Truth is ancient; it's grey hairs may make it venerable;
it comes from Him who is the ancient of days. --Thomas Watson

 

2 April, 2007   comments: (0) Today's Pragmatism   True Christianity Resistant To Fads, Fascinations    Quoting Ichabod Spencer . . . During the progress of a revival of religion, I noted the absence of the young people of one family from our meetings, which they had been accustomed to attending, and through which their attention had been turned towards [true] religion. They had become serious inquirers about the way of salvation. I conversed with them. Their solemnity appeared to be deepening, and I was surprised at their absence. I soon found out that they had been very urgently requested to attend similar gatherings of another church, and had agreed to go. They preferred to attend there. The young pastor of that church was particularly attentive to them, visiting them almost daily, and sometimes more often, and taking special pains to induce them to attend all of his church gatherings. He would invite them, and urge them, and sometimes send for them. One of their parents told me, "how very much interested" they were in that pastor, and expressed the opinion that they "ought to go to the church where they feel most interest". "They love Mr. B--- (the pastor) so dearly. The girls think there never was such a minister. They can talk about nothing else but Mr. B---." I replied, that I should rather hear that they were "interested" about Christ than about him; and inquired how they appeared to be affected on the subject of salvation. The reply was "Mr. B--- thinks they are getting along very well; and they seem so happy when they come from his meetings." I asked whether they believed that God had given them a new heart, and was answered, "No, not yet, but they seem very much engaged." It was manifest, as I thought, that their favorite, Mr. B---, was tickling their vanity and pride by his often visits and other attentions, which were encouraged by parental influences. Through the medium of a trust-worthy friend of the family I aimed to have some influence upon them; but it was all in vain. These three young persons were sometimes in our religious meetings, but it was manifest that they were dissatisfied there; and we thought their influence upon our other young people created more levity than solemnity, to fanaticism than to faith. But they did not annoy us long. They continued their preference for Mr. B---; they became his "converts;" and within a year from that time, they had thrown off all the restraints of religion, and one of them all restraints of parental authority. An interest about religion may be very different from an interest in it. Men talk of being "interested," and "interesting meetings". This is all suspicious. It is commonly a mark of either fanaticism or pride, or of both. True religion is solemn and humble. And if it is happy, it is in truth, in God, in duty. To mislead souls is no trifle. The kisses of an enemy are deceitful. From:  A Pastor's Sketches, (year 1850)   Posted by: Jim B.   Link: http://www.oldtruth.com/blog.cfm/id.2.pid.642   Be the first to post a comment about this article        Home  |   About  |  Videos   |  Calvinism