The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-03-11

/ iNlNlu~ AuNeS NAAAiii
| the church; Tolerant as Christians toward
those without j. the ideal that should rue.
How refreshing 10 reflect upon such
passage OF Scripture as that which stands
/ al the head OF this sermon. liz Is plea
for religious Iteration and sets before Ne
a standard OF religious liberty II would be
well 10 live up 10. We are 80 inclined 20
| become narrowed IN our views Of truth:
we are SO prone 20 live under the shelter
OF some creed that the vistas Of truth
stretching ahead Of us everywhere become
narrowed and hidden. and before we are
aware of II the peculiar dogma we cherish
or the certain fact we advocate is magni-
ned into identification with the truth IL
self There is at least danger here Thus.
how needful 10 be often carried out into
the broad field the Gospel opens up. Look
at the scene revealed here. Jesus is hav.
| ing another of His oft.recurring talks with
| the Pharlsees; but, as of Old, they do not
understand Him. He is a fanatic. or at
best, a stubborn partisan. who. while pro-
Tossing 10 lead them into larger freedom.
seems only 10 break up their honored in
stitutions SO this peculiar saying falls
from His lips. As He speaks how precious
the outlook There He leads HIS follow
ers through the old loved fields. ont under
the blue sky, their life and His identified,
boVld together by common fidelity OF
truth But even this freedom seems mar
| TOW III view OF Wudt y Vet TO Aouts urec
are Nv sheep, He saws, and for them / lay
down My life; but also other sheep have
which are not of this fold, and as we con-
| template the words, the range of our WIS.,
ion is extended, the fields through which
they pass widen. the visible horizon that
hemmed US in lifts, the blue dome Of the
heavens expands until we see all truth
loving souls everywhere, known by many
| a different name, coming IN as the sheep
fold opens 20 receive them. And we turn
! our steps homeward, resolving ia future 10
be more tolerant for the Masters sake,
A few weeks ago an attendant upon our
church, a lover of truth, a believer IN
Christ. but who had never made an open
profession of religion, asked me what i
thought constituted a Christian, and If |
did not think IL meant TO be a church
member. and a Baptist Church member. IL
was that earnest question that called forth
these sermons. What constitutes a Chris
tiang No progress can he made IN our dis.
cussion until we settle that question. is 10
| 20 be a COMMUNICATE of any church? IL 10
to subscribe TO any creedy \ hundred
| times mo- All Trustworthy sources make IL
| to he a believer IN Christ. What do
YOU mean 10y belief in CHRISTI Wei, what
! do YOU mean when YOU tell person you
| believe IN him, that YOU believe he IL a
good citizen, faithful husband, a loving
| father You may l. We IN him rs all
that, yet not be will % trust him with
a dollar out OF your ..sht, or open your
| home to HIM as friend. You honor him
| not most unless willing 10 trust him with
! money uncounted. your good name, the
very secrets of your heart. A belief that
does not express itself IN confidence does
not count for much All else is cold, I'M
! personal opinion. You must not offer
| Christ less than YOU would your friend. A
belief IN the historic Christ only never
saved a soul, any more than n belief in
| Caesar or Luther or Washington, even
though You believe Him as more than a
! teacher sent from God more than pro-
! phet even the very Saviour of the world.
Just as friendship Is more than an intellec.
| tual opinion, even a possession of the HE.
just as love, the divine essential in all
true living, without much society, Is a
| self-centred. seli-circumferenced conglom
Grafton, and the home a den. denying its
| own existence, is virtue OF the heart IN
stead of a secretion of the brain; SO rehg.
ION has It's abiding pace IN the heart, else
nowhere IN the life at all.
! To be n believer IN Christ then is no
| different than TO be a believer in man.
| Tell him whom you profess 10 CAL your
friend YOU believe in him. When you Will
not confide IN him, when in perplexity you
seek anothers counsel, and in sorrow an
others sympathy, and you have insulted
faith, and friendship has become in your
hand an empty name. IL you believe in n
man trust him as all men demand you
should. You say you love? Show IT by
loving and manifesting the self-denlal love
demands, else your profession - sound
ing brass, an empty name, a dastardly af.
fair.
Do you believe in Christ? Show il hy
a loving trust. Otherwise you believe only
intellectually, and that means you do
not want to have much TO do with Him.
IL means self first and ALWAYS. And II
perchance you start TO follow Him from so
superficial a motive be not surprised if the
| first time His demands conflict with your
| plans you turn traitor and swear YOU
! never knew the man. The test ~. My
sheep hear NV voice and know them and
they follow Me. That is the tcst-to hear
! His voice and follow Him.
Now, what is the purpose Of a church,
and in how far does church membership
| constitute n Christian; Church member
ship constitutes a Christian just 30 far as
| n Christian constitutes n church member.
| No church, whatever ITS name and lniiu-
encc, has of itself power 20 make a man
| a Christian, unless the Roman Church, and
| that - Ou,y IN IT. own estimation. We
! fall into one or the other OF two errors:
Either of thinking OF Christianity as an alb
! straction, or as fact identical with an or
ganization Of earth, when II is grandcr
]
! from the life OF It's founder. Ii ~ not TO
be born IN a Christian community. it Is
not TO be swayed by religious excitement.
Then there is the other mistake Of maxi
! ing the visible church identical with the
! reality. Indeed, symbols are important.
We can never tell how much satisfaction
| the religious devOtee receives from the pic.
| turc OF the Virgin or the image Of the
| Christ The line between the symbol and
| the spirit may be less attcnuatcd than We
| think. More symbols may lead 90 more
realities than we dream Of. An object of
sense may, however, Oitcner hinder ac-
cess 70 the spirit than be a vladuct there
| TO. Many a person loIns a church for the
sake of being a church member rather than
! 10 be 4 better Christian. Many a person
than the Christ the church represents and
the minister breaches. Being a good de-
nomlnationalist u not necessarily being a
good Christian, although II We are good
! Christians we ought TO be denomination.
alists, and better denOmInatiOnalsts than
we arc. Denominations give form and con-
tent 20 Christianity which some souls
would never otherwise perceive. But on
| the other hand. denominatiOnalism should
/ have no content 10 boast OF except what
! the Gospel imparts. Don't think that to
/ he a Methodist. Presbyterian or Baptist
- equal TO being A Christian. IL may be
30. II may not be 20. IL depends whether
! your denomination IntensIies or material
Izes Christianity. You may have the form
oi sUdliness, but your very devotion TO the
| form - a denial Of the power thereof. i
| have IN mind a member of a former
church who would sooner give up
Christ than his immersion aud com.
munIon. His unspirtual life shows he