tians is of no consequence, for they are assured that they Asia Minor, have passed away from a State of Death to a State of Life, because they love their Brethren but he that loves not his Brother remains still in a State of spiritual Death, unconverted, and unregenerated-He who hates his Bro- ther has the same Malice and evil Principle in him which was in Cain; and were he not restrained by Human Laws, would be like him a Murderer-No Man who cherishes such feelings can have the Divine Life dwelling within him—The great Love of God was made known by his Son laying down his Life for Mankind, and Chris- tians should be willing from Love to God to sacrifice their Lives for the benefit of Mankind-But, instead of doing this, if those who have the good Things of the present World refuse to impart a portion of them to a Brother in need, it is not possible they can have the Love of God abiding in them.
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness, is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
§ 7. 1 JOHN iii. 18, to the end.
The Apostle exhorts them not to be content with an acknow- ledgment of these great Doctrines, nor with empty Pro- fessions of Love-but to prove their Conviction of their Truth by their actions-Love to God and Man is the surest test which Christians have of the Truth of their Religion -and this proof will assure them their Hearts are right in his Sight-If their Conscience condemn them as being
Julian Period, 4799. Vulgar Æra, 96.
deficient in brotherly Love and Charity, God, who is Asia Minor, greater than their Heart, and sees all its Secrets, will condemn them in a much greater degree-but if their Con- science condemns them not, they have Confidence towards God, and they know that whatsoever they ask they shall receive, as far as is consistent with their own good-be- cause they keep his Commandments, and do the things which they consider pleasing in his sight-And this is God's great and new Commandment, that they should be- lieve in his Son Jesus Christ, and be enabled, through his Holy Spirit, to love one another, as Christ by his own Example has given them Commandment-Those who keep God's Commandments live in communion with the Father and the Son, through his Spirit, and they know that God dwells within them by the testimony of his Spirit, and its influence on their Hearts and Lives, (com. John xiv. 23.)
18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God:
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
St. John exhorts them not to believe every Teacher who pro- fesses to be divinely inspired, but to make trial of them— because many false Teachers have gone out into the World-Those who have the Divine Spirit are known by maintaining that Jesus is the Christ come in the Flesh, (1 Cor. xii. 3.)—Every Teacher who denies that Jesus Christ had come in the Flesh is not from God-but is of the Antichrists, or Deceivers, foretold, (Mark xxiv. 24.) -But they, under the influence of the divine Spirit, have overcome the Doctrines of these Impostors, for greater is the Spirit of God which is in them, than the Spirit of the Evil One which is in the World-These seek only the Things of this World, governed by the carnal principle, and worldly Men hear them-But the Apostles are of
Julian Period, 4799. Vulgar Æra, 96.
God-influenced by the spiritual principle, and those Asia Minor. who have spiritual Discernment receive their Doctrine— and by their Lives and Doctrines the true and false Teachers may be known.
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God.
3 And every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come ; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
5 They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God, heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
$ 9. 1 JOHN iv. 7, to the end.
The Apostle, in Condemnation perhaps of those who in- sisted on the sufficiency of speculative Knowledge, exhorts them to the practice of mutual Love, which proceeds from the Spirit of God-for every one who is governed by this divine principle of Love is born of God, spiritually rege- nerated, and made a partaker of his Nature-He that loves not, has no Knowledge of the divine Nature of God, which is essentially Love-The infinite Love of God was made manifest by the Incarnation of his only begotten Son, who died for Mankind, and became the Propitiation for their Sins, that they might live through him-No Man hath seen God, because he cannot be an object of Sense, but, if they love one another, God dwells in them by his Spirit, and his Love is made perfect in them, and by this evidence of his Spirit they are assured that God dwells in them-The Apostles having seen Jesus Christ made manifest in the Flesh, and what he did for the Salvation of Man, bear witness that the Father sent the Son in the Flesh to be the Saviour of the World-Who- soever shall acknowledge the reality of Christ's Incarna- tion and Divinity, (which many denied) God dwells with him through the Spirit, and he in God-They have wit- nessed the great Love of God to Mankind in sending his Son to die in the Flesh-God is Love, and he who dwells in Love to God and Man is full of God, for God is the Essence of Love; and Love is made perfect by God
Julian Period, 4799. Vulgar Æra,
uniting Man to himself by his Holy Spirit; which Union Asia Minor. gives him Confidence in the Day of Judgment, and re- moves all his Fears-He that feareth hath not received that fulness of Love to God and Man, which proceeds from God, and is the abiding Witness of the Spirit re- newing the Image of God in Man-The Love of Man to God proceeds from God's Love shewn to them-He, there- fore, who asserts that he loves God, and hates his Bro- ther, whose excellencies and good qualities he has seen, and therefore will be more disposed to love, cannot love God, whose Perfections cannot be seen-God has also commanded that they should give a proof of their Love to him, by their Love to Mankind.
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth, is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love.
9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected
13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14 And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth, is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him because he first loved us.
20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
21 And this commandment have we from him, that he Asia Minor. who loveth God love his brother also.
The Apostle, after having declared that all who believe that Jesus is the Christ are born of God, by the influence of his Spirit, asserts that those who love God, their spiritual Father, must necessarily love his Children-The best criterion they have of judging of their own Faith, is to find out whether their love to the Children of God pro- ceeds from a right principle, from love to God and obe- dience to his Commandments; which are not burthensome to those who love God-Those who are spiritually rege- nerated, are able, by a true Faith in the Son of God, to overcome all the Temptations of the World-This is that Jesus, who was proved in Human Form to be the pro- mised Messiah, by Water at his Baptism, by a Voice from Heaven, and the visible Descent of the Holy Spirit-and not by Water only, but by Blood-by the sacrifice of his Humanity, when the same Spirit bore Witness to his Di- vinity, and the Accomplishment of all Prophecy, by his Resurrection; and the Spirit cannot deceive-There are three that bear record in Heaven-The Father, by ac- cepting the Atonement of his Son-The Word, who pre- sents his crucified Body before the Throne of God-The Holy Ghost, by whom the Word was conceived, and made Flesh; and these three are one, as to the Unity of their Design, and the Divinity of their Nature-And there are three that bear Witness on Earth-The Holy Spirit, by his miraculous and sanctifying Influences, and by the written Word-The Water of Baptism, by which Mankind are admitted into the Family of God, the visible Church, and receive a new and spiritual Birth-And the Blood of Christ, which is represented in the Eucharist, and shews forth the sacrifice of his Humanity, by which the new and eternal Life is obtained-And these three are constantly witnessing on Earth the efficacy of Christ's Death, his Humanity and Deity-If the Testimony of human Evi- dence is received, (Deut. xvii. 6.) the Testimony of God is greater; for he who has Faith in God shall have the witness of the Spirit within himself, regenerating his whole Nature-But he who believeth not maketh him a Liar, refusing to believe the testimony God has given in his Prophecies, and wonderful Interpositions, to attest the Divinity of Christ-The Testimony witnessed by the three in Heaven, and the three on Earth, is, that God will give to Man eternal Life through his Son-He that conforms himself to the Image of Christ, making a sacrifice of Flesh (Blood), hath the heavenly Life begun
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