THE ARGUMENT Concerning the penman of the First Epistle, it doth not appear there hath been any doubt, the ancients generally ascribing it to the apostle St. John. The time of his writing it is uncertain, some assigning to it an earlier, others a later date.

The order of discourse requires we begin with the last thing in this verse, the Word of life. This phrase, the Word, is by this apostle (not here to inquire in what notion some, both Jews and pagans, before took it) familiarly used, to signify the eternal Son of God: and whereas this is his usual…

He interrupts the stream of his discourse by this seasonable parenthesis, while he therein gives an account how the Word of life, the life, that eternal life, ( already noted to be here all one, and chiefly to mean the Son of God), which being with the Father must be to us invisible, came to be so…

He now proceeds with what he intended, not only professing to testify most certainly known things, (which he further with great earnestness inculcates), but declaring also the end of this testimony; viz.

Not insipid, spiritless, empty, as carnal joy is, apt through the deficiency of its cause to admit of intermingled qualms; but lively and vigorous, 2 John 12, well grounded, John 16:24, such as is of the right kind, and will grow up into the perfect plenitude and fulness of joy, Ps. 16:11.

It being the professed scope and design of his writing, to draw men to a final participation and communion with God in his own blessedness, he reckons nothing more necessary to it, than to settle in their minds a right notion of God.

Light and darkness are frequently put for holiness and wickedness, Luke 16:8, Rom. 13:12, Eph. 5:8, 1 Thess. 5:5. The sum then is: That if any pretend to friendship with God, or to have received holy and gracious influences from him, and do yet lead wicked lives, they are liars, even guilty of a…

But if we walk; which is a continued and progressive motion, i.e. do persevere and improve in holiness. In the light; being transformed into the holy image and likeness of God, and showing themselves the children of light, as he is light, and the Father of lights.

In pursance of which scope, he fitly adds: If we should say, i.e. either profess it as a principle, or think in our minds, or not bear in our hearts a penitential, remorseful sense, correspondent to the contrary apprehension; such as is implied in confessing, 1 John 1:9; for saying usually…

But on the contrary, if we confess our sins, if we apply ourselves to him suitably to the condition of sinners, confessing ourselves such, with that self-abasing sense of sin which may dispose us to accept and apply his offered remedy, (upon which it is implied we will do it), he is faithful, so…

If we say that we have not sinned: see 1 John 1:8–9. We make him a liar; which they make him that believe not his word, 1 John 5:10, expressly charging all men with sin, Rom. 3:19, Rom. 3:23. And, consequently, his word, or truth, as 1 John 1:8, which we contradict, is not in us.