The times., 1899-05-22
THE LOVE OF GOD.
An Eloquent Discourse at the Church
of the Covenant.

An Eloquent Discourse at the Church
of the Covenant
Rev. Teunis S. Hamlin pastor Of the
Church of the Covenant, delivered an in
teresting sermon yesterday morning to a
congregation that filed the large and
handsome church. His subject was Learn
ing to love- and took as his text II Peter,
i:7: In love OF the brethren-love. He
said in part
The love of brethren is limited, while
the last part of the text-love-is univer-
need TO learn to love or that it is neces-
sary to study it. You suppose love TO be
purely natural, spontaneous and can take
care OF Itself. But love, like all other
arts. must be studied and perfected. In
labor of the body or mind, where great
things are accomplished by man. the
greatest blessing which is bestowed on
him is natural aptitude for his work.
In order to do his best he must be taught.
Men may not accomplish without learning.
The most natural thing in the world for
man to do is TO breath. But how few
persons breathe properly. A singer must
be taught TO economic breath, else he can
not sustain his voice. An infant must he
taught to walk, to sit, and stand Our
hands are very useful members of our
body, but we must learn their use. There
is an age when there seems to be no
place for them, when they give us ronsid-
cradle trouble, and, strange as it NAV
seem, the larger the room, the less COM
Portable and easy place there is for the
hand. In course Of time We overcome this
awkwardness caused by ignorance of their
use. and the hand may be said TO be the
best friend of man on this earth. Men
expect religion TO be spontaneous and com
plete, when we first take God into our
hearts. To live Christian life is a most
complicated art, and must be learned Cne
does not expect TO be educated when he
first enters college. To learn how not to
live IN intermediate Christian life requires
training. Christ devoted years and years
TO teaching his twelve disciples how to
love and live and follow his rule, Love
ye one another
When We speak Of love our thoughts
naturally turn to man woman. This
most primitive and divine love-how un-
worthily and trivially is IL treated how
subjected 10 idle jest and lightly handled.
The gown in which a woman is to be mar
| ried is more thought of than the love which
is to bind her for life in marriage Why?
Because we think love will take care of
itself Far better would II be for an
artist to leave his colors to mix themselves
| than man and woman should leave a life's
love to wax and wane. In married life
there will always be disappointments, and
one must learn to overlook the faults in
their helpmates, and learn to make their
love overlook them or else it will perish
Parental love must be learned, cultivated
and developed. Men continue TO sneak
and write on the affections of a mother
on the love of a father, but unless a
| mother and father cultivate the ntuitive
affection for their child, they will not
love them in the highest phrase. We must
learn TO love the child more than enough
10 correct by nasging him, and to punish
them that they might themselves learn
What would the love of parents be were il
not for a natural intultive affection. If
without this foundation, could parent
love its babe? Between God and man
there is not intuitive affection, on the
part of mankind
1T is idle to say that such love is
| natural, ii is not; II is hard to acquire and
must be learned. But Peter tells how IL
may be done. In love of brethren-love.
II is easy TO love thy brethren, it is hard
to love mankind. God does not send the
knowledge of love for him. as a gift simply
TO be accepted. 1t must be learned. He who
says Il love God and who hates his fellow
| man is liar. How can he who does not
love that which he has seen, love that
which he has nc; seen? We know of
Gods goodness only by testimony. Do we
love the Rhine because we have heard that
1t is beautiful. No, but we do love our
picturesque Potomac, because 1t is here
with US. He who says that he loves the
Alps, never having seen them, and thinks
nothing of the hills and dales about him
is liar. We must not wait for the love
of God to fall on us as a shower from
the skies. But we must learn to love him
through loving our fellow man. The love
Of husbands and wives. the love OF parents
and children. of friend and neighbor, man
and mankind, then comes the love of God"