1 John 2:26

Observe here the pious care which St. John expresses for their preservation from heretics and seducers, These things have. written to you concerning them that seduce you.

That is, to arm them against the seducers then amongst them; intimating, that men are naturally prone to error, yea, to fundamental errors.

2. That to be seduced by, and led into such errors, is dangerous and destructive.

3. That it is the special duty, and ought to be the singular care of the ministers of Christ, to warn their people of, and arm them against errors and erroneous persons, against seducers and seduction; These things. write concerning them that seduce you; that is, those who endeavor to seduce you.

Observe next, The encouragement which St. John gives them against these seducers, and their seduction, the anointing which ye have received from Christ; that is, from the special illumnination of his spirit, this abideth in you, teaching you all things necessary for you to know, so that you need not any man to teach you; that is, any new doctrine, any new fundamental principles of faith.

Note here, That Christians, savingly enlightened by the Spirit of God, need no new gospel or doctrine to be instructed in; but they need farther teaching still, in order to their better improvement in what they know; vain therefore are the Quakers, and other sectaries' arguments drawn from hence, against all ministerial teaching; because the Spirit teaches, man must not teach: Whereas the Spirit teaches mediately by man, and not immediately by itself. When these seducers can show that they have such an immediate and extraordinary affatus of the Holy Spirit, as was vouchsafed to the primitive Christians, then let them cry down the necessity of ministerial teaching, not before.