Editorial February 27, 1902 Issue

Love for Mankind

Editor

These words of our Leader in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" page 25 (New Ed.), express a truth which it were well for every Christian to make the rule of his life-conduct: "The divinity of the Christ was made manifest in the humanity of Jesus."

It is easy to say that we love God, but to talk of love in the abstract and prove that we love God in our living, are different things. To talk of love and not demonstrate it in our acts is idle; nay, worse than idle; it leads to hypocrisy. The things we do, not the things we say, prove our sincerity and our discipleship. The great fact in Jesus' life was that he proved his words by his acts. His preaching was quickly followed by his practical demonstrations. These acts were acts of love in that they healed sickness and destroyed sin. He thus reflected divine Love by his human acts. Those who follow him indeed must do likewise. He distinctly taught this. He repeated over and over again the Old Testament commandment requiring a full and complete following of God by loving, that is, obeying, Him with all the heart, mind, and soul; and he declared that love of God and love of man were identical; that the one was not merely the complement of the other, but that they were one. True love of God, therefore, is manifested in the love of humanity,—the neighbor. When the one is expressed so also is the other.

If we pattern our lives after Jesus' life, then, what shall we do? First as to sin. Did he pass it lightly by as nothing, or did he rebuke it that it might be uncovered and destroyed? In rebuking sin he did not scorn the sinner. He mercilessly rebuked the self-righteous and unrepentant sinner, the worldly-wise sinner, but how compassionate was he toward the sinner who showed the least evidence of humility and repentance! With tenderest love and kindliest patience he pointed the way for this sinner. His attitude toward the suffering and repentant sinner was that of a burden-lifter, not of a burden-maker. He added not one feather's weight to the burden of any. He called upon the burdened and heavy-laden to take upon them his yoke, that their burdens might be lightened, and pitifully told them that his yoke was easy and his burden light. He proved to them that sin was not their rightful burden; he proved with equal certainty that sickness belonged not to their true heritage. He comforted the sorrowing; he "healed each bleeding wound" so far as he was permitted so to do.

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