Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1871-04-26
Bretherly Love the True Test OF
Christianity.


and the idea that. until lately, found ut
terance from Christian pnlpits, that God
had the light 10 impose pain for his own
pleasure. Now you cannot, by calling
being by another name, make him love
suffering, without representing him as
malignant. No betty, be he subject or
sovereign, can induce misery tor It's own
sake without being himself Internal
Many man has offered prayers tn the
devil when he thought he was kneeling
at the throne of God. The Christian
idea Of suffering is, that il Is means to
an end; that the end is so desirable rs
to justify the means used to bring II
about. The conception of God sitting.
enjoying the suffering of the damned, is
internal, ard enough to make men re
nounce their faith in Eternal goodness
1t is an atrocious SANDER upon the
grandeur anil love of the Ruler OF the
universe. But. say some, is there no
scripture for il? There is scripture for
any thing man wants. There IS scrip
ture for it iusl as there arc assassins'
knives in the or. in the mountain. Scrip.
ture is like great forest, into which you
may enter and select good wood which
| YOU may pervert To the basest purposes
on earth. Scripture is the most .nallea
bic thing in the universe. 1t Is part OF
the education of man 10 learn TO make
the right use of it.
The preaching of the present day ia
not so much detective in its logical state
menis of doctrine, rs in the emphasis it
laws upon certain dogmas, the tendency
| of which is TO produce wrong impress
sion concerning the character of the
Deity. God loves the world not because
Christ cosxpd him into it, but because it
would be foreign TO his nature to d" any
thing else. Out Of infinite depths of
kindLess came forth this expression of
love. As your mother would in child
hood, take you upon her knee, and un.
ravel your difficulties and hep you out
of your faults, SO does the heart Of God
deal with humanity. God takes every
human soul, not to love them when they
are worth Iovin-, bat to mold them INTO
/ OPEttOItUtG. W." CNCb Jul
heart is far from love, while yet there
NAV he the whirl of passion in your veins,
you are beloved by God. Look up.
and see his smiling face! 1t | could
have had this explained to me in youth,
it would have done more 10 make me n
Christian than the countless expostu!a
tons that constantly greeted ne. Not
until | was twenty five years of age did
| come fully to appreciate III S doctrine.
Before that felt myself. rs it were out
side of garden. assailed by the storms
and tempests. while inside | was assured
air was sunshine. Yet such. was in
formed, was the condition OF things, that
until my heart was changed God could
not love me. and consequently could not
enter. The side Of justice and law was
presented to me. These | understood
had to be encountered first; then The
smiles of love were to be enjoyed. But
| could not see how Justice was to be met
until love itself was moved IN my inter
est. Love was moved, ard is ALWAYS
moved, and is the great COMPROMISED
with law aud Justice. Now cannot be
persuaded to reject any man as - brother
Christian who has the law of love written
upon his heart, merely because he did
not get it in. the way specified by this or
that church. Colleges are useful; they
are meant to instruct men, but if man
gets instruction without going there. has
the end cen achieved and what is there
left to grumbie about! | don't think
that when meet man who shows by
his daily walk in life, Ivy his general
goodness of heat, that the principles OF
Christianity are in his heart. | have any
right to ask him how be csmc by them
He nav be Universslist, or even n
Unitarian that has nothing to do with
the matter, if he is in the meaning oil
our text Christian. | take him by the
hand. Should Univcrsalist, Unitarian
or Swedenborgian come TO the church
and seek admission as member, "a such
| should oppose them, but rs Christians,
dogma apart, should he happy TO wei
come them, and the more OF them the
better. As the Sabbath was made for
MN so WAS the church. and so were
theological dogmas. and not man for
them. Benevoence is that for which
orthodoxy works, and when that i,
achieved. the end is wrought. But, YOU
say, can man he Christian who does
not believe in Christi That is ~ puzzier
He cannot. But think man may he
love in Christ who does not believe in
CbrSt's name Using that name in its
superficial meaning means nothing. The
name stands for certain qnalities-love,
purity, truth. faith, and obedience To God.
The man who belieges IN these and has
them in his heart, is n Christian, no mat
ter hat he thinks about the name
There is many man who believes in
Christian, only he don't call it by that
name; and there are manv orthodox per
sons who are remarkably free from
Christianity. The question after all is,
has man got the spirit of Chiist in
his heart? If he has, he il u Christian
no matter By what name called; and he
is n stranger to the Savior, even if the
most rigid of dognaists. if he has not
got charity out of pure heart and n
good conscience with faith un feigned.
The Triumphs of Old Age.