Page:MyPrayerBookHappinessInGoodness.djvu/21

 communion with  God;  living,  it  would  seem,  purely and entirely  for  himself,  hoping  for  nothing  but his own  future  reward,  fearing  nothing  but  his  own future hurt.

"What is  the  true  meaning  of  these  words, ' Charity,'  or  Love,  'seeketh  not  her  own '?

"When we  examine  a  tree  or  a  flower,  we  see that  the  root  seems  to  be  subservient  to  the  stalk or  trunk,  the  trunk  and  branches  to  be  for  the  sake of  the  leaves,  the  leaves  for  the  sake  of  the  flower, the  flower  for  the  sake  of  the  fruit,  the  fruit  for  the sake  of  the  seed,  the  seed  for  the  sake  of  the  future plant,  and  so  on;  and  we  wonder  which  is  the principal  part,  if  there  be  any,  that  exists  for  its own  sake,  and  not  for  the  sake  of  something  else. The  truth  is,  no  doubt,  that  each  exists  for  its  own sake  and  for  the  sake  of  the  whole  and  of  its  fellow parts.  It  struggles  for  and  seeks  its  own  advantage directly  and  before  all,  and,  by  following  this tendency  of  its  own  nature,  it  eventually  profits the  rest,  whereas  the  greatest  injury  it  could  inflict on the  other  parts  would  be  to  suffer  itself  to  decay and perish. We, collectively,  are  the  Body  of Christ  and  members  in  particular,  and  this  fact  is the  basis  of  the  doctrine  of  Christian  charity. 'Lie not  one  to  another,' 'defraud  not  one  another? says St.  Paul,  'because  we  are  fellow  members  of one  body.'  Each  member  exists  for  its  own  sake and also  for  the  sake  of  the  whole  body,  the  head and the  fellow  members. Each member  tends directly to  its  own  well-being  and  advantage,  and