SECTION III.

131.

THE

HE next paffage I fhall venture to make obfervations upon is, the ift, ad, and 3d verfes of the Fourth Chapter of the First Epistle of St. John.

Αγαπητοί, μὴ παν]ὶ πνεύμα]ι πι ςεύε]ε, ἀλλὰ δοκιμάζειε τὰ πνεύματα, εἰ ἐκ τῇ Θεᾶ ἐσιν· ὅτι πολλοὶ ψευδοπροφῆται ἐξεληλύθασιν εἰς τὸν κόσμον.

2. Ἐν τέτῳ γινώσκετε τὸ πνεῦμα το Θεῖ· πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ ὁμολογεῖ Ιησεν Χριτὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα, ἐκ τ8 Θεῖ ἐςι.

3.

Καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα ὃ μὴ ὁμολογε τὸν Ἰησῶν Χρισὸν ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα, ἐκ τῇ Θεᾶ ἐκ ἔςι· καὶ τᾶτο ἐςι τὸ τῇ ἀνιχρίς, ὃ ἀκηκόα]ε ὅτι ἔρχεῖαι, καὶ νῦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἐςὶν ἤδη.

The

132.

The common translation is,

1. Beloved, believe not every fpirit, but try the fpirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the

world.

2. Hereby know ye the spirit of God: Every Spirit that confeffeth THAT JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN THE FLESH, is of God.

3. And every fpirit that confeffeth not THAT JESUS CHRIST IS COME IN COME IN THE FLESH, is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrift, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world.

But what can be more flat and unmeaning, than to make the mere acknowledgement of a fingle fact in hiftory, the teft of any spirit being in conformity with the dictates of the Divine Spirit?

To confefs that Jefus Chrift is come, or bas come in the flesh; is little more than to confess, that Auguftus Cæfar alfo once lived in the flesh.

A teft of truth, indicating a rightly-informed fpirit, must be the knowledge and confeffion of fome greater and more importAnd fo indeed the holy Apoftle

ant matter.

here fays it is, if his words be rightly tranflated; for furely the tranflation fhould rather be thus:

1. Beloved, do not give credit to every spirit; but weigh and confider the fpirits, whether they be of God; for many falfe prophets are gone out into the world.

2. By THIS know ye the Spirit [that is] of God. Every Spirit that confeffeth Jefus to be THE CHRIST, [i. e. the Anointed Lord and Meffiah, the Appointed Ruler of all, fent down from heaven to deliver man,] THE 133 VERY CHRIST COME IN THE FLESH, is of God.

3. And every Spirit that does not confefs JESUS TO BE [THE ANOINTED ONE] THE CHRIST COME IN THE FLESH, is not of God. And this is that fpirit of oppofition to the Lord's anointed, which ye have heard fhall come, and now is already in the world.

Thus tranflated, the words amount to the fame divine confeffion which was made by St. Peter; and which our Lord himfelf has told us should be the very bafis and foundation, on which, and by means of which, he

would

would build up, at last, the great affembly to be formed under His rule in heaven.

Matthew, ch. xvi. ver. 13, &c.

13. Ελθων δὲ ὁ Ἰησᾶς εἰς τὰ μέρη Καισαρείας τῆς Φιλίππε, ἠρώτα τὲς μαθη τὰς αὑτῷ λέγων· Τίνα με λέγεσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι, τὸν ὑιὸν τῶ ἀνθρώπε;

14. Οἱ δὲ εἶπον· Οἱ μὲν, Ἰωάννην τὸν Βαπιςήν· ἄλλοι δὲ, Ἠλίων· ἕτεροι δὲ, Ἱερεμίαν, ἢ ἕνα τῶν προφητῶν.

15. Λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ὑμᾶς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε είναι ;

16. ̓Αποκριθεὶς δὲ Σίμων Πέτρος, εἶπε· Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χρισὸς ὁ ὑιὸς τῇ Θεᾶ τὸ ζῶν]ος. 17. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησᾶς, εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Μακάριος εἶ, Σίμων βὰς Ἰωνᾶ, ὅτι σαρξ καὶ αἷμα ἐκ ἀπεκάλυψέ σοι, ἀλλ ̓ ὁ πατήρ με, ὁ ἐν τοῖς ἐρανοῖς.

18. Κᾀγὼ δὲ σοι λέγω, ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδο μήσω με τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· καὶ πύλαι ᾅδε κατισχύσεσιν αὐτῆς.

8

13. And

13. And Jefus, coming into the coafts of 134. Cafarea Philippi, asked his difciples, faying, Whom do men say that I am*, [who appear now as] the fon of man?

14. And they said, Some indeed [fay that thou art] John the Baptift, others [that thou art] Elias, and others [that thou art] Feremias, or one of the Prophets.

15. He faith unto them, But ye, whom do ye fay that I am?

16. And Simon Peter anfwering faid, Thou art THE CHRIST, [. e. THE ANOINTED LORD,] the Son of the Living God.

17. And Jefus answering faid unto him, Happy art thou, Simon fon of Jonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is IN THE HEAVENS.

18. And I moreover Say unto thee, that thou art [named] Peter [WHICH MEANS A ROCK], and upon this rock [i. e. UPON THIS CONFESSION] I will build up my church,

* Mr. Bowyer has remarked that there is here a redun dancy in the Greek, by the addition of the word uɛ, which he proposes to remove, by tranflating it as two queftions, Whom do men say that I am? The Son of Man? But I apprehend the true meaning of the cause of inserting the word us a second time may be more fully elucidated by tranflating the verse as above.