The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-06
HOW TO LAY HOLD.
ssrmon By New Pastor Of Ply.
mouth Church.
MESSING ON TO THE PRIZE.
s.s...a Hold ON Man and Mans Hold on
Divine--sermon to Y. NJ. /.
Church News.

~ his 6rst sermon 40 pastor OF the Ply
ys,tb Conversational church yesterday morn
- before = large audience. upon Laying
ss,ds The full text OF the discourse follow:
phil ii.l2 Il press on, II so be that may ap-
-.ssss,d that for which also was apprehended
IL s.Sriss Jssus;" or al press on, If so be that
- IN hold on that for which also was laid
~ "a - ~ Christ Jesus"
ho;e 49, - may, Christ Jesus has laid hold on
- - : suppose. purpose that bis purpose in
sssc~ S6M on me shall be fulfilled. He has
"a "a q me for the sake of developing the
49, 49, ~ ! In me, and to bring into my posses
49, - highest good--the knowing of Him, and
49, sevsr 81 His resurrection. and the fellowship
VI saasrings. lie has laid hold on me TO in
S.S-1s ne TO the biessedness of a redeemed life.
fesg 90 to possess myself OF this prize which
~ ~ placed within my power; / seek TO enter
~ IN the experiences He has for me, TO fulfill
~ fosxns concerning me, TO grasp that future
~ intended for me when lie TOOK me In His
md recently had q peculiar dream. 1t
sssned % me that heard heavenly beings talk
~ a NV spiritual state. IL was as ii they were
skviclsns having consultation over a sick
snsn Finally one OF them seemed TO say 10 the
osb1u In positive, quiet manner: His soul
Win grow no larger he mas been stnnted. he
- busted with the same thoughts, fight the
zane temptations, commit the same sins as
heretofore He viii move in a circle and come
h1ck to his present position. He will not rise
% higher plane but will continue on his pres
ent lsyel He will suffer from his present
doubts his present vague ideas of truth. And
viii Be harrsssed by the same dark and
shifting clouds that now obscure the in
sfable fo.n. He viii never see God
clearly II Is case of arrested development
Il i occasioned by his failure TO apprehend that
Tor which Christ apprehended him. ! awoke in
1 cold sweat The room, which had seemed
large enough when retired, was now cramped
and sitting. choked for breath. was in
prison cell, and all the earth was but q high
walled garden Life seemed childish, empty,
purposeIess. Arrested Development Horrori
Il daafAa d had hrar fhn .tartu
20 wise seemed he, that even while waking,
felt it useless TO make an appeal from his dag
rosis 70 any other authority. II was as II the
most experienced physicians had said 10 man:
sYeur disease 10 mortal" And so sat up in
the numbness OF despair, considering what
had heard and coming TO myself. There was.
then, nothing for me but dwarfed life; q
dumb blind life, in which should fail to dis
ecrn The greatness OF mans mission aud the
glorious fullness of his eternal heritage.
butm this sense OF irreparable loss was horne
ny future and ask myself IL, after all, there was
No escape, no light through the gloom. And
rsdusliy the hopeful determination of Paul
came 10 my mind: 81 press on, If so be that l
mar lay hold on that for which Christ Jesus laid
hold on me-" There was. then, something to
i've for there was some use in aspiration,
Tor the future would be broader, and the skies
Of God deeper | was now at the angle of a fan
which spread out in many folds before me. BY
this dream my attention has been fixed upon
truths which seemed stale and common enough
before, but now are vivid and vital. / am led to
consider how much OF our happiness lies in the
hope OF what we shall be. Our state OF imper-
section IA not intolerable, because we hope liz is
temporary state. II we make a written sum-
mary OF weeks action, taking note Of deceits,
weakness and neglects, we draw a picture.
constant inspection OF which would be misery.
We could not endure the thought OF the past,
did we not suppose that we see fairer and a
nobler self, slowly evolving from this dissoiying
scene. That this hope may have fruition, we
want a grasp on the eternal, such as the eternal
has on US: we want to lay hold on that for which
Christ Jesus has laid hold upon us. As posi-
Bile help towards this effort let US look at the
text from two aspects--the divine hold on me
ana my hold on the divine.
First-The divine hold on me- When Paul spoke
20 his arrest the way to Damascus. Before
that time the teaching of the NaZarene was hav-
ing influence upon him, we gather from
the words of Jesus above to Paul in the dust:
For special reasons Jesus. whom Paul perse-
cuted, saw at then to grasp this man Paul by
ened conscience. He stretched out q hand from
the unseen world. He granted q special appear
Ing 10 this last and greatest of the apostles And
Paul struck not another blow against the COM
pelling hand OF Deity, voiced first in conscience
and afterwards in the visible Christ. Paul met
the challenge; and his after life In sounding
still with the celestial harmonies that result
from acting the human part in concert with the
divine purposes. But observe, / beseech you,
that upon us also Christ Jesus has laid hold.
The tenacious grasp of the Scared hand retain.
upon US. We have been spprehended, to
be guided most divinsly. We are
uasped by one out OF whose hand no man is
desils. We are in the hands of the living God,
forgood for evil. Is II to be case of arrested
development, or OF soul expansion into a great
regeneratsd humanity that can mirror the face
o. Christ looking down upon it; of expansion
Till We are luminous with the glory of His
purity; transparent with His MONDAY light of
ioss' Or is it to be, AS il may be, resentful
bet hat of he Ynda fka. a..
bird in the hand lscerating itself to get free:
painting and rebellious soul dashing itself
ssainst the blessed barriers of ageless truth and
Perpetual companionship with noble minds?
Thus are souls shattered: the means appointed
unto blessings are made by ourselves agents
Of destruction. The bosom OF God, into which
the hand of Christ seeks to fold us, even against
that bosom do we smi;e as against the walls of a
cage. Upon us the cherishing love of God
seems wasted. Yet If our souls echo Alright TO
the speech OF Jesus Christ we know that mans
symmetrical his only development to power, is
along the lines for which God has laid hold
upon him.
The grip of a man on truth, his hold on the
eternal. his faith In the unseen may slacken. Ii
Is a human hand that seeks to grasp what God
has placed before it; faintness, distrust or dis
appointment may cause Us to loosen our hold
But the grasp of Jesus cannot be shaken Il
IN eternal, omnipotent grasp No lover Ia so
jealous OF his own Jesus Is OF those whom he
mas come to redeem. Born deep within the
heart Of God, this grasp clings with the rover OF
N endless love. II any man could hope 10 be
free from il, that man Paul, who lived
under divine law as he understood il, and was
teli.suffcient TO accomplish his mission from
the high priests. Yet was this inquisitor put 10
the toFtnrs, and learned the vanity of struggle
seaiost the redempiiye power OF him who will
draw all men unto himself. While we are walk
ing each man over his road 20 Damascus God
planning otherwise for us. What would
otherwise be our fateH
The guise under which Christ laws hold of rs
nvarious but IL Is unmistakahe. Just as Jesus
spoke to Paul IN the yeruaeular Hebrew, so also
ne speaks TO us in the language that Ia nearest
our feelings and our common life, Ia a voice
eenosng through and shaking ous being by its
summons. Those no stand by observe only the
outward signs, but SO long rs truth and love
safs.ve that voice will sound distinctly: sWhy
Persecutcst thou meG' The echo OF il will rev.
Wnsrste evertaore, until we ssy with Paul u
~ ready 10 so where, 10 be what, even 20 die as
he shsll say who has spprehended me" The
misery OF diSobedience to the heavenly vision
sho shis Will be hell, unless we choose 10 make
~ tns cal OF heaven. Thus Goes the Savior Law
hola OF men. the friend. the spirit, because He
sees greater future Tor men than any one else
h nas seeni lie sees something greater than they
naNe pictured 10 themselves: lie sees the danger
Ia sue Iuture may never be made their own,
80 80 * aese ne knew what was In man, He said:
do 'HesS 'hat oo snaA ss
eeeond-Ny hold on the divine. 1t ia not
snVsgu sAat Jesus has laid hold on rne That
r rS.a WI ne, prevent an arrested DEVELOPMENT.
nsv, 80 -. p not prevent blindness on my
paiA oI sne' TOD purposes concerning me ]
may remain under his grasp passive There
must needs &c response in me Thn T.,..is,as
Msre apprehended by the LORD when they stood
49, my SO oeIoIe theln and the Egyptians be-
nsn1, joshua was apprehsnded when he fell on
us lace anc moarnsG the deisst ~ A. p.-i
Was sppFehended when he Law pros.rs.A -. So
nsmnscene road. All these were snDrnbs,6ei
ior purpose-a purpose OF Salvstilrn "a Ss
ENf