Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing ChristiansRyle, J. C. (John Charles)
Religion
Practical Religion: Being Plain Papers on the Daily Duties, Experience, Dangers, and Privileges of Professing Christians
Ryle, J. C. (John Charles)
Christian life -- Anglican authors
(_c_) The charity of the Bible does not consist in never disapproving
anybody's religious opinions. Here is another most serious and growing
delusion. There are many who pride themselves on never pronouncing
others mistaken, whatever views they may hold. Your neighbour, forsooth,
may be an Arian, or a Socinian, a Roman Catholic, or a Mormonite, a
Deist, or a Sceptic, a mere Formalist, or a thorough Antinomian. But the
"charity" of many says that you have no right to think Him wrong! If he
is sincere, it is "uncharitable" to think unfavourably of his spiritual
condition!--From such charity may I ever be delivered! At this rate the
Apostles were wrong in going out to preach to the Gentiles! At this rate
there is no use in missions! At this rate we had better close our
Bibles, and shut up our churches! Everybody is right, and nobody is
wrong! Everybody is going to heaven, and nobody is going to hell! Such
charity is a monstrous caricature. To say that all are equally right in
their opinions, though their opinions flatly contradict one another,--to
say that all are equally in the way to heaven, though their doctrinal
sentiments are as opposite as black and white,--this is not Scriptural
charity. Charity like this pours contempt on the Bible, and talks as if
God had not given us a written test of truth. Charity like this confuses
all our notions of heaven, and would fill it with a discordant
inharmonious rabble. True charity does not think everybody right in
doctrine. True charity cries,--"Believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they be of God: because many false prophets are gone out
into the world."--"If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not." (1 John iv. 1; 2 John 10.)
I leave the negative side of the question here. I have dwelt upon it at
some length because of the days in which we live and the strange notions
which abound. Let me now turn to the positive side. Having shown what
charity is not, let me now show what it is.
Charity is that "love," which St. Paul places first among those fruits
which the Spirit causes to be brought forth in the heart of a believer.
"The fruit of the Spirit is love." (Gal. v. 2.) Love to God, such as
Adam had before the fall, is its first feature. He that has charity,
desires to love God with heart, and soul and mind, and strength. Love to
man is its second feature. He that has charity, desires to love his
neighbour as himself. This is indeed that view in which the word
"charity" in Scripture is more especially regarded. When I speak of a
believer having "love" in his heart, I mean that he has love to both God
and man. When I speak of a believer having "charity," I mean more
particularly that he has love to man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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