The Progress., 1897-08-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for August "a
1S97-TLe Excellence of Christian
Love-; Corinthians 1918.

faith. hope, ATTY tiiesS tA.eS'
greatest of tn sc IS charity.-l Cor 1913.
THE SECTICS includes chapters l. ana
- EXPLANATORY NOTES.
T The Soul, the Life, the Heart of
christianityIsL ove.-Ns.1- 3. l.. Ihoush
I speak with the tongues of men end OF
angels. Although 1 have the gift OF
tongues bestowed by the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost, can express in every IAN
ruare with the utmost eloquence, every
rapt emotion, every highest experience
and ecstasy of the human heart 'ha'
harp of a thousand strings" yea
though I have eloquence and the per-
feet language of the angels. and have
not charity" Love, a word as 1mpossl-
BILE to define as it is impossible to de-
fine life. Il am becoming as sound
ing brass:" Not musical instrument
made of brass, which has some dignity
about it, but to a piece of gathering
brass, which makes senseless noise.
The same brass Of which We're made
the thinking DIETER changing, as r. W
cymbal," large, broad plates OF brass,
crashed together by the hands. 1t is
mere noise, and nothing more.
2. "And though I have the gift OF
prophecy" i. e., the gift of speaking
Gods will, not confined to predicting
future events. "And understand all
mysteries:" The hard questions that
had perplexed rabbis and people, the
dark things Of Gods providence, and
His Word, and His world; the enigmas
Of the age which all philosophers had
failed to answer. And all knowl-
edge" The truths revealed and known,
the whole range of Christian doctrine.
"And though I have all faith" Not
saving faith, but miraculous faith; the
faith by which persons were enabled
to work miracles. 80 that could re-
move mountains" as promised in Mat
thew 1920; 21:21. The highest and
strongest faith as 10 miracles. "And
have not charity" He does not assert
that one can have these things without
charity. but says if he could. II am
nothing" A moral cipher, without
any moral worth or significance what
ever; weighed in the balances and
found wanting.
3. Though bestow all my goods to
feed the poor" He may do all this
from vanity, or from the fear of perdi-
ton, or to purchase Heaven. So the
Pharisees did, to be seen of men. give
my body to be burned:" AS martyr,
but from pride, or sef-glory, instead of
love for Christ. Even of these things,
which Christ SO praises in Matthew 25,
when done without love, it must be said,
lit profiteth me nothing" There is no
virtue in it to be rewarded.
Love is a compound thing, Paul tells US.
1t is like light As you have seen a man OF
science take a beam Of light and pass 1t
through a crystal prism, as you have seen
1t come out on the other side Of the prism
broken up into Its component colors-red.
and blue, and yellow, and violet. and
orange. and all the colors Of the rainbow
so Paul passes this thing, love, through
the magnificent prism OF his inspired in
teilect, and 1t comes out on the other side
broken up into its elements. And in these
rev words We have what one might call
the Spectrum of Love. the analysis of Love
WIN You observe what its elements are?
VIII you notice that they have common
names: that they are virtues which we
hear about every day; that they are things
which can be practised by every man
In every place in life: and how by a null
titude of small things and ordinary viz