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For profligacy is selfishness; and the family, and the society, the nation, exists only by casting away selfishness and by obeying law: not only the outward law, which says in the name of God, 'Thou shalt not, but the inward law, the Law of Christ, which says, 'Thou must; the law of self- sacrifice, which selfish lust tramples under foot, till there is no more cohesion left between man and man, no more trust, no more fellow-help, than between the stags who fight for the hinds; and God help the nation which has brought itself to that!
Oh, consider what I say; the kingdom of God is among us now; its blessings are growing richer, fuller among us every day. Beware, lest if we refuse to acknowledge that kingdom and Christ the King of it, it be taken away from us, and given to some other nation, who will bring forth the fruits of it, fellow-help and brotherly kindness, purity and sobriety, and all the fruits of the Spirit of God.
Surely then we should be doubly safe; we should have God and the world on our side both at once." Now, my friends, God will not allow us to succeed on that plan. We are members of His Church, whose head is Jesus, who gave Himself for sinners; whose members are all brothers of His Church, which is held together by self-sacrifice and fellow-help.
'I say, that by fleeing into solitude a man cuts himself off from all which makes a Christian man; from law, obedience, fellow-help, self-sacrifice from the communion of saints itself. 'How then? 'How canst thou hold communion with those toward whom thou canst show no love? And how canst thou show thy love but by works of love? 'I can, at least, pray day and night for all mankind.
But He is not King now; this world is given over to sin and the devil, so fallen and ruined and corrupt that that that, in short, we cannot be expected to behave like God's children in it, but must just follow the ways of the world, and live by ambition, and selfishness, and cunning, and boasting, and competing in this life; a life of love, and justice, and humbleness, and fellow-help, and mercy, and self-sacrifice is impossible in such a world as this; we cannot live like angels, till we get to heaven!"
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