doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He" [Christ] "is righteous: he that
doeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. To this end was the
Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (I John iii. 7,
8). To find fault with the Christian faith because of the sins of those who disobey
it is hardly worthy of wise men. Thirdly, even those who are most bitter enemies of
Christianity admit that here and there true Christians are found, who, though themselves
conscious of their imperfections, are good, noble, self-denying men and women, and bear
true witness to Christ in their lives. Some of these are medical missionaries, others are
nurses in our Christian hospitals, others are officers in the army, others are to be found
in every honest trade and calling. No other religion at the present time produces such
characters, our enemies themselves being judges. What other religion has established
hospitals, as in India, Persia, Egypt, and in many other lands? What other faith sends men
and women to teach and tend lepers? In what lands other than Christian are vast sums of
money raised to relieve distress and feed those who are starving, whenever a famine occurs
in any part of the world? What nations have suppressed the slave-trade, abolished slavery
as far as their power extends, and even engaged in war, at great cost in blood and money,
in order to put down tyrants and free the oppressed ?
Moreover, the effects produced by true faith in Christ are not confined to people of
any one nation, race, or colour. In India, Persia, Egypt, China, Japan, and in every other
land where the Gospel has been preached, we find examples of men and women who were once
hard-hearted and of evil life, but since they became Christians have been so changed that
even their enemies admit that they are good, upright, God-fearing people. Many have
undergone persecution and been faithful even unto death. Such men are living epistles of
Christ, known and read of all men (2 Cor. iii. 2, 3).
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