The Newtown bee., 1906-08-10
ADvERrIsINo RArEs :
HOME CIRCLE.

HOME CIRCLE.
 LOVE. aERMON BY REV ROBERT E. CARTER,
 PASTOR OF THE CONGREGACIONAL
 CHURCH, WASHINGTON.
 St John 3: 1e: "For God so loved the world :osSer % beieyess 1s on Ri@ Should not perish but have eternal life."
 In this text, says an ancient preach CT of the glad tidings. there are four things full of divine mercy and gift of blessing. These four are: l, the lake; 2, the river that doweth out of the lake; 3, the pitcher that is dipped into the river; 4, the draught which the pitcher lifts to the lips of men. Now what Gods servant meant by this description of the familiar text was as follows: The lake is the great, inexhaustible love of God, boundless, beyond depth of human measure in- exhaustible, and pure and sweet-God 50 loved-God so loved. This is the lake. And the river that floweth out of the lake is the word that proceedeth forth from God to bring unto men the message of that heavenly reservoir of love. God gave his only begotten son that he might bring unto us the min istry of Gods love; this is the river that floweth down unto us out of the lake of Gods eternal love. And the pitcher that is dipped down into the river to take of it's precious and re- freshing current for our own life is our faith that lays hold in trust of the word of the love of God-our faith that applies that love of God to our own lips, to our own lives. Whoso- ever believeth, whosoever believeth on him-this is the pitcher that is in our hands by which we may take of the love of God. And the draught, the sweet water which the pitcher of our faith taketh from the river of Gods word that floweth out of the sea of Gods love-the draught is everlasting everlasting life, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish but might have everlasting life. Could there be s more beautiful way of col lecting in one view the heavenly mes- sage of this text? Could we do better in our thoughts to-day than to con- sider these for our joy and our con- fort, the lake, the river, the pitcher and the draught of the love of God.
 And first may God give us grace. and 90 quicken our imaginations that we may conceive for 8 moment that boundless lake of the love of God. How 1t flows above and about all the ways of Heaven and earth! How it embraces the continents of all being! How it is the source of everything, ev- cry joyl An this love of God-this was the water above the Armament over which, in the beginning, the Spirit of the Lord brooded, and it brought forth life.
 Praise to Thee
 After the ending. From thy love came
 Mans breath, and unto thee returns the same." NO MAN, NO SINGLE SOUL HAS EVER
 COMPASS ED,
 or imagined the compass of, the bound of this ocean lake of Gods love. It is as far reaching, as wide encompassing as the very being of God. It tilleth all the heavens. As Jean Paul Richter mades the great angel say to the ave- stricken human soul whom he bore through the starry spaces, "there is no end, there is no end to the love of God" If only we would let our thoughts rise above the gross. or pet ty or hard seeming ways of the world, and wander on the shores of this lake and look in meditation over it's wat CTS; if we would only make for our selves tabernacle of reflections there, like rest cottage on the sea, and con- sider that this is the fountain of all things. This love of God is the source from which came all that has come to being that is.good, in time or space or human life. It would be great peace and great joy to any heart to go in thought into the mystery behind all and above all, and to see there gleam- ing the pure, bright waters of this lake of Gods love washing all the shores of time and life. And men can do so; and man has done so. So Jesus stands before Pilate calm and un- afraid, and Pilate threatens Him "knowest thou not that l have power tO save Thee and power to put Thee to death"; and Jesus answers, ''Thou couldest have no power over me save as it is given thee from above." So He knew that there is no real power save that watching, guiding, higher love. And If we could enter into the spirit of Jesus we would rest confident ly in that divine love, and.we would see the manifestations of 1t ever be- fore us. We would see it in the world, we would see 1t in all beauty that gladdens the eyes.
 How came things beautiful? How came 1t that we are sensitive to per- ceive and rejoice in things beautiful is not this the love of God? We would see it in all good, in all good actions and fair deeds, in all just, straight ways, in all strong, truthful words, in all that is brave and tender and sweet; in such as these, too, we see the 1n- fluence vitalizing itself in human hearts of the active love of God. Just