Again, "He that saith he abideth in Him, 1 Jolln in 6. ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked." Again, "In this the children of God are 1 John iii. 10. manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness, is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." Again, "All unrighteousness is sin, and he 1 John v. 17. that committeth sin, is of the devil." Again, 1 John iii. 8. "Love not the world, neither the things that * Our Saviour explained who were his brethren, when they told him that his mother and his brethren "stood without, desiring to speak to him.” "But he answered and said unto him, Who is my mother? and who are my Matt, xii. 48. brethren? And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother!" And that his mother did the will of his Father in heaven his words do testify, previous to his death on the cross. "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and Joba xix. 25 his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene; when Jesus, therefore, saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved; he saith unto his mother: Woman, behold thy son! Then said he to his disciple, Behold thy mother! 1 Join ii. 15. are of the world: if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in" the spirit of " the world, is the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; which is not of" the Spirit" of the Father, but is of" the spirit of the "world: and the" spirit of the "world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God, abideth for ever." Now St. Paul explains what actions constitute the lusts of the flesh, here called "the world which passeth away;" and they comprehend every word in the scriptures that signifies evit: and our own experience informs us, that they are those actions, caused by the passions in their various shapes, that are totally inconsistent with the purity of the Spirit of God. At the same time, bitter experience must assure all of us, that every mind is beset by them, and the very best, they occasionally influence in thought, or action, to disobey the commandments of God: and therefore, every one must be sensiRom. iii. 23. ble, that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." The same temptations and infirmities by the passions, the servants of the Lord were equally subject to, as they declare, "We also are men Acts xiv. 15. of like passions with you." And St. James says "Elias was a man subject to like passions James v. 17. as we are." And St. Paul observes, "When Rom. vii. 5. we were in the flesh, the motions* of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." We may now substitute the word passions for that of " flesh," in reading the epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. "Brethren, ye have Gal. v. 13. been called into liberty in the Spirit of God, from the bondage and slavery of the passions; only use not liberty for an occasion to the passions, but by love serve one another," in the Spirit of the Lord: "for all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this-Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and de * In the marginal translation, it is passions, but literally. passions of sin, in the Scripture Greek (wherein the genitive case of the substantive is often put for the adjective) sinful passions or lusts. See Mr. Locke's note on this passage of his paraphrase: and also the word "Passion" in Cruden's Concordance. 2 Tim. iii. 2. vour one another," by the influence of passions "Now the works of the passions are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lascivious ness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings," Again, "Lovers of their ownselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of plea sures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." Again, "Even as they did not like to retain Rom, i. 28, God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things that are not becoming; being filled with" the spirit of "all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding," of good things, "covenant breakers, without naturalaffection, implacable, unmerciful," and "who- Rev. xxii. 15. soever loveth and maketh a lie,' Again, "But if ye have bitter envyings and James iii. 14. strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth: this wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish: for where envying and strife is, there is confusion, and every evil work."-" From whence come James iv. 1, wars among you? come they not hence, even of the lusts of the passions, that war in your members?' |