The Life of Duty, volume II | Page 8

sea of glass, he listened to the
song of the elders and the angels, and he beheld the things which shall
be hereafter. Once more he looked upon the Master's Face, and beheld
the King in His beauty. And remembering these things, the old man
murmurs to the crowd, "Little children, love one another. We know that

we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren."
From death unto life! It is a strange expression! We all know of the
passage from life unto death. We have all seen the loosening of the
silver cord, and the breaking of the golden bowl. We have all marked
the fading cheek, the shrinking limbs, the glazing eye, which mark the
passage from life unto death. But that other change from death unto life
cannot be seen, it is the invisible work of the Holy Spirit. Yet S. John
says, we know that we have passed from death unto life. How? By our
fruits. If the love of God is in our hearts, if we have passed from the
death of sin unto the life of righteousness, if we are risen with Christ, if,
in a word, we are truly Christian people, we shall show it by our love
for our brethren. If we are selfish in our religion, trying to get all good
things for ourselves, and caring nothing for others; if we pray only for
ourselves, if we work only for ourselves, if we live only for ourselves,
if we see others in want, yet shut up our compassion, how dwelleth the
love of God in us? Away with such self-deception, my brothers, if any
one of us seems to be religious, and yet stretches out no helping hand to
his brother, that man's religion is vain. When we see a fellow man
fallen among thieves, and lying by the wayside of life, what do we do?
Do we pass by on the other side, without a thought or care, like the
Priest? Or do we look on our fallen brother with curiosity, and leave
him to his fate, like the Levite? Or do we give him a helping hand,
pouring in the wine and oil of kind words, and gentle ministry, binding
up the hurts which a cruel world has given him?
My brethren, how many Good Samaritans are there among us? Our
brothers lie wounded along life's highway in crowds. There are feeble
folk who were never strong enough for the hard life battle; there are
brave men who have fought, and failed; there are some crushed down
by hard times, others who have "fallen on evil days and evil tongues;"
some who were wounded by the stoning of harsh judgment and cruel
sneers. Some have lost their health, others their money; some their faith,
and others their friends. Sirs, we be brethren, shall we run from our
neighbour because he is in trouble, as rats run from a falling house?
Shall we turn away from a brother because the world speaks hardly of
him? Shall we be ashamed of a man because he is unfortunate? Oh! if
you would ever rest where S. John rested, on the bosom of Jesus, learn

his lessons of love. Look around you and see if there is no Lazarus laid
at your gate whom you may feed; no struggling toiler in the back street
whom you may help to work; no sick sufferer whose couch you may
make more easy; no broken heart which you may comfort. "Dwell in
the land, and be doing good."
"If time be heavy on your hands, Are there no beggars at your gate, Nor
any poor about your lands? Oh! teach the orphan boy to read Or teach
the orphan girl to sew."
And you who are busy and cumbered with much serving, may find a
thousand ways, in the midst of your active work, of showing your love
to your brethren. Be unselfish, be gentle, be courteous, be pitiful. Never
say a word which may wound another; never turn away when you can
help a neighbour; never ask with the sneer of Cain, "Am I my brother's
keeper?" "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because
we love the brethren."

SERMON XXXVIII.
MAN'S LIFE HIS MONUMENT.
(Third Sunday after Trinity.)
1 S. PETER v. 10.
"The God of all grace . . . make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle
you."
Among the many monuments and epitaphs in S. Paul's Cathedral, there
is a simple tablet to the memory of him who built it, and on the stone
are engraved the words in Latin, "if you seek his monument, look
around you!" And as you gaze upon the grandeur and beauty of the vast
Cathedral, you feel that indeed the work