Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI — John Shaqi
Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXIMaclaren, Alexander
Religion
Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI
Maclaren, Alexander
Bible. John -- Commentaries
I dread talking mere sentiment about this matter, for there is perhaps
no part of Christian duty which has been so vulgarised and pawed over
by mere unctuous talk, as that of the fellowship that should subsist
between all Christians. But I have one plain question to put,--Does
anybody believe that the present condition of Christendom, and the
relations to one another even of good Christian people in the various
churches and communions of our own and of other lands, is the sort of
thing that Jesus Christ meant, or is anything like a fair and adequate
representation of the deep, essential unity that knits us all together?
We need far more to realise the fact that our emotions towards our
brother Christians are not matters in which our own inclinations may
have their way, but that there is a simple commandment given to us, and
that we are bound to cherish love to every man who loves Jesus Christ.
Never mind though he does not hold your theology; never mind though he
be very ignorant and narrow as compared with you; never mind though
your outlook on the world may be entirely unlike his. Never mind though
you be a rich man and he a poor one, or you a poor one and he rich,
which is just as hard to get over. Let all these secondary grounds of
union and of separation be relegated to their proper subordinate place;
and let us recognise this, that the children of one Father are
brethren. And do not let it be possible that it shall be said, as so
often has been said, and said truly, that 'brethren' in the Church
means a great deal less than _brothers_ in the world. Lift your eyes
beyond the walls of the little sheepfold in which you live, and hearken
to the bleating of the flocks away out yonder, and feel--'Other sheep
He has which are not of this fold'; and recognise the solemn obligation
of the commandment of love.
II. Note, secondly, the Sufficiency of love.
Our Lord has been speaking in a former verse about the keeping of His
commandments. Now He gathers them all up into one. 'This is my
commandment, that ye love one another' All duties to our fellows, and
all duties to our brethren, are summed up in, or resolved into, this
one germinal, encyclopaediacal, all-comprehensive simplification of
duty, into the one word 'love.'
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