Special Pleadings for Charity.
By R. F. Cottrell
When a man has express revelation for his faith and practice, he does not beg for charity, nor complain of being judged, if you differ with him. He rests with perfect confidence on the word of God, and enjoys “great peace,” because he accepts of and loves God’s law as it is. Hence the plea for charity, and the complaint of being judged, arise from a consciousness of the want of inspired testimony to sustain them in their course. The plea for charity is always made upon the claim that all cannot understand the duties required in the commandments of God and the gospel of Christ, alike. Men differ; and it is thought that this must be so, and cannot be otherwise. But you never heard a Baptist talk in this way when gospel baptism was the theme of conversation; neither did you ever hear a keeper of the seventh day as the Sabbath make this plea when speaking of the moral law of God, the ten commandments. And why is this so? Because that when men have the word of God for their faith and practice, they are conscious of it; and when they have not, they are conscious of that too, and therefore ask for quarters, in a plea for charity. They will argue that all cannot see it alike, when in fact they know their want of evidence, and for this very reason feel their weakness, and their need of charity to cover their unwarrantable position. Yet I charitably hope that such ones think they are honest; but if they are, it is evident they are self-deceived. Now this claim, that men necessarily differ in their understanding of the duties required in the plainly-expressed word of God, is false, and libelous against its Author. The necessity exists only in the fact that men have certain pre-conceived opinions and traditions which they feel must be sustained; and conscious of the fact that they are out of harmony with revelation, they can see no better way to defend them than to claim to understand the word of God in a different way. When they can take that word as it reads, and let it correct the errors of their education, they will find that it truly is perfect, and that all the fault is in the theories of men which contradict it. I may be accused of want of charity and of judging, because I speak thus; but I judge no man; I only judge that the word and law of God is perfect, as it claims to be. “Let God be true,” though it prove every man to be a liar. Those who have heeded the word of God, and have tried to persuade others to heed it, have always been accused of judging. When Lot, in Sodom, plead for the right and kindly remonstrated against the wrong, saying, “I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly,” the reply was, “This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he must needs be a judge.” Nothing could be more false. It is true, his right conduct condemned their sins. This was all. He did not assume to be the judge of men. Noah’s faith in the word of God and obedience thereto “condemned the world,” as Paul affirms; but God, and not Noah was their judge. So it is now. If any do right, their course condemns the wrong; and wrong-doers feel the condemnation, and accuse them of judging. And how pathetically they plead for charity. They can fellowship you, and almost anybody that bears the Christian name. What difference does it make whether they obey what God has ordained, or no ordinances at all. If the heart is only right, who cares for externals? This is the way they talk. And the sort of Christian union which they propose, is to put truth and error upon an equal footing, calling the commandments of God and the ordinances of the gospel non-essentials. And thus the God of truth is traduced and his laws trampled under foot, under a pious plea for charity and Christian union. Seeing his word cannot be understood, they propose to ride right over it into a glorious Christian union! They pride themselves on their charity and liberality. Their mantle is broad. It covers almost everything. And well it may be. They feel the need of a covering for their defenseless creeds. They want the mantle to cover themselves at least; therefore they should be willing for it to cover others in a like needy condition. And because the laws of God are so poor a guide, seeing they cannot be understood by all alike, they conclude that others, who differ with them, are just as honest as themselves. And so they are, without a doubt. They are equally honest; and all their erroneous traditions are equally valuable. These are truly non-essentials. Why not cast them aside and unite. But true hearts cannot thus cast away the word of God for such a union—a union that is only a compromise between truth and error. That word reveals the errors of human creeds. No union is worth a straw that has not truth for its foundation. The word of God is truth. If men would come to that word, they would be united in a union that God could approve. And that word will stand. And it will judge men; although they may unite to defame it; and agree to call truth and error equally good. “Judging,” do I hear again? Not at all. The Lord is judge. But he has said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” We can know men, as we would read a book, while we leave their judgment to God, who knows their hearts better than we. And instead of judging and wishing to condemn men, all we say is for the purpose of opening their eyes to every false way, and persuading them to renounce their errors, embrace God’s word, and escape the judgment unto condemnation of Him who is to be the judge of all.