A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin. Бенджамин Франклин

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      “IN what are Christians to be united?”

      They are to be united on Christ—on being Christians. This embraces the entire revelation from God to man, all the truth uttered, the commandments given and the promises made by our heavenly Father. The truth must all be believed, the commandments obeyed, and the promises must be hoped for. This includes the entire faith, obedience and hope of the gospel. In this we must be united.

      II. “What are the essentials of Christianity which can not be compromised?”

      Christianity itself, as a whole and in all its parts, is essential. All that is in it is essential, and all that is not in it is not essential. We are for christianity itself, not in part, but the whole of it, as it came from the infallible Spirit of all wisdom and all revelation. It is all essential. Nothing may be added to it or taken from it. The “doctrines and commandments of men,” the doctrines of “expediency,” of “deductions” and “inferences,” from principles, are not essential; but these are not christianity, nor any part of it. Nothing in christianity can be compromised except at our peril. The wisdom of God gives us no non-essentials. If the wisdom of man pronounces anything given by the wisdom of God, or, which is the same, any part of christianity, non-essential, such wisdom of man must be set aside as presumptuous.

      What an idea for men to sit on the grave question of essentials and non-essentials, in the divine institution given by our Lord and confirmed by the most indubitable signs and wonders! What part of that which has been given by the wisdom of God is essential, and what part is not essential? It is all essential, or the wisdom of God would not have given it, and the authority of God would not have required it. The very circumstance that the infinite wisdom devised it and the infinite authority required it makes the whole of christianity binding. There is not a non-essential in it.

      III. “How far is diversity to be tolerated?”

      We are all required to “speak the same thing,” to “teach no other doctrine,” to “preach the word,” to preach no “other gospel,” to teach the things that become “sound doctrine,” and if we “speak not according to his word it is because there is no light in us.” In one word, we are not to have “all sorts of doctrine from all sorts of teachers,” but to “earnestly contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints.”

      IV. “How shall we reconcile the right of private judgment with the right of the Church to maintain the faith in its purity, and still preserve the unity of the faith which the word of God enjoins?”

      The way we have done it for fifty years past. We have had the light of private judgment, and, at the same time, maintained the faith in its purity and preserved the unity of the faith as enjoined in Scripture. Demonstration is better than theory. We have brought the people from all parties, united them in the one faith, made them one in the unity of the Spirit, with the exception of a few erratic spirits, but we have not had more of these than they had in the time of the apostles. They and their mission were predicted in Scripture, and they have come and fulfilled the predictions of the Lord and the apostles without intending or knowing it, and thus furnished an additional evidence that the Scriptures are divinely inspired.

      IN SEASON AND OUT OF SEASON.

       Table of Contents

      THERE are times when general apathy prevails; when it appears impossible to rouse the people to anything like an appreciation of the things of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ; when the hearts of the people appear to be closed against all that can be said or done to save them. They frequently hear at such times, act as orderly as ever, and show as much respect to the gospel; but they do not have the heart and soul in it, and can not be moved to action. Their emotional nature appears to be utterly inaccessible. There are again times when the hearts of the people are open. They not only hear the truth, pay a decent respect to it and admire its beauties, but, with joy, they receive it into good and honest hearts, believe it to be the salvation of their souls. It melts them down, fills their hearts to overflowing and moves them to obedience. This much we know to be fact. We have tried to see the cause of this fact, but do not claim that we can see the cause, nor do we see any particular importance in seeing the cause, but we ought to turn the fact to account. How can this be done?

      Paul has a period, or state of things, that he styles “in season,” and another that he styles “out of season.” There is a time to sow and a time to reap, a time to dress the vineyard and a time to gather the fruit. These periods, when the hearts of the people are open, are the harvest times—the time for gathering in the ripe grain ready for the harvest—for turning sinners to the Lord. No matter about the cause of it; there is the opportunity; СКАЧАТЬ