St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-10-22
Workers with Christ.

Workers with Christ
\ sermon preached at tn, North Church, sabbath
evening oct Eth. by Rev. JAMES DINGwELI. of
A-hti-d. Mass
Tert.-Wr, workers together with Him
Cor. t. /.
Let lis proceed at once. briefly. to
indicate the Biblical and p>l geological
conditions which make our agency in
the work of Christ. effective.
And Cd We must make more room
tol Christ in our minds and hearts:
Empty the heart of inferior affections.
Or ut least. this: The ruling love. in
>pIrcd 10y Christ. should imprcgmItr.
and transform all othcl>. Nov this
should not he periodic with lis. To-
day for example Christ shall have all
my heart, and tomorrow. viii give Il"
inferior objects. We are to train "lI-
selves into the hahitual expectation and
invitation of his presence a. the c"ntin-
ned and permanent state of our relation
t" him. Daily and hourly (t"r We need
him every lnur.) we are to throw open
ON souls to him until he dWcll> in
them, u as Il power >upcl added I" he
original forces of our being. and (2) a>
at last Il constituent element of all our
all. into itself.
2ndly. We must plan for this. 1t will
not come itself. nor through the power
of the election. If Il man wants the sun
in his mouse, he must build facing the
sun. Let it he IIst is much Your plan
and intention that Christ shall dwell in
in N"u Il transforming power. H. that
the superior wisdom and virtue of all
who are successful and effective in the
same secular work. shall hc in You.
making yuu mnIc adequate To it. and
puickcning NnH ais" Ia l;Irgc iS>uc> in
it. To this end. therefore. ill Nour souls
with ChrI>t'> truth. Let the act of CON
Srcralinm hr perpetual. These aIe the
materials Chli>t'> spirit makes us,. OF III
his transformations. These are the
conditions he ha>tcl> to meet : the
magnetic centres that draw the heaven
" forces to the soul. He can dwell.
and do his blessed work cndowing with
ability to work only III such souls a.
plan for this. that arrange for this very
end.
:}rdlN. Rest not satisfied with plan
ming. However all-cmbracing and Clio
riouS our plans may he. we must not
allow them to melt away like the morn
ing dew. Many Il Christian is full of
ideals. Int they forever clude his grasp.
He does not push on To realize and EN-
body them. 1t is very easy for all the
force of ones soul to cXpcnd itself in
imdgindrg growth. and imaginary work.
While We plan. therefore. to have Christ
dwell in lis. let us not rest satisfied with
this. He must he gradually occupying
the whole territory of our inner life. a>
the Jews did Canaan. BY little and
little he must drive ont all that is an
tagoniStic. until he he increased and
inherit the Land.
Christ must he growing into his com
plctcd and perfect form in us. for He is
the secret. and the principle of the new
the spiritual life. In him dwcIls all
the tullhess the dynamic fullnc>s of the
Godhead. IT, therefore, he is lodged
within us : if his words and the spirit
of his life are melting into. and being
appropriated 10y u>,-how can we help
being workers with him Christ. thus
formed within lis. is the network. the
~ stem of channels in the soul through
which the inspiration, the gcrminant
life-culIcntS and forces of the HOLY
every faculty of our minds and hearts
int" ever more increasing rcccptaclcS
for this influx. We must distinctly feel
the absolute necessity of this. The
desire for this should be So intense rs
easily to rry>talize 10y the divine touch
into purpose to have it. For the higher
ranges of power and success such aS has
attended our lay-hrcthern in Gods
work. we must welcome Jacobs wreSt-
ling experience. There must he heroic
and pIot,acted effort to hrcomc more
closely and largely yea. organically
united with. changed into the Christ
like. The earthly becomes heavenly
only through catari:i>mir thr"c>. As
the planet We inhahi, Mas prepared ior
man only after succession of such