A. D. 67. the Veil of the Temple was rent. The Signs and Wonders done by Him and by Others in his Name, are all, The Spirit. I fay, Teftimonies of the Authority of his Perfon and Miffion, moft unexceptionable, as being Evidences of that Holy Spirit that cannot deceive us. 7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witnefs in earth, the fpirit, and the water, and the blood and these three agree in 7 & 8. In all Controverfies about Human Affairs, the pofitive Testimonies of Two or Three Credible Witneffes is thought fufficient to determine the Truth in any Court: and the Jews allowed it by their own Law to be fo. So that the Evidence of Jefus being the True Melfiah and the very Chrift, the Word and Son of God, who died upon the Crofs, is, according to their Own Notions, established beyond all Contradiction. For, as in Heaven there are Three Divine Perfons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; fo do the Three foremention'd *Teftimonies given of Christ, while he was upon Earth, concur in the full Demonstration of this great Truth: These Powers and Miracles of the Holy Ghoft incontestably fhowing the Father to have Sent Him, and the Son to have actually Come into the World, for the Salvation of Mankind. one. *For this is the Witness of God ry Je. For Such, or of this Kind, is the Witness of God, viz. A Threefold Teftimony, Ver. 6. in himself: he that believeth not God, hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. II And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life and this life is his Son. 12 He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life. 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if οίαν ευ Comfort and Satisfaction: Find A. D.67. 11 & 12. So then, the Sum of our Christianity is this: That God has promifed to, and provided eternal Happiness for good Men; and that the indifpenfable Condition of enjoying it, is a fincere Belief in Chrift incarnate, and in his Religion, by all to whom it and its Evidences are fairly propofed. my Defign in this Epistle was, to we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. 16 If any man see his brother fin a fin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that fin not unto death. There is a fin unto death: I do not fay that he fhall pray for it. 16. Before I conclude, I must C 2 the compare Jam. v. 30. C 17 Lat. 12. 31.0 A. D. 67. the Punishment inflicted_was not fent for his Destruction, but only to awaken the Perfon to a Senfe of his Mifcarriage, and you find him inclined to Repentance; in fuch a Cafe, let the Chriftian Minifters attend upon him, interceding with God for him by earnest Prayer, which, upon his Repentance, fhall avail for the Pardon of his Sin and for reftoring him to Health again. But if you know the Perfon fo afflicted to be ftruck from Heaven, for a malicious, habitual, and incurable degree of fcandalous Vice and Immorality, or for wilful Apoftacy from the Chriflian Religion; in that Cafe, you have no Obligation to throw See Heb. vi. away your Prayers upon him, but may juftly leave fuch 4, 5, 6. and x. 26, a Man to the Juftice of God, as one that has defeated all Methods of Repentance and Salvation †. 27. 1 Numb. XXXV. 30, 31. Deut. xvii. 2, 3, 4. 5. and xiii. 5-9. 10, II, 17 All unrighte ousness is fin and there is a fin not unto 17. 'Tis true, every wilful Offence against either God or our Neighbour, is a Breach of the Dideath. vine Law, and, in ftrict Juftice, deferves Death. But as you know there were Degrees of Offences under the Mofaical Law ‡, fome whereof were, while others were not, punished with immediate Death, but admitted of an Atonement by Sacrifice; fo in these Cafes, *He (i. e. God) shall give him Life: Or, Life shall be given him, i.e. to the Sinner. The fame Hebraism with that of Matth. i. 23. They shall call his Name Jefus, i. e. his Name thall be called. + Ver. 16. I do not say that he shall pray for it; i. e. That you are either not at all to pray for fuch a Perfon, or if you do, it cannot be with that Degree of Faith, and Affurance of Succefs as in other Cafes. See and Compare James v. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Moreover, 'tis poffible, thefe firft Chriftians might not have any certain and abfolute Signs whereby to distinguish the Sin unt Death from other Sins that were pardonable; or the Distempers that were Curable, from fuch as were Incurable, by their Prayers. And then the Defign of St. John in thefe Words, I do not fay that he shall pray for it, is to fatisfy them, That, though every Inftance of their Prayers were not equally effectual toward the Recovery of Sinners, yet the Promise in Verse 14, 15, was ftill good; none being exempted from it that had not fo Sinned as to be doomed by Divine Juftice to prefent Death for it. Of which they might be fatisfied by the Effect of their Prayers. Cafes, under the Gospel-Difpenfation, as long as there are A. D. 67, 18 We know that whofoever is born of God finneth not; but he that is begotten of God, keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an underItanding that we may know him that is true: and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift. This is the true God, and eternal life. 21 Little children, keep your felves from idols. Amen. 18. In the mean time, no fincere and true Chriftian is, without his own great Default, in much Danger of falling into fuch a defperate Degree of Sin, or of wilful Apoftacy from the Service of Christ to that of Satan. 19 & 20. For to conclude: While the reft of the obftinate and unrepenting World continue enflaved to Ignorance, Idolatry, Sin and Satan, we Chriftians are fully and happily affured, that we are Members of the Church of the True God, by fincerely believing in Jefus Christ his Son, who came into the World to teach us the Way of true Religion, and, being made Man, Suffered and Died, in order to our Eternal Life and Happiness. 21. Which, fince he has fo fully done, it would be utterly inexcufable in any Chriftian, by any Temp tation or Example whatever, to be drawn into any A& of Heathenish and Idolatrous* Worship, by forfaking fo* See the pure and holy a Profeffion. And may God preferve you Pref. § 4. ever from it! Amen. A PARAPHRASE To whom? § 1. ΟΝ ΤΗΕ Second EPISTLE O F St. 70 H N. The PREFACE and CONTENTS. B the Elect Lady, to whom this Epiftle is directed, we may underftand, either fome particular Perfon of honourable Defcent, a Friend, and perhaps) Difciple of St. John; or elfe fome Chriftian Church; the Word Elect being fo frequently used of the Jewish Church in the Old, of Chriftian Churches in the New Teftament; and that of Children, to fignify the Members of thofe Collective Bodies. The Salutation at the Close, from the Children of the Elect Sifter, Ver. 13. feem, indeed, to bid most fairly for this latter Acceptation, as fignifying a Sifter-Church; as do alfo his fpeaking in the plural Number, Ver. 12. And, whereas the Church of Jerusalem was the Great Original from whence all they of the Circumcifion at first received the Chriftian Doctrine, She, of all others, lays the best Claim to this Title of (pia) the Miftrefs or Mother-Church; though other Learned Men think it probable to be meant of fome Afian Church, and most likely that of Philadelphia. I will only add, That St. John, in filing this Chriftian Church a Lady, follows the Language of the Old Scriptures. Thus Babylon called berfelf The |