The Good News of God | Page 7

nor end.
But here come two puzzles.
First. The Athanasian Creed says that there is but one Eternal, that is,
God; and never were truer words written.
But do we not make out two Eternals? For God is one Eternal; and
eternal life is another Eternal. Now which is right; we, or the
Athanasian Creed? I shall hold by the Athanasian Creed, my friends,
and ask you to think again over the matter: thus--If there be but one
Eternal, there is but one way of escaping out of our puzzle, which
makes two Eternals; and that is, to go back to the old doctrine of St.
Paul, and St. John, and the wisest of the Fathers, and say-- There is but
one Eternal; and therefore eternal life is in the Eternal God. And it is
eternal Life because it is God's life; the life which God lives; and it is
eternal just because, and only because, it is the life of God; and eternal
death is nothing but the want of God's eternal life.
Certainly, whether you think this true or not, St. John thought it true;
for he says so most positively in the text. He says that the Life was
manifested--showed plainly upon earth, and that he had seen it. And he
says that he saw it in a man, whom his eyes had seen, and his hands had
handled. How could that be?
My friends, how else could it be? How can you see life, but by seeing
some one live it? You cannot see a man's life, unless you see him live

such and such a life, or hear of his living such and such a life, and so
knowing what his life, manners, character, are. And so no one could
have seen God's life, or known what life God lived, and what character
God's was, had it not been for the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who was made flesh, and dwelt among us, that by seeing him, the Son,
we might see the Father, whose likeness he was, and is, and ever will
be.
But now, says St. John, we know what God's eternal life is; for we
know what Christ's life was on earth. And more, we know that it is a
life which men may live; for Christ lived it perfectly and utterly,
though He was a man.
What sort of life, then, is everlasting life?
Who can tell altogether and completely? And yet who cannot tell in
part? Use the common sense, my friends, which God has given to you,
and think;--If eternal life be the life of God, it must be a good life; for
God is good. That is the first, and the most certain thing which we can
say of it. It must be a righteous and just life; a loving and merciful life;
for God is righteous, just, loving, merciful; and more, it must be an
useful life, a life of good works; for God is eternally useful, doing good
to all his creatures, working for ever for the benefit of all which he has
made.
Yes--a life of good works. There is no good life without good works.
When you talk of a man's life, you mean not only what he feels and
thinks, but what he does. What is in his heart goes for nothing, unless
he brings it out in his actions, as far as he can.
Therefore St. James says, 'Thou hast faith, and I have works. Shew me
thy faith WITHOUT thy works,' (and who can do that?) 'and I will
shew thee my faith by my works.'
And St. John says, there is no use SAYING you love. 'Let us love not
in word and in tongue, but in deed and in truth;' and again--and would
to God that most people who talk so glibly about heaven and hell, and
the ways of getting thither, would recollect this one plain text--'Little
children, let no man deceive you. He that DOETH righteousness is
righteous, even as God is righteous.' And therefore it is that St. Paul
bids rich men 'be rich also in noble deeds,' generous and liberal of their
money to all who want, that they may 'lay hold of that which is really
life,' namely, the eternal life of goodness.

And therefore also, my friends, we may be sure that God loves in deed
and in truth: because it is written that God is love.
For if a man loves, he longs to help those whom he loves. It is the very
essence of love, that it cannot be still, cannot be idle, cannot be
satisfied with itself, cannot contain itself, but must go out to do good to
those whom it loves, to seek and to save that which is