The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 173

wish him to be kind to his brothers a.ud sisters, he will not oppose thnt wish. So if we luwc lo,·e to God, a.nd know that it is his will that ~•e should extend our love to his children, we shall make an endeavour in that direction, Transitional thought. "And his commandments a.re not grievous." If a parent loves his children, he will not give them all that they arc inclined for; but he will lay commandments on theln, i.e. he will lay down certain rules for their conduct, lines in which they are to act, which will be for their benefit, and, he hopes, their ultimate emancipation. '!'here is nothing grie,ons in these commandments; they are the expression, not only of righteousness but of kindness. So with the Divine commandment. If God had not loved us, h~ might have left us without directions for our life; but because he loved us, and could not bear to see us straying in devious paths to our destruction, therefore he bas com- manded and warned us well. There is "line upon line, precept upon precept." So far from these commandments being grievous in their nature, they are beneficial, emanci- pating. They are the direct roads to our happiness. They are not arbitrarily laid on us, but are thoroughly reasonable and suited to our nature. Is there anything unreasonable or unnatural in our loving the God of our life, and with our whole soul? And, loving the Fnther, may we not be asked to love also those who share with us the life of God ? 3. The difficulties of obedience which are presented by what the world is are conquered by faith. "For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith." The apostle's thought is not of the world in its normal state, but as it has been made by sin, The world is that of which the pervading spirit iBforgeifulness of God. "The wicked ... and all the nations that forget God " (Ps. ix:. 17). Men may not be an· wicked in the highest degree-deliberate and daring in sin; they may be divided against each other; bnt it is natural to all alike t.o wish to banish God out.of their minds as an unwelcome, clisagreeable subject. The world is that of which the pervading spirit is selfishness- the opposite of what is here inculcated. Men may not be all malevolent in the highest degree-devilish, according to the common conception-but it is natural to all alike to hurry on to their own satisfaction, without regard to the claims of others. The world is, fnrtber, that in social condition which is formed by following ungodly, selfish tendencies. Take such a social condition as is presented among the Jews, Long ago they took up a wrong position with regard to the Messiah. "His blood be on us, and on onr children!" And in their generations, with few exceptions, they have st.ood to their position. Scattered among the nations, they have not conformed to the creeds of the nations. A common sentiment has pervaded them in many lands. Centuries of neglect and persecution have only served to burn into their minds the conviction that their forefathers were in the right. And now it would seem like 11 cutting off a right arm to acknowledge the Messiah. Take, again, such a social con- dition as is presented in the Ohurch of Rome. It is well organized, is restlessly active, has a wonderful power of reaching minds, and yet it iB identified with a system which is, to a great extent, in the name of Christ, a flattery of the human heart. Take a q=i,.Christian condition of society. Without flagrant irreligiousness and vice, there is a worldly tone prevalent in families, in communities, in tracles, in professions, even in Churches. There are views of life and practices that tend to lessen the sense of responsibility, and t.o divide men. When the world has on its side the influences of early training, of numbers, of dignitaries, of daily example, it is a formidable power to which to be opposed. And, if we look to ourselves, we are entirely at its mercy. But we are not hopeless, for a Divine power can be communicated to us, and all within u.; that is quickened by the Divine touch overcometh the world. What God does is to impart life; what we have to do is to ezercise/aith. We lay bold on what is outside of us, and thus we conquer. We lay hold on the infinite satisfaction there is in Christ, and thus we are not clogged, in our battle with the world, with the feeling of guilt. We lay hold on the conquest Christ obtained over the world. There is presented to our faith a God whom we are powerfully impelled to love. Thus situated, the com- mandments of God are not grievous. We may be said to conquer the world when no longer worldly ideas are influential with us, And when we have taken up the position of faith, the world becomes only the means of our discipline. The world will only be couquered in the fullest sense when the customs of society and influences which permeate it are such e.s to afford the greatest help to remembering God and living for  011, v. 1-21.J THE FIRS'r EPISTLE GENERAL OF ,JOHN. lil