WORSE THAN AN INFIDEL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 136, 8 June 1907, Page 10

WORSE THAN AN INFIDEL.

By REV. J. B. JOWETT. "Worse than an infidel!" These -words were written of men who were drinking in, with thirsty eagerness, the story of their Father's love. They had become, intoxicated .with the glory of the revelation. They had been taught that under the gentle government of a gracious fatherhood they lived, and moved, and had their being, and that the lender '-•rod. would watch and shelter them 'a = a uen gathereth her chickens under her wing. And so they to throw themselves upon this encompassing care of the Lord. Some of them ceased to work, and they stud that God would find them bread. Fathers ceased to seek provision for their children, proclaiming tliai they would live by faith, in trustful dependence upon God's protecting love. It seemed like a stupendous act of faith, a supreme exhibition of trust, thus to do nothing, to leave everything to God! And yet the apostle describes xhe mood by quite another name. He declares it to be the very negation of vital faith, and that the man who is held by it has denied the faith, anid is worse than an infidel!

■Worse than an infidel!" These -words were written of men who were <innking m, with thirsty eagerness, the story of their Father's love. They had become intoxicated with the glory of the levelation. They had been taught that under the gentle government of a "raeious fatherhood they lived, and muved, and had their being, and that the lender <-TOd would watch and shelter them -a = a- uen gathereth her chickens under her Tvwg. And so they began to throw themselves upon this encompassino- care of the Lord. Some of them ceased to vpork. and they said that God would find them bread. Fathers ceased to seek provision for their children, .proclaiming tliat they would live by iaith, in trustful dependence upon God's protecting love. It seemed like a stupendous act of faith, a supreme exhibition of trust, thus to do nothing, to leave everything to God! And yet the apostle describes xhe mood by quite another name. He declares it to be the very negation of vital faith, and that the man who is held by it has denied the faith. an*d is worse than an infidel!

Now there is always something inherently wrong whenever a man's religion tends to weaken his sense of practical duty. All true and vital religion works to the awakening of conscience, which is the sense of duty, and to the quickening of love, which is the impulse of duty. See how we are constituted. Our consciences, are the scales of moral judgment. These scales instinctively weigh out the rights, and wrongs, and ascertain the moral qualities of life's affairs. They weigh a thought, a feeling, a word, an act, and reveal to "us their moral gravity. But in some liyes these scales of conscience, are like the large scales of a warehouse; only big things can be weighed in them; they don't turn with a trifle- You can weigh beams hut not motes; they are all right for "presumptuous sins," but they are no good foi '"'secret faults." But there are other people whose scales of conscience are as sensitive as the delicate stales of a chemist. They turn at the scruple; they tremble at. the presence of the slightest wish. Now, when Christianity,comes to us, one cf its primary works is with these scales of conscience, and its ministry is to make them so sensitive that they will indicate with scrupulous exactness the slightest claim of duty. But we are not left to the mere sensitising of tbe conscience; the Christian religion perfects its ministry by kindling a love which changes duty into delight. Out religion acts and works through common duties, common prudence, commonsense. It imparts extraordinary power, but through ordinary, common-place channels. It says to us: "Use your common-sense, open your eyes, exercise discretion an<i prudence, scrupulously address yourselves to ordinary duties and obligations, and G-od will work with you, your Fellow-Labourer, and you shall not -be confounded, nor shall you be put to shame!'"' But if we. close our eyes, using no foresight; if we lay aside com-mon-sense and neglect common duty-, if we throw ourselves iv a blind, unTeasoiiiner and unreasonable dependence upon God. and call our attitude, faith, the apostle declares that such faith is not faith at ail, it is a caricature, of faith, a denial of faith, and makes its victim worse thin an infidel.

I do not think that this particular type of Christian is by any means extinct. The. experiences of ministers record many instances of men who use Providence as a substitute for commonsense. Religion is not a system of magic, prayer is not a talisman to secure us in our indolence. Our religion is a mighty system of dynamics, working through common-place machinery. Faith will help a business man and will help him mightily, and will bring into his life the very power of God; but that power will not work through unhallowed neglect, it will only work through fervent devotion to the immediate- duty. If we want God's wine, it will not do to offer Him empty water-pots. We have to fill the water-pots up to the brim, then the good Lord will change the water into wine. That is our part, filling the water-pots up to the brim; fulfilling our duty, filling it full, and God ■will work the miracle of transformation, and turn the duty into delight. But if we give Him an empty water-pot, and expect Him to fill it with wine, and regard our indolence as an act of preeminent faith, we are ranking otrselves amongst the enemies' of the Lord, and are even beyond the ranks of those who profess no faith in Him, and we are worse than infidels.

As Christian men we must let the ■world see. that our religion gives us a keen sense of duty, bright sagacious eyes, earnest and digmhed habits, mental and moral sanity. We must make it manifest to men that religion takes all the. old obligations which were once so poorly discharged, and makes them pulse with a. new and vigorous devotion; that it takes all the old channels, all the old riverbeds of duty in whie-h the water ran ecantily and sluggishly, and floods them with a bright and junilant river of life. We must not spend our time running the round of religious Conventions, and neglect our ordinary business, leaving it with tbe utmost confidence in the hands of a watchful Providence, who is "mindful of His own," and who "remembers His e-hildren"'! Nor must we, on the pica of a perfect faith, make no provision against the day of adversity, ajzainst the wejt.Vness and farntness of eld age. This is only io fling- ourselves from the pinnacle of the temple in an tmholy and presumptuous trust that the an_els have charge concerning us, lest -we dash our feet against a stone. Faith must, not, and does not, destroy the obligation of ordinary frugality, the duty of '"laying aside for a rainy day." We have ourselves to be small providences to entitle us to the Providence of God.

I have met with men and women who have so much faith in the power and love of God that they do absolutely nothing for the salvation of the world. Weil, that again seems a fine exhibition • of faith, quietly and confidently to assume that the good Lord will rescue His sinking and sunken children without the ministry and intrusion of man! It seems to be a more gracious aud morei perfect dependence on Providence to believe that God will save the world with- j cut our aid, than to believe that He will I save the world by means of it! And yet, the faith is precisely anaiagous to the faith which the apostle so utterly and finally condemns. God gives bread through labour, and not through indolence. He acts through onr providences, through our indiscretions. And it has pleased God to save the world •through the ministry of men; we are His instruments. His machinery, and to stand on one side in the assumption that Se? win accomplish Has ends without us - _J_ _° y __ J** 13 -- _* to fceoome wan* than mfiaria, '"W-oa to them S»t

are at ease in Zion," who leave all the labour to the Lord! Our great God would have us, not sleeping partners, but "fellow-labourers together with Him."