The Imperfect Angel; And Other Sermons (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1889 edition. Excerpt: ...that loyalty no easy thing. This offence may arise in us because we too have to view Christ, in some of His relations, through crude, ignoble, small-minded representatives. He is not infrequently surrounded by a following that has little claim to dictate to-us. His name is bandied about in unprofitable controversies. We see Him in the wrangling sects, through heated partisanships, behind the dust-clouds raised by His body-guard of Church Ishmaels. His dignity is not left to steal over our spirits like the dawn, nor His love to distil itself like the dew, nor the power of His kingdom to unfold itself like the river rising from the quiet fountains into invincible volume. His holiest mysteries are made a gage of controversial tournaments, tests of competing infallibilities, the keys of entrance into jealous and opposing discipleships. Men in the high places of the Church sometimes seem to realize Christ's description of the servant who "began to beat his fellow servants," if indeed they do not "eat and drink with the drunken," and they affect to be quite ignorant of the fact that Christ ever condemned their theories of the rights of office. In the various communities of Christ's followers, the meanest and most ignorant scheme for power, and scramble into positions of influence. Those loudest in profession are sometimes notoriously crooked in business principles and of ungenerous temper in social life. It is not easy to think there is a perfect and supreme Lord behind burlesque of this sort. The standing miracle of the ages is that men should have continued to believe in a faultless spiritual perfection represented by all this imperfection. Our hearts are apt to be very cold towards a Lord who is often commended to us by...