The herald., 1896-09-07
TRINITY M. e. CHURCH SOUTH
An Eloquent Discourse bv the Pastor at Oh
forming Services

An Eloquent Discourse bv the Pastor at the
forming Services
At Trinity M. E. Church, South, yes
terday morning, an eloquent sermon
was preached by the pastor from the
text, First Peter. 1. 16. Be ye holy, for I
am holy.
Manifest responsibility is to God, said
the speaker, living in relations with God
and subject of moral law. Man must
order his life in agreement with moral
law and his relations to God or suffer.
The command Of the text is based on
the divine character. God calls men to
the same moral perfections that are
revealed, as belonging to God. In this
command the highest possible standard
is fixed. Man has no right to set up
any other. God fixes the standard.
Man must answer to God. There is at
present tendency to set UP opinions of
what MEN ought to do and to be ,and
hold men anEwerabls to these. The
wisdom of divine revelation in Christ Is
seen in that, that there are few specifi-
cations. General principles are stated,
the highest ideay is placed before men
ard then exhOrtations to strive for its
attainment.
God pushes his requirements back of
like his own, one that partakes of his
thought, love and spirit.
1t is a law of our nature that we be-
come like the object We worship. In
prohibiting idolatry of every kind God
is no more Jealous of his own glory than
he is of mans good. In requiring man
to worship the one loing and true God
he required that which would bring
man to the highest possible attain
ment
The holiness required of men is the
same as that which belongs to God.
Holiness here signifies all moral perfec-
ton, Wilderness. AS all the attributes
of God, this gives us the divine nature.
The holiness required of man is to be a
holiness of nature, not of profession.
The tree must be good before the fruit
can be good.
Heathens degrade and corrupt their
gods till morally they are on the plane of
men. Christ sought to elevate man till
he should stand on the plane Of God.
| Christ came that men might have this
| life of the divine spirit in them. As
sinners men have no standing in God q
presence except in the grace revealed
| by Christ.
Man must have communion with God
| In order to realize fulness Of life in a ID
| for himself. In order to this communion
| it is not enough to know that Christ
| lived, died and rose again. Christ must
| be formed in men, the hope of glory.
| Christ through the spirit becomes the
| power of God in men. In thus coming
| into mans life Christ energizes mans
will. He purifies mans thoughts by
| leading him to nobler and better
| thoughts. He purifies mans heart by the
| power of his own great personality
Here we see Christ no longer as ob1ec-
tive to us, but we know him as subjec-
| tive in us.
Holiness then is not a profession, but
| life, begotten in the heart by the spirit
| This life of the spirit has in 1t infinite
progress. This life reveals itself in con.
| duct as the tree bears It's fruit. The &C.
tions Of men reveal their characters.
| Take Jesus as q revelation of divin,
holiness Are we holy as he was? d.
We act as Co-ist acted? Do we love a.
he loved? Are we forgiving as he wal
| forgiving? Are we self-sacrificing as HI
| was self-sacriflcing? Holiness in God
recoils from sin. The recoil Of our ma.
lures should b the same. Look at God'l
action in the presence Of sin. It 10 tht