Unspoken Sermons, Series I., II., and III.MacDonald, George
Religion
Unspoken Sermons, Series I., II., and III.
MacDonald, George
Sermons, English -- 19th century
The first
to cry, 'It is the Lord!' would be neither 'good churchman' nor 'good
dissenter.' It would be no one with so little of the mind of Christ as
to imagine him caring about stupid outside matters. It would not be the
man that holds by the mooring-ring of the letter, fast in the quay of
what he calls theology, and from his rotting deck abuses the
presumption of those that go down to the sea in ships--lets the wind of
the spirit blow where it listeth, but never blow him out among its
wonders in the deep. It would not be he who, obeying a command, does
not care to see reason in the command; not he who, from very barrenness
of soul, cannot receive the meaning and will of the Master, and so
fails to fulfil the letter of his word, making it of none effect. It
would certainly, if any, be those who were likest the Master--those,
namely, that did the will of their father and his father, that built
their house on the rock by hearing and doing his sayings. But are there
any enough like him to know him at once by the sound of his voice, by
the look of his face. There are multitudes who would at once be taken
by a false Christ fashioned after their fancy, and would at once reject
the Lord as a poor impostor. One thing is certain: they who first
recognized him would be those that most loved righteousness and hated
iniquity.
But I would not forget that there are many in whom foolish forms cover
a live heart, warm toward everything human and divine; for the
worst-fitting and ugliest robe may hide the loveliest form. Every
covering is not a clothing. The grass clothes the fields; the glory
surpassing Solomon's clothes the grass; but the traditions of the
worthiest elders will not clothe any soul--how much less the traditions
of the unworthy! Its true clothing must grow out of the live soul
itself. Some naked souls need but the sight of truth to rush to it, as
Dante says, like a wild beast to his den; others, heavily clad in the
garments the scribes have left behind them, and fearful of rending that
which is fit only to be trodden underfoot, right cautiously approach
the truth, go round and round it like a shy horse that fears a hidden
enemy. But let each be true after the fashion possible to him, and he
shall have the Master's praise.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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