Christianity in its native form

Behold Christianity in its native form, as delivered by its great Author. This is the genuine religion of Jesus Christ. Such he presents it to the one whose eyes are opened. See a picture of God, so far as he can be imitated by a person. A picture drawn by God's own hand. Behold, you despisers, and wonder, and perish (Acts 13:41). Or rather, wonder and adore. Rather cry out, Is this the religion of Jesus of Nazareth, the religion which I persecuted? Let me no more be found even fighting against God (Acts 5:39). Lord, what would you have me do (Acts 9:6)? What beauty appears in the whole. How just a symmetry. What exact proportion in every part. How desirable is the happiness described here. How venerable, how lovely the holiness. This is the spirit of religion, the very essence of it. These are indeed the fundamentals of Christianity. Oh, that we may not be hearers of it only (James 1:22), like a person looking at his own face in a mirror (James 1:23), who goes away and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. No. Let us look steadily into this perfect law of liberty (James 1:25), and continue in it. Let us not rest until every line of it is copied into our own hearts. Let us watch, and pray, and believe, and love, and strive for the mastery, until every part of it appears in our soul, engraved there by the finger of God, until we are holy as he who has called us is holy (1 Peter 1:16), perfect as our Father who is in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48).