National Republican., 1882-12-04
CHRIST AND THE LAW.
THE REV. J. EAMEs RANKIN ON eOl

CHRIST AND TIE LAW.
THE REV. J. EANIEs RANKIN ON eoD's
METHOD OF SAVING MEN.
In the First Congregational Church, which
was full to overilowing, and where all the
services were very impressive, Dr. Rankin
preached on the above subject. In the course
of his sermon, he made the following allusion
to one of Col. Ingcrsolls lectures: Here is u
mani speak in no unkindness, for | have
none-who is dcvoting the brilliant gifts of
Speech with which the Creator has so lavishly
endowed him, to the work of undermining the
faith of the young men of this generation in
the truths of the Bible, and especially this
truth-salvatlon by faith. In his lecture on
What Must We Do To Be Saved he supposes
himself asked what answer he will make at
the iudgment-bar of God, if it should turn out
that he has been teaching error. Hisreply is,
| shall walk up like man and say was mis-
taken. And suppose God is about to pass
sentence upon you? / shall say to Him, Do
unto Others as you would that others should
do unto YOU Why notp
1.-THE gentleman who teaches such morality
as this is lawyer. Does the acknowledge
ment of mistake atone for the consequences
of that mistake? Is this walking up like o
man and meeting the consequences of an error?
You have q son, who was once a church-mem-
Der and an active Christian but, hearing this
superficial and flippant but brilliant and delu-
ing and inspiring influences of the Christian
religion, has made shipwreck of faith; has
come to disbelieve in hereafter; has broken
your heart and is bringing down your gray
hairs with sorrow to the grave. And this bril-
liant talker means to plead before the bar of
the Judge, to whom he must give account, in
mitigation of the mischief he has done, "Well,
/ was mistaken" Reverse the case. You are
the infidel, he is the Christian man, and you
destroy the faith of his son. Is this the way
in which he does to others as he would have
them do to him? And then, as to his pro-
posed answer to the Judge about to condemn
him, let us look at that. Every honest judge
upon an earthly bench who knows what
the law is, and why it is law, and
what would be the result if there were
no law, and no sanctions to law loes to the
criminal just as he would g. criminal, II
their places were changed, do " him. Else
he is not fit for his place. l believe that
Judge Cox, when he pronounced sentence
against the assassin Guiteau, honestly ap,
piled to him the golden rule; did to him as
their cases being changed, he would like
Guiteau, the judge, to do to the assassin Cox.
You believe it, too. Very well. This leo
turer stands before the bar of God. God
knows what he has done to persuade his
hearers that salvation by faith-the central
the fundamental doctrine of the Bible-is
delusion. If it requires no especial effort in
an earthly judge to apply the golden rule to 0
criminal like Guiteau, how can there be any
embarrassment to the Judge of all the earth
when called upon to award their destiny to
men who have done all i'll their power to pre-
vent others from looking to Christ as q saviour
who, though they profess to admire the moral
| ity of the man, Christ Jesus, prevent their
fellowmen from adopting the only method by
which they ever become like him2 can see
none. Christians claim for Christ only what
they believe He claimed for Himself; only
what the prophets predicted and tho apostles
recorded of Him; only what some Of the
abest opponents of the evangelical system
now admit-that what the Bible teachesis is true
of Him. Christians claim for Him that His err
rand here was to bring all men upon a basis
where the law, instead of being for their con-
| demnation will be for their peaceN