Page:The Garden of Eden (Doughty).djvu/37

Rh and quality to the entire life. As Swedenborg expresses it, "Love is the life of man." One may do a good act from a bad love. He may live an outwardly good life from inwardly bad motives. He may be gentle and kind and give freely to charitable purposes, and be honest in business, and say many prayers, because he seeks honor and praise from men. He may do many good things from the love of approbation, or from the love of advancement, or from the love of money, or from any other selfish love. Now a good act done from an unworthy love, so far as the man is concerned, is spurious. The love from which he speaks or acts, stamps the character of the word or deed, rendering it good or bad according to the quality of the love.

But when our Lord said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments;" and "he that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me," He told the whole story of love to God, and gave the expression its true definition. The Lord's commandments teach the pure and perfect life. They are instinct with honesty, sincerity, truthfulness, generosity, unselfishness, purity, spirituality. They ignore base and low motives; they exalt that which is noble and lovely. They do not debar us from all sensual gratification, but they place sense and self under the absolute control of the spiritual faculties. Love to the Lord