Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-25

how, in some crisis, they meet Christ. Anc
what difference that makes What shall
do to inherit eternal life?-in what
different spirit they ask 1t Religion be-
comes real They who have looked into
the face of Christ leave their empty ques.
tionings and look into their own souls.
And then in them, as in this lawyer
comes the third change. Beside this differ
ence of attitude, this forsaking OF the test
| ing OF religion for the attempt to justify
| oneself, see what difference there Is in the
questions. "What shall / do to inherit
eternal life?" even when asked in all earn
estness, may be selfish question. He who
| asks 1t desires salvation Tor himself But
there is something better for himself than
that We have no right to rest while any
body else remains unsaved. "Who is my
neighbor?"-we begin to think OF that, and
OF our duty toward our neighbor.
The Heather idea of Heaven.
believe indeed that this is one of the
eternal questions, that it must be forever
asked by all good people, not only in this.
but IN the world to onmc, I am not un-
mindful of that great gulf which is fixed in
the parable between the rich man in tor
ments and Lazarus in the JOYS of Paradise.
Yet we need to be on guard, think, against
the danger of pushing too lar the applica-
tions OF the details of any parable. And
surely the Christian spirit is the unsel6sh
spirit. To be helpful is the very heart Of
Christianity. And that must be as true to-
morrow as it is to-day. and true forever.
And confess cannot in any way recon-
cile. with the Christian spirit, or bring into
accord with the teachings and the Life of
Christ, the spectacle of miserable hell
side by side with q happy and an idle and
contented heaven.
Some OF the old fathers used to content
themsel YES in DAYS of persecution with the
thought that they would presently be look
ing cheerily over the crystal battlements of
heaven at the heathen burning in everlast-
ing martyr-ires But that only shows how
much heathenism still fingered in the hearts
of those old fathers. The priest and the
levite in the parable had at least the de-
cency to pass by on the other side. They
did not sit down and look on. Surely the
Christian spirit will prompt the inhabitants
OF heaven to ask the Christian question.
The heresy of Cain will not be orthodox In
Paradise. Am my brothers keeper?"
will not take the place of "Who is my
neighbour" in any celestial catechism.
Eternity of Blessed Seldshness.
to preach TO the spirits in prison went as
VINO will believe in an eternity of blessed
selfshness? Who could be happy In heaven,
conscious of the miserable neighborhood OF
he'll? 1t is true that we do somehow man.
age nowadays to content ourselves in CON-
Portable house while multitudes of our
brothers and sisters are crowded together in
prisons of poverty. We forget them except
when some peril of pestilence reminds US of
our common humanity, and teaches with a
new emphasis how the suffering of one may
mean the pain Of many. But the good peo-
pie who live in the mansions up above will
be better than that Christian neighborli-
ness, Christian brotherhood must reign in
heaven.
1t is plain enough, at least Christ meant
that it should reign on earth. And that,
at present, is the most important thought
for us. 1t is exceedingly significant how
this man who talks with Jesus Christ seems
to go on step by step towards spiritual
truth. 1t may be that we are finding in his
words more than we should have found in
his heart. But sure it il that Christian
progress moves along these lines First,
the recognition of Christ; and then the rec-
ognition of ourselves. of our own personal
shortcomings; and then the recognition Of
our neighbor.
There Is No Selfish Christianity.
There is no such thing as selfish
Christianity. We might as well talk
Of cold heat. Nobody is good Chris
tian who does not ask, "Who
is my neighbour" and desire an
answer, and purpose to put the answer into
practice. 1t is instructive, indeed, that
this man who has thus come to know Christ
even little asks this sort of question az
the outcome of Christ'a conversation with
him. He did not think OF asking Jesus
anything about the creed, any question in
dogmatio theology. He did not think of
asking him anything about the church, any
question in ritual or policy What he did
ask was question of conduct.
Christianity is conduct Christ put un-
varying emphasis on conduct You may
know when people begin to think seriously
about religion by seeing that they are better
people than they were, And you may find
the genuine Christians in any CO ,gation
by listening to what they say, still. more BY
watching what they do, by getting acquaint-
ed with their lives. A religion which does
not make a man honest and truthful and
pure and helpful is no religion at all. The
purpose of religion is to make good wives
and good husbands, and good fathers and
mothers, and good citizens. 1t Is meant
to help people to hold their tongues and
keep their temperS. 1t Is intended to
guide and guard US along the way of daily
life.
Three Ways of Asking 1t.
The lawyer may have asked his question
in the spirit of assurance, with a narrow
idea of neighborlness in which he expected
Christ to confirm him. Or he may have
asked it in q spirit of evasion, catching
glimpse of our Lords universal charity and
finding a thousand perple1ities in the ap-
pIication of it, and so thinking to escape re-
sponsiblity by the gate of difficulty. The
question is asked often enough to-day in
one or other of these ways Or he may
have put the question in the spirit of sim
certy, really desiring to be taught, and to
obey the teaching.
The answer includes all the meanings of
the question. Neighborliness is here de-
fined as disregarding all conventional bar
riers, restrained within no limits OF preju-
dice or race or religion. Whoever needs
our help is our neighbor. And our duty is
to do as simply and as quietly as we can
just what lies nearest to our hand. We are
not to wait for the solution OF all the prob
lens of political economy before we begin
to help. (which now Of these three,
thinkest thou, was neighbor.unto him who
fell among the thieves? And he said, he
that showed mercy on him. Then said
Jesus unto him-and unto us as well-Go,
and do thou Likewise"