I written unt-0 you concerning them that would lead you astray. And M for you, tho 11.noiuting which ye received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you ; hut as bis anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and ie trtie, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide iu him." 'l'be nntichristian teachers were busy at their work, trying to_ le:i.d them astray. 'l'hat was his motive for writing to them as he bad done. He did not thereby intend to convey any want of confidence in them. Tb_ey had immediate communication with Christ, access to his thoughts through the recept10n of tbe anointing Spirit. 'l.'he anointing abiding in them made them independent of any human teacher such as be was. Christ wns present, in his Spirit• to teach them as c,·ery new occa.sion required-to teach them what was truth and what was no lie, to teach them always in the way of opening up the meaning of the original message. Thus taught by his Spirit, they abode in him, notwithstandin" the attempts to lend them Rstray. This doctrine does not exclude new developmetts; but these must be de~elopments of the original teaching. We have thus a safegunrd against extravagances. We are not to despise human helps; but it is well tlrnt we can all have the trut-h witnessed in our minds. Our teachers are not intended to see for us (which is the R-0man Catholic idea), but to help us to see for ourselves. Vll. EXHORTATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR KNOWLEDGE, IN WHICH TRANSITION IS MADE TO A NEW SECTION. "And now, my little children, abide in him; that, if be shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one also that doeth righteousness is begotten of him." In this hortatory part he addresses them, not llS under his care, but rather as objects of his warm affection. They knew, as we have seen, how t-0 abide in Christ; let them, then, abide in him. It was a great fact that Christ was to be manifested, i.e. in glory, though there was uncertainty as to the time of the manifestation. What was their relation to that manifestation? Were they prepared, the moment of its occurrence, to pass into bis presence with boldness, and not "as a guilty thing surprised," to shrink with shame from him? 'l'bey knew what was required. It was a requirement founded on what they knew God to be, viz1 righteous. "The righteousness of God is the Divine attribute of an active nature, by virtue of which God wills and performs all things which are conformable to his eternal Law, prescribes suitable laws to his creatures, implements bis promises made to man, rewards the good, and punishes the ungodly." The requirement, then (to which there is no exception), is doing righteousness, i.e. actively fulfilling our duties. The inner abiding in Christ must pass into the outer life of God-defined and God-like activity; Only thus can we show ourselves to be begotten of God-with which idea. the new section begins.-R. F.
EXPOSITION. CHAPTER ill. the goal or this love (1va.) is that onco for all (aorist) we have received the title • chil• Ver. 1--ch. v. 12.-3. SECOND MAIN dren of God.'" And,. whatever cavillers DIVISION. God is Lo1Je. may say, the title is rightfully ours. (The Vere. 1-24.-{l) Tlte evidence of sonaliip. words, "and (such) we nre," are quite rightly Righteousness. inserted in the Revised Version after "chil• Vera. 1-3.-The Divine birth is the out- dren of God.") This is shown by the foct come of the Divine lorn. that the world does not recognize ue as Ver. !.-Behold wha.t manner of love! such, because from the first it did not re• UoTa.ros; literally," of what country," in the cognize God. ,Had it known the Father, New 'l'eatament always implies amazement it would have known the children. Au\ (Matt. viii 27; M.ark xiiL I ; Luke i. 29; TovTo in St. John refers to what precedes viL :➔ 9; 2 Pet. iii 11); but, as the original (v. 16, 18; vii. 22; viii. 47; x. 17; :di. IS, meaning leads us to expect, it implies 27, 39); it does not merely anticipate the marvellous quality rather than marvellous 1/n which follows it. In logical phraseology •ize. "Love" must be taken literally: the we have here first the major premise, then Divine love itself, a.nd not a mere proof of the cone! uaion introdu·ced by lila. TOvTo, then it, has been given. Ilo-ra7r11v 0.'}'0.1r71v sh-ikes (to clench the a1·gument) the minor premise the key-notAI of the whole section. "And introduced bJ h,-- on, ut. 1-24.] 'rHE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 71