The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-08-24
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE BY BISHOP
E. c. ANDREWS.
Subject: "Christianity and Love'-Church
ILLUSTRATIONS Should Be Directed
Toward Freeing the Human Soul of
That Sclfishness Which is Inherent.

Toward Freeing the Human Soul of
That seIfshness Which is Inherent.
BROOKLYN, n. Y.-Bishop +. G. An
drews. of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
preached Sunday morning in the Central
Congregational Church. His subject was:
christianity and Love-" The text was
from I Timothy i:5: Now the end of the
commandment is charity OFT of a pure
heart, and of a good conscience, and of
faith unfeigned." Bishop Andrews said:
Every careful reader Of the English
Bible takes knowledge OF the fact that the
English language, like every other living
language. is in process of change. He
knows the significance of words, as well
as their form, and occasionally their order
changes. He reads, for instance, in the
heart is fixed" and he remembers that
that word "fxed'' at the time our version
was made had the meaning, which we still
retain in our colloquial speech, Ito be
fixed up" and so he reads: My heart is
prepared, oh God. my heart is prepared"
He reads in the Epistle to the Thessaion-
ians that they which are alive at the sec
ond coming of Christ shall not prevent
them that are asleep, and he remembers
that the word prevent" originally meant
to precede simply, and came to have It's
present meaning because he that precedes
another is likely to get in the way Of that
one and obstruct another who follows, and
so he reads that at the second coming OF
Christ they that are alive shall not precede,
or shall not have the advantage over them
that sleep in Christ, for both alike shall De
called to meet their Lord in the air.
So in this text we have the word "char-
ity," a word which to-day signifies either
almsgiving or kindly judgment of others,
but in the time of our version it had the
meaning to which the new ~revisers have
returned, viz, ~'loye," or "benevolence,"
and in this passage we read this statement:
The aim of the commandment is benevo-
lence, good will, effective love, even as we
speak Of the love of man to God, then also
to his fellow men.
Another Bible criticism is worth our
while. The word Commandment" like
the word law" may have either a narrow
or a broad significance. The narrow sig
nifcance CT that is "particular precept" at
tended by particular sanction" A broad
er meaning is that of a "hely ordained in
stitution and SYSTEM" and that broader
meaning evidently should be here used be-
cause Of the context. We come then to
the entire statement: "The end, or aim, of
the whole Christian institution is love out
of a pure heart, and Of a good conscience,
and of faith unfeigned."
1t originated in a heart of bouIdless love
toward man IN an act Of love unparalleled,
we may suppose in all the ages of eternity
even the gift Of Gods only Son; All its
precepts turn in this direction. Church or
kind, if they be rightly directed, have SIM
ply this purpose to discharge the human
soul of that selfshness that belongs to it
by nature, and to enter into it all the love
Of God.
Now all familiar with the New Tesla
ment know that this is no solitary utter,
ance-it is but one of many broad and
comprehensive statements. One came to
the Master saying: (Which is the first and
great commandment" And He answered:
SThou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind, and with all thy
strength; this is the first commandment,
and the second is like unto it: Thou shalt
love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the
prophets" In another passage st. Paul
tells US that Love is the fulfilling OF the
law" If there be any other command
ment, it is briefly comprehended in this
saying: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
myself" st. James calls this the royal
law" St. Paul tells US: above all things,
have fervent charity one toward another"
And st. John, in a memorable passage, IN
one of his epistles, tells us that God Is
love. and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth
in God and God in him."
Christ told the story OF a man who went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell
among robbers, as one may nowadays DO
on that road. They robbed him, stripped
him of his raiment, wounded him, and left
him half dead. Then came one OF the chief
representatives Of the current religion, a
priest, and passed by on the other side.
Then there came down a subordinate rep
resentative of the current religion, a LIE,
vite, and he came and looked and passed
by on the other side. Then came a hereto
in religion, an alien in race, and, looking
upon the wounded man. he was moved
with compassion and dismounted and
bound up his wounds, set the wounded
man on his own beast, brought him to an
inn and took care of him for the night and
paid the charges, leaving money for addi-
tional charges, saying to the inn keeper:
eff it costs more l will repay when ! come
again." And that alien in race, that here
tic in religion, the Lord Jesus presents be-
fore us as the one great example OF our
practical religion.
Now be pleased to notice two facts in
this natural love. In the first place. much
of it is simply instructive, 4 divine i'm
plantation for high purposes, but because
not founded in moral reason, divine reason,
therefore without moral worth. 1t is but
part of that endowment OF human nature
by which the propagation and the educa-
ton of the race is made possible, but 1T
does not imply Of necessity any high moral
quality. The bear will rush on the point Of
the spear in the defense of its cubs. The
wildcat will die for its young. The eagle,
with unwearied patience, will teach the
young eaglet to fly. Will you. therefore,
say: Behold. what paragons of moral eX.
,ellence" Would you not say of them II
they lacked parental and flial love: "Be-
hold what monsters!"
In the second place. this natural love is
marked by great limitations in its extent.
1t is laid upon ones family aud ones
upon those who are Of the same race, or it
may be of the same religious faith, or of
the same political persuasion, and it IS
hemmed in by these limitations. How
many q man goes to the market place and
to the exchange with perfect Indifference
to the prosperity and happiness of his fell
low man and wrestles with them in bust
ness to return to his home to lavish gladly
upon his family all his ili-gotten gains.
There are many generous men in all our
communities, but they may be also men de-
sirous of having their generosity duly ac-
knowledged and trumpeted abroad through
out the world, and if they fail of that ac-
acknowledgement somehow their charity
seems to sour upon them, and they feel
that they are not recognized as they eX-
pected to be. Benedict Arnold was an CT
inently brave and skillful soldier, and so
far as we know a true patriot, but he was
a spendthrift, and when Congress censured
Benedict Arnold the traitor. The truth is
that it is very easy to overload all the
joists and timbers of our soul with these
defects, and we may notice in passing that
a great deal that passes for charity is Of
tnntimns q Min rennnr nuer nnmnaenrad