The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1896-04-16
sng INNER LIFE.

:
~ Is the heal Life, Is Renewed Day BY
Day. and Transcends the Outer Both In
Timo and Eternity.
Ill every man there are two men.
There is an outer man that people can
see: there is an inner man that no hu-
laan eye can see. The outer man may be
hurt, wounded, married, even destroyed.
while the inner man remains untouch-
ed. unharmed. immortal. st. Paul puts
1t thus: Though our outward man is
decaying, yet our inward man is re.
newed day by day." He is referring TO
his own sufferings as a Christian. His
body was hurt by scourgings, by ston-
lngs, by exposure. II was worn by
;oil, and by endurance of hunger, Of
hardship. But these things which
Scared his body, leaving marks upon
II, making it prematurely old, has had
ND effect on the inner man. His real
life was not wounded by persecution.
II even grew in strength and beauty as
the outer man decayed.
There is quenchless life within our
ieeaying life. The beating heart,
the breathing lungs, the wonderful
mechanism Of the body, do not make
up the real life. There is something in
rs which thinks, feels, imagines, Wills.
chooses and loves. The poet lies dead.
His hands will write no more. But it
was not the poets body that gave to
The world the wonderful thoughts
which have SO wrought themselves into
the worlds life. The hand now folded
shaped the lines, but the marvellous
power which inspired the thoughts in
the lines was not inSthe hand. The
hand will soon molder in the dust, bat
the poet is immortal. The outward
man has perishei, but the inner life is
beyond the reach of decay, safe in its
Immortality.
The inner spiritual life of Christian
Is not subject 70 the changes that come
upon his outer life. The body suffers,
but if one is living in fellowship with
Christ, ones spiritual life is untouched
by physical sufferings. The normal
Christian life is one of constant, ur
checked, uninterrupted progress. Un'
kindly conditions do not stunt it. Mis-
fortunes do not mar it.
The inner growth of Christian
should be continuous. The renewal is
said to be day by day." No day
should be without its lil4e. We should
count the day lost which records no
victory over some fault or secret sin,
no new gain in self-discipline, in the
culture of the spirit, no enlargement
in the power of serving. no added
| feature OF likeness to the Master.
"The inward man is renewed day by
day."
This does not mean that all days are
alike in their gain. There are special
dates in every spiritual history which
are memorable forever for their special
advance days when decisive battles
are fought. when faults are discovered
and conquered, when new visions OF
Christ are granted, when the heart re.
eeiyes a new accession Of Divine grace,
when one il led into new field oi
service, when new friend comes intc
the life, when one takes new resronsi,
bilities or enters into new relations.
1 Then there are days in every life
when there would seem to be nc
spiritual advancement. We all have
oar discouraged days. We have
days that are stained by folly, marred
by mistakes, blurred and blotted by sin,
aud these seem to be lost days. There
are days when we appear to fail il
duty or self-control, or in struggle
with temptation. The inner man
4 would appear to be crippled and hurt
In such experiences as these, and the
days would seem to be idle and use
less, without profit or progress. We
come TO the evening with sad confess
Eions Of failure, and with painful re-
gret and disheartenment. But ever
such times as these are really gaining
times, IL we are living near the hear
Of Christ. We are at least discovering
our own weakness and frailty. the
folly of self-dependence, the feeble
ness of our own best resolves. Oft
times our defeats prove our greatest
blessings. Nodoubt many Of our rich
est gains are made on the veTy days or
which we weep most sorely over oul
mistake and failures.
Then there are days that are broker
by sorrow The lights go out in on
; sky, and leave us in darkness. Tn,
friends Of many years are taken ava!
from rs. Prosperity Is turned 10 ad
versity. Misfortune touches our inter
ests. Our circumstances become ss'p