Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-09-26
One of the Bible "Whatsoevers,
by REV. O. W. l.. CHRIsTIEN,

There are many Bible "whatso
evers," and each one has it's owr
special lessons, The one of which
we now speak Is in Colossians 3:l7
whatsoever ye do in word or deed
do all in the name Of the Lord
Jesus" And certainly no passage
could be more comprehensive. II
takes in the whole of life, every word,
trivial or weighty, every action, great
or small. Whatsoever" is said or
done, either IN the cottage or the
rancho, on Change or in school, on
the farm or on shipboard, among
SAINTS who love us or sinnirs who
dislike us, IN the EDITORS chair or
amid the rattle of machinery, in the
round Of household duties or in the
pulpit with two thousand eyes and
ears waiting for the message TO be ut.
tered in the name Of the Lord, all is
included, Nothing in business or
recreation, in social or Church life,
can be shut out from such demand,
The words put one limb of the com
pass into the center, and with the
other sweep the whole circumference
of ones exlstance, and claim it all for
Christ. And nowhere does the Lord
clam less than this. Full aud com
plete devotion of the life to Him il
His requirement. A divided service
is beneath our duty. II Christ has
any clam upon me lie has every
claim. He is all or He is nothing
Our one great business in the world
is Just to do His will and answer His
designs. II have nothing to do but
to please Jesus" said one, aud he WAS
right; for in doing that all other du
ties will find their accomplishment.
Entire conservation of service to God
is the first law of the Christians life.
Now, is this possibility, and, If 80,
how? That is the practical question
1t is of no use pointing me to lofty,
sunlit summit, aud telling me am to
reach it, if you do not show me- the
road up the mountain-side, But if
we understand gospel teaching Alright,
we take it that the Book points out
Gods way, the life possible, quite as
clearly as it states the duty, Entire
conservation becomes possible thing
just because perfect love is one of the
blessings made over to us in the gos-
pei covenant II the life is to be one
long, happy day of service to God,t the
heart must be filled and energized
with love to Him Ga no other con-
dition can it ever come to pass "Out
of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaketh," and mans actions
will be governed by his ruling sffec-
ton. When our love to God is per-
fected, when it is the master princi-
pie and power and passion of the
soul, then, and not till then, will the
believer do "sll in the name of the
Lord Jesus" A man might as we'll
expect to rise to eminence 10 study
for which he had but little fondness
as for n believer to expect to be able
to live up to New Testament require
ments with perfect love- The simple
matter of fact is that man can 90
against everything else, but he will
not go against his affections He can
sin against duty, he can violate every
dictate Of selfinterest, but he will
never run counter to the ruling love
of his heart. If a low and degraded
love dominates his breast, he will fol.
low 1t, and lead low, degraded life,
trampling upon duty and self. interest
as he does so.
But Jesus comes to create within
the human soul the hottest of all sf-
fections as the supreme life-force-a
complete and all absorbing attach.
ment to Himself And from this, en-
tire conservation in the life will
naturally and Immediately and al
ways spring. The two are really one,
as the root and the flower are one
Perfect love is entire conservation in
the heart; to do "all in the name of
the Lord Jesus" is entire conservation
IN the life. When Christ is Lord of
the affections it is easy to obey. When
to the soul He has become the al.
together lovely, and when, amid all
earthly epjoyments, His love is the
sweetest, the brightest, and the best
there is no difficulty in keeping a
steady aim In Oleaae Him IT, r,o,,Jl