The Odd Five Minutes; Or, Short Chapters on Serious Subjects (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. 1873. Excerpt: ... WHICH IS RIGHT? OR, IS IT "A GOOD WORK," OR NOT? When a careless or worldly person becomes religious, his friends are not always pleased with the change. Often there are some among them who, being still careless or worldly themselves, think it a pity (or say they do) that he has become different. Why was he not content to, go on as he did? Why take up these new notions? However sober and scriptural he may be in his principles and conduct, they speak of him very much as if he had gone mad. According to their showing, he is quite spoilt. But is this a right view? Let us turn to the Bible for an answer. The apostle Paul writes thus to the Christian converts at Philippi: "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." 1 Now, this "good work" was that very change which the world often calls a change for the worse. A man becomes a serious Christian, 1 Phil. i. 6. s and the world says "What a pity " These Philippians had become so, and the apostle calls it "a good work." Which is right? But it may be said that the cases are not alike. The Philippians had been heathen, and now they were Christians; every one allows that change to be good. This other person, on the contrary, was always a Christian. Stop a moment. "Always a Christian," do you say? You ought to say, he always called himself a Christian. And if this was all, then the difference was not so great as you think between him and the heathen of Philippi. See how the case stands. Here are two men. One has been born in a heathen city, and brought up by heathen parents, and has never learned anything better than what they could teach him; he does not know, or serve, or love God. The other was born in a Christian land, of parents w...