1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

unbelievers as well as amongst Christians;neither will any one of experience disputethat there are mean people amongst Christiansas well as amongst the worldly. Buthow shall we account for this? Should wenot reasonably expect that the noble principlesof true Christianity would attract allof the best minds of the world, and ratherrepel the meaner disposition? Should we not expectthat the doctrines of Christ, the spirit of His teachings--meekness, gentleness, brotherly kindness, love--wouldattract all who have sympathy with these qualities, henceall of the nobleminded of the world? And should we notlikewise expect that since the Scriptures and the Spiritof the Lord condemn all anger, malice, hatred, envy,strife, backbitings, evil speakings, impurities, etc., allthose who have sympathy with such works of the fleshand of the Devil would be repelled by the Gospel ofChrist?Whatever the tendency of our mental philosophy onthe subject, the facts of the case prove to us that proportionatelya larger number of the world's noblemindedchildren reject the Lord and His Gospel, and that alarger proportion of the world's ignoble children acceptthe Gospel of Christ. The still more interesting and perplexingquestion therefore is, How shall we account forthis very peculiar condition which seems contrary to alland every expectation?We account for it along the lines of our Lord's statement,that He came not to call the righteous, but sinnersto repentance. (Matt. 9:13.) True, "There is nonerighteous, no, not one...All have sinned andcome short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:10,23); thefall of Father Adam involved every one of his posterity;hence all are sinners and all need the grace of God inChrist for the forgiveness of their sins. But those whofind themselves morally and intellectually less fallen thansome of their neighbors are inclined to a self-righteousfeeling, even though they would disclaim perfection.They are, therefore, less inclined to acknowledge themselvesto be nothing, unworthy of Divine favor, to bowthemselves in the dust at the foot of the cross, and toreceive, as an unmerited gift of God, the boon of eternallife through Jesus Christ our Lord.THE NEED OF THE GOOD PHYSICIAN NOT REALIZEDThis class feel that some of the more degraded of therace need Divine pity and forgiveness, and are glad thatGod has compassion for these, and will help them; butsomehow they feel that they do not need the imputedRobe of Christ's Righteousness to cover them; that theyare so respectable that if God accepts any one to a futurelife, He will surely not exclude them. They look aboutthem and compare themselves with Christians, and oftenwith a large degree of complacency assure themselves