Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 3 · Verse 20, 21
1 JOHN 3.20, 21.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater then our heart, and knoweth all things.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God.
THeſe two Verſes declare the good or evill eſtate of a man, according to the good or evill report of our conſciences.
Doct. According to the verdict or teſtimony of our conſciences, God will ſave us, or condemn us at the laſt day.
If our hearts condemn us, God knows more by us to condemn us.
By heart here is meant conſcience: For S. John here ſpeaks an Hebraiſm. The Old Teſtament hath not conſcience, onelyonly the New, Prov. 15.15. 2 Sam. 24.10. If our conſcience record we are innocent, God in Heaven will record it, Titus 3.10.11.
Reaſ. 1. From the office of coſcience, which hath a fivefold work.
1 Conſcience uſeth to be an obſerver and ſpyer of what a man is, and what a man doth, Prov. 14.10. Another knows not what a man is, but himſelfe doth. Conſcience is a good companion of the good, the worſt of the bad. Prov. 15.15. A good conſcience is a feaſt. There is good company where a good conſcience is. No man knows ſo well as his conſcience doth.
2 Conſcience is a regeſter of what we have done long ago. 1 Kings 2.44. Whereto thy heart is privy: He means his conſcience, Gen. 42.20, 21.
3 Conſcience is a witneſſe, and will either accuſe or excuſe, Rom. 2.15. Excuſe in well-doing, accuſe in ill-doing, Heb. 13.18. Rom. 14.12. 2 Cor. 1.12.
4 Conſcience is a Judge, either to clear or condemn, 1 Cor. 4.3. Gen. 20.5.
5. It is an Executioner of what God gives judgement and ſentence. It goes before Gods judgement, and witneſſeth, Mat. 27.4, 5. But after Gods ſentence and his word, Conſcience doth execute it, Rom. 8.15. then Conſcience poures upon us horrors and terrours, which is a forerunner of hell, onelyonly differing in meaſure and durance. Thus Conſcience doth to good men upon ſome occaſions. So David, when he had numbred the people, 2 Sam. 24.10. I have done very fooliſhly, he ſpeaks with ſome bitterneſſe of heart, Acts 2.37. This is called pricking of heart, Prov. 18.14. A wounded spirit who can bear?
Why doth God put ſuch a faculty into men?
1. That God might manifeſt his being. There is no ſtronger evidence of Gods being: For to whom doth it witneſſe? Is it not to God? Before whom doth it condemn, or to whom is it an executioner, if there were no God?
2. His own providence. And we muſt not think that God mindes not things below; if he did not, why is Conſcience afraid and comforted, if God did not look into Conſcience?
3 For Gods juſtice, that he might magnifie it. God proceeds in his Judicial courſe, without any witneſſe but Conſcience: If God have none to bear witneſſe, how ſhall he magnifie his juſtice in condemning ſecret ſins?
4. Gods mercy. If God be angry with a man, it is an advantage to a man that he knows it, Acts 9.6. Heb. 9.14. As Conſcience doth determine here, ſo will God in another world. Conſcience is Gods Vicegerent, ſet up in the throne of a mans heart. Conſcience is our companion, God much more, Pſal. 139.
Reaſ. 2. God is our witneſſe, therefore when we ſpeak ſoberly, we call God to witneſſe: He is a Judge, Heb. 10.3. an Executioner; and therefore if Conſcience ſees cauſe to condemn us, God much more; if Conſcience ſee cauſe to acquit us, God much more, Pſal. 139.2, 3.
Ʋſe 1. A ſigne of our preſent eſtate, and what God will doe concerning us, if we live and die thus. What ſaith thy Conſcience, if thy heart aſſure thee thou loveſt thy Brother, 2 Cor. 1.12. That thou ſavoureſt not ſin, that thete is no good duty but thou wouldſt doe; thou haſt been humbled for thy ſins, Conſcience hath been an Executioner, and yet hath come with pardon ſealed to thee, with the broad ſeal of Heaven: If thou ſeeſt one ſpark of ſincerity in thee, God ſees more.
Obj. May not a mans conſcience be deceived? Rom. 3.17. Luke 18.9, to 14 May not a man ſay, I have no guilty conſcience?
Anſw. Conſcience ſometimes bears falſe witneſſe, Tit. 1.15, 16. If a man have a defiled conſcience, it will deal falſly. A mans conſcience through ignorance and partiality, doth bring a falſe verdict: As it is many times with a Jury, ignorance of law, and falſe evidence, makes them bring a falſe verdict; but then ſend them back again, and ſhew them better evidence, and the law, &c. So Conſcience doth oft-times bring a falſe verdict, but its thorough ignorance of the Law of God, or partiality. Doth thy conſcience ſpeak bitter things? Conſider what the grounds are. If ſuch as doe argue thee dead in treſpaſſes and ſins, then know that God doth call thee from heaven to repentance. If it tell thee thou art an hypocrite, conſider what grounds it hath, Conſcience may be muzled by ignorance and partiality; the Devill puts falſe glaſſes before our eyes.
2. A ground of ſerious humiliation to every mans heart, whoſe conſcience upon due examination doth accuſe him.
3. To teach every Chriſtian which hath found that he hath paſſed from death to life, to be afraid to commit any ſin. And comfort thy ſoul, if Conſcience do acquit thee, then will God much more.
4. Labour we always to be doing ſome good, for we have a companion that hears and ſees all, and a regiſter that notes every good word or work.
The Apoſtle in ſtead of telling us, If our hearts condemn us, God will condemn us much more. He gives a reaſon of it, deſcribing God,
1 From his greatneſſe.
2 Knowledge.
Doct. God is better acquainted with our hearts and wayes then our ſelves, Pſal. 19.12.
He means ſins not onelyonly ſecret and hidden from others, but from our ſelves. Pſal. 139.12. Thou Lord knoweſt my thoughts afar off, they are ever before thee. 2 Kings 8.11, 12, 13.
Reaſ. 1. From Gods omniſciency, his all-ſufficient knowledge, Heb. 4.13. They are anatomized before him, as if every vein and ſinew were laid open, he divides between the marrow and the bone, John 21.12. Rom. 15.11. Job 26.6. Though hell and deſtruction be both covered, yet before the Lord they be both open. Whether Hell be in the waters, or on the earth, they cover not from God. Hell and deſtruction are before the Lord, how much more the hearts of the children of men?
2. From the creation. God made our hearts, gave us power to affect, think, purpoſe. He knoweth what is in us, Job 38.36 If God give underſtanding to the heart, he knows much more what is in the heart, Pſal 33.13. God hath faſhioned our hearts, therefore he knows them, Pſal. 99 10.
3. From the providence of God We have our motion in God. A Mill moves from the Miller, becauſe he hath cauſed it ſo to doe, but the motion of the Mill is not in the Miller, it can move without him. We move in God, as a ſupportant conſervant cauſe, as a Mill moved by the breath of the winde, ſo we by the breath of the Lord; as there is not a turning in the Mill, but from the winde, ſo not a turning of our hearts without him. Our hearts are in the hands of the Lord, Prov. 21.1.
4. From the unſearchable depth of the deceitfulneſſe of mans heart, Jer. 17.9, 10. Prov. 3.17. Our hearts make us believe we are rich, and have need of nothing, when indeed we are wretched, and miſerable, poor, blinde, and naked. Prov. 30.2, 3. Sometimes that we are more fooliſh than any man, and have not the underſtanding of a man; while we walk in a ſinfull way, they make us believe we are in Gods favour, Luke 18.9. When we are in a good eſtate, and God would have us walk chearfully in him, our hearts will caſt a thouſand diſcouragements upon us, we cannot pray or profit by the Word of God, or doe any good duty; our hearts will few pillows under our elbowes, that ſo we may ſleep quietly, but when we go to try our hearts by the Word of God, then they will fall out with us indeed, 2 Sam. 15. the beginning.
Ʋſe 1. Take heed of all ſecret ſins. Not onelyonly ſuch as may be hid from men, but of ſuch roots of ſin as are hid from thy ſelfe, yet cannot be hid from God. Take heed of ſuch ſins as are ſo ſubtle, that thou knoweſt not whether they be ſins or no, ſins which our own ſoules know not of. If a man would be kept from preſumptuous ſins, he muſt cleanſe the inward and hidden frame of his heart.
Q. How ſhall we cleanſe our hearts?
A. 1. Pray to God with David, Pſal. 19. to cleanſe us from ſuch ſins which we know not. We have confeſſed ſuch ſins as we know by our ſelves, and thoſe which the world knows by us, but we muſt make a new reckoning for ſuch ſins as we know not.
2. Not to truſt our own hearts, but the Word of God, Pſal. 119.9. The Word of God ſaith, there are ſuch ſins in every age, therefore we muſt pray to God to help us againſt them.
3. Keep our hearts with all diligence, obſerve every winding and turning, and take heed of occaſions that provoke our hearts any way to ſin, Prov. 4.23.
2. This ſhews the impoſſibility of their good eſtates that look to be juſtified by habits and works. It is the happineſſe of Gods ſervants, in that they look not to be juſtified by the perfection of their hearts.
3. Ground of tryall. If we finde that our hearts doe not condemn us, let us truſt our hearts no farther then we prove them by the rule of Gods Word. If God hath helped you to look up to Chriſt for the pardon of your ſins, and you now ſit looſe from ſin, it is an argument that your ſins are pardoned, becauſe we could not elſe hate ſin, Pſal. 119.6. But on the contrary, if we finde our hearts condemning us, our hearts are full of ſelfe-love. Parents are full of partiality, as that they can ſcarce ſee any evill in their children: If they ſee cauſe of death in them, much more God the righteous Judge; If they ſee cauſe of condemnation in them, the Judge much more.