The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-09-22
through the vantage ground of old
habits or asgociationa

Again, the state of mind in question
i'm plies that the Christian knows where
his great strength lies. He knows Ii
does not lie In works of fasting, giving
aims, making prayers, doing public
| duties or private duties-nothin Of this
| sort; not even in resolutions or any self.
originated efforts, but only in Christ re.
| ceived through fsith. He no more ex.
| poets spiritual life of himself spar,
| from Christ, than man in his senses
would expect to fly by swinging bis
the conviction that his whole strength
lies in Christ alone.
When men are 80 enlightened as
truly to apprehend this subject, then TO
expect less than this from Jesus Christ
as the result OF committing the whole
soul to Him for full salvation, is vir.
tually to reject Him as revealed Sa-
viour. 1t does not honor Him for what
He Is; 1t does not honor the revelations
He has made OF Himself in His word by
accepting Him as there presented. For
consider, what is the first element of
this salvation? Not being saved from
hell, but being saved from sin. Saliva.
ton from punishment is quite q sec
ondary thing in every sense. L, is only
a result Of being saved from sin, and not
VIZ ~ 1hO CiCLhCht III tut uOdpol SALIVA
ton. Why Uas the infant Messiah to
be called Jesus? Because He should
save His people from their sins. And
does the Bible anywhere teach any
other or different view from this?
l. This text Reckon your
selves to be dead indeed uno' tin. but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ
most entirely justities the expectation
OF living without sin through ALL
aboundiDg grace, II there were no
other passage bearing on this point, this
alone Is adequate, and for Christian
70 offer this only as reason for such
hope in Him is to offer SIS good reason
as need be given. There are indeed
many others that fully justify this ex-
pectation.
Q. To teach that such expectation is
dangerous error IS to teach unbelief,
What if the apostle had added to this
injunction which requires US to account
ourselves dead indeed unto sin, but
alive unto God, this singular averment:
Vet let me warn you, nobody can rs-
tionally hope to be free from sin in this
world. You must reno mber that to en-.
terrain such an expec sation as God en-.
joins in this language Is dangerous
error" What would be thought OF this
il it were attached to Rom. vi IL?
No man can deny that the passage
treats OF Specification. The whole
question is. shall Christians continue
In sin" after having been forgiven and
accepted in their Redeemer? Paul
labors to show that they should, and of
course that they may die to sin-evan
as Christ died for sin; aud also may live
new, q spiritual life Through faith
in His grace, even as Christ does
higher and more glorious life.
Let me refer here to another passage,
in which it is said-"Be not une qually
yoked with unbelievers-what agree
idols? For ye are the temple
of the living God. Wherefore
come out from among them and be yo
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not
the unclesn thing, and | will receive
you, and will be Father unto you and
ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith
the Lord Almighty Having there
fore, these promises, dearly beloved.
let us cleanse ourselves from all filth
ness of the flesh and of the spirit per-
fecting holiness in the fear of God. -
2. Cor. vi Ills, and vi 1. This Is
remarkable passage. Notice how pre-.
cept and promise are intermingled, and
how, finally, upon the basis of most
glorious promise, is founded the pre-
cept enjoining us to perfect holiness
Now what should we think of Paul and
OF the Divine Spirit who spake through
Paul, II he had imp ediately gu bjoined-
Take care lest any of you should be
led by these remarks to indulge the
very dangerous and erroneous expecta-
zion that you can perfect holine8s.
or cleanse yourselves from any sin,
nithQr NJ HaQh irft IN thia nv ri "A
Would not this have been trifling with
the intelligence and Christian sensi-
bility OF every reader OF his words
through all time? Should we not &C
count it as substantially blasphemous?
II so happens that the Bible never
Rainsays it's own teachings; but ask
What If IL had? What II the Bible had
solemnly asterted-"No mere man,
either of himself or by any grace res
ceived in this life, has ever kept or
ever will keep the commandments of
God wholly, but doth daily break them
in thought, word and deed?"
To teach that such an expectation is
dangerous ia a great deal worse than no
teaching ct all Far better to leave
men to their own unaide6 reading OF
Gods word, for this could scarcely in
any case 80 sally mislead them, how
ever inclined they might be to the
misappre Dangerous to eX-
pect salvation firm sin? Dangerous?
What does this mean? What. Danger
GUS TO expect victory over any sin? II
so, what Is the Gospel worth? What
Gospel have we that could be deemed
good news at all?
Many indulge the very opposite ex-
pectation. Ear from expecting any such
thing as the apostle authorizes them to
expect, they know they have no such
expectation, OF sons yet more than
this is true-they expect to count them
Al ii. L.i..