A Book of Gems, or, Choice selections from the writings of Benjamin Franklin — John Shaqi
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
The early members in our great movement in this country were _nearly
all preachers_. They read the Scriptures to and talked with their
neighbors, explained matters to them, and, in many instances, when the
preacher came they were already convinced and ready for baptism; or, if
they had been baptized ready for uniting on the Bible. This accounts
for our having such large success by preaching a few discourses. Much
of the preaching was done before the preacher came, by private members
and in private circles. These were _missionary people_ in the true
sense. They were in the work all the time. They did not need games of
amusement for pastime. They had no time to spare. They were all busy,
and all alive and at work. The love and spirit of God were in them, and
the divine influence was shed all round. They did not have a little
missionary spasm, pray a week for the spread of the gospel, give a few
dollars and do no more for three months or a year, but they prayed for
the spread of the gospel all the time; kept at the work of spreading
it all the time. They had no trouble about _plans_, but kept at the
_work_, and spread the gospel. It can be spread in the same way again,
and is being thus spread largely now wherever it is spread at all. If
we honestly desire to spread the gospel of the grace of God, to turn
sinners to the Lord, free them from the manacles of sin and death, and
save them, let us go to work and do it. There is nothing to hinder us,
if we have the faith and love and zeal, from carrying it forward to
any extent. The people are weary of sectarianism, and ready to hear
something intelligible on the way of salvation.
NO DEPARTURE FROM THE JERUSALEM CHURCH.
If we are to depart from the Jerusalem Church because it was in its
infancy, and not reproduce the primitive church, we should like to
know how far we are to depart from it, and in what. If the faith and
practice, the precept and example of the primitive church may not be
adopted now and followed; if in all things we should not now have the
same faith and practice, precept and example they had, we should be
pleased for some expounder of the new doctrine to explain to us in what
the departure shall consist, and what rule we are to adopt now. If we
let go of the rule that governed the first church, what rule shall we
adopt? If we cut loose from the divine, shall we adopt a human rule? If
so, what human rule? Some one of these already made? or shall we have
the presumption and folly to think we can make a better one than these
human rules already in use?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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