" That is the only sure motive. All
other motives for doing good or being good, will fail in one case or
another case, because they do not take possession of a man's whole
heart, but only of some part of his heart. Love--love to Christ, can
alone sweep away a man's whole heart and soul with it, and renew it,
and transfigure it, and make it strong instead of weak, pure instead
of foul, gentle instead of fierce, brave instead of being vain and
cowardly, and fearing what everyone will say of him. Only love for
Christ, who loved all men unto the death, will make us love all men
too: not only one here and there who may agree with us or help us;
but those who hate us, those who misunderstand us, those who thwart
us, ay, even those who disobey and slight not only us, but Jesus
Christ Himself. THAT is the hardest lesson of all to learn; but
thousands have learnt it; everyone ought to learn it. In proportion
as a man loves Christ, he will learn to love those who do not love
Christ. For Christ loves them whether they know it or not; Christ
died for them whether they believe it or not; and we must love them
because our Saviour loves them.
Oh! my friends, why do so few love Christ? Why do so few live as
those who are not their own, but bought with the price of His
precious blood and bound to devote themselves, body and soul, to His
cause? Why do so many struggle against their sins, while yet they
cannot break off those sins, but go struggling and sinning on, hating
their sins and yet unable to break through their sins, like birds
beating themselves to death against the wires of their cage? Why?
Because they do not know Christ.
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