Sermons, English -- 19th century; Theology -- Sermons
Next to love, specially will the light shine out in fairness. What light
can he have in him who is always on his own side, and will never descry
reason or right on that of his adversary? And certainly, if he that
showeth mercy, as well he that showeth justice, ought to do it with
cheerfulness.
But if all our light shine out, and none of our darkness, shall we not
be in utmost danger of hypocrisy? Yes, if we but hide our darkness, and
do not strive to slay it with our light: what way have we to show it,
while struggling to destroy it? Only when we cherish evil, is there
hypocrisy in hiding it. A man who is honestly fighting it and showing it
no quarter, is already conqueror in Christ, or will soon be--and more
than innocent. But our good feelings, those that make for righteousness
and unity, we ought to let shine; they claim to commune with the light
in others. Many parents hold words unsaid which would lift
hundred-weights from the hearts of their children, yea, make them leap
for joy. A stern father and a silent mother make mournful, or, which is
far worse, hard children. Need I add that, if any one, hearing the
injunction to let his light shine, makes himself shine instead, it is
because the light is not in him!
But what shall I say of such as, in the name of religion, let only their
darkness out--the darkness of worshipped opinion, the darkness of
lip-honour and disobedience! Such are those who tear asunder the body of
Christ with the explosives of dispute, on the plea of such a unity as
alone they can understand, namely a paltry uniformity. What have not the
'good church-man' and the 'strong dissenter' to answer for, who, hiding
what true light they have, if indeed they have any, each under the
bushel of his party-spirit, radiate only repulsion! There is no schism,
none whatever, in using diverse forms of thought or worship: true
honesty is never schismatic. The real schismatic is the man who turns
away love and justice from the neighbour who holds theories in religious
philosophy, or as to church-constitution, different from his own; who
denies or avoids his brother because he follows not with him; who calls
him a schismatic because he prefers this or that mode of public worship
not his. The other _may_ be schismatic; he himself certainly _is_. He
walks in the darkness of opinion, not in the light of life, not in the
faith which worketh by love. Worst of all is division in the name of
Christ who came to make one. Neither Paul nor Apollos nor Cephas
would--least of all will Christ be the leader of any party save that of
his own elect, the party of love--of love which suffereth long and is
kind; which envieth not, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,
rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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