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me."

know my sheep, and am known of mine. They hear my voice, and I know them; and they follow And if he thus knows them, he preserves them: " they shall never perish," never be wrested "out of his hand."8

LECTURE LVIII.

BROTHERLY LOVE REQUIRED IN CHRISTIANS.

1 JOHN ii. 7—11.

7. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

St. John was exhorting the brethren to obedience, to holiness, to the love of God and man. This was, in one sense, no new thing: to the Jewish disciples it was the old commandment which they had from the beginning wherever the true God was revealed, wherever his word was declared, this was its purport and design. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."1 "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord." This the Lord

8 John x. 14 and 27.

1 Deut. vi. 5.

2 Lev. xix. 18.

requires of thee, "to do justice, and love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God." Such is the word that has been heard, wherever the word of God has been heard. "On these commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Yet Jesus Christ had said to his disciples, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another: by this shall men know that ye are my disciples, that have love one towards another." And in allusion to this saying of the Lord, St. John proceeds:

ye

8. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

It was an old commandment, because it was always the will of God concerning men. But again, it was a new commandment, and might truly be so termed. Because though light was in the world, the world knew it not. But now the darkness is past, and the true light shineth. New reasons had been given, why men should love one another. A new example had been set them: new motives to love had been disclosed, and a new measure of love held up: that they should love one another, "as Christ had loved them." So that the Lord had justly said, "A new commandment I give unto you." And St. John might justly repeat the phrase, "A new commandment I write unto you."

Strange indeed it was, that this should be new : that men should not naturally love one another; that

3 John xiii. 34.

"All

they should require to be commanded so to do; that four thousand years should have gone by, since man was first placed upon the earth, and yet that it should be needful to give this new commandment. Strange, at least, it would be, if this were not part of that corruption which we see around us, and feel within us. That corruption is shown in nothing more than in selfishness. seek their own:" their own ease, their own pleasure, their own advantage. To a certain extent, indeed, such is God's design, that men shall seek their own ease and advantage; for so is the world best ordered:—but not that they should only seek this; care for nothing else: not that they should benefit themselves to the injury of their neighbours, not that they should enjoy blessings themselves without sharing them out to others. It is this, however, to which human nature is inclined: this is what the world had done; and this is what the world still does, with the exception of those few (comparatively few) to whom our Lord has given his new commandment, and who have received it at his giving. Public wars, and private quarrels; frauds upon property, and injuries to persons, and calumnies against reputation: dishonest dealings, and overreachings in money transactions: disregard of the wants of others, as long as our own are supplied: all these are proofs that mankind have need of a new commandment: and that the commandment to love our brother is still new, still at least strange, to the greater number: and, if not unknown, is neglected and forgotten.

St. John therefore makes it a test of character; a proof of what he had been speaking of before, a man's being a real disciple of Christ.

9. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.

10. He that loveth his brother, abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

11. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Love and hatred are here put in contrast, as opposite to one another, like light and darkness. He that hateth his brother can no more be walking in the light of the Gospel, or have the light of the Gospel shining in his heart, than he who goes in the wrong direction, or finds occasion of stumbling at every stone, can be walking in the light of day. He that hateth his brother is in darkness; he that loveth his brother abideth in the light.

But what is this, to hate our brother? Some might say, that they are conscious of no such hatred; that they have no ill-will towards others, no wish to do them any injury: nay, perhaps, would be glad to serve or benefit them, if they could benefit them without loss or trouble to themselves.

Here we must refer to St. James." If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace; be ye warmed, be ye filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful for the body; what doth it profit?"

4 ii. 15, 16.

And so if a man say, I have no hatred towards my neighbour; and yet relieves none of his wants: speaks evil of his character: takes advantage of his necessities, or makes gain by his ignorance: it matters little whether he acknowledges or not the feelings of hatred: what could hatred do more to injure, or less to relieve?

And as hatred is known by works, so is love. Love is an active principle. Love, whether towards God or man, is an affection which will show itself. There will be evidence of it. And therefore when St. John says, He that loveth his brother, abideth in the light; he speaks of love which is shown by outward signs. He speaks of that love which seeks for opportunities which looks out among friends, and neighbours, and acquaintances, for those to whom some benefit, spiritual or temporal, may be usefully imparted he speaks of that love which is not content with doing no harm, but attempts to communicate some visible good: he speaks of that love, which spares upon itself, that it may impart to others which steps out of the way, to relieve, to assist, to instruct, to advise: which lends, or gives, "looking for nothing again :" which "rejoices with them that rejoice," and, if possible, gives cause for rejoicing which "weeps with them that weep," if it cannot dry up their tears.

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There is nothing in this, which there will not be in love. Love will do no less, when it really exists and is cherished in the heart. And he alone that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

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