The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-25
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9 SERMON FOR The SHUT-INS &
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q "The Immortality of Love-" 2
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preached on Before Knights
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God. This IN the death spoken of in M
text This death f. the natural result Of
sin. TO be carnaily minded In death"
'fYe are dead IN trespaks ard sins
give ycu Hfs'' Death Is q negative thing
all the way through.
But there IL a more mysterious thing
still mentioned here, and that - life. Il
f. a more profound thing more eornpIi-
Gated. more enigmatical. VIVA; shall we
call e.? Motion. activity These belong
20 a. Intelligence? This certainly seems
necessary when describing man. But is
there not something nore2 Can we not
conceive " these ard yet get a very grow
cling idea OK lire2 Man is not a worm that
be should crawl. but a soul that he should
mount. Who made him. God. In whose
image His own. Then man cannot truly
live until God comes into his life and re-
stores traces OF Himself. What was man
originally? As near as we can get 20 il
in our laundering naterialis1n God In
flnitesimalized. What is God. as our
limited powers eepict him? Man in his
purest frame carried out TO infinity. There
Il then a spark OF divinity In man. Gods
life and mans life are one In kind, but
infinitely separated In degree. What IS
necessary to the life OF God must be
necessary 10 the life OF man. Separate
both from that and both must cease to
exist
And now ! am going to attempt the
seemingly impossible. ! am going 10
search FOR an exact definition OF God.
Philosophy does not help me. I find moth
ing there that viii answer. / search all
through the Holy Book. | find phases OF
His character. | build up a mosaic OF at
tributes but that Is a poor representation
OF God. / ponder the words OF
the Christ They fascinate me
with their spiritual conception: but
Christ did not come to describe
bus 10 manifest God. ! get away over
towards the back of the New Testament.
/ read a letter written by one John. He
has come nearer than anyone else to my
idea He sums up his definition In three
monosyIlsbles-two of them unnecessary,
because they bGt repeat the question
God Is love" One word comprises his
definitson-love. sublimity OF conception,
SuperiativeneSs OF rhetoric. Mountain
range Of truth piled on mountain range
Of truth, God is love, That satisfies me.
Now / understand Him because l. too.
love. Here then is the essence, the iden-
tity. the reality of His befng-lovei IL He
be this He must be all else attributed TO
Him. Love is an ocean fathonless shore
less. out OF which ali springs rise and
unto which ali streams run. 1t Is the
source and goal OF all things. Ii is the
cefter and circumference of the spiritual
universe. God Is infinite love- Infinite
love Is God Let US see how this definf-
ton will stand when applied TO all that
God is known 10 be. God Is omnipoteat.
What is that. i would like TO know. but
Infinite love working? God Is omnisciant
What IL that but infinite love watching?
God Is omnipresent. What is that but
INFINITE love moving with lightning rapid
ity? God is absolutely true? What is
that but infinite love perfectly sincere?
God is holy What is that but infinite love
pure? God is eternal What is that hut
Infinite love self-exlstent? Now divorce
this word from all these others and what
have you? A being terrible TO contem-
plate, a God distinguished by power with
out mercy. wisdom without compassion.
truth without condescension, holiness
without sympathy. A fearful conception.
Love then is necessary to the very exist
enoe OF God. and must be the motive of
His being. the interpreter IL His life Blot
out love and YOU will blot out God.
Love and True Life Identical
What Is necessary TO the existence of
God must be necessary 20 our spiritual
life. as that was created I'm His image.
We therefore become most like God when
we exhibit In our being that which dis
tinguishes His. Love is of God" There
fore he that loveth knoweth God. for God
II love" You can no more separate true
life and love than you can separate God
and love The moment you do so YOU
leave life bleeding. dying They who nave
learned most truly how to love. have
learned most truly how 20 live: and they
who have come under the dominance OF
love first 10 God and then 10 man. for
Gods sake. have the evidence In their
own hearts that they live. that they have
passed from death unto life. Spiritual
death is the absence OF love. Spiritual
lie i the warrant that love exists. as
love h the warrant that life Is. and is
ABUNDANT. The fruit Of the Spirit Is love
But the fruit OF the spiri; IS also life. II
Is the same Spirit who produces both. The
fruit OF the Spirit Is love. Suppose the
apostle had stopped there. he would have
said all that was necessary. because love
IN the case OF man. as I'm the case O..
God. l. all inclusive. Let US finish the
list as found n Galatians v.2e-1g: The
fruit OF the Spirit Is love. JOY. peace, long
suffering. geltleness goodness, faita.
meekness. temperance" Does not love
represent alIF What is Joy but love iubil-
anti What IL peace but love restfll .
What IL long suffering bat love patient ,
What * gentleness but love considerable /?
What Is goodness but love genuine? What
Is faith but love trHssing2 What IL meek
ness but love iowlyg What IS temperance
bat love under controle Now take away
this principle ~ love which underlies all
true character. ard what do these quail
ties ~ the Spirits fruit amount to- Tn ~
ce1so 20 Dc born OF the Spirit: for the
Spirit is God. and God il love. JOY would
become frivollty, peace inertia: long SUI
fcring indifference; gcntleness. inslpldity:
goodneS9 goodness; faith. credulity:
. fneekness. can't. temperance passive
ness. You see how quickly they become
hfcless because loveiess Love Is the very
blood 81 spiritual life. Hence. when the
life - sacrificed the blood fows shed
blood is shed love. Full b}ooded persons
easily bleed, Fun loved persons are ex-
trenely sensitive Love + the red word
90 the Scriptures. u means not only m
incarnate btt an tncaruadined Savior.
Greater Iowa can no man show than that
Z ne lay down his l{fe for another. Greater
life can no nan show than that he rsour
out his love for another. There - saatn
In living There T. also life IN dying A
loveiess lie Is DEATH: but dying love NAV
purchase lie eternal. We wuow that
We have passed nom death unto Use b.
cause We love thr brethren. lie thar
lovcth not aolGeth IN DEATH
\ Personal Word.
sir knights. have chosen this though ?
Tor nv Eastcr sermon % YOU because il
emphasizes the immortality % love. and
that IS TIE central thought % yeur order.
4 Though have read extensively the
volumes loaned NE By one q your nom
hers asa have been the more interested
the further ] have read. Y would - ah-
SURF IN me 70 site u1rt 70 preach - vo,,
concerning the mysteries ard virtues or
Trnsplary I notice that authors differ as
- how Tar L Is masaaIc 81 character.
some treating Il as a chtsulr0Us specis< q
-