addresses-第5章

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a　piece　of　Iron　in　the　presence　of　an　electrified　body；　and　that

piece　of　iron　for　a　time　becomes　electrified。　　It　is　changed　into

a　temporary　magnet　in　the　mere　presence　of　a　permanent　magnet；　and

as　long　as　you　leave　the　two　side　by　side；　they　are　both　magnets

alike。　　Remain　side　by　side　with　Him　who　loved　us；　and





Gave　himself　for　us；





and　you；　too；　will　become　a　permanent　magnet；　a　permanently　attractive

force；　and　like　Him　you　will　draw　all　men　unto　you；　like　Him　you

will　be　drawn　unto　all　men。　　that　is　the　inevitable　effect　of　Love。

Any　man　who　fulfills　that　cause　must　have　that　effect　produced　in

him。



Try　to　give　up　the　idea　that　religion　comes　to　us　by　chance；　or

by　mystery；　or　by　caprice。　　It　comes　to　us　by　natural　law；　or　by

supernatural　law；　for　all　law　is　Divine。



Edward　Irving　went　to　see　a　dying　boy　once；　and　when　he　entered

the　room　he　just　put　his　hand　on　the　sufferer's　head；　and　said；

〃My　boy；　God　loves　you；〃　and　went　away。　　The　boy　started　from　his

bed；　and　called　out　to　the　people　in　the　house；



〃God　loves　me！　　God　loves　me！〃



One　word！　　It　changed　that　boy。　　The　sense　that　God　loved

him　overpowered　him；　melted　him　down；　and　began　the　creating　of　a

new　heart　in　him。　　And　that　is　how　the　love　of　God　melts　down　the

unlovely　heart　in　man；　and　begets　in　him　the　new　creature；　who　is

patient　and　humble　and　gentle　and　unselfish。　　And　there　is　no　other

way　to　get　it。　　There　is　no　mystery　about　it。　　We　love　others；　we

love　everybody；　we　love　our　enemies；　BECAUSE　HE　FIRST　LOVED　US。





III。　　The　Defence。





Now　I　have　a　closing　sentence　or　two　to　add　about　Paul's　reason

for　singling　out　love　as　the　supreme　possession。



It　is　a　very　remarkable　reason。　　In　a　single　word　it　is　this：　　IT

LASTS。　　〃Love；〃　urges　Paul；　〃never　faileth。〃　　Then　he　begins　again

one　of　his　marvelous　lists　of　the　great　things　of　the　day；　and

exposes　them　one　by　one。　　He　runs　over　the　things　that　men　thought

were　going　to　last；　and　shows　that　they　are　all　fleeting；　temporary；

passing　away。



〃Whether　there　be　PROPHECIES；　they　shall　be　done　away。〃　　It　was　the

mother's　ambition　for　her　boy　in　those　days　that　he　should　become

a　prophet。　　For　hundreds　of　years　God　had　never　spoken　by　means

of　any　prophet；　and　at　that　time　the　prophet　was　greater　than　the

king。　　Men　waited　wistfully　for　another　messenger　to　come；　and　hung

upon　his　lips　when　he　appeared；　as　upon　the　very　voice　of　God。　　Paul

says；　〃Whether　there　be　prophecies；　they　shall　fail。〃　　The　Bible

is　full　of　prophecies。　　One　by　one　they　have　〃failed〃；　that　is；

having　been　fulfilled；　their　work　is　finished；　they　have　nothing

more　to　do　now　in　the　world　except　to　feed　a　devout　man's　faith。



Then　Paul　talks　about　TONGUES。　　That　was　another　thing　that　was

greatly　coveted。　　〃Whether　there　be　tongues；　they　shall　cease。〃

As　we　all　know；　many；　many　centuries　have　passed　since　tongues

have　been　known　in　this　world。　　They　have　ceased。　　Take　it　in　any

sense　you　like。　　Take　it；　for　illustration　merely；　as　languages　in

generala　sense　which　was　not　in　Paul's　mind　at　all；　and　which

though　it　cannot　give　us　the　specific　lesson；　will　point　the

general　truth。　　Consider　the　words　in　which　these　chapters　were

writtenGreek。　　It　has　gone。　　Take　the　Latinthe　other　great　tongue

of　those　days。　　It　ceased　long　ago。　　Look　at　the　Indian　language。

It　is　ceasing。　　The　language　of　Wales；　of　Ireland；　of　the　Scottish

Highlands　is　dying　before　our　eyes。　　The　most　popular　book　in　the

English　tongue　at　the　present　time；　except　the　bible；　is　one　of

Dickens'　works；　his　〃Pickwick　Papers。〃　　It　is　largely　written　in

the　language　of　London　street…life；　and　experts　assure　us　that　in

fifty　years　it　will　be　unintelligible　to　the　average　English　reader。



Then　Paul　goes　farther；　and　with　even　greater　boldness　adds；

〃Whether　there　by　KNOWLEDGE；　it　shall　be　done　away。〃　　The　wisdom　of

the　ancients；　where　is　it？　　It　is　wholly　gone。　　A　schoolboy　to…day

knows　more　than　Sir　Isaac　Newton　knew；　his　knowledge　has　vanished

away。　　You　put　yesterday's　newspaper　in　the　fire：　　its　knowledge　has

vanished　away。　　You　buy　the　old　editions　of　the　great　encyclopaedias

for　a　few　cents：　　their　knowledge　has　vanished　away。　　Look　how　the

coach　has　been　superseded　by　the　use　of　steam。　　Look　how　electricity

has　superseded　that；　and　swept　a　hundred　almost　new　inventions

into　oblivion。　　One　of　the　greatest　living　authorities；　Sir　William

Thompson；　said　in　Scotland；　at　a　meeting　at　which　I　was　present；

〃The　steam…engine　is　passing　away。〃　　〃Whether　there　be　knowledge；

it　shall　vanish　away。〃　　At　every　workshop　you　will　see；　in　the

back　yard；　a　heap　of　old　iron；　a　few　wheels；　a　few　levers；　a　few

cranks；　broken　and　eaten　with　rust。　　Twenty　years　ago　that　was

the　pride　of　the　city。　　Men　flocked　in　from　the　country　to　see　the

great　invention；　not　it　is　superseded；　its　day　is　done。　　And　all

the　boasted　science　and　philosophy　of　this　day　will　soon　be　old。



In　my　time；　in　the　university　of　Edinburgh；　the　greatest　figure

in　the　faculty　was　Sir　James　Simpson；　the　discoverer　of　choloform。

Recently　his　successor　and　nephew；　Professor　Simpson；　was　asked　by

the　librarian　of　the　University　to　go　to　the　library　and　pick　out

the　books　on　his　subject　（midwifery）　that　were　no　longer　needed。

His　reply　to　the　librarian　was　this：



〃Take　every　text…book　that　is　more　than　ten　years　old　and　put　it

down　in　the　cellar。〃



Sir　James　Simpson　was　a　great　authority　only　a　few　years　ago：　　men

came　from　all　parts　of　the　earth　to　consult　him；　and　almost　the

whole　teaching　of　that　time　is　consigned　by　the　science　of　to…day

to　oblivion。　　And　in　every　branch　of　science　it　is　the　same。　　〃Now

we　know　in　part。　　We　see　through　a　glass　darkly。〃　　Knowledge　does

not　last。



Can　you　tell　me　anything　that　is　going　to　last？　　Many　things　Paul

did　not　condescend　to　name。　　He　did　not　mention　money；　fortune；

fame；　but　he　picked　out　the　great　things　of　his　time；　the　things

the　best　men　thought　had　something　in　them；　and　brushed　them

peremptorily　aside。　　Paul　had　no　charge　against　these　things　in

themselves。　　All　he　said　about　them　was　that　they　would　not　last。

They　were　great　things；　but　not　supreme　things。　　There　were　things

beyond　them。　　What　we　are　stretches　past　what　we　do；　beyond　what

we　possess。　　Many　things　that　men　denounce　as　sins　are　not　sins；

but　they　are　temporary。　　And　that　is　a　favorite　argument　of　the

New　Testament。　　John　says　of　the　world；　not　that　it　is　wrong；　but

simply　that　it　〃passeth　away。〃　　There　is　a　great　deal　in　the　world

that　is　delightful　and　beautiful；　there　is　a　great　deal　in　it　that

is　great　and　engrossing；　but





It　will　not　last。





All　that　is　in　the　world；　the　lust　of　the　eye；　the　lust　of　the

flesh；　and　the　pride　of　life；　are　but　for　a　little　while。　　Love　not

the　world　therefore。　　Nothing　that　it　contains　is　worth　the　life

and　consecration　of　an　immortal　soul。　　The　immortal　soul　must　give

itself　to　something　that　is　immortal。　　And　the　only　immortal　things

are　these：　　〃Now　abideth　faith；　hope；　love；　but　the　greatest　of

these　is　love。〃



Some　think　the　time　may　come　when　two　of　these　three　things　will

also　pass　awayfaith　into　sight；　hope　into　fruition。　　Paul　does

not　say　so。　　We　know　but　little　now　about　the　conditions　of　the

life　that　is　to　come。　　But　what　is　certain　is　that　Love　must　last。

God；　the　Eternal　God；　is　Love。　　Covet；　therefore；　that　everlasting

gift；　that　one　thing　which　it　is　certain　is　going　to　stand；　that

one　coinage　which　will　be　current　in　the　Universe　when　all　the

other　coinages　of　all　the　nations　of　the　world　shall　be　useless　and

unhonored。　　You　will　give　yourself　to　many　things；　give　yourself

first　to　Love。　　Hold　things　in　their　proportion。　　HOLD　THINGS

IN　THEIR　PROPORTION。　　Let　at　least　the　first　great　object　of　our

lives　be　to　achieve　the　character　defended　in　these　words；　the

characterand　it　is　he　character　of　Christwhich　is　built　roun