The Tupelo journal., 1904-07-08
THE ONLY BOND.
Love Is That Which Unites Us to
Christ and He
to Us.

Every life has it's secret-that which
accounts for its trend, its choices, it's
tolls, its character, it's achievements.
1t Is worth while to ask ourselves: What
Is the secret of our own life? Of course
there are human loves and there are
secondary motives, but what is the great
central motive? Is there anything
stronger than home and loved ones and
earthly ambitions that impels us to toll,
to struggle, to sacrifice? Paul gives the
secret of his wonderful life in one SEN
tence: "The love of Christ constraineth
u.s." Commentators discuss the ques-
ton whether this means Christ's love
for us, or ours for Him. 1t must mean
both.
Christ's love for us comes first. What
the sun is to the trees and grasses and
flowers in the %springtime the love of
Christ is to our love. I'VE love, because
He first loved u.s."
Christ's love transforms. 1t repeats
itself in our lives. A chaplain on the
battlefield came to a man who was
wounded, lying on the ground. Would
you like me to read you something from
this book-the Bible?" he asked the SOL
der. I'm so thirsty" replied the man,
Il would rather have a drink of water
Quickly as he could the chaplain brought
the water. Then the soldier asked:
Gould you put something under my
head?" The chaplain took off his light
overcoat, rolled it and put it gently I'M
der the soldiers head for a pillow.
Now said the soldier, "if 1 had some
thing over me! am very cold" There
was only one thing the chaplain could
do. He took off his W coat, n spread
1t over the soldier. The wounded man
looked up into his face and said CRATE
fully: Thank you" Then he added
feebly: eff there is anything in that
book in your hand that makes a mar do
for another what you have done for me,
please read it to me-" Men are ready to
hear us read the Book only when our
lives interpret what the Book says.
Recently, says the Sunday School
Times, a story appeared in one of the
papers called How a Man Coined His
f16dIL. lHO ludu was a koOi
There had been in his life a sad story of
%unreuuited love. The world had not
known anything Of it. He had kept his
secret. But there came a call for a piece
of work-a calendar-and the artist put
his iife's story into it; the springtime,
with it's beauty; the summer, with its
bloom; the autumn, with its decaying
hope; the winter, with its dreary desola-
ton. He coined his heart into his pic
ture, and sold it to get bread for his hun
ger. Christ coined His heart into a great
sacrifice of love, and purchased redemp-
ton for the world. So, If we are Christ's,
are we to coin our hearts into stories of
love and service, into deeds of kindness
and h~elpfulness.
Nothing but the love of Christ in us
will enable us to do this. A soldier may
be without love for the commander or
for the cause he serves, and may
march and fight merely for the paltry
money he receives. But the Christian
must love, or his life will count for
nothing. There is a legend of an art
list who had a marvellous red tint in
his pictures. No other had learned
the secret, and it died with him.
After his death an old wound was dis
covered zeal his heart, and the secret
Of the wonderful color in his paint
ings was revealed. 1t was his hearts
blood that gave his work its inim.
table hue. The legend tells a deep
spiritual truth. Only hearts blood
will put the heavenly color into our
work. What we do without love fades
out. When it Is the love Of Christ
that constrains US, our simplest. com-
monest acts have divine beauty and
blessing in them.
The love of Christ is the only bond
that can bind lives together insep-
arably and forever. People talk of
reunions in the other world. Yet we
need to remember that only those
who are bound together here by a
common love for Christ shall find
each other, know each other, and be
together, in the other world.
Some y~ears-since, in n of the
magazines, was another suggestive
SIOry. luCTG was q WOuldu lOfCu
a man. He died, and she sought in
some way to reach him where he was,
and could not. Then a heavenly mes
senger came to her and said: Il have
been sent to help thee, for thy crying
has been heard. What is thy need?"
She answered: THAT l may find
the soul of my husband. who is dead"
The Shining One said to her: THAT
may be done only il there Is a bond
between you that death could not
break"
She said: Surely there is a bond.
I have lain in his bosom. l have
borne the sacred name of wife,"
But the angel shook his head and
said: THAT is no bond"
Then she raised her head proudly
and said: Surely there is a bond.
I have held his children in my arms;
with their innocence have they bound
us together. By the sorrow in which
I bore them there is an enduring