wn.lking in the light involves: (I) con- be surrendered. No doubt 1va, like other sciouencee of sin and confession of sin (vere. particles, becomes weakened in later Greek; 8-10); (2)n.ccepting the propitiation of Jesus but even in later claBBical Greek the notion Obrist the Righteous (eh. ii. 1-2); (3) obe- of purpose is mixed np with that of conse- dience ( eh. ii. 3-6). If we se.y the.t we he.ve quence. Much more is this the cnse in the not sin. 'l'he presont (lxoµ•v) again shows New Testament, and especially in St. ,John, tho.t the daily falls of those who are walking where what seems to us to be mere result is in the light a.re meant, not the sins com- really design; and this higher aspect of the mitted in the do.ye of' dn.rknese before con• sequence of facts is indicated by 1va. It is version. The Lord's Prnycr implies thnt we God's nature to be faithful ancl ri"'hteous • must daily ask forgiveness. We leBd our- but it is also his purpose to exhibit tile.,; selves astray from the truth, nnd have no attributes towards us; and this purpose is right estimate of tho gulf between our im- expressed in Toa. &.# ,jµiv. purity and God's holiness, if we deny this Ver. 10.-Once more we have no mere habitual frailty. In the sunlight even repetition, but a fresh thought. "We have flame throws a shadow; and that man is in not sin" (ver. 8) refers to onr natnral con- darkness who denies his sin. The trnth dition; "we have not sinned" (ver. 10) may be near him; but it has not found a refers to definite acts. Note the climax : home with him-it is not in him. IlAavav we lie (ver. 6); we lead onrselvcs utterly is specially frequent in the Revelation, e.nd astray (ver. 8) ; we make God a liar (ver. always of arch-deceivers-Satan, the beast, 10). The whole of God's dealing with man antichrist, false teachers; it seems to imply since the Fall, especii<lly in the Incarnation, fundamental enor ( comp. eh. ii. 26). is based on the fact of man's innate sinful- Ver. 9.-As in ver. 7, we have the oppo- ness. To deny this fact, therefore, is to site hypothesis stated, and the thought charge the God of light anrl truth with advanced a ata.ge. Not the exact opposite, acting and maintaining a. vast and persistent "if we confess that we have sin;" but "if lie. It is difficult to see how this strong we confess our sins." It is easy to say, "I language can be reconciled with the Roman am a sinner; " but if confession is to have dogma. of the immaculate conception of the value it mnst state the definite acts of sin. Virgin Mary: why does not her " son" The context (" deceive ourselves . . . he is (John xix. 26, 27) except her from its faithful") shows that confession at the bar sweep? His word is not in ns; i.e. we are of the conscience and of God is mennt. cut off from all commnnieation with him Circumstances mnst decide whether confes- (John v. 38; viii. 31). "His Word" is the sion to man is required also, and this St. sum total of the Di vine revelation. That John neither forbids nor enjoins. Note the which in itself is "the trnth "(ver. 8), when asyndeton; there is no 'II,, as in ver. 7. Re communicated to ns is "his Word." How is faithful and righteous. ~'""'°' must be thoroughly the Church of England enters rendered "righteous" rather than "just," into the spirit of these verses (8-10) is to mark the contrast with nnrighteousneBB shown by the fact that it app<Jints confession (a'li11Clt1), and the connexion with "Jesus and absolution as part of public service Christ the Righteous " ( eh. ii. l ). To for• every morning and e~•ening throughout the give . . . to oleanse. As explained in ver. year, as well as of every celebration of the 7, the one refers to freeing ns from the Eucharist. As Bede poitits out, the Lord's penalties of sin, justification ; the other to Prayer itself, with the petition," Forgive us freeing us from its contamination, sanctifica- our trespasses," is a conclusive answer to tion. The sense of purpose is not wholly to Pelagian opponents of St. John's doctrine.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1--4.-Tlie Life. Dr. Edersheim 1 makes the remark that there are two great sto.cres in the history of the Church's learning of Christ: the first, to come to the know- ledge of what he wA.S by experience of what he did ? the second, to come to e_xperience of what he did o.nd does by knowledge of what ~e 1s. The for11:1er, he say~, 1s the.~ of the period when Jesus was on earth; the second 1s that of the period after his ascension into heaven and the descent of the Holy Ghost. 'l.'his is true. And there is also an intermediate truth with which we are closely concerned. It is the truth of which we e.re reminded at the openiug of this Epistle, viz .. that the_ ~nstrurnentality by means of which we now pass on to the se?ond stage 1s the writmgs of ~h~stl ~ho passed through the first. This is evidently mtende<l to be the effect of this msp1red letter; 1 'Life cmd Times of the Messiah,' vol. i. p. 601. e THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN, [on. 1, 1-10.