The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-09-26

his people AAOW 1"~ N' "~S1AS" @'~A'
Continued from last Week.)
r.ith in Christ is, first of ali, this:
,.,h AZ he was I want to be; his is the
SsSd of life 1 want to live; his is the
"a of character I want to possess;
>, is the kind Of blessednets I desire
=, myself and for my children. A
~.n NAV believe what creed he will,
"a If this is not in his heart, he has
At faith in Christ. He may be bap
.;,ad with holy water taken from the
T,rdsn, and blessed by priest, bishop,
.,cbbishop, and Pope; and if this de
.;,s is not in his heart, he has no faith
n Christ. He may have joined in sue
...sion all the churches n Christen-
Am, from the Q Iaker meeting house to
,bs Roman Catholic Hierarchy, and if
n his heart there is not the faith that
5ssires the lowliness OF heart which
,rfsrs long and is kind, the meekness
vbieh inherits the earth es a gift, the
nprity of heart which see God, he has
N faith in Christ. Faith. in Christ
cannot find its Interpretation in any
creed, however orthodox; it fluids it's
ntarpre5ation in some hearts that do
not understand nor accept the creed
that | think orthodox.
But necessary to this salvation, this
character, is not only a perception of
the idea, but an eager, hopeful (shall l
sy ambitiousO purpose to attain it.
We do not make anything by dream
ing; neither a building, nor an empire,
nor an individual character. We can
rot cit and sing ourselves away to
everlasting bliss; we have got to go
out and fight our way to everlasting
bliss. All life is a struggle. The sew
eth chapter Of Romans comes before
the eighth; a man must know the ex-
perience which cries out, II do the
hings l would not do and I hate the
Ihings that l do, " before he can cry out,
Thanks be to God which giveth US
the victory I" No man a be free who
does not desire freedom; neither al
any msn be free who is not willing to
gf,r for freedom. The price Of char
sctar is battle, as the price Of every
victory is battle. There must be not
only the vision of this beautiful char
scter, that comes on Sunday like a dis
solving view, and on Sunday night,
Ike a dissolvipg view, disappears
gain; there must be also this faith.
mat character is for me, 1 can be that
ind Of person, and, Gcd helping me,
will. The mere vision of a Christ,
Etout the vigorous attempt to repro
5Ge the Christ, is sentimentality in
nigion, and we are eve saved by
mntimentality. We are not religious
because we come to church and heartily
spplaud an eloquent sermon, any more
than we are religious because we hear
lily spplaudibeautiful music. II Ithetic
ism is not spirituality. Life does not
consist in seeing beautiful pictures,
but in struggling toward a splendid
result, and Jesus Christ has come not
only to put before the eyes Of men this
vision, but to put into the hearts OF
men this strong and strenuous en-
ieavor.
This is what Christ did: He put a
lev ambition, a new heart, a Few pur
29se, a new hope into men. Men said,
We cannot" he said, You can"
The very command of Christ ought to
be Inspiration. A father goes out in
the Hill country to walk with his boys,
sld while they stop to pluck foWtrs
sld play, the father goes steadily up
he hill, aud by and by he appears far
above on an ou'jIttiDg Gag, and then
calls cut, 'FJlloW mel" The children
ook up. How shall they follow him9
How Climb that great, steep precipice3
And still the Father calls, Follow mel
And a boy says to himself and to his
~conpanions, Father would not tell US
i2tolow him il we could not follow. I
'onos know the way, and l do not see
a2TI can do it, but / will start; and
snoT, because father sage, Follow
aa lean follow him, and where he
Bands l yet can stand. And when
Thirst, CuI H Rvenly Master, looks out
" heaven says 10 Us, Follow me, l
saoW, because he says it, that I can;
Wien ne says to me-, BE like me-"
.kao~, because he says it, that I can.
met like ordinary me- NC; but
IalDary men can b,come like Christ.
tais Ot Of clay on the potter's table
"Ae .lEs beautiful vRsel Nc; but this
ROT clay on the potter's table, if it
suomi. l5ssi, along enough to the hands
"a. srs framing it and to the skill that
SaoLkLlg on il. will become like that