The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-02-03

not them concerned about his per.
'onal salvation for his life is hid with
Christ in God, and when Christ, his
ife, shall appear, then he also shall
appear with him in glory. There is
10 room for II shadow of Il doubt |
upon that point. At once his earthly
life rises above the idea of pennance
md drudgery and self-denial to the
rank of Il fellow-wOrke: with God for
The final conquest of the world. Iav-
ing once for I'LL crucilied self with
the affections and lusts, he is now
about his personal purity
only as it affects his fitness for God s
service. Above everything else in
regard to his outward life is this pre-
vailing thought-"meet for the Mas
ter's USE His highest ambition is
to be ready unto every good work,
wherever and whenever God Shall
call. The very possibility of being
unprepared to answer any call the
Lord might make, causes him to
grieve. and he leads Il watchful,
prayerful. consecrated life, that so
he may he ready-not to debut
unto every good work. In this sense
every christian life ougt to be Il sane
titled life; ii life set apart and purified
for holy and honorable uses as the
Master may direct. 1t may be said
that this high ideal is only for those
who followed Timothy in the minis.
try Of the Word. Almost everybody
is able TO tell how IL minister ought
to live, ana to criticise the slightest
delinquency. But | wish just here to
claim for the ministry the same free.
dom that is enjoyed by the laity, no
less. no more. God has put us upon
an equality in this matter. What is
right for you, my nearer. is right for
me. admit that the minister of the
Lord Jesus Christ should be, us Paul
directs Timothy, an example to be-
levers: that is, he should show by
his own life the way that every chris
tian out to live. He is continually
telling people how to live; let him
eXempliiy his teaching by his con-
duet. So Paul understood when he
wrote: "Be We therefore followers
of me, as | also am of Christ The
point wish tn make is this: that Ell
tering the ministry does not manacle
Il man. and restrain him from the ell
joyment of many privileges that God
accords to other christians. The
probability is that if you are ever
found where yon would not like your
TO be, you are out of your
proper sphere us one of Gods chill
'lren, and have need of purging be-
fore You can become sanctilied, and
meet for the Masters use. The
greatest hindrance there has
ever been to the progress Of the
Redeemer's kingdom is the unclean-
ness of Gods vessels of mercy. So
many in every age, and Ill every COM
munity are not lit to he used in the
of the water of life to
thirsty souls. God says: depart ye,
depart ye; go we out from thence,
touch no unclean thing; go we out of
the midst of her; be we clean that
Lear the vessels of the Lord" Yet
30 many proiessed christians have no
intention even of striving after Gods
iIea of purity. His statutes are
broken and he pleads with the oifen-
Ter: 20 that thou hadst hearkcned to
my commandments then had thy
peace been us i river, and thy
as the waves of the sea.
Yet there is no thought on the part
Of the worldly professor OF attribut-
ing his lack of peace TO his own miss
ioing. God says: "Wherefore come
cut from among them, and be We sep
.rate. and touch not the unclean
thing; and | Will receive you Yet
how many there are SO bound up III
with the world that the
ord himself can t distinguish them
from others, and still complaining |
HAT God is afar of from them.
Others speak of spiritual weakness
and wonder what the cause can be.
while God is grieving over them in
words like these: 20 that they were
wise, that they understood this, that |
hey would consider their latter end
How should one chase Il thousand |
md two, put ten thousand to flight, |
except their Rock had sold them, and |
The Lord had shut them up. "Oh
hat my people had hearkened unto
me, and Israel had walked in my
WAYS! | should soon have Subdued |
their enemies, and turned my hand !
against their adversaries. 1t is
strange how Satan can hoodwink his
victims. when such abundant and
explicit precautions are given in the
Word God says distinctly: "let no
man deceive you with vain words;
for because of these things cOmeth |
The wrath of God upon the children
1t disobedience. BE not we therefore
partakers with them. For We were |
darkness, but now are We |
light in the Lord; walk as children of |
light" The truth is that all spiritual
peace. and joy, and strength. and
prosperity, and usefulness, and
growth, is dependent upon constant
struggle after heart purity, and sepa-
ration from the world. Brethren, in |
Ill the range of truth l cannot think
Of one more important in it's practi-
cal bearings than this that l have
know that it has be.
came familiar to you by frequent rep
itition from this desk land some might
have desired theme more fresh, and
But think II moment. Are
we each one of us to-day vessels unto
honor, and meet for the Masters use,