\\INTRODUCTION TO 1 JOHN 2\\

In this chapter the apostle comforts the saints under a sense of
sin; urges them to an observance of the commandments of God, in
imitation of Christ, particularly to the new commandment of
brotherly love, and gives his reasons for it; dehorts them from the
love of the world, and the things of it; cautions them against false
teachers and antichrists, and exhorts them to abide in Christ, and
persevere in the faith of him. He first declares that the end of his
writing was to prevent their sinning; but supposing any should fall
into sin through infirmity, he comforts them with the consideration
of the advocacy of Christ, and of his being the propitiation for the
sins both of Jews and Gentiles, \\#1Jo 2:1,2\\, and whereas some
persons might boast of their knowledge of Christ, and neglect his
commands, he observes, that the keeping of them is the best evidence
of true knowledge, and of the sincerity of their love to God, and of
their being in Christ; and that such who show no regard to them are
liars, and the truth is not in them; and such that profess to be in
Christ and abide in him, ought to walk as they have him for an
example, \\#1Jo 2:3-6\\, and instances in a particular commandment, to
love one another, which on different accounts is called an old and a
new commandment, and which has been verified both in Christ and his
people; for which a reason is given in the latter, the darkness
being past, and the true light shining, \\#1Jo 2:7,8\\, upon which some
propositions are founded, as that he that professes to be in the
light, and hates his brother, is in darkness to this very moment;
and that he that loves his brother is evidently in the light, nor
will he easily give or take offence; and that he that hates his
brother is not only in darkness, but walks in it, being blinded by
it, and so knows not whither he is going, \\#1Jo 2:9-11\\, and this
commandment of love the apostle writes to the saints, as
distinguished into the several classes of fathers, young men, and
children; and urges it on them from the consideration of the
blessings of grace peculiar to them; as ancient knowledge to
fathers, strength and victory to young men, knowledge of the Father,
and remission of sins, to children, \\#1Jo 2:12-14\\, and then he
dissuades from the love of worldly things, seeing the love of them
is not consistent with the love of God; and seeing the things that
are in it are vain and sinful, and are not of God, but of the world;
and since the world and its lust pass away, when he that does the
will of God abides for ever, \\#1Jo 2:15-17\\, he next observes unto
them, that there were many antichrists in the world; which was an
evidence of its being the last time; and these he describes as
schismatics and apostates from the Christian churches, \\#1Jo 2:18,19\\,
but as for the saints he writes to, they were of another character,
they were truly Christians, having an anointing from the Holy One, by
which they knew all things; nor did the apostle write to them as
ignorant, but as knowing persons, and able to distinguish between truth
and error, \\#1Jo 2:20,21\\, and then he goes on with his description
of antichristian liars, showing that they were such who denied Jesus to
be the Messiah, and the relation that is between the Father and the
Son, \\#1Jo 2:22,23\\, and closes the chapter with an exhortation to
perseverance in the doctrine of Christ; since it was what they had
heard from the beginning, and since by so doing they would continue in
the Father and in the Son, and besides had the promise of eternal life,
\\#1Jo 2:24,25\\, and indeed this was the main thing in view in writing
to them concerning seducers, to preserve them from them, though indeed
this was in a great measure needless, since the anointing they had
received abode in them; and taught them all things, and according as
they regarded its teaching they would abide in Christ, \\#1Jo 2:26,27\\,
to which he exhorts them from the consideration of that boldness and
confidence it would give them at his appearance, who they must know is
righteous, and so that everyone that doth righteousness is born of
him, \\#1Jo 2:28,29\\.