The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-07-18

| history of inward experiences MARKING rise
and progress in the sonl. The one is but the
repetition of the other. Each begins with pre-
parations for The advent of the Saviour. AS
therefore he arose from the dead and assembled
10 position OF power and glory above all pie
clpaiitles, SO He takes the highest place in the
renewed soul. The Apostle in the text refers
TO TWO antagonistic forces that swayed nm IN
his devotion TO Christ. The one was the law OF
sin and death, which, by the way, was not he
confounded with Gods law. The Apostle
| speaks of something inward in the bent and
tendencies of nature. When we find water
flowing down hill and plants putting forth
their flowers, we know that they are following
the law of nature, which has its cause in things
| themselves. So this law of sin and death is
the perversion of our nature which is, as the
| Apostle describes it in another chapter, a per-
petual warfare between the members and the
| mind. We teach that since Adam men are
| born full of evil propensities, that this innate
disease engendered by them brings men under
| the wrath of God unless they are born again.
SO wicked are We that we can be healed only
by the renewal of the Holy Ghost. and it is
this tendency downward rather than inward
IN our natures that the Apostle refers TO. The
second force the Apostle speaks of as introduc.
ed In his transfer from state of evil to state
OF grace is the new power that had impaired
to his being new style and dispositions rule
OF mastery of nature putting it under new
sceptre of gravitatiou. He calls this a new life
in Christ Jesus, starting of Few views, theo-
ries and aims. This new agency is that of the
newng the spirit of grace and life in Christ
Jesus, making men free from the law of sin
and death.
There are two points to be made; first the
nature of a life in Christ, and second, some of
the qualities of that life.
This life is a phenomenon of vital energy
which is derived directly from God. 1t is not
profession or creed, nut an active principal
embodied in the being like as the acorn is the
active germ from which springs the oak. The
creed is the product of light-hidden life tax
ing existence from the Holy Ghost. True re-
ligion is something more than education and
polished manners. One may train bramble
but no efforts to the necessary end can make a
vine of it; the bramble will always remain the
bramble true to its proper life. Religious cul-
Spirit does not start the inspiration from with
in. just as real life is distinct from the gal
vanic notions impaired TO a corpse by the an
plicalion of electricity, so is true Christianity
distinct from Orthodox articles or spasmodic
perturbations Of unnstructed religious mas
sion. Lies deepest quality is sensiblity. and
therefore, life in Christ Jesus is a state of i'm.
pressabity, which is wakefulness to Christ's ex
istence, and this wakefulness is such an under
standing and appreciation of Christ that quick
ems the soul and animates the whole nature. tits
turning OF the whole life to Him persistently
and consistently with the devotion the sun
flower turns to the sun. This life in Christ
Jesus is Joyful sense of the fact that the do
mnion of sin is taken away. The Gospel an
proaches every burdened soul with the promise
of complete absoution, for no iniuuify is 50
great but that the blood of Christ has compep-
sated Tor It. me very essence of the Gospel is
the carrying to the soul the glad tidings that
accountability will be removed if Christ shall
be accepted as the Lord and Saviour One of
the greatest elements of life in Christ is the
waking up OF the soul to feel the blessings he
has conferred and can confer upon u.s.
In nature man is under the dominion of sin
and death, consequently the promise OF the
Lord has the effect to induce him to cast aside
his old skin OF wickedness and to enter into
the full glory of a state of grace As nature in
the sprngfime strives to cast off the load of ice
WIN winch she is encumbered as the streams
start IN merry gladness and trees nut forth
iolliage and flowers, SO the soft breathngs from
the gospel put new energies into the souI
against corruption and SIM making earth iubi-
liant with songs of freedom. When and where
the new life beSins is not easily told. We
know that it is an outbrth from the spirit of
God, but how it is so we cannot tell The
Scripture says, "the wind bloweth whittier it
!lsteth, and the same may be said of every
body born of the spirit. The Apostle says the
seed of that life is in the word. This seed may
reach you In one way or another; it may fail
OF. frultf1lness, but wherever baptism is admin.
istered or the true gospel brought TO view,
there are all the external conditions with in
forming grace for a new life, and here its be-
ginning dates. In subjective sense this life
begins with the impression of sacred truths on
the soul, and developes with the full surrender
and devotion OF the soul to God. In some cases
so gradual Is this incoming life that the iudi
vlduai never can tell when it begins. The
great question with us, however, is not when,
where and how it came, but doesit exist? Are
we awake to Christ, for true Christianity is
naught but life in Christ Jesus.
Some of the qualities of this life are the life
and sovereignty of the better qualities Of man.
Where true Christianity is wanting, there lust
regns. No Elattcrj shew many other excellent
qualities man may possess sin belittles him,
breaks down his better nature and makes him
ashamed of himself. A man never yet did
mean thing but he wanted to hide himself from
is no state more dreadful than man fashioned
after God reduced to the dominion of lust and
crime, and at death having no hope of redemp
ton by Christ. This Christianity lifts him up
by gradual process of sanctifcation succeed
ing justification. But with all the efforts we
have to go through TO gain this true Christian
ity, it is the highest state on earth, and the
draw backs the flesh has:to suffer for the pos
| session OF it only transfisure the possessor's
character. Men may sneer, but when wisdom
| sends in her final verdict it will be that the
Christian is the highest type of man. In the
place of fishermen and tax gatherer9 the disci-
pies became patrlarchs and princes subimer
than any emperor that ever ruled the world,
| for they were of the blood-royal of heaven, and
| incoming ages and generations will take their
rules OF government from them. This life of
true Christianity is an iEdestructable life. 1t is
liable to miscarry, it may be stfled and we are
continually in danger of losing it, for we are
only practitioners. We must struggle to keep
1t. The Lord has spoken that not a govern
ment but shall come to naught, monument
but shall crumble away; "fading away (vale
| yaleque) is the motto for everything earthly,
but there is one thing over which death has no
| power. and which the tomb cannot extinguish
1T Is the flame kindled in the Christians soul.
LIS forces may change but its substantial bliss
VIII continue for God has given it the stamp Of
eternity Our bodies in Christ are as immortal
as our souls, and there shall come a springtime
when they shall put forth form of glorious
being One of the most glorious truths of the
| DiDie Is tildb Tue cOrrupuDe shall put on 1u-
co1ruptible, and the mortal Immortality" for
it is expansive and ever growing.
There is a graduation of progress in all God 8
works. Nothing comes to maturity at once
The seasons proceed in regular graduation as
beautiful in the process as in the result. The
strong limbs that now excite admiration once
to6tered over the cabin floor, the grand uni
verse was once mere thought in Gods mind.
Only what is dead is stagnant, all that lives
| progresses. The idea OF expansion thrills the
mother as she gazes on her babe and thinks
how it may eventually come to turn the gulf
stream of the world history. No one can i'm
| agine the glory the Christian life may attain to-
1t may outstrip the Soomons in wisdom and
Nebuchednezzers in splendor; like as the eagle
scars in cycles over cycles so the Christian, no
matter how humble his origin, may soar above
oIlr earthly vision till we can no longer follow
him.
Such is the life that throbs in him who be-
leves in Christ Jesus. One more truth and
have done. 1t is the wish of God that every
one shall possess this life This is the most
precious thought of all. 1t is within our reach
and meant for us SO that we should possess and
| enjoy it. He meant it for us when he gave
the beloved assurance, Il am come that they
might have life and more abundantly," and
proved how much he loved the world when he
sent his dearly beloved Son that "whosoever
would believe should have eternal lie." The
Lord has SAID that he took no pleasure in the
death of the wicked, but spared no
efforts to induce them to turn from their way
He is causing ever this true life TO press upon
; us like sunshine round our dwellings For
| hat uvn asnut 1,a frna IN 1a