The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-06-30

tholr own salvation In ways that injure
others, but their obvious antagonism to
the whole tenor of Christian teaching
should certainly exempt II from blame
for their course. It commands us to
labor for, help, love sympathizc with.
suffer for and save each other No
other book teaches self-sacrifice for
others SO abundantly and impressively
as the Bible does.
If any thing more were needed to
show the supreme absurdity of the ac-
cusation that the Christian religion is
selfish, it is that we are taught that we
can only be saved ourselves by labor
ing to save others, and that we are
saved from sin only in proportion as
We are saved from selfishness. One OBJ
ject of our salvation is that we may be
fitted to win men to Christ. We are
blessed that we may be blessing to
others. ''Freely ye have received,
freely give" The saved soul becomes
a blessing by the power of his example.
He is living witness of the power Of
Christ. Happy in the love of God and
in assurance of pardon, the Christians 8
strongest impulse is to lead others to
the same experience. He can retain
the experience of salvation that en-
riches his life only by making 1t bless
ing to others. The law of his spiritual
life is that he shall receive grace to use
for Gods glory, and shall be ministered
unto by the Divine spirit only as he
ministers to others '.EIe that water.
eth shall be watered himself" Spiritual
leanness and apostasy are sure to result
from disobedience to this law. In other
words, he that endeavors to be selfish
Christian ceases to be a Christian.
Thus all the manifold ministrations
of the Spirit to believers are intended
to be blessing to others. Not one is
to be selfishly appropriated by or linn
tied to the individual recipient. Paul
teaches that Divine comfort in sorrow
is given that we may comfort others:
blessed be the God of all comfort,
who comforteth us in all our tribula-
tions, that we may be able to comfort
them which are in any trouble by the
comfort whercwith we ourselves are
comforted of God" No man can con-
sciously receive comfort from God
without perceiving that it is meant for
others as we'll as himself. il he is not
sare that any mercy comes to him from
God, if the recovery of his health, or
the saving of his fortune seems to him
to be merely piece of good luck, then
he may be meanly and miserably selfish
about 1t. If he recognizes God as the
giver of his blessings, he will see that
they are too great for him to keep to
himself, and that they must be meant
for circle wider than his little life.
The joy of his Divine comfort will
overflow him and bless others.
There is no Christian excellence at.
tainable except by devotion to the vel.
fare of men. Christian perfection is
not negative grace. 1t is not merely
freedom from low temptations. 1t Il
positive, aggressive, self-forgetful, self
sacrificing devotion to the welfare ol
our fellow-men; a constant, joyful ef.
fort, inspired and sustained by the in
dwelling, constraining love of Christ
to make our lives blessing to human
ity. Phillips Brooks says: mo man ha!
come to true greatness who has notfel
in some degree that his life belongs tt
his race, and that what God gives hin
He gives him for mankind. The truth
is, we are at our best when we try tt
be it not for ourselves alone, but fol
our brethren; and that we take Gods
gifts most completely for ourselves
when we realize that He sends them tt
US for the benefit of other men. IN
W. Christian AGUOcdte.