day of annual expiation, the high-priest entered into his im- mediate presence, and beheld his glory : thither the prayers of all his people were addressed : there were all their sacri- fices accepted : and from thence were all his answers given. Behold, then, under this image, the exalted privilege of the believing soul ! God is with him in a way that he is not with any other creature in the universe. To him is the glory of God revealed : his every sacrifice of prayer or praise comes up with acceptance before God ; and rich communications of grace and peace descend from God to him. Take these two ideas — the believer dwelling in God, as in his house ; and God dwelling in him, as in his temple — and you have a complete view of his felicity, as it is enjoyed from day to day.]
2. In his anticipations of the future —
[Love, exercised in the way before described, is " perfect ;" that is, it is of the most perfect kind, and has attained a growth which marks a high measure of excellence : or, as the text expresses it, " Herein is our love made perfect, or manifested to be perfect*1." And where such love is, there is, and will be, a sweet assurance of our acceptance in the day of judgment. The latter verse of my text, as it stands in our translation, is so obscure, as scarcely to admit of explanation : but with a very slight alteration it is extremely clear. It may be read thus : " Herein is our love made perfect : so that we have bold- ness in (i. e. in reference to) the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world r." And this is a blessed truth. The man who has attained this measure of love, has within himself a most decisive evidence of his own conversion5. None but God could accomplish within him such a blessed work; as the Apostle says, "Love is of God1." Hence, though he well knows his own remaining imperfections, he cannot but regard God as his Father : and he is perfectly assured, that a God of love will never cast away one who pants and labours constantly for a conformity to the Divine image : and hence " he has boldness in reference to the day of judg- ment ;" being fully assured, that the Saviour, in whom he has believed, and by the operation of whose grace he has become what he is, will " confess him before his Father," and " pre- sent him faultless before the presence of his Father's glory
i TETeXslio-ai. See 2 Cor. xii. 9. the Greek.
r "iva i\(Ofi£r. Doubtless the usual sense of tva is that which our translators have adopted. But St. John uses it repeatedly in the sense which I have here assigned to it. See 1 John i. 9 ; and especially Rev. xiii. 13. where a precisely similar expression occurs, and is translated in this very way.
8 1 John iii. 14. l ver. 7
2459.1 believer's resemblance to god in love. 507
with exceeding joy." This is the disposition which infallibly " accompanies salvation;' as St. Paul has said: " Beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed towards his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence, to the full assurance of hope unto the end u." My dear brethren, be diligent in this work, and this blessed- ness shall be yours. Only take care, that, in the habit of your minds, and in your daily walk, ye " be in the world as God himself is ;" and then you may look forward with comfort to the future judgment, assured that " you shall not be ashamed before him, at his coming."]