"The One Who Says He Abides In HIM, Should Walk Just As HE Walked."

Men may see something of GOD in me!

(J.A. James, "Forgiveness of Injuries")

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"For I have given you an example 

that you also should do just as I have 

done for you."   John 13:15

It has long been my conviction, 

that there is a great deficiency 

in evangelical churches--

of the practical enforcement 

of Christian duties in detail; 

especially of what may be 

emphatically called 

the Christian virtues--

the passive graces of the Christian 

character, the exercise of brotherly 

kindness and love.

It is not so acceptable to have all 

the special and difficult duties 

of the Christian's life, or man's 

conduct to his fellows, set clearly 

before the understanding and enforced 

upon the conscience. 

Men do not like to be . . .
  followed through all the labyrinths 

    of the heart's deceitfulness,
  beaten out of every refuge of lies, and
  made to feel the obligation to love, 

    where they are inclined to hate;

  and to forgive where they desire to revenge.

And we ministers pander too much 

to this taste. The pulpit has not done 

its duty. We have preached to the intellect, 

to the imagination, and to the taste--

but not enough to the heart and 

to the conscience. 

In our endeavor to please, we have 

not been sufficiently intent upon 

the greater object--

to profit. We have not preached 

justification too much--

but sanctification too little. 

We have urged faith--

but not love. We have descanted 

upon the evil of licentiousness, 

and falsehood, and dishonesty, 

and covetousness--

but have said far, far too little 

about malice and bitterness. 

We have urged men to zeal and liberality--

but not enough to humility, forbearance, 

and forgiveness. We have rightly led men 

to view the cross of CHRIST--

but we have not sufficiently urged 

them to take up their own cross. 

We have properly entreated them 

to view JESUS as their Righteousness--

but not sufficiently as their Example. 

O, Christians . . .
  study that wondrous character,
  contemplate that illustrious pattern,
  dwell upon that beautiful model,
until the frosty incrustations of your 

cold, hard heart have all melted, 

like icicles before the sun!

How wonderful and how ennobling 

is the conception, and what an 

ambition should it raise in the mind 

of the Christian, to consider and say, 

"Men may see something 

of GOD in me!" 

Yes, we can teach them what GOD is, 

as to HIS moral character, and let them 

see in 'our merciful disposition' a ray 

of the infinite sun of HIS own glory. 

These sweet relentings of our nature, 

these soft and genial currents of our 

soul, these effusions of love--

these, we can remind them, are 

but the overflowings of HIS goodness, 

HIS own love into our hearts, and 

the reflection of HIS infinite mercy to us.

"The one who says he abides in HIM, 

should walk just as HE walked." 

1 John 2:6

"CHRIST also suffered for you, leaving 

you an example, so that you should 

follow in HIS steps." 1 Peter 2:21

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