15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the luft of the flesh, the luft of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world paffeth away, and the luft thereof but he that doth the will of God, abideth for ever. 15 & 16. To proceed then: En- A.D. 67. deavour to wean your Affections from all immoderate Defires of the Pleafures, Riches, Dignities and Preferments of this World. Shew no finful Compliance to attain them; love them not in any higher Degree, than to be ready to part with any of them, for the Sake of Christ and his Religion. For all fuch immoderate Affections of Temporal Things, are utterly inconfiftent with the Love of God and true Religion. 17. And, it fhould ferve to cure you of all fuch Love for the greatest Pleafures of this kind, to confider how fading, unfatisfactory and short they are. Whereas the habitual Practice of Chriftian Virtue is, what will for ever continue with, and be a Bleffing and an Ornament to you. 18 Little children, it is the last time, and as ye have heard that Antichrift fhall Anti come, even now are 18. My dear Chriftians, the Jewish Difpenfation is now paft, and the Chriftian Religion fucceeds in its Place; the Religion that is to take place in the last Age, or latter Days of the World, as the ancient Prophets foretold And as our Saviour himself, and we his Apoftles have foretold you of Great Corruptions that would be brought into the Chriftian Church, by Men of Temporal, and Secular Defigns; fo what you fee of it fulfilled already, in the Practices of the Jewish Zealots and Heretical Teachers crept into the Church, is fufficient to convince you of the Truth of these Prophecies, to confirm you in your Chriftianity, and fecure you from their dangerous Infection. * * See the Pref. § 4 and the Pref. to 1 Theff. §4. with 2 Theff. Chap. ii. A.D: 67. See Acts 19 They went out from us, but they were not of us : for if they had been of xv. 1-24. us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifelt, that, they were not Gal. ii. 4. 2 Cor. xi. 33. 19. The firft Broachers of these lewd Errors, pretended to come with a Commiffion from the College of Apostles at Jerufalem, to preach up the Neceffity of Circumcifion and the Ceremonial Law to Chriftian Believers. And Simon Magus himself pretended to be a Chriftian, and was Baptized (Acts viii. 13.) Had these Men been indeed true Chriftians, they could never have been fo audacious, as to have forged a Commiffion from Us, but would have continued to preach the fame Doctrine with us. like manner, had Simon and his Followers been fincere, they would still have followed the Apostles of Christ: And therefore, by prefuming in fo foul a Manner, to do quite contrary, 'tis but too plain they were never true Believers at all * all of us. 20 But ye have an unction from the holy One, and ye know all Η χρίσμα. things. See. 18, and the Pref. $4 In 20 But however fpecious their Pretences may now be, I hope You are fo fully inftructed in the great Truths, fo fenfible of the noble t Privileges of your Religion, and fo confirmed in it by the Gifts and Endowments of the Holy Ghoft, as not to be in much danger of being perverted by them. 21 I have not written unto you, because ye know not the truth : but becaufe ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22 Who is a liar, but he that denieth that Jefus is the Chrift? he is Anti chrift 21. And therefore I now reprefent the Cafe to you, to let fee how you great a Sin it would be in You, ever to hearken to People fo full of Im• pudence and Falfhood. 22 & 23. 'Tis true indeed, the Corruption of the Chriftian Faith is not yet come to its Height: The Great Antichrift || is not yet come: But That they might be made manifeft; ira parsparbon; So that they appear. + Not all of us; ori ex iii wárrse; That none of them were of us. So wäre rap, is, No Flesh, Matth, xxiv. 22. Mark xiii. 20. chrift that denieth the Father: but he that But nothing can be more like him, A,D. 67. nor more truly deferve to be branded with his Titles and Characters, than these turbulent Zealots of the Jewish Faction, fome of which, against all the Divine Evidences given them, flatly deny Chrift to be the true Meffiah; and the rest maintain and impofe fuch Principles as utterly destroy the Defign of his Religion: For they affirm, that Jefus, who fuffer'd upon the Cross, was a mere Man, not Chrift the Word and Son of God; which is as much as in Effect to deny Chrift Himfelf, and confequently God the Father that fent him. (See the Pref. §3.) 24 Let that there- 26 These things 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him, abi 24 & 25. Wherefore endeavour to fecure your Intereft in God through Christ, by adhering firmly to the Doctrines of Chriftianity, as at firft taught to us by Christ himself, and by us to You. Remember the Great Gofpel Promife of Eternal Life and Happiness is to be enjoyed only upon this Condition. promise that he hath promifed us, even 26 & 27. I remind you of these deth in things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye fhall abide in him Bb 3 * Ver. 27. The Anointing, See Verse 20. 28. And A. D. 67. Ver. 24. 28 And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be afhamed before him at his coming. 29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doth righteousness is born of him. 28. And therefore again || I entreat you, dear Difciples, not to forfeit the Glories you are to partake of, at the great Day of Christ's Judg ment, by fuffering your felves to be mifled into any finful Courses. 29. For, as furely as perfect Holiners and Purity is the Nature of God, fo certain is it that they, and none but they, who by mortifying their corrupt Paffions, ftrive to imitate him, in the Practice of true Virtue, shall be accounted his true Servants, and eternally rewarded as fuch. Chap. ii. 27, 28, 29. CHA P. III. The CONTENTS. The great Privilege of Chriftianity. Conformity to the Moral Perfections of the Divine Nature, is our Duty here, and will be our Happiness hereafter. Moral Obedience is therefore the most effential Mark of a true Chriftian. Immorality denotes a wicked Man, be his Profeffion what it will. Charity is one of the fpecial Inftances of Chriftian Morality. An obedient Chriftian has the undoubted Teftimony of his own Confcience, confirmed by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, that he is acceptable to God as a true Difciple of Jesus Christ. B Ehold, what man- Father hath bestowed fhould be called the I. Have been exhorting you to I' fecure to your felves the Privileges of your Chriflianity, by the careful Practice of its Commands. A Thing you cannot fail to do, Would you ferioufly confider how noble and valuable a Bleffing it is to be made the Children of God, Members of his Church, and Imitators of his Divine Excellencies. No Wonder therefore the Generality Generality of Mankind fhould have fo defpicable a No- A.D. 67. tion of us Chriftians, while they have fo little Apprehenfions of the Nature and Will of that God, whose Servants Refemblance of him, nefs chiefly confifts. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 2. Mean while, let us duly esteem the Happiness propofed to us. And, though the future Perfection of it be fuch as furpafles the Reach of Human Conception, yet thus much in general, is plain and fatisfactory to us, that by arriving to a clearer Knowledge of his Divine Nature, we shall be exalted to that delightful wherein our Perfection and Happi 3. And, if this be our expected Enjoyment, all that hope for it, must begin, now to lay a Foundation for it, by ftriving, as far as Human Infirmity will permit, to imitate God, by the Practice of Chriftian Virtue in this Life. 4 Whofoever committeth fin, tranfgreffeth also the law for fin is the tranfgreffion ye know of the law. 4 & 5. Wherefore 'tis most evident, that the wilful and habitual Practice of those Vices now so much encouraged by the Heretical Teachers, is perfectly destructive of the End of our Chriflianity. He that deliberately breaks the Divine Law, defeats the very Means and Methods of resembling the Divine Nature. And to indulge any known and grofs Sin, is to act against the very Purpose of Chrift's Coming into the World, which was nothing else but to free us of the Guilt, Habit and Power of Sin. 6 Whofoever abideth in him, finneth not: whosoever finneth, hath not feen him, neither known 6, 7 & 8. And be not impofed upon by the loudeft Boafts, and most fpecious Pretences, of these wicked Men. The Pretences they make to higher and deeper Knowledge of God him. 7 Little than all others. A good Chriftian Bb 4 and |