Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-09-26
CHRISTIANITY AS 1T Is,

A feature of almost every community
is the presence in it Of some persons
who are so thoughtful in disposition
and who illustrate SO high a degree of
integrity that their failure to become
Christians is the more noticeable and
painful. They rarely lack a certain
real reverence for religious truth; some
OF them seem "almost persuaded to
accept the offers Of Christ. Yet some
thing keeps them back, and each open
ing year finds them apparently no
nearer to the doing of their duty in the
matter. if they be not actually farther
from it. There are several ways of ac-
counting f0r their state of mind, and in
the case of many n reason, and often
the only one, is that they fail to under
stand Christianity as it really is.
Perhaps they do not study it his
torically with sufficient closeness of
scrutiny. The fact that some of the
better forms of religion which pre-
coded or followed it had certain char
acteristics in ommon with it cause
them to overlook the radical difference
OF essential principle between these
and it. The fact that some portions of
the world which once rejoiced in it's
light now are yelled again in the dark
ness of heatlenism blinds them to the
other fact that, where it's purity has
been preserved with actual, even if i'm
perfect, success, il has continued to
win and keep its hold upon mankind,
and has been the most bountiful source
of the richest blessing of which the
human mind can conceive. The his
torical study of Christianity is not al
ways easy, but it may be made sue
cessful1y, and it teaches convincinely
what the Gospel is and how savingly
it works.
Such persons also often fail to dis
criminate properly, in the cases of the
protested Christians whom they know,
between what is truly Christian in
them and what is the effect and evi.
dence of worldliness not yet wholly
%eradicated. The best Christian in this
world only succeeds in illustrating his
religion imperfectly; and nobody else
knows this better, or laments it more
sincerely, than he. The highest type
of piety which car be found on earth
is not unmiXed with evil, and the ole
ment of error is perceived readily by
any attentive observer. But this pietv
is SO evidently genuine, noble and
worthy OF great respect that the mis-
take OF regarding it as the highest at
tai~nable--instead of only the highest
actually yet attained within the range
OF ones personal observations made
easily, and results in a sad misunder-
standing. 1t is natural and proper to
study the best Christians whom we
know, but there is constant need of
acute discrimination in order to sift
out what is worldly in their example
from what is truly Christ-like, and to
credit only the latter to their religion.
This suggests another truth. Such
persons fail to study Jesus Himself
chiefly. They have an idea that in
order to see how Christianity is adapted
to their needs. which are those of
TINS present age, they must study it
prlnclpaiiy in the men and women of
to-day. They forget that it is the Dart
OF wisdom to study most often and
most earnestly the best example. with
ont regard to time. Artists still study
the paintings Of Raphael and Michael
Angelo with u reverence which no mod.
ern master has won, and the student
OF Christianity can find no ti1tipp sub-
stltute for Jesus Christ in the holiest
persons now alive. They forget. also.
that the Christianity Of Christ was ex,
emPlined as appropriately for their
needs as If He had died but yester-
DAY. Human nature is the same in
every age. The differences of its ey-
'ern4 circumstances are trihing at