1 John 1

2. And it is cleansing: it is therefore compared to fountain-water (Zechariah 13:1). The Word is a glass to show us our spots, and Christ's blood is a fountain to wash them away; it turns leprosy into purity (1 John 1:7): The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sin. There is…

It is a high calling, first, because we are called to high exercises of religion. To be crucified to the world, to live by faith, to do angels' work, to love God, to be living organs of his praise, to hold communion with the Father and the Son (1 John 1:3). 2. It is a high calli…

Third, when the Spirit does refresh the heart with comfort, it comes not only with its anointing, but its seal; it sheds God's love abroad in the heart (Romans 5:5) — this is to enjoy God in an ordinance. (1 John 1:3): "Our fellowship is with the Father and his son Jesus." In th…

At that day shall all mouths be stopped, and God's justice shall be fully vindicated from all the cavils and clamors of unjust men. Use 4. Comfort to the true penitent: As God is a just God he will pardon him, Homo agnoscit, Deus ignoscit (1 John 1:9): If we confess our sins (th…

Quest. What shall we do to resemble God in holiness? Resp. Have recourse to Christ's blood by faith; it is Lavacrum animae, legal purifications, types and emblems of it (1 John 1:7). The Word is a glass to show us our spots, and Christ's blood is a fountain to wash them away.

He sees the treason of the heart, and punishes it. Use 1. Is God infinite in knowledge (1 John 1:5). He is Light, and in him is no darkness; then how unlike are they to God, who are darkness, and in them is no light, who are destitute of knowledge, such as the Indians, who never…

1. That he may grow more like God: as Moses on the mount had some of God's glory reflected on him; his face shined. 2. That he may have more communion with God; (1 John 1:6). Our [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], our fellowship is with the Father.

He was carried up in divine raptures towards heaven. This day a Christian is in the altitudes, he walks with God, and takes as it were a turn with him in heaven (1 John 1:3). On this day holy affections are quickened: the stock of grace is improved, corruptions are weakened.

Do we send forth the ship of prayer there, which fetches in returns of mercy? Is our communion with the Father and his Son Jesus (1 John 1:3; Philippians 3:20)? 5. Are our lives heavenly?

Say that God were righteous, if he should strain upon all we have; if we confess the debt, God will forgive it. (1 John 1:9) "If we confess our sins, he is just to forgive;" do but confess the debt, and God will cross the book. (Psalm 32:5) "I said I will confess my transgressio…

And herein, further to explain the text and ground this great point well upon it, and more particularly to discover what the condition of a child of God thus in darkness is, we will first inquire what is meant by walking in darkness here in this place. First, walking in darkness…

I press toward the mark, for the price of the high calling of God. It is a high calling; 1. Because we are called to high exercises of Religion; to die to sin, to be crucified to the world, to live by faith, to have fellowship with the Father, 1 John 1:3. This is a high calling,…

And as some think, the prayer of Stephen was a means of the conversion of Saul. 5. Also we note that before prayer for pardon of sin, must go a confession of sin: for whereas we say, forgive our debts, we confess before God that we are flat bankrupts and not able to discharge th…

The third question is, what is the fruit of this sacrifice? Answer: The whole effect thereof is contained in these four things: 1. the oblation of Christ purges the believer from all his sins whether they be original or actual: so it is said, If we walk in the light, we have fel…

Secondly, the blood of Christ is a purgatory of our sins. 1 John 1:7: Christ's blood purges us from all our sins. Hebrews 9:14: It purges our consciences from dead works.

Reason 4. Whoever will merit, must fulfill the whole law: but none can keep the whole law: for if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves (1 John 1), and he that sins against one commandment is guilty of the whole law. And what can he merit, that is guilty of the breach of th…

Then, as it is prophesied of the Jews — Zechariah 8:23 — men would say, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is among you.' It is the fellowship your souls have with the Father and with the Son that draws out the desires of others after fellowship with you — 1 John 1…

The Scripture is full to this purpose, in asserting, that not only all men are sinners as considered in their natural condition, but that even believers are sinful in part. For the same Apostle John that says (1 John 1:3), "Truly, our fellowship is with the Father, and with his…

We think the unconverted man knows neither contrition nor confession aright. But I was more confirmed that the way of Antinomians is for the flesh, not for the Gospel, when I read that Mr. Crispe expounding confession (1 John 1), makes it no humble acknowledging that the sinner…

5. In the kingdom of perfection there shall be no in-dwelling of a body of sin, no sin, no uncleanness of heart, no turning of the love and liking of the soul off God; but the most perfect in this life sin, and carry an in-dwelling body of sin with them (Proverbs 20:9; Ecclesias…

If he bore their iniquities, he must bear their apostasy, and final infidelity: or does he intercede, for all and every one of mankind? (1 John 2:1-2) compared with (1 John 1:6-10) and (Hebrews 9): He appears for us, verse 24, for those that are sprinkled, verses 13-17, and look…

He can turn justice itself for them and handle matters so that justice shall be as forward to save them as any other attribute. So that if God is said to be righteous in forgiving us our sins if we do but confess them (as 1 John 1:9 has it), then much more when Jesus Christ the…

First, because John in this Epistle does set before you where eternal life is to be had, as the verse before the text, he in sundry places sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ, as the life which we are to receive from the Father; he shows where it is to be had, and where forgiveness…

A time may come when you may be left alone, as Christ says he was. You had need engage the Father to be with you, that you may say as the Apostle (1 John 1:3): Truly our fellowship is with the Father. It is true, communion of saints is desirable, but external communion is not al…

(Romans 8:13) If by the spirit you mortify the deeds of the flesh, you shall live. (1 John 1:9) If we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive them. Answer. The promises of the Gospel are not made to the work, but to the worker: and to the worker not for his work: but for Ch…

Coloss. 2. 10. and not complete of our selues, by him. Lastly, the Scripture shuts up all men under sin, even the most sanctified (Proverbs 20:9; 1 John 1:9). Job confesses he cannot answer one of a thousand (Job 9:3).

So that not only the Persons are called spiritual, as having the Spirit of God dwelling in them; but those Qualifications, Affections and Experiences that are wrought in them by the Spirit, are also spiritual, and therein differ vastly in their Nature and Kind from all that a na…

Third, this repentance that has been described, is indeed the special condition of remission of sin. This seems very evident by the Scripture, as particularly, Mark 1:4: John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance, for the remission of sins. So, Luke…

Yea, Providence has made the very place of sinning, the place of punishment, 1 Kings 21:19 In the place where Dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall Dogs lick, your blood: and it was exactly fulfilled, 2 Kings 9:26 Thus Tophet is made a burying place for the Jews, till there was…

So the Prophet (Isaiah 50:10), by him that walks in darkness and has no light, sets out the saddest condition of an afflicted soul. No light is not only darkness, but pure darkness; as when the Apostle John would advance the glory of God, he says, God is light, and in him there…

Solomon challenges the best and holiest upon this point (Proverbs 20:9): Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? Many other places may be alleged to the same purpose; as (1 John 1:8): If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is n…

And therefore the Apostle tells us (1 John 4:8), God is love; not only loving, but love itself in the abstract. And (1 John 1:5), God is light. Thirdly, all the knowledge that we have, or can have of God here, is collected from what he has been pleased to discover of himself, ei…

And therefore we find that the idolatrous Israelites, as though they were conscious of the great abuse they offered to their Maker, their Husband (as the Prophet styles God, Isaiah 54:5), sought out dark and obscure groves to act their wickedness in; that although they were not…

What a high dignity is it, that the great God will suffer sinful dust to draw near to him! Surely the Apostle did speak it with a holy boasting (1 John 1:3): Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus — as if he had said, we do not walk with the pedants of the wor…

Therefore the apostle says, Hebrews 6:10. God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love. And so, 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful, and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness. So the word righteousness is ver…

A third union that the Saints have with God, is a union of love; love is an uniting grace, and there is a most entire love between God and every Saint, and so their hearts are close united, and mingled by love. Again, in this life there is a mystical Union, and that is an union…

NOw we come to the fourth thing, Communion with God, and this is more then the other three things. Union is the ground of communion; communion is that which rises from both parts being united, and the Saints shall have a glorious communion with God and the Trinity; in this life…

That the saints have communion with God. 1 John 1:3 considered to that purpose. Somewhat of the nature of communion in general.

Sometimes there is express mention made only of the Father and the Son. 1 John 1:3: our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. The particle 'and' is both distinguishing and uniting.

Communion with the Father is wholly inconsistent with loose walking. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth (1 John 1:6). He that says I know him, I have communion with him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar and the…

A spot, a stain, rust, wrinkle, filth, blood attends every sin. Now the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Besides the defilement of our natures which he purges (Titus 1:15), he takes away the defilement of our persons by actual follies: by one offering…

He is the rest of our souls; in the light of his countenance is life and peace. Now if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, 1 John 1:7, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ, verse 3. He that walks i…

Though they wash themselves with lye and use much soap, yet their iniquity will continue marked, Jeremiah 2:22. For the removal of this they look in the first place to the purifying virtue of the blood of Christ, which is able to cleanse them from all their sins, 1 John 1:7. Thi…

Christ seeks the purity of his Church. For this end has he shed his own most pure and precious blood (for his blood cleanses us from all sin) (1 John 1:7) and conveyed his holy Spirit into his body the Church, which is called the Spirit of Sanctification, because it renews and s…

So that though we were darkness, yet we are now light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). And the Apostle says, We all with open face behold the glory of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18); and we are now so far from being in such darkness, or at such a distance from God, that our communion…

And this by virtue of his death, in various and several degrees shall be accomplished. Hence our washing, purging and cleansing is everywhere ascribed to his blood (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 1:5). That being sprinkled on us, purges our consciences from dead works to se…

While we are here, we know but in part (1 Corinthians 13:12), having a remaining darkness to be gradually removed, by our growth in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). And the flesh lusts against the Spirit, so that we cannot do the things that we would (Galat…

But this is contrary to the whole Tenor of the New Testament. If we say we have no Sin, we make God a Liar, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us, 1 John 1:10. The Law of God is Eternal, and demands perfect Obedience of every Creature: But his Grace pardons those who…

If any Man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink, 1 John 1:9. If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, et cetera.

God gives us both his Promise and his Oath, to secure Salvation to us; he swears, in order to confirm what he had promised, that by several immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong Consolation, who have fled to lay hold of the Hope set bef…