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Why it is so difficult to become a Christian.

The jailer's submission.

have,-I choose openly to avow it. My recantation shall be known as extensively as my sin. I will not come and make my peace secretly with God, and leave my example to go on as it has done, alluring others to live in sin. If pride remonstrates, I will cut it down; and if my comrades deride me for the change, I will bear their reproaches. They can not injure me as much as my ungodly example and influence has injured them.”

Whether however the sinner sees the necessity of his being really humbled before he is forgiven, or not-God sees it-every holy being sees it; and Jehovah's determination is fixed. We must submit, or we can not be pardoned.

Do you not now, my reader, see what is the reason why you can not be a Christian? You say you wish to repent, but can not, and in nine out of ten of such cases the difficulty is, you are not cordially willing to give up all to God. Pride is not yet humbled, or the world is not yet surrendered, and until it is, you can not expect peace. You know that you have been wrong—and you wish now to be right; but this can not be without an open change, and such an open change you shrink from. The jailer who came trembling to know what he must do to be saved, was told to repent and be baptized immediately. How humiliating! to appear the next morning as a spectacle to the whole community,—a stern public officer bowed down to submission through the influence of the very prisoners committed to his charge. Yet he was willing to encounter it. And you-if you can just consent to yield to yield every thing-throw down every weapon, and give up every refuge, and come now to the Savior, bearing your cross-that is, bringing life and reputation, and all that you hold dear, and placing it at his supreme disposal, you may depend upon forgiveness and peace. But while your heart is full of reservations, while the world retains its hold and pride is unsubdued, and you are thus

Subject dismissed.

Perplexities.

unwilling openly and decidedly to take the right side, is it unjust or unkind in God to consider you as upon the wrong one ?—Far be it from me to advocate ostentation in piety. The humble, retiring Christian, who communes with his own heart and with God, is in the best road to growth in grace, and to usefulness; but every one ought to be willing, and, if he is really penitent, will be willing, that the part he takes in this great question should be known.

I now dismiss this subject, not to resume it again in this volume. Knowing that there would undoubtedly be many among the readers of this book who can only be called almost Christians, I could not avoid devoting a chapter or two to them. I have now explained as distinctly as I have been able to do it, the submission of the heart which is necessary in becoming a Christian, and what are the difficulties in the way. I should evince but a slight knowledge of the human heart if I were not to expect that many who read this will still remain only almost Christians. I must here, however, take my final leave of them, and invite the others—those who are willing now cordially to take the Savior as their portion, to go on with me through the remaining chapters of the book, which I shall devote entirely to those who are altogether Christians.

Difficulties in religion.

CHAPTER VI.

DIFFICULTIES IN RELIGION.

"The secret things belong unto the Lord our God."

THE Young Christian, conscientiously desiring to know and to do his duty, is often, at the outset of his course, perplexed by a multitude of difficulties which are more or less directly connected with the subject of religion, and which will arise to his view. These difficulties in many cases can not be removed. The embarrassing perplexity, however, which arises from them, always can be, and it is to this subject that I wish to devote the present chapter. My plan will be in the first place, to endeavor thoroughly to convince all who read it, that difficulties must be expected-difficulties too which they can not entirely surmount; and in the second place, to explain and illustrate the spirit with which such perplexities must be met.

It is characteristic of the human mind not to be willing to wait long in suspense, on any question produced to view. When any new question or new subject comes before us, we grasp hastily at the little information in regard to it which is within our immediate reach, and then hurry to a decision. We are not often willing to wait to consider whether the subject is fairly within the grasp of our powers, and whether all the facts which are important to a proper consideration of it are before us. We decide at once. It is not pleasant to be in suspense. Suspense implies ignoranco, and to admit ignorance is humiliating.

Mistakes.

Story of the Chinese and the map.

Hence most persons have a settled belief upon almost every question which has been brought before them. In expressing their opinions they tell us what they believe, and what they do not believe; but very few people have a third class of questions which they acknowledge to be beyond their grasp, so that in regard to them they can neither believe nor disbelieve, but must remain in suspense. Now this is the secret of nine tenths of the difference of opinion, and of the sharp disputes, by which this world is made so noisy a scene. Men jump at conclusions before they distinctly understand the premises, and as each one sees only a part of what he ought to see before forming his opinion, it is not surprising that each should see a different part, and should consequently be led to different results. They then fall into a dispute, each presenting his own partial view, and shutting his eyes to that exhibited by his opponent.

Some of the mistakes which men thus fall into are melancholy; others only ludicrous. Some European traveler once exhibited a map of the world to a Chinese philosopher. The philosopher looked at it a few moments, and then turned with a proud and haughty look and said to the by-standers, “This map is entirely wrong; the English know nothing of geography. They have placed China out upon one side of the world, whereas it is, in fact, exactly in the middle."

Multitudes of amusing stories are related by travelers of the mistakes and misconceptions and false reasonings of semi-barbarous people, about the subjects of European science and philosophy. These savages go to reasoning at once, and fall into the grossest errors-but still they have much more confidence in their senseless speculations, than in any evidence which their minds are capable of receiving.

But you will perhaps ask me whether I mean to compare the reader of this book to such savages. Yes; the human

Difficulties in all subjects.

Astronomical difficulties.

The

mind, in its tendencies, is everywhere the same. truths which relate to the world of spirits are, to us, what European science is to a South Sea Islander. Our minds experience the same difficulty in grasping them, and we hurry to the same wild speculations and false conclusions.

It is not surprising that the truths contained in a revelation from heaven should be beyond our grasp. We can not even fairly grasp the truths relating to the mere physical motions of this earth. We know, for instance, that the distinction downward is only toward the earth. Now let your imagination extend half round the globe. Think of the people who are standing upon it, exactly opposite to ourselves, and attempt to realize that downward is toward the earth there. You believe it, I know; but can you, in the expressive phrase of children, make it seem so?

Again, you know, if you believe that the earth revolves, that the room you are in, revolves with it, and that consequently it was, six hours ago, in a position the reverse of what it now is,- -so that the floor was in a direction corresponding to that of the walls now. Now can you, by any mental effort, realize this? Or will you acknowledge that even this simple astronomical subject is beyond your grasp

Once more. Suppose the earth, and sun, and stars were all annihilated, and one small ball existed alone in space. You can imagine this state of things for a moment. Now there would be, as you well know, if you have the slightest astronomical knowledge, no down or up in such a case, for there would be no central body to attract. Now when you fancy this ball, thus floating in empty space, can you realize that there would be no tendency in it to move in one direction rather than another? You may believe, on authority, that it would not move, but fix your mind upon it for a moment, and then look off from it, first in one direction,

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