let us meditate upon the love of the Divino Father to us as it is exhibited in the toxt. I. LovE Oll' IMMEASURABLE coNDESCENBlON. "Behold what manner of love the Father bath bestowed upon us I" '.l.'he Creator gave his love to his creature whom he ha.d created in his own likeness. He me.de him capable of fellowship with himself, and, lo.:,lr.ing upon him with complacency, pronounced him" very good." God gave his _love to man. But our text does not refer to man as he was created by God, but a.~ he was when marred by sin against him. The infinitely Holy bestowed his love upon the unh,ol,r, the sinful; the unspeakably Glorious, upon the deeply degraded. Re did not give his lovo to the amiable, the attractive, the worthy, or the lovable. He did not bestow it upon those who were merely immeasurably beneath him, but upon those who were in active rebellion against him. "God commendeth his own love toward ns, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." His love to us, then, was not that of complacency, but of compassion; not that of admiration, but of benevolence and pity. It was "love seeking not its own," but our well-being; not rejoicing over the good and bm111tiful, but seeking with deepest solicitude for the salvation of the unwo1thy and sinful. II. LOVE WHICH EXALTS AND DIGNIFIES ITS OBJECTS. "Behold what. manner of love the Father .. hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God!" He himself calls us his children. Our Lord taught us to say," Our Father, which a.rt in heaven." Ho said, ".My Father and your Father, my God and your God." But in what sense does he call us his children? Not as being his by creation, but by regeneration. The words immediately preceding the text place this beyond dispute: '.'Everyone that doeth righteousness is begotten of him." He has created them anew. They are·" born, from above." They are made "partakers of the Divine nature." No new faculties· or .capacities are giveri to them; nor do they need them; for roan lost I\Oiie of them.'by sin. His powers were corrupted and perverted, but not destroyed. 'l'he true relation and harmony and direction of his faculties man lost by his sin: he lost holiness. Being. begotten of God, he is changed from an attitnde of distrust, suspicion, or aversion from God, to, an attitude of love to him; and holy love is the life of tµe soul. "Every _one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God" (eh. iv. 7). '.!.'hey are "called children of God," then : 1. Because they are sharers in bis life. In some humble measure they participate in that life of truth and righteousness, purity and love, which is his essentially a.nu infinitely, and which flows from him to all his intelligent creatures who are in union with him. 2. Because they morally resemble him. Like him in their inward life, they are also in a measure like him in their outward action. As regards both their character and conduct, they bear some moral res~mblance to him. He calls them his children because they are his children restored through Christ to his fatherly heart, animated with the Divine life of love, and growing in their conformity to his perfect character. How glorious is the love which •hus blesses its objects! Ill. LOVE WIIICH INSPIRES ITS OBJECTS WITH THF. MOST BLESSED ..I.SSURA~CE, "Callen children of God: and such we are." True Christians are conscious that they are children of God. Tiley have a cheering and strengthening conviction that they are accepted of him, not only as his subjects, but as his sons and daughters. "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God" (Rom. viii. 14-16); "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of bis Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal. iv. 4-6). We have this sacred testimony in our consciousness of the Spirit's presence and work within us. He imparts unto us the filial spirit," whereby" we cry, Abba, Father." He in~pires within us holy desires and purposes, he. restrains us from. sin, he comforts us in sorrow, he strengthens us to produce the fruit of the Spirit. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- sufl'ering, kindness, goodness, faithfulnesR, meekness, temperance." 'l'he presence of these things in our lives is a testimony that we are children of God. "We kuow that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren." IV. LOVE WHICH ENNOBLES THE CHARACTER OF ITS OllJECTS ADOVE TllE REC00:1,"I• ·TION OF 'l'IIF, UNCHnISTIAN WORLD, " Therefore the· world knoweth us not, beca,-1,',() it knew him not."· " '!'he world" is the samo here as in eh. ii. 15. 1. The unchTistia.n world knew iiof, the Divine Father. "It knew him not." The "him" must be God th6- 88 THE FlRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. [en. m. 1-24,
Father. If it refer to Jesus Christ 11t all, it must be as the Revelation of the Father, Our Lord sP.id to the Pharisees, "Ye know neither me nor my Father: if ye knew me, ye would know my Father also" (John viii. 19; x.vi. 3; xvii. 26). 2. The unehristian world lmows not the children of the Divine Father. "Therefore the world knowcth us not." Because _they are bis children and resemble him, they are enigmas to the world, ~y thE' love which he h~th b?5U?Wed upon them they arc so ennobled in their disposi• t1on and character, their pnnc1ples and practice, that the unchristian world cannot understand them. Behold, then, " what manner of love the Father bath bestowed upon us" I Believe it; contemplate it; admire it; reciprocate it.-W. J,