The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-08-27
THE LOVE OF GOD IT'S OWN RE-
WARD.


thy days, that thou maycst dwell in
the land which the Lord God swnre
unto thy fathers to Abraham. Isaac and
Jacob TO give them.''---Dcut xxN 49, 20.
In our text Moses tells the Israelites
what Will happen to them il they keen
Gods law. They will love God That
was to be their reward. but they were
to have other rewards besides Be
sides loving God. II would he well
with them and their children and they
would live long in the land which God
had given them. But their first re-
ward would be that they loved God.
This would bring the great peace so
we'll worth having.
II they obeyed God they would have
reason to love Him, Now we usually
put the idea differently. We say, II
you love God. you will obey Him, which
Is quite true. But Moses saying is
truer still, and with a deeper mean
ing. If YOU obey God you will love
Him"
We say, IF YOU love God, God Will
reward YOU" Though this does not al
q,
lieved. and said the greatest blessing
which man can have is that man
loves God
There are two sorts of faith. The
first is implicit faith-blind fai,h-the
sort a little child has in what its pa
rents tell it without understanding
why. The second is the faith born
Of reason and experience. This is the
faith that comes as man looks back
upon his life and on Gods dealings
with him and then sees from that ex
perience the reason he has for trust
ing and loving God, who has helped
him onward through all chances and
changes for so many years
Some people cry out against blind
faith as being childish. hut in reality
II we trust and love our neighbors. the
best is obtained tho ma iority of times
when suspicion would have given us
the worst results. 1t is true of many
who marry that before marriage there
experience. but out of this has grown
the deeper, sounder faith of under
standing, which will go on through
life, making such a home and influence
as could never exist without absolute
faith and trusting affection. Those who
have known such n home need no
words to describe its blessing. Mar
riases that make home OF this sort
are a pattern and picture OF the spirit
ual union which is between Christ and
comes blind faith. AS young people.
set out in life with little expert
ence of Gods love; we have had little
to make us sure that the way of life
and honor and peace Is to obey Gods
laws. We are told so. though, by our
Bible and by older and wiser people,
and in our hearts because OF our faith
a desire comes In our heart for good
ness With this faith we say-to our
selves. II can but try; 1 have been
is the way to make life worth living
and to see good days" And so as the
years go on we try, and middle age
finds us having known many trials.
many dsappointments, and maybe
some bitter loss. But If we have held
fast by God; If we have tried. no mat
ter how clumsily. to keep Gods law
and walk in Gods way. than there will
have grown UP in us a trust in God
and love for God deeper and broad
er than any which we had in youth. a
love and faith grounded on expert
encc. There are sure to be many
blessings III every life, and in all the
SORROWS OF the faithful God has given
strength sufficient to bear them, and
the result must he a deep and reason
ing love for the heavenly Father. And
so those Of us who have tasted that
the Lord is gracious can say with the
NOW we believe. not be
cause of THY saying, but because we
have heard Him ourselves. and know
that this is indeed the Christ. the
Saviour of the world"
When sadness and afliction come on
US. as they must come to all. we can
look back and so get strength to go
forward. We can say with David. Il
Will go on in the strength OF the Lord
God" When old age comes and brings
sickness and weakness, still can we
comfort ourselves and again say with
David. II have been young. and now
am old, but never saw the righteous
forsaken, nor his seed begging their
bread"
There is much happiness that is not
within the reach OF all of us. but If
we will only reach out and grasp it
we can all have the unfailins comfort
of loving God. and of knowing God
loves US. Let US try to choose Gods
peace. and then in our old age,