Original Douay–Rheims Annotations1 John 4

Believe not every spirit.

^◦ That is, Receive not every doctrine of such as boast themselves to have the spirit. For there be many false prophets, that is to say, Heretics, which shall go out of the Church, and challenge the spirit, and vaunt of God's word, Scripture, and Gospel, which indeed be seducers.

• ◦ Heretical boasting of the spirit.

Prove the spirits.

^[1] It is not meant by this place, as the Protestants would have it, that every particular person should of himself examine, try, or judge who is a true or false Doctor, and which is true or false doctrine. But the Apostle here would every one to discern these diversities of spirits, by taking knowledge of them to whom God hath given the gift of discerning spirits and doctrines (which S. Paul expressly saith is given but to some, and not to every one, 1 Cor. 12.) and by obeying the Church of God, to whom Christ hath given ^[2] the Spirit of truth. And this is only the sure way to prove the spirits and doctrines of these days. And all they that would bring us from our Pastor's and the Church's judgement, to our own private trial, seek nothing else but to drive us to miserable uncertaintly in all our belief. as ^[3] Calvin doth, who upon this place saith, that private men may examine the general Councels' doctrines.

• 1 The Church only, not every private man, hath to prove and discern spirits.
• 2 Io. 14, 16.
• 3 Calvin.

Every spirit that confesseth.

^◦ The Apostle speaketh according to that time, and for that part of Christian doctrine which then was specially to be confessed, taught, & maintained against certain wicked Heretics, Cerinthus, Ebion, and the like, that taught wickedly against the person and both natures of Christ Jesus. The Apostle therefore giveth the faithful people this token to know the true teachers of those days from the false. Not that this mark would serve for all times, or in case of all other false doctrines, but that it was then a necessary note. As if a good Catholic writer, Pastor, or parents would warn all theirs, now in these days, to give ear only to such teachers as acknowledge Christ our Saviour to be really present, and sacrificed in the B. Mass, & that all such are true preachers and of God, the rest to be of the Devil, or to be counted the spirit of Antichrist. Which spirit of Antichrist (he saith) was come even then, and is no doubt much more now in all Heretics, all being precursors of that great Antichrist which shall come towards the later end.

• ◦ To confess or deny any article which the Cath. Church teacheth, is at all times a certain mark of Catholic or Heretic.

That dissolveth.

^[1] To dissolve, loose, or separate Jesus a-sunder, was proper to all those old Heretics that taught either against his Divinity, or Humanity, or the Unity of his person, being of two natures, as Cerinthus, Ebion, Nestorius, Eutyches, Manes or Manichæus, Cerdon, Apelles, Apollinaris and the like. ^[2] And this is one place by which we may see that the common Greek copies be not ever authentical, and that our old approved translation may not always be examined by the Greek that now is, which the Protestants only follow: but that it is to be presupposed, when our old Latin text differeth plainly from the Greek, that in old time either all or the more approved Greek reading was otherwise, and that often the said Greek was corrupted then or since by Heretics or otherwise. For of the Greeks, S. Irenæus li. 3. c. 18: among the Latin Fathers, S. Augustine tract. 6. in fine, S. Leo ep. 10. c. 5, and Venerable Bede did read as we do. and this reading maketh more against the said Heretics, than that which the common Greek now hath, to wit, Every spirit that confesseth not Christ to have come in flesh, is not of God. Which is also in effect said before vers. 2. And that therefore it was corrupted and altered by Heretics, see the words of Socrates also a Greek writer, very agreeable to this purpose. Nestorius (saith he ^[3] ) being eloquent by nature, which is often in Heretics, accounted himself therefore learned, & disdained to study the old interpreters, counting himself better than them all: being ignorant that in S. John's Catholic epistle the old (Greek) copies had, Every One That Dissolveth Jesus, Is Not Of God. So saith he, adding moreover that such as would separate the divinity from the dispensation of Christ's humanity, took out of the old copies this sense. for which the old expositors noted that these which would loose Jesus, had corrupted this Epistle. See also the Tripartite li. 12. c. 4.

• 1 Many old heresies that dissolved Christ.
• 2 The Greek text corrupted by old heretics.
• 3 li. 7. c. 32.

In this we know.

^◦ This is the most sure & general mark to know the true spirits and prophets from the false: that those which be of God, will hear and obey their Apostles and lawful pastors succeeding the Apostles, and submit themselves to the Church of God: the other, that be not of God, will not hear either Apostle, pastor, or Church, but he their own judges.

• ◦ A sure mark of true or false teachers.

That we may have confidence.

^[1] Confidence called in Latin Fiducia, is neither all one with faith, nor a persuasion infallible that maketh a man no less secure and certain of his salvation, than of the things that we are bound to believe, as the Protestants falsely teach: but it is only a hope well corroborated, confirmed, and strengthened upon the promises and grace of God, and the party's merits. And the words both following & going before, prove also evidently against the Protestants, that our confidence and hope in the day of judgement dependeth not only upon our apprehension of Christ's merits by faith, or upon his grace and mercy, but also upon our conformity to Christ in this life, in charity and good works. And that is the doctrine of S. Peter ^[2] when he said, Labour, that by good works you may make sure your vocation and election. and S. Paul's meaning ^[3], when he said, I have fought a good fight, there is laid up for me a crown of justice, which our Lord will render to me in that day, a just judge.

• 1 Against the Protestants' special faith and presumptuous security of salvation.
• 2 2. Pet. 1, 10.
• 3 2. Tim. 4, 7.

Fear is not in charity.

^[1] The Heretics very falsely understand this place so, that Christian godly men ought to have no doubt, mistrust, or fear of hell and damnation. Which is most evidently against the Scriptures, commending every-where unto us the awe and fear of God and his judgements. Fear him (saith our Saviour Mat. 10) that can cast body and soul into hell. And Psal.

• 1 The fear of God in just men, consisteth with charity.

Pierce my flesh with thy fear. Which fear of God's judgements caused S. Paul ^[2] & all good men to chastise their bodies, lest they should be reprobate and damned. And the wise man for this cause affirmeth him to be happy, ^[3] that is ever fearful. And holy Job saith, ^[4] I feared all my works. And the Apostle, ^[5] with fear and trembling work your salvation. Which kind of fear is even in the justest men and most full of charity, consisting well with the same virtue, and is called Filialis timor, because it is such as the good child ought to have toward his father.

^[1]

• 1 What fear agreeth not with charity.
• 2 1. Cor. 9.
• 3 Prov. 28.
• 4 Iob c. 9.
• 5 Phil. 2.

But there is a kind of fear which standeth not with charity, and is clean against hope also, that which bringeth such perplexity and anxiety of conscience, that it induceth a man to mistrust or despair of God's mercies. That servile fear also which maketh a man often to leave sinning and to do the external works of justice, not for any love or delight he hath in God or his laws, but only for fear of damnation, ^[2] though it be not ill in it-self, but very profitable, as that which helpeth toward the love of God, yet it standeth not with charity neither, but is daily more and more lessened, and at length quite driven out by charity. Of these kind of fears then the Apostle speaketh, and (as some expound) of the fear of men also, of which our Saviour saith, Fear not them that kill the body. ^[3]

• 2 Servile fear is not ill.
• 3 Mat. 10.