The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-06-14

stars Now can sail in the darkest night upon
the widest seas" The ancient navigators
creeping cautiously from headland TO headland
and counting voyage beyond the pillars OF
Hercules 10 be most adventurous, and these
latter yoyagers turning their prows westward,
traversing unmeasured wastes and discovering
to human knowledge new world beyond the
sea, suggests the difference between living by
precepts and commandments and living by
principle.
In this word love Christ has given us great
principle, thousand exigencies arise for
which no book of precepts could give us direc
ton we need one simple law to guide us thro
all That law Is love.
II is to be applied as between individual and
individual. Does any difference or controversy
arise; Here is the determining principle. What
does love requirey
1t is to be applied in the solution of all indus.
trial controversies. We live in a time of great
social unrest. There are those who prophesy
social revolution-greati industrial revolt. What
is the occasion OF these murmurngs and II reat-
enings. The answer is plain. We have been
attempting TO erect our social structure on
basis essentially weak and unstable. We have
made seliishness the corner stone We have
said let every man seek his own, and under the
benitcent law OF competition, that Is, of selfish
nes every man will receive his proper allotment.
1t has not worked out that way. The strong
have triumphed over the weak; the few have
made themselves masters; many have become
their servants. We have been building ON q
wrong principle. There Is but one solution.
We must examine these problems in the light
There is no other possible way.
We must apply this law in religious affairs.
The test of church, q sect, system OF doc
trine is that it conform to the law OF love. Any
church that narrows the sympathies any sect
that wealxens the sentiment of humanity, any
system of doctrine that checks the flow of
brothery affection, is church, sect doc
trine that stands self condemned. When Mr..
Cary proposed to that assembly OF Baptist min
listers q take my illustration from Baptist his
tory that NAV not by any possibility seem in
vidious) when Mr. Cary proposed his plan of
preaching the gospel TO the heather, Mr.. Ry
lance presiding over that assembly sternly
rebuIed him: "Sit down young man; when
God Almighty desires to save the heather he
will do it without your help or mine" The old
hyper alvnism pronounced its death warrant
in those words. Any doctrine that sets itself
across the sentiment of humanity and the in
stict of brotherhood is thereby self-condemned.
III any system OF doctrine seems to do so, either
that doctrine is false or you are false to the
doctrine.
Christ came, also bringing in love as the great
motive of life. Men not only need q law to
TO determine the right but more even
than that they need motive sufficiently pow
erf to induce them to do the right The COS
pei offers as that motive-love. Selfinterest
is powerful motive but commonly mis-dlrected
and spent on unworthy ends. Duty is a lofty
motive but for any save the noblest natures not
sufficiently powerful. Love points the way and
love alone is potent to urge US in that way.
The great heroes of the world have been
moved TO their heroism by the courage born OF
love. Whether it has been Jacob serving for
Rachael, or Jonathan cleavlng TO David, or
Ruth clinging to Naomi; or whether 1T has been
a Brutus, an Alfred, a Washington or Lincoln,
moved to a supreme effort by the love they bore
their country; it has always been love that has
prompted the greatest heroisms.
Ask this man Paul the secret of his labors and
self sacrifices. Few men have toiled as he.
None have suffered more than he. Listen to
the recounting of his tolls. Thrice was beat
en- with rods once was stoned, thrice suffered
ship wreck, II night and day have been in
the deep, in journeyings often, in perils of
water, in perlS of robbers, in perils by mine
own countrymen, in perils By the heather, in
,slg Tho a
in perils in the sea, in perils among false
brethren in WEAKNESS and painfunesS,
in watchings often, in hunger and thirst,
in Hastings often, in cold and nakedness." Ask
him the motive that inspired him, the power
that has sustained him, ana he makes answer
mark it well-it is love, the Glove of Christ"
that has constrained him.
The Crmean war was bitter and protracted
struggle. 1t abounded in heroic deeds. Cour
age, obedience, devotion-the great military
virtues-were never more resplendently dis
played. AT the close OF that war q numberof
English officers of high rank participated in n
farewell banquet. The discussion turned upon
the brave deeds and heroic achievements. The
query was raised as to which of all the great
regulations made in the war would be likely
longest to survive; what name would go down
in history most inseparably associated with
that struggle 1t was agreed that each officer
present should write privately upon slip of
paper the name he regarded as most honorable
One by one the slips were silently collected.
Upon each 1t was found had been written the
same NAME 1 do not need to tell you what the
name was. LII Is name InaJ nus DecOHe u
household word in every land. TWAS the name
of woman. That name was-Florence Night
engale. And who was Florence Nightingale?
She was young woman who left a home OF
wealth and luxury, left noble companions and
fashionable associates, that she might give her
life service Of love, TO the poor soldiers, suf'
fering and dying in the poorly equipped English
hospitals. You have heard the story many
times. How the suffering soldiers came to love
her; how lips familiar hitherto only with ours
ings, found words with which to bless her; how
voices that had never prayed, prayed for her;
how they hung upon her presence and kissed
her very shadow as 1t passed upon the wall
The heroism of humanity is the truest, the
courage of love is the noblest that the world
knows
And now to these yovng people. to whom life
opens today so invitingly, have. in closing but
a single word To few Of us is it given to live
great lives for all of us it is possible to live
loving lives. All else passes. whether there
be prophecy it shall fail; whether there be
tongues they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge it shall vanish away" 1t Is only
love that never faieth." Take 1t as rule of
your life. Draw from it the inspiration of your
service. Such life cannot fail. 1t is endowed
with glorious Immortality "And now abideth
faith, hope, charity, these three, but the
greatest of these Is charity