The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-08

ing Of any value anywhere on the face OF
the earth that is not claimed by somebody
Earth as beonsihs ons hs to him. Nan wants the
place. God placed him here TO replenish
II. to subdue it," to till 1t. and to make 1t
fruitful. A large portion Of 1t is owned.
~; but whether owned by q few or many.
every mountain. every hill, every valley.
ever plain. every farm. ever home has an
owner. Ever horse, COW. sheep, fowl. hog
or DOG has claimant. and q proper one
too by right Of production or lawful pur-
chase. Every mans proper rights ana
claims are also respected In Law, and In
the enjoyment of them he can be pro-
croachments Of false claimants.
>, we seem to be more concerned in our
lifetime about our worldly possessions
than about our actual selves. While we
hne farm belongs lying in yonder valley.
or that large drove of cattle grazing In
yonder pasture field. or that beautiful
mansion standing on the corner. OF two
principal streets, We hardly trouble our
selves with the question AZ to whom We
belong. II We ever did ask the question
We likely answered 1t just as We did with
rs,srenge r.stmaS to 9Ir property which we
answer Of selfishness. Did you ever ask
yourself the question in all seriousness,
whose am 1? To whom do ! belong? II
you have, You have clear and positive
answer to 1t In my text: "Ye are not your
own
NEEDED TO BE INSTRUCTED.
The mere placing Of the words In this
epistle seems TO indicate that there We're
some among those to whom the apostle
was writing who thought that they be-
longed to themselves, and that they need
ed to be instructed to the contrary. Aside
from these words Of Paul and kindred
passages Of Scripture bearing upon this
subject, We ought to be able to see that
we could not own ourselves. There are
only three ways Of obtaining property
honestly; by production, by purchase and
by Inheritance or as a gift. How could
We belong to ourselves by right Of pro-
duction! The idea is contrary to all rea-
son. We are producers. but not self-pro-
ducers. Various kinds of grain, vegeta-
bies. or stock raised under a mans super
vision and care. are recognized as belong
ing to the producer. by everybody. But
self-production is an impossibilty to man.
Moreover. the Scriptures teach that God
made us and not We ourselves.
Neither could we belong to ourselves by
right OF purchase. II such a business
transaction as buying ourselves Is possl-
Bile, and taking it for granted that such a
purchase has been made, no one can blame
ms for being a little curious to know from
whom We did the buying. what we paid in
each case and when the transfer was
US from whom he purchased himself? Was
IT from your parents? They gave you
your birth and reared you, and II any one
has any claim on you in all this world
they have. But not one Of us is conscious
OF ever having bought out their claim
which they might have held against US.
A slave might purchase his freedom
from his master. but even then he would
who has always enjoyed such freedom.
The fact IL simply this-we never bought
ourselves. Even though some one owned
us who offered US for sale. when We were
most of us did not have money to buy
such an expensive article as we estimated
ourselves to be. And to say that We
bought ourselves very cheap with the lit
great reflection upon the value Of the ar
ticle bought. Neither do we remember
OF any transfer OF ourselves. 1t never took
place within the recollection Of any per-
transaction. What evidence have we then
that 1t ever occurred? None whatever.
YB ARE NOT YOUR OWN.
The fact stands. therefore, "Ye are not
your own" Still there are many persons
who live so exclusively for themselves
that they impress us as trying to make
us believe that they are their own, or at
mind us Of thieves and dishonest people
generally. who have no rightful claim to
what they have in their possession, because
they stole 1t or secured ii by some other
fraudulent means from others. There are
many who are trying to run away from
their true owner, to steal themselves out
Of His hands. not desiring to be peaceful
subjects OF His tender love and care They
trample His beneficient law under their feet
and will not have Him to rule over them,
however much they may seek to set up
and to maintain Il condition Of independ-
ency by living u life of sin and alienation
from Him who Is their real Owner, and
whom they ought to serve: they can never
upon them becomes forfeited The prodi-
gal son. far away from his parental home.
Is still the son of his father. and ne may
expect 10 receive a loving fathers well
come upon returning from his WayWard
life.
We belong TO God by right Of creation.
Man Is Gods child: man bears a signature
Divine, and great things are expected OF
In his own image" But now. @ Lord,
thou art our Father; We are the clay, and
thou art the potter; and We all are the
work OF thy hand" 20 come. let us wor-
ship and bow down; let us kneel before
the Lord our maker for He is our God:
and We are the people of His pasture, and
the sheep OF His hand" Anything that
man makes out of his own material is
surely his own, without the possibility OF
question. Therefore the blessed fact that
God Is our Maker, involves in the very
nature OF things the still more blessed fact
that He Is our Owner also. But perhaps
the most important reason why We be-
long to God is because He bought us, re-
deemed us. 'fe are bought with u price
The idea of being bought Is that idea in
redemption which modern heretics dare to
style mercantile. But mercantile redemp-
tion Is the Scrptural one, provided 1t does
not lose the sense of an atonement. az is
apparent to all Bible students. 1.-The Son
of man came to give His life a ransom
for many "Who gave Himself ransom
for ALL. These quotations apply the work
of redemption to the saving work Of
Christ.
BOUGHT WITH A PRICE.
Truly, are we bought with price,"
mot redeemed with corruptible things, as
silver and gold. but with the precious blood
Of Christ as of lamb without blemish
alienated lands might be recovered by
the payment Of a ransom, so the blood CT
Christ Is the price OF our redemption from
sin. who gave Himself ransom for us,
that He might redeem us from all iniqui-
ty." Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the law, being made curse for
us; for it Is written Cursed Is every one
that hangeth on Il tree
Like the noble Roman youth who es
tradition tells, leaped full-armed into the
yawnng chasm because the city could
only be saved by the sacrifice of her best
treasure so did Jesus. the "wel-Deoved"
the ''only-begotten OF the Father" the
Head and Chief of our humanity. yield
up His life to redeem the life of the world.
He gave Himself for us. He suffered, the
just for the unjust, that He might bring
us unto God"
"ye are bought" Is fact, or We are Is-
deemed. Terrible alternative this is.
Surely. after all that We have learned
out of the word of God touching this mat
ter, We cannot question the fact that we
belong to God. \ silly child when he plays
at selling would like to take the price and
keep the article too: but everybody knows
that this cannot be. If you keep the goods
you cannot have the price, and ii you ac-
cept the price the goods are no longer
yours. You may have either the one or
the other, but not both. DO you think tha,
you can belong TO yourself and claim
your redemption price, too? Surely. you
do not wish 10 be regarded as being silly?
If you accept the ransom. then the thing
redeemed Is no longer yours, but belongs
to him who bought it. If | am redeemed,