Norwich bulletin., 1921-11-28


 chester Unity, l.. o. O. F., and the la dies auxiliary of these lodges attended the services at St., Andrews church on Sunday morning when special sermon on Brotherly Love was delivered by the rector, Rev. c. F. Williams. There was a special musical programme for the service and the attendance filed the church to capacity. Rev. MT. Williams said in part:
 Fraternal orders emphasize not only the loving memory of the dead, but the expression of love and friendship to- ward the living. They teach that it is better to aid and assist our brothers and sisters while they are with us than to ace flowers on their graves when they are gone.
 Since brotherly love Is one of the basic principles of all fraternal orders and since the foundation of all brother ly love is Christian love, I want to speak today of the love commanded by Christ.
 He said that the First and Great Commandment of the law was to love God with all the heart and soul and mind. Now I want to remind you that though loving God is the First and Great Commandment it is not the whole of the law. There is a corolary which Is important: And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as myself
 These words were given in answer to lawyer who asked Jesus what was the great commandment of the law. Take notice that he did not ask what was Christ's most important command The Master gave to him the summing up of IA Ia Tn st' nd his teaching as whole, the command ment to love God was given a higher and a nOb,er meaning than it had ever had among the Jews: and the command ment to love ones neighbor was placed on higher basis than ever before. If | thou wilt be a follower of the Master, thou shalt love thy neighbor not as thy seR, but better than myself, to the ex- tent of thy capacity. The Golden Rule | is good enough for the Jew it is good enough for the selfish man. but it is not | good enough for the Christian. Our | Lord commanded us to love one another not merely as ourselves, but as He loved | us. Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friend" Christ laid down his life for us. He sacrificed everything that he held dear that he might save us And 1 we are to love each other as He loved us And we are to love each other as He loved us. Men are right when they say they can keep the Golden Rule and not be a Christian. They do wei. when they keep it; but that is not the highest there Is a Christian ideal better than that.
 The Golden Rule Is still in the lega stage. The higher love not only fulfls the law, but exceeds 1t in marvels ot se.f-sacrifce and martyrdom. Hereby know we love, because He laid down Hi. life for us; and we ought to lay dowr our life for the brethren" Jesus lay' stress on this-a love which not oni. fulhls the law, but goes beyond 1t 1T every form of kindness and self-sacri flee.
 This love rests on the fact that tht soul of man is precious in the sight 0 God. Notice the vaue God sets on hu man beings themselves as shown on tn, day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit ig nored the magnificent temple, with al it's worldly splendor, He took no notice of the high priest clothed in his gor geous robes and surrounded with hi, retinues of priests and Levites but Ht went to an ordinary, fiat-roofed house where company of common people were assembled in their working clothes, ill an upper room and He pour 1 The outside appearance. the beautiful, ol fashionable dress, the possession of wealth and education count as nothins in the sight of God when comparet with the immortal man himself. Tt i
 the heart which makes men worthy O
 unworthy in the sight of God" H, cares for man because he is a man ant not because he wears fine clothes or i
 well-educated and refined in his con
 duct. T will make man more preciou
 than fine gold, even man than tn
 golden wedge of Ophir said the LOT,
 by the mouth of Isaiah the prophet. Go
 still regards man as more precious tha1
 god, and He expects men to love thei
 fellows more than they love money. H
 wants us to know that human beings ar
 worth more than any bank account, an
 that 1t Is His will that we, as follower i or His Son. who gave His life for u.
 break through the artificial barriers (
 society," of wealth, and of fine clothe
 and love our neighbor because we ret
 ognize the value of a human being. The men and women about us are nc . idea. the best of them are not perfec
 and the worst are almost brute bea st
 and yet we are to love them better tha
 ourselves. I do not say like them al '' There are many who are repugnant : us their tastes, their habits, their a, A pearance are such as grate upon ol senses. We are not to think that V B. can force ourselves to like these aspect s' and that, If we do not like them we al [, not loving the men and women as V
 should. We want none of that ment g love or admiration, of which we he; r so much in the papers in the form D. af11nities; 1t does not matter wheth Ie the outward appearance of our neishb
 is such as to gain our approva'. Wh q We must have "a deep concern for h
 essential welfare We must recoeni
 beneath the external aspect beneath t
 shell Of degrading vice even. the chi
 Of God, for whom the Father plead 1T We see many who are vile and unlov " ble and unworthy. But God gave the S. life and the possibility of growing Ii es Him. It should be the glory of t 1e Christian to love tho degraded wret e. not for what he is but for what he m e. become through the power of Jes
 Christ. It was the Master who as, E. ciated with Publicans and sinners. a in these outcasts of society were ma nd strong and pure by contact with HI i'd The sin. the ugly aspect. the deformi nd everything which warps the soul of m et should be hateful to us, and we shot ed endeavor to free man from these thin k To love one's neighbor better tn ,d ones self ard to prove 1t by practice L | hard as every pood thine ie bord '