|
THE BIBLE - DOUAY-RHEIMS - BOOK 69 THE BIBLE - DOUAY-RHEIMS - BOOK 69 TITLE THE HOLY BIBLE Translated from the Latin Vulgate Diligently Compared with the Hebrew Greek and Other Editions in Divers Languages THE OLD TESTAMENT First Published by the English College at Douay A.D. 1609 & 1610 and THE NEW TESTAMENT First Published by the English College at Rheims A.D. 1582 With Annotations The Whole Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner A.D. 1749-1752 THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. JOHN THE APOSTLE The same vein of divine love and charity towards our neighbour which runs throughout the Gospel written by the beloved disciple and Evangelist St. John is found also in his Epistles. He confirms the two principal mysteries of faith: The mystery of the Trinity and the mystery of the incarnation of Jesus Christ the Son of God. The sublimity and excellence of the evangelical doctrine he declares: And this commandment we have from God that he who loveth God love also his brother (chap. 421). And again: For this is the charity of God that we keep his commandments and: His commandments are not heavy (chap. 53). He shews how to distinguish the children of God from those of the devil: marks out those who should be called Antichrists: describes the turpitude and gravity of sin. Finally he shews how the sinner may hope for pardon. It was written according to Baronius' account sixty-six years after our Lord's Ascension. 1 John Chapter 1 He declares what he has seen and heard of Christ who is the life eternal to the end that we may have fellowship with God and all good through him. Yet so if we confess our sins. 1:1. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life. 1:2. For the life was manifested: and we have seen and do bear witness and declare unto you the life eternal which was with the Father and hath appeared to us. 1:3. That which we have seen and have heard we declare unto you: that you also may have fellowship with us and our fellowship may be with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1:4. And these things we write to you that you may rejoice and your joy may be full. 1:5. And this is the declaration which we have heard from him and declare unto you: That God is light and in him there is no darkness. 1:6. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth. 1:7. But if we walk in the light as he also is in the light we have fellowship one with another: And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1:8. If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1:9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all iniquity. 1:10. If we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar: and his word is not in us. 1 John Chapter 2 Christ is our advocate. We must keep his commandments and love one another. We must not love the world nor give ear to new teachers but abide by the spirit of God in the church. 2:1. My little children these things I write to you that you may not sin. But if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the just. 2:2. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only but also for those of the whole world. 2:3. And by this we know that we have known him if we keep his commandments. We have known him if we keep his commandments... He speaks of that practical knowledge by love and affection which can only be proved by our keeping his commandments; and without which we can not be said to know God as we should do. 2:4. He who saith that he knoweth him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar: and the truth is not in him. 2:5. But he that keepeth his word in him in very deed the charity of God is perfected. And by this we know that we are in him. 2:6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked. 2:7. Dearly beloved I write not a new commandment to you but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you have heard. 2:8. Again a new commandment I write unto you: which thing is true both in him and in you because the darkness is passed and the true light now shineth. A new commandment... Viz. the commandment of love which was first given in the old law; but was renewed and extended by Christ. See John 13.34. 2:9. He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness even until now. 2:10. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light: and there is no scandal in him. 2:11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth: because the darkness hath blinded his eyes. 2:12. I write unto you little children because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. 2:13. I write unto you fathers because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write unto you young men because you have overcome the wicked one. 2:14. I write unto you babes because you have known the Father. I write unto you young men because you are strong and the word of God abideth in you and you have overcome the wicked one. 2:15. Love not the world nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world the charity of the Father is not in him. 2:16. For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh and the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life which is not of the Father but is of the world. 2:17. And the world passeth away and the concupiscence thereof: but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever. 2:18. Little children it is the last hour: and as you have heard that Antichrist cometh even now there are become many Antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last hour. It is the last hour... That is it is the last age of the world. Many Antichrists;... that is many heretics enemies of Christ and his church and forerunners of the great Antichrist. 2:19. They went out from us but they were not of us. For if they had been of us they would no doubt have remained with us: but that they may be manifest that they are not all of us. They were not of us... That is they were not solid steadfast genuine Christians: otherwise they would have remained in the church. 2:20. But you have the unction from the Holy One and know all things. The unction from the Holy One... That is grace and wisdom from the Holy Ghost. Know all things... The true children of God's church remaining in unity under the guidance of their lawful pastors partake of the grace of the Holy Ghost promised to the church and her pastors; and have in the church all necessary knowledge and instruction; so as to have no need to seek it elsewhere since it can be only found in that society of which they are members. 2:21. I have not written to you as to them that know not the truth but as to them that know it: and that no lie is of the truth. 2:22. Who is a liar but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist who denieth the Father and the Son. 2:23. Whosoever denieth the Son the same hath not the Father. He that confesseth the Son hath the Father also. 2:24. As for you let that which you have heard from the beginning abide in you. If that abide in you which you have heard from the beginning you also shall abide in the Son and in the Father. 2:25. And this is the promise which he hath promised us life everlasting. 2:26. These things have I written to you concerning them that seduce you. 2:27. And as for you let the unction which you have received from him abide in you. And you have no need that any man teach you: but as his unction teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lie. And as it hath taught you abide in him. You have no need etc... You want not to be taught by any of these men who under pretence of imparting more knowledge to you seek to seduce you (ver. 26) since you are sufficiently taught already and have all knowledge and grace in the church with the unction of the Holy Ghost; which these new teachers have no share in. 2:28. And now little children abide in him that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be confounded by him at his coming. 2:29. If you know that he is just know ye that every one also who doth justice is born of him. 1 John Chapter 3 Of the love of God to us. How we may distinguish the children of God and those of the devil. Of loving one another and of purity of conscience. 3:1. Behold what manner of charity the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called and should be the sons of God. Therefore the world knoweth not us because it knew not him. 3:2. Dearly beloved we are now the sons of God: and it hath not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that when he shall appear we shall be like to him: because we shall see him as he is. 3:3. And every one that hath this hope in him sanctifieth himself as he also is holy. 3:4. Whosoever committeth sin committeth also iniquity. And sin is iniquity. Iniquity... transgression of the law. 3:5. And you know that he appeared to take away our sins: and in him there is no sin. 3:6. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: and whosoever sinneth hath not seen him nor known him. Sinneth not... viz. mortally. See chap. 1.8. 3:7. Little children let no man deceive you. He that doth justice is just even as he is just. 3:8. He that committeth sin is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God appeared that he might destroy the works of the devil. 3:9. Whosoever is born of God committeth not sin: for his seed abideth in him. And he cannot sin because he is born of God. Committeth not sin... That is as long as he keepeth in himself this seed of grace and this divine generation by which he is born of God. But then he may fall from this happy state by the abuse of his free will as appears from Rom. 11.20-22; Cor. 9.27; and 10.12; Phil. 2.12; Apoc. 3.11. 3:10. In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil. Whosoever is not just is not of God or he that loveth not his brother. 3:11. For this is the declaration which you have heard from the beginning that you should love one another. 3:12. Not as Cain who was of the wicked one and killed his brother. And wherefore did he kill him? Because his own works were wicked: and his brother's just. 3:13. Wonder not brethren if the world hate you. 3:14. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. 3:15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself. 3:16. In this we have known the charity of God because he hath laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 3:17. He that hath the substance of this world and shall see his brother in need and shall shut up his bowels from him: how doth the charity of God abide in him? 3:18. My little children let us not love in word nor in tongue but in deed and in truth. 3:19. In this we know that we are of the truth and in his sight shall persuade our hearts. 3:20. For if our heart reprehend us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. 3:21. Dearly beloved if our heart do not reprehend us we have confidence towards God. 3:22. And whatsoever we shall ask we shall receive of him: because we keep his commandments and do those things which are pleasing in his sight. 3:23. And this is his commandment: That we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he hath given commandment unto us. 3:24. And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him and he in him. And in this we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us. 1 John Chapter 4 What spirits are of God and what are not. We must love one another because God has loved us. 4:1. Dearly beloved believe not every spirit but try the spirits if they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Try the spirits... Viz. by examining whether their teaching be agreeable to the rule of the Catholic faith and the doctrine of the church. For as he says (ver. 6) He that knoweth God heareth us [the pastors of the church]. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 4:2. By this is the spirit of God known. Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: Every spirit which confesseth etc... Not that the confession of this point of faith alone is at all times and in all cases sufficient; but that with relation to that time and for that part of the Christian doctrine which was then particularly to be confessed taught and maintained against the heretics of those days this was the most proper token by which the true teachers might be distinguished form the false. 4:3. And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God. And this is Antichrist of whom you have heard that he cometh: and he is now already in the world. That dissolveth Jesus... Viz. either by denying his humanity or his divinity. He is now already in the world... Not in his person but in his spirit and in his precursors. 4:4. You are of God little children and have overcome him. Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 4:5. They are of the world. Therefore of the world they speak: and the world heareth them. 4:6. We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth us not. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. 4:7. Dearly beloved let us love one another: for charity is of God. And every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. 4:8. He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is charity. 4:9. By this hath the charity of God appeared towards us because God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we may live by him. 4:10. In this is charity: not as though we had loved God but because he hath first loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins. 4:11. My dearest if God hath so loved us we also ought to love one another. 4:12. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another God abideth in us: and his charity is perfected in us. 4:13. In this we know that we abide in him and he in us: because he hath given us of his spirit. 4:14. And we have seen and do testify that the Father hath sent his Son to be the Saviour of the world. 4:15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God God abideth in him and he in God. 4:16. And we have known and have believed the charity which God hath to us. God is charity: and he that abideth in charity abideth in God and God in him. 4:17. In this is the charity of God perfected with us that we may have confidence in the day of judgment: because as he is we also are in this world. 4:18. Fear is not in charity: but perfect charity casteth out fear because fear hath sin. And he that feareth is not perfected in charity. Fear is not in charity etc... Perfect charity or love banisheth human fear that is the fear of men; as also all perplexing fear which makes men mistrust or despair of God's mercy; and that kind of servile fear which makes them fear the punishment of sin more than the offence offered to God. But it no way excludes the wholesome fear of God's judgments so often recomended in holy writ; nor that fear and trembling with which we are told to work out our salvation. Phil. 2.12. 4:19. Let us therefore love God: because God first hath loved us. 4:20. If any man say: I love God and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother whom he seeth how can he love God whom he seeth not? 4:21. And this commandment we have from God that he who loveth God love also his brother. 1 John Chapter 5 Of them that are born of God and of true charity. Faith overcomes the world. Three that bear witness to Christ. Of faith in his name and of sin that is and is not to death. 5:1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. And every one that loveth him who begot loveth him also who is born of him. Is born of God... That is is justified and become a child of God by baptism: which is also to be understood; provided the belief of this fundamental article of the Christian faith be accompanied with all the other conditions which by the word of God and his appointment are also required to justification; such as a general belief of all that God has revealed and promised: hope love repentance and a sincere disposition to keep God's holy law and commandments. 5:2. In this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep his commandments. 5:3. For this is the charity of God: That we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not heavy. 5:4. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world. And this is the victory which overcameth the world: Our faith. Our faith... Not a bare speculative or dead faith; but a faith that worketh by charity. Gal. 5.6 ...
|