A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin FranklinFranklin, Benjamin
Religion
A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin
Franklin, Benjamin
Churches of Christ
But there is another class, that do not worship at the same altar
with these, nor are they of the same stripe. They do not draw their
divinity from clerical titles or clerical attire, nor from _public
private prayers_, from imitating Jewish rabbis, or sectarian rabbis,
from imitating ancient or modern Pharisees or Sadducees, but from the
living oracles of the living God. They are not under the thumbs of
rich men, nor under the influence of high salaries; nor ancient nor
modern priests. They cannot be bought and sold. They are the Lord’s
_free men_. They have cut loose from the bondage of the world of
sin, of sectarianism and the clergy. They belong to Christ. They get
their gospel from him. They are his servants. They adore and worship
him. They are men of faith and of prayer, too, but when they pray in
_secret_, it is _in secret_, where none but Him who sees in secret
sees them. They know their Bible and they are devoted to it. There
is a grand army of these, we believe, as time as the needle to the
pole. We cannot say that there are seven thousand in the field, public
preachers, but we are astonished wherever we go to find such numbers of
them, and to find their firmness and determination in the faith; and
to learn, too, of the sacrifices they are making and the additional
sacrifices they are determined and willing to make. They are many of
them living almost as economically as we did thirty years ago, in our
incipient work of opening the way.
When the British general found General Marion living _on roots_, and
his men _fighting without pay_, he admitted that the prospect of
overcoming such men was gloomy. So, when our opposers see the glorious
army of which we speak, of faithful young men struggling with only a
half support, and, in some instances, not that, and behold the love
for the gospel, the Lord Jesus and their fellow-men that impels them
on; and when they witness their determination, zeal and energy; that
they cannot be discouraged, disheartened and turned back, they give
up all idea of ever conquering them or withstanding them. Let not one
word we are saying be construed into an excuse for any Christian who
has the ability not sustaining these precious men whom God has raised
and put into the field. Nor need any one wait for a “plan,” nor an
“organization,” or “system.” Plans, organizations and systems give no
money. Men and women must give the money, if it is given at all. No man
who has the means, and refuses to do his part, according to the ability
God has given, to aid in this glorious work, need flatter himself that
he will be a partaker in the final reward. According as a man sows
shall he also reap. We know that there are hard-hearted and sordid men
in the church, that do nothing of consequence, and men of this sort
that will never be any better. They have but one idea ingrained and
imprinted on their entire being, and that is to hang on with a grasp
like death itself to the goods of this world. But the good and the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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