Page:The New View of Hell.djvu/206

 "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake, shall find it."

Our true life is the heavenly life—the life of pure unselfish love—the Lord's own life in us, yet perceived as ours. We find or receive this life, only as we overcome or lose our hereditary selfish life for the Lord's sake; and this we can do only by denying to our natural and inordinate love of self the gratification which it craves, and engaging in many a fierce conflict with the evil inclinations which spring from that love. This is the way the Lord himself overcame the evil in his assumed humanity, and made that humanity Divine. And we, if we would follow Him, or come into full sympathy and spiritual union with Him (and without this there is no heaven for us), must do the same. That is, we must deny self, and take up our cross.

"Keep the commandments," was the blessed Saviour's answer to the young man who "came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" And to every inquirer in every age. He returns the self-same answer. And He goes further and specifies the commandments that are to be kept: "Thou shalt do no murder: Thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shalt not bear false witness: Honor thy father and thy mother: And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."