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THE COMMISSION.
Yol. 4. APRIL, 1860. Ho. iO.
PLAIN QUESTIONS FOR ENLIGHT¬
ENED CONSCIENCES.
Can he bo a Christian who does not
love Christ supremely?
No doubt every one who casts an eye
on the above inquiry, will at once say,
Why ask a question which has been ex¬
plicitly and emphatically answered by
Christ himself, whose authority we all
admit ?
It would indeed be useless to ask it
with a view to obtain any other answer
than that already given ; but as sugges¬
tive of another question, viz. Do I love
Christ supremely ? it ought to be asked
by every one who claims to be a Chris¬
tian, until, like Peter, he can with con¬
fidence appeal to the searcher o'f hearts
and say, “Yea Lord, thou knowest all
things, thou knowest that I love thee.”
But Peter’s confidence was based on
evidence. He had left all to follow
Christ, and his settled purpose was still
to follow him. And every one who
would have Peter’s confidence must ob¬
tain it in the same way. — by giving up
all and following Christ. On no other
condition can any man become a disci¬
ple, or maintain the evidence that he is
one. Here then is a practical test by
which we may know that we love Christ
better than all things else, when we
forsake all things for Him.
It may not, indeed, bo the duty of
every one actually to givo away all his
possessions, for these may be his chief
tale'iil, for the improvement of which he
will be held responsible, and by rctain-
19
ing which he can most successfully pro¬
mote the cause of Christ and give most
convincing evidence that he loves Him
more than these. He must however
hold his possessions as though he pos¬
sessed them not: that is, he must hold
them like himself, entirely subject to the
will of Christ ; hold them not to foster
his pride and vanity, or even to promoto
his own ease and comfort, but to honor
the Lord Jesus Christ and to promote
his cause. For he is but a steward of
Christ, and he has no more right to de¬
vote his master’s goods to the promotion
of his own pleasure, ease, or comfort,
than the steward of a man has to do the
same ; nor has he any more right to
withhold when the honor of Christ or
the good of his cause may be promoted
by giving, than such a steward has to
decline honoring the draft of his mas¬
ter, when ho has his master’s funds in
hand.
A steward who should act thus,
would not only prove himself an un¬
faithful steward, but would also show a
total want of respect, not to say love,
for his master. So the Christian who
fails to respond liberally (according to
his ability) to every acknowledged call
of the Master, not only gives evidence
of unfaithfulness as a steward, but also
affords strong presumption, if not proof,
that he laves his money better than he
does his Master. If it be the duty of a
Christian to hold his possessions subject-
to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and diligently to improve them, that he