PARISH PAPERS BY NORMAN MACLEOD, D.D., One of Her Majesty's Chaplains for Scotland; AUTHOR OF "WEE DAVIE," "THE GOLD THREAD," ETC. 1863 DEDICATED, WITH MUCH AFFECTION, TO THE PARISHIONERS OF LOUDOUN, DALKEITH AND THE BARONY, TO WHOM I HAVE MINISTERED As Their Pastor. CONTENTS. THOUGHTS ON CHRISTIANITY 1. What is Christianity? 2. Who was Jesus Christ? 3. What can we Believe if we do not thus Believe in Jesus? 4. What if Christianity is not True? THOUGHTS UPON THE FINAL JUDGMENT 1. The Judge 2. Who are to be Judged? 3. "The Books shall be Opened," 4. Results of Judgment THOUGHTS UPON FUTURE LIFE 1. Our Physical Life in Heaven 2. Our Intellectual Life 3. Our Devotional Life 4. Our Social Life 6. Our Active Life FUTURE PUNISHMENT WHAT AFTER DEATH? MOMENTS IN LIFE "LABOURERS TOGETHER WITH GOD," REVIVALS-- 1. Their Need 2. Objections to Revivals THE CHRISTIAN CONGREGATION THE CURE FOR SCHISM THE UNION OF MAN WITH MAN PROGRESS OF MISSIONS THE MYSTERY OF SORROW THE BEGINNING OF A YEAR Advices on Entering a New Year THE CLOSE OF A YEAR THOUGHTS ON CHRISTIANITY. I. WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY? This question refers to a matter of fact. I do not ask whether the Christian religion is true, but only, What is the Christian religion? What is that religion which has existed for eighteen centuries; which is professed by Christendom; and which has been more precious than life itself to millions who have died in its faith, and is so still to millions who possess it as their peace and joy? But how are we to obtain a satisfactory reply to this question? Are we to examine the opinions of all the various "churches," "sects," or "bodies," professing Christianity, in order to determine what it is they profess? If we adopted such a process of investigation as this, I believe we would reach, by a longer road, the very same point which may be reached by a shorter and more satisfactory process. For I suppose it will be admitted that the Christian religion is what Jesus Christ and His apostles taught, and that we may rely upon the information conveyed to us in the New Testament as to the sum and substance of that teaching. I do not even insist, as essential to my argument, upon the inspiration of Scripture, according to any theory whatever of that doctrine; but assume only that we have in the New Testament a true account of the teaching of Jesus Christ and His apostles, and that we are able, therefore, to ascertain from its pages what their Christianity was _as an historical fact_, with as much certainty, surely, as we can learn from the Koran what Mohammedanism was as taught by Mohammed, or from any work of philosophy what were the opinions of its author.