1885 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

Oh, for that glorious dawning we watch and wait and pray,Till o'er the height the morning light shall drive the gloom away,And when the heavenly glory shall flood the earth and sky,We'll bless the Lord for all his works and praise him by and by.R760 : page 3====================CHRISTIANITY DEFINED.An Exchange gives the following definition of the wordChristian:----Sel."A Christ-ian is one who has the Christ spirit. This is ourunderstanding of the original meaning of the word. We suppose allwill assent to and accept it as correct....Men are Christ-iansaccording to the spirit of the Christ which is in them and manifestedin the flesh. In some persons it is small, in others large. Eitherhidden or manifest this spirit resides in all. Consciously orunconsciously it is contained in every man or woman that lives orhas lived."We are well aware that the above passes current for truth, and thatnearly "all assent to and accept it as correct;" but we shall neitherby silence nor in any other way, leave the impression that theTOWER assents to such a definition. We strongly protest that it is afalse representation, and a rapidly growing error. One reasonperhaps for the growing popularity of the above definition is that itembraces nearly all mankind under a name which has grownpopular among civilized people.According to this definition, nearly every one outside of prisons,gambling dens, etc., and many in them, are Christians; for is therenot something true and noble in ninety-nine out of every hundredpeople? Our Exchange declares that "consciously orunconsciously, it [the spirit of Christ] is contained in every man orwoman that lives, or has lived." Then it would follow according toits idea, that "every man or woman that lives or has lived," has beena Christian. Only by following to its legitimate conclusion such adefinition of Christianity is its absurdity manifest. And yet to thisabsurd definition, as our Exchange asserts, nearly all assent.R761 : page 3Confucius, Plato and other moral philosophers truly deserve therespect and esteem of all who can appreciate their strivings afterrighteousness and truth, but to hold them up as Christians --Apostles of Christianity--because they recognized and practicedsome of the truths which Christianity inculcates, would be asabsurd and illogical, as to call every stone a diamond, because adiamond is a stone.