of
these instances to another; using hardly any gestures; uttering only
with slow distinctness and deliberation his sentences one after the
other; his face and eye meanwhile commanding the whole assembly. He
went on now with the same quietness, perhaps with a little more
deliberateness of accentuation, and an additional spark of fire now and
then in his glance.

There was a widow woman once, who threw into the Lord's treasury two
mites, which make a farthing; but it was _all her living_. Again, we
read that among the first Christians, "all that believed were together,
and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and
parted them to all men, as every man had need." "The multitude of them
that believed were of one heart, and of one soul; neither said any of
them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they
had all things common."

Were these people extravagant? They overwent the judgment of the
present day. By what rule shall we try them?

Christ's rule is, "Freely ye have received; freely give." What have we
received?

Friends, "you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he
was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his
poverty might be rich." And the judgment of the old Christian church
accorded with this; for they said,--"The love of Christ constraineth
us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all
dead; and that he died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and
rose again." Were they extravagant?

But Christ has given us a closer rule to try the question by. He told
his disciples, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, _as I
have loved you_." Does any one ask how that was? The Lord tells us in
the next breath. It was no theoretical feeling. "_Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends_." "A new
commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved
you, that ye also love one another."

Pausing there in his course, with fire and tenderness breaking out in
his face and manner, that gave him a kind of seraphic look, the speaker
burst forth into a description of the love of Christ, that before long
bowed the heads and hearts of his audience as one man. Sobs and
whispers and smothered cries, murmured from all parts of the church;
the whole assembly was broken down, while the preacher stood