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made; I have enjoyed almost every pleasure that He has planned for

man; and yet as I look back I see standing out above all the life

that has gone four or five short experiences; when the love of God

reflected itself in some poor imitation; some small act of love

of mine; and these seem to be the things which alone of all one's

life abide。  Everything else in all our lives is transitory。  Every

other good is visionary。  But the acts of love which no man knows

about; or can ever know aboutthey never fail。



In the book of Matthew; where the Judgement Day is depicted for us

in the imagery of One seated upon a throne and dividing the sheep

from the goats; the test of a man then is not; 〃How have I believed?〃

but 〃How have I loved?〃  The test of religion; the final test of

religion; is not religiousness; but Love。  I say the final test

of religion at that great Day is not religiousness; but Love; not

what I have done; not what I have believed; not what I have achieved;

but how I have discharged the common charities of life。  Sins of

commission in that awful indictment are not even referred to。  By

what we have not done; BY SINS OF OMISSION; we are judged。  It could

not be otherwise。  For the withholding of love is the negation of

the spirit of Christ; the proof that we never knew Him; that for

us He lived in vain。  It means that He suggested nothing in all our

thoughts; that He inspired nothing in all our lives; that we were

not once near enough to Him to be seized with the spell of His

compassion for the world。  It means that…





〃I lived for myself; I thought for myself;

 For myself; and none beside

 Just as if Jesus had never lived;

 As if He had never died。〃





Thank God the Christianity of today is coming nearer the world's

need。  Live to help that on。  Thank God men know better; by a hair's

breadth; what religion is; what God is; who Christ is; where Christ

is。  Who is Christ?  He who fed the hungry; clothed the naked;

visited the sick。  And where is Christ?  Where?〃Whoso shall receive

a little child in My name receiveth Me。'  And who are Christ's?

〃Every one that loveth is born of God。〃











Lessons from the Angelus。









God often speaks to men's souls through music; He also speaks to

us through art。  Millet's famous painting entitled 〃The Angelus〃

is an illuminated text; upon which I am going to say a few words

to you to…night。



There are three things in this picturea potato field; a country

lad and a country girl standing in the middle of it; and on the

far horizon the spire of a village church。  That is all there is to

itno great scenery and no picturesque people。  In Roman Catholic

countries at the evening hour the church bell rings out to remind

the people to pray。  Some go into the church; while those that are

in the fields bow their heads for a few moments in silent prayer。



That picture contains the three great elements which go to make up

a perfectly rounded Christian life。  It is not enough to have the

〃root of the matter〃 in us; but that we must be whole and entire;

lacking nothing。  The Angelus may bring to us suggestions as to

what constitutes a complete life。



I。



The first element in a symmetrical life is WORK。



Three…fourths of our time is probably spent in work。  Of course

the meaning of it is that our work should be just as religious as

our worship; and unless we can work for the glory of God three…fourths

of life remains unsanctified。



The proof that work is religious is that most of Christ's life was

spent in work。  During a large part of the first thirty years of

His life He worked with the hammer and the plane; making ploughs and

yokes and household furniture。  Christ's public ministry occupied

only about two and a half years of His earthly life; the great

bulk of His time was simply spent in doing common everyday tasks;

and ever since then work has had a new meaning。



When Christ came into the world He was revealed to three deputations

who went to meet and worship Him。  First came the shepherds; or

working class; second; the wise men; or student class; and third;

the two old people in the temple; Simeon and Anna; that is to say;

Christ is revealed to men at their work; He is revealed to men at

their books; and He is revealed to men at their worship。  It was

the old people who found Christ at their worship; and as we grow

older we will spend more time exclusively in worship than we are

able to do now。  In the mean time we must combine our worship with

our work; and we may expect to find Christ at our books and in our

common task。



Why should God have provided that so many hours of every day should

be occupied with work?  It is because



Work makes men。



A university is not merely a place for making scholars; it is

a place for making Christians。  A farm is not a place for growing

corn; it is a place for growing character; and a man has no

character except that which is developed by his life and thought。

God's Spirit does the building through the acts which a man performs

from day to day。  A student who cons out every word in his Latin

and Greek instead of consulting a translation finds that honesty

is translated into his character。  If he works out his mathematical

problems thoroughly; he not only becomes a mathematician; but becomes

a thorough man。  It is by constant and conscientious attention to

daily duties that thoroughness and conscientiousness and honorableness

are imbedded in our beings。  Character is



The music of the soul;



and is developed by exercise。  Active use of the power entrusted

to us is one of the chief means which God employs for producing the

Christian graces。  Hence the religion of a student demands that he

be true to his work; and that he let his Christianity be shown to

his fellow students and to his professors by the integrity and the

conscientiousness of his academic life。  A man who is not faithful

in that which is least will not be faithful in that which is great。

I have known men who struggled unsuccessfully for years to pass

their examinations who; when they became Christians; found a new

motive for work and thus were able to succeed where previously they

had failed。  A man's Christianity comes out as much in his work as

in his worship。



Our work is not only to be done thoroughly; but it is to be

done honestly。  A man is not only to be honorable in his academic

relations; but he must be honest with himself and in his attitude

toward the truth。  Students are not entitled to dodge difficulties;

they must go down to the foundation principles。  Perhaps the truths

which are dear to us go down deeper even than we think; and we will

get more out of them if we dig down for the nuggets than we will

if we only pick up those that are on the surface。  Other theories

may perhaps be found to have false bases; if so; we ought to know


it。  It is well to take our surroundings in every direction to see

if there is deep water; if there are shoals we ought to find out

where they are。  Therefore; when we come to difficulties; let us

not jump lightly over them; but let us be honest as seekers after

truth。



It may not be necessary for people in general to sift the doctrines

of Christianity for themselves; but a student is a man whose business

it is to think; to exercise the intellect which God has given him

in finding out the truth。  Faith is never opposed to reason; thought

it is sometimes supposed by Bible teachers that it is; but you

will find it is not。  Faith is opposed to sight; but not to reason;

thought it is not limited to reason。  In employing his intellect

in the search for truth a student is drawing nearer to the Christ

who said; 〃I am the way; the truth and the life。〃  We talk a great

deal about Christ as the way and Christ as the life; but there is

a side of Christ especially for the student:  〃I am the truth;〃

and every student ought to be a truth…lover and a truth…seeker for

Christ's sake。



II。



Another element in life; which of course is first in importance;

is GOD。



The Angelus is perhaps the most religious picture painted this

century。  You cannot look at it and see that young man standing

in the field with his hat off and the girl opposite him with her

hands clasped and her head bowed on her breast; without feeling a

sense of God。



Do we carry about with us the thought of God wherever we go?  If not;

we have missed the greatest part of life。  Do we have a conviction

of god's abiding presence wherever we are?  There is nothing more

needed in this generation than a larger and more Scriptural idea

of God。  A great American writer has told us that when he was a

boy the conception of God which he got from books and sermons was

that of a wise and very strict lawyer。  I remember well the awful

conception of God which I had when a boy。  I was given an illustrated

editi

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