The Washington herald., 1907-10-20
A SUNDAY TALK.

And above all things have ferent charity among
yourselves for charity shall cover a multitude Of
sins
Use hospitality one 20 another without grudgng.
As eVeTy man hath received the gift, even 50 min,
issef the same one to another good stewards VI
the manifold grace Of GOd-"-I Peter. ". .. y. H.
It IS of much more than passing signif-
cance that Peter who was in a peculiar
sense chosen as the chief exponent Of the
Gospel Of Jesus Christ. should in his first
general eDistIe addressed 10 the stran-
gers scattered throughout Pontius, Gala
tia, Cappadoeia, Asia. and Bithynia, dwell
with all his strength on the need Of toler-
alton, charity. and loving kindness. Here
are no threats of the wrath TO come, no
reminders of the punishment wrongdoers
may expect; only an earnest and fervent
exhortation toward the brotherhood of
man.
The doctrine that is contained in the
verses Of St Peter quoted above is not to
be considered simply as religious doc
trine: 1T is above all else common-sense
doctrine No man of sense is going to
let his egotism run away with him to the
extent Of attrlbutlng any good thing
which he Is able to accomplish, to his
own powers. Always the big men Of the
world have been willing TO admit that but
for some power higher and beyond them
selves the work they did In the world
would have gone for naught. This Is a
truth that the honest man, trying to live
sane, clean, healthy life will ever be
willing 20 face; that of himself he is less
than nothing. If one realizes this In all
its fullness he will come 90 see the justice
of what st. Peter wrote, that:
As every msn hath received the gift, even so min
ister the same 20 another. as good stewards Of
the manifold grace Of God"
That, in brief. is the law OF loving-kind-
ness; the law which makes eternally true
the dictum that Of all the graces. ''the
greatest OF these is charity" In this
epistle St. Peter Is only resaying what
Jesus Christ said when he gave new
commandment TO his disciples. the COM
mand to 'love one another" FOR in that
commandment lives all the law and the
gospel.
Charity among yourselves, indeed, as
St. Peter wrote it covers a multitude OF
sins. To read this lesson Alright is 10
learn that one cannot be unjust to others
without being unjust TO oneself. Unkind-
ness TO a fellow-man is unhndness tC
ones own better nature which Is always
struggling FOR expression. To ''use hos
/ pitality one To another without grudging
/ is 10 open ones mind, ones heart, ones
soul TO cur fellow-man. and IL precludes
/ all idea Of sin and unkindness.
/ To know this epistle of ST. Peter is tC
know, Of a surety. that what is bad in
/ our erring nature is OF ourselves alone
/ That what is good within US IS an i'm
pulse from God. That II We are able tC
/ do good work dispense charity. feel low
/ ing kindness toward our fellows 10 is be
/ cause of the infinite appeal toward tht
/ best that has been implanted IN our souls
Men are not bad deliberately. The i'm
pulse toward badness is always an eXter
nal thing; an influence. subtle perhaps
! and strong, and Il is always CombatteC
! by the longing in every soul for the best
rather than the worst.
/ 1t will help us all nightly If we can bu
/ remember with St Peter that we are bu
! stewards Of the manifold grace Of God.
/ Always IL IS there for us 70 use; 4
/ strengthen us IN times Of trouble or afflic
ton. and meant for us so 20 use that ",
may hand IL on 90 others who. as yet II
/ darkness, need the light which our recog
milton Of the truth may shed.
In faith and hope the world viii disagree
/ But all mankiud's concern is charity;
All must b. false that thwart this one great end;
And an Of God. that bless mankind mend.