as He laid down Himself, all through life, and upon the Cross of
Calvary; and you must love Him. And loving Him, you must become
like Him. Love begets love. It is a process of induction. Put
a piece of Iron in the presence of an electrified body, and that
piece of iron for a time becomes electrified. It is changed into
a temporary magnet in the mere presence of a permanent magnet, and
as long as you leave the two side by side, they are both magnets
alike. Remain side by side with Him who loved us, and
Gave himself for us,
and you, too, will become a permanent magnet, a permanently attractive
force; and like Him you will draw all men unto you, like Him you
will be drawn unto all men. that is the inevitable effect of Love.
Any man who fulfills that cause must have that effect produced in
him.
Try to give up the idea that religion comes to us by chance, or
by mystery, or by caprice. It comes to us by natural law, or by
supernatural law, for all law is Divine.
Edward Irving went to see a dying boy once, and when he entered
the room he just put his hand on the sufferer's head, and said,
"My boy, God loves you," and went away. The boy started from his
bed, and called out to the people in the house,
"God loves me! God loves me!"
One word! It changed that boy. The sense that God loved
him overpowered him, melted him down, and began the creating of a
new heart in him. And that is how the love of God melts down the
unlovely heart in man, and begets in him the new creature, who is
patient and humble and gentle and unselfish. And there is no other
way to get it. There is no mystery about it. We love others, we
love everybody, we love our enemies, BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US.