St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-14
THE EVIDENCES.
How q Christian May Know he
Is a Christian.


At the Church of Christ yesterday
morning Rev. W. J. LhamOn preached
from the text. Hereby we do know
that We know Him if we keep His com
mandments." L John. H., 3.
This age" he said, spends much
time on the evidence of Christianity.
The attacks on religion have led to It's
defense This defense has been brave
and able and ample. The victories OF
the faith have been complete, and the
intelligent Christian can wish for moth
ing more in that line except that new
victories shall continue to follow new
attacks. Fifty years ago German ration
alism fired some really bic guns; re
Gently Mrs. Ward snapped cap and
called it Robert Elsmere." The book
was answered long before twas writ
ten. The testimony 10 Christ ana His
divine claims is 50 conclusive that we
begin to feel it time to look on the other
side; 10 inquire about ourselves, whether
we are really Christians, whether the
truth has transformed our lives, ana
how we may know II. Whittier says:
s'For myself alone / doubt;
All is well / know without.
Yet with hands by evil stained
and an ear with discOrd panied,
] am cropping Tor the keys
Of the heavenly harmonles."
Many professed Christians seem to
doubt the validity OF their relationship
to God in Christ, not that they doubt
God or Christ or the Bible, but them
selves. Too many have good grounds
for such doubts. Their lives do not ac-
cord with their profession. His name
on the church roll does not make bad
man Christian. Baptism and weekly
communion do not cOHSecrate a liar. q
thief, drunkard or gambler. Prayer
is d mOckery with the man who is
habitually profaue. The. priest has eX-
IRENE JUNCTION for the dying scamp. if
he can pay for 1t. but it is tTaveSty.
Bad men may well doubt their accept
ance with God.
But sincere people are sometimes
troubled with such doubts. To such the
apostle has given in our text an expert
mental test for themselves. If we do
his commandments We are all right;
then we know that we know him. This
is practical. l have called it expert
mental. 1t is not a dreamy, visionary,
ghOstlv experimentation. 1t does not
depend on spaSmOdic feelings, or
dreams. or strange sights and sounds.
1t does not W it for miraculnOuS gifts.
but goes to work with what it has, trust
ing God, if ne viii. for more.
Such Christian experience has a
double advantage; il can be seen by
others as we'll as the one who has IT..
How did Michael Angelo know that he
was a sculptor? Under his hand marble
blocks grew to form and beauty. How
did Handel know that he knew music?
He composed and executed with mar
M at L~IlnFN /
well as he. So the Christian knows him
self and is known by what he does.
Such eXperimentalism Is an index Of
faith. Men live best what they most
believe. 1t is an index of love. We live
what we love and love what we live. 1t
is an index of character. The tree is
known by its fruit.
Christianity insists on this last, i. e.,
on character. The Christian is TO be
rewarded not for what he actually does.
but for what he actually is as indicated
by what he does. The Lord does not
hire us by the day to be good. We Will
not get absoIutiOn for going on pill
grimages or wearing beans IN our shoes.
The doctrine of pendnce does violence
10 the love of God. The doctrine of
Christian works as indicative of Chris
tan character, and the reWaTdIng OF
the man for what he is rather than for
what he does, is wholesome and COM
fOrting. We know what we are by
what we do. and we know what we shall
be by what we are. We know we are
Christ's if we keep his commandments.
As the straw the current shows,
AS the brook a river grows.
So our works are meant to be
But points that mark our path to Thee, !
o GOdl