The Penn's Grove record., 1914-05-22
GODS FIRST LAW
Great Commandment to His Chill.
dren Is to Love Him, and Thy
Neighbor as ThyseIf.

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mandment is, Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart and
with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind" And the second is like unto
1t, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
myself" The law of love is as prac-
ticable now as 1t ever was. The Ameri-
cans Of today are not lower in the
scale of life than were the Jews to
whom Christ spoke the law.
If there is any truth in evolution,
men are better today than then. If
there is any hope in civilization, men
are better today in the republic than
they were then, under the Roman en-
pire. The Jews of today are equal to
the Jews Of Christ's day, and we are
not willing to admit that the Jews of
today are better than the American
citizens Of today. II there is any pow
er in the Christian religion, then the
Christians of today are equal to the
Jews Of Christ's day, and he gave the
law to his countrymen. If centuries
mean degeneracy; If the Christian re-
ligion breeds men of less character
and caliber than Judaism breeds, then
we may shrink from a law given in
Palestine centuries ago.
Begins With Loving God.
The question concerning the second
law arises because we break the first
law. The mar who loves God supreme
ly will have little trouble in loving his
neighbor as himself. The man who is
Indifferent to God, or rebellious against
God, cannot love his neighbor. The
man who loves God supremely can.
God loves men. The men who love
God look upon men as he looks upon
them.
Not to love ones neighbor as ones
self simply proclaims that l am SO
much better than my neighbor that l
am worthy Of more love. l care more
for my mirror than for my window.
l find virtues in myself that are miss
Ing in my neighbor. In my judgment
he is my inferior and so unworthy of
unequal love. Traits of character
that r worthy of love in me are
worthy Of love in him, and if l cannot
love them In him, it must be because
they are lacking in him.
Such an attitude of mind makes 1t
very hard for my neighbor to love me.
Not loving him, l become ~unloVely.
A cross-eyed man is not pleasing, and
self-love Is being spiritually cross-eyed.
Love calls for love, egotism calls for
contempt and you get what you call
for.
Test Shows the Real Man.
In the supreme moments Of life
men do love their neighbors better
than themselves. When the ocean
steamer is sinking a real man steps
aside for the weaker woman and child.
II we could live on the same high
level on the sea Of time the question
Of practicability would never arise.
The soldier loves his country better
than he loves himself, and his country
is simply the sum total Of his neigh
bors. The fireman loves the unknown
man or woman in peril better than he
loves himself. Men, like v%iolins, need
to be strung up to get the music out
of them. Men, like mines, need to be
mined to get the treasure out Of them.
Men, like diamonds, need to be pol
ished to get the beauty out of them.
Left alone, the grape withers or rots;
crushed, it gives wine. Men need to
be crushed to get the real juice out
But crushing would not free the juice
If it were not there. What a mar
is at his best that is he in reality.
Christ commanded US to love our
neighbors as ourselves. He knew
men. Unless we are less men now
than those he faced it is practicable
now. Under pressure when a man is
at bis best he does love his neigh
Dor better than himself. Pressure
breaks the skin of egotism and frees
the juice of altruism, revealing the
juice and seeds of the real man.