Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-11-02
Christ Within.

Christ Within.
Christ does not offer to be simply an &C.
casional shower of blessings to the faithful
believer. He promises to be living well.
''The water that give him shall be in him
a well of water springing up unto everiast-
ing life" The deepest and most urgent
wants of the heart he promises to satisfy.
In true conversion Christ enters the soul.
This is the very essence and touch stone of
conversion. With him comes light: with
him comes love- with him comes peace.
The radical change of heart in conversion
is lust as truly a supernatural work as was
the resurrection of Lazarus from the cave
in Bethany. Christ then enters the soul,
not as a transient visitor, but as an abiding
guest. While he abides there he gives per-
ennial life and beauty and strength to the
believer. Because | live, We shall live
also" 'Yet not /, " said the happy hale
hearted apostle; "but Christ that liveth in
me-" And that was the reason why Paul
a
after the first excitement Of the scene at
Damascus had passed away. \ well was
opened up in Paul's heart that day, and
its deep, cool, living waters never ran dry.
Men could always predict how Paul would
act in any emergency, because the princi-
pie that ruled him was always the same
"The love Of Christ constraineth me. y
''For me TO live is Christ" The only rea-
son why any good man continues to be
good man is that the well spring in his soul
never runs dry. Reckless, slave hunting
John Newton ceases to swear and scoN, and
begins to pray. Twenty years later, John
Newton is still praying, stillpreaching, still
oyerhowing in benifcence among the
haunts of busy London and solely because
the Lord having dwelt in him, a source of
holy affections and an inspirer Of noble
and godly actions. On Sunday he preach
ed to rich bankers and titled ladies. On a
week day evening he would sit on "A three
legged stool, in his blue sailor jacket, and
open up his rich experiences and wise
counsels to the poorest who came to visit
him. 81 was a wild beast on the coast OF
Africa once" he used to say "but the
Lord Jesus caught me and tanned me, and
now people come to sec me rs they would
90 to look at the lions in the tower What
people came to see and to hear and to love
in the sturdy sailor preacher was the Christ
who dwelt within John Newton.
Here is the secret of Christian perscyer-
ance. Wesleyans and Calyinists alike
agree in this that true christian hold,
out for no other reason than that Christ
holds out The fountain head of all holy
affections and all generous deeds, and al
heroic, self denying endurance is dowr
deep in the mans heart because Christ lives
he lives also. You can no more exhaus
the graces Of a John Wesley, or an Ober
lin, or Chalmers, than you can puml
the Hudson dry at West Point. What
transcendant idea that is in PauPs praye
for his brethren-"That We might be fillet
with all the fullness Of God When, there
fore, we meet with man or woman VIII
almost never disappoints us who is 'al
ways Astounding" in the work Of the Lord
who serves God on every day as well as tn
Sunday; who is more anxious to be RICH
than to be rich; and who can ask God
blessing on the bitterest cup-when W
meet such a one, we know that down i
the clefts of the soul is Christ, the well
spring.
In thousand ways will the inward four
tain of Christian principle make itself vi
ible. We see it in the merchant whogivC
Christ the key of his safe, and never sol
II with single dirty dollar. We see it j
the statesman who cares more toy win God
smile on his conscience than a reelectio
to Office. We recognize it in the minist,
who is more greedy for souls than for salt
ry. We see it in the young man who woul
rather endure a comrades laugh than h
Saviour's frown in the maiden who ODE,
Christ sooner than fashion. ! sometim
detect this well spring Of cheerful piety
the patient mother whose daily walk wit
God is a fount of holy influence am
her household. | know of poor men
dwellings in which grows a plant of Co
tentment that is an exotic rarely found
marble mansions. Its leaves are green al
glossy it is fed from the well.
In dying chambers we have often hea
this spiritual fountain playing, and
murmur was as musical as the tinkle Of
brook
"In the leafy month of June"
Perfect love had cast out fear Pea
reigned. Joy sparkled in the sunlight
Gods countenance. There was a well the
which death could not dry-the "well
water which springing up unto eyerlastil
life."-Dr. Cyier in independent.