writers derive from att, ever, or always: but it may have the same etymology as ans, hades, which they derive from a negative, and dev, to sœ, and therefore it signifies invisible, unseen, unknown. See Rom. i. 20, where the same word is rendered eternal, after the common version; but, even there, unknown would perhaps have been equally as admissible. See also Scarlett's translation, note on the place.

This is another quotation from some ancient apocryphal book; for the authenticity of which, however, the writer is not to be supposed to vouch,

words, and they respect the persons of men for the sake of gain. 17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 how they told you that there should be scoffers in the last time, walking after their own ungodly desires. 19 These are they who separate [themselves], mere animal men, not having the spirit.

20 BUT ye, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in a holy spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy

of our Lord Jesus Christ to aionian life. 22 And on some have pity, making a difference: 23 and save others with fear, snatching them out of the fire; hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

24 NOW to him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you spotless before his glory with exceeding joy; 25 to the only God, our Saviour, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory [and] majesty, dominion and power, as before all time, so now, and throughout all ages. Amen.

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.*

CHAP. I.

1 THE Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, that he might show to his ser

vants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it, through his messenger, to his servant John: 2

"The Apocalypse or Revelation of Jesus Christ, is one of those books, the genuineness and authority of which, as Eusebius informs us, was, by some, called in question. It has, however, been almost universally received in modern times. As a book of prophecy, the evidence of its divine authority must chiefly rest upon the perceived accomplishment of the predictions which it contains: so that it may be regarded as in a considerable degree independent of external evidence. In this, however, in the estimation of many learned men, it is far from being deficient. Sir Isaac Newton says, (Observ. on Apoc, p. 249,) "I do not find any other book of the New Testament so strongly attested, or commented upon so early as this." Dr. Priestley (Notes, vol. iv. p. 573,) says, he thinks it impossible for any intelligent and candid persons to peruse it without being convinced that, "considering the age in which it appeared, none but a person divinely inspired could have written it." See also Mr. Tower's observations and extracts respecting the authenticity of the Apocalypse, in his learned Illustrations of Prophecy, vol. i. ch. ii. Mr. Evanson has even endeavoured to prove that the apostle Paul alludes and thus bears testimony to the authenticity of this book in some of his epistles. See Evanson's Reflections upon the state of Religion, p. 39-42. Some learned men, however, who have even admitted the divine authority of the Apocalypse, have expressed a doubt whether this book was written by John the apostle and evangelist. The arguments of Dionysius, a disciple of Origen, and an eminently learned and pious bishop of Alexandria, in the third century, are contained in a large extract from a treatise of Dionysius in the seventh book of Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History. They are thus abridged by Dr. Lardner: "Dionysius's objections are five in number. 1. That the evangelist John has not named himself, either in his gospel or in his catholic epistle, but the writer of the Revelation names himself more than once. That though the writer of the Revelation calls himself John, he has not shown us that he is the apostle of that name. 3. That the Revelation doth not mention the catholic epistle, nor that epistle the Revelation. 4. That there is a great agreement in sentiment, expression, and manner,

2.

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