Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-28
FAITH And WORKS.

from these faClS ClaI Jones anu hOD1uSOQ
had quite as valid claim upon the Offices.
FAITH And WORKS.
Ye see, then, how that by works a man is
justified, and not by faith only.-JAMEs II: "a.
The tendency of the pulpit of to-day is to
lay undue stress upon faith as means of
salvation. "Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and thou shalt be saved" is the bur
den of the teachings of the pulpit The
efficacy of good works is belittled; the po-
tency of faith is unduly exaggerated. It is
rarely urged that "faith without works is
dead,' and hence it is that we find SO many
protesting Christians who would never be
recognized as such by any good works they
perform or by the general tenor of their con-
duct towards those with whom they come in
contact. An abstract belief in the divinity
of Christ and the tenets of the Christian
faith is esteemed by them as all-suficient
to ensure salvation, and the necessity of
showing their faith by their works never APP
pears to enter their minds.
What are the results of this teaching? On
every hand we see members of churches who
mingle in the business world and are distin-
guished for their shrewd, INSCRIPTIONS deal
ings with their fellows. They are ever ready
to take an unfair advantage, and to drive
hard bargains whenever they have the power.
We see landlords who demand from the
widow and the fatherless the uttermost
farthing, and ruthlessly cast them
into the street if they fail to pay.
They are ostentatious in their gifts
to the church, but absolutely refuse Ito give
of their plenty to those in want who may
be deserving of charity. We see ministers
of the gospel who are; filled with arrogance
and lust of the flesh, who go about from
day to day neglecting the opportunities for
good works that surround them on every
hand. We (see women, constant on
the ordinances of the church, who set the ex-
ample of frivolity and fashionable folly, and
esteem it disgrace to soil their hands with
deeds of charity or to help the worthy poor.
And yet these people resent any imputation
upon the sincerity of their professions as an
insult. Rare indeed is it for them to show
their faith by their works. Rarer still will
they discommode themselves, sacrifice their
others or to set an example of Christian
charity. 1t is the highest glory of the
Master that he went about doing good. How
many of his professed followers emulate his
example to-day? So exceptional are these
instances that when they occur they are
heralded Observation-Disclosures upon the
temple of fame. A Howard, a Nightingale,
a Peabody and Burdett-Coutts are worthy
examples of the spirit that should character
ize Christians But where you encounter
one of such you meet score of other Chris
tians whose works are those of the evil one.
It is about time that the clergy ceased in
culcating the all-suficiency of faith as a
means of salvation. We would not belittle
the virtue, but we deprecate its practice
when unaccompanied by good deeds and
benifcent actions. It is time that the minis
ters began to teach that though a
man has faith enough to remove mountains
it will avail him nothing if he does not act
up to the principles of Christ. It is time
that man should be taught that he cannot
be thief, an extortioner, a usurer, liber-
tine, and yet expect salvation through faith.
It is time that woman be taught that she
cannot be a giddy, thoughtless devotee of
fashion, anxious only to inspire lust in the
opposite sex, and yet expect to be justified by
faith. It is time that sharp practice in bust
ness, profigacy of life, RIGHTEOUSNESS of
conduct should be rebuked instead of en-
couraged by the clergy through their claims
that faith is an atonement for all sin. It ia
time that the clergy themselves should give
a token of the faith that is in them by some
earnest work for the betterment of mankind;
that instead of fawning upon successful or
fashionable vice, they should rebuke it; that
instead of smiling upon the lecher and en-
couraging his association with members of
his flock, he drive. him out; that he try the
efficacy of practicing in his daily conduct
the Christian virtues he extols from the pulpit.
If professed Christians will but show the
beauty of religion and faith by their works,
they may expect to see revival of the cause,
but until they do so the world must be par
doned for stunning q religion whose outward
signs are the most undesirable traits of hui
man conduct-dishonesty, uncharity , lust
and folly.