le schoolboy does his task,
unwillingly, grudgingly. There is no love in their service, and
therefore it is worthless. There are many, I trust, who hear me now who
have learned something of the love of Christ; others who would willingly
learn. To them I say, come into Christ's school to-day. A willing
scholar can always learn, if you _want_ to love Jesus you have begun
already to do so.

First, let us think of some things in the love of Christ which make it
wonderful, past knowledge. The love of Christ is wonderful because it is
_impartial_. "He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Look at the sunshine
pouring down over a great city, and think on what different characters
the light falls. The same sun shines on the Church and its faithful
worshippers, and on the house of shame and infamy. The same light gilds
the dying bed of the Christian, and the couch of the infidel and
blasphemer. The same beam glitters on the blessed Altar of the faithful,
and on the cell of the impenitent murderer. Look at the sunshine and the
shower in the country. The fields of the earnest, prayerful man, and
those of the unbelieving, prayerless scoffer lie golden under the same
sunlight, are watered by the same showers. And why is this so? Surely
it is a type of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. Surely it
teaches us the wondrous height, and depth, and breadth of divine love.
It warns us not to be kind and loving only to the good and gentle, but to
love our enemies, to do good to those who persecute us and speak evil of
us, to try to give all a chance to amend, even as God, in His
long-suffering mercy, makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good.
We shall get to know more of the love of Christ if we learn to be more
_impartial_ in our love for our fellow men. I know a little island where
the society, small enough already, is divided into certain classes, and
it is considered a want of breeding for one class to unite with another.
You can imagine the angry feelings, and petty jealousies, which such a
system excites. But even in the greater world we are too much inclined
to surround ourselves with a circle of friends and acquaintances, and to
leave the rest of the world unknown and uncared for. The love of Christ
teaches us to see in every man a brother, a neighbour, whom we must help
if we can. The love of Christ would have us look on ourselves and o