p. 29 | Duties of Christians by T. Brown

Publishing Committee · Rochester, N. Y. · Aug 21, 1855

Duties of Christians.

By T. Brown

WHEN we look around over the world, and see how little attention is paid to the duties of Christianity, well may we exclaim with the prophet, Darkness has covered the earth and gross darkness the people. The professed church is joined hand in hand with the world, and with her eyes closed to God's word is fast rushing down the world's broad way to ruin, to the great conflict that is soon coming on the world to try all those that dwell upon the earth. In view of these things, what are the duties of the christian? We will let the Word answer the question. We will examine.

The duties of the Christian.
What is forbidden in God's Word.
The blessings attending such as obey.

1. The first duty of christians is to love each other. The lawyer asked Jesus this question: Which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matt. xxii, 37-40.

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another. John xiii, 34, 35. Read also John xv, 12, 13, 17; Rom. xii, 9, 10; xiii, 8-10; Gal. v, 13, 14; Eph. iv, 2; v, 2. In Phil. i, 10, Paul gives the reason why we should love each other: "That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere, and without offense till the day of Christ."

It is also the duty of Christians to admonish each other. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee thou hast gained thy brother. Matt. xviii, 15. See also Luke xvii, 3, 4; Gal. vi, 1; Col. iii, 16; 1 Thess. v, 14; 2 Thess. iii, 14, 15.

2. Christians should bear rebuke and admonition from each other. The Psalmist while making supplication to God, exclaimed, Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil which shall not break my head. Ps. cxli, 5.

As it is the duty of Christians to admonish each other, there is a right way to do it. Much good may result in reproving a brother if done with the spirit of meekness. As each spirit will beget its own likeness, before we give reproof we should be certain that we have the meek spirit that Jesus possessed. How often it has been the case that professed Christians have reproved with a harsh, overbearing spirit that has caused God's children to be grieved and burdened for weeks or perhaps months, when one kind word spoken in the spirit of meekness would have removed all difficulty and love and union have been the result. Oh, for that love for each other that Jesus had for us; that union of spirit, that emanates from God, that forbearance that will cause us to overlook each other's faults. Oh, for that charity that our Saviour taught. If we are the children of the Lord we shall seek for it as for hidden treasures.

How rich is the possessor of these gospel graces. Truly we are pilgrims and strangers here seeking for a city that hath foundations whose builder and maker is God.

Paul, in his epistle to his Corinthian brethren, speaks of the sin of ancient Israel; that though they drank of the same spiritual rock, and all ate of the same spiritual meat, yet they were some of them idolaters and fell in the wilderness. Paul tells us these things happened for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. (1 Cor. x, 11.) Again in Prov. we find testimony to the point. Reprove not a scorner lest he hate thee; rebuke a wise man and he will love thee. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser, teach a just man and he will increase in learning. Prov. ix, 8, 9, again, He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction, but he that refuseth reproof erreth. Prov. x, 17, also read chaps. xiii, 1; xviii, 15; v, 10. How great the difference now in the professed churches.—Their eyes are closed, their ears are shut against hearing reproof, and they are fast sinking into darkness and error.

3. Christians should be of one mind. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity: it is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments. Ps. cxxxiii, 1, 2. Jesus' testimony is to the point. He prays to the Father that his disciples may be one as he and his Father are one, and here gives the reason; that the world might know that the Father had sent him. John xvii. And the multitude of them that believed were of one mind and one soul. Acts iv, 32. Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, gives the reason why Christians should be of one mind; it is that we may with one mind glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Also read 1 Cor. i, 10; 2 Cor. xiii, 11; Eph. iv, 3, 4; Phil. i, 27; 1 Pet. iii, 8. Thus we have noticed a few of the many texts of Scripture that teach that God's children should be of the same mind. Let us then examine ourselves whether we are of the same mind one towards another; and if we find we are not, let us then hasten to comply with the word of God. Do we love God with all the heart? do we love our brethren as we should? do we receive reproof from our brethren as we ought? do we realize that love is the fulfilling of the law? If we do not, then we are not in the place we should be.

We now pass to notice a few of the many sins forbidden in God's word.

Pride is a soul-destroying sin.

Moreover, the Lord saith because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go and making a tinkling with their feet; therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, &c. Isaiah iii. Please read the remainder of the chapter.

Pride is a sin that the world and majority of professors are more or less guilty of; and it is a sin which will sink many a soul down to perdition. Let us hear what the prophet says: "But if you will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride, and my eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears because the Lord's flock is carried away captive." Jer. xiii, 17. The prophet predicts the overthrow of that kingdom. If pride is a sin sufficient to overthrow a kingdom, is it not a sin sufficient to shut one out of the kingdom of God?

We might speak of many other things that are forbidden in God's Word, such as selfishness, back-biting, evil surmisings, contentions, and many other things, but time and space will not permit.

We will now notice the glory attending those that obey.

If we look to the earth we behold darkness and error, but by the eye of faith we can behold the glory that is soon to be revealed. If we would claim an heirship to that blessed inheritance we have much to do, and but a short time to do it in. We must overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Hear what the Revelator says of those that overcome. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my father, and before his angels. Rev. iii, 5. Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the City of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. Rev. iii, 12. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my father in his throne. Verse 21. Wherefore are they before the throne of God, and saw him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them into living fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. Chap. vii, 15, 17.

John saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea. And John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. And there shall be no more night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light and they shall reign for ever and ever. Oh who would not want such a blessed home? there is but one way to obtain it, which is by keeping the Commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. Let us seek for those joys that are promised to the final faithful. May God give us grace that we may overcome and inherit eternal life, is the prayer of your unworthy friend.

T. BROWN.

Locke, Mich., Aug. 6th, 1855.