The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1872-01-18
Ole 5rl()ulle.
THE POWER OF LOVE.
BY HENRY WARD BEECnER.


thousand people through all the intriea
cies Of the old forensic view Of the atone
ment It is easier to indoctrinate men II
the whole of the Calyiuistlc scheme-tht
five points of Calvinism it is easier t;
take them through the whole routine O
technical theology. than to ground them
in this one truth, that the law OF force
Is the law Of kinjaess-f middle, and
last kindness
Our impulse Is to press matters, first
lutwardly. and then. as the next higher
sep. re press them passionately. And
w organize SO IS to compel men with
aas, critics. There are very few who fee
that every step in life, taken when we
are dealing with the sentient souls ofo ul
fellow \ulen, is better taken when we take
in the eentleness of love, than when we
take it ly any form of rude force. There
are very few who feel that you are to be
kind to the CRYING, kind to those who
offend you kind 20 those who persecute
you, Il at despitefully use you and hate
you kind to those who would send you
to he'll if they could. There are very
few WHO feel that you are to be kind all
the time, and that you should make no
progress but that which you can make by
kip 1ness and gentleness, and that 1t Is
anti Christian to slap and pinch, and
lnock, and pierce, and hurt, and annoy.
How hard is is to get this into men ;
minds
Well, here I sit. talking as though L
were penetrated with this feeling; and
vet it may be that the first thing [ do to
morrow morning will be to overthrow my
whole doctrine, by severely Judging
some fellow man who has done wrong,
ard speaking harshly Of him, and justify
ing myself by saying, Well, he deserves
it."
/ 60 among good men, and [ see some
Who teach me lesson every time meet
them. Their patience is my master. Their
forbearance is my model. Their sweet
ness is my despair. [ see some persons
who | think have the mind and will OF
Christ. They are full of benevolence and
goodness. Their influence upon men Is
that which can only be produced by kind
ness. There are great many others
who are good in the main, who IN the
main i've right, who have very high
ideal Of life, but into whom you caa hard
" beat the thought that it is not their
o~ovir &C to sinite somewhere, CT some
time, or somehow that kindness i the
disposition which every man should toi-
ever carry, and that it Is by the coatinu-
oas force Of goodness, well applied. and
necessarily applied, that you axe to make
your way among mea.
The beauty Of it Is that when it is done
aud where it is done, it is invariably con
sistent with truth speaking. Was there
ever any body in this world that spoke
tae truth more fully than a mother to a
liz child? When was there ever IN
sneak .ng the truth love more tender and
mere gentle than mothers whose eyes
a.e full OF tears when the child 5 are dry,
j ;; eaking the truth to the child This
s,iri. of kindness and gentlenoss is not
inc y sistent with justice, i,r ioye Is the
h;-h st justice in the ua'svrae. God :
ia~t ecause he loves. y Sod without
loye IF you can conceive Of such God
is u God Of infinite injustice,
Most people think that when we speak
Of love and kindness, we moan more IN
difference that We mean benevolence
which is mere moonshinc that we near
a religion that is than and unfructiiying
that we mean an amiableness which /
without force. No. that is not what WI
mean. The love which was In Chris
Jesus, which wrought in the councils o
heavea, which brought the Son. of Cos
t. earth, and Which bore him througs
his human experience, and led him mt
tIetl scmane, and from Gethsemane t
Cavalry. and from Cavalry to Bethany
aud from Bethany, BY his ascension, bach
to Heaven, where he now holds matte
bv the right hand of universal power
that love is replete with force, and
edged with truth, and is radiant wit
Justice, and is itself supernal. 1t Is gle
rious 10 heaeen, and full of wonderful
blesse,Iaess on earth. And when we ar
disciples Of the Lord Jesus Christ,
shall know it BY this, that we love ou
felow-rnen, ana that cur hearts go cut
not only to those5who are 2 cd, bat l
those who are bad and more to thos
who are bad than to those who are good
that we may love them out Of their In
nerlections, and make them like tt
sons OF God.
Now, to be able 10 look at everybod
without Disgusting the truth, to be adj
to see things in their true light. but
he able TO see them in such large sp'r
of true human sympathy that you WIS
everybody well-that though they G
wroou, YOU wish them well, and WIS
they might be taught to do better;
be able to bear and forhear with men'an
to be lust, especially toward those VII
have no chance TO speak for themselves
toward the absent to be able to DC jus
in your thoughts aud never to severe
;,aee vour fellow-men in that silent cou
where we arraiga people without witne
ses aud examine them, and try then
and form our judgements of them; to
allie at al times, ani under all clreur
stances, to exercise a feeling OF sympati
= ~ ri