Year: 1859

|
view, is an elegant morality, and
Christians are men who are we'll edu-
Gated, well bred. and who do kindness
according to rule. They have kind
of decorous and proud worship. This
IS the case with not q few of the sects.
| Over against these are other Chris
tian denominations who go to the op-
posite extreme; and they demand just
that kind of evidence which those re-
ligionists of whom we have just been
speaking of reject. They say, "A
man need not talk to Us about piety III
he does not manifest it. When the
grace of God is in a man. it is like
showers upon a mountain. which send
the rain down its sides, swelling all
the streams and causing them to run
over. Unless a man can say GLORY
to Godl' and 'Hallelnjah!' and clap
his hands, there is no evidence of
Christianity in him. He may be a
poor drawling slave in the Kingdom.
but nothing more. A man who is an
earnest Christian will have his feel
ings high up, SO that they will gush
FORTH" There are good Christians.
too, among the churches that take this
view of the evidence of religion; but
they grow despotic. and having had a
certain kind of experience. they say,
"All men must feel as We feel, or else
thew can not be Christians.


l do not deny the right of man to
be converted in Just the way that is
best adapted to his nature. Every
man has that right. Goi has right
to make seed sprout as he pleases. /
will acknowledge a man to be Chris
tian, even though he may not have
had the same experience which have
had, if the fruits of his life is evidence
that he is one. God is a sovereign,
and converts men in different ways.


A third class of churches place the
evidence of religion in the proper OBJ
seryance of the elements of worship.
Veneration-awe-is to them the
heart of religion. If they sit in juag
ment upon a man, and find that he is
rcverential to the last degree. and pro-
foundly generating, they say, "the root
of the matter is in him." There are
many persons who make veneration,
without single quality of love, the
marrow ard test of religion. never
20 into a church where the worshipers
are of this class. for have no venera-
ton of any consequence. Love. with
me, is religion, constitutionally; and
my defect is want of proper venera-
ton; which will account for some o.
my audacity shown by me toward ven
cradle men and institutions. Nothing
is venerable to me except that which
is good, or has been good. can ven-
crate goodness and beneficence. the
moment you present to me merely
wisdom and power, | stand and look
upon them with Indifference.


There is another class of Christians
who put the evidence ofreligion in be-
ing in the true Church, and in con-
forming to ordinances and church du-
ties. In this class are included three
or four denominations representing
very different beliefs. One of the de-
nominations belonging to this class say
that no man is a Christian who Is not
in agreement with the Holy Mother
Church, which has Peter for its proto-
type, and endless Popes as Successors
of Peter. / would not hurt the feel
ings of any devoted Roman Catholic
for the world; but such is the evidence
of religion according to the Romish
Church. Not that they disown love;
for they do not. There is no reason
why man in the Roman Catholic
Church should not be saved. There
is enough in the teachings Of this
church 10 make any man who belongs
to it inexcusable il he is not Chris
tian. At the same time, the test of
religion with the Roman Catholic con-
sists in belonging to the church. and
in certain conformity to ccclesiastic-
al usagcs.


When you come to what are called
the High Church Episcopalians. who
closely resemble the Roman Catho-
lies, you find that they take the same
ground-that a man, to be q Chris
tian. must belong to what they con
sider TO be the true Church, and Oh
serve its ordinances.


Now, l do not hesitate to say that
man is Christian. and shall be saved,
although he never was baptised.
although he never touched the Lords
Supper. and although his name was
never enrolled on the list OF any church
il he yet loves the Lord his God and
his fellow-men. and by his life evin-
ces the reality OF that love: for the