You must not be offended because the Scripture commends love so highly, for he that commends the daughter commends the mother; for love is the daughter, and faith is the mother:  love floweth out of faith; where faith is, there is love; but yet we must consider their offices, faith is the hand wherewith we take hold on everlasting life.

Now let us enter into ourselves, and examine our own hearts, whether we are in the livery of God, or not:  and when we find ourselves to be out of this livery, let us repent and amend our lives, so that we may come again to the favor of God, and spend our time in this world to His honor and glory, forgiving our neighbors all such things as they have done against us.

And now to make an end:  mark here who gave this precept of love—­Christ our Savior Himself.  When and at what time?  At His departing, when He should suffer death.  Therefore these words ought the more to be regarded, seeing He Himself spake them at His last departing from us.  May God of His mercy give us grace so to walk here in this world, charitably and friendly one with another, that we may attain the joy which God hath prepared for all those that love Him.  Amen.

MELANCHTHON

THE SAFETY OF THE VIRTUOUS

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Philip Melanchthon (Schwarzerd) was born at Bretten, in Baden, in 1497.  His name is noteworthy as first a fellow laborer and eventually a controversial antagonist of Luther.  At the Diet of Augsburg, in 1530, he was the leading representative of the Reformation.  He formulated the twenty-eight articles of the evangelical faith known as the “Augsburg Confession.”  The Lutherans of extreme Calvinistic views were alienated by Melanchthon’s subsequent modifications of this confession, and by his treatises in ethics.  He and his followers were bitterly assailed, but his irenic spirit did not forsake him.  He was a true child of the Renaissance, and is styled by some writers “the founder of general learning throughout Europe.”  While he was never called or ordained to the ministry of the Church, he was in the habit of addressing the local religious assemblies or collegia from time to time, and, being a man of profound piety, his sympathetic and natural style of delivery made him an impressive speaker.  He died in 1560, and his body was laid beside that of Martin Luther.

MELANCHTHON 1497—­1560

THE SAFETY OF THE VIRTUOUS

Neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.—­John x, 28.

To Thee, almighty and true God, eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of heaven and earth, and of all creatures, together with Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost—­to Thee, the wise, good, true, righteous, compassionate, pure, gracious God, we render thanks that Thou hast hitherto upheld the Church in these lands, and graciously afforded it protection and care, and we earnestly beseech Thee evermore to gather among us an inheritance for Thy Son, which may praise Thee to all eternity.