The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 128

sin 11pon them~e7tres, not upon God. The weak and depraved reason of man may be e<J pervcrt.cd as to clrn,rge or_ implicate the Almighty with the ?rigin and l?resence of sin; but the heart and commence never do so. Conscience brmgs the gm\t homo to tho ~in-doer, and under its influence he cries, "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned," etc. Remorse, penitence, prayer for pardon, efforts to repair wrongs which have been done, -all th<•sc prove that man feels himself, and not God, to be chargeable with sin. And in relation to the origin of evil, whatever dark suggestions may be presented to our mind, we always feel that it cannot be of God, but is against him. The presence of evil he permitted and still permits; but it did not originate with him. All hiij works and ways are utterly opposed to sin. His material creation, his universal providence, his moral laws, and the redemptive mission of his Son, are all resolutely set against evil. He is not darkness, but light; not malignity, but love, 2. Su_ffering, or natural, evil, as it is sometimes called, is the result of sin, or moral evil. Whence come war and slavery, distress and poverty, pain and sorrow, disease and "the bitter• ness of death" ? If men would "cease to do evil, and learn to do well," suffering would disappear from our world almost entirely. 3. Much of ou1· suffering is self-inflicted. We violate the laws of God's universe, nnd we suffer in consequence. "Whoso brea.keth e.n hedge, a serpent shall bite him." '!'his is an arrangement of love. 4. The sufferings of the world are small when compared wit!~ its enjoyments. Pain is the exception, not the rule, in human life. The joy that is in the world is far greater than the sorrow. 'l'he sufferings of our race a.re only like one dark and stormy day in a whole year of smiling and joyous sunshine. 5. The suffering that is in the world is often the means of goodness and joy. Jn itself evil is and ever must be evil; in itself suffering is ever painful and bitter. Bat through the goodness of God evil is not an end, but is often used and overruled for the promotion of good. "All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyons, but grievous: yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness." Severe suffering is like a great thunderstorm which sweeps over a country, and, by its flashing flames and awful booms and pelting rain, fills the minds of men with terror; but it passes away, and leaves the air purer and the heavens brightl'r. Therefore "let us rejoice in our tribulations : knowing that tribulation worketh patience," etc. (Rom. v. 3-5; also viii. 18, 28; 2 Cor. iv. 16-18; Jas. i. 2, 3, 12). "You must cut the diamond," said Thomas Jones," to understand its value, and to behold the play of its tremulous colours when the sun-rays fall upon its surface. 'fhus do afflictions bring to light what was latent in the heart. '!'he strongest faith, the intensest love, the profoundest gratitude, and the sublimest moral and spiritual power have been manifested, not by men in the clear day of their prosperity, but by the children of affliction in the dark night of sorrow." Thus even suffering and trial, when received and borne in ft right spirit, witness to this glorious truth, that" God is Love."-W. J. Vers. 17, 18. -The victory of love over fear. " Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment," etc. Our text authorizes the following observations. I. 'fHAT A GREAT DAY OF JUDGMENT AWAITS us IN THE FUTURE. St. John speaks of " the day of judgment." The evidence for the coming of such a day is various and strong. I. The administration of 'TTWT'al government in this world requires it. In this present slate the distribution of good and evil, of prosperity and adversity, among men is not in harmony with their respective characters. We find St. Paul in prison, and :Kero on tLe throne; the infamous Jeffreys on the bench, the sainted Baxter at the bar. This aspect of the Divine government occasioned sore perplexity to Asaph (Ps. lxxiii. 2-14), and from that perplexity he obtained deliverance by the recollection of the truth that a time of judgment and retribution awaits our race in the future (Ps. lxxiii. 16-20). 2. Oonsci.ence anticipates the coming of such a day. The "dread of some- thing after death" bas been felt by most men at some time or other. '!'he voice within testifies to the solemn truth that after death cometh ju,lgment. 3. The Bible declares the coming of such a day. (See Eccles. xi. 9; xii. 14; Matt. xii. 36; xxv. 31-46; Acts xvii. 31; Rom. ii. 16; xiv. 10, 12; 2 Cor. v. 10; Jude 14, 15; Rev. xx. U-13.) ll. THAT THE SOLEMN TRANSACTIONS OF THAT DAY ARE FITTED TO AWAKEN HUMAN YE.ut6. Very clearly is this implied in the text. The awakened conscience cries, oa. IV, 1-21.J THE FinS'l' EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 125