The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-07-29
RELIGIOUS READING.
LOYALTY THE TEST OF LIBERTY.


With the growing disposition in the church
10 break away from old fixed codes OF be-
lief and conduct. and to regulate personal
thought and practical ethics entirely by the
dictates of the individual conscience, tue
question has inevitably risen in earnest ana
devout minds What is now the test OF
Christian fidelity? Arc we not oil adrilt; SO
far as a definite standard of religious Deiiei
and conduct is concerned? Who snail ue-
termine whether this man belongs IN the
church or out Of it? Yea, am Christian
or not?" To all such troubled ques-
uonings there seems to be Eut
one adequate and convincing reply.
Since authority is no longer the tribunal 70
which the belief and conduct Of each ana
every Christian may be referred, We must
observe the life OF the individual itself, ana
Judge belief and conduct according to tneir
effects upon Christian character. Loyalty 10
Christ is the crucial thing. II the newly,
found liberty of the believer OF today snall
seem to impair in any degree MS nuellsy
to his Master, that has the new dlspensa-
ton, so far as this believer Is concerned,
been proven inferior to the old. II there
Is less earnestless, less moral stamina,
less unselfshness and devotedness IN IN!
Christian life, because Of the greater
freedom of thought and action which has
recently come into the church, then 1t were
we'll if we could return to the old crecus ana
moral statutes at once. But II, on the 0tner
hand, the liberty of today does stand the
test Of loyalty; II Christians IN genera; aae
ius. as pure, and earnest, and self-sacrlnc-
ing. and devoted as they ever Were-nay,
are more Christlike in these respects tnan
formerly-then, we say. all this so-cailed
'new departure" in religion, this broaden.
ing of horizon and loosening Of Of
restraints. Is step, and grand
steb, forward toward the millennium.
How. then. does modernized religious I'D
ertv. in the church itself, seem to stand the
test of loyalty to Christ ? Is the cn9rch
doing less for the Master than she useo 70
do? Look at the grand expansion Oh mis-
sions, of charities, of organizations tor De,
nevolence and for Christian culture, Whlcn
has gone hand in hand with the great lib
eralizing movement in the modern church.
Look at the magnificent. the astounding ac.
cession of enthusiastic young people TO the
working force Of the church. Look at the
practical devotement OF time, talent, energy,
resource, to work among the poor anu
uneducated. Look at the present es-
prit de CORDS of the whole religious repuD-
lie. Look at the new, Christlike love ana
fellowship springtng up between the de-
nominations, which are all, us we now see,
children of one mother, whose only affront
TO odcQ OIQor Is CldL lucy uuNOi Ono W NAS'
gone out from the paternal roof and raised
and sheltered family of their own. Truly,
there Is no more reason for sects quarrellng
than for married brothers and sisters tnd
the more Christlike Christianity of today Is
beginning to see it.. So as the testi-
mony Of general outlook goes,
there is yet no falling-ofr in loyalty
to Christ because Of the liberty
which has come into the church as the re-
suit of aggressive modern thought. But
lust as soon as devotion to Christ Is seen to
be falling off in the least degree among
Christians, it will be time to question the
healthfulness of the religious atmosphere
to ask, SIS not too much liberty weakening
the moral fibre and leading to indiffer--
ence?" Loyalty the test of liberty-that
is the principle which We must apply.
True 70 Christ, true to oneself, and true to
The church.