The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1881-04-21
Undefled Religion.
BY THEODORE L. CUYLER, D. D.

BY THEODORE L. CUYLER, D. D.
My old Scotch friend, DIR. William
Arnct, used to say that the Apostle
Paul and the Apostle James stood like
two noble athlet@, back to back, but
both contending for the two opposite
poles of the same glorious Gospel.
Paul was the champion of faith as
the only ground Of justification.
James was the champion of godly liv-
ing as the fruit and the evidence Of
inward faith. He was blunt, trench
ant writer, and had no more patience
with shams than had that rough
Scotch iconoclast who was buried the
other day at Ecclefechan.
James denounces two sorts of false
religion: one system Of outward
ceremonial, and the other of mere in
ward emotion. Then he gives two
very essential characteristics Of pure
and undefled religion-viz.: "To visit
the fatherless and widows in their af-
Fiction and to keep ourselves unspot-
ted from the world" Of course, the
apostle did not mean that these were
the whole of Christianity, any more
than Sir Walter Scott meant that he
had not given his sons any other edu-
cation when he tersely said Il have
taught my boys only two things: to
ride a horse and to speak the truth" :"
Manliness and truthfulness were two
prime essentials, in Sir Walters esti-
nation. Jamess two essentials in
Christian character were pity for the
suffering and purity before the world.
He who is lacking in these is lacking
in true religion. He presupposes faith
in Christ and regeneration by the
Spirit, and these two traits of charity
and purity are the evidences Of genu-
inc grace in the heart. We need a
reaffrmation of these two sterling ev-
licences of true piety in these days.
There is kind of benevolence which
aims to commute with God by the
mere payment of money. 1t is not so
cruel as to leave the widow and the
orphan (who are the Apostles types
of the needy and dependent classes) to
starve. Therefore, it contributes to
found asylums and to establish Or
phanages; but the personal sympathy
which is more to the suffering often
than silver and gold-it is too indo-
lent or too selfish to bestow. Christ
exemplifed the power of personal at
tention when he went to lodge with
the social outcast, Zaccheus, when he
dined with Simon the leper, and when
he led the poor blind man out of the
town. Christ taught the secret Of al
successful charity, yes, and Of all sue.
cessful effort to win sinners to the
gospel Of salvation. It is by persona
sympathy. When you take pool
family loaf or ton of coal, yor
have opened the way for a Bible
Each one has it's element of true re
ligion. When you have established ;
hold on an unconverted sinner by
personal kindness, you have got key
!; to his or her heart for the admission
of your gospel of eternal life. Her
is a hint for Sunday-school teacher
who wish to win their scholars to tn
Saviour. Here is a hint for pastors
and here is rebuke also to all tina
class of rich professors who imagin
that it is enou gh to throw greenback
into contribution-bOx and begrudg
the time, the toll, and the wear o.
), their nerves which are required in pei
sonal visitation and sympathy wit
the suffering. If all the well-to-d
q Christians in our land would divid
up the poor and the vicious anon
themselves, and each Christian ell
e deavor to look after one or more, "
= could dispense with large amount {
: asylum, retreat, and reformatory, {
we'll as poor-house and penitentiar,
Io,no bnforo Tho mi lon INN come q