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Observe here, 1. What great plainness of speech St. John uses with and towards such persons as call themselves Christians, and pretend to fellowship with God, but yet hold communion with sin, he says, they lie.
O how well does fervour, vehemency, and impartiality, become the ministers of Christ in reproving sin! Health is found in those smart wounds which ministerial reproof makes.
Observe, 2. St. John speaks in the first, not in the second person plural; if we say, not if you; if we apostles and ministers, as well as if you disciples and members of Christ, be guilty of this hypocrisy, we lie, and do not the truth; he does not say, and speak not the truth, but do it not; there is a twofold lie, the lie of the lip, and the lie of life, and the latter is the louder of the two; they lie, because they do not the truth. The sum is, that a profession of piety and religion, accompanied with sin and unsuitable walking, is odious hypocrisy abhorred by God and man.
Observe, 3. The practice of the sincere and serious Christian, he walks in the light; that is, in the clear knowledge of the gospel, and in the exemplary and exact performance of his duty. Walking implies motion, it is a voluntary motion, an uniform and even motion, a progressive motion, a constant motion. To talk of religion is easy, but to walk wisely before God and man in the practice of our whole duty, requires diligence and circumspection.
Observe, 4. The pattern after which the Christian walks, and that is God; he walks in the light, as he is in the light; God is in the light, that is, all his actions are exactly pure and holy, and our walking must for the quality of it, be holy, though for equality it cannot be so holy as God is holy.
Observe, 5. A double privilege secured to such as walk in communion with God, we have fellowship one with another; justification by Christ, the blood of Jesus Christ, cleanseth from all sin.
Note, 1. Such as walk in the light have a certain fellowship and communion one with another,.
Oh! How great is our dignity! How gracious Christ's dignation! How high are we exalted! How low is he abased! The second privilege follows: