The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-05-27
The Supreme Object of Affection.

In every heart there is a supreme
others are subordinate. This place is
occupied by single object. We may
cherish deep interest in many things.
Many things may occupy large place
in our affections, but, of necessity, one
object only occupies the chief or highest
place. To this object, whatever it may
be, the life is supremely devoted. AS
we may love many things, so we may
be engaged in an earnest pursuit of
many objects, but the great end of life
is the securing of the one object upon
which we have set our supreme love.
In the gospel God comes to us demand
ing for himself and the reward of his
service this one supreme place in our
hearts. He asks us to eXalt him to the
throne of our affections, and to hold
every form of temporal good strictly
subordinate to our regard for him. He
permits us to be deeply interested in a
great variety of temporal objects. We
may love many things, but all temporal
objects which we possess and value
must ever be to us simply the gifts of
God, and they must occupy only sub
ordinate place in our hearts. If our
love of temporal things is consistent
with supreme love to God, if we are
really giving him the first place in our
hearts, these things will be to us a
manifestation of his loving kindness
and tender mercies, and they will serve
to increase our love for him. In their
enjoyment our hearts will rise from
the good things enjoyed to the gracious
giver. By the action of our hearts
in this regard we may test the gen.
uineness of our love of God and the
character of our love of the temporal
objects in which we are especially
interested If we are conscious that
our enjoyment of temporal good
increases our love of God, we may &C
cept this fact as an evidence that we
are loving him with a supreme and
| heaven-born affection, and it may be
regarded as presumptive evidence that
our enjoyment of the good things of
this world is such as God can regard
with favor If our interest in our bust.
ness and the enjoyment of our recrea-
ton and amusements serve to increase
our enjoyment of God, we may assume
that they are such as he will APP
prove. But if our interest in these
things units us for the enjoyment of
God in his worship, or in the service to
which he calls us, then the presump-
ton must be that we are giving them a
place in our hearts that belongs to him,
and that we are deceived in our profess
sion of giving him the first place in our
hearts. But as God demands the SUI
preme place in our hearts, so he re-
quires us to make his service the great
end of our lives. And if we are really
doing the one, we are necessarily do
ing the other. We are supremely de-
voted to the object which occupies the
first place in our hearts. If we are
giving God and the reward of his serv-
ice the supreme place in our affections
then our supreme interest is in spir-
itual and eternal things. Then we be-
lieve that " mans chief end is to Clio.
rify God and to enjoy him forever
and we are devoting ourselves to this
object. We have here, then, test OF
discipleship. If our highest interest is
in the pleasures and pursuits of this
world, they are to us the supreme good
In other words, they are our god, and
in these things we may expect to have
our portion. If our hearts are set on
spiritual things, if our chief interest is
in the honor of God and in the welfare
of lost men, we have right to believe
that we love God supremely, and that
through his grace we are heirs of eter.
nal ife.-PreSbyterian Preacher.