June - the Free Presbyterian church of Scotland

THEjf'rtt ~rt~b!'ttrianandMONTHLY RECORD._.._.- --_.._-j$laga?tntVOL. XXXVI. June, 1931.No. 2.Brotherly Love.THIS grace so often inculcated and commended in the NewTestament is of a heavenly origin. It does not grownaturally in the human heart. Its great incentive is God's loveto His people-" Herein is love, not that wc lovpd God, hutthat He loved us and sent His Son to be the pl'opitation forour sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to loveone another" (I. John iv. 10, 11). Again, the disciples werecommanded to love one another as their Lord had loved them(John xv. 10)-" A new commandment," He says, "I give untoyou, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye alsolove one another. By this shall all men know that ye arc mydisciples, if ye have love one to another" (John xiii. 34, 35).The Apostle Paul in writing to the Thessalonians commends themfor their brotherly love-" But as touching brothCl'ly love yeneed not that I write unto you; for ye yourselves arc taught ofGod to love one another and indeed ye do it toward all thebrethren which are in Macedonia; but we beseech you, brethren,that ye increase more and more" (I. Thess. iv. 9, 10). Itshone out clearly in the Christian life of the Ephesian believersand moved the Apostle to give thanks to God continually inhis prayers on their behalf for their faith to the Lord Jesusand "love to all the saints" (Ephes. i. 15). The same effectwas produced by the love which the Colossians had to all thesaints (Col. i. 4). The Apostle recognised in the mfll1ifestationsD