, 1886-04-25

- A&hAa ~ 49, - ~ @&t@ %-%~@
Is the lever; the sight OF the highest form OF
pirituaf and temporal manhood, that Is the
instrument; that Is how the world Is to be
converted-was, Is, will be. IF ye salute
those who salute you, what merit have
yet Do not even tho publicans sol l say
unto you, except your righteousness"-your
standard OF character, your whole inward
lhe-"shall exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and the Pharisees, ye shall in no case
enter the Kingdom" II was not conformity
to church, nor to creed, nor to ordinance
not to any external operation; 1t was not
that He says TO an Individual, you must
rise higher; more manliness, more nobility,
more beauty, more III -dissolving love"
Here Is His pulpit; this Is His church. in each
heart This Is the power by which He sought
To renovate the world
II this be-. then, the substance OF Christs
teaching-that ye bear much fruit, 10 shall
ye glorify your father which Is in heaven;
then I remark, first, that the growth
OF the church Is not by the numbers
that are in 1t, but by the graces, the
beauty Of holiness, the variety and ripeness
Of Christian feeling, character; these are the
signs OF growth. Whatever tends TO make
men, looking upon you. revere you, esteem
you. love you; whatever lifts their
conception of your spiritual excellence
gives strength to the church. Everywhere,
throughout the word OF God, this is made
prominent Look for example at the exhor-
~tations which Paul gives in Romans. Now
Romans was a special plea, that the
Jews might be carried off from their
foundations and built on the new foun-
dation, Jesus Christ; but when the ar
gument closes, the grand battle OF reasoning,
then Paul comes down, and with wonderful
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES and minuteness Of detail,
UtatNartnEoa 10 .hawy wuhot thA tnAfOtlraul
Christian life should be. On the 10th chapter
OF Romans, beginning with the 9th
verse) Let love be without dis
stimulation" Do not use 1t as a
brfbe or a pretense, or a means OF increasing
your influence or gaining your ends Let II
burn pure and simple, like a lamp in a
temple. "Abhor that which Is evil. Cleave
to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned
one to another with brotherly love; in honor
preferring one another. Not slothful in
business. fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.
Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation;
continuing constant in prayer. Distributing
to the necessity OF saints; given TO hospital
ity. Bless them which persecute you; bless,
and curse not. Rejoice with them that do re-
joice, and weep with them that weep Be OF
the same mind one toward another. Mind
not high things'-fashion, the higher classes
but condescend TO men OF low estate"
Count all men, from the top TO the bottom,
your brethren BE not wise in your own
conceits- Recompense no man evil for evil
Provide things honest in the sight Of all men.
IL it be possible, as much as lieth in you,
live peaceably with all men Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather
give place unto wrath, for II is written: ven
geance is mine, / will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore, II thine enemy hunger, feed him;
II he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing
thou shall heap Goals OF fire on his head. Be
not overcome with evil, but overcome evil
with good
What an inventory OF qualities. How
many OF these do you possessi Here Is the
creed Not the apostles creed, but it Is one
back OF that; II is the creed that really speci-
hes that which Christ generically teaches
In his teaching OF men. A grea,
many say that they are willing to heap
Goals on an enemy's head, and ON that CON
sideration they are willing to return good
for evil, totally misunderstanding the figure.
For the altar fire was a cleaning fire, and it
was a fame that purified. and to heap Goals
of fire upon u mans head is not for
the sake OF burning him, but for
the sake Of taking away his faults
and his mistakes II gives him new
light and new heat, after the conception
of your Christian character and OF the higher
character, that will enable him to initiate it
1t is not an act of cruelty but an act OF puri-
hcatiou and love. BE not overcome
OF evil Do not go at II as a
wild beast; do not tread 1t under foot with
angry and violent blows and all forms Of ex-
travsgant denunciations Bring to bear
upon it your goodness Be not overcome of
evil Overcome evil with good. Goodness
Is the mode OF overcoming mischief or evil
Wen, take a passage in Ephesians, which
Is somewhat similar TO the teachings here
the fourth chapterl, BE ye angry and sin
not: let not the sin go down upop thy WRATH
Do not hold on to a grudge. II anything
has gone wrong, fash and be done with it;
do not cherish IL Neither give place TO the
devil Let him that stole steal no more, but
rather let him labor, working with his hands
the thing which is good, hat he may have to
give 10 him that neeieth, - and 80 save him
from the temptation of stealing. Let no cor
rupt communication proceed out Of your
mouth, but that which Is good to the use
Of e~difyingn-or building-"that IL may min
ister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not
the Holy Spirit Of God, whereby We are
scaled unto the day OF redemption. Let all
bite ness, and wrath. and anger, and clamor.
and evil speaking be put away from you, with
all malice And be ye kind one 10 another,
tender-hea rted. forgiving one another, even
as Col for Christ's sake hath forgiven YOU
And Christ says; II ye bear much such
fruit as that, you will glorifv God; you re-
veal Him, you make known His glory.
Secondly, the courses which glorify God
and make the church rich are within the
reach of everybody, the poorest, the plainest,
the most obscure There Is a pi ofound
philosophy underlying moral govern
ment There are profound philo-
sophical questions that pertain to
the attributes and the nature OF Col
Himself. There are reaches Of thought
and not unworthy OF investigation. which
only cducated men. trained thinkers, can
enter into. And there is an impression
that grows up too often In the church
that the men that have great gifts,
great knowledge, are the glory OF
the church. No 1t is thu man that
has the most fruit OF the spirit VI Cod
that is the glory OF tho church And
the qualities that constitute fruit are those
that are open 10 everybody; to the
child. To the young, to the ungifted,
TO the ignorant Everybody knows
how. or may, 10 be gontle Everybody
knows how 10 use their tongue. not as "a
sword, but TO DO an instrument Of pleasure,
profit and instruction 10 other men. Patience;
a man may say, Il can't be patient; | have
never been to college," Probably be
would be less so II he had A man
may say. II can't be humble, 1
don't know much There \ not a man 80
ignorant that he cannot be humble. long
suffering. gentle Take the most boisterous
woman that ever lived, and the lightsst Of
foot land lightest OF head; she may
say. II ain not at to be a teacher
That may be. but when God gives
her a school in hor own house. and her
scholar is her own babe, see IL she does not
know enough 10 he long suffering and gentle
and full Of all manner Of sweet kininess-.s;
ani "a there anything In which a Woman
H. an .n.rrli. Than Ml..n .aa h.ui-