And these shall go away;' where? 'To everlasting
punishment!' Who shall go thus, in the last day, from this
congregation?"
As Mr. Braxton sat alone on the evening of that Sabbath, troubled by
the new thoughts which came flowing into his mind, the full
impression of this scene in church came back upon him. There was an
almost breathless pause. Men leaned forward in their pews; the low,
almost whispered, tones of the minister were heard with thrilling
distinctness in even the remotest parts of the house.
"Who?" he repeated, and the stillness grew more profound. Then,
slowly, impressively, almost sadly, he said:
"I cannot hide the truth. As God's ambassador, I must give the
message; and it is this: If you, my brother, are not ministering to
the wants of the hungry and thirsty, the stranger, the sick and in
prison, you are of those who will have to go away."
And the minister shut the Book, and sat down. If, as we have
intimated, the preacher had limited Christian duty to bodily needs,
Mr. Braxton would not have been much exercised in mind.
He had found an easy way to dispose of these merely literal
interpretations of Scripture. Now, his life was brought to the
judgment of a more interior law, as expounded that day. It was in
vain that he endeavored to reject the law; for the more he tried to
do this, the clearer it was seen in the light of perceptive truth.
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