The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 120

thrmld through the faith of the Churob. "He first loved us." Whl\t ia love? It is righteousness and benevolence acting in h1umony. Now, here is love's orio-in. He first loved. That is, God loved. Note: The word "love" is current coin thfoughout the universe of God, and means with him \'l'hat it means with us. (For an opening up of the wonders of God's love, see homily on vers. 7-12.) • "All my life I still hnve found, And I will forget it never- Every sorrow bath its bound, And no cross endures for ever. After all the winter's snows Comee sweet summer back again, Patient souls ne'er wait in vain: Joy is given for all their woes. All things else must have their da.y: God's love only l&Sts for aye." But that does last-the constant wealth, life, and joy of believers. This, this is their creed; not held, indeed, as a dead dogma, but as a living and inspirina0 faith through the energy of the Spirit of God. II. IN RELIGION THERE IS A LIFE. "We love." Although we hold fast to the principle that the word "love" means the same as applied to God and to us, yet we cannot shake off a sense, even painful, of the wide contrast in degree. " God loves ... we love." That is from sunlight to rusblight in a moment. They are both lights, it is true; but what a spa~ between them! Again, God's love is a self-kindled fire. Our hearts are like fuel in a grate, needing the spark from without ere it will burn. Still, in our measure "we love." But what? whom? 1. We love God, He is our love's supreme Object. 2. We love each other as fellow-believers. 3. We love ma.n as man. If this is the word in which onx Christian life is summed up, three additional matters should be noted ere we pass on to the next main division. (1) Almost every Christian grace which can be named is love in some form or other. Repentance is love grieving. Faith is love leaning. Hope is love anticipating. Courage is love daring, etc. (2) So that we see a man has just as much religion as he has love, and no more. (3) Aud, further, if more energy is wanted in any one of the graces, let a man love more, and every grace will be the stronger. "Yes," it may be said, "that is true enough. But how a.re we to love more?" Let us now look into the Christian philosophy of loving. III. IN RELIGION THERE IS A LIFE BECAUSE THERE IS A CREED. We love because he loved. God :first loved. Even so. There is the spa.rk, and there only, which kindles ours. We may set this truth on several grounds. 1. We set it on the ground of philo- •ophy. We do not believe it possible for any created being to learn to love except through being loved. We do not believe any angel in heaven would have ever come to love God had he not known that God was love. Nor could we. 2. We set it on the ground of history. Take: (1) Paganism. We read of the pagans dreading their gods, seeking to propitiate them, being very much obliged to their gods for giving them a good harvest, and such like; but now here do we read of a pagan loving his god. Why ? Because they never dreamt of a god who loved them. And as to love to man, the heathen world, even at its best, was a world without love. (2) Judaism. 'l'he com- mand of Moses was that the Hebrew should love God. But-a God who did not car11 for them? By no means. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, who brought thee up," etc. Their love was called for as a response to God's. (3) Christianity. Wha.t evoked, nay, what created, the ardent love of the :first Christians? What has sustained the impasaioned preachers, missionaries, and philanthropists ever since? Love, Di vine love; nothing but that. '.l.'he truth, "by his stripes we were healed," has more power to create love than all the moralists in the world could call forth. Take the cross away, and humanity would revert to a glacial age. 3. We set it on the ground of ezperie=. What :first moved us to love? What moves us still? What revives us when we are sluggish? Is it not this- "Sweet the moments, rich in blessing, Which before the cross I spend" ? It is tbis-n is this which kindles us to a flaQle, lf we love, it is because he first luved us. w. IV. 1-21.] THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 117