INQUIRY XII. Of the Doctrine of the Apostle John, in his Epistles, concerning God and Christ. Eusebes. I beg to know, Artemon, what I am to make of that singular text, 1 John iii. 16, "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us." Does it not, as it now stands, countenance the strange opinion of God dying for us? Artemon. You might call it not only a strange but a shocking opinion. The Scriptures however are quite clear of the imputation of favouring any thing of this kind. And in the text you have quoted, the words [of God,] are not found in any ancient copies of the New Testament, except one of no credit. They also are discarded by three of the most learned inquirers into these subjects, Mill, Wetstein, and Bengelius. I find them not in the French translations of Martin, or of L'Enfant and Beausobre. And they ought not to be suffered any longer to have a place in our English Bibles; because they were not the words of the apostle, and because, whilst they . remain a part of the Scripture, they do great mischief, by instilling unbecoming sentiments of Almighty God into the minds of Christians, and false opinions concerning Jesus Christ, as if he were really God. Eusebes. You must now give me leave to ask your opinion concerning that famous text in this first epistle of John, which speaks of three divine persons being one, in such plain terms, where the apostle says, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are One. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one." 1 John v. 7, 8. Are not we here taught that the Son and Holy Spirit are one God with the Father? Artemon. If the part of this verse, that seems to countenance such a notion, were genuine, it would not prove that the three here mentioned are one God. For it is not said these three are [εs, unus] one intelligent being, one person, but έv, one thing, i. e. one and the same testimony. But the truth is, the passage is not of the writing of St. John, but crept into some Latin manuscripts of the New Testament in later times, and has been thence falsely ascribed to him by the overgreat zeal of some persons, who were glad to have him a patron of their favourite doctrine of the Trinity. For the words (in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are One: And there are three that bear witness on earth) have never been proved to be found in the text of any Greek manuscript, before the invention of printing, nor in the text of any ancient version; nor were cited by any of the numerous writers in the whole Arian controversy in the fourth century; and were wanting in all the Latin copies both before and long after Cyprian's time. They ought therefore to be erased out of our Bibles. In the first English Bibles after the reformation, in the time of Henry VIII. and Edward VI. these suspected words were honestly printed differently from the rest, to signify that they were wanting in the original; which distinction was afterwards neglected, but ought to have been kept up, to prevent the nation being imposed upon, and misled in a point of such great moment. And the sense of the apostle is very complete † * * It ought to be mentioned to the credit of the author of A New Translation of the New Testament, extracted from the paraphrase of Dr. Doddridge, 1765, that he has marked these words as not being those of the apostle, and has also left out the words of God, in 1 John iii. 16. They are also both left out in an edition of the New Testament, in Greek and English, printed for Roberts, 1729, and perhaps in others that I have not seen. + This explanation is Dr. Clarke's; See Scripture Doctrine, p. 231. But some may be pleased with Dr. Lardner's explanation of this obscure passage, 1 John v. 8, 10, as more agreeing with the apostle's style and manner. "To me it seems, (says he) that the water, an emblem of purity (Ezek. xxxvi. 25,) denotes the innocence of our Lord's life, which was without spot, exemplary; and the reasonableness, excellence and perfection of his doctrine, which after the strictest examination, and nicest scrutiny, cannot be charged with any error or falsehood. The blood denotes our without this addition, as we find his words given us in all the Greek manuscripts and ancient translations of the New Testament. Ver. 5: " Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" Ver. 6: "This is he that came" (i. e. was declared and manifested to be the Son of God) "by water and blood" (i. e. by water, at his baptism, when there came a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son: and by blood, i. e. by his death and resurrection:) -And it is the spirit, (i. e. the gifts of the holy spirit, and the power of miracles granted to the apostles) that beareth witness; because the spirit is truth. Ver. 8: "For there are three that bear record; the spirit, the water, and the blood; and those three agree in one:" or, as some ancient writers read the text, "these three are one," viz. one testimony, that Jesus is the Son of God. Eusebes. Is there not one other passage in this Lord's willing and patient, though painful and ignominious death, the utmost testimony that can be given of integrity. The spirit intends our Lord's many miraculous works, wrought by the spirit, the finger, the power of God, or God himself. This testimony is truth, that is exceeding true, so that it may be relied upon. For it is unquestionable, and cannot be gainsaid. See John v. 32, 37, x. 25, Acts ii. 22. Here are three witnesses. And they agree in one. They are harmonious, all saying the same thing, and concurring in the same testimony." Lardner's Letter on the Logos, &c. pp. 164, 165. epistle, from which some have argued that Christ is to be considered as the true God? * Artemon. The 20th verse of the fifth chapter, has by later Christians had this meaning put upon it, which was never thought of in the first ages of the gospel. Nor would any since have given into such an interpretation, had they considered the words and their connexion, without prejudice. For it is of God, the Father only, that the apostle speaks, when he says, (1 John v. 20,) "We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true," or rather, " may know the true God," Tov aλylivov Dzov. (So the most and best manuscripts have it, in like manner as John xvii. 3.) The apostle proceeds, " And we are in him that is true by his Son, Jesus Christ;" that is, in the true God; for so the construction manifestly requires it to be understood of the same person as before. He then concludes, "This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols." The meaning is, this is the true God, and the way that leads to him; the true religion, and way to eternal life, viz. the worship of the true God according to the directions, or as the disciples of Jesus Christ, Beware of idol-worship. Eusebes. In the last book of the New Testa * See Dr. Clarke's Scripture Doctrine, &c. pp. 54, 55, |
