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3From the beginning.-The devil sinned almost immediately after his creation, and continues since to tempt others to sin.

"Destroy. This was the main-though, perhaps, not the principalobject of the incarnation, to take away sin.

Doth not.-Usually abstains from sin and dreads it.

6 Seed. This is sanctifying grace.

'Cannot sin.—As long as he remains in grace-in sensu composito—but if he casts away grace, he can sin.

Manifest.-Sin is the first dividing line.

'Loveth not his brother.-This is the second line.

10 From the beginning.—Of S. John's teaching at least.

11Of the wicked one.-Gave in to diabolical suggestions, and thus became a child of perdition.

12His own works were evil.-The first terrible effect of envy was fratricide.

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16. In hoc cognovimus charitatem DEI, quoniam ille animam suam pro nobis posuit: et nos debemus pro fratribus animas ponere.

17. Qui habuerit substantiam. hujus mundi, et viderit fratrem suum necessitatem habere, et clauserit viscera sua ab eo, quomodò charitas DEI manet in eo?

18. Filioli mei, non diligamus verbo neque linguâ, sed opere et veritate.

16. In this we have known the charity of God, because he hath laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17. He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, and shall shut up his bowels from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him?

18. My little children, let us not love in 'word, nor in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

The

Progressive charity is well described in these verses. sacred writer begins with the odium heaped upon the first Christians by their pagan neighbours. The light of Christianity was too strong, and dazzled the eyes of those who were still outside the fold. When they saw people, not perhaps as well educated as themselves, living in peace and harmony, just, pure, sober and faithful; when they saw their obscene idols and horrid orgies creating a sense of horror in the Christians, they began to hate them. The practices of Christians were a rebuke to them. In the words of Wisdom:-"Let us therefore lie in wait for the just, because he is not for our turn, and he is contrary to our doings, and upbraideth us with transgressions of the law, and divulgeth against us the sins of our way of life . . . . He is become a censurer of our thoughts. He is grevious unto us, even to behold: for his life is not like other men's, and his ways are very different. We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he abstaineth from our ways as from filthiness, and he preferreth the latter end of the just, and glorieth that he hath God for his father."-Wisdom ii. 12-16.

The first Christians were in this precise position and S. John comforts them by showing how like Our Divine Lord they were and how His beatitude "Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice' sake." A bond of charity should be formed among them from the very fact that the Grace of God took them out of the ranks of the evil ones and enrolled them among the saints.

The sign of this regeneration did not consist in a sense of it, or a feeling that it was there, or any other interior conviction of your own goodness, quite the contrary; all these convictions and assurances were not worth a straw if you did not love your brethren. If you loved your neighbour then you had some sign. about you of this enlightenment. This conviction he brings home to us by a wonderful process.

The first sign of the absence of light is want of love. If you do not love you abide in death.

The second sign of darkness is hatred.

You are then a

murderer and more deeply dyed than the mere non-lover.

What is the charity he requires?

The charity of God is the model. He laid down His life for You lay down your life for your brethren.

us.

Perhaps you have a fine generous soul, like those great lovers of humanity in the abstract and think you are ready to die a martyr to charity in order to save your brethren.

Try yourself first. When you see a brother in need and distress do you refuse an alms? If you do, all your grand speeches about charity are so much wind, and your notion of dying is very far from being real. You have not charity.

He then lays down the manner in which charity is to be shown -not in words and speeches, but in deeds, in almsgiving, in works of mercy, corporeal and spiritual-in truth, for God's sake and not for show, in those things which separate the just from the unjust on the Day of Judgment.

1The world. These are the people who lead selfish and comfortable lives, and who do not wish to have poverty mentioned in their presence.

2Death to life. We know this approximately and chiefly by the fruits. By their fruits you shall know them. To love the brethren in the way S. John points out is a good sign.

3Loveth not.-Not to love is not to be concerned about the miseries or misfortunes of others.

Hateth. He who really hates would kill, or rejoice in hearing of his enemy being killed.

"No murderer.-There is no sin so clearly a mortal or a deadly sin as murder. So, the voice of nations.

"Of God. This is omitted in the Greek, but the he which comes

afterwards, has Our Divine Lord for antecedent in S. John's manner of writing.

"For the brethren.-The cases in which we are obliged to do so are laid down by casuists. To save a soul is always a case in which we may give life although not obliged.

Shut up his bowels.-Hebraism for the seat of compassion.

'Word or tongue.-The love of our neighbour has to be proved by deeds, and indeed it generally is.

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19. In hoc cognoscimus quoniam ex veritate sumus, et in conspectu ejus suadebimus corda

nostra.

20. Quoniam si reprehenderit nos cor nostrum, major est DEUS Corde nostro, et novit omnia.

21. Charissimi, si cor nostrum non reprehenderit nos, fiduciam habemus ad DEUM;

22. Et quidquid petierimus accipiemus ab eo, quoniam mandata ejus custodimus, et ea quæ sunt placita coràm eo facimus.

23. Et hoc est mandatum ejus, ut credamus in nomine Filii ejus JESU-CHRISTI, et dili

19. 'In this we know that we are of the truth; and in his sight we shall persuade our hearts.

20. For if our heart reprehend us, God is 'greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

21. Dearly beloved, if our heart 'do not reprehend us, we have confidence towards God:

22. And whatsoever we shall ask we shall receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

23. And this is his commandment: That we "should believe in the name of his Son Jesus.

gamus alterutrum, sicut dedit | Christ, and love one another, mandatum nobis. as he hath given commandment unto us.

24. Et qui servat mandata ejus in illo manet, et ipse in eo: et in hoc scimus quoniam manet in nobis de Spiritu quem dedit nobis.

24. And he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him, and he in him: and in this we know that he abideth in us, from 'the Spirit which he hath given us.

Besides the external test of abiding charity, which consists in doing works of mercy, there is another and a better one, which each one has in himself-the testimony of conscience.

Conscience is the great rule of human actions, and their morality or excellence depend very much on the sort of conscience with which they are performed. It is defined by theologians to be, a practical judgment concerning the goodness or evil of an action just about to be placed.

When we are exhorted to love in truth, we are to be guided by our conscience into purity of intention in the performance of an act of charity. It must be purely for God's sake, in order to be perfect, and not mixed with vanity, show, publicity, or love of recompense.

In analysing the testimony of conscience, S. John is very clear. If the conscience tells us we are guilty of low motives in a high deed-God is more severe than our self-love permits conscience to be. If we are not upbraided by conscience, then we can approach Our Lord with greater confidence.

Purity of intention is one of the rare things to be met with in modern times. When lists and societies arrange themselves for charitable purposes, people subscribe, either through vanity, or for fear of obloquy, or to help on their business. The charity Our Lord recommends, and which S. John here insinuates, is that in which the left hand does not know what the right has done.

Purity of intention is defined by ascetic writers to be that clearness of eye which makes the whole body lightsome-doing all our actions in the sight of God, and anxious only to please Him. What the world may think, say, or do, is of small consequence to the servant of God. He only aims at pleasing God.

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