Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1878-07-25

good works save Sus2 Can "a man enter
heaven because OF his rightcousnessS No.
'but neither osnN believer. Iin Christ be
saved uploss he. e.sadd, to shis faith yirtue.' p
Ihe moral n,t virtues are necessary to piety es
the sailors were in Paul's shipwfeck at
Malta, OF whom he said: "Except these
abide O., iin the ship, ye cannot be saved y
The faith that does not lead person to
6e righteous, is not of the right sort, is
spurious. 1t is such faith that is hold by
State prison Christians, who dcspise norali
y and rely upon tho fact thatithey uhuye
believed 10 God.n "Afirm to such CON
stantly," commands Paul, "that they DO
careful to maintain good works" T.
III. These State prison Christians romind
as now often religion is q thing Of forms
and rites, rather than life. He who "has
believed in God, aud is not careful to
maintain good works." must havo some.
thing BY which to persuade himself aud
other people that he is really a Christian.
SO ne makes great account Of outward
observaoces. This being ell the goodness
ne has, 1t is very important to him. He
always attends church, and frequents social
prayer meetings. He perhaps comments
severely upon others who are not so regular
IN attendance as himaelf. He speaks, prays,
teaches GLASS 10 the Sunday School, and
tee's that he is working member, doing
oil that could DO expected of him. Yet he
habitually sets aside the eleventh command
ment which is tho summary of mau's duty
to man, and lacks even that common honesty
which would keep his hands off other
peoples funds He persuades himself that
he is very good Ohristiau, because punc.
tual in what he calls "religious duties"
Ho forgots that honesty is religious duty
no less than prayer, aud that love to our
neighbor is Of moro value ID Gods eyes
than worship. And so it comes to pass
that men who csteem Themselves pillars
in the church, aud are SO considered
By their brethren, gtavitato into tho
State prisons. Their religion was of forms,
not life.
A Spanish brigaud, in his way, is very
religious. A devout Catholic, he never
fails to attend mass, and when he sees
SHRINE Of the Virgin by the wayside, he
falls on his knees and says his prayers. It
is not uncommon for highwaylnen, before
sallying forth to plunder and kill, to attend
church, and thus propitiate heaven! We
arc Mortified at suoh misconceptions of the
nature of religion; nevertheless, we have
plenty OF instances of the same sort in our
Protestant churches. The pious dcfaulters
arc men of this description, who use Others
money fot their own purposes, and quiet
their conscience by paying great respect to
religious obscrvanccs. You seldom miss
such men from tho place of prayer, or the
table of the Lord. Their only religion is
is found in certain outward acts, aud there
fore they never give up those acts; if they
should, their Christion hope would at one
come under cloudl For these forms stand
in their minds for religion. The highway
man PROSTATE before the orucifix, and the
evangelical embezsler sitting at the oom--
muniou table, have fallen into precisely the
same error-they mistake ceremonies for
righteousness.
If our evidence that wo arc children of
God consists only Of the fact that wc believe
in him, attend his courts, aud sit at his
table, what hopo have we? "Do not even
tho defaulters tho same2" aud surely our
righteousness must exceed theirs, or we cdn
in no case enter into the kiogdom of hcaven.
James tells us that even tho devils belicve
in God. Let us beware Of the errors
of the State prison Christians, in cultiva-
ting religion of forms aud neglccting to
deal justly, and be "careful to maintain
good, works"
III. When religion becomes formal,
there is speedy deterioration of character,
whether tile fact be disclosed or not. The
accident Of discovery of these men as do
faulters' AND embezzlers did qos olapge
,thelIr ,tsheelIr real sNIaepdi.ng. FhheywsR BAD I,mso,
appeared like the salt of tho earth, and
were above suspidion. If their, voDturos
10 stocks or what-not had Been, spoaessful
and they had replaced thu money they had
wiokodly. borrowed, pen might,no1er have
known bow hoRcw their, piaty was; but il
would have been hollow just the same. There
are doubtless many cashiers, and trensurers
ID good reputeA To-day, .{bccpuae iitlioir
deeds arc undiscovered, who arsSih Tho
ego Of God criminals, fit cases for the peui-
teutiary. fll.Fgs's8
When person stands high. IN public
esteem one day, and tho noxt day is known
for villain, no was villain ali the time;
the accident of disclosure had nothing to
do with the fact. Every Christian whose
religion is in forms and observapces, .asa
not 10 the practice Of Righteousness, is a bad
man at heart. # IA & r.
A few weeks ago I sat on balcony
which was supported by six hugo oakon
pillars. The lady Of the house told mo that
not long ego before she fanoicd that tho
balcony trombled when she stepped on IL,
and che feared it was unsafe. She begged
her husband to have it examihed, but he
laughed at tbe idea, and pointed to tho
great oaken posts which certainly appeared
strong enough to bearsup several auch gall
lerlos. However, to satisfy her ho brought