1 John ii. 3 — 5. Hereby we do know that we Jcnoiu him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected : hereby know we that toe are in him.
THERE are many who imagine, that to enforce an observance of God's commandments, and to insist on obedience as an evidence of our faith, is legal. But the whole tenour of the Gospel shews, that our interest in it must be productive of holiness, since " faith without works is dead." In fact, there is no certain test whereby to try our faith in Christ, but our obedience to his commands. Of this the Apostle testifies plainly in my text : from whence I shall take occasion to shew,
I. That it is the Christian's privilege to be fully assured of his acceptance with God — The generality of persons conceive this to be im- possible ; and account the very idea to be presump- tuous in the extreme. I will readily grant, that there are many who deceive themselves in relation to this matter : but still I cannot admit, that the unfounded confidence of hypocrites is any just ground for con- cluding that the upright may not know their state before God. Those who deceive themselves do not judge by a right test ; and therefore it is that they are deceived : only let any one apply to himself the test which is prescribed in my text, and he need not fear but that the trial shall issue in a clear discovery of his state.
The whole Scriptures attest, that men may "know" their acceptance with God —
[In the Old Testament, David confidently asserts, " O God, thou art my Goda." And the Bride, in the book of Canticles, with equal assurance, exclaims, " My beloved is
a Ps. Ixiii. 1.
;;:s i JOHN, II. s—c>. [2131.
mine; and I am hisb." Under the New-Testament dispensa- tion this privilege is yet more extensively enjoyed. St. John, writing to the whole Christian Church, says, in the third chapter of this epistle, " We know that we have passed from death unto life :" " We know that we are of the truth, and may assure our hearts before him :" " We know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given usc." In the fourth chapter he renews the same subject; saying, " We know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit'1." And in the last chapter he asserts the same, in a direct contrast with all the world besides: " We know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an under- standing, that we may know Him that is true : and we are in Him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ e." Nor is there a real Christian in the universe who is not entitled to say with St. Paul, " I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for mef."]
The enjoyment of this privilege is at the root of all the believer's comfort- fit is in order to the Christian's enjoyment of this assur- ance, that the Holy Spirit is given to him as " a Spirit of adoption, that he may cry to God, Abba, Father;" and as " a witness to assure his conscience that he is a child of Godg." And it is altogether owing to this internal persuasion of his acceptance with God, that the believer can look forward with confidence to his future state in glory : " We knoic, that when our earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved, we have an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. There- fore in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven ; since, being clothed, we shall not be found naked V It is under the same conviction, also, that the Christian, even now in the midst of all his conflicts, is enabled to triumph over all his enemies ; assured that none of them, nor all together, " shall ever separate him from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord1."]