1 John — Chapter 3

My little children , let us not love in word , and in tongue, but in deed and in truth . He condemns here all false charity, which exhibits itself in words only, as S. James (ii. 15) does also. S. Gregory (Moral, xxi. 14) says that our charity must ever be exhibited in reverent words, &c., and in ministering bountifully. And S. Bernard (in Cant ii. 4) explaining the words, “ He ordered charity in me ” (see. Vulg.) says, “ He requires not the craft of the lying tongue, nor the taste of affected wisdom. Let us love in deed and in truth, being moved to good deeds by the impulse of living charity rather than by any affected love. Give me a man who loves God Digitized by v^iOOQLe 426 FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF S. JOHN, C. III. with all his heart, himself and his neighbours, and everything else relating to God with well-ordered love, and I boldly pronounce him to be a wise man, to whose taste all things seem to be just as they really are, and who can in truth safely say, Because He hath ordered love in me. But who is he ? ” But observe here, that if any one cannot succour in deed and act (as, e.g.y being too poor), yet he can do so in words and kind feelings. And again, he who gives relief should not give it grudg- ingly, or with words of reproof, but cheerfully and kindly. See Rom. xii. 8 ; Eccles. xviii. 15. S. Gregory {Horn. iii. in Evatig.) says well, “Let not any one credit himself with anything which his mind suggests, unless his acts bear witness to it For in loving God, our tongue, our thoughts, and our life are all required. Love towards Him is never idle. It worketh great things if it really exist, but if it refuses to do so, it is not love.” And S. Chrysostom {Horn, liii. ei lxviii. ad pop.) says, “ The more thou givest to God, the more does He love thee, and to those He loves more, He gives more grace ; when He sees any one to whom He owes nothing, He flies from him, and avoids him ; but when He sees any one to whom He owes something, He runs up to him at once. Thou shouldest therefore do everything to make God thy debtor.” And then he explains how this can be done, viz., by showing mercy to the poor. “ Give largely, that thou mayest be rich, scatter abroad, that thou mayest gather in, imitate a sower. Sow in blessings, that thou mayest reap in blessings.” And S. Leo (Sernt vi. de fejun. x. Mensis) says, “Persevere, O Christian, in thy bounty, give that which thou wilt receive back again, sow what thou wilt reap, scatter that which thou wilt gather up. Fear not the cost, be not anxious or doubtful about the result. Thy substance, when well laid out, is increased, and to wish for rightful profit for thy piety, is to traffic for the gain of an eternal reward. He who rewardeth thee wishes thee to be munificent, and He who gives that thou hast, orders thee to give it away, saying, ( Give, and it shall be given/ and so on.” S. Chrysostom accordingly said rightly, “ that almsgiving was of all things the most gainful” Digitized by v^iOOQLe CONFIDENCE IN GOD. 427

Hereby we know that we are of the truth , that we have true love, that we are the sons of truth, of true and genuine charity. Secondly, we are of God, who is the chief and highest truth, and true charity. See John xiv. 6, xviii. 37. And accordingly S. Augustine rightly concludes (de Moribus Eccl. cap . xxxiii.), “ Let our meals, our words, our dress, our appearance be blended with charity, and be united and joined together in one charity ; to violate this is counted as sinning against God ... if only this be wanting, every- thing else is vain and empty ; where it exists is perfect fulness.” And shall assure our hearts before Him. (r.) Hugo, Lyranus, and Dionysius explain, We shall induce our hearts to please God daily more and more. (2.) Ferus explains it, We shall gain confidence to ask anything of God. (3.) We shall have our hearts at peace, for we shall persuade them that we are striving after true charity, when we love, not in word, but in deed and in truth. (4.) The sense most clearly is this, We shall approve our hearts to God in manifesting the fruits of love. We can lie to men by pretending love in our hearts, but we cannot lie to God, who sees the heart. They then who love their neighbour in deed and in truth fear not the eye and judgment of God, but would boldly appear in His sight, lay their hearts before Him, and show that they were resting on real charity. So CEcumenius ; and see Gal. i. 10, “Do I wish to persuade men or God ? ” That is, I strive to prove my cause to God. So S. Chrysostom. S. Augustine reads in this passage, “I wish to make myself approved to God, and not to men.” As S. Augustine ( contra Secundi \ num. i. 1) says, “Think as you please about Augustine, provided only my conscience accuses me not in the sight of God.” Morally . S. John here teaches us to examine all our deeds by the rule of God’s judgment. For frequently we are deceived into thinking that we are acting purely from the love of God, when in fact we are acting from the impure motive of self-love. Before beginning anything conform thyself to this rule, act as in the sight of God, who sees, and will call thee to account Do it as though it were thy very last act. And in any doubt, adopt that course Digitized by v^iOOQLe FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OE S. JOHN, C. lit which thou wouldest wish thou hadst adopted when thou comest to die.” So did the Psalmist (Ps xvi. 8) ; Elisha (2 Kings iii. 14) ; and S. Paul (2 Cor i. 12). And S. Francis Xavier, “ Wherever I am, I would remember that I am on the stage of the world.” And Campion, when about to suffer martyrdom, said, “ We are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Cor iv. 9). Let us imitate these, and thus “shall we persuade our hearts in His sight.”

For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart , and knoweth all things. If we cannot conceal our hypocrisy from our own hearts, much less can we conceal it from God, who is greater and deeper even than our own heart, who is more inti- mately acquainted with it, and is nearer to it than we are ourselves. If thy conscience condemns thee, how much more will God, who rules over and judges thy conscience? “If we cannot hide any- thing from our conscience,” says CEcumenius, “ how can we hide it irom God who.is ever present ? ” “Thou hidest thy conscience from man,” says S. Augustine, “hide it from God if thou canst. Let thy conscience bear thee witness, for it is of God. And if it is of God, do not boast of it before men, because the praises of men exalt thee not, nor do their reproofs bring thee down. Let Him see thee who crowneth thee: let Him, by whose judgment thou wilt be crowned.” Diadochus says (de perf Spirit . cap . c.), “The judgment of God is far above that of our conscience.” See 1 Cor. iv. 1 and Ps. lxiii. (Vulg. 7). “ Man will go down to his deep heart, and God will be exalted,” that is, man will think many evils in the depth of his heart, but God will be deeper than it. But Lyra, Aquila, and Theodotion read iorem, will shoot at it See A. V. Thomas Anglicus merely applies the passage thus, If the sin of the heart is great, greater is God's compassion in forgiving. And God too is greater than our heart, because He alone satisfies the desires of our heart, and even overflows and surpasses them.

If our heart condemn us not , then have we confidence towards God, viz., that we shall obtain from Him all that we ask. See Ps. cxix. 6. The contrary is the case with the wicked. See Digitized by v^iOOQLe WHEN PRAYER IS CERTAIN TO BE HEARD. 429 Prov. xxviii. 9, as S. Gregory says (Mor. x. 15, or 17), “He who remembers that he still refuses to listen to the command of God, doubts whether he will obtain what he wishes for. And our heart blames us when we pray, when it calls to mind that he opposes the will ot Him whom he is addressing. ‘ As oil makes the light to shine, so do good deeds give confidence to the soul.’ ”

And whatsoever we ask , we receive of Him . Whatever, that is, that is good, and tends to the glory of God (see John v. 14). Because we keep His commandments , and do those things that are pleasing in His sight For it is only a fitting thing that if man do the will of God, He on His side should do the will of man. (See Ps. cxiv. 19.) He alludes to Christ’s promise (John xv. 7). For deeds ought to be supported by prayer, and prayer by deeds. As S. Gregory says ( Epist . ix. 45), “ Prayer is void, when our deeds are wicked, for they outweigh the force of our prayers.” See Lam. iii. 41. On which Rabanus remarks, “ He lifts up his heart with his hands who supports his prayers with his deeds. For whosoever prays and makes believe to work, lifts up his heart, and not his hands ; while he who works, and prays not, lifts up his hands, and not his heart,” &c. The Laconians had a proverb, that we must first put our hand to the work, and then pray to fortune. S. John here teaches that our prayer is strengthened by confidence, and that confidence springs from obedience. See Isa. i. 15 ; Matt. ii. 2 ; Prov. xxviii. 9; Ps. 1. 16, xll 13, xxxiv. 16, xxxiii. 20, xxxvii. 4, x. 67. He hears not only our prayers, but our thoughts and desires. S. Dominic said that he never asked anything from God which he did not obtain. So also S. Thomas Aquinas, S. Scholastica, S. Catherine of Siena, and others. And do thou things that are pleasing in His sight That is to say His commands, and also evangelical counsels (of perfection). For he who strives perfectly to please God, includes not merely His commands and precepts, but also His smallest hints and counsels. And this, as it is a hard matter, so is it most pleasing to God. And hence S. Bernard ( Serm . i. de dedic . Eccl.) calls a monk a standing miracle. All our holiness then consists in our ever studying and Digitized by v^iOOQLe 430 FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF S. JOHN, C. III. endeavouring to please God. For this is an act of most pure and constant love. Observe that love is of two kinds, desire and friendship. The first is that with which we study to please God, that we may obtain from Him the reward of eternal glory. But this is rather an act of hope than of love. (See Ps. cxix. 112; see Vulgate, propter retri- butionem.) But the love of friendship is that which makes us strive to please Him merely out of love, and by doing those things in which He takes delight and pleasure. Our Lord had this love from the very moment of His conception, and all His earthly life through. See John viii. 29 ; Ps. xl. 9 ; Rom. xii. 2 ; Col. i 9. And accordingly wise men teach that it is an excellent practice to think every day, What does God wish me to do at this very moment ? Just as the servants of a king watch his every movement, and fly rather than go to do his bidding. Much more should we obey God in all things, for He is the Supreme Majesty, Justice, and holiness, the highest wisdom, goodness, and power, the Supreme Lord, Lawgiver, Judge, and Punisher of all men. And moreover, He who created us, preserves, redeems, and sanctifies us, and pours down on us, every instant, innumerable blessings. See S. Gregory (Mor. vi. 12). And the Abbot Ammon {apud. S. Ephr. in parcen .) says, “ Desire to fulfil the will of God at all times, as being indeed the kingdom of heaven, and the crown of a perfect life, and as believing with all thy heart, that it far surpasses all human wisdom.” The Abbot John (see Cassian, de Instil . renunc. v. 28) said that “ he had never done his own will.” And Aloysius Gonzaga said that he had no scruple even about his excessive austerity, because he had done nothing except by the will of God, of which his superior was the interpreter. This is what God praises, Is. lxii. 4, “My delight is in her” (Heph-zibah), and S. Bernard, Serm. xxxviii. in Cant.

And this is His commandment } that we should believe in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ That is, in the Person thus named. See Phil. ii. 9. And (2) that we should love one another . On these two commandments all the rest depend. For to believe Digitized by v^iOOQLe ABIDING IN GOD. 4*T in Christ includes loving, worshipping, and obeying Him, believing Him also to be the Son of God, and thus believing in God the Father also. And the command to love our neighbour presupposes the love of God. See Matt. xxii. 40. S. Augustine ( Confess . x. 29) says, “ He loves Thee, O God, but little, who loves anything together with Thee, which He loves not for Thy sake. O thou love that ever bumest, and art never extinguished ! O my love, my God, enkindle me. Thou commandest continence : give what Thou com- mandest, and command what Thou wilt.” As He gave us a commandment. This signifies that Christ specially and frequently enjoined the duty of mutual love on His apostles, and required them to inculcate it on the faithful.

And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Himy and He in him . The word ‘abideth’ signifies indwelling, intimate union and intercourse. God then dwells in the person who obeys Him. 1. By virtue of the command. For the law and the maker ol the law abide in those who are under it, just as the doctrine of the teacher abides in him who takes it in, and he who is subject to the law, abides therein by discipline and obedience. 2. By love, for he who keeps the commands of God loves Him, and is loved by Him, just as he who loves abides in the object he loves, for the soul abides more in the object it loves, than in him whom it animates, and God abides in a soul, both as loving it, and as loved by it For “ he who cleaveth to the Lord is one spirit.” 1 Cor. vi. 17 ; and S. Bernard, Serm . xxxi. in Cant. 3. He who loves and obeys God abides in Him as being under His protection, and God abides in him by the protection He gives. Ps. xci. 1, and Zech. ii. 8. “ He who toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye,” naming the dearest and the tenderest part ot the body ; see also Gen. xv. 1, Ps. xxxi. 3. Whence Bede says, “ Let God be thy house, and be thou the house of God. Abide in God, and let God abide in thee. God abideth in thee, to keep thee ; thou abidest in God, lest thou shouldest fall. Observe His commandments, hold fast charity, tear not thyself from His faith, Digitized by v^iOOQLe 432 FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF S. JOHN, C. III. that thus thou mayest glory in His presence, now by faith, and here- after by sight. And He will abide in thee for ever, as the Psalmist says (Ps. v. 12).” And S. Chrysostom, on Rom. viii. 14, says, “ To obtain the inheritance of children, it is not sufficient to be once imbued with the Spirit, unless we are ever led by His guidance, for He is the steersman and the guide of our soul, leading us into battle against spiritual wickedness in high places." (4.) God abides in him who loves Him, as locally placed in Him. For a holy soul is the throne, the temple, and abode of God. See 1 Cor. iii. 17 ; Is. lxvi. 1 and 2, &c. (5.) And lastly, God abides in a righteous man substantially, because He communicates His essence and substance to him, making him partaker of the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us . See Rom. v. 5, also below, iv. 16. So S. Augustine, Bede, CEcumenius, and others. S. Augustine says, “ This connection clearly shows that brotherly love, which we see so authoritatively preached, is not merely from God, but is God Him- self. When therefore we love our brother with the highest love ( dilectione ), we love our brother for the sake of God." We know . Not by special and divine faith, not even with absolute certainty, but with moral and conjectural certainty, from outward signs and tokens ; and the more a man experiences them, the more certain is he that he is in a state of grace, and the more he grows in virtue the more certain does he become. And there- fore Andreas Vega teaches that holy men can have such certainty as to exclude all doubt. But this is the lot of very few and of pre-eminent saints ; and yet even those, if they look at their own infirmity, might perchance be afraid of being deceived in this matter, though in fact they may have no fear. As S. Jerome says (on Micah vi.), “ We ought at no time to be secure, but always to look forward to the day of judgment” And S. Gregory (Epist. lib . vi. 22), “Thou shouldest not feel secure, but till the very end of thy life shouldest ever suspect thyself, and fear committing sin." And S. Bernard (Serm. iii. de Adv .), “ I know neither my own, or my neigh* Digitized by v^iOOQLe ABIDING IN GOD. 433 hour’s conscience (though I ought to watch over them). Both are an inscrutable abyss, both are dark as night” (See Cone. Trid. sess. vi. cap . 1 6.) The confidence and certainty of holy men should ever be blended with fear, as St. Paul says, Phil. i. n. For God wishes that this fear should be a bridle to keep us low, and also a spur to stimulate our virtue. VOL. v. 2 E boogie ( 434 )