Commentary on 1 John, Commentary · Chapter 5 · Verse 8
1 JOHN 5.8.
And there are three thus bear witneſſe in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the bloud: and theſe three agree in one.
IN theſe words is deſcribed the teſtimony given on earth to the Divinity and Sonſhip of Chriſt. Wherein
1. Their number, Three.
2. Their names, the Spirit, the Water, and the Bloud.
3. Their conſent, and theſe three agree in one.
Doct. The Spirit, the Water, and the Bloud, are three principal witneſſes on earth, that bear witneſſe to the Sonſhip of Chriſt.
The three principall witneſſes, for he doth compare them to the three witneſſes in Heaven.
Queſt. What theſe three witneſſes be?
Anſw. The Spirit partly breathing in the Scripture, partly in the conſcience of men.
Firſt, The Spirit breathing in the Scriptures, for they in a ſpeciall manner bear witneſſe to Chriſt, and they are called Teſtaments, and indeed they are ſo farre witneſſes, as no witneſſe is to be received, unleſſe it be conſonant to the teſtimony of the Scripture, Gal. 1.7, 8. and it is not Paul, or Peter, that teſtifies this, but the Sp…rit breathing in them, otherwiſe Chriſt receives not the teſtimony of men, neither doth the conſcience of a Chriſtian receive the teſtimony of any living man, except he finde the Spirit breathing in him; for let God be true, and every man a lyar. This Spirit breathing in the Scripture is a Spirit of power, and perfection, the Spirit of power in the Scripture, is diſcerned partly,
1. In convincing men, John 16.9.
2. In comforting thoſe that are dejected, Rom. 3.16.
3. In ſtrengthing us againſt temptation, 1 John 2.14.
Secondly, There is in the Scripture a Spirit of perfection, ſo that if we have but the teſtimony of the Scripture, what need we any further witneſſe? 2 Tim. 3.16, 17.
Thirdly, There is a Spirit that bears witneſſe in our hearts, that Jeſus is the Son of God, and that Spirit is the ſame that breathed in the Scripture, ſo that when we are hearing, or reading, yet the Spirit ſets it home to your hearts and ſouls, ſo that we goe home either convinced, or comforted, or ſtrengthned to every good work and duty God requires; now this Spirit fully perſwades us, that Jeſus is the Son of God; for this Spirit goes beyond the power of all created things; for no created power is able to convince an hard heart, or comfort a dejected Spirit, or ſtrengthen us in our Chriſtian courſe, therefore if we find a Spirit in us, inabling us to doe all this, the ſoul reſts ſatisfied without any need of further witneſſe, that Jeſus is the Son of God.
Fourthly, Water bears witneſſe to this; by water ſome underſtand the water of baptiſm, and indeed that gives ſtrong teſtimony to Chriſt, eſpecially to them that are prepared to receive it: as in the Apoſtles times, when they were firſt brought on to believe, and then to be baptized, God then ſtrongly teſtified this truth, ſo that after baptiſm, they were filled with much joy, and oft-times with divers gifts and tongues, Acts 8.36. The water of baptiſm ſent away the Eunuch rejoycing, ſee Acts 19.6, 7. and though children be not capable of this mercy now in their Infancy, except by an extraordinary power, yet notwithſtanding a Chriſtian afterwards findes ſuch vertue and ſtrength from his baptiſm, that he ſees there is no water like it, but that there is a divine teſtimony in it: But becauſe water is but a repreſentation of this Spirit, therefore by water here, may be underſtood the water of ſanctification, the Spirit of God ſanctifying and regenerating us; for beſides the Spirit of God, that at ſome extraordinary times fills with unſpeakable joy of the holy Ghoſt; there is alſo an ordinary work of Gods Spirit, partly cooling, refreſhing us, as water doth, partly making us fruitful in our Chriſtian courſe; for thoſe great inlargements of Gods Spirit, doe not always abide with us in that meaſure, but this water is a ſpring in us, continually afording us ſomething which evidently witneſſeth this truth, Tit. 3.5. John 4.14.
1. In this water of Gods Spirit, we finde a power to cleanſe us from our luſts, as running waters doe channells and ſinks, Ezek. 36.25. when I ſee ſomething in me conforming me to Chriſt, that water bears witneſſe, that Jeſus is the Son of God.
2. There is a power in water to cool and refreſh us, when God ſheds abroad his Spirit in us, there is ſomething that cools us from the heat of Gods wrath, Iſa. 44.3.
3. This water is of a mighty power to make us fruitfull, Pſal. 1.3. A Chriſtian watered by the Spirit of God, draws ſuch moyſture and life from every Ordinance of God, that he brings forth fruit in due ſeaſon, according to his calling, Ezek. 30.26, 27.
Queſt. How doth this water bear witneſſe that Jeſus is the Son of God?
Anſw. Becauſe all the vertue that this water hath to cleanſe, comfort, or fructifie us, ſprings onelyonly from faith in the teſtimony, that Jeſus is the Son of God, Gal. 2.19, 20. Let Chriſtians obſerve, when we walk in the ſtrength of our own ſpirits and graces, we ſhall grow ſo dry and barren, that not one good fruit comes from us, and this is becauſe we ſuck from our owne graces, and ſo ſpend on the ſtock, and ſo ſoon draw our ſelves dry, for want of living by faith in the Son of God; but a Chriſtian that hath the water of Sanctification, let him doe all in the Name of Chriſt, and ſuck life from him daily, and he ſhall be ſufficiently inabled to every duty that God requires; we never found this water, till we believed on Chriſt, and this water no longer runs freſh and full, then we renew our dayly dependence on him, and if we did ſo dayly, we ſhould alwayes find it full Sea in our hearts.
3 Bloud is a third witneſſe on earth, and that is the bloud of his ſufferings that doth bear witneſſe to our ſouls, that Jeſus is the Son of God.
And it bears witneſſe to us, 1. by pacifying our conſcience, Heb. 12.24. There is a louder cry in the bloud of Chriſt to pacifie our ſouls, then in the guilt of ſin to bring wrath upon us, and this is ſo lively a teſtimony, that a Chriſtian knows, were it not for the bloud of Chriſt, all the things in the world would not have quieted his conſcience.
2 The bloud of Chriſt, purchaſeth us to become his, Acts 20.28. Now when we can find our ſelves the purchaſed ones of God, the peculiar people of God, this bloud of purchaſe witneſſeth, that it was the Son of God that redeemed us from the world and our own corrupt hearts.
3 The ſame bloud doth therefore bear witneſſe, that Jeſus is the Son of God, becauſe it's a bloud of purity, ſprinkled upon every Ordinance and creature, every thing was purified by bloud, Heb. 9.19. to 23. this bloud of Chriſt on every thing makes it pure, To the pure all things are pure, ſo that to ſuch a one, his calling and company, his meat and drink doe not inſnare him, as they doe other men, ſet further off from God, but by this bloud it is, and the bleſſing of God, that we are made more fruitful and ſerviceable to God, yea were it not for the bloud of Chriſt, our very graces would corrupt us, it's the bloud of Chriſt that makes them all uſefull and ſavory, and turn to our good.
Doct. Theſe three witneſſes, the Spirit, the Water, and the bloud are in one.
Not only in this witneſſe, but they are all one for one work; in the Original, foreign that is, they all conſent to one truth.
And 2. they all goe an end and conſpire in one work of our Redemption, ſo that one would be of ſmall uſe without the other.
Ʋſe 1. To eſtabliſh our hearts in this teſtimony, that Jeſus is the Son of God, and ſo to believe it, that we may overcome the world; In the mouth of two or three witneſſes every truth ſhall ſtand, how much more when three in heaven and three on earth teſtifie the truth? and it's not enough to believe this upon the authority of the State, or thy Parents, or upon the univerſal conſent of all men, for this is no part of divine teſtimony, and this beliefe will never help thee to overcome the world; and yet this is the teſtimony of the Church of Rome, but theſe humane teſtimonies will beget but humane credulity.
Ʋſe 2. For tryall, whether you believe this truth aright or no; if your faith be built upon the teſtimony of the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, upon the teſtimony of the Spirit breathing in the Scripture, and in your own conſcience upon the water of Sanctification and bloud of Redemption, if your faith be built on theſe principles it will ſtand.
Ʋſe 3. Reproves that Popiſh doctrine that maintains a Chriſtian can never attain to any certain aſſurance; Why, if a Chriſtian have ſix ſuch ſtrong witneſſes, and divine, as theſe, will they not breed more then probable conjecture? Six be …eſt mens teſtimonies would breed more then probability; And doe not God the Father, Son and holy Ghoſt breed aſſurance in their teſtimonies? It's a diſhonourable thing to think otherwiſe.
Ʋſe 4. Of conſolation to every one that hath found this witneſſe in him, it is a ground of ſingular comfort to them, that that Jeſus on whom they have believed, will help them to overcome the world.
Ʋſe 5. Since theſe three, the Spirit, the water, and bloud, doe bear witneſſe to the Sonſhip of Chriſt, it ſhould teach us to keep our hearts and ears always open to theſe teſtimonies. Two things hinder this teſtimony, the noyſe and tumults of worldly buſineſſes ſo fill our hearts and hands, that we cannot hear what the Spirit ſpeaks. Secondly, the noyſe of our luſts doth ſo fill our ſouls, that we cannot liſten to the peace Chriſts bloud ſpeaks, which ſpeaks better things then our luſts: therefore we ſhould alwayes keep our hearts and ears open, and free from tumults of the world, or the noyſe of our own luſts, that ſo we might hear what Gods Spirit teſtifies to our own hearts.