Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-11-08
Come to Jesus.

tlon has greater variety of readers
than the Church Union. 1t is taken
and read by men high in political and
ecclesiastical positions as well as by
the lowliest-saint and sinner, Chris
tain and infidel, bigot and liberal, find
something in it to read, though scar
cely any one can find in it what they
always commend. We beg our CO.
temporaries to notice that our au-
dience is not unlike those multitudes
that followed Jesus in diversity of
rank, position. and character. 1t
must always be so to a free and out
spoken organ of the one Church of
Christ. The nearer we get the Church
Union to a correct ideal of catholici-
ty, the more will our audience vary
and break up into rich, poor, blind,
halt and lame, strong and weak, good
and evil. These things are ordained
OF God, and we would not change
them if we could. Just like the
primitive Church we would have the
modern Church; a variety Of gifts
and graces, with all the shades of
opinion possible, and hold on to
Christ. But, above all, and only,
hold on to Christ.
In view of these opportunities in
creasing in value every day as we 90
on to add to our readers, we have de-
termined to urge oftener the great
subject of all subjects in these col
umns, to wit, the simple truth of come
to Jesus. There are so many who
like US for what they term our spicy
methods of speech, who, we fear, do
not love Jesus, that as we have op-
portunity we mean to urge to come to
Jesus. No work more important
have we ever under taken. There are
so many souls within our range who
are out Of Christ, true friends of the
slave, of woman, Of temperance, of
reforms generally, but who love not
Jesus, that we feel constrained to
say a word to such. Let not the re-
cord of life OF earnest deeds and
devotion to freedom for the State or
for life be contounded with that of
the life TO come. A man may be an
aboliUionist and no Christian. He
may love all men, and vet hate God.
He may love freedom so much and
so intensely that he will not bear the
restraints of revelation. Theodore
Parker could not bear to have the
Bible his Pope. 1t was fetish to
him. just here more precious souls
are wrecked than anywhere else
They think their good works will save
them. They turn the vane to change
the temperature of the air. Vanes
pointing northward don't give frost
though frost gives us a northern point
/ ing vane. Loving a black man does
not give us love to God, but love tc
/ God leads one to love the black man
Aboltlonism is not religion, but the
Christian religion is abolitionism Oh
a grand scale. So is it of temper
ance, of human rights, or of any sin
gle good thing. God makes Christ
ians relormers, but reformers may be
, lost nevertheless. What we wish tc
teach is the Importance of beginning
our work at the right place. Not by
operating on the thermometer of
works to change the air, but by work
/. ing on the faith of the very source:
Of changes in climate to change every
thing. The heart must submit tc
love Christ before it will accept al
that follows. He, therefore, who
i: would be true and universal reform
er must come to Jesus. This Jesus
is the key of all our life. He re
stores order to the chaos Of the soul
harmony 20 discordant thoughts, anC
, makes the whole man new.-ChmcI
Union.
J A TOUCHING LETTER FROM A LITTLE
II.