Our apostle concludes the chapter with an exhortation to holiness and righteousness; assuring them, that if they be sensible (as they must necessarily be) that God is righteous, essentially and infinitely holy and righteous; they may and ought to know also that whosoever is born of him, and doth receive a new nature from him, doth certainly endeavour to live unto him, and to walk before him as his child in a way of obedience, and to expect favour and protection from him as from a father. Learn hence, That all that sincerely live a righteous life towards God and man, are certainly born of God; and such as are born of God do certainly live that righteous life: then, and only then, may we know that we are indeed God's children, when the image of our heavenly Father is instamped upon us, and the disposition of his children wrought in us; when there is a happy conformity in our natures to the holiness of God's nature, and in our lives to the righteousness of his law; when he beholds his own face in the glass of our souls, and loves us for his own image instampt and imprest upon us.

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CHAP. III.

EHOLD, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!

Our apostle begins this chapter with wonder and admiration at the astonishing goodness and condescension of Almighty God towards believers, in taking them into his family, and adopting them into the number of his children; that strangers and enemies should be dignified with the honourable and amiable title of his sons; it is the same relation that Christ has, I cscend to my Father, and your Father; there is indeed a diversity in the foundation of it; Christ is a son by nature, we by favour; he by generation, we by adoption; however, not only crowns and sceptres are beneath this dignity, but the honour of our innocent state was not equal with it; well might the apostle then break out with an heavenly astonishment, and say, Behold, what manner of love is this, that we should be called, accounted and acknowledged for the children of God! Here note, 1. That it is the high and honourable privilege of all true believers, that they are now the sons of God. They are so, 1. By regeneration : they are made partakers of the divine nature:

not in the essence of it, but in the gracious qualities of it, which enables them in some measure to resemble God the Father: they receive a principle of spiritual life from God, which enables them to live unto God; and this principle received in regeneration is an inward principle, an universal principle, a God-exalting principle, and an abiding principle. 2. They are children by adoption also; adoption is the acceptance of a stranger into the relation and privileges of a son; it was a rare condescension in Pharaoh's daughter to rescue Moses, an innocent and forsaken stranger, from perishing by the waves, and adopt him for her son; but O! how much greater kindness was it for Almighty God to save guilty and wretched man from eternal flames, and to take a rebel into his family! This privilege of being the sons of God by regeneration and adoption, is a choice and gracious privilege, an high and honourable privilege, a free and undeserved privilege, a lasting and abiding privilege. Observe, 2. As the privilege itself, so the fontal cause of it, the fountain from whence it doth proceed and flow, namely, from the gratuitous love and free favour of God; what manner of love has the Father bestowed upon us! He cannot say what, nor how great, it was; he admires it, but cannot declare it: yet though adoption was the effect of God's free love, it was the fruit of Christ's rich purchase: he of a Son became a servant, that we of slaves might become sons. Observe, 3. In the word, Behold! a note of attention and of admiration both: God expects, the gospel requires, and the privileges of adoption deserves, that it be beheld with love and wonder, taken notice of with joy and thankfulness, and improved for growth in grace, and advancement in holiness: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us!

-Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

Note here, 1. That the believer's dignity, though real and great, is altogether unknown to the unbelieving world: they are so far from acknowledging them to be God's children, that they mock and scoff, jeer and deride them, for pretending so to be; and as they little know them, so do they less affect and love them, but hate and persecute them: The world knoweth us not. Note, 2. The reason assigned why the world knows not the children of God, Because it knew him

take away sin, the guilt of it, by his blood, the power of it by his Spirit, and consequently we must purify ourselves from it, if we hope to see him as he is. Learn hence, That nothing can be more unreasonable and absurd, than to expect salvation with God in heaven by a sinless Saviour, if we allow ourselves in a course of sin; nothing being more contrary than this to the design of Christ's death, which was not only to deliver us from the danger, but from the dominion, of our sins; not only to expiate our sins, but to make us sinless like himself.

6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

That is, "Whoever lives in sin, and goes on in a course and trade of sinning, is the servant and slave of sin; and although his reason condemns him, his conscience boggles at it, and his will is something averse to it, yet if he yields his members instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, he is the servant of sin, and whatever his pretence may be, he has no right knowledge of Christ, nor any true faith in him; for who: soever abideth in him thus, sinneth not." Learn hence, That the sincere christian, so far as he is in Christ, and by faith united to him, and is taught and ruled by him, sinneth not; that is, he makes it his constant care and continual endeavour to shun and avoid all sin. 2. That such persons as go on in a course of sin, let their pretences to christianity be what they will, they never had any experimental knowledge of Christ, no fellowship or communion with him; nor can ever hope to be happy in the fruition and enjoyment of him: Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

7 Little children, let no man deceive you he that doeth righteousness, is righteous even as he is righteous.

As if the apostle had said, “Let no man deceive you by making you believe that a right faith may consist with an unrighteous life, for only he that doeth righteousness is righteous." Note here, 1. That there is a twofold doing righteousness. 1. In a legal sense, which stands in an exact obeying and fulfilling of the law; and thus there is none righteous, no, not one. 2. In an evangelical sense, a walking uprightly, ac

cording to the rule of the gospel, conscientiously avoiding all known sin, and performing every commanded duty: it is not a single action, but a constant course of holy actions, that denominates a person holy; a righteous man makes righteousness the business of his life; his daily care is how to please God in all he does. Note, 2. That it is the duty of every christian, that would not be deceived as to his spiritual state and condition, to try himself by this infallible mark and rule of trial: He that doeth righteousness is righteous; he that doeth not righteousness is not of God. Christian, enquire not so much what thy affections are, what thy desires are, what thy joys and comforts are, as what thy actions are; not what thy peace is, but what thy paths are; for God doth not measure men's sincerity by the tide of their affections, but by the constant bent of their resolutions, and the general course and tenor of their conversations. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, and only he.

8 He that committeth sin, is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.

That is, "So far as a man sinneth, so far he is of the devil, and like unto him, in whom sin is predominant: he having been an old sinner, soon after the beginning of the creation, and a bold tempter to sin all his days." Learn, 1. That Satan has kept in a constant and continued course of sinning against God from the beginning of his apostasy, and first moment of his revolt from God: The devil sinneth from the beginning. Learn, 2. That such as make sin their work, do make themselves the devil's children; they are his children by imitation: St. John viii. 44. are of your father the devil, and the works of will do. your father ye

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-For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

As if he had said, "The Son of God came purposely into the world to destroy sin, the work of the devil, in all that he will save." Note, 1. The odious character wherewith sin is branded, it is the work of the devil, that work which he is always doing himself, and which he is continually tempting and soliciting others to do, that they may be as miserable as himself. Note,

2. Our Saviour's manifestation in the flesh asserted the Son of God was manifested, namely, to the world, and in the world; he appeared in our nature, and was seen in our flesh; it was a real exhibition, and not an imaginary manifestation of him. Note, 3. The great end of this gracious manifestation of the Son of God in our nature, it was to destroy the works of the devil, to loose and dissolve; so the original: this supposes mankind to have been in bonds and fetters; we were in durance and captivity, shut and locked up in the prison-house; we were under the dominion of sin, and power of Satan, but the Son of God came to rescue us, to knock off our fetters, and to set us at liberty by the works of the devil understand all sin in general. 2. Those sins in particular, which have most of the devil's image upon them, and render persons most like unto him; such are malice and envy, rejoicing at the calamities and delighting in the evils that befal others, rage and passion, bitter strife and contention, schism and faction, lying and falsehood, craft and treachery, but especially pride and haughtiness, which was the sin that turned Satan out of heaven, and made him a devil in hell. 3. By the works of the devil, here, are meant in particular, idolatry, and all idolatrous worship, even to the worshipping of the devil himself; this, and all other kinds of idolatry, had strangely prevailed and over-run the world before the coming of Christ, who came on purpose to deliver mankind from this slavery, and to put down the kingdom of Satan, and beat him out of those strong holds which he thought had been impreg. nable: The Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the

devil.

9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remain eth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Observe here, 1. The character of a true christian, he is born of God; he has in the work of regeneration passed under a blessed change by the operation of the Holy Spirit, renewing his nature, and reforming his life; yet this denotes not a single transient act of regeneration, but rather a continued course, and perinanent state; one that is born of God is the same with him that leads a pious and godly life, and continues so to do. Ob. serve, 2. What is here asserted concerning him that is born of God, namely, that he

doth not commit sin; and that he cannot sin. 1. He doth not commit sin, he is no evil-doer, no worker of iniquity, no habitual or customary sinner; he goes not on in any way or course of sin, as the wicked do, who make a trade of it; yea, he doth not tolerate or allow himself in any single act of sin : not that he is absolutely free from all sin. 2. It is said he cannot sin. But how? and why? How can he not sin? has he not a natural power to sin? has he not corruptions within, and temptations without, inclining and disposing him to sin, as well as other men? and has he not opportunity to sin, the same expectations of advantages by sin with other men? Yes, no doubt; but he has not a will bent for sin, or a heart and mind set upon sin, as the wicked have; nay, he has a heart and will opposite to sin, and set against all sin. A gracious person, then, though he has not a natural impossibility, yet he has a moral impossibility, to sin. He that is born of God hath power to do that evil which he hath not a will to do; he hath always a natural power, and sometimes a civil power, as being in authority; but his blood and pedigree are so high, being born of God, that he disdains to meddle with, or to trade in, so base a thing as sin. Note, That a child of God has a blessed impotency in the unregenerate part, that he cannot sin strongly, though as yet he has not that ability in the regenerate part as not to sin at all. Observe, 3. The reason assigned why a regenerate person cannot sin as the wicked sin : because his seed remaineth in him, and because he is born of God; that is, he has an inward principle inclining and disposing him to hate and oppose all sin, to wit, the sanctifying grace of God; and he has that mortifying spirit, which causes him daily more and more to die unto sin, and enables him to mortify the deeds of the body. Learn hence, That although sin remaineth in him that is born of God, yet he that is born of God doth not remain in sin, either as to a sinful state, or a sinful conversation; God's word and Spirit, by which he was regenerated, still remain in him; and so far as he is under the ruling power and governing influences of them, he cannot sin, much less live in wilful sin.

10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness, is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.