The True Catholicism; Revealing the Breadth and Comprehensiveness of the New Christian Church (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1886 Excerpt: ... HE careful reader cannot have failed to dis lj&Bl cover the important conclusion to which the previous discussion has conducted. It is none other than this: That men are accepted or rejected of Christ, not on account of the doctrines they profess, the truths they believe, or the ritual they observe, but on account of the motives from which they uniformly act, the good or evil they intend and do, and the kind of life which is thereby developed within them. Character--not as it may reveal itself outwardly to the eyes of men, but as it is inwardly in the sight of Him who seeth in secret--this, and no mere creed however true or perfect, is the important thing to be kept steadily in view. All who have the spirit of Christ are his children, and are therefore owned and accepted of Him, whatever amount of doctrinal error they may have innocently and unconsciously imbibed; and all who have not his spirit are none of his, whatever doctrines they may profess, or whatever amount of truth they may understand and believe. It is not the understanding and believing, but the willing and loving--not the knowing but the doing of the Heavenly Father's will, which is the ground of acceptance with Him, and the test of Christian discipleship. It is possible to have much heavenly light in the understanding, with but little of heavenly warmth in the will. And so, too, there may be many errors in the head, with much of God's love in the heart. But it is the state of each one's heart which determines his character. If it be the supreme and governing purpose of his life to know and do the will of the Lord, his heart is right in the sight of his Maker, and his character has, and is continually receiving more and more, the impress of heaven. But if he loves himself above all things, and...