Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 2 · Verse 22
1 JOHN 2.22.
Who is a Lyer, but he that denieth that Jeſus is the Chriſt? he is Antichriſt that denieth the Father and the Son.
THe Apoſtle, verſ. 10, 21, 22. propounds ſome means to help them againſt falſe Teachers.
1 By ſomething in themſelves, that Unction in them.
2 By the groſneſſe and falſeneſſe of their Doctrin, which is called a Lye, and the Teachers Lyers; who is a Lyer if they be not?
Theſe falſe Teachers in this verſe are 1 deſcribed by an adjunct of lying, and that ſo groſly, that if they be not Lyers, there are none in the Worid, it is as groſſe a Lye as any, ſo that theſe Lyers may ſtand in compariſon with any.
2 Their lye is ſet out by their Doctrin, who is a lyer, but he that denieth that Jeſus is the Chriſt?
3 He expreſſes it by their name and nature, he is the Antichriſt, and their Doctrin is, to deny the Father and the Son, for if they deny the Son, deny they then the Father.
Doct. Antichriſts Teachers are as groſs Lyers as who are the worſt.
Who is a Lyer if not theſe? let none be accounted Lyers if not they; they are as great Lyers as any, equal to the worſt; theſe words come home; and no wonder Chriſt called James and John Sons of Thunder, for they ſpeake plainly and boldly.
Two things make a man a groſſe Lyer, equal to the worſt.
1 The perniciouſneſſe of his Lye.
2 The evidence of it.
1 The perniciouſneſſe of it; It is a pernicious Lye, to ſpeake againſt the Government of an houſe or Family, or good of others, but no lye ſo pernicious as Popiſh Lyes, none doe ſo much harm as the Lyes of Antichriſtian Teachers, they lye not only againſt their own ſouls, but alſo to the hurt of others, 1 Pet. 3.2, 3. they ſhall bring in damnable Hereſies, ſuch Doctrins that if men live and dye in them, they ſhall be damned, and many ſhall follow their pernicious wayes, and ſo they ſell the ſouls of men, and ſo one part of the merchandize of the Romiſh Whore is the ſouls of men, Rev. 8.12, 13. and therefore if any pernicious Lyers, who more pernicious than they that lye againſt the ſouls and ſalvation of men? no greater Cheaters than to cheat us of our Saviour, of our Father, of Salvation.
2 The evident falſhood of them, A man lyes when he miſtakes the truth which he might eaſily ſee, or though it were more hard to ſee; but if a man know it to be falſe and pernicious, yet to lye againſt his knowledge and Conſcience, this makes the Lye palpable and groſſe; now theſe Lyes are not only contrary to the truth of the Word, and experience of Chriſtians, but alſo contrary to their own knowledge and Conſcience, and they muſt needs be groſſe Lyers that lye in ſuch weighty matters as Salvation, and that ſo evidently that he that runs may ſee their falſhood.
Ʋſe 1. Let us ſee the damnable eſtate of all Antichriſtian falſe Teachers, for they that ſhall not only hold, but thruſt on others damnable Doctrins, whereby they haſten their own, and others deſtructions, muſt needs be in a damnable eſtate; it is their tenent, that no Church ſo ſafe to live and dye in, as their Catholick Church, and their reaſon is, becauſe among Pagans, and Infidels you ſhall find nothing but horrible lyes,, and blaſphemies; and it is true; and among Chriſtians, there is the ſafeſt living, for they are confident that ſalvation is found in their Church, and all out of their Church cannot be ſaved and therefore it is ſafeſt for all to live in their fellowſhip; but though there may be ſome that in that Church may be ſaved, yet whoſoever they be that doe know the Doctrine of the Church of Rome, and that doe beleeve, and obey, and practiſe that Doctrine, not one of them, but they have ſuckt in damnable Hereſies, and bring on themſelves ſwift damnation; ſo that if thete be any lyars among Turks and Infidels, theſe Antichriſtian teachers ſhall carry away the prize in lying, and thoſe that are ſaved among them, it is▪ becauſe they ſecretly renounce their Doctrine. therefore let them not boaſt of our charity to ſome amongſt them, for none more pernicious and evident Lyars than they; therefore let us be dehorted from their Doctrine, and cleave cloſe to the profeſſion of the truth.
Ʋſe 2. Let us take heed of Antichriſtian Doctrine, if ever they come among us; theſe are deſcribed to be the Frogs that goe about the World to ſeduce poor people; be not deluded then, when they profeſſe themſelves to be Patrons of the truth, the Spirit condemns them to be Lyars; and none more groſſe and evident lies than theirs.
They are likewiſe cunning Lyars, 2 Theſ. 2.10. none ever, by cunning deceit, ſo circumvented the World as they have done.
Ʋſe 3. It may ſerve to teach men not to be mealy mouth'd in ſpeaking plainly and home; the Spirit we ſee puts the groſſeſt terme on them; who be Lyars, if they be not? therefore we muſt not be offended at the plainneſſe and ſimplicity of the Scripture, none ſo plaine as this Apoſtle, he calls them Lyars and Froggs, in the Revelations, and Beaſts, and the Whore of Rome; he deals even as an old Father, when he would deteine Children from any evill, they uſe to put homely names on them.
Ʋſe 4. It may ſerve to teach us all to be abundantly thankfull to God that hath delivered us from this lying falſe Doctrine, wherein many of our Fathers have periſhed; for there is no Religion more groſſe; and no bleſſing greater than to be delivered from ſuch a groſſe lying Religion; to be delivered from a groſſe ſin, is no ſuch great matter, for the Publicans and Sinners came into the Kingdome of Heaven ſooner than the Phariſees, and yet theirs was the ſtricteſt ſect, and Paul bleſſes God that delivered him from that Religion, when he was a ſtrict Phariſee, yet God was pleaſed to call him to the grace of Chriſt, and ſuch a mercy is it to us, as none can be greater to any Nation, to be delivered from this lying Religion, and on this ground God urgeth obedience to the morall law, becauſe, he was the God that had brought them out of the Land of Egypt, out of the houſe of Bondage, Exodus 20.1. and on this ground, we ſhould ſtick cloſe to God, and that Religion he hath ſet us in, that God may ſee that we are ſencible of this great mercy, that we are delivered from ſuch groſſe pernitious evident lyes.
Doct. 2 Antichriſt denyeth Jeſus to be the Chriſt, or, he that denyeth Jeſus to be the Chriſt, is Antichriſt.
1 John 4.3. 2 Epiſt. John 7. the name of Antichriſt ſhews he is ſuch a one as is againſt Chriſt, an enemy to Chriſt, 2 Theſ. 2.4, he is called foreign.
A man may deny Jeſus to be the Chriſt, either groſly and aſſertively; or elſe cunningly and fraudulently; of ancient Heriticks, ſome denyed the manhood of Chriſt, and ſome the God-head, and ſome palpably denyed his Office of mediation and redemption. But that falſe Antichriſt did not deny him palpably and groſly, 2 Theſ 2.2. for firſt, Antichriſt is ſaid to work in a myſtery. Secondly, that he ſhould ſit in the Temple of God, 2 Tim. 2.4. ſo that he ſhould keep ſome correſpondency with Chriſt, and his, and ſits as a Member of Chriſt, otherwiſe no Church would ſuffer him; ſo that he ſhould not openly and groſly deny Chriſt, but he ſhould deny him to be that Chriſt that is anoynted of God, anoynted to be King, Prieſt and Prophet; therefore if you ſhall finde any in the Church to deny Chriſt to be King, Prieſt and Prophet of his Church, that is Antichriſt; therefore obſerve how their Doctrine cuts aſunder the whole work of Redemption.
1 For his prophetical office, the Church of Rome denies it; Chriſt is anoynted to be a Prophet to teach his Church by his Word, and by his Spirit in his Word; they deny his Propheticall Office.
1 By adding other unwritten traditions to the Word of God, as neceſſary.
2 By preferring the Vulgar Tranſlation to be more authentical than the Original languages.
3 By denying the uſe of the Scripture to the common people, and telling them, it is obſcure and dangerous for them.
4 By ſuſpending the authority of his Word, not upon the Teſtimony of his Spirit, but on the Church of Rome; ſo that if you ask a Papiſt, why they receive the Goſpel of St. Matthew, and deny that of St. John, they ſay, becauſe the Church hath received the one, and renounced the other; and ſo they make the Scripture to depend on general councils, eſpecially on the Pope.
2 The Lord teacheth his Church by his Spirit, which they evacuate.
1 By confining this Spirit to councils, and Clergy-men, and not to the common people.
2 They evacuate this teaching of the Spirit, by making it a conjecturall thing, and probable, but not of any certain knowledge, and thus Antichriſt denies his Prophetical Office.
For the Prieſtly Office of Chriſt, which conſiſts, firſt, in offering ſacrifice; ſecondly, in interceſſion, for the application of his ſacrifice.
Now the Church of Rome evacuates his Prieſtly office, firſt, in his ſacrifice.
1 By adding other ſacrifices, and ſo they make his not to be ſufficient, and they add two Sacrifices, firſt, the Sacrifice of merits, and they ſay they merit, firſt, by works done, as building of Churches, Monaſteries, &c. which they ſay ſatisfie for mens ſins; and ſecondly they merit by ſuffering, as Pilgrimages and Purgatory, and ſo by indulgences and Pardons.
2 They evacuate the Sacrifice of Chriſt, by evacuating the Redemption of Chriſt.
1 By making it not plentifull; whereas the Redemption of Chriſt is a plenteous redemption both for body and ſoule, they ſay he redeems us from eternall pains, but not from temporall, from Purgatory.
2 By making it not gracious; for they ſay the grace of Redemption is applyed to us not invincibly, but according to the will of the Creature.
3 By applying it not by faith, but works.
4 They ſay a man cannot know his Redemption by Chriſt, ſurely and certainly, but probably.
5 This grace they diſpence not ſpiritually, but elementally, by impoſing it on Sacraments; ſo that without Sacrament, no grace; and ſome grace is given ex opere operato.
3 They evacuate his Sacrifice, by making it not eternal; ſo that this grace is not certainly eternall, but he that hath been waſhed in Chriſts blood, may finally fall away, and become a reprobate.
4 In making it not neceſſary in reſpect of ſome, as the Virgin Mary.
2 They ſay it is not neceſſary, in reſpect of temporal puniſhments.
2 They evacuate his Prieſtly Office, by diſcouraging people from coming to God in the name of Chriſt, but to approach to God by the mediation of the Virgin Mary, and ſome Saints; they would have us direct our prayers to ſome Saint, and ſo deny the ſole mediation of Chriſt.
3 For his Kingly Office, they deny it, partly by denying his Head-ſhip; they deny his abſolute Soveraignty, they will not make the election to be of Free Grace.
2 By ſetting up another Head in the Church, the Pope which God never appointed; as he that ſets up another King without his conſent, doth as good as deny the other King; ſo here is as much diſhonour to Chriſt, in ſetting up a new Head, as in cutting off the true Head, to ſet up one that may rule all Nations, have the deciding of all Cauſes, &c.
3 They deny his Kingly Office in his great work of Converſion, by makeing it not to depend on the Soveraignty, or prerogative of his Kingly Office, but on the liberty of our wills.
4 They deny his Kingly Office, by defacing his Kingdome, which is his Body, his Church; they deface his Church, his Body, and transforme it not into a chriſtian ſtate▪ but Antichriſtian, and ſo make it no Church of Chriſt, and ſo deny his Kingly Office.
They deface the Church of Chriſt, whether Militant, or Triumphant.
The Church Militant, whether you look at it as a Catholick Body, for that,
1 They teach that the moſt erroneus, notorious livers, are truly Members of the Church, but we ſee Chriſts Kingdom conſiſts of ſpiritual people; they are but ill humours.
2 They give falſe notes of the Church, antiquity, univerſality, proſperity which may agree to ſome Heatheniſh places.
3 They make the Church infallible, and this they confine to the church of Rome, ſo that if Rome fall, the church of Chriſt falls.
2 For the parts of the church, either in a council.
1 They ſay a council is uncapable of errour.
2 Subject to the Pope.
3 That they may make Laws to binde the conſciences of men.
Or elſe in the ſeveral parts.
1 For the Head the Pope, they ſet two heads on the Body, and ſo make it a Monſter.
For the middle Members, the Prieſts.
1 They ſay, they may not marry, and ſo are unclean.
2 Exempt them from the power of civil Magiſtrates, and ſo are an inordinate generation.
2 Their regular Prieſts, as Monks and Fryers, they are all of them abominable, not planted by God, and profeſſe poverty and chaſtity, which expoſeth them to uncleanneſſe.
For the loweſt Members, the Lay-men, whether Magiſtrates, or private men.
1 For Magiſtrates they make them not heads, no not in their own Kingdoms, but ſubject to the Pope, and he deſpoſeth them.
2 For the people, he can diſpence with their Oath of Allegiance.
3 From both, they with-hold the Scripture in the known Tongue, and the cup.
For the Church Militant in Purgatory, they make a Church God never acknowledged.
For the Church triumphant, they make the Saints as ſo many Idols, in praying to them, viſiting their Relicks, making them partakers in Chriſts mediation; ſuch a Kingdome as this Chriſt would loath, and any true chriſtian dereſt. So that we ſee, though they doe not deny his Man-hood, nor his God-head, yet they deny him to be the Chriſt, that is, the anoynted, for they waſh off all his Unction.
Ʋſe 1. It may diſcover to us the depth, and the danger of Popery; the Doctors of their Church ſay, it is impoſſible any ſhould be ſaved out of their Church, but you muſt know, you cannot give up your ſelves to an Antichriſtian Doctrin but you turn an enemy to Chriſt, you take away his Offices, make him no Chriſt, no Saviour; therefore let none ſay, Popery and the true Religion may be reconciled, they may as well combine Light and Darkneſſe, as Chriſt and Antichriſt.
Ʋſe 2. It may be an uſe of thankfulneſſe to God, that hath delivered us from this darkneſſe, and brought us to know the truth as it is in Jeſus, the true King, Prieſt, and Prophet of his Church; therefore let us ſanctifie God in our hearts, let us walk as men that are redeemed, and taught of him; learn we to reſt on him for pardon, for teaching, for direction, and guidance.
Doct. 3. Antichriſtian teachers deny the Father, and the Son.
Before, he had ſaid they deny the Chriſt, but he goes further, and ſaith, They deny the Father, and the Son, becauſe he that denies the Son denies the Father; the reaſon is becauſe of that neer relation that is betwixt them, verſ. 23. and ſo contrariwiſe; the truth of this appears in Saint Johns time, for ſome made themſelves the Chriſt, and ſome God the Father, as Simon Magus, and Menander made themſelves the Chriſt, and ſo took away the Father-hood, and the Son-ſhip; ſome againe taught, that the Father came down and took fleſh, and was buried, and ſo often deſcended into cloven Tongues, ſo that they denied the ſeveral Perſons.
But that great foreign, the Antichriſt of Rome, he denies the Father, and the Son.
1 He denies the Son; if you ſpeake of the God-head of Chriſt.
1 They ſay we are in an errour to ſay Chriſt is foreign, but from God, from the Father, and they will not take the true ſence, but ſay, Chriſt hath a derived God-head, but ſo they make him no God-head, though Bellarmin blame them for it, yet ſome of them vehemently accuſed him for it; ſo that we ſay the Perſon of Chriſt is from the Father, but his God head is the ſame with the Father, There are not three Gods but one God; and if you make it a derived God-head, you make three Gods.
2 They as much wrong his Man-hood; for when they ſay the Prieſt hath a power to create, ſo they take away his Man-hood; whilſt they ſay the Prieſts makes Integrum Chriſtum, in truth they abbrogate the very Man-hood of Chriſt, for it is incompatible to Humane Nature to make any living Creature; and when they ſay, Hoc eſt Corpus meum, they make the body.
2 Whilſt they ſay, that the whole body of Chriſt is in a Thouſand Churches together, now every Communicant receives whole Chriſt, they ſay; now if Chriſt have ſo many bodies, he is a Monſter; nay, they ſay ſtill his Body ſits at Gods right hand, a ſtrange Lye; are they not the great Lyars? ſo that the Pope ſaid to Cardinal Bembus, Vide quantum fabula iſta de Chriſto nobis prodeſt; and when he was dying they comforted him with the conſideration of Chriſt, but he ſaid, Quanta in his fabula, and no wonder, for that Chriſt they deſcribe is no better than a Fable, and ſo they deny the Son, and in denying him, they deny the Father, for uno ſublato, alterum tollitur.
3 When they take away all aſſurance of favour with God through Chriſt, and ſay, it is preſumption to be aſcertained to the favour of God, as a Father through Chriſt; I aſcend to my Father and your Father; if he be the Father of Chriſt, he is the Father of all his Members, and therefore if they take away all aſſurance of Gods love, as a Father, they deny the Father.
Ʋſe 1. It may teach us ſomething concerning God, it ſhews us a reference between the Father and the Son, and firſt, if there be a reference betwixt them, then,
1 It is manifeſt they have a living and reaſonable nature, for Father and Son is compatible only to rationall beings, not to Beaſts and Trees, therefore if we that are Fathers, and Children, have reaſonable nature, much more God the Father, and the Son.
2 If there be this relation, then they are both of the ſame nature: a Man doth not beget a Beaſt, but one of the ſame nature, and therefore when the Father begets the Son, it implies the Son is of the ſame nature with the Father, each of them an eternal being, Joh. 10.32. to 36. when as Chriſt did deliver himſelfe to be the Natural Son of God, they conceived that he made himſelfe God, which they thought Blaſphemy, ſo that being the Son of God, he is the ſame Divine eſſence.
3 If Chriſt be the Son of God, then he is equal with the Father; if he be the Son, he is God, and if God, there is not one ſuperiour, and another inferiour, but he muſt be equal with the Father.
Obj. But the Son is oft greater than the Father, and the Father than the Son?
Anſ. True, amongſt men, but in the God-head no perſon can be ſuperiour to another, there are no diſtempers, nor miſery, Pater & Filius in Divinis ſunt aequales.
2 As there is a Reference▪ ſo there is alſo a Diſtinction, for the Father cannot be the Son in the ſame relation; nor contrarily, the Son in the ſame relation cannot be the Father, which cuts off the errour of Sabellius, which ſaid, the ſame God the Father took upon him, and was the Son; but this is an horrible errour, for the Father cannot be a Son to himſelfe, nor the Son a Father.
Ʋſe 2. If ſuch be Antichriſts as deny the Father and the Son, then the Antient Hereticks, Simon Magus, and Menander are convinced.
3 The ſame Doctrine condemns the Antichriſtian Teachers, for though they ſay they teach the ſame with us, yet it is manifeſt they deny the Son, for he that makes him a derived God-head, makes him no God, and ſo when they ſay his body is in divers places at once, they deny his Man-hood, for one cannot be many, and many cannot be one.
4 It may teach us to magnifie the mercy of God, that hath delivered us from this lying Doctrin which our fore-fathers lived in, and we it may be ſhould have followed as greedily; therefore let us abhor their Doctrin, and cleave to the truth, and walke in the truth of Chriſt.