^ Some ladies in the city had established an infant school in the district of Billingsgate, and finding themselves quite unsuc- cessful in persuading the people to send their children to it, applied to Irving to help them. When they came to the second house, he took the office of spokesman upon himself. " When the door was opened, he spoke in the kindest tone to the woman who opened it, and asked permission to go in. He then explained the intention of the ladies, asked how many children she had, and whether she would send them. A ready consent was the result ; and the mother's heart was completely won when the visitor took one of her little ones on his knee, and blessed her." The city ladies were confounded. They had honestly intended to benefit the poor, very, very distantty related to them by way of Adam and the forgotten patriarchs — but the cheerful brotherhood of the man who had blessed the bread of the starving Glasgow weavers was as strange to them as if he had spoken Hebrew instead of English.^
2. Brotherly-love may he shown hy solicitude for union among all Christians — the mutual recognition and intercommunion of Churches; and by earnest endeavour to help forward whatever seems likely to secure such a result.
^ On his holidays he delighted to attend little chapels, and he enjoyed the homely addresses of the lay preachers. One day a farmer was preaching in a Methodist chapel where Watson often worshipped, and at the conclusion of his sermon said, " Why do I preach Sunday after Sunday ? Because I cannot eat my bread alone." Watson shook him warmly by the hand after the service, and said later, " I count that one of the greatest conclusions to a sermon I have ever heard — he could not eat his bit of bread alone." ^
^ Mrs. Olipliant, TJie Life of Edward Irving, i. 230. - W. Robertson Nicoll, Ian Madaren, 325.
2 PETER I. 5-7 185
3. It is manifested best in daily acts that involve self-denial. — It is seen in little rather than in great things — by what is the spontaneous outcome of habitual feeling rather than by acts which are done from a sense of remembered duty. It is to make itself felt as a perpetual presence ; a thing cheerful and genial as light, but which is not thought of, noticed, or spoken about, unless some- thing should suddenly disturb or interrupt it, like a dark cloud deforming the day. The Saviour, after His beautifully symbolic act of washing His disciples' feet, hastened, lest they should lose the practical lesson in their wonder at His condescending love, to uncover and lay bare the working principle which the acted parable was intended to convey. " Know ye what I have done to you ? Ye call me, Master, and, Lord : and ye say well ; for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you." Then, gathering up His whole philosophy of life into a single pregnant phrase, He said, " If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them." It is this blending of knowing and doing that constitutes the ideal life.
^ There was a medical student a year or two ago, who was half way through his course, when it dawned upon him that he had lived for himself, and he decided to change and go and see if he could find any one to help. And he found an old chum who had gone to the dogs. He had fallen to pieces, given up his work and his exams., and was living aloof from other students and drinking hard. No. 1 went and found him lying on the floor drunk. He paid his debts and took him to his own rooms, gave him supper, and put him to bed. On the next day he had a talk with him. He produced a piece of paper, and they made a contract to keep them both straight : —
(1) Neither of us to go out alone.
(2) Twenty minutes only to be allowed to go to the college
and return : overtime to be accounted for.
(3) One hour every night to be given over to reading other
than studies.
(4) That byegones be byegones.
Both men put their names to this, and for weeks they lived, No. 1 paying and doing all he could to help No. 2. After a time No. 2 saw that the odd evening hour was spent by No. 1 in reading his Bible. No. 1 never spoke to him about it ; he simply
i86 THE UNFOLDING OF CHARACTER
Bat and read. Ay, gentlemen, I tell you that was a fine sermon. He never spoke about Eeligion ; but he spoke Eeligion. He was teaching the brotherhood of man and the life of Christ, Now No. 2 was learning unconsciously to know God. Why ? Because God is Love — No. 1 loved him ; and Christ is Sacrifice — No. 1 sacrificed his life for him. Not a word was said. At last No. 2 changed. What he changed to I need not say. The last I heard of them was this. No. 1 is filling an appointment of great import- ance in London. No. 2 passed his exams, that year with the highest University distinction, and is now in private practice.^