The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-04-14
"Let BrotherIy Love Continue"
BY REV. J. B. WALKER, D. D.

BY REV. J. B. WALKER, D. D.
When the penitent believer is just
tilted, the love of God is shed abroad
in his heart. Love is the first fruit of
the Spirit. Christ says to believers,
"Continue ye in my love-" and st.
Pauls word., which we have quoted,
are but All echo or repetition of Christs
works. The believer loves God be-
cause God first loved him. The un-
speakably precious gift is to be cher
ished and preserved as the riches tof
all our treasures and the source OF
brotherly love. The apostle says:
"Let brotherly love continue If we
do not retain it the fault Is ours so
don't hinder, don't drive it away. This
language surely implies that we may
hinder and expel this love from our
hearts. How may we do this? In
various ways. AS it was, when we be-
lieved, love was shed abroad in our
hearts so when we fall into doubts
our faith grows weak, and our love
grows cold. 1t is by living diligently
in the path of duty, and actively in the
use of the means of grace, we cherish
and keep warm in. our hearts love to
God and our brethren.
Another cause for this hindrance to
brotherly love is that when misunder-
standing arise between US and our
brethren we are too hasty in our con-
clusions as to the nature and intent Of
what our brother is said to have done
or said. We do not stop to inquire
about the surroundings and the mo-
tives of our brother, but suddenly, like
lucifer match, ignite into blaze Of
wrath, whereas little patience, little
vesttgation, would have cleared up
the matter, and pleasantly terminated
the difficulty.
Again, we sonnet ines fail to follow
the scriptural direction. We do not
first of all 60 to our brother alone in
the spirit Of love, and in the interest Of
peace, and talk with him, but talk with
A. B. and G perhaps in an excited
and bitter spirit. Such talks are most
always unpleasantly exaggerated, and
the case made worse than it was. Let
US in such cases do as the Master has
commanded, and most generally the
matter can be satisfactorily adjusted.
Then there are some who think more
highly of themselves than they ought
to think, and demand more considera-
ton than they deserve. Such are too
sensitive. They take as Sights and
contempt words and acts that were
never so intended.
The power and fruitfulness of BROTH
erly love has not been fully appreciated,
nor as generally exercised as II should
have been. 1t Is the grand test of
discipleship-a test internally to US
and externally to all men. Christ did
not say, as some of his professed mill
listers and disciples have done, IF ye
subscribe to certain creeds and stand
ards, all men shall know ye are Christ's
disciples" Or, ifye conform to certain
modes and forms of worship, are
Christ's disciples or if you have GER
tain ordars of men and certain forms
of Church government, ye are Chrlsts
disciples. No, but this he said: "By
this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples, if We have love one to an
other.n Had Christ's teaching been
needed, the Church would have pre-
sented an undivided front. With all
her energies concentrated she would
have marched forward with irresistible
steps TO the moral conquest Of the
world, and long ago the triumphant
shout would have rolled up from a
thousand lands, "Alleluia for the
Lord God omnipotent reigneth." But
alas instead this devinely appointed
plan, mere professed believers who had
a name to live, but were really dead,
became narrow-minded, intolerant, per-
scouting bigots, so that millions have
been prosecuted for righteousness sake,
prosecuted by all the cruel forms that
hnman malignity could devise:
imprisonment, confiscation, banish-
ment, torture and death by the sword,
wild beast, and the flaming stake. In
more modern times by the unspeakable
atrocities and horrors of the inqulsi-
ton, and by various acts of compulsory
con formity, and numerous legal 0isa.
bilities, to the unulterable wrong OF
millions, and to the unspeakable hurt
and hindrance of Christ's cause. The
grand and gracious spectacle OF mil
lions of men loving one another, in the
midst of this selfish and cruel world,
would have compelled belief in reli-
gion so unearthly, a religion that had
bower to work such vast and blessed
results. The proof of this Is before US:
the Church has more love than ever
before, and more power, and more sue
cess. She is doing not all her duty, but
far more than ever before along all lines
of evangelical aggressiveness. She is
giving millions for education, for
church building, for various, noble
charities, and millions to send forth
and sustain godly men and consecrated
women to far-of and long-benighted
nations to bring them to the glorious
light and liberty of the gospel. There
are fewer controversies, and the con:
troversies are less acrimonious and
bitter. Men are ceasing to believe that
men can be made Christians by COM
pulsion. Few now would initiate the
nigot who said: my brother, do you
love the Lord ?" and before ans wer
could be made, doubled his first, and
said IF you don't, will punch
you on the head, and make YOU" No,
it is love that drives the Churches
chariot wheels, and ali resistance must
Weld to love. So let brotherly love
continue, and abound more and more.
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