John Trapp on 1 John 2

CHAP. II. Verſe 1. That ye ſinne not]

PReſuming upon an eaſie and ſpeedy pardon. The worſer ſort of Papiſts will ſay: when we have ſinned we muſt confeſſe; and when we have confeſſed, we muſt fin again, that we may confeſſe again: ſo making account of confeſſing, as drunkards do of vomiting. But we have not ſo learned Chriſt.

And if any man ſin] Being taken afore he is aware, Gal. 6.1. See the Note there.

We have an Advocate] Who appears for us in heaven, and pleans our cauſe eff[illegible: 1 letter]ctually. See Heb. 9.24.

Jeſus Chriſt the righteous] Or elſe he could not go to the Father for us. See the Note on Joh] 16.10.

Verſe 2. He is the propitiation] Heb. Copher: He coffers up, is it were, and covets our ſins, Pſal. 78.38. See the Note on Rom. 3.25.

Verſe 3. We know that we know him] By a reflex act of the ſoul: hence the aſſurance of ſaith, the fruit of fruitfulneſſe, 1 Cor. 15.58.

That we know him] with a knowledge not apprehenſive only, but affective too.

Verſe 4. He that ſaith I know him] Here he diſputeth againſt Verbaliſts and Solifidians. See Jam. 2.14. with the Note there.

Verſe 5. That we are in him] In communion with him, and in conformity to him.

Verſe 6. To walk even as he walked] This is the ſame with that Col. 2.6. to walk in Chriſt, and with that 1 Pet. 2.21. to follow his ſteps, See the Note there.

Verſe 7. I write no new commandment] The Apoſtle ſtudiouſly declineth the ſuſpition of novelty. We ſhould ever ſet a jealous eye upon that which is now, and ſtand in the old way, Jer. 6.16. in the ancient paths, Jer. 18.15. Gods people are called the ancient people, Iſa. 44.7. And Idolaters are ſaid to ſacrifice to new gods, that came newly up, Deut. 32.17. Truth, and wine, is better with age, Luke 5.39. And of witneſſes Ariſtotle well ſaith, [non-Latin text not transcribed]. the older they are, the more credible, becauſe leſſe corrupted.

Verſe 8. A new Commandment] See the Note on John 13.34.

Verſe 9. And hateth his brother] As Paul preſſeth faith, and Peter hope, ſo John love, thoſe three cardinall vertues, 1 Cor. 13.13.

Verſe 10. [non-Latin text not transcribed]. None occaſion, &c.] Gr. No ſcandall: i. e. no occaſion of ſpirituall falling, whereby a man is made any manner of way worſe, and back warder in goodneſſ:, Quod fieri poseſt vel dicto, velfacto, ſive exemplo in moribus ſaith learned Lyſerus, which may be done by word, deed, or evil example.

Verſe 11. He that hateth, &c.] There is a paſſion of hatred (ſaith a famous Divine) This is a kinde of averſeneſſe and riſing of the heart againſt a man, when one ſees him; ſo that he cannot away with him, nor ſpeak to, nor look courteouſly or peaceably upon him, &c. 2. A habit of hatred, when the heart is ſo ſettled in this alienation and eſſ[illegible: 1 letter]rangement, that it grows to wiſh and ſeek his hurt. This is man-ſlaughter, 1 John 3.5.

Verſe 12. I Write unto you little children] A Chriſtian hath his degrees of growth; childe-hood, 1 Cor. 3.1, 2. Youth or wellgrown age, when he is paſt the ſpoon, as here: old age, Au, 21.16.

Verſe 13. Him that is from the beginning] The Ancient of d[illegible: 1 letter]ie[illegible: 1 letter], Ol[illegible: 1 letter] men love to ſpeak of ancient things. Theſe are ancient things, 1 Chron. 4.22.

Becauſe ye have overcome the wicked one] The glory of young men is their ſtrength, Prov. 20.29. The Hebrew word there [illegible: 1 letter]endered young men, ſignifieth choice men, ſe. for military implo[illegible: 1 letter] ments: neither can they better ſhew their valour, then by reſifting the devil, that he may flee from them.

Becauſe ye have known the Father] We ſay,Hom. O[illegible: 2 letters]ib. 1. He is a Wiſe childe that knows his father (and the Greeks have a Proverb to the ſame purpoſe) but God hath no childe ſo young, that more or loſſe knoweth him not, The baſtardly brood of Rome are all for their mother,

Verſe 14. Becauſe ye have know him] The ſame again, as Verſe 13. which to a carnall heart may ſeem ſuperfluous. Et certè ſihumano ingenio conſcripti eſſent libri illi, quos pro ſacris (ita us veriſſimè ſunt) agnoſcimus & veneramur, bonum alicubi dormitaſſe Homerum diceremus, ſaid one. But far be it from us to reprehend what we cannot comprehend.

Verſe 15. Love not the World] You fathers, and you young and ſtrong men, let me caution you (before I ſpeak again to the little children, verſ. 18.) to beware of worldlineſſe. A man may be very mortified, and yet very apt to dote on the world.

If any man love the world] Have it he may, and uſe it too, as the traveller uſeth his ſtaffe (which either he keeps or caſts away, as it furthers or hinders his journey) but love it he muſt not, unleſſe he will renounce the love of God. See the Note on Mat. 6.24. Col. 312.

Verſe 16. The luſt of the fleſh, the luſt of, &c.] That is,Luk. 4. pleaſure, profit, preferment; the worldlings trinity, as one faith. Compare here with Chriſts three-fold temptation.

But is of the world] Baſe and bootleſſe, Nec verùm, nec veſtrum, To know the vanity of the world (as of a miſt) you muſt go a little out from it.

Verſe 17. And the World paſſeth away] As the ſtream of a ſwift river paſſeth by the ſide of a City. Animantis cujuſ que , vita in fuga eſt. Life it ſelf wears out in the wearing, as a garment: all things below are mutable and momentary. Wilt thou ſet thine heart upon that that is not? ſaith Solomon.

And the luſt there of] So that although thou wert ſure to hold theſe things of the world, yet they may be ſuddenly loſt to thee, becauſe then canſt not make thine heart delight in the ſame things ſtill. Not the world only, But the luſt thereof paſſeth away: there is a curſe of us ſatis[illegible: 1 letter]iableneſſ[illegible: 1 letter] lies upon the creature▪ [non-Latin text not transcribed], ſaith the Oratour: There is a ſatiety of all things, The worlds comforts are ſweeter in the ambition hen in the fruition: for after a little while we loath what we lately luſted after, as Amnon did Tamar. Men first itch, and then ſcratch, and then ſmart. Dolor eſt etiam ipſa voluptas.

Verſe 18. Little children] Children may be eaſily cozened, and made to take a ſheep-counter for an angel, becauſe broader and brighter: ſo young Chriſtians are ſoon ſeduced: hence they are here cautioned.

Verſe 19. But they were not of us] No more were our Antitrinitarians, Arrians, Antiſcripturiſts, ever of cur Church, other-wiſe then as wens or botches whatever our adverſaries averre and cavil. So of old, becauſe the Waldenſes and Manichees lived in the ſame places, and were both held heretikas, the Papiſts maliciouſly gave out that the Waldenſes (thoſe ancient Proteſtants) were defiled with the errours of the Manichees and Cathariſts, which yet they ever abhorred,

Verſe 20. But ye have an Ʋnction] that oil of gladnes, the holy Ghoſt, In deriſion hereof, Domi[illegible: 1 letter]ian the tyrant caſt S. John into a caldron of boiling oil, but he by a miracle came forth unhurt.

Me know all things] Not all things knowable, but all things needfull to be known.

Verſe 21. Because ye know not, &c.] Becauſe ye are utterly ignorant: for God hath no blinde children, but they all know him from the leaſt to the greateſt. Howbeit, the Angels know not ſo much, but they would know more, Epheſ. 3.10. Should not we?

Verſe 22. That denieth that Jeſus] Papiſts deny him as a King, in ſetting up the Pope; as a Prieſt, in ſetting up the Maſſe; as a Prophet, in piecing their humane traditions to the holy Scriptures.

Verſe 23. The ſame bath not the Father] See the Note on Job. 5.23. Mahomet ſpeaks very honourably of Chriſt, but denies his Divinity, and that he was crucified. He acknowledgeth that he was the Word and power of god, and that all that believe in him ſhall be ſaved, &c.

Verſe 24. Hi Let that therefore abide] Perſevere and hold faſt the ſaith of the Goſpel without wavering in it, Epheſ. 4.14 or ſtarting from it, 2 Pet. 2.20. Be as the center, or as mount Sion, ſtedfaſt and unmoveable.

Verſe 25. Even eternall life] Hold therefore the doctrine of ſaith ſound and entire by the hand of faith, that ye may receive the end of your faith, the ſalvation of your ſouls.

Verſe 26. That ſeduce you] That carry you into by-waies, high waies to hell.

Verſe 27. But the anointing] See verſ. 20. It was an aggravation, of the fall of Saul, 2 Samuel 1.21. as though he had not been anointed: ſo for the Saints, to fall their own ſtedfaſtneſſe.

Verſe 28. Little children, abide in him] q d. Your enemies are many and crafty; therefore keep home, keep home: this ſhall be no grief unto you, nor offence of heart, as ſhe ſaid, 1 Sam. 25.31.

Verſe 29. Is born of him] And exactly reſembles him, as a childe doth his father. See 1 Pet. 1, 17. and the Note on Match 5.9.