Half-Hearted Churchmen, a Correspondence in 'Church Bells' with Various Writers (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. 1882. Excerpt: ... A CORRESPONDENCE IN " CHURCH BELLS." THE Correspondence in these pages originated in a letter which appeared two or three months since in Church Bells, signed S. T. P. The writer, referring to a complaint of "halfheartedness" in the churchmen of a certain parish, wrote as follows: --Half-hearted Churchmen. To the Editor of " Church Bells." Sir, --The complaint of "half-heartedness" is by no means confined to "R. E. C.'s" parish, as many can testify. So long as religion is looked upon as a matter for personal predilection, " I like Church," or," I like Chapel," it is sure to prevail. Of course it is safer for a man's salvation to be a good-living Dissenter than a careless-living Churchman, as it is better to be a pious heathen than a bad Christian; but each man is responsible, and will doubtless have to give account hereafter, for the form of religion which he adopts. It is plainly our duty, then, to place before our people simply, fearlessly, and (so far as possible) uncontroversially, the conditions of salvation for all those who have the opportunity of knowing them. Dissenters have no scruple in asserting their own peculiar Shibboleths under pain of damnation. Why should we hesitate to lay down what Christ Himself has delivered to His Church, and what we have undertaken to teach? Did Christ give any special commission to the twelve as distinct from other believers? Did they hand this on to others? Had, e.g. St. Matthias, St. Paul, St. Barnabas, Timothy, Titus, Polycarp, Ignatius, and others who filled the office of chief rulers 7 in the Christian Church, any authority committed to them hy the Church for that purpose? Is there any meaning in such texts as the following?--"Whoso receiveth you receiveth Me;" "If he neglect to hear the Church, let him be to t...