Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-10-18
MOSr-CHRISTIANs

There are = great many who say
"Wha does all this talk about follow
ing Christ amount to? There ar,
men who certainly are better Chris
tians than those who are in the
church, that do not even believe in the
divinity OF Christ. They are upright
Public-spirited men, and so most val
liable citizens. Nobody contributes
to all worthy enterprises so willingly
as they. They are temperance men
and are active in endeavors to save
from Intemperance those around
about them, They are seeking, by
example, to impress the community
with IDEAS OF generosity and integ-
rlty. In many respects they are
seli-sacrificing. And although they
may not technically be followers OF
Christ, are they not really followers
OF Christ? And are we to say of
them that they are not in the new
life r | say unhesitatingly, that they
are not in the new life, There are
many men who seem to be only
morallsts, but who admit are in the
germInant state of Christianity.-
There are those who are familiar
with the truth of Christ, and are ex-
cellent in the lower forms of morals.
and OF whom a great many men say.
"They are followers ofChrist, though
they do not know it, and though
they reject His name" But ] say, No.
Now, ! do not regard q man as a
Christian simply because he is in the
church. Neither do | regard man
as a Christian simply because he is
just and upright. A man may be
better than members Of the church
and yet not be Christian. That is
not a point Of comparison. We can
not afford, unfortunately, to make
church membership the standard of
Christianity. We are to measure all
men by nothing else than the ideal
Of Christ himself viz, that faith
eohich 'oorks By lOUe.
| shall not undertake to answer
the question which we have pro-
pounded, and which branches off to
an entirely different subject; viz,
what becomes of those who reach
so high on the plane Of morality,
but do not touch the yet higher
plane Of spirituality ? You might
just as we'll ask me what becomes Of
a marksman who almost hits the
mark, but does not hit it. You
might as well ask me what becomes
OF medical treatment that comes
very near curing man, yet lets him
die. The question as to what becomes
of these developments of morality
leave to the future, and | leave to
the Master. | know not. But one
thing | know, that whatever may be-
come CT those who have had but little
chance; whatever may become Of
those who have not been instructed,
there scarcely can be room for doubt
as to what will become Of those who
have had an open eye directed to the
clearest truth, who have had it urged
upon them again and again, who have
been convicted by it, and whose souls
have been stimulated and electrified
by the power Of this truth as it is in
Jesus Christ. When men, under
such circumstances deliberately put
the truth aside, and cruelty, so far as
in them lies, the Lord of Glory
afresh, and tread under foot the
blood Of atonement, and call it an
unholy thing, it can scarcely be
doubted what will become of them.
If we are to accept the revelation Of
Scripture at all, we must take this
part of it.
Men may be very good in their
way, and do many things that are
amlable and exalted, and yet, "Ex-
cept q man be born again, he cannot
see the kingdom of God" -Plymouh
Pulpit.