Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Biblical Illustrator, or Anecdotes, Similes, Emblems, Illustrations: Expository, Scientific, Geographical, Historical, and Homiletic, Gathered From a Wide Range of Home and Foreign Literature, on the Verses of the Bible
Teaching or the Enema - Out of this Epistle we may gather an abstract of the things to be known, and that concerning God, ourselves, and Christ. 1. Concern God. We may hence be instructed in His nature, attributes, and person: as to his'a nature, that He is light, and in Him no darkness; His attributes, that He is faithful, just, holy, righteous, pure, invisible, knowing all things, and love itself; the persons, that there are three which bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. 2. Concerning ourselves. We may here learn what we are by nature, namely, lying in wickedness what we are by grace, to wit, born Of God and what we shall be in glory, like to Him, seeing Him as He is. 3. Concerning Christ. We have Him here characterised in His natures, ofiices, acts, and benefits. (1) In respect of His natures, He is as to His Deity called true God, and yet more distinctly, with reference to His Per sonality, the only begotten Son of God; as to His humanity, He is said to be sent into the world, and so truly man, that He was seen, heard, and handled by the apostles. (2) As to His ofiices, He is here asserted in general to be the Christ, and so anointed to those ofi'ices and in particular, as priest, to take away sin, to be the propitiation for our sins, and our advocate with the Father as prophet, by His Spirit to teach us all things and as a king, to destroy the works of the devil. (3) Most of His mediatorial acts are here specified: His incarnation, where He is said to come in the ?esh passion, in that He layeth down His life for us His resurrection, inasmuch as eternal life is said to be in Him and His ascension and intercession, because He is affirmed to be an advocate with the Father, and His coming again in the day Of judgment to appear as Judge of the world. (4) Lastly, we need not go further than this Epistle to meet with those benefits we obtain by Him, in that He giveth His Spirit to us, whereby, we dwelling in Him, and He in us, have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, and by virtue of this forgiveness of our sins for His name's sake; adoption, whereby we are called the sons of God; finally, justification by blood, sanctification by water, and eternal life. 2. Nor are only doctrines of faith, but rules of practice, deducible from this Epistle. (1) Would we know what to avoid This book teacheth us in 'general to eschew all sin, both describing what it is, a transgression of the law, and dehorting us from the com mission of it; in particular, to expel the love of the world, to abandon hatred, malice, and envy, to keep ourselves from idols, and especially to beware of the sin unto death. (2) Would we be instructed what we are to put in practice in this Epistle? We are called upon to believe in the name of Jesus Christ, to love God who hath begotten us, and to love those who are begotten of Him to have the hope of glory fixed in us, to declare our repentance, by confessing our sins, and purifying ourselves; to overcome the wicked one and the world to conquer the lusts of the ?esh; to walk as Christ walked, by imitation of Him, and to abide in Him by perseverance to hear the word preached by the ministers of Christ; to ask the things we want according to His will; to open bowels of compassion, and distribute our worldly goods to our needy brethren; finally, to do righteousness, keep God's commandments, and do those things which are pleasing in His sight. (n. Hardy, D.D.)
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