The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-08-21
c H R | S 7 An We.
BY REV. EDGAR LEAVITT.
Oshkosh, Wis.,

have seen in previous articles, hope
grows out of faith, so out of Christian
faith and hope grows Christian love.
There is no word so widely used and so
much abused as this word love. 1t has
such wide significance that it ranges
from mere fleshy attraction to the
mothers tender love for her child, and
to that pure, sacred, spiritual affection
which saint and archangel feel for the
infinite God. AS there is gradation of
law and gradation of life from its low
est and most incipent forms, up to the
throne of God, so is there gradation of
love from its lowest forms and express
sion up to the pure spiritual affections
of the soul. And the higher love as the
higher law recognizes and controls the
lower love.
The higher love includes and embraces
all that is pure and sweet in the lower.
Thus, though the conjugal love, and
the parental love may not reach the
pure and supreme height of the Chris
tian love, the Christian love hallows
and sanctifes them, and makes them
all the more blessed. The heather and
the unbeliever cannot experience the
Christian love, and the Christian him
self can experience it only in proportion
to his Christian attainment. The strong
er grows his faith, and the brighter his
hope, the stronger will grow his love.
1t is love for God, and love for men
as Gods heirs with us to the same glO-
rious final inheritance.
The characteristics of this love are !:
Glove suffereth long and is kind love
envieth not; love vaunteth not itself,
is not puffed up, doth not behave itself
unseemly; seeketh not it's own (that is
not over eager and over Jealous to in
sist upon the fullest possible measure
of its rights, is not provoked, taketh
not account of evil THAT is, does not
surmise evil, does not suspect, invent
or plan evil, as many do. Does not
lay up hard and revengeful thoughts for
evil suffered; rejoiceth not in unright
eousness (injustice), but rejoiceth with
the truth !; beareth all things, believ-
eth all things, hopeth alLthings, endur
eth all things" The sxpg words Of
the apostle describe the patient, quiet
benevolent man who hopes for the best,
puts the best construction on the acts
of others, is not suspicious or jealous
as many are, and feels good will to-
ward all human and brute kind. We
have all of us known few such. So
gentle, SO lovable, SO even minded and
sweet tempered that we felt as in an
angels presence while with them. How
blessed such life and experience must
be How many of the tolls and cares
and vexations of life must be saved
such one We often lay such con-
dition to natural disposition. No doubt
some come to it easier than others; but
it is a growth within the soul possible
to all, growing out of earnest endeavor
along with the enlarging faith and the
frightening hope.
Men and women who have been mar
row, suspicious, Jealous, selfish, fretful,
fractions, have learned the gentler,
sweeter way, and have attained unto it.
To one who thinks, experience and OBJ
servatiOn of the world must teach the
uselessness and foolishness of all that
is opposite to the characteristics men,
toned above. The longer we live, the
higher we estimate gentleness, and
think how appropriate is the saying,
Jesus Christ was the true gentleman. y
How unpleasant to others, and how
unhappy themselves must be the un-
gentle, the suspicious and the jealous
who are rough and overbearing who
suspect all evil of others, who them
selves are always lin their own estima-
tion) slighted.
Christian love is broad. 1t includes
ALL 1t finds some point of interest,
! some common human nature in every
human being. Some of us are exclu-
sive and grow more exclusive with the
years. We ought to remember that
grand saying of Marcus Aurelius 81
am human, and nothing human is for
eign to me- If we are inclined to-
ward learning, we affect the learned,
we are interested and happy with them,
we find nothing of interest or enjoy
ment with the unleaTned. We enjoy
literature, music, art. We become ex-
elusive toward all who are not also so in
clined. For the unliterary, the unmus-
ical, the unartistic, we have no affee-
tion. 1t is the same with many who
love wealth, society, fashion-and, shall
| say it ?-religion. All culture in
stead of broadening and deepening
their sympathies only narrows them;
and this is the great defect of much of
the culture, the wealth, the religion
even of to-day.
Love believeth all things, hopeth all
things, endureth all things" What,
ever we may say of conjugal love, pa
rental love, literary, artistic, musical
love, love of country, Christian love
must be broad and broadening
larging the sympathies, and the sphere,