had seen the Father (Jn 14^). On the tAvo com- mandments to love God and to love our neighbour, Christ declares that all the LaAV and the Prophets hang (Mt 22^'^). In the commandment to love one another as He lias loved them. He sums np the neAv laAV Avliich He lays upon His disciples, de- claring that by their fulfilment of it the faithful- ness of their discipleship shall be knoAvn (Jn 13'*'"). AVe propose to exhibit from different points of vicAv the place Avhich love holds in the doctrine of Christ.
1. The love of God for man. — It is certainly true, as has been pointed out, that Christ does not, in the Synoptic Gospels, speak directly of the love {aydTTTj) of God. But if He does not thus expressly predicate love of God, it is because He has already endoAved Him, as subject, Avith this love in the highest degree. The doctrine of the Fatherhood of God, Avhich is the foundation of the Avhole go.spel of Christ, contains Avithin it the fullest recognition of the love of God. If the Apostolic Avriters of the NT expand Avith greater fulness the doctrine of the Divine love, they are only making explicit the truth involved in the assurance of the Fatherhood of God set forth on every page of the Synoptic Gospels. The God Avhose love is the constant theme of St. Paul's preaching is the Father-God of Jesus Christ (so H. Holtzmann interi^rets the Pauline formula 6 ^e6s Kal warrip rov Kvpiov tjiiQiv 'l-qcFov XpLCTTov, Ncutcst. Tlicol. i. 171). In the one Avord ' Abba,' Avhich Christian lips have learned to repeat after the Master, there lies to St. Paul the assurance of the Divine love Avhich can banish the old feeling of bondage and inspire the spirit of adoption (Ro 8^^). The Johannine doctrine that God is love (1 Jn 4^) is but the statement in abstract terms of the truth to Avhich Christ has given con- crete expression in the doctrine of the Fatherliood of God. For it is the love of God that Christ Avill express by this name Avhich is so constantly on His lips. He speaks of God not only as His oAvn Father ('My Father'), or as the Father of those Avho are members of the Kingdom of God ('your Father'), but as 'the Father' absolutely (Mt 11-', Mk 1332, Li^. 1113). The title suggests more than the relation in Avhich God stands to mankind as their Creator. In Mt 5^^'^® Christ urges His hearers to become God's sons by shoAving a love like to that of their Fatlier in heaven, ' for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.' Did Father- hood mean merely Creatorship, there could be no question of becoming the sons of God. All men are God's creatures. The fact that Christ speaks of our becoming God's sons, proves that He is using the terms 'Father' and 'sons' in an ethical sense. By Fatherhood He indicates the love Avhich God cherishes for men, by sonship the love by Avhich they may prove themselves like in character to this Father Avhose nature is love. This love suggested by the name ' Father ' is the very essence of the Divine nature. It is not merely one among the various attributes of God. It is the supreme and dominating element in the Divine character. It is in it that the Divine perfection lies ; and Avhen Christ urges us to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect (Mt b^^), it is evident from the context that it is of the love of God that He is thinking, a fact recognized by Lk., Avho substitutes ' merciful ' for the ' perfect ' of Mt.'s version (Lk 6*').
This love of the Father in heaven is the founda- tion upon which tlie gospel of Christ rests. It is all-embracing. God is the Father not only of those Avho are members of the Kingdom of God, i.e. of those Avho by the love Avhich animates them prove themselves to be His sons (]Mt S""), but of all men. The evil as Avell as the good, the unjust as Avell as the just, are the objects of His loA-e [ib.]-, and if the facts to Avhich Christ refers, in this
connexion, in proof of the universality of tlie Father's love, do not go beyond such natural bless- ings as the sunshine and the rain, that is ex- plained on the ground that these blessings require for tiieir appreciation no special receptivity on the part of those who enjoy them (Beysclilag, Ncutcst. Theol. i. 81). Tlie Father cares for all. Each individual is precious in His sight. ' It is not the will of your Father Avhich is in heaven, that one of these little ones should i)erish' (Mt 18"). The very hairs of our head are all numbered (10^^). There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repentetii (Lk 15'- "). In the fact of God's Father- hood there lies the assurance that He wUl cer- tainly give good things to them that ask (Mt 7" 18^-'), and that He will welcome the penitent sinner who turns to Him (Lk lo^^'^^). It is the Father's good pleasure, Ciirist assures us, to give us tiic Kingdom (12^^)^ ^-liat greatest of all blessings, to obtain which a man might well be willing to sacrifice everything else (Mt 13'""^'"') ; and with it He gives us all such material blessings as He sees to be necessary for us (Lk 12^\ Mt 6^^). When we thus gather together the various utterances of Christ Avith regard to the God wliom He reveals to us as Father, wlien we think of the assurance that name l)reatlies of bountiful providence, of watciiful care, of forgiving love, when we remem- ber, above all, how Christ points to the Fatiier's unfailing goodness towards the undeserving as an instance of tlie Divine perfection, we must confess that though the Synoptic Gospels contain no direct mention of the love of God, the Being whose char- acter the Saviour seeks to reveal to us by that name ' Father' is one whose very nature is love.