The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-22
THE GOLDEN RULE OF LIFE
Rev. Frank NJ. Bristol breaches
About Love and Its Influence.
Text Taken From PauI's Teachings
Faith Not the keynote of Happi-
ness Leads to Intolerance - The
History of Divine BencvOIence.

Faith Not the Keynote of Happi-
ness Leads to Intolerance - The
History of Divine BenevoIence.
At the Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal
Church yesterday morning Rev. Frank NJ.
Bristol spoke on the subject, THE Great
est of These Is Love-" his text being
taken from the thirteenth verse, the thir-
teenth chapter of Corinthians. He said.
in part:
Words such as these have a peculiar
significance coming from the mouth of
Paul, who before his enlightenment, was
n preacher of persecution Formerly he
thought that of all great virtues loyalty
to the authorized creed and dogma was
the greatest. He would have said in his
first days Of preaching, The greatest of
these is faith He thought that he was
doing service to his religion. and his
Lord when he consented to the death of
Stephen. He thought that 1t was right
to breathe out death and destruction to
all who believed otherwise than he be-
lieved.
THE people who think that the great
est of these is faith are always bigots
and harsh. There were the Jews, who
cruciied Christ, and sacrificed him to
their idea of faith because he did not be-
lieve as they did. There were the Cath
olics, who sent Savanarola to the stake
because he dared to take liberties with
his own thoughts, and to intimate that
Catholicism might not be inVulnerable at
all points There was the Protestant
Church, which drove away the Pilgrims.
and finally there are the Pilgrims in our
own land who drove away Roger Will
Jams. They We're all intolerant because
they believed that the greatest of these
is faith.
There is no intolerance in those who
believe that the greatest of these is love.
Believe that love is the highest, and the
scales fall from your eyes, as they did
from Paul's. Then you can see the great
err Kindness of God. his glory, and lifes
best significance. 1t was so with the
apostle. and he went forth to preach with
quite a new religion in his heart. He
had accepted a new faith. and he did not
breathe forth any more of his thundcrous
denunciations against all who believed not
as he did. He had no more threats with
which TO brighten. He went forth in
spirit of Kindness to preach doctrine of
charity. His own past intolerance made
him emphasize more and more the doc
the evil he had done in the years OF his
preaching. and he had to make amends
by exhibiting in its highest light the
greatest glory of Christian life-Gods
love-'God is love-
That is the condensation of the entire
Christian doctrine. 1t means more than
any one thing that has ever been said
Love is the concentration of all the great
a nj Of n
created being reflects the goodness of
God. just as the picture reflects the art
of the painter. and the statue reflects the
cleverness of the sculptors chiseI.
In this great day when there is so
much that is beautiful in the world, one
cannot go far abroad and not realize that
it WAS created out OF goodness. Who can
see the lily and not be sure that God
created it to rejoice the eyes of the
human creature. 1t is so everywhere. As
the world moves on, it finds that a kind
friend has been along the path preparing
the way. 1t was love that stored the
soId IN the bowels of the earth, and that
stored layer over layer of coal for future
ages. Love put everything where it would
appear with The touch of the magic wand
or science. Every miracle that the Saw
lour wrought was an evidence of his holy
sympathy with the world
ana potent, was at the beck and call of
ms love. The Bible is a history of di-
vine benevolence-the tale of Gods love
for his people. Yet. look at the dark side
Tor a moment; the most conspicuous char
acteristic of the human race is their in
gratitude for all this loving beneyolence
me Bible breaches love eYerywhere-
the whole decalogue is to be condensed
INTO one statute, Thou must love God
with all thy might and thy neiRhhor- as
myself. The Golden Rule is nothing more
tnan a new version of the decalogue. and
me me doctrine OF love. Yet again, in the
Bible II is said that God gave his only
begotten Son to save the world, because
full. ~"
IAN this seems to argue in favor of an
emotional religion. 1t seems TO me that
the only satisfactory religion Is an emo
tlonai religion. Christianity is an
emotional religion, for love is at the bot
tom of 1t all. Yet all wise men must
know the difference between ernotinnaI
ISM and fanaticism. Pity. joy, pleasure.
pam, sorrow, love, repentance-alI are
integral parts of life and religion, and all
are emotions. If you take the emotions
from life ii is as a grape thar has been
through the wine press. II one man re-
fuses to give his intellect to his religion
ne becomes too emotional and fanatic
lie VINO gives too much intellect becomes
dry and loveless. The broad Christian
gives his whole existence and reaches
the perfection through a DEVELOPMENT Of
all his faculties in the light Of reIirIto,y,
truth. '9-"'
The whole purpose OF Christianity is
TO cup. prune, develop, and sanctify the
emotions. II We We're able to do that
carefully and completely there would be
no need for tails. Above all things nut
love which is the leader of all. Since
the nrst man committed murder the
"nole history OF the world has been hung
with crepe. eras have been born In the
woinbs OF beiching cannon, all because
me world would persistently crush under
loot the great law Of love. Yet more and
more men are coming into a Realization
OF what the great love means, and the