Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 4 · Verse 13 – Verse 14
1 JOHN 4.13.
Hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, becauſe he hath given us of his Spirit.
THey that love their Brethren they have a two-fold benefit, they have Gods Spirit dwelling in them, and they know it.
Doct. That ſuch as love one another, to them God hath given of his Spirit.
What is meant by this, that God hath given us of his Spirit?
1 It implies that God hath given us that ſpirit of grace that accompanies ſalvation; this branch of that ſpirit that dwelleth in God, Numb. 11.25. Moſes ſpirit was not diminiſhed, though God did communicate it to the ſeventy Elders, God did cauſe it to be inlarged in them, that were in the place of Magiſtracy with him; ſo who ſo loves, dwels in God, and the ſame ſpirit of love do they communicate to their brethren, ſo that they walke by the ſame rule, and aim at the ſame end. The fruit of the Spirit is love, Gal. 5.27. But the works of the fleſh are adultery, &c. They that walk in love, have received of the Spirit; they have received of the Spirit of the holy Ghoſt, for the Spirit luſts againſt envy, Judg. 9.22, 23.
Ʋſe 1. It teacheth us, there is no love to be found towards our brethren, but amongſt ſpiritual men; for if we love one another, there is a Spirit of God in us; where the Spirit is not, there is no love; Love is not a fruit that grows upon thorns, or on ſuch a ſtock as nature brings forth, the old Olive.
Object. But many of Gods ſervants bring forth ſowr fruit, which will neither benefit themſelves, nor others, therefore how is it ſaid that Gods Spirit is in them?
Anſw. They have ſowr Oyl diſtilling from the old ſtock, for there are many branches in us that ſuck ſowrneſſe from the old ſtock; though there be a ſpirit of love in Gods children, yet many times it doth not run forth: But when you ſee Chriſtian love expreſſing it ſelf, it ſprings not from nature, but the Spirit of God.
2 A ground of much comfort to any ſoul that doth finde his ſpirit ſuppled with any compaſſion; If you can finde your ſpirits mourning for the evill caſe of your brother, it is a ſigne that Gods Spirit is in you.
3 Labour we to preſerve our hearts in brotherly love, for love is a fruit of the Spirit of God; ſo much as a mans heart runs ſowr and hard, ſo much doth he damp the lively Spirit of God which the Lord hath ſhed abroad in his heart; therefore as we deſire that God would for ever keep us in a good eſtate, and that his Spirit ſhould not be grieved by us, we muſt keep this Spirit of love, that is, the Comforter; when we grieve the Spirit of God, we ſhall have grief enough: If the Spirit of comfort that is in us be uncomfortable, how great is that diſ-comfort?
Doct. That ſuch to whom God hath given of his Spirit of love, they maintain mutual, entire, and conſtant fellowſhip with God, and they know it.
God dwels in us, which is more then to have God to dwell with us: if God did but dwell with us, it would argue much happineſſe; but this is more, for God to dwell in us; We are not onelyonly near one another, and branches one of another, but one body with another, he abides in us as the head, we in him as the members.
Queſt. What is this, We know it?
Anſw. This act of knowledge is more then an act of faith, men may believe more to be true, then they know, Heb. 11.3. By faith we underſtand the world was made, faith underſtands a thing to be done, and ſo we may be perſwaded of the truth of a thing. Something we know by reaſon, which by ſence we cannot know; if it be not evident by ſence and reaſon, we cannot know it; the meaning is, we have evident ſence and evident reaſon for it.
Reaſon 1. Is taken from the evidence of ſence; when God hath ſhed abroad into our hearts a ſpirit of love, we ſhall ſee and feel the favour of God ſhining in our hearts, the mercy of God pacifying our ſouls; ſo that now we do not onelyonly believe the promiſes belonging to us, but the feelings of Gods love is a manifeſtation of Gods grace, John 14.21, 22. If any man love me, ſaith Chriſt, and keep my Word, my Father will love him, and we will come in to him, and make our abode with him: As we grow in love, ſo the comforts of Gods Spirit grow in us. The ground of this reaſon is taken from Gods nature, who is love; God is not ſaid to be faith or hope, but love; and the more any man hath received of love, the nearer doth he come to God, and the readier is he to be doing good offices, and to be helpful.
Reaſ. 2. From the cauſe of love we know; God dwels in us, and wee in him, becauſe we have received a Spirit of love. We could not receive a ſpirit of love, if we did not receive a ſpirit of faith, Gal. 5.6. We could not love our brethren, if we had not faith to believe in Chriſt: Now where faith is, there Chriſt dwels, Epheſ. 3.17. This reaſon is from the cauſe of love.
Ʋſe 1. Of conſolation to loving Chriſtians, they have manifeſt experience and knowledge of Gods love; Hereby we know that God dwells in us, and we in him. The benefit of a loving ſpirit is this; that it keeps fellowſhip with God, and that entire fellowſhip: A loving man doth not onelyonly believe that he hath fellowſhip with God; but he knows it, he hath evident reaſon for it.
2 To teach ſuch as want the goodneſſe of the promiſes; they are not ſenſiſible of Gods favour, they have no ſenſible experience of it, they may be perſwaded that God will ſhew them mercy at the end, but yet they do not know it: If thou wilt know the fellowſhip between God and thy ſoule, then pray more that the Sprit of love may dwell in thee; as thy love grows, ſo ſhalt thou grow in ſenſible experience of Gods love to thee; God crowns faith with truſt and confidence, and aſſurance, but he crowns love with experience; If you want experience of Gods love, then think ſurely there is ſome weed of envy wrath and hatred; from which if thou cleanſe thy heart, thou ſhalt not onelyonly have aſſurance, but experience.
3 This refutes the Papiſts, that ſay, a man cannot know that God dwels in him, this is an evident ſigne that they have neither faith nor love; if they had faith, they ſhould have aſſurance; if love, they ſhould have experience.
1 JOHN 4.14.
And we have ſeen and doe teſtifie, that the Father ſent the Sonne to be the Saviour of the world.
Doct. THat ſuch as love one another, they have ſeen, and do beare witneſſe of the Father ſending his Son to be a Saviour of the world, John 13.4.5.
Reaſ. This word ſight is more then believing, for the Apoſtle put; a difference between them, 2 Cor. 4.3. We believe that Chriſt ſits at the right hand of God, but we have not ſeen it; when he ſaith, They have ſeen, he would have you know that they have had experimental knowledge; all ſight is an act of ſenſe, and riſeth from ſome ground of reaſon, reaſon is from ſenſible feeling, which every loving ſoule hath found, that God hath ſent his Son to be a Saviour of the world; a Chriſtian knows that except his heart be warmed with the love of God, he cannot love his brethren: The woman in the Goſpel, of whom Chriſt asked a little water; when ſhe ſaw that Chriſt was the Meſſiah, and had convinced her of her ſins, John 4. ſhe left her water pots, verſ. 20. and ran into the City, and ſaith to the men, Come ſee a man that hath told me all that ever I did, is not this the Chriſt? Verſ. 29. and verſ. 39, 40. When the Samaritans were warmed with his words, they beſought him to ſtay amongſt them, and many of them believed in him; ſo that ſo much ſight of Chriſt, ſo much love.
Reaſ. 2. From the knowledg that ſuch have of Gods love unto themſelves, the Lord hath ſent his Son to ſave the world, the Lord hath ſent his Son into the world to ſave us from his own wrath, and ſhall we bear wrath and malice towards thoſe that are his? a Chriſtian will be aſhamed that his heart ſhould be wrathful and malicious, he will be reconciled to his hrethren; when a Chriſtian walks in love, he hath ſeen the Saviour of the world, and hath known him, for that makes him love them, becauſe God ſent his Son to ſave them. They bear witneſſe.
If a man refuſe the love of his brethren, he denies, that God ſent his Sonne to be a Saviour of his brethren from his wrath. God ſent his Sonne to ſave us from hell, death, and the grave, and from all evill we may meet with. God hath promiſed to with hold no good thing from them that feare him; but if death and ſickneſſe be good, we ſhall have them, Pſal. 84.11. Now if we with-hold any good from our brethren, we bear witneſſe that Chriſt came not into the world to ſave them.
Ʋſe 1. This ſhould teach us to lay down all wrath and hatred, and to be diſcouraged from harbouring any ſuch diſtempers in our ſouls, for elſe you proclaim before God, Angels, and men, that God did did not ſend his Son to be a Saviour; for ſhall Chriſt come to ſave his people from the wrath of God, and from the Devil, and ſhall he not free his people from my wrath? Either make Chriſt a whole Saviour, elſe make him no Saviour at all. If Chriſt ſave from any evill, he will ſave from all. Agrippa was a Chriſtian in part, but Chriſt was not a Saviour in part.
2 To exhort every ſoule to be loving to their brethren; the more you abound in love to your brethren, the more you teſtifie that God ſent his Sonne into the world to be a Saviour, and the more love will God expreſſe to your ſoules.
3 Of conſolation to ſuch as love all men, but eſpecially to ſuch as are of the houſhold of Faith, ſuch a man hath ſeen that God hath ſent his Son to be a Saviour of the world; As Gods will is they ſhou d be ſaved, ſo for his part, his will is they ſhould be ſaved, ſuch a man may be perſwaded that God hath forgiven him his ſins.