316 THE KING’S now, if the bright light is shining, there will be absolute frankness' and unreserve in that day, and we shall lift up our faces without spot. 3. Thirdly, abiding. This,..., pf. course, is the apostle’s version o f the great chapter in the Gospel (1 5 ): “ Abide in Me, and I in you.” ,“ Abide in Me is the fourth of our Lord’s les sons, “ Come unto Me,” “ Learn o f Me,” “ Follow Me,’’ .“ Abide in Me.” . If you look carefully at this list in this epistle, you will find it is tworfold. We abide in Him and He abides in us. And if you study it still more carefully you will find it is associated with abid ing in Christ, and Christ in u s; abid ing in the word, and the word in us; abiding in God and God in us. And everything is summed up in 2 :17 : “ He that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” The life that lasts after the Montrose Conference is over. 4. Fourthly, confession. “Whso- ever confesseth” (4:15). This is the outward, as abiding is the inward, at titude of the soul. Confession is in tended to be a proof of the reality of those things which we possess, and you will notice them in a person’s ac tions. But I am concerned now clear ly with the believer’s confession of Christ as opposed to denial. Yester day morning we were concerned with the subject o f perils. There is a peril connected with Spiritualism, which has a bearing and must have a mention here. For in 4:2 is given the test of every spirit, “ Every spirit that con* fesseth that Tesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” I am told by those who have been at spiritualistic seances that the spirit never confesses that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh; that that test has been put again and again, and the spirit has never borne witness to a belief that Jesus Christ is God Incarnate. Now, in the believer’s life, there must be this con fession, and if we do not confess we shall probably soon cease to posses:;.
BUSINESS ' There is a curious truth in that old idea of whistling to keep up your cour age. Confess and you will keep up your position. St. Paul says: “ Hold fast the confession of your hope with out wavering.” ’ ' 5. Fifthly, prayer.. In 3:22 and 5:14, we have two references to prayer. And I will only ask you to notice the simplicity and reality of prayer in this epistle. We receive be cause we obey. We receive because we ask those things and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. There you have the reality ,and the simplicity. If you want answers to' prayer, obey, and according to your obedience blessing will come. 6, Sixthly, obedience. In obe dience I include the two terms in this epistle, “ walking,” which is not very frequent, and “ keeping His. command ments.” Obedience. Why is there so much in the New Testament about walking? Perhaps it is because walk ing is one of the three perfect forms of exercise. Cycling is not bad for those who cannot walk; but walking, run ning, and swimming are three perfect forms of exercise, because they bring into play every part of our physical being. That is why I suppose golfing is so useful to those who need it; it gives them full exercise. Now let us think of this: The walk of the Chris tian is intended to express everything that the Christian can be and do. “ That all my powers with all their might, In Thy sole glory may unite.” . That is the meaning of consistency. A consistent Christian is a Christian that stands well all round, held to gether in every part (Latin consisto, to stand together in every point ) bal anced, and strong, and beautiful. And, of course, inconsistency means weak ness somewhere, weakness in some part of the being, in some part which does not stand well with the other
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