The Newtown bee., 1906-05-18

Compassion is suffering with another
 for his sake. It is not only sympathy
 for, but love expressed in persona
 ministry. It is putting ones self ir anotherS place in word and in deed doing the good that needs to be done
 This is the way in which our Lord ex'
 presses it: "I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; was thirsty and ye gave me drink; 1 was stranger and ye
 was sick and ye visited me; was in prison and ye came unto me-" | Not word about any church, nor Of church-work as such. No mention of worship! Nothing concerning prayer mee etings, masses. choral services, nor of preaching. Not one word about religion as such! Why? Because all these things at best are but the means to the end; and the perfect fruit of the service of God is the service of man.. If man loves God he will love his brother man and do him good. If man is not good to his fellow man you may be pretty sure that his re- ligion, if he has any, is sham. He says, but does it not.
 Nevertheless, let us not forget the most important truth of all that without the love of God in Christ, without the preaching of the gospel, without religion and churches and worship, without the sacraments and every means of grace, this service of man, which to-day signifies so much, had never been.
 How simple it is! And how natural. another! Given the example of Jesus with the spirit of the eternal love and we do those things because we like to do them. It is only the outward expres. sion of the inward life of the heart. A good man wants to do good; bad man wants to do evil. No matter what it may be: kind word in a day of trou ble; a little gift in a time of need; helping hand when the burden is heaviest; food for the hungry; clothes for the ragged; personal care for the sick; counsel for the perplexed; friend ship for the unfortunate, whatever the circumstances and conditions; for the worthy or for the unworthy, as we the Spirit of Christ in us will have compassion for friend, or stranger, or foe Such is the fellowship of the Suf- fering of the Son of Man.
 There are a thousand little deeds which one may do that are better than prayers, masses, sermons, or hymns of praise, and far more precious in the sight of heaven, because they are born of the love of God, and as the fruit of the Spirit prove our faith in the Father Almighty. Such service of man is indeed sacramental, "the outward, visible sign of an inward, spiritual grace" AS Lowell expresses the thought in his "Vision of Sir Launfal:"
 The Holy Supper is kept. indeed.
 In whatso we share with another's need: Not that M which i, we give, but % what E we share' Who bestows himself with his aims feeds
 three,
 Himself. his hungry neighbor and Me. .''-''-
 "Lord, when saw we Thee hungry, and fed thee? or athirst and gave thee drink?' It is very significant that the righteous did not realize that they were doing anything as unto the Lord. They did not know that such humble service of man was the highest service of God! The love of Christ in them simply prompted them to do the things that needed to be done, because they wanted to do good. Jesus came to us not because we loved Him but because He loved us. Not because we were lovely and worthy, but because we needed Him. The Father sent His would not have the children of men perish. It was the service of man which won the heart of the worldand has made the church what it is. As St Peter says: "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were op pressed of the devil, for God was with Him.
 We may be unconscious of the best things we do. The greatest good we can accomplish may be in what we are Christ in us. We may even do great deal of good in the world without knowing it. It is not best that we should be self conscious of our religion nor that we should make business of doing good; but being Christ's what ever we do in the spirit of His divine compassion, is done as unto Him.