Nor love of God without loving the brotherhood. 1217 IV. 34. can he love God Whom he seeth not? And this commandment 1 JOHN have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brother 20. 21. also. Marvellous fine talk it was, that thou didst say, I love God, and hatest thy brother! O murderer, how lovest thou God? Hast thou not heard above in this very Epistle, He ch.3, 15. that hateth his brother is a murderer? Yea, but I do verily love God, however I hate my brother. Thou dost verily not love God, if thou hate thy brother. And now I make it good by another proof. This same Apostle hath said, He gave us commandment that we should love one another. How canst thou be said to love Him Whose commandment thou hatest? Who shall say, I love the Emperor, but I hate his laws? In this the Emperor understands whether thou love him, that his laws be observed throughout the provinces. Our Emperor's Law, what is it? A new commandment give John13, I unto you, that ye love one another. Thou sayest then, that thou lovest Christ: keep His commandment, and love thy brother. But if thou love not thy brother, how canst thou be said to love Him Whose commandment thou despisest?— Brethren, I am never satiated in speaking of charity in the name of the Lord. In what proportion ye have an insatiable desire of this thing, in that proportion we hope the thing itself is growing in you, and casting out fear, that so there may remain that chaste fear which is for ever permanent. Let us endure the world, endure tribulations, endure the stumbling-blocks of temptations. Let us not depart from the way; let us hold the unity of the Church, hold Christ, hold charity. Let us not be plucked away from the members of His Spouse, not be plucked away from faith, that we may glory in His coming: and we shall securely abide in Him, now by faith, then by sight, of Whom we have so great earnest, even the gift of the Holy Spirit. HOMILY X. 1 JOHN v. 1-3. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth Him that begat Him, loveth Him also that is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, because we love God, and do His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. 1. I SUPPOSE ye remember, those of you who were present yesterday, to what place in the course of this Epistle our exch. 4, position has reached: namely, He that loveth not his brother 20. 21. whom he seeth, how can he love God Whom he seeth not? And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God, love his brother also. Thus far was discoursed upon. ch. 5, 1. Let us see then what comes next in order. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God. Who is he that believeth not that Jesus is the Christ? He that does not so live as Christ commanded. For many say, "I believe :" but faith without works saveth not. Now the Gal.5,6. work of faith is Love, as Paul the Apostle saith, And faith which worketh by love. Thy past works indeed, before thou didst believe, were either none, or if they seemed good, were nothing worth. For if they were none, thou wast as a man without feet, or with sore feet unable to walk: but if they seemed good, before thou didst believe, thou didst run indeed, but by running aside from the way thou wentest astray instead of coming to the goal. It is for us, then, both to run, and to run in the way. He that runs aside from the Christian faith and faith of devils, differenced by love. 1219 V. 1-3. 6. 2, 19. What Matt. 8, Lord 29. Mark 1, way, runs to no purpose, or rather runs but to toil. He1 JOHN goes the more astray, the more he runs aside from the way. What is the way by which we run? Christ hath told us, I John14, am the Way. What the home to which we run? I am the Truth. By Him thou runnest, to Him thou runnest, in Him thou restest. But, that we might run by Him, He extended Himself even unto us: for we were afar off, foreigners in a far country. Not enough that we were in a far country, we were feeble also that we could not stir. A Physician, He came to the sick; a Way, He stretched Himself to them that were in a far country. Let us be saved by Him, let us walk in Him. This it is to believe that Jesus is the Christ, as Christians believe, who are not Christians only in name, but in deeds and in life, not as the devils believe. For the James devils also believe and tremble, as the Scripture tells us. What more could the devils believe, than that they should say, We know Who Thou art, the Son of God? the devils said, the same said Peter also. When the asked them Who He was, and Whom did men say that 24. He was, the disciples made answer to Him, Some say Mat. 16, that Thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And this was said to him by the Lord: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven. See what praises follow this faith. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church. What meaneth, Upon this rock I will build My Church? Upon this faith; upon this that has been said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Upon this rock, saith He, I will build My Church. Mighty praise! So then, Peter saith, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God: the devils also say, We know Who Thou art, the Son of God, the Holy One of God. This Peter said, this also the devils: the words the same, the mind not the same. And how is it clear that Peter said this with love? Because a Christian's faith is with love, but a devil's without love. How without love? Peter said this, that he might embrace Christ; the devils said it, that Christ might depart 13-18. 1220 To love the Father is necessarily to love the Son; HOMIL. from them. For before they said, We know Who Thou art, Why art Thou come to destroy us before the time? It is one For 2. Let us see then what it is to believe in Christ; what to believe that Jesus, He is the Christ. He proceeds: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. But what is it to believe that? And every one that loveth Him that begat Him, loveth Him also that is begotten of Him. To faith he hath straightway joined love, because faith without love is nothing worth. With love, the faith of a Christian; without love, the faith of a devil: but those who believe not, are worse than devils, more stupid than devils. Some man will not believe in Christ: so far, he is not even upon a par with devils. A person does now believe in Christ, but hates Christ he hath the confession of faith in the fear of punishment, not in the love of the crown: thus the devils also feared to be punished. Add to this faith love, that it may Gal. 5, become a faith such as the Apostle Paul speaks of, a faith which worketh by love: thou hast found a Christian, found a citizen of Jerusalem, found a fellow-citizen of the Angels, found a pilgrim sighing in the way: join thyself to him, he is thy fellow-traveller, run with him, if indeed thou also art this. Every one that loveth Him that begat Him, loveth Him also that is begotten of Him. Who begat? The Father. Who is begotten? The Son. What saith he then? Every one that loveth the Father, loveth the Son. 6. 7.2. 3. In this we know that we love the sons of God. What is this, brethren? Just now he was speaking of the Son of God, not of sons of God: lo, here had we one Christ set before us to contemplate, and were told, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that i. e. the Only-Begotten Son, and the adopted sons, one Christ. 1221 V. 2. loveth Him that begat, i. e. the Father, loveth Him also that 1 JOHN is begotten of Him, i. e. the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. And he goes on: In this we know that we love the sons of God; as if he had been about to say, In this we know that we love the Son of God. He has said, the sons of God, whereas he was speaking just before of the Son of God-because the sons of God are the Body of the Only Son of God, and when He is the Head, we the members, it is one Son of God. Therefore, he that loves the sons of God, loves the Son of God, and he that loves the Son of God, loves the Father; nor can any love the Father except he love the Son, and he that loves the sons, loves also the Son of God. What sons of God? The members of the Son of God. And by loving he becomes himself a member, and comes through love to be in the frame of the body of Christ, so there shall be one Christ, loving Himself. For when the members love one another, the body loves itself. And whether one member suffer, all the 1 Cor. members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. And then he goes on to say, Now ye are the body of Christ, and members. John was speaking 12, 26. just before of brotherly love, and said, He that loveth not his ch.4,20. brother whom he seeth, how can he love God Whom he seeth not? But if thou lovest thy brother, haply thou lovest thy brother and lovest not Christ? thou lovest members of Christ? How should that be, when members of Christ, thou lovest |