The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-05-11
[coNTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.
trusting that | may be able to convey to
my friends few ideas of character,
| am, truly yours, BRoADBRIM.
CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.

CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.
The fourth and last of the series of SER
mons on sanctification, by Rev. Mr.. Ridg
way, was preached on Sunday evening from
Heb. 10: By the which viii we are sane
tilted through the offering OF the body of
Jesus Christ once for all.
The declaration that this is the will of
God, even your sanctifcdtion viewed in the
light of the present text indicates that the
purpose of the atoEement was not the mere
and simple pardon of sinners and conse-
quent salvation of the guilty from the wrath
of God, but the more glorious result of the
raising up to God a sanctified holy race: an
end surely far more consonant with our
ideas OF God and the inestimable value of
the worlds great ransom price and instru-
ment of sanctitication, viz, the blood of
the incarnate Son of God.
1t is our purpose in our discourse this
evening to consider how this condition Of
the Christian life may be attained.
We have seen that it is designed for man;
for man still weighted with the burden Of
human weakness and liability to error; man
the offspring of one whose deprivation
affected all the race, for man barn as it
we've with the very seeds of disease in his
system blood to leap in fever Of anger,
passions to surge III answer to temptation,
and appetiteS 10 struggle in response to
aliuremsEts; yet that 10 SUch being God
offers Ia the at0Oem@Et ut Christ and 10y
the operation OF His Spirit i salvation thai
shall save hiG out oI and despite all these
weaknesses ard obstacles, aud enable him
to walk d new creature 10 Chiist jcs;s
holly before God
Aud now as to Is attAin!u&tt
/. \ p opur :dt a .; Jn!a condition is also,
luteiy leces',tly !he,r must lie 10 &au
naInitn idc., 81 sil.essnes, ana noG-l citation
to God i laT-no sGc!i IDEAS al AGtnIic -
augelicai grr:ec;i,n - W. iiaTe been com
iatins, nor an tne utEer land ne Sstl..n.
down in careless ease ia h iisa hat we
are TO sin as long as VS. live, dies =. tc Ill we
and God can do, and 10 DC saved ut las by
some special and additional iuteIpoSition
of Divine mercy; neither Of these, but
definite idea Of what this - Christian per-
lection is, as the result and consequent
of the atonement of Christ applied III all
its value to the human soul. And it must
be sought definitely Placed as an object
in view before the eyes of the longing soul
let this, the perfect love of God and man,
and nothing less, be the point to be attained.
No success in any of the walks of life is
ever attained, except by definite, continu-
Gus effort toward some point of attainment
or acquisition. The Morses and Goodyears
the Matses and Palusies the Stewards aud
Vanderbits every truly successful man in
his sphere, chose and kept in view some
point or definite object, and sought that
with concentrated attention and effort till
ii aCaS ae0n and he was achGt lie had loilled 10
be.
And when this most glorious object, the
restored image of God in righteousness
and true holiness is before Us, have we
not a definite point that, in its very gran
duer and brightness, demands and fixes
our unwavering attention and purpose?
2. 1t must be sought earnestly. Only
those who hunger and thirst after righte-
business shall be filled LanguiG, inter-
mtting, half-hearted efforts at once dis
honor God, minify His gift, and discourage
the seeking soul itself. Hearkening TO the
"be ye holy of our God, gazing out upon
the glorious, aye from it's brightness glanc-
ing within the very city itself, beholding
this state as ours by purchase OF the blood.
let the soul arouse 10 very agony of earn
estRess, and then the hight will soon be
won.
And, if under such effort, emotion still
lapguish, He, who in answer 20 the prayer
Lord help my unbelef, became III a mo-
nent at once means and end and cause;
He, we say will, by His Holy Spirit, give
the needy hunger and feed the gasp;ng
soul.
3. 1t must be sought in faith. There is
in this implied a faith IL the sufliciency o!
the provision of the atcnement. The seeker
must, of course believe that Christ is .oi
God made unto Us wisdom, aud righteous
ness, and sauctiticatiUu and redemption =
TheIe is no possibility OF sauctficatinn 10
the individual who does not believe there
is any such thing as Sanct ifcation: to him
who doubts that through the atonemrit
man may become holy. For, though God
does some times more for The ed1'1est suppl
ant than he expects, yet it is entirely CON
trary to all the teaching of Scripture that
God should give to man what man 6elieges
does not erist or is not acithiR the poWer or
GIFT Of God. In such q case mans unbsiiai
stands as a barrier il. the way of The Di-
vine mercy: and wonderful as it may seem.
yet "a barrier that Divine mercy VIII u"t
overieap For break down.
While human uubeiief still left the stone
Gnmoved at the mouth of Lazarus sepul
chre, the beloved brother still lay putrid
corpse; and it was not until human TAI b
met the demands Of the God man and re-
moved this barrier, that the voice OF Di
vine power awakened the dead and Divine
mercy restored the living one to the arms
of bis sisters.
And in our human lives at the present
God only waits the answer Of our faith to
speak the word and raise Us who are dead
in trespasses and sins to the fulluess and
beauty of the life of holiness.
4. This faith to be available must be d
personal one. We mean the individual
must make personal application to bim-
of ha Of 4
the promises of God. AS the Apostle Paul,
in writing of the coming of Christ ",o
save Sinners" adds "of whom am chief"
SO must the "blood of Jesus Christ cleans
eth from all sin " be linked with The &C ,ne "
in the prayer, 500 Lord cleanse ne"
We would urge this thought upon yoa.
melted by the fact that many Of you de
clare your faith in the doctrine of sanctiti
ton and its attaiuablity in tue present life
and yet are not sanctified. Hast thou
faith? Have it then to myself before
Cod
o. This must be a present faith Saliva
ton is by faith alone. Salvation in all It's
stages, all its degrees. The initial slap
the trembling penitent is urged to take IS
'tbelieve in the Lord Jesus Christ aud thou
shalt be saved;' every following step is
taken by and in faith. The A 3 c lin.
stammering learner first utters, he finds III
his later life to measure and interpret ali
the grander lessons Of his Christian lie;
and in every moment the teaching is be
lieve nov.
Awaiting faith would add something OF
excellency from works. or tears, or wres
ting, TO 'the blood" no, now the blood
cteanses. Believe nov and wait not till the
dying honr, hoping God viii DO some great
and further work thea. No. now, sor
God doesn't want holy corpses nor holy
souls alone. but holy men. Believe and he
cleased.
THE MARKET SIRkE.r IgpRnYEMENr