ehave itself unseemly, seeketh not
her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth
all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never
faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether
there be tongues, they shall cease: whether there be knowledge, it
shall vanish away. And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but
the greatest of these is love."

The enemy had got into that little Church at Corinth established by
Paul, and there was strife among the disciples. One said, "I am of
Apollos;" another, "I am of Cephas;" and another, "I am of Paul." Paul
saw that this sectarian strife and want of love among God's dear
people would be disastrous to the Church of God, and so he wrote this
letter. I have often said that if every true believer could move into
this chapter and live in the spirit of it for twelve months, the
Church of God would double its numbers within that time. One of the
great obstacles in the way of God's work to-day is this want of love
among those who are the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we love a person we will not be pointing out his failings all the
time. It is said: "Many rules of eloquence have been set forth, but,
strange, to say, the first and most essential of all has been
overlooked, namely, love. To address men well they must be loved much.
Whatever they may be, be they ever so guilty, or indifferent, or
ungrateful, or however deeply sunk in crime, before all, and above
all, they must be loved. Love is the sap of the Gospel, the secret of
lively and effectual preaching, the magic power of eloquence. The end
of preaching is to reclaim the hearts of men to God, and nothing but
love can find out the mysterious avenues which lead to the heart. If
then you do not feel a fervent love and profound pity for humanity, be
assured that the gift of Christian eloquence has been denied you. You
will not win souls, neither will you acquire that most excellent of
earthly sovereignties--sovereignty over human hearts. An Arab proverb
runs thus--'The neck is bent by the sword, but heart is only bent by
heart.' Love is irresistible."

Look at these words: "Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth
not." How often it happens that if one outshines another there is apt
to be envy in our hearts toward that one; we want a great deal of
grace to keep it down. "Love vaunteth not itself