National Republican., 1876-02-29

earnings which formerly sought the till of
the beer saloon or rumseller on Saturday
night now so to the grocer, the ciothier,
the butcher and the baker, and the children
60 to church and Sunday.school in neat
attire instead of roaming the streets 10 rags
begging for pennies on the Sabbath.
These works attest the Christian life.
By them we know the genuine Christian.
Whether we find him in church or not, it
is all the same Though he be dumb and
cannot speak, these works attest his Chris
tian love for Gods creatures. Some may
be saved by the "foolishness of preaching,
it is true, therefore preaching should be
vigorously prosecuted; but if the converts
of the preachers wish to be sure of their
footing, let them ''bring forth fruits meet
for repentance" Let them forsake their
bssetting sins. Let them "deal justly and
love mercy and walk humbly before God
and their fellow men. If they will but do
this, it will not be necessary that they should
rush around like crazy people shouting out,
give got religion - Il love Jesus
''Do You love Jesus?" but they can easily
show the faith that is in them by following
the example of Christ. When Christ was
on earth, His response to fond professions
of love was: IF ye love me, keep my
commandments" This was an implied
rebuke of the constant proclamation and
profession and asseveTation of the love in
words. And he gave a new command
mept, summing up the whole Christian
law: Love God with all thy heart, and
thy neighbor as thyselE Now, if any
leader of the present day should thus ad-
dress his disciples, we should construe it to
mean: Don't idle your time in profes-
" sions and boasts and proteststions of your
love, but go to work doing with your
might what I have told you to do, and
everybody will know that you really do
love me and that your heart is in this
" work
Perhaps there is 40 more good sense in
getting intoxicated upon religious excite g
ment than there IS in the oyer-indulgence
in other stimulants, or over-cXciting the
brain by study or in any other manner.
The subject of religion, being considered
more important than any other, must Ger
tainIy demand calm investigation and
deliberate action. If it affects not only
this life but an endless eternity, how much
more important is It than those involved
in political campaigns, which affect one,
two. three, or four gears only? If one
starts upon Christian life he should do so
with purpose of continuing unto the end;
for if he starts and then back slides he be-
comes 4 rcproach to the cause he has pro-
ftssed Hence the necessity Of calmly
counting the cost. the selfdenial and the
frmness of purpose in well-doing which
will be requisite to continued success.
sLove thy neighbor as (not any better
than. but equal tc) thyself" This is
easy enough away of in the future, but
when we see handsome things and cOvet
them, even though it be the best pew in
church, the finest houses, clothes, jewels,
carriages, etc, how natural it is to rival
our ncighbor, and beat him, too, in the
possession of them. ''Inasmuch as We
have done il unto one of these little ones
(not so rich as yourselves) even so
have We done it unto Me- Now that
is close fit, is it not? But
did not Christ mean that His followers re-
ally should abstain from the follies which
He condemned in the Scribes and Pharisees
of making long prayers for pretense and
upon the street corners, and that they
should make their own hearts the temple OF
worship and their works the evidence of
their love for Him: Did he not mean that
their communion with Him should, in the
main, be secret, while he promised that the
rewards should be open and before men
He never stepped 10 argue with scofers,
while to believers He said, According to
your faith be it unto you" He would
have said to "Anti- Christian" and SLEEPY
Fellow: = "Ye believe not in Me, neither
"in Him that sent me. Render unto
"CHsar the things which are Caesars, and
"unto God the things which are Gods. "
As these fellows evidently do not believe
in God and have the courage to aYow their
unbelief, there can be no harm in knowing
that there are such people among us, but
| if Christians follow the example Of Jesus
they will take no great notice Of them, for
the reason that they are g fools " or are
Joined TO some idols Of their own and
should be let severely alone. As We know
great things from small and good things
from bad chiefly by the Laws qf1t an All.
and contrast, sli4dGers these materialists
1gie1Pfcss their unbelief as a sort of stand
ard representation of the devil on earth
with which Christians may contrast their
own lives and ascertain their progress.