The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 104

is 011c who professes to be e. Christian, Nature does not refuse him assistnnce. The ~pectaclc of e. brother's poverty oi"l0ns his heart in compassion. Dnt he selfishly shuts 1t-g0cs aw1ty, and finds prndenL1al reasons for not making the little sacrifice that his feelings un~hcck~ :wo~1ld lead him to m:tke: have we not grounds, in this case, for doubtmg his Chn~trnmty? Of one who goes and lays tlown of his living for a needy brother we can thmk that he has the love of God abidincr in him. Even in that litUe sacrifice he is acting in the same line in which God acted in making infinite sacrifice. D_ut ?f. one w~o c_annot lay down, not his life, which is the highest test, but a little of his lrnng, which 1s a very low test, what are we to think? 'What has he in common with that God whom he professes to love, of whose love the cross of Christ is the expression? 3. TM requisite of reality in love. "My little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth." With all affectionateness he w_ould h~ve them to a_ttend to this lesson, calling them his little children, and including himself m what he mculcates. Love may very properly find expression in word. " Kind messag~s have a grand part to discharge in the system of utterances and acts by which the rei;.rn of love is maintained and advanced in so bard a world. As soon as we have passed beyond the limits of school into the real world, we find that it is sweet to be remcmbere,l with regard by friends at a distance-to learn that you have not faded out of their memory, like unfixed photographs in the sunshine; that you are sufficiently a distinct ol~ect of regard to be found worthy of a direct and affectionate salutation." It is very proper also to use the tongue in conveying love. 'fhe kindly feeling must be in the heart; but let the kindly expression also be on the tongue. There is nothing more beautiful in the picture of the virtuous woman drawn by King Lemuel than this touch: "In her tongue is the law of kindness." Let not the tongue be used as the vehicle of disagreeableness, of rancour ; let love teach us how to use it. Kinaliness of tone, especially when accompanied with the fitting word, does much to take away the hardness of life and the oppressive sense of isolation. But, when proper occasion arises, let us also love in de.ed. Withhold not from a needy brother when thou canst relieve him. Perform the act to which the kindly feeling prompts. Then only can we love in truth. Love that stops short of doing, that does not go beyond fine phrases, is characterized by unreality. To be true, it must penetrate into what is practical, however unromantic. III. LoVE IN ITS BENEFICIAL RESULT. 1 . .Assurance. "Hereby shall we know that we are of the truth, and shall assnre our heart before him." The link of connection is truth as the sphere in which love moves. Let us go on loving, and we shall know that we are of the truth; i.e. have hold of eternal reality, so as to be steadied by it and wholly charactered by it. Knowing that we are of the truth, we shall assure our heart before him. It is of the utmost importance that we should have our heart a~sured as to our state and destiny. This can only be" before him;" for it is with him that we have to do-to whom we stand or fall. Does our heart tell us that we stand in a right relationship to him? We may have experience of sin, as we have already been taught, and yet stand in a right relationship to him. God's people are those who are being gradually cleansed from sin in the blood of Christ and in connection with confes,ion of sins. Their titles, then, are not affected by remains of sin, if there is a new life operating in them, showing itself especialiy in the activity of brotherly love. 'l'he following course of thought cannot be ascertained with certainty. The difficulty is caused by the introduction of" for" before" God is greater." For its omi~sion there is one very guod authority of the fifth century; but the weight of authority is for its introduction. If we take the more authoritative reading, we have not a clear sense; on the other hand, if we take the less authoritative reading, we have a. clear and excellent sense. It seems to be a case (very rare, incieed) in which the authority of ma.nuscripte must yield to the authority of consistent thought. 'l'he way of getting over the difficulty in the Revised Version is far from satisfactory. It seems to teach that, if we only love, then, whereinsoever our heart condemn us, we may pacify it by the thought that God is greater than our hearts, especially in his omniscience-which is a latitudinarian sentiment. In tbe old version there is a distinction drawn between the case of our heart wndemning us and the case of our heart not C<Yl/,demning us. (1) Misery of a heart that wn.demns. "Whereinsoever our heart condemn us; because [' For if our heart condeµin us'] God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things." dit, nt. 1-24.] TllE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JORN.