Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-07-23
8eligipns department.
=
WHAT rs A CHRISTIAN.

WHAT Is A CHRISTIAN.
This is not question of sect Many
are certain about their denomination but |
they are not certain that they are Chris |
tians. They hold to and work for de- |
nomination, but they have not fully deci-
ded something that is more important.
1t is not question of belonging to an
organization; it is deeper than that; it
is, have we direct, personal and sanity
relations with Christ without which we
might belong to every church in chris
tendon and still fail of salvation? What
is it to be Christian? 1t is first to be a
disciple of God Now to be disciple is
to be learner, is to be a student of prin-
ciples, an accepter of them. Christ was
pre-eminently a teacher of the truth-of
those things which affect the unseen
world and our relations with God. There
have been many religious teachers, but
| they have not all been Christian. Christ
stands pre-eminent among these teachers
He alone makes the claim of infallibility.
system on thirty years of study, but He
speaks at once as zone having authority"
He utters the last word; He says this is
true and that is true; He spoke as one
having the truth; He says, II am the
TRUTH" not this is the truth. This puts
Christianity on basis unlike that of any
other religion. 1t comes to US with au-
thority, and those who are His disciples
take all that He teaches without question.
In all other systems Of instruction the
right to question exists, but His teach
ings are based on absolute authority.
Some of Christ's doctrines we do not
fully understand, and therefore we are
doubtful about them, but the moment
certainty concerning them is attained the
Christian must accept them without ques-
ton. Some of these truths are very easy
of acceptance. Some men say that this
authority is intellectual tyranny, and
therefore inconsistent with the highest
gifts to man. But the truth makes us
free, and if Christ speaks the truth, &C
ceptance of that truth makes us free.
Truth in religion no more makes men
slaves to it than does truth in any Of the
sciences. 1t controls and dominates but
it does not makeus slaves. We are free
in all our relations to time and eternity
just SO far as we sit down at the feet of
Him who has the last work on that sub
iect. But it is also said that a great
many teachings of Christ are contrary to
reason, and, therefore, they cannot be
) maintained. There are many truths ut
5 tered by Christ that are above and beyond
reason. The eternal existence of God,
the doctrine of the Trinity are above the
reach of unassisted reason, and so it is
with the doctrine of the Incarnation.
Before it the reason staggers and falls
v down, and yet it is a true doctrine. It is
within the limits of truth to say that faith
y supplies a lost faculty of the human
mind, that by the aid of faith man mounts
> up to the things he could not otherwise
. attain, and then his reason is satisfied
When darkness comes upon one, toucl
e takes the place of sight; when reason
g cannot guide then faith comes in, an(
IS the great truths of Christ are thereb,
= laid hold of; it is realized that One ha
re come from the Father who is the truth
III 1t is further urged that all this is contra
Id ry to human experience, and therefore
We cannot be true There are those who sa
~ that the doctrine Of the Incarnation i
,u unnatural. But Christ is incarnate, an
has walked from the beginning with God
to His resurrection is proof of His incal
nation; He simply brought to man a ney
OF truth. Then it is said that you are cor
-. fined to narrow range of doctrine
N. hence there are large number of Sc
re- called liberal thinkers. Let the man VIII
nd denies the divinity of Christ and the al
IS thority of the Bible take out his penc
NO and write down what he knows of h
Did existence; he does not know anythin:
on The very apostles of free thought sd
So that their science is that of knowing on
by physical tests. The agnostic says W
"7 don't know whether there is or is not
, God, whether there is or is not futul
n" beyond the grave. The youngest chi
one in your Sunday school will tell you mo
truth than all the thinkers of Il
ing world. The man who utterly denies Il
authority of Christ is honest; but he
ou- MES His authority and plagiarizes II
pts nv ~ 'i'A - 'iA'' y '7A'o''e'
hat is all that there is of liberal religio
In Christ and His teachings are inseparab
'tc' wrapped up together; if he is not t
anu an. embodiment of His truth then Christia
ity falls. In accepting His truth5 we q
limo cept Him. Christianity comes to this,
sus is a self-revelation. To be Christi
tile is not only to lay hold on Him, but to
the leve all things concerning Him, and
nts believe that He is our living Teacher;
VS. believe as Christians not in a dead Chri
, al but in living God, and thus believi
Iron we have everlasting life.
only ----------s-s- .-- --
A SKEPTIC's ESTIMATE OF CHRIST
wear remains II possibility that Christ actua
was what he supposed himself to
your 4 a man charged with a SPECIAL
ooS press and unique commission from God
Dous lead mankind to truth and virtue. Abe
co,. the life and sayings of Jesus there is
lken stamp Of personal originality, combir
with profundity of insight, which i
'hen must place the prophet of Nazareth, ey
in the estimation Of those who have
an belief in his inspiration, in the very fl
t" rank of the men of sublime genius
whom of our species can boast. WI
sins this pre-eminent genius is combined W
the qualities Of probably the greatest
had former and martyr to that mission W
ever existed upon earth, religion cam
in be said to have made bad choice
pitching on this man as the ideal req
sick sentative and guide of humanity;
III 81 even now would it be easy for an uD