St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-08-30
A Common Error about the Christian
Life

BY THE REV. wAYLAND HOYT, d. d.
That the Christian life is all in the
beginning. l am sure that the general
thought, while it is not too much con-
cerned about the beginning of Chris
tianity in the sOul-because it cannot
be too much concerned about it's not
enough anxious about its subsequent
development. 1t would have been just
as wise for the ancient racer, after he
had gone through the training process,
and stripped himself for the contest,
and entered the arena, and run on three
steps, to have stopped there, and de-
cIared the race won and himself en-
titled to the prize. Why, the judge
would answer, the race is but begun.
Your preparation may have been assid-
uous and admirable, but it is the law of
the arena that the entire course must
be accomplished, and the prize adjudged
as you shall have carried yourself
around the whole circle. The race itself
is the only test of yOur preparation and
beginning.
But, somehow, we have too generally
come to think that if we can only get IL
man to acknowledge his sinfulness, and
walk for time in darkness, and then
pass out into a better state of feeling !;
to break forth in JOY and songfulness,
to see new light in the sun, and fresh
greenness in the grass, to profess trust
in Jesus Christ, that then the whole
race is run, the victOrs crown is on the
brow.
Now it may be that man passing
through such an experience has become
a Christian, and it may be he has not
You cannot predicate Christianity al
together upon feeling. 1t is not all
tervors, and raptures, and high excite
ments, and suffusions of sentiment.
These may be the glorious door into
the noble Christian life, and they may
be the door into delusion. Christianity
is deeper than feeling. Christianity is
Il changed nature. To be Christian is
to be new creation in Christ Jesus.
Christianity is the setting of the pur-
poses towards God it is resolute de-
termination to arrange our action with,
and not athwart, the will of God; it is
living us ever in our great Taskmaster's
eye. And so the only test of the truth
of the beginning is the whole race sue
ceeding. 'By their fruits we shall know
them," said the Saviour. The genuine
ness of the new life is to be judged of
by what you do each day in your bust
ness, in your family, amid your pleas
ures-nOt so much by what you thought
you felt on some dim day years back.
Christianity is more life than feel
ing. If the life bloom other than Chris
tian the strong presumption must be
that the root out of which the life issues
is other than Christian.
1t is the spring time, and | want
flowers i'll my garden. go to seed
store and ask for hyacinth bulbs. I'm
less my sense of smell be acute the man
may sell me onions instead of hyacinth
bulbs. They look very much alike. l
take them home and plant them, and
water them, and watch them. If in
stead of the perfumed pyramid of
flowers | get some weed or vegetable,
then | am sure l have not planted hya-
cinths. So it is with Christianity. IN
less the bloom be Christian it is certain
that the bulb is not. The only test of
saintship is endurance in saintship
The beginning is not everything in
Christianity Christian Union.