in the light as God is in the light, with (blessed be God!) a perfect revelation to us of Himself, with a nature that knows Him, that is capable of seeing Him spiritually, as the eye is made to appreciate light (for we participate in the divine nature),-we cannot say that we have no sin. The Light itself would contradict us. But we can say that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us perfectly from it. Through the Spirit, we enjoy the Light together; it is the common joy of our hearts before God, and wellpleasing to Him; a testimony to our common participation in the divine nature, which is Love also. And our conscience is no hindrance; because we know the value of the blood. We have no conscience of sin; but we have the conscience of its being cleansed by the blood. But the same Light which shows us this, prevents our saying (if we are in it) that we have no sin in us. We should

deceive ourselves, if we said so; and the truth would not be in us: for if the truth were in us, if that revelation of the divine nature, which is Light, were in us, the sin that is in us would be judged by the Light itself. If it be not judged, this Light-the truth which speaks of things as they are is not in us.

If, on the other hand, we have even committed sin, and all, being judged according to the light, is confessed (so that the will no longer takes part in it, the pride of that will being broken down), He is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. If we say that we have not sinned (as a general truth), it shows not only that the truth is not in us, but we make God a liar; His Word is not in us, for He says that all have sinned. There are the three things: we lie-the truth is not in us-we make God a liar. It is this fellowship with God in the light, which, in practical daily Christian life, inseparably connects forgiveness and the present sense of faith and purity of heart.

Thus, we see the Christian position, ver. 7. And the things which, in three different ways, are opposed to the truth, to communion with God in life.

The apostle wrote that which relates to the communion with the Father and the Son, in order that their joy might be full.

That which he wrote according to the revelation of the nature of God, which he had received from Him who was the life from Heaven, was in order that they should not sin. But to say this, is to suppose that they might sin. Not that it is necessary they should do so; for the presence of sin in the flesh by no means obliges us to walk after the flesh. But if it should take place, there is provision made by grace, in order that grace may act, and that we may be neither condemned, nor brought again under the law.

We have an Advocate with the Father: One who carries on our cause for us on high. Now, this is not in order to obtain righteousness, nor again to wash our sins away. All that has been done. Divine righteousness has placed us in the light, even as God Himself is in the light. But communion is interrupted, if even levity of thought finds place in our heart; for it is of the flesh, and the flesh has no communion with God. When communion is interrupted, when we have sinned (not when we have repented for it is His intercession that leads us to repentance), Christ intercedes for us. Righteousness is always present our righteousness "Jesus Christ the Righteous." Therefore, neither the righteousness, nor the value of the propitiation for sin, being changed, grace acts, one may say, acts necessarily, in virtue of that righteousness, and of that Blood which is before God; acts, on the intercession of Christ, who never forgets us, in order to bring us back to communion by means of repentance. Thus, while yet on earth, before Peter had committed the sin, He prayed for him; at the given moment, He looks on him, and Peter repents, and weeps bitterly for his offence. Afterwards, the Lord does all that is necessary to make Peter judge the root itself of the sin; but all is grace.

It is the same in our case. Divine righteousness abides -the immutable foundation of our relationships with God, established on the blood of Christ. When co:nmunion, which exists only in the Light, is interrupted, the intercession of Christ-available by virtue of His blood-for propitiation for the sin has also been made, restores the soul that it may continue to enjoy communion

with God according to the Light, into which righteousness has introduced it. This propitiation is made for the whole world, not for Jews only, nor to the exclusion of any one at all; but for the whole world, God, in His moral nature, having been fully glorified by the death of Christ.

These three capital points or, if you will, two capital points, and the third, namely, Intercession, which is supplementary form the introduction, the doctrine of the epistle. All the rest is an experimental application of that which this part contains: namely, first (Life being given), communion with the Father and the Son. Second, The nature of God; Light, which manifests the falsehood of all pretension to communion with the Light, if the walk be in darkness. And third, seeing that sin is in us -although we are cleansed before God so as to enjoy the Light-the Intercession which Jesus Christ the Righteous can always exercise before God, on the ground of the righteousness which is even in His presence, in order to restore our communion, when we have lost it by our guilty negligence.

The Spirit now proceeds to develop the characteristics

of this divine Life.

Now, we are sanctified unto the obedience of Jesus Christ: that is to say, to obey on the same principles as those on which He obeyed. It is the obedience of a Life to which it was meat and drink to do the will of God: not, as under the law, in order to obtain life. The life of Jesus Christ was a life of obedience, in which He enjoyed the love of His Father perfectly. His words, His commandments, were the expression of that life; they direct that life in us, and ought to exercise all the authority over us of Him who pronounced them.

The law promised life to those who obeyed it. Christ is the Life. This life has been imparted to us to be lievers. Therefore, the words which were the expression of that life, in its perfection, in Jesus, direct and guide it in us, according to that perfection. Besides this, it has authority over us. His commandments are its expression. We have, therefore, to obey, and to walk as he walked - the two forms of practical life. It is not enough to

walk well; we must obey, for there is authority. This is the essential principle of a right walk. On the other hand, the obedience of the Christian-as is evident by that of Christ Himself-is not that which we often think. We call a child obedient, who, having a will of his own, submits himself at once when the authority of the parent intervenes to prevent his accomplishing it. But Christ never obeyed in this way. He came to do the will of God. Obedience was His mode of being. His Father's will was the motive, and, with the love that was now separate from it, the only motive, of His every act and every impulse. This is obedience properly called Christian. It is a new life which delights in doing the will of Christ, acknowledging His entire authority over it. We reckon ourselves to be dead to everything else; we are alive unto God, we are not our own. We only know Christ inasmuch as we are living of His life; for the flesh does not know Him, and cannot understand His life.

Now, that life is obedience: therefore, he who says, "I know Him," and does not observe His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. It does not say here, "he deceives himself," for it is very possible that he is not self-deceived, as in the other case of fancied communion; for here the will is in action; and a man knows it, if he will confess it. But the reality is not there; he is a liar, and the truth in the knowledge of Jesus, which he professes, is not in him.

There are two remarks to be made here. First, that the apostle takes things always as they are in themselves in an abstract way, without the modifications that are Occasioned by other things, in the midst of which, or in relation with which, the former are found. Second, that the chain of consequences which the apostle deduces is not that of outward reasoning, the force of which is, consequently, on the surface of the argument itself. He reasons great inward principle, so that one does not see the force of the argument unless one knows the fact, and even the scope, of that principle: and, in particular, that which the life of God is in its nature, in its character, and in its action. But, without possessing it, we do not and cannot understand anything about it. There is, indeed, the

from a

authority of the apostle and of the Word, to tell us that the thing is so, and that is sufficient. But the links of his discourse will not be understood without the possession of the Life which interprets what he says, and which is itself interpreted by that which he says.

I return to the text. Whoso observeth His word, in him the love of God is perfect. It is in this way that we are conscious that we know Him. His "word" has rather a wider sense than His "commandments." That is to say, while it equally implies obedience, the word is less outward. "Commandments" are here details of the divine life. His "word" contains its whole expressionthe spirit of that life. It is universal and absolute. Now, this life is the divine life manifested in Jesus, and which is imparted to us. Have we seen it in Christ? Do we doubt that this life is love? that the love of God

Fundamentally they are not different. This is affirmed in ver. 7. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. One might say with perfect truth that the commandment is the word of Christ; but I question if it could be said that the word is the commandment. And this makes one conscious of the difference. The contrast of verses 4 and 5 is remarkable, and has its source in the possession (and the intelli gent and complete consciousness of the possession) of the divine life, according to the word; or its non-possession. He who says I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; for this truth is only that which the word reveals. And if we live of the nature, of which the word of Christ is the expression, we obey that word. In another aspect, if we are in possession of this Life, partakers of the divine nature, the love of God is in us. We have the commandments of Christ, His word, the perfect love of God, a walk according to the walk of Christ, the communication of the life of Christ, so that the commandment is true in Him and in us-the walk in the light, the love of our brother. How rich a chain of blessings. The pretensions here spoken of are-to know Christ, to abide in Him, to be in the Light. The proof that the first pretension is justi fied, is obedience. That if we abide in Christ (which we know by keeping His word), we ought to walk as He walked. That the last pretension is a true one, is proved by love to our brother. In the second, the walk is maintained at all the height of the walk of Christ, as our duty. But this walk is not presented as a proof that we abide in Him, that we keep His word. Observe that it is not said, "We know that we believe." This is not the question here: but, "We know, we are conscious, that we are in Him."