The Oberlin Evangelist

March 13, 1839

LECTURE VI.

The Law of God--No. 2

by the Rev. Charles G. Finney

Modernized by Cliff Collins

And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” (Matt. 22:39)

In continuing the discussion of this subject, I plan to show:

I. What is the real spirit and meaning of this commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves?

II. What is the tendency and what are the natural results of perfect and universal obedience?

III. What is the tendency and what are natural results of universal disobedience?

IV. What is the universal and unalterable rule of right?

V. When does the rule of right differ from human laws?

VI. Every violation of the rule of right is fraud and injustice.

VII. The public, and largely, the private conscience is formed on the principles of commercial justice.

VIII. The transaction of business, based only on principles of commercial justice, is a violation of the law, rebellion against God, and is apostasy in anyone who claims to be religious.

IX. That restitution must be made, whenever restitution is possible, in every situation where this law is violated, or there is no forgiveness.

I. I will show the real spirit and meaning of the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves.

1. What does this law prohibit?

(1) This law prohibits supreme self-love, or selfishness. In my last lecture, I showed that the command, “love your neighbor as yourself”, did not imply that we should love our neighbor supremely, like selfish men love themselves; but that we should first love ourselves, and pursue our happiness only according to its real value in the total picture. However, I don’t need to dwell on this; since you’re probably sure that this precept prohibits supreme self-love.

(2) This command prohibits all excessive self-love. In other words, this command prohibits every degree of love that is disproportionate to the relative value of our own happiness.

(3) This command prohibits placing any emphasis on any interest simply because it is our own interest.

(4) Of course, this command prohibits every degree of ill will, and all those feelings that must be connected with selfishness.

(5) This command prohibits apathy and indifference concerning the well being of our fellow men.

2. What does this law require?

(1) This law requires recognizing the fact, in a practical way, that all men are brethren; that God is the great Parent, the great Father of the universe; that all moral agents, everywhere, are His children: and that God is interested in the happiness of every individual, according to their relative importance. God does not favor one person over another. But as far as pure unselfish love is concerned, God loves all moral beings in proportion to their capacity of receiving, and doing good.

Now the law of God clearly takes all this for granted. “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth.” (Acts 17:26)

(2) This law requires that we should regard and treat everything according to its relative value. In other words, we should recognize God’s relationship to the universe, and we should recognize our relationship to each other, and treat all men as our brethren. We should treat all men as having a non-transferable title to our good will and kind deeds as citizens of the same government, and as members of the great family of God.

(3) This law requires us to exercise as tender a regard for our neighbor’s reputation, interest, and well-being, in all respects, as for our own interest and well-being. It requires us to be as unwilling to mention his faults, as to have our own faults mentioned; to be as unwilling to hear him slandered, as to be slandered ourselves. In short, he is to be esteemed by us, as our brother.

(4) This law justly condemns any violation of the great principle of equal love as rebellion against the whole universe. Violating this law of God is rebellion against God, because it rejects His authority. It is selfishness under any form. It establishes our own interests in opposition to the interests of the universe of God.

II. What is the tendency and natural effect of universal obedience to this law?

1. The tendency and effect of obedience to this law is to make the obedient individual happy. The state of mind required by the law is happiness. And, if there were only one obedient individual, he would be happy for that reason.

2. If obedience were universal, the tendency and effect of that obedience would produce the greatest amount of public happiness. Public happiness is made up of the happiness of individuals. Now, as I have said, universally exercising the spirit of this law would make any individual who exercised it happy. Furthermore, universal obedience implies that everyone is engaged in making others happy. As a result, the total amount of happiness would not only be made up by the happiness that each one would experience by conforming to the law, but also by the happiness of all those receiving that vast amount of good from each one seeking to make everyone around them happy.

3. True obedience would destroy all selfish competition among men, and, as a result, it would eliminate all those infernal passions, and all those great and demanding evils that are produced from the legitimate offspring of selfish competition.

4. True obedience would promote an unselfish competition that would greatly increase public and individual happiness. For example, suppose two booksellers were motivated by principles of pure unselfish love, and one of them printed an edition of the Bible, with the purpose of furnishing the book to every person as cheaply as possible. Now suppose the other bookseller printed a cheaper edition which was equally valuable, and could thus supply the poor with the bread of life at an even cheaper price. Now wouldn’t the first bookseller rejoice in the fact that the Bibles were provided at this low rate even if he could never sell his own Bibles? The great goal that he had in view, which was to supply the poor with Bibles, is accomplished better and cheaper than he could do it himself. It is easy to see that he would wholeheartedly rejoice in this.

The same is true with the American, British, and Foreign Bible Societies. Suppose they were competing with each other, to furnish the world with Bibles at the lowest possible rate. Now, since their goal is the same, each would rejoice to be outdone by the other. Thus, the competition would be holy, and not selfish. Instead of producing every infernal passion, it would increase that love which is the bond of perfection.

It is easy to see that perfect obedience to this law by everyone would create a perfect society. Any community that lives together conforming to this principle, would be heaven itself.

III. What is the tendency and natural results of disobedience?

1. Disobedience causes individual misery, because selfishness is misery; to say nothing about the internal war and mutiny that selfishness creates within the person’s mind, which is misery because you can never gratify it. From the very nature of selfishness, only one selfish being in the universe can be gratified. In fact, not even one, for even if that person possessed every actual and existing good; even if he possessed everything that can be possessed; and even if he governed everything that can be governed, instead of satisfying him, his desires would become as large as hell.

2. This selfishness would produce the greatest sum of public misery. Public misery is made up of the misery of every private individual. Now each person is miserable in the exercise of his own selfishness. And where selfishness is universal and unrestrained, each person is engaged in making everyone around him miserable. In this disobedient state, every evil passion would be generated, perpetuated, increased, and perfected. Universal grasping after each other’s possessions would produce universal war. Indeed, it would result in universal hell.

IV. What is the universal and unalterable rule of right?

The universal and unalterable rule of right is based on the nature and relationships of moral beings.

It is universal, because it is completely suited to the nature of all moral beings, in whatever world they may exist.

It is unalterable, because the nature of moral beings is unalterable. And, just as their nature is unalterable, so are their relations, of course. As long as these natures and relations exist, even God himself has no right to abolish this law. God has created these natures, and He has established these relationships; and as long as they exist, this law must exist.

And here let me say that any system of religion, any revelation, or any doctrine that sets aside, repeals, or alters this law, is certainly from hell. No proof can support the claims of such a book, or doctrine, to be a revelation from God.

V. When does the universal rule of right differ from human laws?

Let me begin by saying, that one of the first principles of common law is, that whatever is contrary to the law of God is not law, that is, we are not obligated to do it. So the difference between human laws and God’s law is not that they are contrary to each other, for, properly speaking, any human law that is contrary to the law of God, is, after all, not law.

The difference lies in the fact, that human laws don’t require enough. Their requirements are good, as far as they go, and should be strictly obeyed. However, they fall short of the requirements of God’s law, because they can be strictly obeyed without one particle of virtue, or holiness. Let me explain.

1. Human laws are negative. Human laws are designed to prohibit or control selfishness; and although legal writers say that they command what is right and prohibit what is wrong, yet if you will closely examine them, they are far from prohibiting all that is wrong. And it seems like they never require what God’s law esteems to be truly right. In what they prohibit, human laws stop short. They try to prevent the outward act, without pretending to judge, or restrain the thoughts and affections of the heart, except when those thoughts and affections are expressed in outward actions. Everything that constitutes the real moral character of a crime may exist in anyone’s mind, without being recognized as a crime by any human law. True moral character lies in the disposition of the mind. But if this disposition is not acted out, human laws don’t notice it.

2. Human laws only prohibit outward acts of selfishness, or the open violation of another person’s rights. They don’t even require outward unselfish love. They allow everyone to be as selfish as he or she wants to be, provided he controls his selfish conduct within certain limits. Now it is easy to see, that all this falls completely short of the spirit and letter of God’s law.

3. God’s law is positive. His law not only restrains outward selfishness, but all inward selfishness as well. It not only prohibits our outward selfish acts, but it also prohibits our inward selfish thoughts and feelings. God’s law regards our outward act as a crime that deserves punishment, only because it is the result of the inward feelings and affections of our heart. Therefore, God’s law aims its prohibitions at our heart, and spreads out its claims over all the movements of our mind.

4. God’s law commands perfect inward and outward love. It not only commands that people shouldn’t hate each other, but they should love each other as they love themselves; that they should not only abstain from injuring one another, but should positively engage in promoting each other’s happiness to the extent of their ability.

5. Another difference is that perfect obedience to human laws will not necessarily secure one particle of happiness. It only lessens the amount of misery. As we have just seen, we might have perfect obedience to human laws, and yet supreme selfishness could still exist in everyone’s mind. Therefore, perfect obedience to the wisest and best of human laws, may be accompanied by a vast amount of individual and public misery.

But, on the other hand, perfect and universal obedience to the law of God would secure the greatest amount of individual and public happiness.

VI. Why is every violation of God’s rule fraud and injustice?

1. It is because God’s law is the only rule of right. Remember that it is not by human law, but by His law, that God will judge the world. The question is not, what is fraud and dishonesty in the light of human laws; but what is real fraud? What is real injustice? This can only be known by referring to the law of God. Every violation of God’s rule carries with it the seal of God’s eternal damnation. It is not enough, in the light of the law of God, that you abstain from trespassing on your neighbor’s possessions. If you don’t truly love him, and if you don’t love him as you love yourself, you actually invade his rights and deny him his due. It is as if you stole his property. He has just as much right to your equal love, as he has to any article of property, which he may have in his possession. You have no more right to withhold the one than to take the other. You are just as required to consult your neighbor’s interests in your dealings with him as your own interests; and he has just as much right to expect you to consult his interests as well as your own, as he has to expect that you will not steal his money. To omit loving him as you love yourself is as much a fraud and injustice, as to steal his money.

Every violation of this law is injustice, fraud, and dishonesty towards God, and toward every individual in the universe. It is setting aside the rights and authority of God, and trampling on the rights of our neighbor. And, just as the human race is one family, and has one common interest, to defraud one is to harm everyone.

VII. Public and private conscience, is formed on principles of commercial justice.

By the principles of commercial justice, I mean mere human laws in relation to human dealings.

To prove this position, please observe that men generally satisfy themselves with acting legally, and at most equitably. However, courts of law and equity lay down rules for governing human conduct that falls completely short of God’s law.

When I mentioned that the public and individual conscience is formed on principles of commercial justice, I didn’t mean that people are always satisfied with mere obedience to human laws. This is far from being true. Many people feel, in their conscience, what an eIder in a Presbyterian church once said to me, that he was avoiding paying his debts, by publicly selling his property, by tactfully manipulating the law.

The truth is that men often feel as if they were guilty in the sight of God, even when they have carefully conformed to human laws. Nevertheless, it is true to an astonishing and alarming extent that people generally, and even professing Christians, are content to conform to the principles of human laws when they engage in their business transactions.

VIII. Transacting business on principles of commercial justice only, is a violation of God’s law. It is rebellion against God; and it is apostasy in a professing Christian.

1. Transacting business on principles of commercial justice only sets aside the law of God, and establishes another rule of action.

2. Transacting business on principles of commercial justice only totally rejects Divine authority.

3. This man-made rule, that we use to blind our mind and stifle our conscience, only restrains selfishness within certain limits, while it permits the selfishness that lies deep down in our heart. Who does not know that the principles of commercial justice are established to regulate the selfish transaction of business? Selfish people institute the principles of commercial justice for selfish purposes. Therefore, individuals in government frame these rules in such a way, that they aid every person in securing all his selfish ends, as far as it is consistent with a certain degree of respect for the selfish pursuits of other people.

Now if casting off God’s authority is rebellion in any individual, and it really is: it must be outrageous apostasy in a professing Christian!

Obedience to God’s law is rejecting all selfishness and adopting the principle of universal unselfish love. Therefore, any individual who engages in business selfishly departs from God. Selfishness includes in it everything that really constitutes apostasy!

And what is even worse, selfishness adds shameless hypocrisy to apostasy; for as long as people apostatize in their hearts, instead of openly acknowledging their rejection of God’s law, which they should do; they remain in the Church and keep up a hypocritical show of obedience.

IX. Restitution must be made in every situation that applies where a person has violated this law, or there is no forgiveness.

This is clear from the fact that without restitution there can be no repentance. We certainly can’t say that someone who has defrauded his or her neighbor has repented, if he or she refuses to provide him the restitution that is in his power. But without repentance, God has no right to forgive. What would you say if the judge forgives someone who stole your money, while that person refuses to restore it? The judge has no right to do this; nor does God have any right to forgive fraud and injustice without repentance and restitution. Therefore, it would dishonor God and ruin His universe, if He ignored your sins, and not hold you responsible to restore your ill-gotten gains.

Now I urge you to remember, that the restitution demanded from you, is not only where you have defrauded men under common law, but in every situation that you can remember where you have not acted agreeably with God’s law. Whenever you have not consulted your neighbor’s interest equally with your own in your business transactions, you are guilty of fraud. God’s law has pronounced that transaction dishonest and unjust, and aims the law’s eternal thunders at your head.

REMARKS

1. The Church can compel the world to transact business on the principles of the law of God. Church members often excuse themselves in the transaction of their worldly business, by saying that they can’t compete with worldly men, without using the same principles that the world uses. To this, let me answer,

(1) That if this were true, then worldly business cannot be engaged in by anyone, without absolute ruin to their souls.

(2) But, this is not true! It is as far from the truth as possible! Now suppose every professing Christian were to conduct their business on the principles of the law of God. Suppose, they would always consider the real good of those with whom they deal, as much as they consider their own good. They would quickly end up doing all of the world’s business, or, at least, they would compel worldly men to follow their example. Who would trade with a selfish person who only considers his or her own interest, while he could trade with others with the assurance that he won’t be cheated, but that his business transactions would be based on unselfish principles?

2. Almost any individual of any calling can compel those in the same business to conduct their affairs on the principles of God’s law. Let that person adopt this principle in his own dealings, and he will soon force others to rise to the same standard, or drive them into bankruptcy through the loss of business.

3. You can see the desert of every act of selfishness; that every act of selfishness includes in it the complete rejection of God’s authority, and a trampling on the rights of the universe. There is certainly infinite guilt in this, as well as the desert of eternal punishment.

4. You can see God’s duty concerning selfishness. That as the Father and Supreme Executive Magistrate of the Universe, He must punish selfishness in every situation with unsparing severity, where there is no repentance.

5. The government of God is very little understood in our world today. Human law, instead of the law of God, has come to be very generally regarded as the rule of right. Human law has blinded the world and the Church to the true nature of religion. A lot that passes for true religion these days are actually violations of God’s law. Multitudes in the Christian Church are regarded as pious men, who are daily conducting their business on selfish principles.

6. Infidels are always fighting a shadow, and making war, not against true Christianity itself, but against something that is falsely called Christianity. Where can an infidel be found, who will have the boldness to object to these two great principles of the government of God? However, these two principles constitute the whole of the Christian religion. It turns out that these two principles array themselves against certain corrupt doctrines of the Church, the lives of hypocrites, or some false representation of the Christian religion. But let them march up and object to anything, if they can, about true Christian religion, as it is taught in the Bible; and to the government of God, as it is embodied in these two precepts.

7. You can see why there is so little conviction among us, both in and out of the Church. It is because we judge ourselves by a false standard. If you live conforming to human laws, and maintain the morality of public opinion, you may feel quite secure. But, you can be assured that God will judge you by another standard.

8. In the light of this law, isn’t it perfectly obvious, that slavery is from hell. Is it possible, that we are to be told, that slavery is a divine institution? What! Can anyone honestly claim that a barefaced, shameless, and palpable violation of the law of God is authorized by God himself? Even religious teachers are gravely contending that the Bible sanctions this hell-begotten system!

“0h shame, where is thy blush?” What! Make a man a slave, set aside his moral agency, and treat him as a mere piece of property!

“Chain him--and task him,

And exact his sweat, with stripes

That Mercy, with a bleeding heart, weeps

When she sees inflicted on a beast”;

and then contend that this is in keeping with the law of God, which, on pain of death, requires that every man should love his neighbor as himself! This is certainly, to my mind, one of the most monstrous and ridiculous assertions ever made. It is no wonder that slaveholders are opposed to discussing this subject. They can’t bear the light. They have to cover their eyes from the gaze, and inspection, and reprobation of the law of God, as darkness retires before the light.

9. We see the true character of those who speculate by stocking up with provisions and the necessities of life. This land is becoming filled with people doing this. The custom of buying up essential products to control the market, and raise the price of provisions while there is an abundance of them in the country, is a clear and obvious violation of the law of God.

Suppose we have a famine in this land, and a hundred vessels were filled with flour and they sail from Europe to supply our starving population. Suppose the owners instructed their captains to sell the flour for five dollars per barrel. And now, suppose certain speculators in New York should find out that this fleet was arriving. So, they charter their own fleet, and they sail out to purchase all the flour. And when this fleet comes in sight of the docks, every passage in the city is thronged with starving people with their bags, and whatever money they can gather to supply their starving families. But, as soon as the fleet drops their anchor, they are told that the speculator demands seventy-five dollars a barrel for the flour. In this situation, no doubt, the public would condemn such an outrage. But how does this differ, in principle, from that which is becoming so common, even among professing Christians, which is to secure, by whatever means is possible, a control of the market? Thus, they can control the price of bread, and, to a great extent, other provisions throughout the land, and then enrich themselves by selling them at their own prices. Is this loving their neighbor as themselves, or is it supreme and horrible selfishness?

In speaking about this speculating in provisions, I have taken it for granted that these provisions were not scarce; but merely made scarce by speculators controlling the market. But suppose they were really scarce; suppose that a great drought, such as we have had this past summer, should extend throughout the whole land, and produce a universal scarcity of provisions. In this situation, it is contrary to the law of God, for those who have them to spare, to increase their price simply because they are scarce. I say simply because they are scarce, for under certain situations, the cost of growing them may have been more than in ordinary seasons. I knew one man for many years, of whom it is said, that he recognized the principle of the government of God in his transactions on this point. When provisions became scarce, and of course, the prices greatly increased, he would receive no more than the common prices the articles had when there was no scarcity. If questioned, concerning the reasons for his conduct, he would simply answer, that they cost him no more than they did before, and what his family did not want, others could have at the old prices.

Now the corrupt maxim of businesspeople is this, that an article is worth all that it will bring at the marketplace; and they will take as much money as the needs of the people compel them to give. So that if the scarcity of an article allows it, they have no qualms about demanding any price for it. Now the real question should not be, what, under the circumstances, may you compel a man to give; but what did it cost, and how cheap can you afford to sell it to him, without injuring yourself more than you will benefit him? For, please remember, that the law of love requires, that we should afford everything as cheap as we can, instead of getting as much as we can. The requirement is, that we do all the good we can do to others, and not that we get all we can for ourselves. The law of God is, sell as cheap as you can, the business maxim is, get as much as you can.

However, suppose someone should ask, “What rule should govern the sale of something that I paid more for, than it is worth now? My answer is that the loss is yours. You have no right to sell it, or to expect to sell it, for more than its real value, no matter how much you paid for it.

But here another question may arise. “What is the duty of the individual who sold me something for more than it proved to be worth afterwards?” The answer is that he is required to act on the law of love. And if, at the time of the purchase, both of you were deceived concerning its real value, he has a right to receive from you no more than what it is really worth. But if he will insist on what is wrong, and make you to pay what you agreed to pay, or not refund what you have already paid, you are, nevertheless, bound to be governed by the law of love in the sale, and not to ask, or receive, more than its real value.

To illustrate this, suppose that you had purchased a piece of land under the impression that it contained a gold mine. That piece of land was sold to you in good faith, both you and the seller believing that there was gold on the property. If, afterwards, you discover that you were deceived, that no such mine existed, and therefore, the land wasn’t worth any more than other land, it would be contrary to the law of God, for the other person to insist on accepting what you two had originally agreed to pay.

10. You can see the character of speculating in government lands that have become so common these days. The government proposes to sell their lands to those who will improve them, for one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, in order to encourage the settlement of our country. But speculators rush forth, and purchase the best locations, and raise the price, and thus retard the settlement of the country. Often when the laborer, who can only cultivate the land with a small amount of means, arrives, he finds that, instead of being able to purchase the land at the government prices, he must pay ten, twenty, thirty or even one hundred dollars per acre; even when the speculator hasn’t done one thing to improve that land.

Now, it is worthless to try and justify this, as some have done, by saying that those lands are really worth what the speculator demands for them. Suppose they are; what right has he to demand that price? He did not plan to cultivate the land; and if it weren’t for him, the laborer would have had that land at the government price. Now the violation of the principles of God’s law, in this situation, is just as clear, as it would be if my family was starving for a barrel of flour. I was on the point of purchasing it for five dollars, which was all the money I had; when some speculator, knowing my circumstances, buys that barrel. He then demands seventy-five dollars for it, turns to me, and says, “0h sir, it is worth that to you”. True, that flour may be worth seventy-five dollars, otherwise my family will starve. But, I ask, what right did he have to purchase it, and then make that demand?

In spite of this, many come up with hypocritical excuses. Many pretend to be making money for God. This is truly a strange way to serve God, robbing God’s children to give to God; violating the law of God and setting aside God’s authority, for the sake of making money for Him.

Generally, their hypocritical excuses are only meant to deceive; for it seems to be true that the richer these speculators become the more they spend, until men of the greatest wealth, are among the first to complain of poverty when someone asks them to give. Now they can never convince anybody, that they are honest in pretending to be driving their speculations for God, because everyone can see, in fact, that they increase their expenditures with the growth of their property, and spend the money they receive on their lusts. They never really appropriate that extra money for benevolent purposes.

But if it were true, as it sometimes may be, that they really intend to appropriate money obtained this way to build up the kingdom of God, still the way they are getting this money can never be justified by the law of God, and can never be acceptable in His sight. Will the end sanctify the means?

11. A lot of restitution must be made by speculators, or they will go to hell. Those that have enriched themselves, by speculations that involved a violation of the law of love, must give back all their ill-gotten gains. They must renounce their wealth, and render obedience to the government of God or they must be damned.

12. It is obvious, that many people have involved themselves in a snare, from which they will probably never escape. They plunge into a series of speculations, and, at the time, are so blinded by public feeling that they don’t see its complete inconsistency with the law of God. Now, when they apply the test, and the law comes to pour its light upon them, they will either hide away in darkness and strive to conceal the true character of their conduct even from their own eyes; or, seeing it, they will “go away sorrowful, because they have great possessions”, and will not make the restitution that the law of God demands.

13. In the light of this subject today, you can easily judge what kinds of business are lawful. For any person to engage in selling articles that are harmful is rebellion against God, and a trampling on the rights of the universe. Such is the sale of alcohol, tobacco and narcotics of every kind that are used as articles of luxury, or diet. Their sale for these purposes is totally unlawful. It is no excuse, to say that people will buy them, and that you may as well sell to them, because anybody else will sell them. I beg you to remember the words of the Savior: “It is impossible that no offences should come; but woe to HIM through whom they do come.” (Luke 17:1)

14. Now, you may object, saying that adopting this principle, in the present state of human society, is impossible. To this let me reply by saying,

(1) That this is the law of God, and must be adopted and practiced by you, or you must be damned.

(2) It is the simplest and most practical rule of conduct conceivable. To a selfish mind, I grant, it may be a stumbling block; but to a truly unselfish mind, it is, in almost every situation, as clear as sunlight. In those situations where individuals truly love each other as they love themselves, like husbands and wives, parents and children; do they find any difficulty in applying this rule? No. And if they would extend their unselfish regards to all mankind, and if all mankind recognized their relationships to each other, and regarded themselves as one family, this rule would be the easiest to apply.

15. Many object, saying that applying this principle of unselfish love would overturn nearly all of the business transactions of the world. Yes, it would certainly revolutionize nearly all the business of the world, and produce changes in the state of society that is inconceivable to most people. The way business is conducted today, the more business there is, the more jealousy, envy, and strife there is. But if all men were unselfish and loving, they would universally compete with each other to see who could accomplish the greatest good, and produce the greatest amount of human happiness.

16. I said that, in this world, the government of God is understood very little. Now it is clear, that a leading goal of Jesus Christ was to put the world in possession of the true spirit and meaning of the law of God. It is astonishing to see how slow of hearing a selfish person is to understand the law of God and the nature of true religion. For someone, whose whole goal is to get, and appropriate to himself, everything he can, it is difficult to conceive of the nature of that religion which finds its happiness in giving, instead of receiving.

The preaching of Christ, but more especially His example, put His followers in possession of the idea, “that it is more blessed to give than to receive”. The life of Christ was designed as an illustration of the cardinal principle that the proper happiness of a moral agent lies in doing good, in denying self for the benefit of others. In diffusing happiness, one finds his happiness.

Now the apostles and the early Christians caught this same idea. They preached it. They carried it out in living illustration before the world and it was soon said about them, that they had “turned the world upside down”. (Acts 17:6)

I believe that a secular writer somewhere tried to account for the rapid spread of Christianity in the Apostles’ days, by saying, that “it was the natural result of the spirit and conduct of the early Christians. They gave themselves up to acts of unselfish love and they labored for the good of others.” Now this is true, and it is true that the natural result of this would be to strongly influence humanity in favor of Christianity. But, how could he overlook the fact that such a spirit and temper must be divine?

A modern writer has truthfully said, “The Church today is the exact opposite of the early Church”. The first Christians rushed forth risking their lives, and millions of them sacrificed their lives without hesitation for the salvation of the world. They were seen denying themselves, and offering themselves on the altar of unselfish love for the salvation of those who were perishing in sin.

But for centuries, selfishness has been the most prominent feature of the church. Instead of sacrificing herself for the salvation of men, she is sacrificing the world, to gratify her own lusts.

17. It is naturally impossible that a selfish church will ever succeed in converting the world. A selfish church cannot possibly make the world understand the gospel. The light that they hold up is darkness. Their “salt has lost its savor”. Their unselfish love is really selfishness. Their religion is rebellion against God. Suppose Jesus Christ had come, as the Jews expected, as a great earthly prince, living and reigning in mighty earthly splendor, overawing and subduing the nations and exterminating his enemies by the sword. Could He, by living and reigning in mighty earthly splendor, have put the world in possession of the true spirit of religion? Could they have possibly received from Him the idea of what constitutes obedience to the law of God? Certainly not! Nor could the Apostles, and early Christians, have possibly possessed the world with the right idea of religion, in any other way, than by offering themselves up as a living sacrifice for their salvation. And the world can never be converted, missionary enterprises can never succeed, until true religion is taught in the lives of those who profess it, until unselfish love, and not selfishness, is exhibited by the church.

18. I beg you to remember, that this law is to be the rule of judgment by which to judge all the secrets of your heart, soul, and life. Therefore, I beg you, bring yourselves to the true test. Examine yourselves by this rule of unselfish love. Discern your former life, and your present character, by inspecting it in the light of this law. You have never embraced the gospel, any more than you are under the practical influence of God’s law. The gospel was designed to annihilate selfishness and to produce true obedience. If the gospel does not produce this result in you, you are lost forever.

Now will you go down on your knees? Will you open your heart before God? Will you spread this message before Him? Will you be honest, in deciding the real character of your business transactions, of your daily life, walk, and spirit?

Now, I urge you to repent and give your heart and life to Christ at the end of every lecture, for these truths must be to you “a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death”. I beg you, don’t cover up your sins. Don’t try to avoid the light. It will do you no good to resist the drawing of God’s precious Spirit. Truth is truth, whether you receive it or not. I pray to God, that you may receive the truth, so that your whole body, soul, and spirit, may be sanctified through the truth, and preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s come to Him!