Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-08-02
rRUE LOVE OF CHRIST.
Dr. Rev, Cyrus Townsend Brady.


- - love me, keep my command
,ors-St. John IA: 10.
81 >,,,, when we truly love being for
aosse,sion of qualities we our
lI,os would fam enjoy and exhibit,
49,. love if it be worthy the name, is
no. .sornfng. We would be like the
I,rod object by which our affections
.ro,sod Granted that Christ is
most 1oyable being who ever has
.:.ra5 f. logically follows that men
.ronrd love Him and that the love we
~. Hin, should make us strive to be
Bile Him.
uop can this likeness be brought
81 ,,o,t in 1s-made real by us? Christ
lImspIf in this thrice-repeated injunc-
linn has pointed out the method-by
kppoing His commandments.
q pat what are His commandments? is
,t once asked Certainly they have come
down to MS in many forms and i'll vari-
q an. WAYS, and orr duty is to keep them
III His words were never meant sim
& ,I, for those 10 whom they were adj
4 ,,rosspd directly. as the disciples on this
u oe,.o sion nor can they be restricted in
Tho Ease uDdpr discussion absolutely to
q any particular set. group or selection
from His manifold admonitiOns. He
i smoke to the world for all time and for
MI men vet il is equally true that in
this famous direction He referred def
89itrIv 10 certain injunctiOnS
We look back into the preceding chap
tu and find what they were. In this
same final interview before His be-
travail lie told His disciples specifically
q in do two things as different at first
sight as day and night. but nevertheless
maDarablr bound together. The first
WAS that they should wash one anOth-
rrg feet: the second that they should
I love one another.
would not limit the meaning of
CLrstS words by continuing them mere
l " to a pitifully literal Interpretation,
The first commandments is broader than
mere ceremonial. 1t is Il command
mpnt Of service by man to men and the
second commandment is its complement,
for it refers to the spirit in which the
service should be rendered. Christ's
whole life was devoted to the service
Of men. and every incident and episode
in it. every word spoken throughout it.
flowed from Il spirit of love toward men.
50 completely and cOnvincingly evil
drured that we can think of no better
name for God, since Christ's time, than
that He is Love.
There is plenty of service to men in
this world. but mighty little love- God
be thanked even for the service which
springs from stern sense of duty or
from whatsoever cOmpuIsion it may. 1t
is certainly better than dsservice or in
difference.
But we shall never reach the high
ideal and We shall never have peace
among men until the service of one to
another arises from the love of one to
another The growing class antagon-
lSmS-I hate the word clasS-the grow
ins race antagOnisms, the present strife
and bitterness will never be done away
with by any service Whatsoever unless
love--and not so much love toward God
as love toward men. be it remembered
be its inspiration.
We are all children of common
Father, The rich have 10 exclusive
privilege Of relationship to Him or
righteousness in Him, the poor have no
exclusive privilege of relationship to
linn or righteousness in Him. Neither
mas the one or the other monopoly
OF evil and folly for that matter. The
man who works with his brain and the
man who jabOrs with his hands-the
7apJaljSt and the tOiler. the employer
ana the employee, the master and the
Mau-alI stand on 4 common level be-
lore an Infinite God. The rich and the
poor meet together; the Lord, He is the
Maker of them all. And no man, how
ever noble his achievement or however
great his desire. can say he loves Christ
unless all he does for man is done as
much for the love of man as for the
'o'e Of God. For this it is to keep His
commandments, which are kept in no
other way.
II we could only In some way get the
iFtHripto OF love for men actively at
work as inspiration for the law of ser
wee to men. heaven would be found
here ara to-day.