To be near unto God - pagina 216

us, to love God with the heart and with the soul, we understand it at once; for these are disposed to love. But how can we love with the

mind? The mind has been given us to think, to ponder and to understand. How can it be an organ of love, an instrument on which love can play its holy melodies? As a rule it does not because in reading this commandis paid to it. account is made of it. The task of investi-

impress

us,

ment no attention

No

gating the several parts of this

commandment

first

and great

not taken seriously. In reading it over hastily we take it to mean that we should use the mind in the service of God, and leave the heart and the soul the task to love. But this is not so. It does not say that the mind must serve God; that we must direct our thought to God; that with the mind we must come to a clear confession of God, nor how we should direct the working of the mind to God. It declares clearly and plainly that with the mind we must love God. Jesus includes all religion in the one great idea of love, which love must penetrate and pervade every part of our human personality. From the soul it must have dominion not only in the heart, but also in the mind, and must bring it to pass that all our vital forces are led by this one supreme motive of love for God. The mind here does not mean simply logical thought, clear judgment and learned concepts, but the whole glorious endowment of our consciousness, including representation, imagination is

and intellectual 'Towers" are stronger powers

activity. also at work in nature. Far than in us. But though nature 208

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