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Those that look to be happy, must first look to be holy. — Richard Sibbes, Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:22 in Works 3:469
Henry Highland Garnet preached a sermon on Isaiah 57:13-14 concerning brotherly love and honoring God which was published in the May 12, 1848 North Star. His words remain simple and yet deeply profound over 170 years later.
The first great duty of man is to honor the living God. For this he has all the necessary capacities. He is endowed with thought, and affection, and the one is capable of being turned lovingly upon the Lord, and the other can be improved illimitably.
And there is another duty which a righteous man will perform. He will labor to promote the happiness of his brethern of the human family; to remove if possible, the sorrows that may gather around them; to wipe away the tears from their eyes; to soothe their aching hearts, and to lead them by precept, and example to the bosom of the universal Father.
There is another great duty devolving upon men; a duty which the majority of mankind places first upon the list; a regard for one’s own happiness. This blessing so eagerly sought, but which is so seldom found, can only be secured by the discharge of the two former duties. Love to God and man, opens the road to happiness. Love and obedience united, produce this happy state of mind. He who lives the holiest life, enjoys the happiest spirit; so it has been since men or angels have had being, and so it ever will be. He who loves God, and his fellow men, receives the approbation of Jehovah, and his conscience is the witness. Perfect love flows from the heart in several directions, and like a stream from the brain of a mountain, it gladdens every spot through which it flows. It prepares us to maintain all the relations of life. We become faithful patriots, friends, brothers, companions, parents and Christians.
