| 628 thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."-1 Cor. xiii chapter. From the above we learn that charity rejoiceth not in false doctrines, but rejoiceth in the true doctrine of Christ-"Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity," &c. We will now examine this subject and see whether or not the scriptures teach more than one true gospel. Paul says, "Though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Gal. i. 8. Here we see that the apostle has denounced a curse upon any individual who should be so presumptous [presumptuous] as to preach any other gospel than the gospel of Christ. Certainly no other gospel than the one the apostles preached, and the ancient saints obeyed, is the power of God unto salvation; and the curse of God inevitably will follow any person who deviates from it in his teaching. Christ said, "Verily, verily I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way the same is a thief and a robber."-John x. 1. Now it is plain that there is but one entrance into the kingdom of God: all other pretended entrances are the works of men who try to climb up some other way. How many doctrines did Christ acknowledge to be true? I answer, only one, and that was the one that the apostles preached; and pronounced a curse upon all who should preach a different one. But says one, those Christian societies that call themselves orthodox, only differ in nonessential points. I reply the scripture says nothing about nonessential points of the doctrine of Christ. The gospel is a perfect law of liberty, because a perfect being devised it, and if it is changed in the least, it is rendered imperfect. For this reason I conclude that it is the very height of folly, to believe there can be more than one true order of the gospel. And a man must be obedient to every principle of it, or it can not be said in truth that he is obedient to the gospel of Christ. But to proceed.
Charity in the full sense of the word is the love of God shed abroad in the hearts of the people of God; love towards your neighbors; assistance and friendship in the time of distress and danger. For instance we see a person in danger, and he ignorant of it, it would not be charity in us to flatter him in his dangerous condition, and thus expose him to more danger, or in other words, if any person is deceived, and is in a dangerous condition, and we know his condition to be an awful one; it is charity in us, not only that, but is our duty to warn him of his danger and entreat him to forsake the evil way, instead of acknowledging his delusion to be good, and thus flatter him in wickedness.
Now let us examine the charity that Christ had for the Jews.
At the time he made his appearance among them, they were divided into sects and parties, and had broken the covenant the Lord had made with their fathers while in the wilderness. Notwithstanding, the Mosaic law was given by divine direction, and the children of Israel blessed when they performed all the ordinances of that law, yet the Jews had made it void through the tradition of their elders, and imbibed erroneous opinions, grieved the spirit of God, apostatized, and were fit subjects to reject the Messiah. Christ said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, &c., "But woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in: for ye are like unto whited sepulchres [sepulchers], which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (See Math. xxiii chapter.) The Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees at this time professed to be Moses' disciples and to worship God according to the law. Christ commanded his apostles saying "go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, and he that believeth, and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned." From the above we learn that with all the religions that the human family professed, that they all had to come to the standard of Christ, and comply with the requisitions of the gospel, or be damned; none were exempt from this command. Furthermore, Christ said to the Pharisees, "you are of your father the devil and his works ye will do: for he was a liar from the beginning." Paul said, "O child of the devil," &c. No person who believes
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