tions, and vindicate the strong conviction of human beings that without prayers they cannot live. When we believe that there is an Advocate or Representative of mankind, who ever lives to make intercession, that we may not sink but rise, that we may be delivered from our own darkness, that we may know the God who is Light-our prayers become cries against a common enemy-the pursuit of a common blessing. When we believe that Jesus Christ the Righteous is the Propitiation or Mercy Seat for us and for the whole world, that He has made the sacrifice of Himself which is well pleasing to God, our confession of our individual sins increases our confidence in the purposes of God for the universe; our most earnest petition being that He will make us true and loving sacrifices to accomplish His good will to us and to mankind.

LECTURE V.

DOING AND KNOWING.

1 JOHN II. 3—7.

And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandmenta He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar. and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He tha saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.

I AM speaking to those who attend the Sunday evening class on the relation of the Law to the Gospel. Speaking is not the word I ought to use, if it conveys to any one the notion that I am giving lectures on this subject, or laying down certain maxims upon it. Our plan is, to read alternately the Pentateuch (what are called the five books of the Law) and the Evangelists (what we call the four Gospels). By considering them together we try to ascertain what are the characteristics of each, how they are related to each other.

For instance, it happened a Sunday or two ago that we read the fifth chapter of Deuteronomy, which contains the repetition of the Ten Commandments. Either just before or just after, I forget which, we read of our Lord's conversation with the young ruler, who came asking Him, "What good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?' To his surprise, the young man who had fancied he was to do

some great thing, which other people could not do, that he might attain some great prize which other people could not attain-who fancied that he certainly could and should do this great thing, if he only was told what it was-heard that the way to enter into life was to keep those commandments which had been addressed to all Israelites as well as himself, and which he said he had kept from his youth up. Such a doctrine, coming from such lips, forced us to ask— how heeding the commandments which bore upon such ordinary works, which prohibited such ordinary crimes, could have anything to do with the eternal life which God is said to bestow, and to bestow freely? The question offered itself to us, in one shape or another, in all our readings; we could not avoid it if we tried; and as we wanted light upon it, of course we did not try. But I refer to this one example, because the very words which occupied us when we were considering the passage about the young ruler, in the Gospel according to St. Matthew, are those which present themselves to us in this Epistle of St. John. We have been hearing of life—of an eternal life-that was manifested in Jesus Christ. Of this life the Apostle says he and his disciples at Ephesus may partake; they may have fellowship with it. That is the highest blessing, the greatest reward he can hold out to them; if they had that, their joy would be full. And now he comes to speak of commandments. And hereby we do know that

we know Him, if we keep His commandments.'

It is a curious phrase, we do know that we know Him.' But it is a familiar one to us in other applications. I say to a friend, 'Are you sure that you know that man? I am

aware that you meet him often. You see him, perhaps,

TEST OF KNOWING MEN.

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every day; you work with him; you talk with him. But 'do you know that you know him? Have you got any real insight into his character? Have you any confidence that 'you are not thinking of him better or worse than he 'deserves?' These are questions which we often ask, and to which we get various answers. Sometimes the answer is quite confident. I am certain that he is, or that he is ' not, an honest, or a kind, or a wise man.' And yet it may not inspire us with confidence. We may say, or we may think, 'You are deceived in that man. You have been

You have

purposes.

'flattered or in some way taken in by him. In due time 'the mask will fall off, and you will find out your mistake.' Or we may say, 'You are not just to that man. distorted his acts. You have misinterpreted his There is a far truer mind in him than you give him credit 'for.' But now and then one has a strong conviction that a friend does understand the man we are asking him about, does appreciate him. I cannot tell you how we arrive at the belief; I think it is generally because he helps us to understand and to appreciate that person. He throws light upon our own experiences of him; he corrects some wrong impressions we had formed. And when it is so, his report, especially if it is a favourable one, never satisfies us. We are determined to verify it. We must try to know him whom he praises for ourselves. We must be able to

say, We know that we know him.'

I have supposed the case of two men who are equals, and who associate on equal terms.

But let us suppose the

case of a youth and an old man; and to be more exact, let the one to be the son of the other. How does

us suppose child come to know his father? It has been my misfortune,

I dare to say it has been yours, to meet with many sons who did not know their fathers, who did not the least understand what they were aiming at, either in the general work of their lives, or in the particular discipline of their families. I have also heard sons say, and sometimes I fear they spoke truly, that their fathers did not know them. They did not always mean that their fathers crossed them, or contradicted them, or laid heavy burdens upon them. That may be the complaint of many; but very indulgent fathers, who take little notice of the offences of their children, who easily pass them by, may exhibit what strikes them as want of comprehension. They do not perceive what their sons need, or what is leading them wrong. Their commands are seldom severe, but they appear as if they were arbitrary. They are not enforced with any consistency; a punishment sometimes follows the breach of them, sometimes not; the offender has a good chance of begging himself off; when he does suffer, he is apt to think that it was by accident, and not by law.

6

On the other hand, I have met, and I doubt not you have met, persons who could say honestly, The rules 'which our father laid down for us often cut very dis

agreeably against our inclinations; but we had always 'a feeling that he was just, and that he cared for us as 'much when he punished us as when he commended us. And then, by degrees, we found that he was wise as 'well as just in his management of us. At last we are 'beginning to see what the principles of his conduct are; 'what he is in himself. We know that we know him.'

Now St. John assumes that the knowledge of God is as possible, is as real for human beings, as any know.