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then, war" must needs come." Till then, in the language of Joel, let men "beat their pruning-hooks into spears.' Or, in the language of Jesus, "let him that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one,"-not the sword of the flesh, but of the mind and soul; of the heart and lips, and life.

Such was the Spirit, and such were the demands and methods, of original Christianity. Renascent Christianity must possess, adopt, and continue the same—until "every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

XLVIII.-HINDRANCES.

Of genuine Christianity, as of genuine Religion of every form, there are various prevailing and popular hindrances— holding it ever down from its Heaven-born manifestation to the world, keeping it ever back from lofty accomplishments in the interests of Mankind. Of these hindrances the main ones may be designated as follows-Mercenary Conformity, Insincerity, Double-tongued Esotericism (or Private Interpretation), Hireling-Priests (or Priestcraft), and Conservatism of Inborn Stupidity. To somewhat assist in "preparing the way," perchance, for Renascent Christianity, these five main hindrances are here noticed; and it will be excusable if the writer "notices" them with sharp, cutting, John-the-Baptist rebukes. "Ye generation of vipers! Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Behold now the axe is laid at the root of the tree; every tree that beareth not good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire."

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1.-Mercenary Conformity.

Jesus answered and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye care for the works which I do, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled."

"A certain man named Demetrius

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our wealth. all, with one voice, about the space of two hours, cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians."

Such is the spirit of Mercenary Conformity the world over and History through. Jesus, like all other Messiahs of God, recognized it: and, among his first words to the world, as among his last, he declared that every worldly motive, and every selfish advantage, must be completely and forever renounced by everyone who would become a Christian. To his first disciples he said plainly, If you follow me you must leave all; I have nothing to give (but a good Conscience), nothing to promise (but the approval of God). "Birds have nests and foxes dens but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head. . . . The disciple must not seek to be above his Master." Poverty and Persecution are mine: you too must be willing to accept them for the Kingdom of Heaven's sake-otherwise ye cannot be my disciples! We are told this was said to the disciples only: to the few who were to be the first Apostles and Confessors of Jesus! Not to the world in general, not to us especially, was it said! "And there went great multitudes with him; and he turned and said to them all, If any man come to me, and is not willing to forsake his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, to lay down his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me, he cannot be my disciple." Thus to all-to all the world and to all times did Jesus speak, rebuking the Mercenary Spirit in religion, and affirming that no man could, or ever can, be a Christian who (however secretly or little) is influenced by desire of worldly advantage or hope of worldly gain.

So, in like manner, have taught and declared all the Holy Prophets of all the Religions of the world. From righteous Abraham, who left all and went out " he knew not whither": and devout Moses, who "forsook Egypt, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the

pleasure of sin for a season": and Sākya Muni, who forsook his kingdom and spent a long life in poverty, friendlessness, and suffering for the attainment of Holiness and the uplifting of his fellowmen: and Socrates, who, rejecting bribes of large wealth and great public honors, cheerfully accepted a Martyr's death rather than by a word betray Heavenly Wisdom and Virtue. "And what more shall we say? Time would fail us to tell" of the prophets, saints, confessors of all Religions and ages-women, children, and men, "a great multitude whom no man can number "—who, leaving all to follow Sacred Convictions of Truth and Duty, "were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the world was not worthy): they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."

All these, in all the ages to this day,—the martyr-spirited, self-renouncing, self-forgetting souls of every Religion and time-join with the Holy Jesus to rebuke the Mercenary Spirit; and to affirm and re-affirm the everywhere-alwaysand-to-everybody-applicable Truth, that No man can be a Christian (that is an accepted Son of God) who is (however secretly or little) influenced by desire of worldly advantage or hope of worldly gain.

Spite of all this, in these as in all times, Commercialism prevails, in Religion as elsewhere. How much will you give me? What pay? What advantage? What reward? These are first, middle, and last questions: from the minister who stipulates for his salary, and the missionary for his stipend, down to "the grocer, the baker, and the candlestick maker," who profess Religion because it is more respectable to do so; and adhere to the sect or church that promises the largest dividends of personal advantage, "both for the life that now is and for that which is to come." Not all ministers, mission

aries, and professors of religion are of this commercial spirit. Everybody knows of some, in every religion and sect of the world, who, utterly regardless of results to themselves, are completely consecrated to Truth and Holiness. Everywhere upon the earth can be found some, of every religious faith, who (having no "eye to the main chance," no thought of "what people will say," no care for social station, popular applause, or pecuniary reward) are willing to live unhonored and die unsung, in humble devotion to that which they believe to be God's command and Humanity's good. Who cannot recall some with whom they have chanced to meet in the various paths of life, who verily answered to this description-a “Christian who loves his cause well enough to throw into it all that he has; and, not deeming that enough, throws himself?" Nevertheless, the mercenary spirit prevails, in Religion, as in everything else. Alas! poor Human Nature, in its upward Evolution, is so little removed, as yet, from the ox who moves only for the lash, and the dog who serves only for the bone. But a man should not remain a brute; he may, perhaps must, start down there; but to wish, or even to be willing, to remain there, is shameful, and will degrade him more and more. So Jesus, with all the Lofty and Holy of the world to join in his words, says: "If any man come to me, and is not willing to forsake his father, and mother, and wife and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea to lay down his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Notwithstanding these Divine words, which have come thundering as well as ringing down the ages, the mercenary spirit has prevailed, and prevails. "What will ye give me, and I will deliver him to you?" said one of Jesus' own chosen disciples to the rich, fashionable, pious, orthodox Religious Body of that day-which called itself the True Church, and despised all others. Centuries later, to a similar Religious Body (which for a thousand years had lived and flourished chiefly by means of threats and bribes), Henry IV. responded, "A crown is worth a mass." These are two marked illustrations out of a multitude that cover the pages of Christian history

-nothing being said of the greater multitude unrecorded, which await the day when the secrets of men's hearts shall be revealed. Henry IV. bid higher than did Judas Iscariot, but both alike betrayed their Master, and were Traitors to Truth. Mercenary conformity, whether for "a crown," or for "thirty pieces of silver," or for only "a piece of bread," is always and everywhere Treason to Truth. Truth, whether incarnate in a Holy Man (as it was in Jesus), or embodied in a Holy Cause, or enunciated in a Holy Proposition, or speaking in a Holy Conviction, is as divine as God Himself; nay, is God Himself "The Word made Flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth." In these, or in any other of the various forms of Truth, whoever knowingly betrays it for worldly advantage or for self-seeking aims, is a Traitor to Truth. Whoever in any thing, but in his religion above all, thinks one thing and (deliberately) says another, believes one thing and (deliberately) professes another, betrays his Christ as basely as Judas did, and deserves that Historic Traitor's infamy and shame. Bribes are everywhere proffered. Satan tempts every man as he did Jesus. Bread, applause, riches, glory, position, smiles of friends, popularity, patronage, prosperity,-these are proffered as inducements to conform. As threats against non-conformity, their opposites-poverty, reproach, starvation perhaps, domestic oppositions, social criticism; especially Church opprobriums and Ecclesiastical anathemas, such as the cry of Heretic, Infidel, Atheist, Agitator, Communist, Outlaw, Peculiar, Eccentric, Crank! So coax with rewards, or alarm with threats, the Devil and his Agencies, now and ever. And whoever yields is lost. Whoever would be saved from the awful, the "unforgivable Sin" of Mercenary Conformitythe Sin against the Holy Ghost, the Ananias-and-Sapphira Sin of lying, not unto men, but unto God-must resist to the death. As Jesus did, so must he repel all these tempters with such words as, "Get thee hence, Devil, for it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. And again it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him alone shalt thou serve."

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