ETHICS 305 



the ideal of man in man, could simply say and feel that 

 they loved Christ in every man." ^ 



But there was something more. " Christ believed it 

 possible to bind men to their kind, but on one condition 

 — 'that they were first bound fast to Himself". 



The history of Christianity is replete with characters 

 in whom " self was lost and found in Christ " from St. 

 Paul to to-day. 



Christ Himself has been the One and only Motive 

 which has been all sufficient for a holy life. Well, again, 

 does Seeley remark : " Among all the men of the ancient 

 heathen world there were scarcely one or two to whom 

 we might venture to apply the epithet ' holy '. In other 

 words, there were not more than one or two, if any, who 

 besides being virtuous in their actions were possessed 

 with an unaffected enthusiasm of goodness, and besides 

 abstaining from vice regarded even a vicious thought 

 with horror. Probably no one will deny that in Chris- 

 tian countries this higher-toned goodness, which we call 

 holiness, has existed. Few will maintain that it has been 

 exceedingly rare. Perhaps the truth is, that there has 

 scarcely been a town in any Christian country since the 

 time of Christ when a century has passed without exhibit- 

 ing a character of such elevation that his mere presence has 

 shamed the bad and made the good better, and has been 

 felt at times like the presence of God Himself, And if 

 this be so, has Christ failed or can Christianity die ? " ^ 



(3) It is quite true that practical experience is the 

 only test of the worth of any maxim. Hence was it 

 that our Lord said : " If any man willeth to do His will, 

 he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God, or 

 whether I speak from Myself".^ 



1 Pp. 154-156. 2 p_ i5i_ sjohnvii. 17. 



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