deeds of darkness ; " nor will they come to the light, lest their deeds should be reproved."]
As contrasted with them, believers " are of the day"—
[They have been " brought out of darkness into the marvellous light" of the Gospel, and are enabled to " discern between good and evil." Their dispositions also are changed, so that they desire to " walk in the light, even as God is in the light;" and they "come to the light, that their deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God." They see indeed much in themselves for which they have reason to be ashamed : but they would gladly attain to such purity of heart, that their inmost thoughts and principles, no less than their actions, should bear the minutest inspection of all their fellow- creatures.]
But that they are prone to relapse into their for mer state, is strongly intimated in,
II. The exhortation addressed to them —
The children of darkness are represented in the preceding context as addicted to sloth and intem- perance1"; in opposition to which vices, believers are exhorted to " be sober," that is, to exercise,
1. Moderation —
[They who know not the vanity of earthly things may reasonably be expected to run to excess in their attachment to them, and their anxiety about them. But it ill becomes those who have been enlightened by the Spirit of God, to set their hearts upon such empty, unsatisfying, transient enjoyments. God would have them to " be without carefulness," like " the birds of the air, that neither sow nor gather into barns." He expects them to " set their affections rather on things above," and to put forth the energy of their minds in the pursuit of objects worthy the attention of an immortal spirit. And though they may both i-ejoice and weep on account of present occurrences, yet they should " rejoice as though they rejoiced not, and weep as though they wept not, because the fashion of this world passeth awayV]
2. Vigilance —
[Others yield to sloth, because they see no occasion for activity : but believers know what numerous and mighty enemies they have to contend with : they see too, how short and uncertain their time is for accomplishing the work which God has given them to do : and of what infinite importance it
b ver. 7. c 1 Cor. vii. 29—31.