Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-10-11
Almost Christians.

There are a great many who say, "What
does all this talk about following Christ
amount to? There are men who certainly
are better christians than those who are in
the church, that do not even believe in the
divinity of Christ. They are upright, pub
lie spirited men, and so most valuable cit
zens. Nobody contributes 10 all. worthy
enterprises so willingly as they. They are
temperance men, and are active in endeay-
Ors to save from intemperance those around
about them. They are seeking, by their
example, to impress the community with
ideas of generosity and integrity. In many
respects they are self sacrificing And al
though they may not technically be follow
ers of Christ? And are we to say of them
that they are not in the new life? l say,
unhesitatingly, that they are not in the
new life. There are many men who seem
to be only moraIists, but who admit are
in the germinant state Of christianity
There are those who are familiar with the
truth of Christ, and are excellent in the
lower forms of morals, and of whom great
many men say, They are followers Of
Christ, though they do not know it, and
though they reject his name" But say,
No
Now, I do not regard man as a chris
tan simply because he is in the church.
Neither do l regard a 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 a christian. That
is not the 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 which works by love
shall not undertake to answer the ques-
ton which we have propounded, and which
branches off to an entirely different sub
! ject, 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 well ask
me what becomes of q marksman who al
most hit the mark, but does not hit it
You might just as well ask me what be-
comes Of an anchor that is let out of ship
and reaches almost to the bottom, but stops
short without touching it. You might a;
we'll ask me what becomes of a portrait
which is splendidly painted, and is almost
like the man it is designed to represent
and yet is not like him. You might a.
ask me what becomes of medical treatmen
that comes very near curing man, anC
yet lets him die. The question as to wha
becomes of these developments Of moralit,
leave to the future, and | leave to tn
Master. Eye hath not SEEN" l know
not. But one thing l know, and whateve
may become of those who have but it'll
chance; whatever may become of thOs
who have not been instructed, there scarce
? ly can be room for doubt as to what vii
become of those who have had an open ey
directed to the clearest truth, who hav
} had it urged upon them again and agair
who have been convicted by it, and who's
souls have been stimulated and electrife
) by the power Of this truth as it is in Jesu
2 Christ. When men, under such circum
: stances, deliberately put the truth aside
e and cruelty, so far as in them lies, tn
, Lord of Glory afresh, and tread under foe
the blood of atonement, and call it an III
e holy thing, it can scarcely be doubted whs
r will become of them. If we are to acceT
/; the revelation of scripture at all, we mu:
r take this part of it.
And so let he say to you, that whatevt
: may seem to be the plausibleness of moo
ern reasonings, in respect to characte
whatever may seem to be the real exec
: lence of the lower sphere Of human attain
q ments, no mon shall see the Lord exceI
j he be participation of his holiness. n
man is in the kingdom of God unless b