The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-08-31

THE DUTY OF THEDAY
REV. THOMAS oIxoNs LAST SERMON
AT CHARLES CITY.


FuIailment Of the Two Great Command
ments, Love to God and Love to Man,
VIII Solve All Financial and All Social
Problems.
CAPE CHARLES, Va, Aug. 27.-Rev.
Thomas Dixon, Jr., preached today the
last Of the summer series of sermons on
the problems Of Money" He will re-
turn to New York next Sunday and
take up tho work again in Association
hall. The text today was, John xiii, "a,
"a new commandment give unto you,
that ye love one another, even as have
loved you."
There is one sense in which we are too
familiar with tho Bible. We are hard
ened to It. In my college days we
were forced to attend preaching services
on Sunday, and consequently upon my
mind preaching made not the slightest
impression. The sound was too familiar
--unpleasantly familiar. knew the
theme in one sense too well-in q real
sense, not at all.
THE BIBLE TOO FAMILIAR.
A Boston woman lay dying in hos
pital, and the nurse was reading to her
from the New Testament. She read the
sermon on the mount. To her surprise
the woman looked up and asked her
who wrote that book, "That is q
wonderful bookl It will make its
author famous" We need to hear the
word Of God, it seems TO me, some
49,, a.. n, 41,;a ,ooo, ,,,o,nop boor1 ~ For
the first time. We need to take 1t lit
orally, to hear it thus and to believe that
its message is q real one to us.
The two great commandments that
sum up the duties Of life, love to God
and love to man-love to God through
love to man-how familiar we are with
them, and yet how little we really know
of them. And yet it is in the fulfllment
Of this simple law of Christianity that
we shall find the solution to the great
financial and social problem that presses
now upon us for solution.
The literal fulfllment of this, the great
est commandment, is the pressing duty
of today. Obedience to it means the
solution Of the problem of the ages, of
the salvation of the race, because:
First-Love is the fulfllment of the
law. 1t fulfills the negations of the law.
Love worketh no i'll to its neighbor;
therefore no man who loves his fellow
man can enter upon any business that
can result to the injury of his neighbor.
JUSTICE is LOVE.
At the touch of the fulfllment of this
law every gambling business, every sa.
loon and dive and brothel and question
able resort must perish.
Love cannot be unjust.
The master who loves his servant gets
from him the very highest service. The
general who commands the love of his
| soldiers gets the very highest order OF
soldier. The master who wins the love
of his servant is just to him. The gen
eral who wins the love Of his soldier is 9
just general.
Love seeks not simply its own, but the
| good Of another.
He who seeks the good Of another can,
not destroy another in the process Of at
tanning his own good. Love cannot take
| advantage Of misfortune. At the breath
Of love in the business world the bar
gain counter must disappear, and oul
taking advantage of our neighbours neces
| sites to drive hard bargain must bt
relegated to the age Of barbaric compe
tition. Every bargain counter is proc
lamation that somebody has failed; thai
some factory is closed; that somebody
who dreamed fair dreams of prosperity
and of success had broken heart and {
broken life.
Love is the fulfillment of the positive
commands as well as the negative ele
ments of law. 1t makes us to study
and to know each other. Ignorance ant
indifference are impossible if our hearts
are engaged. We do not know eacl
other. If we really loved our fellow
man, we would mako it our business t.
know him. 1t is difficult for us to sac
rifce for those we do not know.
LOVE AND TREASURE.
A preacher struggled to raise collec
ton for tho heather during the war il
his church. There was little or no re
sponse. While in the pulpit he received
telegram from the seat of war an
nouncing terrible battle, giving fear
full list of the dead and wounded, call
ing Immediately for supplies, for nurses
for lint, for food, for bandages and ply
sicians and for money to supply al
these needs. They passed around tht
contribution box, and it came back load
| ed-piled with money and with jewels
They took their rings from their fingers
| Women took their earrings from theil
ears. They piled them in the basket
and many of them were wet with tears.
Love fulflls the positive commands o.
the law. If we love, we will sacrifice
| Love will send us out after the people
who need us. 1t will make principle
not policy, the handspring of life. Low
| in tile heart Of man for his fellow mus
bring obedient action in thousand hu
man relations where now there is eter
nal conflict and friction. If we love, W.
are at one in wills. Christ said, "If "
love me, keep my commandments"
Second-Love not only fulfills the law
| but from the mountain peak Of fulfilled
| law opens the universe in which to eX
pand and to grow. "Love thy neighbol
as thyself," Higher love than this cannot
be required of man. Jesus said, "Loyt
one another, even as have loved you.
| For this climax we strive. The highest
| point in the development of love is this
divine climax. His love was matchless
because it was the love ofperfect human
| ity Jesus greatest discovery was him
self. The most marvellous revelation
II b. IA q l,ss