Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-02-03
&eadiug fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED By
REV. RODENT LATHAM.
A SHORT SERMON.

A SHORT SERMON.
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises; that by these ye might
be made partakers of the divine nature, having
escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust"
The previous verse states that "Jesus our
Lord hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godiness, through the
knowledge of him that hath called us to glory
and virtue:" That is to say, everything which
pertains to holy living is bestowed upon
Gods children through the Scriptural reve-
lations of the Saviour AS Paul expresses it,
He is made unto US wisdom, righteousness,
sanctfcation and redemption" The sub
stance of life and its spiritual blessings is
Jesus Christ.
Now the text says that in Jesus are given
unto US Exceeding great and precious prom
ises" They are important portions of our
knowledge of him." They are all those
things which the Scriptures declare Jesus is
to us, or may be the means Of bringing to us.
They cover the whole range of human life in
its various situations, duties and necessities.
BY these promises we are made "partakers
of the divine nature" That is to say, by &C.
ceptance of these, and reliance upon them,
by faith become like God in our DISPOSE
tions and habits The initial promise which
points in this direction of divine likeness is
that whoever believes in the Saviour shall
pass from death unto life. The substance
of the promises which lie along the pathway
of holiness is, that whoever takes' Jesus alone
az holiness will become like him. The meth
cd of reaching this attainment is simply the
exercise of implicit and undoubting faith that
any and every promised virtue and grace will
become ours through that same trust in him
as he offers himself in his word. We be-.
come like Christ, not by efforts and resou-
lions, but by faith iu him that he will fulfill
all his work respecting the making US holy.
Faith is the only means by which the prom
ses are realized TO US. and therefore the only
means by which We become sancti6ed. Re-
member this, dear reader. There is no holi.
ness by works Works "are deeds of the
law" and are under the curse.
There is another feature in the text-a sub.
ordinate one to the great idea of becoming di-
vine in disposition through reliance on the
simple word of God. 1t is escaping the cor
ruption that is in the world throug b lust. Our
holiness is enveloped in the measure of that
escape. The escape comes not by signing the
pledge, or joining a society, or stifenlng one
backbone by deep set resolutions. Such things
are stimulants at times, but usually they give
way and we fall back into the old sins, or
else we become involved in new meshes OF
the snares of Satan. No man escapes in any
fair or proper sense the corruptions of the
world, except as be takes the promises which
present Jesus Christ as the very substance
Of specification. A man gets rid of the
trammels of debased appetite or world incli-
nations by believing that his Divine. Lord is
a sufficient deliverance from even these things,
and by the gift Of himself to his Saviour. to
be made holy in the sense in which G. = is
holy.
In conclusion, dear friends, observe
/. The great principles set before you in
the promises of God. which are "Yea and
Amen in Christ" You may be made "par.
takers of the Divine nature"
2. The action Of simple, restful faith, will
most justly bring you into participation in
the divine disposition. Nothing else will.
You may screw your resolves up to the high.
est point, and you will only either fall again
into the same sin, or You will transfer your
sinful energies to an other class ofsins.
8. We pray you yield yourselves into the
hands of God in all things. We beseech
you, therefore, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies living sacrifices, holy and
acceptable unto God, which is your reasona-
BILE service. Be very sure you do not half
accept the promises. and seek to work the
other half of yourself into holiness. You
will totally fail. Simply yield yourselves
entirely into his hands. We add not.