If I Firmly Believed...
"If I firmly believed, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences the eternal destiny of others, then religion would mean everything to me. I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as folly, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I would labor in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life of suffering. Earthly consequences would never stay my hand nor seal my lips. Earth, its joys and its griefs, would occupy no moments of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon eternity alone and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable. I would go forth to the world and preach in season and out of season, and my text would be, "What shall it profit man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?"
--Written by a professing atheist in 1787
3 comments:
Lin, did this atheist ever become a Christian? Oh, that I live my life that way!
I have no idea. I found this in an article about the missionary C.T. Studd who read this in a tract and changed his entire life because of it.
It is searing, isn't it.
Lindon,
Yes, it is "searing." I can understand why some atheists exercise caution in approaching the gospel as seen by the response to it in the lives of professing Christians. I had a philosophy professor remark in class that Christians profess to love Jesus, but never read his mail (Bible).
Thanks for posting this,
David
TheNewsBeats.com
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