it from focussing its rays to a burning point on the convex glass.
And the small, thin, fleeting, scarcely visible acts of self-will
that sometimes pass across our skies will prevent our feeling the
warmth of that love upon our shrouded hearts. Every known piece of
rebellion against Christ will shatter all true enjoyment of His
favour, unless we are hopeless hypocrites or self-deceived. The
condition of knowing and feeling the warmth and blessedness of
Christ's love to me is the honest submission of my nature to His
commandments. You cannot rejoice in Jesus Christ unless you do His
will. You will have no real comfort and blessedness in your religion
unless it works itself out in your daily lives. That is why so many
of you know nothing, or next to nothing, about the joy of Christ's
felt presence, because you do not, for all your professions, hourly
and momentarily regulate and submit your wills to His commandments.
Do what He wants, and do it because He wants it, if you wish that His
love should fill your hearts.

And, further, we shall continue in His love by obedience, inasmuch as
every emotion which finds expression in our daily life is
strengthened by the fact that it is expressed. The love which works
is love which grows, and the tree that bears fruit is the tree that
is healthy and increases. So note how all these deepest things of
Christian teaching come at last to a plain piece of practical duty.
We talk about the mysticism of John's Gospel, about the depth of
these last sayings of Jesus Christ. Yes! they are mystical, they are
deep--unfathomably deep, thank God!--but connected by the shortest
possible road with the plainest possible duties. 'Let no man deceive
you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous.' It is of no use to
talk about communion with Jesus Christ, and abiding in Him, in
possession of His love, and all those other properly mystical sides