SERM. God is the light, and in him is no darkness at VIII. all. If we fay we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. * Little children, let no man deceive you; he, that doth righteousness, is righteous, even as he is righteous. He, that committeth fin, is of the devil: for this purpose was the Son of God manifefted, that he might deftroy the works of the devil. Whofoever is born of God doth not commit fin, for his feed remaineth in him, and he cannot fin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifeft, and the children of the devil; whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God, neither be, that loveth not his brother. And not only doth he pronounce an immoral and wicked life utterly inconfiftent with being born of God, and with the love of God; but very plainly declareth the fpirit of the world and the lufts of it, (which may, in some inftances, have power over men, whofe lives are not ftained with immorality) as likewife incompatible with the state and temper of the children of God. + Love not the world, neither the things of the world: if any man love the 1 John iii. 7, 8, 9, 10. + Ib. ii. 15, 16, 17. world, world, the love of the Father is not in him ; SERM. for all that is in the world, the lufts of the VIII. eye, and the lufts of the flesh, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. The world paffeth away and the lufts of it; but be, who doth the will of God, abideth for ever. This is perfectly agreeable to the fentiments of his great master, who reprefenteth the spirit of this world, the party in which it reigned, as fet in direct oppofition to him and his great defign, and to all, who cordially espoused it. *Thefe things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world bateth you. I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, becaufe they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Thus it appeareth, that the love of God and good-will towards mankind, purity of manners, righteoufness of life, and a temper of fpirit raised quite above those things, upon which the * John xv. 17, 18, 19. X 2 + Ib. xvii. 14. children SERM. children of this world fix as the fupreme VIII. good, are declared by this author effential to that character, which all Chriftians profefs, and which the gofpel of our Saviour declareth abfolutely neceffary, that we may may be prepared for, and intitled to eternal life. Whosoever con· Finally, the use and the mighty influence of faith, in exalting men to this excellent temper, are very particularly taught by him, and very fignificantly very fignificantly expreffed. *Whofoever believeth, that Jefus is the Chrift, is born of God. felleth, that Jefus is the Chrift, dwelleth in God and God in him. This is the victory, that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is be that overcometh the world, but be who believeth that Jefus Chrift is the Son of God. Thefe things have I written to you, that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know, that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. He, that tranfgrefeth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Chrift, hath not God; be, that abideth in the doctrine of Chrift, hath both the Father and the Son. Some of thefe expreffions may, at first SERM. fight, appear to us mysterious and hard to VIII. be understood; but in the times, in which the Apostle wrote, and amongst those, to whom he wrote, they were probably easy and familiar; nor is it difficult for us, by a careful attention, to find out the meaning of them. Whofoever believeth, that Jefus is the Son of God, and by confequence receiveth as facred truth, what he hath taught and revealed from the Father, embracing it in the love of it, and giving his heart to its powerful influence; whofoever is thus filled with light, attended with love, is thereby united, fo far as a right temper of mind can unite him, to the Supreme Being, and is prepared for fellowship with him he may be indeed faid to be filled with all the fulness of God, an habitation of God by the fpirit. thor calleth this a dwelling in God's dwelling in him. And he, who thus believeth, and hath the Son, hath life; he hath the divine life begun in him, which is the certain pledge of life everlasting ; the latter being, in truth, no other than the maturity and perfection of the former. Again, faith is the victory, which overcometh X 3 and to be The au God, and SERM. cometh the world. When the mind, thoroughly VIII. under the influence of good principles, is full of good affection, raised to a heavenly temper, and hath got a just relish for moral perfection, and the bleffings and happiness of the world above, then the spirit of this world will be effectually fuppreffed, and the lufts of it will die : The many trials and calamities, to which we are obnoxious in this life, will be borne with patience and conftancy; and the believer will find himself raised above both the joys and forrows of a mortal state, fo as not to be dependent upon the one, or deprived of all comfortable enjoyment of being, and made miserable, by the other. This account of things is perfectly confonant to nature, and agreeable to what men feel in their own hearts: and the fame doctrines are taught us in many other places of fcripture. Our Bleffed Lord, in his prayer, John xvii. 3. thus expreffeth himself; And this is the life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift, whom thou haft fent. He elsewhere fays, * that they, who continue in bis word, fhall be his difciples indeed, and Shall know the truth, and the truth fhall |
