Watchman Of The South

For the Watchman of the South
BROTHERLY LOVE.

"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love," Rom. xii, 10. "But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another," I Thess. iv, 9.

Brotherly love and christian fellowship are enjoined on all the professing children of God. They are part and parcel of the whole christian economy. They are indispensable ingredients of the system. It is quite as proper to suppose that an earthly family can "be kindly affectioned one to another without brotherly love," as that God's own people can.

The term "brotherly love" has something peculiarly sweet, tender, and endearing in its sound; it is love, and more than love; it is brotherly love; it is an affection existing between persons born of the same parents, nourished on the same bosom, having a common interest, a community of feeling, a feeling indescribable and unattainable by others than those thus related. Who is there that has not felt a brother's love? Who that does not know what it is to lose a brother's love? These are feelings of natural affection, and as such implanted into our nature by a kind and all wise benefactor. They are proper—such as God approves and encourages. If these be commendable in an earthly family, certainly they are so in "our Father's." He has a family on earth. He has sons and daughters. We are his offspring He calls us children—"Heirs of God and joint heirs with his own Son." Oh how endearing the relation! He tells us to "be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love." We "are taught of God to love one another."

The object had in view by the writer, is to call to mind the important fact, that often christians do not love one another as they should and are commanded to do Let each child of God look into this subject and honestly examine his heart and see whether he loves his brother whom he hath seen If not, he does not love God whom he hath not seen.

D. M.