Brotherly Love

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 7
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THE thing to promote brotherly love is love. The unchanging law from the first is, “herb and tree yielding fruit after his kind” (Genesis 1:1111And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. (Genesis 1:11)). Corn bears corn, and nettles produce nettles. And just as surely love bears love, and pride produces pride. So let as seek to sow broadcast after the Blessed Pattern, who fell into the ground and died, that He might yield fruit after His kind. One thing that may mar this is impatience, expecting fruit too soon. I have seen this in my children, and have felt it in my own experience. I expect fruit before its time, or fruit of a kind too high, not seeing how God accepts “the good smell” of the “tender grape,” while it is yet sour (Song of Sol. 2:1313The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. (Song of Solomon 2:13)). Any one can see that the image of God, when it comes, is “very good” (Gen. 1:27, 3127So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27)
31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)), when the new man created in righteousness rules the whole creature; but the thing is to be like God, to see what is good in brethren from the fruit, and when any light has come, to see with God “that it is good” (Gen. 1:44And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:4)). That verse in Acts, where we are told that when Barnabas went to Antioch “he saw the grace of God” in them, has been of use to me. He saw the grace of God, for he saw with the eyes of grace— “he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost”—and good men yet see grace, even when it is in the bud, where carnal and proud souls only see the flesh in some poor weak brother. Let us thus seek the things which edify, duly estimating what is of Christ in each other: so shall the body be united rather than torn asunder.
“Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God.”