text: e~>..aSela. (II·:b. xii. 28) is very different from cp&fJor. The fe~r which is incon- slstont with perfod love is tho fear of the slave dreading the lash, or tho culprit dreading the verdict. But if the love of Goel is within ns, sweetly subduing- us with its tenderness, and if through tl111t love sin is pardoned and destroyed, why, there is no lash to drea1l, thore is no adverse verdict to fear (John v. 24, Revised Version); for in such a caso, to see the J udgo upon the throne will b<J to look upon the face of an infinite Vindicator and Frieu<l, iu whose love we have lived here, an<l the enjoyment of whoso love is the highest heaven for ever! And so far as the ju<lgment will bear on others, the man of love will be more than content with the decisions of the Son of God and Son of man, on<l will desire nothing more than that the entire race should be dealt with by Christ as he sees fit. Evidently, if this be not our state of mind, there must be deficiency in love in exactly the same degree as there is any re8tlcss fear. lV. CoNSEQUEN'l'LY, OUR GREAT CONCERN SHOULD BE TO BE PERFECTED IN LOVE. We may take this in either or both of two ways. 1. Let it be our concern that God's own love may be so richly communicated to us as to transform us to his likeness. 2. Let it be our concern to have so clear an apprehension and knowledge of God, that we shall see in him and in all bis attributes only pure and perfect love. In the former case there can be nothing to dread for ourselves. In the latter case we shaU dread nothin.!! in him. 4>&/3o• has no door of entrance whatever. V. WHEN l'ERFEC'l'ED IN LOVE WE SHALL HAVE 1'~~1/<TEa. IN THE DAY OF JUDGHENT. "Confidence," "boldness,"" freedom of speech" (cf. eh. ii. 38 ; iii. 21, Gt'eek). Dread seals the lips. Love opens them (Luke xxi. 36; Rom . .xiv. 12; Mark vi. 30). 'l'be "salvation" which will serve then is not an al'tificial plucking out of a bnrning ruin, irrespectively of character; it is beiag made perfect by Divine grace, even as our Father in heaven is perfect. VI. CoNSEQUEN'l'LY, as the apostle of love shows us here, EACH OP us lllUST FACE 'l'HE SOLEMN QUESTION-What will the judgment-day bring to me-" boldness" or "punishment"? One or the other must be.1 Which? There may be an attempt to lessen the weight of these thoughts by objections or pleas; e.g. it may be said : 1. 'l'he "punishment" is corrective. We suggest three replies. (1) If it be, is that any reason for being content with needing correction, when we ought to be awaiting honour? (2) It is folly to urge the plea, unless men are very snre of its accuracy. But are they? (3) 1 Cor. xi. 32 is totally against any such plea. Or it may be said : 2. 'l'here is no knowing when the judgment may come.(cf. Ezek. xii. 27). But men forgot that the judgment is but the manifestation of that which is going on now and ever. A spirit out of harmony with God must be ill at, ease alwayi1 and everywhere. Fear hath torment, now; and can never be separated from it, any more than a man can flee from his own shadow (Job xv. 21-35).
Ver, 19.-0reecl, and life: the relation between them. Connecting link: The apostle had shown that only as love is perfected in us can we be free from the fear which has torment, and so have boldness in the day of judgment. The verse before us declares that, as matter of fact, this love is being in wrought, and the sole cause thereof is that God first loved. "\Ve love, oecause he first loved us." 'l'he verse is one of peculiar beauty and value. "It is the sanctuary of my soul," said an aged Christian to the writer, referring to this text. And well it may be. We propose its homiletic exposition here, as a verse which sets forth with striking, yea, almost startling, clearness the relation betweea creed and life. Often have we been pained by the statement," Religion is not a creed, but a life." There is enough truth iu those words to make them attractive, and enough error to make them deceptive. Let us rather say, "Religion is not only a creed, but also a life," and then we shall be nearer the truth. Following the words of our text, observe- !. IN nELIGION THERE IS A CREED. "He first loved us." Here, ia these four short words, is the first creed of the Christian Church-a creed wbioh it had before even the New Testament existed; and through all the Christian centuries, with all their per- plexing ento.nglements and sharp controversies, these words have run like a golden 1 Ca.non Westcott aptly quotes what he rightly calls one of Ben gel's "unmo.tched epigrams:" "Vari~s h~minum stutus : si~o timore et o.more; cun1 timoro, sine o.ruore; cuu1 timore et amore; srno timore, cum awore. 116 THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. [cu. iv. 1-21,