The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1881-09-23

Romans IL: W beseech you therefore
brethren, by the mercies Of God, thai
yc present your bodies living sacrific.
holy, acceptable unto God, which ii
your reasonable service"
The speaker began by saying that al
essential qualification for Christian
work is pointed out in the text. The
Apostle had an anxious solicitude fol
the salvation of others when he said
q" bescech you, therefore, brethren
There is u great lack OF genuine love
foi the highest interests OF others in
both pew and pulpit. But Paul's love
had the pathos of sacrifice, the honesty
OF truth and the solemnity Of eternity
in it. May our spiritual vision, the
speaker continued, DO as clear, and oul
love for others as great as the one who
wrote those words.
The text also tells us what we ought
to give to God, "that ye present your
bodies, a living sacrifice, holy, accept
able" This means the "Ego" in the
body, the entire man. Body-for we
read "knOw We not that yc are the
temple Of the Holy Ghosts' The in
tellect should be given to God; for He
has always asked for the knowing,
thinking man.
Gods best workers have formerly
dedicated themselves to Him; such
rs DIR. Adam Clark, Albert Barnes and
Philip Doddridgc.
The text gives us two reasons for
living II devout life; the mcrcics of God
and Il reasonable service.
The speaker closed by saying: May
God grant that in our lives we may
have two sources of joy, the happiness
which comes from right doing and the
JOY of the Spirit.
Rev. Merriam took for his text,
Ezekiel, 1877, Goods Warming" In his
Introductory he said !:
The tremendous responsibility of the
public teacher and preacher of the
Gospel. The blood of souls is upon
him if he fails to warn men faithfully.
1st-God's revelation to men full OF
warn ngs, solemn and terrible. There
must be reason for it.
End Why are these warnings, So
many and SO fearful, given Because
there is danger, real and terrible.
3d-Who gives these warnings! God
gives them, a Being whose character
ensures that He would not needlcssly
alarm or distress His creatures and He
can have no motive in giving thom but
the good Of those to whom the warnings
come.
4th-By whom are the warnings an.
nounced I!
by Gods appointed watchmen and
messengers. All the prophets, patri-
archs, apostles, preachers OF God, i'll all
the ages. These warnings are not
pleasant messages nor are those who
declare them in the ears of men, wei
come messengers. Always, if faithful,
they have been abused and martyrcd.
5th--To whom do these warnings
come!
To men and to men only. Angels do
not need warnings, for they have not
To the devils and to the lost
they are useless for the evils threatened
they already suffer and can never escape.
But these dangers so real, and these
evils so fearful, may be, by men, avoid
ed. II there were no way Of escape,
these terrible warnings would not be
at all, but only cruel fore
bodings Of certain and inevitable doom.
God, who sounds the alarm Of the
doom of sin, announces with the
a way to escape, sure, and open
to every one who will heed the warning.
Will you heed the warning, accept the
God-provided way of escape, enter the
srkof refuge provided in Christ Jesus
md be forever safe