The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-09-09
CHARACTERISTICS OF
TRUE CHRISTIAN
THREE DISTINGUISHING FACTS
IN HIS MAKEUP ARE CREED,
CHARACTER AND CONDUCT


evening at Good Time hall on the fol-
lowing text taken from St. Matthew's
Gospel, Fourth chapter and forty
seventh verse: What do ye more
than other?"
1T is noteworthy to Observe" he
said, that these words were not ut
tered by Christ when he was at the
height of his power and might have
been exacting as to the requirements
demanded of his followers; neither
were they spoken when near the end
of his career; he might have been
justified in being defiant; but they
We're given at the beginning of his
ministry as the watchwords of his
apostles and followers. At the mo-
ment when the average man would
have spoken honeyed words and
made fair weather for himself and
his cause Jesus Christ set up the
highest possible standard of life. We
| can easily understand from this ac-
tion on His part that these stand
ards were not an afterthought or
growth, neither can they be accepted
only in the last years of mans life;
but to Christ they were primary and
fundamental and must be the same
TO every follower.
He began his career by explain
ing the creed, character and conduct
of his disciples. He went to the high
est social and religious ranks of the
time and said Except your righteous
ness exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and the Pharisees We can in
no wise enter the kingdom of Hea-
10 tn 10 In ptpa I'm,
of the society of the time and said
in substance, If you do good to those
who do good to you and love those
who love you, ye are like the publi-
can and sinner, but We followers
what do ye more than others?'
Then and now the man that be-
came a follower came under new
law of life, from the moment of adop-
ton of Christ he became a marked
man. No new dress, no holy tone,
no sanctimonious smirk, no broad
phylacteries, no loud praying on the
street corners distinguished him, but
a new philosophy of life, a new creed
of duty, extraordinary conduct hence
forth distinguished him from other
men. The people at Antioch first OBJ
serving this called them Christians
the ordinary man is necessary and
unavoidable He has superiority
that inheres to his nature. He has
upon his brow the imrimatur of God.
There is something wrong with the
Christian that is lost in crowd.
THE three distinguishing facts in
the Christians makeup are creed,
character and conduct. Christianity
lNnI;
and then doing. Every life has a
creed, even the devil. Christs creed
was revolutionary, it upset the phil
osophy and theology of. three thou
sand years. The Christian today
must have as his creed all that Christ
believed plus Christ himself as the
spring and motive of life. The diff
ference between the Christian creed
and the morality of the world is as
the difference between weathercock
and a compass. The cock has four
points, north, south, east and west,
by its aid men can guess their way
The compass has thirty-two points
and by its aid the mariner guides his
way with accuracy across painless
seas.
The Christians creed fulfils itself
in character, A Christian should be
the word made flesh. The belief ex-
pressed in life. God in man makes
him Christian. A Christian is not
merely an improved or made-over
sinner. He is a new man from the
heart out. Lord Woolsley said that
Robert E. Lee and Charles Gordon
were cast in a different mold from
other men. He did not see that the
quality that they had in common was
glorious belief in Christ.
Last of all Christianity is doing.
The touch the world lacks is pre-
eminent in Christian character The
Christian must refuse to melt into
his surroundings. He may be mighty
lonesome, but at least he must be a
| better man, a better husband, father,
citizen and business man. A Chris
tian and a Jewish lawyer were as
sociated in case and after it had
been decided in their favor the Chris
tian asked tie other what fee should
be charged. The Jew thought S., 600
enough. Wait, said the other, leave
it to me. The next day he brought
around a check for $4,000. The
Jew, with sardonic smile, repeated
the old words, Almost thou persuad-
est me to be a Christian The APP
plication is easy.
I'VE sometimes hear the cry What
is the use of trying to Withstand the
majority?' We may well ask our
selves What is a Christian for any