2 John 1:3

Grace, mercy, and peace be with you. Concerning this salutation I have spoken in the beginning of St. Paul's Epistles to Titus, the Romans, and Corinthians. He adds mercy (or, as the Syriac translation, compassions) to grace, that by the mercies which they had received, and were daily receiving from God through Christ, he might stir up Electa and her children to show like mercy to their neighbours. For all, however holy they may be, still are poor and weak, and need the mercy of God, either because they fall, or are in danger of falling.

In truth and love, understand, that ye may persevere and increase in them. Catharinus takes it differently, thus: "The grace, mercy, and peace which I ask for you consist in the truth, i.e. true doctrine, in faith, and the charity in which ye sincerely love one another for God's sake. For in those two things the perfection of Christ consists." This is a very apposite meaning, easy and obvious, and requires nothing to be understood, or supplied.

I was exceeding glad because I found of thy children. Of thy children. This is a Hebraism. There is a similar grammatical form in Ps. lxxii. 16, "To Him shall be given of the gold of Arabia, and they shall worship of Him" (de ipso), i.e. " shall worship Him. "

Electa seems to have had many sons or grandsons, for they too are called children.

Walking in the Truth : ordering their lives according to the rule of the Gospel. Observe, he does not say standing, or sitting, to signify that they made daily progress in the Christian life, and went on from virtue to virtue, in which he proposes them as a model for imitation.

As we have received commandment from the Father. For the Father has commanded through the Son, even as Christ saith (John xv. 15), "All things whatsoever I have heard of the Father I have made known unto you."

Ver.5. And now, I beseech thee, Lady, &c. This must be referred to the end of the verse, that we love one another. I beseech thee, lady, to exercise thyself, and those who belong to thee, in mutual love. For this commandment of love is not recent and new, but delivered by Christ to me and the rest of the Apostles at the very beginning of the Gospel. Observe the modesty of S. John as something which ought to be imitated by Prelates, in that he says, I beseech thee, Lady, when he might have said, I command thee, 0 my daughter. Ver. 6. For this is the commandment.. . that ye should walk, &c. Viz., that ye should make careful progress in evangelical truth and love, growing and making progress in the love of God and your neighbours, as I enjoined upon you in the very beginning of my preaching.