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LOVE AND GENTLENESS

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Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 2, 1859

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 14, No. 2.

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LOVE AND GENTLENESS.

By J. Clark

The lamb, is a symbol of gentleness, and of innocence, and of peace. Mankind admire these qualities. We value the horse, the ox, the elephant, and camel, in proportion as they manifest gentleness and docility, united with strength and spirit; and in the same proportion do we deprecate the opposite qualities wherever they exist in any of the lower animals.
With all the evidence spread before us in the book of nature, teaching the sublimest and loveliest sentiments, we have found means, to shut our eyes and close our ears, most effectually, against every sublime truth, every lovely attribute of God, as developed in his works.
Such is the power of sin and Satan to blind poor man, that had it not been for the development of the character of God in the person of his dear Son, it would not have appeared to our race, (rescued in any other way) how kind, and gentle, and loving is our heavenly Father. They might have been told of his love, or have been exalted to his favor, but without such an exhibition of his character, they could not hope, or be fit for communing in rapturous adorations with the Ancient of days.
Men had corrupted their way upon the earth, had forgotten God, had left his worship, had forsaken his statutes, had multiplied to themselves false gods. Babylon had her national gods, and her varied and peculiar gods and goddesses, Medo-Persia had hers, and Greece had hers, and Rome had hers; and in her Pantheon at Rome, was collected the gods of all nations; gods of war and of peace, gods of nations, of cities, of towns and of families, gods of agriculture and of mechanics, gods of lust, and gods of drunkenness.
Not one of this vast variety of heathen gods was either virtuous in its impersonation, or life-giving in its power; all stood there in the mutest idiocy; blocks of wood, or stone, or base or precious metal; passive, dumb, carved, painted, hideous, unsightly and disgusting representatives of the vices and follies of ruined man.
No gleam of hope lighted up the gloom. Not one of these horrid systems of idolatry offered one ray of pure light. Their cruel rites and ceremonies and rules of worship, were, like their images, the work of Satan. Evil in their source, evil in their practical detail, and working, and evil in their tendencies. All nations owned some one of these systems, all bowed at the shrine of some false god, all were swayed by some system of idol-worship.
Darkness, gross darkness covered the earth, moral night covered the nations, and humanity groaned beneath its load of guilt, yet knew not its cause or remedy. Satan had blinded the mind of our first parents, and what difficulty was there which he could not overcome in the work of bestializing and deadening the moral sense of their offspring; and in triumphing in his work, he defied the power of God to redeem the race of man from his tyrant grasp.
At once a bright light appeared, and rapidly spread itself over the habitable earth. Men and women who had worshiped Diana, or Jupiter, or other false gods, now bowed before the prince Immanuel. Heathen men and women who had rioted in impure and unholy rites and ceremonies, now with pure hearts and uplifted hands, offered a pure sacrifice to Jehovah. Idol temples were deserted and their images were demolished. Those who had delighted in the practice of vice and sin, now turned from it in disgust, and with holy joy adopted the purest principles. Vice by them was no more called virtue, but with simple, artless truthfulness, they now called things by their right names. What they once loved they now hated, and wherever this new light shone forth in power, society was reconstructed, and underlaid with the most excellent and durable material.
What caused this sudden remarkable change, this moral revolution, effected without material or visible power? No clash of arms, no martial thunders or warlike heroes, no wonderful feats of military or civil power; but silent, and almost unseen, it wound its course wherever the people were willing to hear and accept its pure and holy influence.
Oh it was a simple affair, so simple that it appeared foolish to the proud and haughty. The cause of this mighty change was simply this: a being had appeared upon the earth, who was gentle and lovely in all his actions, all his words were pure and holy, and in every word and deed, disinterested love ruled his life. When his foes cast their darts of malice and hate at this strange personage, he would return words of love or kind reproof, while his tears attested his kindness of heart; and finally, when wicked men and Satan could no longer endure the presence of so good and kind and wise a person, they cruelly put him to death, and even here, they were not able by their utmost malice and skill, to disturb his equanimity, or to ruffle his calmness of mind. To the last he manifested love, unshaken love, even for his persecutors.
To crown this wonderful life of love and gentleness, proof was not wanting that he was the son of a king, and that king was Jehovah, and that this individual had risen from the grave, and had ascended to his Father, had returned to the bright realm from which he came, to be glorified and honored in the presence of his Father, and would finally come again and take to himself all those who would walk in his steps, imitating his example of love, gentleness, patience, fortitude and purity.
Strong men wept when they heard the wonderful story of Jesus' love. It was a new, a strange doctrine; yet to many it was light, and joy, and gladness. It was just what their hearts had yearned for in solitary hours, but never before did they understand what it was their hearts desired. Rough, untutored heathen, alike with the learned philosophers, broke down in tears when the account of Jesus' life, teachings and sufferings were recited to them. Old and young, rich and poor, were among its converts; and as they received the new, the life-giving principle of love to their hearts, such was the contrast with their former state of ungracious hatred and pride, that no words could demonstrate their joy. It manifested itself in acts of self-denial and benevolence and in lives of sublime devotion to the cause they had espoused; lives of consecration and purity.
Armed with the panoply of the gospel, they resigned worldly honors and distinctions. Often they distributed all their fortunes to the needy and suffering, or with joy they welcomed confiscations and fines. Joyfully they accepted apartments in the gloomy prison, or with equal constancy they smiled their good wishes upon those who broke them limb by limb upon the rack. They sang as the flames embraced them at the stake; and by every means their enemies could devise to tempt and annoy them, to diminish, overthrow and subdue them, by so many means they showed the sublimest fortitude and perseverance and disinterested love to their enemies and persecutors.
What was it that won these darkened, benighted pagans to the banner of the cross, and having won them, what was it that held them so firmly in its blessed influence? O it was the love of Christ shed abroad in the heart; that love that many waters cannot quench, nor floods drown; his matchless love manifested in the plan of salvation, laid out ere a sinner had yet been born, manifested in a painful and mortifying life, in which love ruled the heart, and tongue, and act, love falling like the dew, rolling on like the resistless current of the mighty river, as occasion demanded; love to friend and foe. This it was that won and retained pagan and Pharisee, priest and publican and scribe, haughty noble, and humble peasant, old and young, high and low, rich and poor. This was the love first manifested in Jesus, then reflected in his followers. This love was seen exemplified in the saints and martyrs of early times, and rich were the fruits it bore. Brother, sister, let us get this love and gentleness. It will cement every grace, and will aggregate to itself everything pure and holy, while it acts as a guardian angel to protect us from Satan’s arts.
J. CLARK.