Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1849-08-10
Religious.
FAITH AND WORKS
REPLY TO "JUs. I"

AN ALLEGATION" Faith, without works. is
ne who, on the one hand attempts to show that
ialta IN Christianity, without corresponding
works, can be genuine, and constitute ground
OF acceptance with God: or, on the other hand
mat uniform good works, unaccomnanied nv
| profession or creed, is no evidence of the rioht
kind OF tatth and cannot constitute a ground Of
acceptance, very certainly mistakes the teach
llgs OF common sense, as well as the painest pre-
| cePts OF the gospel. "A good tree cannot bring
lorth EVIL frult; neither can a corrupt tree brn0
! iortn good frait-wherefore, by their fruits We
9iiaii know them" "Not every one that saith
Lord. Lord! shall enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven, but he that doetb the will Of nv Father
&C. that is, he who, according to tho teach
lnigs; OF the Savior himself, feeds the HUNGRY.
| clothes the naked, and ministers to the physical
ana other wants OF suffering humanity.
! nat class OF men who unostentatiously and
iheekly spend their lives in devotion to the best
Sood OF Their fellow men, and who practice the
ri9M IN all the relations of life. not from any ex-
! pectatlon OF reward any farther than svirt9e is
It's own reward, nor from any fear of punish
ment, any farther than wrong-doinr BRINGS lis
own penalty, would seem to be the very class
our Savior had in view, as those most likely TO
occupy seat at the right hand of the Father, at
tie last great day; while those who act upon an
opposite principle, or depend upon mere abstract
or deqd faith and creed, would seem to be the
class, II any, who are to take their position upon
the left. Then shall the King say to unto
them on his right, come We blessed Of NV father.
&c. For was an hungercd and We gave me
meat: | was thirsty, and We gave me drink:
was stranger and We took me in: naked, and
We clothed me: was sick and We visited me: |
was in prison and We came unto me. Then
| shall the righteous answer him saving, when
saw we thee an hungered and fed thee. or thirsty
and gave thee drink, when saw we thee stran-
| ger, and took thee in, or naked and clothed thee
or when saw we thee sick and in prison and came
unto thee. Evidently, implying from these
| questions, that III serving humanity they did not
even once think they were doing service to God
and that this was not their ruling motive. Yet
the King shall answer and say "Inasmuch as
We have done it unto the least of these my breth-
! rem, We have done it unto me- In other words
no matter whether We thought or knew you were
serving me not, inasmuch as yc did the work
Tor humanity, for your brethren, you did it unto
me. Nothing is more distinct here than the sa-
wing efficacy of good acorkS; and nothing mere
distinct, on the other hand, as a scripturaI doc
trine, than the insutliciency of mere profession
or creed. ''Then shall he say to those on the
gave me no meat thirsty, and We oave me no
drink" &c. Then shall they answer and say,
"when saw we thee an hungered and gave thee
no meat, thirsty, and gave thee no drink" &c.
evidently implying the conviction on their part
that they had been dschareing their duty in u
round of observances and devotions directed par
tcuarly towards God, while they had neglected
the great work of humanity. Then snail he say
to them "Verily | say unto you, inasmuch as We
did it not to one of the least of these We did it not
to me-" In ether. words, as you failed to serve
your fellow men in ac1rks of bencvolence and
love, you failed to serve me- And again, as if
to make the doctrine more distinct, ''many will
say to me IN that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name, and in thy name done
many wonderful works And then will profess
unto them, never knew We, depart from me, We
that ,cork iniquity, plainly intoxicating that by
their corkS, and not by their prophesying or pro-
Tossing this or that in the name of the Lord, are
men to be Judged. The reference is quite direct
and the rebuke quite pointed, to those who base
their hopes OF final acceptance upon lcOrdS rather
than arorfS and the so-calIed christian church
needs yet to be school:d in the first great princi-
pies and duties of christianity as indicated by
these sayings.
The character and condition of Christendom is
most aptly described, in our view, by the Savior,
in reference to the Scribes and Pharsccs of his
time.
-"They sayanddo not They bind heavy
burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them
on mems shoulders; but they themselves will
not move them with one of their fingers. =
But all their works they do for to be seen of
men; they make bread their phylacteries, and en-
large the borders of then garments. But
twoe unto you Scrihes and Pharisees, hgpocriteS,
for We devour widows houses and for pre-.
tence make long prayers Ie compass land and
sea to make one proselyte, and when he is made,
We make him tWo-lold more the child of hell than
yourselves" A more faithful or striking pic
ture could not be drawn3 and ii the Church and
ministry fail to recognize some of their leading
features in this picture, it is because Of their
blindness or unWllngness 10 see, as was the
case with the Scribes and Pharsees of old.
No one can say aught against the Church and
ministry for want of faithtulness and zeal as to
mere external obsefyauces. They are careful
to make clean ''the outside of the platter but
within are full of ''eXtortioD and excess '-neC-
lcchng almost entirely the "weightier matters "
of the law, justice, mercy, and charity. Here,
their fahlessncss is but too plainly and painfully
exhibited by the present condition of the Chris
tian world. The increase of nominal Christi
anitv seems to be attended with an equal or even
greater increase of misery, suffering, and crime.
We VIII not say, as cause and effect; but we teel
justified in saying, as genuine Christianity is the
cause which is 10 effect the publication and re-
demption of the world, that cannot be the genu-
inc article, the spread and increase of which are
0 attended with increasing evil rather than good
so far as the general condition Of humanity is con-
cerncd.
Let genuine Christianity prevail and spread
instead of its counterfeit, and though there might
be fewer splendid churches, and fewer sleek
we'll fed, and well paid ministers, and less cant
and hair-sp!itting theology, the abodes of com
fort in the land would be immeasurably increa.
sed, the virtue and happiness of mankind greatly
promoted, with a far greater prevalence of ra.
: tional and eonsstentyiews of religious truth and
d duty.
The shortcomings and DEFICIENCIES of the
q Church as a relormatory agency in the world
has become so papable and so universally ac.
knowledged. that il is no longer looked to or de
t. pended upon in great moral enterprises; and these
enterprises as general thing, are not only com
PEELED to get along without the aid of the Church
and the protested Ministers of Christ, but have
to encounter, in many eases, their most decide
opposition. We'need not refer to the Temper
ance movement, TO the Anti-Slavery movement