| Things to Live For |
Chapter 10 |
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In all our relations with other, there is the same distinction between the working of knowledge and love. Knowledge is supercilious, censorious, arrogant, stern, oftimes cold and cruel. It has no patience with other people’s faults. It is intolerant of human infirmity, and treats the mistakes of weakness or ignorance as crimes. It is relentless and unforgiving toward injury and wrong. It knows what people ought to be, how they ought to live, what perfection of character is; and sees the smallest motes in a brother’s eye, even while it carries huge beams in its own eye. Its spirit is pharisaical and critical, without a trace of forbearance or charity. It has no eye for pity, no heart for sympathy, and coldly passes by on the other side the sorest human needs. It leaves no benediction as it marches through the ways of life. No sweet flowers spring up in its path. It tramples gentle hearts under its heavy tread. It only hurts and wounds and disheartens. Its breath is like a winter’s blast as it blows over the tender things of life.
But in contrast with knowledge, love walks along life’s ways with gentle step. Fragrant flowers grow in its path, and the air is always sweeter when it has passed by. It is kindly, thoughtful, pitiful, and compassionate. It has patience with human faults, and looks with an eye of tender love on those who have fallen. It is tolerant of others who, through weakness, err or turn aside. It is forbearing and long suffering. It meekly endures injury and wrong, giving sweet love for the hurts of unkindness. It sees eagerly and joyfully the good things in others, and has a wide cloak of charity for their failings and sins. It is merciful, forgiving not seven times only, but seventy times seven. Conscious of its own fault and evil, it is lenient toward the blemishes it sees in others.
Love’s portrait is drawn for us in wonderful lines in St. Paul’s immortal chapter: “Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never failteth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; whether there be tounges, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away.”
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