The Red Cloud chief., 1884-09-12
THE STUDY OF CHRISTIANITY,
1NInD ni,RTEr

a feature of almost every community
is the presence in it Of some persons
who are % thoughtful in disposition
ard who il ustrate so high n degree of
integrity that their failure 10 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 Oi Chr ST. 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 Tor their state o. mind. and in
the caSe of many one reason. and often
the only one. j. that they fail TO under
stand Christianity Is it really is.
Perhaps they do not study i: his
tOrically with suite ent closeness of
scrutiny. The fact that some of the
better forms of religion which pre-
coded or followed il had certain char
acteristicS in common with it causes
them Ia overlook the ridi al difference
of essential priac;ple between these
and il, The fact Ina; some portions of
tit WHIT oItt re- Oh CO. In lis
light now are veilcd again in the dark
ness of hcathenism blinds them to the
other fact that. where its purity has
been preserved with actual. even if i'm
perfect. success. j: has continued to
win and keep its hold upon mankind.
and has been the most bountiful source
Of III" richc-t blessing OF which the
human mind can conceive. The his |
torica! study Of Christianity is not al
WAYS easy, but it NAV he made sue
cessfully. and il teaches c~onyinciuply |
what the Gospel is and how s~ayingiy |
it works.
Such persons also of;cn fail TO dis
crimInate properly. in the cases of the
pro.essed Christians whom they know,
he tween what is truly Christian in
them and what is the etfec, and evi
den,e of wor.dliness not Vet wholly
eradicated. The best Christ an in this
word only succe DIS in illustrating his
religion imperfectly: and nobody else
knows this better, or laments il more
sincerely. tEan he. The Highest type
Of piety VIII Oh can be iound on earth
is not unmixed with evi and the ele-
ment of error is perceived readily by
any attentive observer. But this petty
Is so evidently genuine. noble and
worthy OF great respect that The mis-
take of regarding it as the highest at
Ia ma lle~-instea'i of only the highest
actually yet attained within the range
of ones personal obSeryation-is made
eas ly. and results in = sad misunder-
standing. II 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 10 .heir 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
10 their own needs. which are those of
this present age. they must study is
principally in the men and women of
TO-DAY. They forget that il is the part
q; wisdom TO study most often and
most earnestly theb best example. with
regard to tine. Artists still study
the paintings # Raphael and Michael
Angelo with = reverence which no mod
ern master has won. and the student
of Christianity can find no fitting sub
5 t.tute for Jesus Christ in the hottest
persons now alive. They forget. also.
the Christianity of Christ was en-
emplifed as appropriately for their
needs rs if He had died but yesteS-
day. Human nature is the same in
every aye. The differences of its ex-
ternal circumstances arc trifing q.
the most, and in itself. its JOYS and
griefs. its needs and temptations, its
hopes and fears, it is essentially ua-
changed from century to century. Not
only Elijah. but Jesus. and tho men ami
women of their far distant times. were
'of like passions with u.s." 80 that to
study Christianity as it was in Jesus is
to study It rs it would be now were He
alive among US.
To see Christianity as it actually is
would lead many such excellent. but
not yet self-consecrated. persons to
Christ at o1ce. We do not mean to
count them more 1t fault than they are.
Or to disr0te the truth that protested
Christians ought 70 live before them far
oetter than We do. Yet il Is True; and.