San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-11-24
u Faith Without Work is Dead. y

/
/ For the LIGHT.
This emphatic declaration Of the
apostle james Is instinct with truth. Il
a man processes friendship or love
towards fellow creature, we naturally
expect to see such friendship manifest
Ell bv acts indicative Of the emotion oil
friendship, and in the absence OF such
I fruits OF friendship and love, we at once
discredt his projections.
The remark of the apostle was de-
signed to convince protesting Christians
thar ralth alone could not secure them
/ admittanCe into heaven, and that some
! thing more than nominal connection
with the church WAS essential to the
winning of eternal happiness. The same
great truth needs to be now preached
IN season and out OF season, from the
! pulpit, in the cOunting-hOuse and upon
Inc streets. Attendance at prayer meet
ings and at sermons cannot absOlve
members from the duty OF performing
good works; for, Inen may be sCrupulOus-
| ly punctual in attending the prayer
meetings and the preaching OF the word,
a. well as brimful Of outward sancti-
muny and still be hypOCrltes and eX-
tOrliOnCrs.
What constitutes the good works"
| which the scriptures enjOin christians TO
! perform, not spasmOnically, but
| regularly and daily? This is quite an i'm
pUrIant matter. The scriptures have
! specifically enumerated and pointed out
| these good works. so that no one has
| 50 much AS the shadow of an excuse for
missing the road.
These good works" are deeds OF
charity visiting the sick and such as
are in prison, relieving the poor aud
needy. and practiciEg kindness and be-
nevOlence day in and day out all the
wear round. OF course our deeds OF char
ity and henevolenCe are to be proper
TONED to our means and resources. a
man who is worth 100000 is certainly
not to be esteemed charitable, in case he
eIpends no greater sum in works OF
charity than does another who Is worth
only $4,000 Charity is relative term,
thar Is 10 say--iT mast be p:OpOrtioned
to or means and resources. Right here,
t. where church members encounter n
stumbling block aud fall prone upon the
XrOund. ParslmOny and cOyetOusness
dry mp the fountain OF charity, d they
bestDw as little as possible In charity.
The piItauCe, which they do
give. is often given, ungraclous-
iy and grudgiRgly. Not only Is
the manner uugraCions and repul-
,ire, hul the language used is disdainiul
and COntemp,uOus in the extreme.
Deeds of charity performed in this man
ner cannot rank as good works" can
not claim any righteousness, cannot
cover n multitude OF sins"
The fact cannot be disguised that
large proportion of church members are
unfruiTful OF good works and COstive
when ii comes to spending money In
deeds of charity. They are not addicted
TO deeds of beneN OlenCe. NOn-prOtes-
iors, not seeing the good works deeds
Of charity of Christians, regard religion
as an empty profession or cloak for
hypocrisy. The scriptures declare thai
"ne tnat giveth to the poor, lendeth to
the Lord" but, if we judge most church
members by their acts, they do not G. are
TO lend to the Lord" they do
not esteem the security half as good as
mortgage upon land with II per cent
Interest The wide discrepancy be-
tween the sCriptural standard and the
couduct OF church members is too pal
pablo 10 escape notice and hostile com
mput.
II Mil not exculpate clOse-fsted, COW
etuus and unCharitable church members
for them to argue that religion is one
hing and worldly business is another,
and totally different. Religion is not a
holiday dress; nor can ii be put on and
of like a glove. 1t is not a mer lip
service. 1t is esChe wing evil and doing
good.
Sometimes we encounter church mem
brr- " no denOunce selling liquor and al
mort swuon if they have to so much rs
pars a saloon, who feel no scruples about
lnnt nj ~ IN a uF
cent. interest and taking mortgages on
their lands. Surely they are not follow
ing the golden rule, of doing unto others
n they would be done by. Perhaps
church members of this pattern might
ne seen cutting quite figure in the
Young Mems Christian association as
we'll as in the churches.
Ihe principal cause of the moral
apathy and deafness, that are painfully
apparent, is the baroness of church
members In the matter of deeds of
charity, thus attesting the truth of the
position, that faith without works is
dead Were church members actively
charitable and benevolent from sense
of the indipensableness of charity to the
perfection OF the Christian character
were they to ''let their light shine" so
that all men could see ii, scepticism and
intidelity would be shamed into utter
silence. The unfruitfulness of professed
christians in ''gOOh works" is the dry
rot of the church and the milestone on
which intidelity sharpens its weapons
ofattack. The truth of the matter is,
that the churches stand in greater need
Of being stirred up and evangelical than
the men of the world.
There are, perhaps, hundred or
in M
and would make a suppOrt-prObably
lay the foundation of fortunes, provided
they only had small sum of money
with which to start some small business.
But none eff professed christians will ad
vance them dollar, or go their
security. What are men TO do who can
not obtain employment, nor small
sum OF money with which to start some
business on small scale? Lapse into
loaferIsm, plunge into dissipation, or
slide into theft. True charity does not
wait till men sink into pauperism and
are naked and half starved and worn
out with sickness, before its aims are
dOled out. 1t does not withhold its as
sistaDce until a subscription list be car
ried around, or it is published in the
newspapers, that A, b or G, is in des-
titute condition, at 500 - street.
we should dispute the title OF any man
to humanity, who stood by, with folded
hands and passiVeness, while fellow
being was drowning at his elbow. and
after he was drowned, contributed
something to his burial. True charity
does not wait to be impOrtuned for aid,
but Is on the lookout for chances to
FENDER aid and is more solictOus to
keep men on their feer, than it is TO
rnisn thnm q fer thnN u va fnlInn ,riu,n-