'Thy First Love'; Christ's Message to Ephesus - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1878 Excerpt: ...Voice, and nothing more. Though I speak with all tongues, human or angelic, and have not charity, I am become sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. The sound of the brazen instrument, placed to the lips of a skilful player, and filled with his breath, may be very fine; the tinkling of the cymbal, struck by a cunning hand, may be very sweet: love is better, by so much as soul is better than mere voice. The second group is this: "Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." These were gifts of still higher order. The gift of tongues belonged, largely at least, to the lips; these much more to the mind. There was a kind of mystic splendour about them that made them greatly coveted. It was for " this power ' that Simon Magus offered' money; from which we infer the value attached to gifts of this order. But take love away, and though all should meet in one man, he is "nothing." The next group is still higher: "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it proffteth me nothing." A moral element seems to enter here. We are ready to conclude that one who sells his property to give to the poor, or surrenders his body to the flames at a martyr's stake, must needs stand in the foremost rank. But take love out of the gift to the poor, and what have you done? You have kept back the best part of it, the very thing that makes it most precious to the receiver; for love is better than all the substance of your house; and men pay you in full when, for your loveless gift, they return you loveless applause. Or take love out of the martyr's dee...

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