New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1843-02-14

motto. Christians now commit the same error the
Temperance people did fifteen years ago. They
cry out against total abstinence from all sin as
thing impossible, AID SO do not expect or aim at
1t. II is not by curtaiiing our SIN, not BY aoeh-
doring Its grosser forms, that we are TO reach Pu-
rity OF heart. Total abstinence must be The motto
Men must resolve to haze nothing to do WIKI sin
in any shape They must make more calcula-
ton committing little sins than they do on COM
hitting murder. Ask man if he expects 10 CON-
nit murder or adultery: he is shocked. Certain,
not-but certain smaller sins he is sure he shall
commit. Yet why7 If the mind be hrnly
made up not to commit them as 1t is not to be
guilty of the grosser forms Of sin, should just
as easily avoid them. Men do not mean to avoid
them. This is the secret They do not abhor
them as they DO the others They expect to sl6,
they mean to do it, Is not this the ,rath? Let
every individual answer for himself. Do you in
tend to give up every form eff sin sincerely as
you give up murder and the grosser forms OF mi
qutyl Yet till you are thus willing in the strength
of Christ to sigR the total abstinence pledge, you
need not object to the doctrine of sancti6ca,on.-
The secret Of your dislike of it is that you do
mean to leave al sim If you did, you would have
no difficulty in doing it.
But let me now pass to some Of the nnotires by
which we should be governed in endeavoring TO
keep ourselves pure:
l. Our usefulness depends upon it. If we
not pure We cannot be useful; and If without pety
your deeds are overruled for good, thanks 10
yeu for it: you will never be rewarded for it. If
you are pure You 1ciH be useful; you cannot help
it, no matter now limited may be your influence
your influence upon those around you will be good.
But if you are not thus purc-if you do not fully
believe that you may thus escape from all sin-you
can do no good to others. A minister Cannot
preach with any profit what he does not fully be-
licve. He must speak his own experience; he
cannot, if in chains himself, preach to others the
liberty of the Gospel.
Q Again if we admit any degree Of inigHity, it
is most likely that We shall fall into some boder
form Of sin. five indulge any sin, no matter how
secret or how slight, it Is most likely that shall
90 from one to another until we at last fall into
some scandaous disgraceiul vice. The moderate
drinker as the history of the world has written
in letters of fire, is in perpetual danger of becom
ing drunksrd, and the same principle is true in
religion.
g. Its vastly easier to practice to al abstinence
from sin, than to indulge some sins and avoid
others. 1t is the easiest position whichthe Christian
can take, the most practicable. One who clings
TO some sins, like the moderate drinker, is in per-
petua bondage; let him cut loose from all, and he
feels at liberty and strong and it becomes
paratively easy to walk with Christ.
4. II we keep ourselves pure, God will give US
perfect peacc-and no farther than we do this will
God give US peace of mind.
With several remarks upon this subject will
close:
L. Many persons are in reality tempting God by
living in the indulgence of some sins, and yet
hoping for eternal life. They do not expect to
live without sin, and yet they expect salvation Is
net this tempting God 0ne who does this is not
IN state of grace-he cannot hope to be saved ;
he virtually rejects the Gospel.
2. 1t is shocking to how careless many
Christians are in throwing themselves into the way
of temptation How little regard do they show to
their own spotless purity What would you think
of woman who should profess to be virtuous and
yer walk and be with a man of notorious lcen-
tiousness, at all times, by night and by day, and
under all circumstances, in company and alone {?
Would you not say it was impossible to believe
her to be virtuous?
3. Again, many seem to want to know how they
may live without sin, and yet they overlook the way
of faith They do not seem to understand what it is
TO live by faith And yet such persons are often
sincerely pious, but they have never learned to
depend on Christ as they ought. They depend
upon themselves, and do rot fec to Christ. And
however determined they may be to resist yet
they are sure TO be overcome. Men must know
what it is to trust Christ. They must awaken
such a feeling in the heart Of the presence of
Christ as shall at once Danish and destroy tempta-
! lion. And there is nothing strsnge unphile-
sophical in this II man have lost friend,
woman husband, whom she dearly loved, and
should be at some time tempted TO do what
she would not do If he were with her-if he had
| the power Of making himself visible to her, and
should do So would not the temptation be at once
laid at her feet! Now Christ is this absent friend
and though we cannot see him with US, yet we are
just sure that lac is in our presence if we
him with the outward eye. This is the peculiar
| glory of the Gospel: tina. wheaever the Christian
is assailed by temptation, he may instantly sum-
| mon Christ TO bis aid, and thus disarm tempta,
tion How this is done, how the Spirit of God
operates the mind tell but we
| know that it is so, and that when thoughts of
Christ fill the SOUL temptation falls dead and life
less at the Christians feet.
Plainly as it is written in the Bible that men
may live without sin, it is yet not at all strange
that people should believe it to be impossible, be-
cause they do not understand what it is. When
once they understand il, the Bible is full Of the
doctrine. But if the idea be not developed within
them of laying fast hold upon Christ, no wonder
that they doubt the possibility of sanctifca,oa.
in conclusion let lac say that il persons a,e dis
posed to try and pure and to depend upon Christ
to make them pure let them tnke Christ at his
word and try The full power of the Gospel. Did
YOU ever make up your mind, fully and resolutely
to do this7 Many profess to want to be holy, and
yet when this is presented to Them when by throw
ing themselves upon Christ they come near TO this
perfect holiness and know VIA, s,,hey draw back
they are not willing to sacrifice everything for it.
Oae is afraid he will have to give too much money
another cannot surrender his appetites; third
hs nleasrre and In shott every one has some one