, 1886-04-04

through all the dust aud amidst all the noise,
and in the jar Of conflict among US, 1 am
glad OF this row. | am. 1t was when the
stone was rolled away that the Saviour
could get out OF the tomb and
angels took his place. And l see in
the clash and upsetting here and there
the fair steps of a coming condition that will
be better for both ends OF society; roadjust-
ments that win lead them relatively nearer to
each other md to be more helpful to each
other. For after all the law OF benevolence
Is the law OF wisdom, just as much on the
grindstone as 1t is at the altar; just as much
in the stithy and over the anvil as II is In
the church and temple Of God. And anything
that tends 10 make men love one another and
sympathize with one another, and the strong
to be protectors OF the weak, bringing society
thus together in the bonds Of love, pros
pers men In every relation and I'm every
way. What a. mean, starveling idea
of the gospel men have had How
they preached TO me In my early
days they do not dare TO say a word to
me now; how they used TO say, "Why don't
you preach the gospel Why do you NEEDLE
with slaveryf1 Their idea Of the gospel was
n ritual - contained in the catechism.
You could put the gospel up in type,
and lock IL in a book. They would examine
II man, and II he knew his liturgy and doc
trine he was qualified to preach the gospel
That was like saying that a boy who
could repeat the multiplication table was
a good merchant. It is an incident OF mer-
chandise, but what Of itl What is the
gospel IL is life. What lifei Love-life.
1t is the opening OF the soul TO the current
Of o love. 1t is coming into
sympathy with all those elements that the
the ages have produced. 1t is TO make a man
love men more than he loves himself, or as
much. 1t Is not a thing OF the head, it is a
thing OF the pocket, a thing of
the heart, a thing Of industry,
a thing Of universal union everywhere. 1t
Is the great law Of love made wonderful by
the act of God, that sent His own son because
He so loved the world, and died for it. And yet
look what the churches nave been. and what
tests Of piety nave been, what orthodoxy has
meant; anything but that distributive love,
as sunlight, works carrying light and heat.
am not disturbed in this great evolution,
for / shall not call il revolution. |
am not at all disturbed by fears of
anarchy nor violence, except for n moment.
God reigns, and this is a part of that great
unfolding that he supervises. And God never
stops for mans fear. God governs by fixed
laws. Men cannot escape them. Underlying
all theories, all experiments, all legislation are
natural laws. Men want TO make money out
Of paper; there is a great law that has 10 be
consulted; and the attempt of government to
say that this, that or the other thing shall be
property is as absurd as it would DO for
the legislature to vote that the ten
commandments do not exist. They don't in
many parts of Washington, but in the nation
they do. There are great elements running
through society maintained by God, who
never slumbers nor sleeps and who sees tho
end from the beginning. that are
bringing up all mems courses; and
! think more Of God than l do of human
wisdom. Patience, hope, courage, Justice
these should be our watchwords. We can
wait. We can see partial fulfllments, and
beyond we shall see the fulhllment of tho do
signs Of God.