I be hid." He had never known what it was to love and delight in the face or manifested presence of God: but he had felt its protection, and to that he now saw he had completely lost all claim.

There is some little difficulty in understanding his fear of being murdered: we know not how long a time had passed since his own and his brother's birth, and whether other children had been born to Adam and Eve: or whether Cain was looking forward to the increase of the human race as what would endanger him. Neither have we any thing to tell us what was that mark which God set upon him, whereby his life was to be given to him for a prey in all places where he went. But these particulars are of little importance: the Bible is never intended to gratify curiosity, whilst in all matters where we need instruction, it gives it to the very utmost extent that we can desire. And much and deep is indeed the instruction which is to be gathered from the history now before us. May God by His Spirit open our hearts that we may attend to it.

If we turn to the 3rd chapter of 1 John, we find the history of Cain and Abel brought forward for our learning, and here is the truth which the Apostle by that history would put

before us. "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." He then that loveth not his brother is not of God; how plainly speaks the word in this matter! "For this is the message (or commandment) that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain who was of that wicked one and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." Here then we are told what we find also expressed in the next chapter of this Epistle, that "love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John iv. 7, 8.) In Cain we see an example of what is the state of every unconverted heart-that is of every heart that has not yet been born again. Cain was led on by the devil to whom he had yielded himself up, and the hatred which was in his heart working unrestrained to the uttermost, made him at last guilty of his brother's blood. But the same root of evil which produced murder in the case of Cain, lies in the heart of every fallen creature; and in the eyes of Him who searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins

He

that root is seen to be what it really is. "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer." You may be tempted to say; Yes, but surely it is only a few persons who are really guilty of hating their brother. Hear then the same truth put in these words, "He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." (chap. iii. 14, 15.) Do we not hereby learn that in God's sight the absence of love is that which marks the presence of hatred in man's heart? By nature, and until the grace of God change the heart, man does in fact love only himself. There may be much of what we call good nature, and good temper in the heart; qualities which attract the love of our fellow-creatures, and which are indeed valuable as promoting happiness in those about us. Still if we try things by the light of God's word, and God's Spirit, we shall find that all these natural pleasing qualifications may be there, and yet the root which alone can bear the real genuine fruit of love, have never been planted within us. If you feel unable to understand this, yet believe it on the testimony of God's word. That (as we have seen) plainly asserts, that "love is of God."

By this try yourself and your love. Say that you have kindly feelings in your heart, and that you find it hard to condemn your

self for a want of love: yet, try your love of what nature it is. As we find in nature, the wild and uncultivated fruit or flower bearing some faint resemblance to the more perfected species, so as sometimes to gain for it the same name as that, whilst yet for beauty or usefulness, we see the wide difference between the two; even so is there in the uncultivated or natural heart continually found that, which because men know of nothing better, they imagine to be the real "fruit of the Spirit." Is your love from God, or springs it of itself in your heart? Has it been produced there by your knowledge of God, or is it something which as we may say, has nothing to do with God, but springs from yourself, and goes out to others because of what they are to you?

A further trial of your love may be thus proposed to you. What are your feelings towards God's people, towards those whom you are conscious are more truly lovers of God than yourself? If the love which we profess to find in our hearts come from God, then will it be especially drawn out towards those who have most of God in them. If we love because the Spirit of the Father is in us, then we shall love His children. "Every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is

begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments." (1 John v. 1, 2.) This is a point on which men do so much deceive themselves, that it cannot be too earnestly pressed upon your attention. How often do we hear men drawing comfort from the circumstance (as regards either themselves or others) that there is a good heart, by which is meant a kindly nature; and that no harm has ever been done to others. And what a vain, miserable “refuge of lies" is this, if it be found that the very virtue which is imagined to be there, is something utterly without existence in the sight of "God the judge of all men:" and that He, knowing the truth, will say of such "good hearts" as these, "Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes ?" (Isaiah v. 4.)

Let us return again to the case of Cain, and remember how it was with him. His heart remained unreconciled to God, and therefore filled with enmity against his brother. He hated his brother because of his superior righteousness, and of the favour with which God regarded him. Had Cain known the love of God to himself he would have loved God, and have loved his brother also.