The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 130

sprn,ling emotion in oursch-es, purge it f~om evil, elevate l\nd sublime it I\S mnch BII pt1ssil1l<', then we have that which in its character resembles the emotion which is pr, dic,1ted of God. God truly loves. 11. Gon LOVES ll!AN. He loves not only his equal Son, or the Holy Spirit, or great and good angels, but man-weak, frl\il, and sinful. Yes, "sinful;" for he loves ni.:m a.< man ; not merely the pure and lovable, but the sinful and morally deformed, If God lo"cd only those whose hearts had some love toward him, ho would love nono • for nil are estranged from him by sin. Ilut "he first loved us." "In this was nrnnif;stod the love of God towards us," etc. (vers. 9, 10); "For when we were yet without strength, in due season Obrist died for the ungodly," etc. (Rom. v. 6-8); " God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were de11d thr,1ugh our trespasses," etc. (Eph. ii. 4, 5); "God so loved the world," etc. lll. Gon's J,OVE TO MAN IS THE ORIGINATING CAUSE OF MAN'S LOVE. .. We love be~ause he first loved us." "The love of God to us is the source of all our love." 'l.'h~ flowers that slumber in the earth during winter do not start forth in spring and woo the sun's warm return; but the sun comes be.thing their beds with light and warmth until they feel his genial influence and respond thereto. So is it with God's love and ours. "Love begets love;" and sa God's love tu us begets love in us. It follows from this that our lo~e, in its character, though not in its degree, must resemble that of God. There is something in us which has an affinity to his love, and therefore responds to it. ,v e were made in his image, a.nd thus our love is like unto his. Every form or expres- sion of human love finds its archetype a.nd its perfect expression in God. Take the love of afather for bis child. A noble thing is a father's love. It is, however, perfect only in God. "A Father of the fatherless is God in his holy habitation; " "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him;" "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us," etc. A mother's love is one of the most holy a.nd beautiful things in the univ1:rse; but it is perfect only in God. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" etc. (Isa.. :xliL 15, 16); "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort yo1L" A husband's love is perfect only in God. " Thy Maker is thine Husband; the Lord of hosts is his name." His fidelity is steadfast, his protection is constant nnd e.dequa.te, etc. The love of friends is found in perfection only in God. " The Lord ~pake nnto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend;" "Abraham was called the friend of God." Jesus Christ, the Revealer of God, is the "Friend that sticketh closer than a brother." "Having loved bis own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." 'l.'he love of a child for its pa.rents also finds perfect expression in the Divine nature. Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as the Son of Mary is the perfect pattern of such affection. Thus every aspect of true-human love is beautiful. sacred, Divine. God has them all in all perfection in himself. He bas manifested them, and still manifests them to us. Our Lord Jesus is the com- pletest, brightest manifestation of love. Behold it in him. Condescension, labour, humiliation, patient submission, and uttermost self-sacrifice for sinners. Can you conceive any manifestation of love more complete, more sublime, more Divine? The personal realization of a love such as this must beget love in us. Its nature or ours must be changed ere it can be otherwise. If you love him not, you are really not fully persuaded that he loves you. Behold in Jesus Christ the love of God towards you. Did he not love yon? ls he not love? Then, why not love him? Gratitude should constrain you to do so. Some can ad0pt the language of the text as their own : " We love, because he firBt loved us." And others have advanced to love him because of what he is in hims~lf. Let us endeavour to love him more and know him more, to know him more and love him more, and so become increasingly like unto him.-W. J. Vers. 1-6.-The rpirit of truth and the spirit of error. I. NEED FOB TESTING. "Beloved, bdie~e not evuy spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets a.re gone out into the world." Again, at the thought of danger, his heart warms toward his readers as his beloved. It is necessary to bear iu ruind the circumstances in which they were placed. 'l.'hey had the help of true prophet&. The apostolic age had not come to au eud. John was still living; an~ there were others who had inspired utterance. 'l.'hey ha<l that for which some winds still crave- 011. rv. 1-21.J THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOUN'. 127