Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-08-26
geligiums department.
For the MONITOR.
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.

The first and great question that
should interest Christians is: How are
we to live? What saith the scripture?
GAS ye have therefore received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk in him; rooted
and built up, and established in the
faith, as ye have been taught Astounding
Herewith in thanksgiving" The apos-
tie Paul gave some excellent directions
upon the subject, in his first epistle to
the Thessalonians. "Prove all things.
Hold fast that which is good. Abstain
from all appearance of evil And as
consequent blessing he adds: "And the
very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit, and
soul, and body be preserved blameless
unto the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ" Believing the truth, and living
according to the above named directions,
and being sancti6ed of the Spirit are
the conditions on which we are chosen to
salvation from the foundation of the
world. In order, therefore, to make your
calling and election sure, there must be
faith and perseverance according to Cos
pei principles. "Giving all diligence,
add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue,
knowledge; and to knowledge, temper
ance; and to temperance, patience; and
to patience. godliness; and to godliness,
brotherly kindness and to brotherly
kindness, charity. For if these things
be in you and abound, they make you
that ye shall neither be barren nor un-
fruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ" From this inspired dec
laration Christians may learn that they
must persevere by "holding the begin
ming of their confidence, stedfast unto
the end" They must continue to do
the will of God. and obey all His COM
mands. "Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth
the will of my Father which is in hesv-
en-" Our Saviour distinctly commands
Christians to watch and pray, that they
enter not into temptation. Christ says,
"Every branch in me that beareth not
fruit he taketh away, and every branch
that beareth fruit he purgeth that it may
bring forth more fruit" "1f ye abide in
me, and my words abide in you, ye shall
ask what ye will, and it shall be done
unto you" According to our Saviour's
own words, we must not only be in
Christ, but we must abide in Him in
order to receive what we ask, or in other
words, to be saved. The bible says, "if
the righteous scarcely be saved" If the
Christian abides in Christ, he trusts in
Him who will keep him. by the power of
God unto salvation. He shares in the
benefit of Christ's redemption. The
promises in the bible to US, are from the
consideration that we abide in Christ.
The plain doctrine of the gospel is suffi-
GENTLY clear, that all are to fear lest
they come short. Paul feared lest after
he had preached to others, he might be-
come castaway. Where there is no
danger it is unreasonable to fear. We
would urge the Christian to be faithful
unto death; then the crown of life is
sure. eff ye do these things ye shall
never fail" but if ye do them not. then
expect to come short. The apostle Peter
says, at would have been better for
them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than after they have known
it to turn from the holy commandment
delivered unto them" L.