Yers, 23, 24.-0utwa,·d precept ~M inward life, Connecting linlc: The word b.-o,\¾ wh'.ch marked the precedmg verse, 1s ca,1ght up in this, and the life of obedionce thereto, which ha,l. been shown to be the condition of freedom in fellowship with God and of auccess in .P1:1Lyer, is _here dec)ared to be the seal and fruit of the living Spirit, creating an1 _su~tamrng an inward life corresponding to the outward rule. 'l'opic-1'he_ life en;omed by the oommand of Christ a seal of the indwelling of the Spirit of Chri'.st. 'l'he following order of thought is Slljsgested. l. 'I'RE PRECEPTS OF OUR LORD MAY BE SUMMED UP IN TWO. 1: Tl1at we should believt in the Name qf his Son Jesus Christ. The title here given to Christ is "a compressed creed., (Westcott); comp. John i. 12. 'l'he man who helieves in Christ is one to which the pri,-ilege of becoming a child of God belongs, a.s the appstle had taught in his Gospel (see also John vi. 28, 29). This faith in Christ is here·recrarded as the basis on which the second duty rests. 2. That we should love one another~ The first includes the sum of religion God ward; the latter, _the whole of practical Christianity manward. The second is in every way so obviously admirable that many contend for it who yet ignore the first. But it will be found, practica.lly, that the two cannot be disjoined; Snch love to men as Christ commands never ha.9 been, will be, or can be sustained apart from faith in Christ. No building e&n be put up without a foundation, however admirably its outline may be drawn on paper. The cross is love's inspiration as well as its model. ,, II. WHERE THERE IS llA.BrruA.L OBEDIENCE TO BOTH COMMANDS, TEl!.RE IS A LIVING m"IoN BETWEEN TEE SOUL A:i-."D GoD. (Ver. 24.) 1. Man abides in <iod by faith and fellowship. 2. God abides in man by the indwelling of the Hqly Ghost (1 Cor.iil. 16; Eph. ii. 22). I II. THIS FRUITF'UL INDWELLING OF 'TEE SPIRIT IS THE SEAL o~· GoD's LIFE IN THE SOUL. When by an inspiration net of man nor by man we are led to a life-whi1.h is above and beyond nature, "we know that he abides in us." The Spirit which he gave us when we believed (Eph. i. 13) is the seal to us of G0d's own life. His command used to be an outside letter, bidding us to live a lire that was high above us. Now we have an inward force, inspiring a life that conforms to the letter ! In a word, God's Spirit in the soul brings about, in actual life, what the precept enjoins. By the :Word we were taught that such a life was the right one to lead. By the Spirit we are so inspired that we can.not lead any other ! Note: 1. The Law without is a great gift. The Spirit within is a greater. It is a blessing to be shown the· right way. It is a greater blessing to be disposed to walk therein. 2. As we all have the ble~sing. of the Word, since we know there is a greater one obtainable, ought we not to seek .for it? For observe : 3. The gift of the Holy Ghost, albeit it is the greatest possible blessing, is precisely that of which we may make most sure, when sought by fervent prayer. 4. Let those who have the Spirit of .God seek for a richer fulness of his indwelling power. 1 The more of the Holy Ghost we have, the easier will it be to obey; and just as it is the penitent's duty to receive pardon from Christ by faith, even so it is the believer's duty to receive the Spirit from him by faith.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-" Behold what manner ef love I " "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us," etc.! The "behold " summons our attention to the kind of love which God has given to us. It is not the greatness of the love, but the "manner of lo7e," that we are called to contemplate. And the nature of this love is to be inferred from its expression ; hence St. John says " that we should be called children of God." God has bestowed his l0ve upon us; not simply the gifts of it, or the proof of it, but itself. Yet of what kind it is can only be discovered from its manifestations. He bas given to us not only streams of blessing, but the very fountain of blessing; yet we can know the nature of the fountain only from the streams. which flow f1om it. 1'hus 1 See some admirable remarks in Miu Ellioe Hopkins's ' Work among Working Men,' p. 8, OR, m. 1-24.] THE FIRS'£ EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 87