Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-11-09
FOLLOWERS IN LOVE,

Profound and Lucid Sermon by
Professor Ladd-The Point of
View and Motives of Love.
At the College street Congregational
church yesterday morning Professor
George T. Ladd preached a profound and
lucid sermon. It is seldom that logical
exactness is so combined with an interest
ing style. The text was from Ephesians,
v. l: "Be ye therefore followers of God,
dear children" The sermon was in
brief:
The instinct of imitation is one of the
strongest of educating forces. Nowhere
is the instinct of imitation more intense
the habit of imitation stronger than in the
relations of the family. And it is as
children of God that we are here asked to
follow our heavenly father. We love
God because he first loved US, and if God
hath loved us we ought also to love one
another, because we are made brethren by
divine love. The secret of divine being is
love, for God is love, and the secret of man 4
quality has been added to it. If, then, We
would be like the divine one in love we
must get the divine point of view of what
love is. Christians love each other so lit
tie because they see them SO little as God
does. Let us once see in every Christian
brother what the father of family sees
there, then we shall begin to feel as the
father of the family feels.
We must become like God in the way oil
viewing the objects of love, which in this
case is man. Now no man can love his
fellows when he looks upon him with
whom he may traffic with mutual ad-
vantage. Science looks on man as a splen
did animal. Improbable in rare degree
but still having the traces Of savage and
perhaps brutal degradation from which he
is just emerging. Viewed by eithe,
of these lights we cannot love man in the
way we ought. Nor do we love our asso
ciates when we consider them merely as
those beings with passions like ourselves
we have firted and danced and exchanged
calls and met for spare hours of gossip
But if Christians would be like God il
their way of loving each other, they mus
be like God in viewing man. God looks
on man as priceless, deathless soul. HI
looks en- every Christian as a redeemed
and consecrated soul
The motive Of love must also be regarded
from Gods point of view. If love is to b.
God-like, the motives cannot be sordid
The sweet example of the lord is a power
full motive for those who love him; why
they like him should love their brethren
That we bless men by loving them is also
a motive. Who loves most is most like
God.
Our business life is educating us to looi
on man from wrong points of view. But
we cannot keep the exhortation of Paal by
choosing right points of view; we
must also become like God in
exercising the emotions which flow out Of
love. In your anger, which should be thai
of love, in pity, in sympathy, in courage,
in martial spirit, in hope and in good
cheer. Let US follow God in patience
fidelity, generosity, gentleness and self
surrender. Finally, we arctic be like Goo
in the practical activities which administer
our love, There are three kinds of God
like work: In doing what relieves or tends
to remove suffering, in doing what re.
strains or cures sin, in doing what pro-
duces holiness and blessedness on the
earth. Your master workman is youl
Father. Follow him, dear children, follow
him, and you shall see the work which
maketh vice ashamed.