Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 2 · Verse 12
1 JOHN 2.12.
I write unto you little children, becauſe your ſins are forgiven you for his names ſake.
BEcauſe your ſins are forgiven you for his ſake, for whoſe ſake? there is no name mentioned either before, or after, till we come to the ſixth Verſe, this Verſe therefore hath reference to verſ. 6. I write unto you, becauſe your ſins are forgiven you for his names ſake, that is, for Chriſts ſake, ſo that the Commandement of walking after Chriſt, to walke as he hath walked, he now amplifies by the motive to ſtir them up to it, and that is taken from pardon of ſin, Little Children, foreign not foreign not Babes, as verſ. 13. he calls Babes, foreign ſo that this word, foreign is of three ſorts, ſome Fathers, ſome Young-men, ſome Babes.
1 In the Verſe we have, Firſt, a loving compellation, Little Children.
2 An office of love, I write unto you.
3 A reaſon of his former exhortation, (Walke as Chriſt hath walked) becauſe he hath forgiven you your ſins.
Doct The Children of God, of what growth or ſtrength ſoever they be in Chriſt, they muſt be as little Children, whither foreign or foreign
As this benefit reacheth to all, your ſins are forgiven you, ſo this title alſo.
Why as little Children?
1 You muſt be like them in modeſty; Children are free from ambition, therefore our Saviour to wean his Diſciples from ambition, tells them, they muſt be as little Children, or elſe they ſhould never inherit the Kingdome of God.
2 We muſt be like them in innocency, free from malice and revenge, 1 Cor. 14.9. vex a childe never ſo, and he tell you, I will tell my Father, and will not do ſo without great cauſe, but if he doe, that is all; ſo ſhould it be with chriſtians, they ſhould not eaſily complain, if they doe, let this be all, make known your wrongs; we ſee children, though they be angry, yet they will not ſeek to revenge themſelves.
3 Like them in ſimplicity, affecting ſimple plain meat, Milk, 1 Pet. 2.1. ſo a Chriſtian ſhould not affect varniſhing, but the ſincere Milk of the Word.
4 Like them in weanedneſſe from the World, Pſal. 131.1, 2. he could be content to be without his Kingdome which before he had affected; ſo ſhould we be.
5 They are content with promiſes and hopes; tell a childe of ſome thing; let but his Father ſay, he will buy him ſuch a thing at London, or he hath it laid up for him, he reſts well pleaſed; ſo would God have us contented with promiſes and hopes; when we cry to God for this and that bleſſing, or grace, he tells us, we ſhall have it when he ſees fit, it is laid up for us in heaven, and in the mean time we ſhould ſit down content, Pſal. 131.2.3.
Ʋſe 1. Of examination of our own eſtates, whether we be children of God or no, if we be, we are as little children, for outward honour, not ambitious of it, more carefull how to uſe it, than how to get it, and if we have not honour we will not contend for it; and for innocency, we will be like … children; for revenge, we will lay it down; and be without malice; till you be thus framed you cannot enter into Gods Kingdome; if you be covetous, or ambitious, or malicious, if you riſe up either with ambition, or malice, you ſhall never enter into Gods Kingdome; and for ſimplicity, doe you not affect curioſity? ſo for weanedneſſe, is your heart murm…ring and repining? if you cannot get ſuch a thing? why then truly you are not as little Children; Can you be content with promiſes, and hopes, and that is laid up in Heaven for us, or in Chriſt, our life is hid in him, Col. 3.3. if we can be thus content, it is a good ſign we are Gods children.
Ʋſe 2. If Saints be as little children, then take heed how you offend them. Parents will be more offended if you hurt their little children, than if you hurt their bigger, becauſe a little hurt doth them more harm, Mat. 18.6. to 11. the Angels are ready to come from Heaven preſently to help them.
I write unto you, &c. it was the greateſt deſire of the Apoſtles to be preſent if they could, but if abſent, they helped them by writing, Gal. 4.20.
Doct. The Apoſtles of Chriſt, when they could not be preſent with the Children of God, they were willing to advertiſe them by writing of things behoveful.
So Paul writ his epiſtles when he was abſent, and Peter, and James, and Chriſt himſelf to the ſeven Churches.
1 They write firſt to help their knowledge, to make them wiſe, 1 Tim. 3.15. to know their duties, 2 Tim. 3.15.
2 They wrote to them to help their memories, 2 Pet. 1.12, 13.14.
3 To eſtabliſh them in knowledge received, and to confirm them.
4 To ſtir them up to practiſe thoſe things they knew, and remembred, and were eſtabliſhed in, 2 Pet. 1.12, 13.
5 Moſes gives the reaſon, Deut. 17.19, 20. he would have the King to read the book of the Law, that he might learn to fear God, and keep his Commandements, &c.
6 That by this means their joy might be full; when they thus underſtood and remembred, and practiſed, it would increaſe their joy, which was the end of St. Johns writing this Epiſtle.
Ʋſe 1. To refute the Papiſts, who with-hold theſe writings from the Common-people; to what end did they write them, if little children might not read them? Fathers, Young-men, Babes, St. John wrote to all, and would have all read them.
Ʋſe 2. To ſtir us up to conſtant reading of the Scripture daily; how often? why the greateſt man in the Kingdome muſt read them once a day at the leaſt, Deut. 17.19. it will help our knowledge, our memories, eſtabliſh us, ſtir us up to practiſe, help us to fear God, to grow in joy, and fulneſſe of conſolation; what an help was it to the Bereans, that they read daily? it wonderfully helped their faith and comfort, therefore many of them believed, and were confirmed in Grace; what if we be in a Journey, or Sick, what then? why in this caſe we muſt mediate in the Law of God, Pſal. 1.2.
I write unto you becauſe your ſins are forgiven.
Doct. All the children of God have their ſins forgiven them.
Acts 10.43. Epheſ. 1.7. ſometimes remiſſion of ſin is called the covering of ſin, Pſalm 32.1, 2. if ſin be forgiven it is covered, it is not imputed unto us.
Sometimes it is called the throwing of them into the bottome of the Sea, Micha 7.18, 19. God when he forgives iniquity and ſin, drowns them as deep out of ſight, as things in the bottom of the Sea.
Sometimes it is called a changing of them, Iſa. 1.18. Come let us reaſon together, though your ſins were as ſcarlet, they ſhall be as white as ſnow; they are quite changed, though they were deep ſcarlet ſins, yet they ſhall be made as white as ſnow.
Sometimes it is called, a waſhing away of ſin, Pſal. 51.8. Sprinkle me with Hyſop, it is an alluſion to the Bloud in the Law ſprinkled with Hyſop; ſo when we are ſprinkled with Chriſts bloud, our ſins are waſhed away.
Sometimes it is called, a blotting out of ſin, as a thick Cloud have I blotted out your ſins, Iſa. 44.22. As when the Sun appears in its brightneſſe, the Cloud is ſuddainly vaniſhed, and cleared, ſo our ſins when they are forgiven, Iſa. 43.25. Jer. 31.34. I will remember your ſins no more, Jer. 50.20. when God pardons ſin, he doth ſo utterly blot it out, and it ſo vaniſheth, that it is no more to be found, there is no ſuch thing extant.
Q. How comes it, that when your ſins are forgiven, they are ſo througly purged?
Reaſ. Becauſe all are waſhed away in Chriſt, our ſins are imputed to him, and his righteouſneſſe is imputed to us, Iſa. 53.5. 2 Cor. 5. ult. our ſins are his, and his righteouſneſſe ours.
Ʋſe 1. To reprove the Popiſh opinion, who teach, That the ſins of the godly, though they be forgiven, yet they are not utterly forgiven, but with reſervation of a Temporall puniſhment, partly here, and partly in purgatory: but it is a falſe Doctrin; for if he cover them, if he waſh them away, if he throw them into the bottom of the Sea, if he blot them out as a thick Cloud, if he remember them no more, they are throughly forgiven, without any reſervation of puniſhment.
Ʋſe 2. It reproves their Doctrin that ſay, The afflictions of Gods children are puniſhments for ſin; but we muſt know, if ſins be not accounted ours, puniſhments are of another nature, if ſins be changed then puniſhments alſo; all the ſins of Gods Children are not accounted as ſins, but diſeaſes of the ſoul; and ſo all the afflictions of Gods ſervants are not as puniſhments, but as medicines and purges to root out diſtempers, Dan. 11.35. ſo that now afflictions doe not come out of Gods juſtice in way of revenge, but in mercy, in way of cure.
3 It confutes purgatory; If God pardon ſins ſo as he remembers them no more, then what need of purgatory, to puniſh the reliques of ſin in Gods Children?
Ʋſe 4. It may teach all that deſire to have their ſins forgiven, to be of Child-like diſpoſitions, free from ambition, and malice, and revenge, to frame themſelves to humility, and innocency, and meekneſſe, and ſimplicity, and contentment, and reſting on promiſes and hopes; if it be thus with us, God will forgive us our ſins; what is the reaſon why we doubt of Remiſſion, but becauſe we faile in this condition?
5 It may comfort all Gods Children, they have this white ſtone, that is, Abſolution for ſin, and in that a new name written, that is, Adoption; and if we be of a meek, humble, innocent, ſimple frame of heart, we have this comfort.
Ʋſe 6. Of exhortation, and 1. If God hath thus freely forgiven us, let it teach us freely to forgive others, and it is an argument of our own remiſſion, Mat. 6.11, 12.
2 It muſt ſtirre us up to be carefull that we offend God no more; if God when he pardons our ſins remembers them no more▪ let us be carefull not to offend him any more, 1 Joh. 5.18. As a woman when her cloaths are waſhed very white, ſhe would be loath that they ſhould be ſpotted, or mired; ſo after God hath made us white like ſnow, let us take heed of polluting our Conſciences any more; it is a good argument our conſciences are pure, when we are afraid to ſpot them.
3 It muſt teach us to walke fruitfully, and be aboundant in Gods ſervice, Luke. 7.47.
Laſtly, It muſt teach us to be exceedingly thankfull to God, that hath thus forgiven us, Pſal. 103.
Doct. God forgives the iniquity of his Saints for his name ſake, Iſa. 43.25.
For his own ſake he blots out our ſins:
1 For his own glory, that his name may be magnified and feared, Pſal. 130.4. Pſal. 103.1, 2, 3.
2 For the honour of Chriſt, he doth it, that he may be honoured through Chriſt, Epheſ. 1.6, 7.
3 For his own ſake, that is, without any deſert of ours, yea ſometimes without any deſire of ours, Iſa. 43, 22, 23, 24, 25. Thou haſt not called upon me, nor offered ſacrifices unto me, &c. yet I, even I am he, that for mine own names ſake putteth away thine iniquities, and will remember thy ſins no more.
Ʋſe 1. To teach us to be aboundantly the more thankfull to God, to feare him the more, to ſerve him the more, to honour and praiſe him the more, that for his own ſake hath blotted out our iniquities; if we had run further into a mans debt than we were ever able to get out, and he freely forgave it, we would be loath to offend him, we would honour him, and be ready to doe him the beſt ſervice we could; ſo we ſhould be carefull, ſeeing God hath forgiven us ſo great a debt, to take heed that we run not into further Arrerages, that we diſhonour not, nor offend that God who hath ſo freely for his own ſake forgiven us.
Ʋſe 2. It muſt teach us all that have any comfortable experience of the forgiveneſſe of our ſins, to walke even as Chriſt hath walked, for even upon this ground doth St. John here preſs it, it ſhould be our meat and drinke to doe his will, to glorifie him in all our courſe, as it was Chriſts care, Joh. 17.4. and that is the end that God ayms at in forgiving our ſins, that we ſhould walke as Chriſt walked.
Ʋſe 3. For Conſolation; If our ſins be forgiven for Chriſt name ſake, then we need not fear the continuance of them, for had he forgiven us for our own ſake, we might juſtly have feared that he might yet afterwards through our defaults lay them again to our charge, but he hath forgiven us for Chriſts ſake, he doth not forgive for thy Prayers ſake, but thy ſins were pardoned before thou calledſt on him, Iſa. 65.24. God was anſwering before, and your prayers grew ſo zealous becauſe your ſins were forgiven, Iſa. 43.22. and therefore God will cancel our acquittance, becauſe he did it for his names ſake, for the glory of his own grace.