210} possessions is to waste them. Growth is the condition of
life. But in all growth there is reciprocity of expenditure and
assimilation, of giving and receiving. Self-realisation is only gained
through self-surrender. Not, therefore, by anxiously standing guard
over one's soul, but by dedicating it freely to the good of others does
one achieve one's true self.

2. _Duties in Relation to Others_.--We belong to others, and others
belong to us. They and we are alike parts of a larger whole.

(1) While this is recognised in Scripture, and all men are declared to
be brothers in virtue of their common humanity, Christianity traces the
brotherhood of man to a deeper source. The relation of the individual
to Christ is the true ground of love to others. In Christ all
distinctions which in other respects separate men are dissolved.
Beneath the meanest garb and coarsest features, in spite even of the
defacement of sin, we may detect the vast possibilities of the soul for
whom Christ has died. The law of love is presented by Jesus as the
highest of all the commandments, and the duty to others is summed up
generally in what is known as the golden rule. Of the chief
manifestations of brotherly love mention must be made (_a_) of the
comprehensive duty of _Justice_. The ground upon which justice rests
is the principle that each individual is an end in himself. Hence it
is the duty of each to respect the rights of his neighbours, negatively
refraining from injury and positively rendering that which our
fellow-men have a right to claim. Religion makes a man more sensitive
to the claims of humanity. Mutual respect requires a constant effort
on the part of all to secure for each the fullest freedom to be
himself. Christianity interprets justice to mean emancipation from
every condition which crushes or degrades a man. It seeks to create a
social conscience, and to arouse in each a sense of responsibility for
the good of all. At the same time social justice must not be
identified with charity. Charity has done much to relieve distress,
and it will always form an indispensable element in {211} the
Christian's duty towards his less fortunate brethren; but something
more radical than almsgiving is required if the conditions of life are
to be appreciably bettered. Justice is a demand not for bread alone;
it is a claim of humanity to life, and all that life ought to mean.
Christianity affirms the spirit of human brotherhoo