TWO things are required to make a Christian--piety and charity. Thefirst has relation to worship, and in the last all social duties areinvolved. Of the great importance of charity in the Christiancharacter, some idea may be gained by the pointed question asked byan apostle--"If you love not your brother whom you have seen, howcan you love God whom you have not seen?" There is no mistaking themeaning of this. It says, in the plainest language--"Piety withoutcharity is nothing;" and yet how many thousands and hundreds ofthousands around us expect to get to heaven by Sunday religionalone! Through the week they reach out their hands for money on theright and on the left, so eager for its attainment, that little orno regard is paid to the interests of others; and on Sunday, with apious face, they attend church and enter into the most holy acts ofworship, fondly imagining that they can be saved by mere acts ofpiety, while no regard for their fellow-man is in their hearts.
Such a man was Brian Rowley. His religion was of so pure a stampthat it would not bear the world's rough contact, and, therefore, itwas never brought into the world. He left the world to take care ofitself when the Sabbath morning broke; and when the Sabbath morningclosed, he went back into the world to look after his own interests.Every Sunday he progressed a certain way towards heaven, and thenstood still for a week, in order that he might take proper care ofthe dollars and cents.
Business men who had transactions with Mr. Rowley generally kepttheir eyes open. If they did not do it at the first operation, theyrarely omitted it afterwards, and for sufficient reason; he wassharp at making a bargain, and never felt satisfied unless heobtained some advantage. Men engaged in mercantile pursuits werelooked upon, as a general thing, as ungodly in their lives, andtherefore, in a certain sense, "out-siders." To make good bargainsout of these was only to fight them with their own weapons; and hewas certainly good at such work. In dealing with his brethren of thesame faith he was rather more guarded, and affected a contempt forcarnal things that he did not feel.
We said that the religion of Mr. Rowley did not go beyond the piousduties of the Sabbath. This must be amended. His piety flowed intocertain benevolent operations of the day; he contributed to thesupport of Indian and Foreign Missions, and was one of the managerson a Tract Board. In the affairs of the Ceylonese and South-SeaIslanders he took a warm interest, and could talk eloquently aboutthe heathen.
Not far from Mr. Brian Rowley's place of business was the store of aman named Lane, whose character had been cast originally in adifferent mould. He was not a church-going man, because, as he said,he didn't want to be "thought a hypocrite." In this he displayed aweakness. At one time he owned a pew in the same church to whichRowley was attached, and attended church regularly, although he didnot attach himself to the church, nor receive its ordinances. Hispew was near that of Mr. Rowley, and he had a good opportunity forobserving the peculiar manner in which the latter performed hisdevotions. Unfortunately for his good opinion of the pious Sundayworshipper, they were brought into rather close contact during theweek in matters of business, when Mr. Lane had opportunities ofcontrasting his piety and charity. The want of agreement in thesetwo pre-requisites of a genuine Christian disgusted Lane, and causedhim so much annoyance on Sunday that he finally determined to giveup his pew and remain at home. A disposition to carp at professorsof religion was manifested from this time; the whole were judged byRowley as a sample.
One dull day a man named Gregory, a sort of busybody in theneighbourhood, came into the store of Mr. Lane and said tohim--"What do you think of our friend Rowley? Is he a goodChristian?"
"He's a pretty fair Sunday Christian," replied Lane.
"What is that?" asked the man.
"A hypocrite, to use plain language."
"That's pretty hard talk," said Gregory.
"Do you think so?"
"Yes. When you call a man a hypocrite, you make him out, in myopinion, about as bad as he can well be."
"Call him a Sunday Christian, then."
"A Sunday Christian?"
"Yes; that is, a man who puts his religion on every Sabbath, as hedoes his Sunday coat; and lays it away again carefully on Mondaymorning, so that it will receive no injury in every-day contact withthe world."
"I believe with you that Rowley doesn't bring much of his religioninto his business."
"No, nor as much common honesty as would save him from perdition."
"He doesn't expect to be saved by keeping the moral law."
"There'll be a poor chance for him, in my opinion, if he's judgedfinally by that code."
"You don't seem to have a very high opinion of our friend Rowley?"
"I own that. I used to go to church; but his pious face was everbefore me, and his psalm-singing ever in my ears. Was it possible tolook at him and not think of his grasping, selfish, overreachingconduct in all his business transactions through the week? No, itwas not possible for me. And so, in disgust, I gave up my pew, andhaven't been to church since."
The next man whom Gregory met he made the repository of what Lanehad said about Rowley. This person happened to be a member of thechurch, and felt scandalized by the remarks. After a littlereflection he concluded to inform Mr. Rowley of the free manner inwhich Mr. Lane had spoken of him.
"Called me a hypocrite!" exclaimed the indignant Mr. Rowley, as soonas he was advised of the free manner in which Mr. Lane had talkedabout him.
"So I understand. Gregory was my informant."
Mr. Gregory was called upon, and confirmed the statement. Rowley washighly indignant, and while the heat of his anger was upon him,called at the store of Mr. Lane, in company with two members of hischurch, who were not at all familiar with his business character,and, therefore, held him in pretty high estimation as a man of pietyand sincerity.
The moment Mr. Lane saw these three men enter his place of business,he had a suspicion of their errand.
"Can I have some private conversation with you?" asked Mr. Rowley,with a countenance as solemn as the grave.
"Certainly," replied Mr. Lane, not the least discomposed. "Walk backinto my counting-room. We shall be entirely alone there. Do you wishyour friends present?"
"I do," was gravely replied; "I brought them for that purpose."
"Walk back, gentlemen," said Lane, as he turned to lead the way.
The four men retired to the little office of the merchant in theback part of the store. After they were seated, Lane said:
"Well, Mr. Rowley, I am ready to hear what you have to say."
Mr. Rowley cleared his throat two or three times, and then said, ina voice that indicated a good deal of inward disturbance:
"I understand that you have been making rather free use of my nameof late."
"Indeed! in what way?" Lane was perfectly self-possessed.
"I am told that you went so far as to call me a hypocrite." Thevoice of Rowley trembled.
"I said you were a Sunday Christian," replied Lane.
"What do you mean by that?" was peremptorily demanded.
"A man whose religion is a Sunday affair altogether. One who expectsto get to heaven by pious observances and church-goings on theSabbath, without being over-particular as to the morality of hisconduct through the week."
"Morality! do you pretend to say that I am an immoral man?" saidRowley, with much heat.
"Don't get into a passion!" returned Lane, coolly. "That will nothelp us at all in this grave matter."
Rowley quivered in every nerve; but the presence of his two brethrenadmonished him that a Christian temper was very necessary to bemaintained on the occasion.
"Do you charge me with want of morality?" he said, with less visibleexcitement.
"I do,--that is, according to my code of morality."
"Upon what do you base your code?" asked one of the witnesses ofthis rather strange interview.
"On the Bible," replied Lane.
"Indeed!" was answered, with some surprise; "on what part of it?"
"On every part. But more particularly that passage in the NewTestament where the whole of the law and the prophets is condensedin a single passage, enjoining love to our neighbour as well asGod."
Rowley and his friends looked surprised at this remark.
"Explain yourself," said the former, with a knit brow.
"That is easily done. The precept here given, and it comes from thehighest authority, expressly declares, as I understand it, religionto consist in acting justly toward all men, as well as in pious actstowards God. If a man love not his brother whom he hath seen, howcan he love God whom he hath not seen?"
"Does our brother Rowley deny that?" asked the men present.
"If a man's life is any index to his faith, I would say that hedoes," replied Mr. Lane.
A deep crimson overspread the face of Mr. Rowley.
"I didn't expect insult when I came here," said he in a tremblingvoice.
"Nor have I offered any," replied Mr. Lane.
"You have thought proper to ask me a number of very pointedquestions, and I have merely answered them according to my views oftruth."
"You make a very sweeping declaration," said one of the friends ofRowley. "Suppose you give some proof of your assertion?"
"That I can readily do if it is desired."
"I desire it, then," said Rowley.
"Do you remember the five bales of cotton you sold to Peterson?"inquired Mr. Lane.
Rowley replied that he did, but evinced some uneasiness of manner atthe question.
"They were damaged," said Lane.
"I sold them as I bought them," returned Rowley.
"Did you buy them as damaged?"
"No, I bought the cotton as a good article."
"And sold it as good?"
Mr. Rowley seemed a little confused.
"I sold the cotton at twelve cents a pound," was the reply. "Nothingwas said about the quality."
"Twelve cents is the price of a prime article. If you had been askedby Peterson if the cotton were in good condition, would you haveanswered affirmatively?"
"Do you think I would tell a lie?" asked Mr. Rowley, indignantly.
"Our acts are the most perfect expressions of our intentions,"replied Mr. Lane. "You were deceived in your purchase of the cotton;the article proved so near valueless, as not to be really worththree cents a pound. You discovered this, as I have the best reasonsfor knowing, almost as soon as it came into your possession; and yetyou offered it to Peterson, who, not suspecting for a moment thatany thing was wrong, bought it at the regular market-rate as good.You saved yourself; but Peterson, though not a professor ofreligion, was too honest to put his bad bargain off upon another.Now, if that act, on your part, was loving your neighbour asyourself, I must own to a very perverted understanding of the sacredprecept. I, though no church member, would have put my head into thefire rather than do such an act."
Mr. Rowley, much confused by so direct a charge, attempted toexplain the matter away, alleging that he did not think that thearticle was so badly damaged--that he sold as he bought--that itwasn't right that he should bear all the loss, with much more to thesame purpose; to all of which Lane opposed but little. He hadpresented the case already strong enough for all to see how far itcomported with Christian morality. But he had more to say:--
"Beyond this, which I bring forward as a specimen of the characterof your dealings with your fellow-men, I could adduce almostinnumerable examples of your indirect and covert modes of obtainingthe advantage in ordinary transactions. You may not be aware of thefact, Mr. Rowley, but your reputation among business men is that ofa dealer so close to your own side of the bargain as to trench uponthe rights of others. You invariably keep the half cent in givingchange, while you have been repeatedly known to refuse a ten centpiece and two cents for an elevenpence. In fact, you are known as aman who invariably seeks to get the best of every transaction. Ifthis is Christian charity--if this is a just regard for the rightsof your neighbours--if this is in agreement with the spirit of theBible, then I have been labouring under a mental delusion. Man ofthe world as I am--heathen as you have seemed to regard me, I amproud to say that I govern my actions from a higher principle. Younow understand, gentlemen," addressing the friends of Rowley, "why Ihave called this man a Sunday Christian. It is plain that he expectsto get to heaven by a simple Sunday service of his Maker, while allthe week he pursues gain so eagerly as to thrust other people aside,and even make his way, so to speak, over their prostrate bodies. Ihave no more to say."
Rowley was so much confounded by this unexpected charge, that he wassilent. His own conscience wrote an affirmation of the truth in hiscountenance. The men who had come with him arose, and, bowing withfar more respect than when they entered, withdrew, and Rowley wentwith them.
There was a change in the pious merchant after this. He conductedhis business with less apparent eagerness to get the best of everybargain than had been his custom in former times; but whetherinfluenced by more genuine Christian principles, or by an awakenedlove of reputation, it is not for us to say.
It is not by a man's religious profession that the world judges ofhis character, but by the quality of his transactions in businessintercourse with his fellow-men. If he be truly religious, it willbe seen here in the justice and judgment of all his businesstransactions. If a man be not faithful to his brother, he cannot befaithful to Heaven.
THE END.
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