OUTWARD MORALITY AND INWARD PURITY.
By Methodist Recorder
A MAN may be outwardly moral without being a Christian, but he cannot be a Christian without being moral. . . . While outward morality should be insisted upon as an essential accompaniment of true piety, it should ever be remembered that it is not sufficient of itself to secure the salvation of the soul. A man's life may apparently be blameless, and yet his heart may be averse to God, and full of moral impurity. To be a Christian, a man must not only have clean hands, but also a pure heart; he must not only be right in his outward acts, but also in his moral affections, purposes, and aims. True religion is heart work. It goes to the very center and core of man's moral being, inspires him with spiritual life, and creates him anew after the image of his Maker. It transforms his whole spiritual nature, and brings him into harmony, in all the moral affections and purposes of his soul, with God. It cleanses away all spiritual defilement, and purifies the fountain of thought and affection. In a word, it makes him one with Christ. He is spiritually united to him. Christ is formed in his heart the hope of glory. He is his life. His Spirit quickens and animates him. And being thus united to him, he is made a partaker of his holiness. He is washed; he is sanctified. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth him from all sin. This great truth should never be forgotten, that outward morality and inward purity are essential to the salvation of the soul. Neither of these can be dispensed with. While we should be careful to maintain good works, we should also remember that none but the pure in heart shall see God. Morality can never take the place of true heart religion, nor can any amount of spiritual experience and enjoyment release a man from the duties of morality. While there are many who trust in mere outward morality to save them, there are others who make loud professions of religion, whose lives are sadly out of harmony with their profession. Let us remember that if we would secure the favor of God and a home in Heaven, we must be pure in heart and upright in life—we must be holy and obedient.—Methodist Recorder.