III. A 0ONFIDING EYE, 'Eµ,rpo"9•v ab'l'oii, "before him; " a.s in hiR Right. As a loving, trustful child aiming to pleaRe his father looks up with placid confidence to catch th0 glance of his father's eye, delighted to think or its loving vigilance, so the child of God lives as before the eye of his Father in hea.ven, happy beyond expression to think that that eye is ever upon him. He looks up to catch the l!'a.ther's smile; the Father looks down to watch the child'11 upturned glance. IV, A LOVING BEFEREN0E TO HIS FATHER WHEN A BENSE OF FAILURE BURDENS H18 SOUL. There will be times when the child's heart chides him that he ha.a fallen so far below his own ideal and desire 1 (ver. 20). Well, his Fa.ther knows how far, better than the child does. But if the ha.bitual set of the life is towards pleasing God, be can rely upon his father's love in any ca.se of faultiness of detail, assured that he who said," The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak," will be the kindest possible Judge of the acts of an obedient child. 2 "There is no place where earth's sorrow• Are so felt o.s up in heaven; There is no place where earth's failing& Have such kindly judgment given." He would rather have his very faultiness estimated by God than by the kindest friend on earth. Very likely he will be reproaching himself that he has not wrought deeds more worthy of God; but even then he can sa.y with infinite content, "Lord, thou knowest. all things;" and in the perfect judgment of the All-seeing he is content lovingly to leave the estimate and the award. V. A FREE TONGUE. It may be that his heart does not condemn him with a sense of conscious failure. He may be able to use Paul's words (1 Cor. iv. 4). In such a case he will have (,ra#11"la) freedom of speech towards God. He will be able to unburden his whole soul, without restraint, to bis Father in heaven, and pour forth words that he would on no account whatever utter in a human ear. But what an in6nite -relief to be able to pour out the whole burden of one's soul to a Friend who will never misunderstand us! No such freedom of speech as this cao we have elsewhere than before God ; and only there when loyally living to please God. VI. A FULL HAND. Free words to God ; free gifts from God. Such is the order (ver. 22). "Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him.n Happy the man who can get everything he asks for I No, not necessa.rily. If he were to ask for a bane, thinking it would be a boon, it would be anything but a blessing to him to receiv0 it. But tb~ remarkable statement at the beginning of ver. 22 is qualified, or rather fenced round and guarded from abuse. Of whom is this true? The children of Gcd. not of men indiscriminately. Under what circumstances is it true? When they keep his com- mandments, and do those things which are pleasing in his sight. How, then, does it become true? Obviously (1) because the same loyalty which marks their deeds will mark their prayers ; (2) because their loyalty and love will make them wise to under- :;tand what the will of the Lord is; (3) because they only desire tha.t God should give them what is in harmony with his will. Thus G-od educates his children in teaching them what to ask for, and then whatever they ask they receive. This, then, is the secret of the Lord. It is with those that fear him, aod with those alone (cf. John xiv. 13; eh. v. 14; John xv. 7; Ps. xxxvii. 4; Ezek. xiv. 3-5. See homily on Deut. xxvi.). Let not the scoffer talk of the invalidity of prayer. He, at any rate, knows nothing at all about it. He only is sure to meet with responses to his prayer from whom Goel first receives the response of obedience to his commands (Isa. i.15; Prov. xv. 8). Note: 1. There are vast privileges to be enjoyed by man. But God will not fling them away indiscriminately. 2. 'l'here is an intinite reaonableness in the connection between duty and privilege laid down in this text. 3 . .Although the salvation of each and all is freely bestowed on the ground of Divine grnce alone, yet the fulness of that salvation, the measure of enjoyment therein, and the degree of freedom with which he c11n hold 1 See a most touching illustration of this in Miss Ellice Hopkins'~' Work among Workiug Men,' eh. i. p. 15. • Obviously the text, verbally, will allow of either of two constructions-one the moni tender, the other the more severe. Regarding the text in its entirety, the more te11der side is uvidentl;y iutended. 81 THE FIRST EPISTI.E GENERAL OF JOHN. [cu. m. 1-24-.
fellowship with God, will depend on the exactitude and the me1LSure of his loyalty (Matt. v. 19; 1 Cor. iii. 8).