A   Dearly beleued, beleue not ye euery sprete, ^note but proue the spretes, whether they be of God. For many false prophetes are gone out in to the worlde. Hereby shal ye knowe the sprete of God: Euery sprete which confesseth, that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is of God: And euery sprete which confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not off God. And this is that sprete of Antechrist, off whom ye haue herde, how that he shal come, and euen now allready is he in the worlde. Litle children, ye are off God, and haue ouercome them: for greater is he that is in you, then he that is in the worlde. They are off the worlde, therfore speake they off the worlde, and the worlde herkeneth vnto them. We are of God, ^note and he that knoweth God, herkeneth vnto vs:

he that is not of God, heareth vs not. Here by knowe we the sprete of trueth, and þe; sprete of erroure.

B   Dearly beloued, let vs loue one another, for loue commeth of God. And euery one þt; loueth, is borne of God, and knoweth God. He that loueth not, knoweth not God: for God is loue. ^noteBy this appeared the loue of God to vs warde, because that God sent his onely begotten sonne in to this worlde, that we mighte lyue thorow him. Herein is loue, not that we loued God, but that he loued vs, ^note and sent his sonne to make agrem&ebar;t for oure synnes.

Dearly beloued, yf God so loued vs, we oughte also to loue one another. ^noteNo man hath sene God at eny tyme. Yf we loue one another, God dwelleth in vs, and his loue is perfecte in vs. Hereby knowe we that we dwell in him, and he in vs, because he hath geuen vs of his sprete. And we haue sene, ∧ testifye that the father sent the sonne to be the Sauioure of the worlde. ^noteWhosoeuer now confesseth þt; Iesus is the sonne of God in him dwelleth God, and he in God: and we haue knowne and beleued the loue that God hath to vs.

C   God is loue, and he that dwelleth in loue dwelleth in God, and God in him. Here in is the loue perfecte with vs, that we shulde haue a fre boldnesse in the daye of iudgment: for as he is, eu&ebar; so are we in this worlde. Feare is not in loue, but perfecte loue casteth out feare: for feare hath paynefulnes. He that feareth, is not perfecte in loue.

Let vs loue him, for he loued vs first ^note Yf eny man saye: I loue God, ∧ yet hateth his brother, he is a lyar. For he that loueth not his brother whom he seyth, how can he loue God, whom he seyth not? And this c&obar;maundement haue we of him, ^note that he which loueth God, shulde loue his brother also.

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