A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin. Бенджамин Франклин
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spreading more rapidly than any people in this country that depend on turning people to the Lord to augment their numbers. We say nothing about a people that count their infants as members of the church, and exclude nobody for disorder.
RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS.
THE resurrection of Lazarus was like the healing of the sick, giving sight to the blind, and other miraculous benefits, only temporary. They were only restored to health in their mortal state, and liable to be afflicted again. The resurrection of Lazarus was only his recovery from death for the time being, and he was liable to die again. No doubt he did die again. But Jesus rose to die no more. Death has no more dominion over him. Those thus raised up temporarily, or simply raised up to what they were before they died, were not counted where Christ is spoken of as “the first-fruits of them that slept,” “the first-born from the dead,” etc. They were raised to immortality and died no more. The body was sown a mortal body, but raised immortal, or raised to die no more.
This, we presume, is the solution of the matter, though but little can be said, with any point, for or against it. It is, however, the ground on which we satisfy our own mind. It is one of the matters left a little obscure, and but one on which nothing of importance depends. The view we take of it obviates any apparent discrepancy between the passages above referred to. The word “begotten,” in “the first-begotten from the dead,” should have been born, as the same original word is elsewhere. A bare resurrection only raised a man to what he was before he died, and left him as liable to death as he was before he died; but the resurrection of Christ and those who rose after he rose was more than this. The body was sown a mortal body, but raised immortal, or to die no more. It was a complete and final deliverance from the grave and from death—the final triumph over death and him who has the power of death.
FINE CLOTHES.
A PREACHER pays a poor compliment to his brain when he tries to attract public attention, as a preacher, with fine clothes. A dancing master can vie with him in that line, whether the fine clothes are paid for or not. In the same way the preacher that must have a gorgeous temple, like Romanists and pagans, to attract the people and draw them out, and his choir of singers and organ, to discourse music for the saints, pays a poor compliment to his brain and his ability as a preacher, and a poorer compliment to the worshippers who have to be thus drawn out. It is virtually a surrender to the world, and an acknowledgement on the part of the preacher, that he has no confidence in the gospel, or his ability to preach to attract the attention of the people, draw them out, or turn them to God when they are drawn out. The church that resorts to such artifices to draw the people out, virtually acknowledges that she has no influence to draw the people out; that the preacher has no influence to draw them out; that their gospel and worship have no power to draw them out; but they have found out what will draw them out. A fine temple of show, extravagance and folly; a popular choir, an organ, ice cream, strawberry festivals, musical concerts, church fairs, etc., etc. These will draw. Certainly they will. But what becomes of the preacher, the gospel, the worship and the church? What becomes of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and all that is divine?
Christ had not “where to lay his head.” What does that prove? Not that his followers should not have where to lay their heads, or that preachers should not; but, if following him and serving him should reduce them to such destitution that they would not have where to lay their heads, they should bear it patiently and not murmur, remembering that their Lord and Master had not where to lay his head.
“Christ traveled on foot and preached.” What does that prove—that preachers must always travel on foot? Not at all. The Lord did not always travel on foot. What then? That a preacher should travel on foot if need be. We have traveled on foot to preach and would do it again before we would give up preaching. We, therefore, take the cars, steamboat, stage, private conveyance, any means most convenient.
SUBTLETIES ABOUT IMMERSION.
BUT, now, why this constant higgling over immersion? Why this continual getting up some kind of smoke about it, mist or confusion? It is the right thing—the precise thing the Lord commanded. Why, then, try to get up confusion about where it was obtained? Why not condemn faith because we did not obtain it from the right people? It is the right thing, but then a man obtained it in a sectarian church. Ought he not to throw it aside, and obtain faith from the right source? Then, where did a man get the gospel? Did he get it in a sectarian church? Must he therefore throw it aside? Where did he get his Bible? Must he throw it away because he got it from sectarians. There is but one safe rule in all this, and that is to hold on to that which came from the Lord, the right things, no matter where we found them.
We have not set out merely to see how radical we can be; to see how far we can differ from all men, but to separate the human from the divine—that which did not come from God from that which did; and when we find a man with the right book—the Bible—we accept it without inquiring where he obtained it. When we find a man with the gospel of Christ, we accept it, no matter where he obtained it. If he has the right repentance we accept it without any regard to where he obtained it. In the same way in regard to the immersion and everything else. Has he the right things—the things of God?
Why start these subtleties about immersion, and confuse the public mind in regard to it? Why not get up difficulties about the prayers, the communion, the repentance, the faith, or something else? We are not trying how many difficulties we can find, but trying to clear the way, and show all men that there is a safe and practical way to union, to oneness and happiness, both here and hereafter. We desire to emerge out of the darkness, confusion and misunderstandings of our times, and walk in the clear light of heaven. Whatever is right we accept, and whatever is not right we aim to set it right. That which has gone before our time is beyond our reach, and we leave that to the Judge of all the earth, who will do right. We desire to open the way for the living and those yet to come. Let us study the things that are practical and that work for peace, and the Lord will open our way to the highest usefulness and happiness in this life, and to all he has for the redeemed in the life to come.
ALL THINGS COMMON.
THE community of goods or common stock was a voluntary thing and not required, as is clear from the language of Peter to Ananias and Sapphira. Alluding to the possession he sold and the proceeds of the sale he said: “While it remained was it not thine own? and after it was sold was it not in thine own power?” Acts v. 4. There was no compulsion to do what he pretended he was doing—that is, giving the whole—no law requiring it. This case appears to have ended the whole affair. We find no more account of it, but clear allusions to liberality, to the rich and poor, etc., showing that it was not continued. There is no question but that some of the first Christians received the impression that the coming of the Lord, the resurrection of the dead and the end of the world were at hand; and the unbounded love