The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-07-02

ers, of different denominations, take the
STANDARD, and there are not twenty men
in all my acquaintance whom l so highly
respect As they are all men of inteii-
genee as well as piety. l will address
them few words, and l think they will
understand me. You preach to the peo-
pie that by grace alone, or o,aLy, are men
saved. That if we rely on anything
else, we are mistaken. You ignore good
works, and caution the people that
nothing whatever that they can do. can
merit anything. That may all be true;
but does faith merit any thing? Men are
not saved by faith, any more than by
good works. by grace are ye saved,
through faith, etc. Are the results of
YOUR preaching satisfactory to you?
think not. During revival seasons low
browed scoundrels come to church. They
are told, in substance, that no matter
what they may do, if they have faith
they can be saved They begin to think
about the matter Such men are always
towards. They fear the devil, and, like
the devils spoken of by St James, they
really have faith. and they go to work
and deceive themselves. They are taken
into the church. They have no business
there They are the same old fellows
they were before. Good, honest, decent,
moral men-men whose lives are pure
and honest. point at them and say
| Look at your church member. He lies,
cheats, drinks, and does a hundred other
bad things, as he always did. l do not
want to be in church with such men"
But, you say, these bad men never did
have the true saving faith. Admit that.
Does not the very teaching that good
works-honest conduct-common decen-
cy, if you please, are without merit, lead
such men astray? Often and often, l
have no doubt, they deceive themselves.
wanted last week, and want this week,
to be understood as believing, not that
such teaching makes men scoundrels,
but that it brings them too often into
the church, where they have no business,
and that it really makes them no better
than they were before. If my theory,
that it is what man does, or does not
do, and not what he believes, or does not
believe, that makes him good or a bad
man, were universally taught by the
preachers, would the world be better or
worse in consequence of such teaching 2
AS 1 shall not soon again refer to this
subject, and as my views upon it are
most conciseIy and forcibly set forth in
the.passage to which 1referred last week,
1 will close by quoting it in full. 1t is
found in the book of James, commencing
at the 14th verse of the I'd chapter:
"What doth it profit, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith, and
have not works Can faith save him
| If brother or sister be naked, and
destitute of daily food:
And one of you say unto them, Depart
in peace, be ye warmed and filled; not
withstanding ye give them not those
things which are needful to the body;
what doth it profit?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is
dead, being alone.
Yea, man may say, Thou hast faith.
and have works: shew me thy faith
without works, and | will shew thee my
/ ldleh Oy lIg WI
Thou believest that there is one God !;
thou doest we'll: the devils also believe,
and tremhle.
But will thou know, o vain man, that
faith without works is dead
Was not Abraham our father, justified
by works, when he had offered Isaac, his
son, upon the'altar
Seest thou how faith wrought with his
works, and by works was made perfect
And the scripture was fulfilled which
saith, Abraham believed God. and it was
imputed unto him for righteousness and
he was called the friend of God.
Y see then how that by works men
are justified, and not by faith only.
| Likewise, also, was not Rahab the har
lot justified by works, when she had re-
ceived the messengers, and had sent
| them out another way?
For as the body without the spirit is
dead. so faith without works is dead
also"