Christian herald., August 03, 1883, Page 9, Image 9

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CHRISTIAN HERALD
.
justified by anyone of these things
only while the New Testament
ribes justification to all of them.
A man is killed in the street.
Someone in writing about it may
have his mind specially directed to
he -ffenam ~.,who, co^mjUsA.. the
eed, and may therefore confine
imself to the statement as to who
t was that did it. Or he may have
en mainly impressed by the in­
rument which was used. In that
e he will dwell upon the knife
hidT lre sa w plung ed in to th e
rt of the man. Under different
circumstances he may confine him-
lf to the simple fact of the mur-
er. Now because he does not
lention all the facts connected
wfith the case, or even any of them
ing up to the crime, it does not
llow that he does not state the
¿ruth when he says a murder was
mmitted ; nor doe* it'follow that
knife was not the instrument
sed, because that fact is not men
oned. Now this illustration will
rve to show a common habit of
But the force of the
lustration is considerably aug-
ented if we assume that all the
ts of the murder are stated, but
In different letters by different
riters. Precisely so is it with
he case under consideration. Both
he same writer and different writ-
rs in the New Testament look at
he subject of justification from
points of view. For in­
stance, when Paul affirms that we
0 justified by faith, and not by
e works of the law, be doos not
any respect, contradict James,
ft) r James is looking at the matter
m an entirely different stand-
int. Paul is showing that justi-
tion is hot by the deeds of the
w, we are no longer subject to the
law, but the Gospel, we are not
der Moses but under the Christ,
mes, however, is looking at the
ristian life, and is really answer-
the question which the Savior
self asked when he said, ‘*Why
1 ye me Lord, Lord, and do not
things that I say ?”
e think it is now easy to see
kt we have fully vindicated our
tement that the Scriptures do
teach that we are justified by
h only. We are not unmindful
t the doctrine of justification by
ith only,” is in some of the
s declared to be “ very whole-
le and full of comfort.” Still,
we greatly prefer the Scriptural
style. We think it probable, that
Ml objectionable phraseology on
iBs subject is the result of an ex- |
j
treme reaction from what is a real
evil. The Roman notion that
works of supererogation will propi­
tiate an offended diety is unques­
tionably a monstrous perversion of
Scripture teaching. But one ex-
irsma.. another.
Because the Roman notion is wrong
it does not follow that justification
by faith only is right. We believe
that both of these views are wrong-
and so we protest against seeking
to cure one extreme by rushing to
an ot her which- io equal ly qlijeetigfr"
able. In the presence of all these
false views, we lift up the Divine
Standard and call upon all men to
earnestly heed what the Lord has
spoken.— Christian Commonwealth
Heaven Helps Those who Help
Themselves.
There is no truer aphorism to be
found anywhere. If you want help
of God you must first help your­
self. Even in tho miracle ages—
which were fewer and farther be­
tween than they are genearlly sup­
servants do their whole duty.
Moscs_muxt talk to Pharoah; he
must use his rod; he-must “go
forward ;” he must smite the rock
or the waters will refuse to flow.
God led his chosen, indeed, by the
cloud and the pillar of fire; but it
was only leading, lie did not pro-
vidu-chariotsdbr the multitudes-or
ainoulances for tlie sick. Instead,
the great hosts must march, and
the sick must be carried. The
waters of the Red Sea fall back
affrighted, but Moses must stretch
forth his arm. The inundating
flood of the Jordan refuses to roll
back till “ the feet of the priests
$iat bare the ark were dipped in
the brim of the water.” The walls
of Jericho would not tumble till
the blasts were given upon the
rams’ hoAs; all this in the time of
miracles. But miracles were the
rare exception; working with Di­
vine help, the rule. So the com­
mand came from God to go up and
possess' the land. But it was no
passive occupancy that awaited the
Israelites.
Instead, they must
fight. There was no passive pray­
ing in those days;—it was hard
fighting all the while, and when
ihe right means were neglected, or
when, as in the case of the alliance
with Egypt, wrong methods were
utilized, fearful was the defeat,
awful the retribution that followed
We need, we greatly need more
of the spirit of those earlier days.
We ^ced to recall constantly the
fact that the Christian life is a
warfare, an unceasing conflict. It
is not, as some tell us, an auto­
matic machine which will do all
our work for us if we but let God’s
hand rest On the lever. Just as in
the old
Id Canaan, so in
W our Canaan of
to-day
Z3 ZTZZv
..s
y—we
must fight,
and posses-
sion and rest will follow If the
Christian would overcome sin he
must fight Satan ; and if the minis­
ter would win success he must fight
for souls ; and as a rule a minister
"WtH ^ m^ st-swoh-^-v ict op y- a* 1 h »"
fights for—just such a victory as
he deserves; and nothing more.
While the cry goes up for revival,
and at Convention, Council, and
other gatherings, God Is reminded
of his promises to hear the prayers
of his people, the fact yet remains
that too much is expected of God ;
—the priests don’t want the bother
of carrying the ark down to the
brim of the water ; the modem
Joshua insists upon it not only that-
Jericho will fall without a fight,
but it is useless trouble to get up a
fanfare by blowing rams’ horns ; so
the walls of Jericho stand while
they continually remind God that
he has promised to throw them
down.? Surely it goes without
saying that passivity is the bane of
the Church to-day, and that instead
of thé stand stills of to-day, who
are waiting to “See the salvation of
the Lord,” we need an army of
active soldiers who will go up and
possess the land by sturdy fighting.
In this way only is the Kingdom
of God to be established, and thus
will the Prince of Peace subdue all
things unto himself.— Christian at
Work.
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True Women.
At the recent opening of the
bridge between New York and
Brooklyn, the central point of in
tercst to the people of both cities
was the engineer, Roebling, whose
health had been sacrificed, as his
father’s life had been, to this great
triumph of mochanicall skill.
The pathetic little story was
known to everybody, of how, when
he was no longer able to walk to
the bridge, or to carry on the vast
and intricate calculations necessary
to the work, his wife was said to
have fitted herself for the task, and
actually performed the duties of
chief engineer, controlling the large
corps of subordinates, and assisting
her husband in every part of his
great labor.
A similar instance of a woman’s
noble devotion to her husband’s in-
r
erest, is that of the wife of Gen.
Charles E. Ellet, who was the en­
gineer of the suspension bridges
across the Ohio and Niagara Falk*
Mi •s. Ellet, at mature age, studied
the higher mathematics, in order to
help her husltand and sons in their
work? She was, with the ability’
and kqpwledge of a skilled pro­
fessional engineer, the most retiring
and sensitive of women.
The wife of Mr. Fawcett, the
Postmaster-General of England,—
-bo
■
blind,—has for years borne a full
share of all her husband’s public
labors. She is his amanuensis, ad­
viser and confidential friend, and
sits besides him at his desk or in
his seat in Parliament. There is no
woman more honored in Englaihl.
There are many women who wish
to secure a public career for their
sex, who regard a husband as an
“ obstacle ” and children as mere
“impediments ” in the way of the
wife and mother who wishes to
develop her own capabilities, and
to make herself useful to the world.
But they cannot go back of na­
ture. God meant a woman to be /
first wife, then mother, and after­
wards, citizen. Such women as
these whom we have mentioned,
with their full, wide lives, develop­
ed in affection, * power and useful­
ness, prove that the highest career
to which any young girl can aspire,
is. not a solitary one, but that which
lies side by side with the man who
has chosen her out of all the world,
and with the children whom God
may give her.
American women usually do not
try to shilre in the work of inter­
ests of their husbands. Many an
educated young wife is giving as
much time and mental labor to
society, embroidery, or to spoiling
china, as would enable her to help
most efficiently her husband in his
business, or to prepare her sons for
college.— Youth's Companion.
makes the
soul to be of one mind with God,
and sweetens all the ills of ljfe. It
casts the light of heaven upon them,
and transform them into good. It
makes the bitter waters sweet, tho
the barren and dry land fruitful.
Desolation it makes lovliness with
God ; the parching of sickness to be
the fire of his love; weakness to be
his strength ; wounds & be health ;
emptiness of all things to have all
things from him; poverty to be
true riches; his deserved punish-
rnent to be his rainbow of mercy;
death to be his life.—Dr. Pusey.
patience .—Patience