June 1

Saturday of the First Week after Easter

He that hath the Son hath life. 1 S. John 5:12.

IT was man's sin that, "when He came unto His own, His own received Him not;" but "to as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in His Name." "He gave them power," which by nature they had not and could not have—here is the grace and gift of God; but "to as many as received Him"—here is the will of man, although enabled and receiving power to receive Him from God. He does not say here "He made them sons of God" (although when we receive Him, He doth so make us, for none can make us the sons of God save God Himself by the Spirit of adoption), but here He goes farther back and says "He gave us power." He wishes at the same time to show thee that not even grace cometh upon us anyhow, but on those who wish for it, and take pains about it. He doth not give to us unwilling, but if we ourselves will it and consent and long for it. How, then, may we know if we have this faith? How do we know that our bodies live? As, says a holy man, we discern the life of this body by its motion, so also the life of faith by good works. The life of the body is the soul, whereby it is moved and feels; the life of faith is love, because by it it worketh, as thou readest in the Apostle, "faith which worketh by love."

This grace on Thy redeemed confer, Father, coequal Son, And Holy Ghost the Comforter: Eternal Three in One.