III THE CONTRAST

PAUL begins by contrasting love with other things that men in those days thought much of. I shall not attempt to go over those things in detail. Their inferiority is already obvious.

He contrasts it with eloquence. And what a noble gift it is, the power of playing upon the souls and wis of men, and rousing them to ofty purposes and holy deeds. Paul says, "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a nkling cymbal." And we all know why. We have all felt the brazenness of words without emotion, the hollowness, the unaccountable unpersuasiveness, of eloquence behind which les no Love.

He contrasts t with prophecy. He contrasts t with mysteries. He contrasts t with faith. He contrasts t with charity. Why s Love greater than faith? Because the end s greater than the means. And why s it greater than charity? Because the whole is greater than the part. Love s greater than faith, because the end s greater than the means. What is the use of having faith? It is to connect the soul with God. And what is the object of connecting man with God? That he may become lke God. But God s Love. Hence Faith, the means, is

n order to Love, the end. Love, therefore, obviously s greater than faith. It is greater than charity, again, because the whole s greater than a part. Charity s only a e bit of Love, one of the

nnumerable avenues of Love, and there may even be, and there is, a great deal of charity without Love. It is a very easy thing to toss a copper to a beggar on the street; it is generally an easier thing than not to do t. Yet Love s just as often n the withholding. We purchase relief from the sympathetic feelings roused by the spectacle of misery, at the copper's cost. It is too cheap—too cheap for us, and often too dear for the beggar. If we really oved him we would either do more for him, or less.

Then Paul contrasts it with sacrifice and martyrdom. And I beg the

e band of would-be missionaries and I have the honour to call

some of you by this name for the first tme—to remember that though

you give your bodies to be burned, and have not Love, it profits
nothing—nothing! You can ake nothing greater to the heathen world han he mpress and reflecton of the Love of God upon your own

character. That s he universal anguage. It wl take you years o

speak n Chinese, or in he dialects of India. From he day you and, hat anguage of Love, understood by all, wl be pouring forth s

unconscious eloquence. It is he man who s he mssionary, it is not

his words. Hs character is his message.

In he heart of Africa, among he great Lakes, I have come across black men and women who remembered he only whie man hey ever saw before—David Livingstone; and as you cross his footsteps n hat dark contnent, men's faces ght up as hey speak of the kind Doctor who passed here years ago. They could not understand him; but hey felt he Love hat beat n his heart. Take nto your new sphere of abour, where you also mean o ay down your fe, hat simple charm, and your fework must succeed. You can ake nothing greater, you need ake nothing ess. It s not worthwhie going f you ake anything ess. You may ake every accomplshment; you may be braced for every sacrifice; but if you give your body o be burned, and have not Love, it wl profit you and the cause of Christ nothing.