ndred years ago.
Science can calculate the exact time of an eclipse ages before the time,
science can connect two worlds with the electric wire, science can make
the powers of earth, and air, and fire, and water its slaves; but science
cannot teach us the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, or show us
how to find the peace of God which passeth all understanding. No, we
must go to the school of Jesus Christ to learn these things; and in that
school the learned, and the ignorant, the powerful, and the lowly, are
just on a level. The man of science may be there, like Sir Isaac Newton,
of whom some one said that he had the _whitest soul_ of any man he had
ever known. But it was not the power of the telescope which had brought
the love of Jesus to his sight. The poor, ignorant cottager, who cannot
even read, may be there. He is no scholar, but he has learnt what some
scholars are ignorant of, to trust God and love his neighbour as himself.
Yes, brethren, if we would learn to know the love of Christ, we must go
to His school, we must kneel at His Feet, we must hold close communion
with Him, we must daily endeavour ourselves to follow the steps of His
most holy life. Grey-haired old man, tender little child, anxious
mother, busy worker, Jesus calls you to learn the lesson of His love,
saying, "Come, and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart." But
S. Paul says that the love of Christ passeth knowledge. And indeed we
poor, sinful, selfish creatures can never hope, at least here, to
understand all the wideness, the depth, the power, of that love. When
the astronomer looks up at the starry sky above him, he does not think so
much of what he knows about that shining world as about what he does
_not_ know. He thinks of the mysteries which those calm skies hold, and
of the countless stars which no telescope has ever yet brought within the
range of human eye. So the more we learn of the love of Christ the more
marvellous it appears. There are some among us who know absolutely
nothing of the love of Christ. They are as ignorant of it as a blind man
is of the beauties of Nature. To them Jesus is a character in history
who did certain things, who suffered for them and for others, and with
that they are quite content. But they know nothing of the love of
Christ, and care nothing about it because they do not love Him
themselves. Such people either neglect the duties of religion
altogether, or perform them as an id