The Scripture Club of Valley Rest; or, Sketches of Everybody's NeighboursHabberton, John
Religion
The Scripture Club of Valley Rest; or, Sketches of Everybody's Neighbours
Habberton, John
Bible -- Study and teaching -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
"Works include faith?" exclaimed Builder Stott. "Well, excuse me, but my
time is valuable, and I guess I'll be moving. I always like to get hold
of a real idea about religion, but that notion is too far-fetched for
anything. Why, according to you, a Unitarian or a heathen, if he does
good, is a child of God and a partaker of the promises. Christ might as
well not have lived and died, if that is all his work amounted to."
Mr. Stott started, and Squire Woodhouse exclaimed, "Why don't you keep
him?"
"Because," said Mr. Alleman, with a peculiar smile, "I'm occasionally
orthodox enough to believe that some men are predestinated to
destruction, and that men, like Stott, who never follow Christ's
teachings and dread them as they do Satan, are among the number.
Honestly, now, Squire Woodhouse, can you see how a sincere attempt to
fulfill the moral injunctions of Jesus Christ and his apostles can fail
to lead a man to faith in Christ and the Father? When a system of
morality is given, which, in terms and results, is so far above the
morality of the world that the world shrinks from it, yet which in
practice proves to be correct, do you suppose it is possible to doubt
the higher inspiration of the giver? Did any mere law-giver ever enjoin
unselfishness? Is unselfishness natural? Does not its practice, and the
spiritual influence which is felt in return for its practice, raise a
man to a plane of wisdom, tenderness, and strength, such as has never
been reached in any other way? Have not honest disbelievers in great
numbers, when they have attempted a higher morality than that of the
world in general, fallen back upon Christ as their only available
teacher, and been led to him, either by desperation or sympathy, or
both?"
The Squire had not read as much as Mr. Alleman in the controversial
theological literature of the day, and he could not reply from actual
knowledge, but he said:
"I don't know, but I'll take your word for it. I know that although I'm
a church member, and pretend to be led by the Spirit, there have been
only once in a while times when I've got outside of business rules about
matters of time and money, and that, when these times have come, I've
felt nearer to God than I've ever done even when I've been in trouble."
"Then you understand my meaning," said Mr. Alleman. "There is no
difference between faith and works, providing both are rendered in
sincerity, for neither of them can help leading to the other. And as you
have seen the truth of this fact by personal experience, you are just
the man who should support me in the effort which I hope to make next
Sunday to impress this truth upon the class, not for the sake of
presenting a new theory for discussion, but to join conflicting ideas
for the good of man and the glory of God."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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