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1 John 2:24-29

24. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the
beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain
in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

24. Ergo quod audistis ab initio, in vobis maneat: si in vobis manserit
quod ab initio audistis, et vos in Patre et Filio manebitis.

25. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal
life.

25. Atque haec est promissio, quam ipse nobis promisit, nempe vitae
eternae (vel, quam nobis pollicitus est vitam eternam.)

26. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce
you.

26. Haec scripsi vobis de iis qui sedu#### vos.

27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and
ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth
you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath
taught you, ye shall abide in him.

27. Et unctio quam accepistis ab eo, in vobis manet; neque opus habetis
ut quis vos doceat; sed quemadmodum unctio docet vos de omnibus, et
veritas est, et non est mendacium; et quemadmodum docuit vos, manete in
eo (vel, in ea.)

28. And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear,
we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

28. Et nunc filioli, manete in eo, ut quum apparuerit, habeamus
fiduciam, neque pudefiamus ab ejus praesentia.

29. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth
righteousness is born of him.

29. Si nostis quod justus sit, cognoscite quod quisquis facit justitiam
ex eo genitus est.


24 Let that therefore abide in you He annexes an exhortation to the
former doctrine; and that it might have more weight, he points out the
fruit they would receive from obedience. He then exhorts them to
perseverance in the faith, so that they might retain fixed in their
hearts what they had learnt.

But when he says, from the beginning, he does not mean that antiquity
alone was sufficient to prove any doctrine true; but as he has already
shown that they had been rightly instructed in the pure gospel of
Christ, he concludes that they ought of right to continue in it. And
this order ought to be especially noticed; for were we unwilling to
depart from that doctrine which we have once embraced, whatever it may
be, this would not be perseverance, but perverse obstinacy. Hence,
discrimination ought to be exercised, so that a reason for our faith
may be made evident from God's word: then let inflexible perseverance
follow.

The Papists boast of "a beginning," because they have imbibed their
superstitions from childhood. Under this pretense they allow themselves
obstinately to reject the plain truth. Such perverseness shews to us,
that we ought always to begin with the certainty of truth.

In that which ye have heard Here is the fruit of perseverance, that
they in whom God's truth remains, remain in God. We hence learn what we
are to seek in every truth pertaining to religion. He therefore makes
the greatest proficiency, who makes such progress as wholly to cleave
to God. But he in whom the Father dwells not through his Son, is
altogether vain and empty, whatever knowledge he may possess. Moreover,
this is the highest commendation of sound doctrine, that it unites us
to God, and that in it is found whatever pertains to the real fruition
of God.

In the last place, he reminds us that it is real happiness when God
dwells in us. The words he uses are ambiguous. They may be rendered,
"This is the promise which he has promised to us, even eternal life."
[73] You may, however, adopt either of these renderings, for the
meaning is still the same. The sum of what is said is, that we cannot
live otherwise than by nourishing to the end the seed of life sown in
our hearts. John insists much on this point, that not only the
beginning of a blessed life is to be found in the knowledge of Christ,
but also its perfection. But no repetition of it can be too much, since
it is well known that it has ever been a cause of ruin to men, that
being not content with Christ, they have had a hankering to wander
beyond the simple doctrine of the gospel.

26 These things have I written unto you The apostle excuses himself
again for having admonished them who were well endued with knowledge
and judgment. But he did this, that they might apply for the guidance
of the Spirit, lest his admonition should be in vain; as though he had
said, "I indeed do my part, but still it is necessary that the Spirit
of God should direct you in all things; for in vain shall I, by the
sound of my voice, beat your ears, or rather the air, unless he speaks
within you."

When we hear that he wrote concerning seducers, we ought always to bear
in mind, that it is the duty of a good and diligent pastor not only to
gather a flock, but also to drive away wolves' for what will it avail
to proclaim the pure gospel, if we connive at the impostures of Satan?
No one, then, can faithfully teach the Church, except he is diligent in
banishing errors whenever he finds them spread by seducers. What he
says of the unction having been received from him, I refer to Christ.

27 And ye need not Strange must have been the purpose of John, as I
have already said, if he intended to represent teaching as useless. He
did not ascribe to them so much wisdom, as to deny that they were the
scholars of Christ. He only meant that they were by no means so
ignorant as to need things as it were unknown to be taught them, and
that he did not set before them anything which the Spirit of God might
not of himself suggest to them. Absurdly, then, do fanatical men lay
hold on this passage, in order to exclude from the Church the use of
the outward ministry. He says that the faithful, taught by the Spirit,
already understood what he delivered to them, so that they had no need
to learn things unknown to them. He said this, that he might add more
authority to his doctrine, while every one repeated in his heart an
assent to it, engraven as it were by the finger of God. But as every
one had knowledge according to the measure of his faith, and as faith
in some was small, in others stronger, and in none perfect, it hence
follows, that no one knew so much, that there was no room for progress.

There is also another use to be made of this doctrine, -- that when men
really understand what is needful for them, we are yet to warn and
rouse them, that they may be more confirmed. For what John says, that
they were taught all things by the Spirit, ought not to be taken
generally, but to be confined to what is contained in this passage. He
had, in short, no other thing in view than to strengthen their faith,
while he recalled them to the examination of the Spirit, who is the
only fit corrector and approver of doctrine, who seals it on our
hearts, so that we may certainly know that God speaks. For while faith
ought to look to God, he alone can be a witness to himself, so as to
convince our hearts that what our ears receive has come from him.

And the same is the meaning of these words, As the same anointing
teaches you of all things, and is truth; that is, the Spirit is like a
seal, by which the truth of God is testified to you. When he adds, and
is no lie, he points out another office of the Spirit, even that he
endues us with judgment and discernment, lest we should be deceived by
lies, lest we should hesitate and be perplexed, lest we should
vacillate as in doubtful things.

As it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him, or, abide in him. He had
said, that the Spirit abode in them; he now exhorts them to abide in
the revelation made by him, and he specifies what revelation it was,
"Abide," he says, "in Christ, as the Spirit hath taught you." Another
explanation, I know, is commonly given, "Abide in it," that is, the
unction. But as the repetition which immediately follows, cannot apply
to any but to Christ, I have no doubt but that he speaks here also of
Christ; and this is required by the context; for the Apostle dwells
much on this point, that the faithful should retain the true knowledge
of Christ, and that they should not go to God in any other way.

He at the same time shews, that the children of God are for no other
end illuminated by the Spirit, but that they may know Christ. Provided
they turned not aside from him, he promised them the fruit of
perseverance, even confidence, so as not to be ashamed at his presence.
For faith is not a naked and a frigid apprehension of Christ, but a
lively and real sense of his power, which produces confidence. Indeed,
faith cannot stand, while tossed daily by so many waves, except it
looks to the coming of Christ, and, supported by his power, brings
tranquillity to the conscience. But the nature of confidence is well
expressed, when he says that it can boldly sustain the presence of
Christ. For they who indulge securely in their vices, turn their backs
as it were on God; nor can they otherwise obtain peace than by
forgetting him. This is the security of the flesh, which stupefies men;
so that turning away from God, they neither dread sin nor fear death;
and in the meantime they shun the tribunal of Christ. But a godly
confidence delights to look on God. Hence it is, that the godly calmly
wait for Christ, nor do they dread his coming.

29. If ye know that he is righteous He again passes on to exhortations,
so that he mingles these continually with doctrine throughout the
Epistle; but he proves by many arguments that faith is necessarily
connected with a holy and pure life. The first argument is, that we are
spiritually begotten after the likeness of Christ; it hence follows,
that no one is born of Christ but he who lives righteously. It is at
the same time uncertain whether he means Christ or God, when he says
that they who are born of him do righteousness. It is a mode of
speaking certainly used in Scripture, that we are born of God in
Christ; but there is nothing inconsistent in the other, that they are
born of Christ, who are renewed by his Spirit. [74]
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[73] This, which is our version, is, no doubt, the best construction.
"Promise" is a metonymy for what is promised: "This is the promise,
which he hath promised to us, even eternal life." "Eternal life" is in
apposition with "which." -- Ed.

[74] It is the character of John's style that he often passes as it
were abruptly from the Son to the Father, and from the Father to the
Son; and often the antecedent is not the next preceding word, but one
at some distance: we find this to be the case by what the sentence
contains, as in the present instance; the new birth is never ascribed
to the Son, referred to in the foregoing verse, but to the Father or to
the Spirit. Hence we must conclude that the righteous one spoken of
here, who together with the Son is mentioned in the 22d verse, is the
Father. As the intervening verses, with the exception of the 23d, which
is only explanatory of the previous verse, apply to the Son, so this
verse seems to refer to the Father, consistently with a mode of writing
common in Scripture. -- Ed.
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