The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-08-17

Turn to your Bibles and read the
first sixteen verses Of Paul's letter to
the Ephesians and fourth chapter. You
will learn two lessons, see two princi-
pies set forth-unity among christians
and sincerity in love. It is a rebuke
to discord and contentious among be-
levers and an exhortation to the op-
posite-unity, as well as to genuine.
sincere love manifested in life and con-
duct. He beseeches the followers of
the Christ "to walk worthy Of the vo-
cation wherewith We are called" and
tells in what this worthy" walking
consists-'With all lowliness and
meekness, with long suffering, forbear-
ing one another in love-" These be
indeed Christian graces, and they are
the adornments only bestowed by the
Spirit of power, of grace. He then
urges that christians should "endeavor
to keep the unity Of the Spirit in the
bond Of peace" Without the first
graces you may not be able to obey
faithfully the exhortation. The unity
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unity of faith-faith in God, faith in
his dear Son, faith in the great funda-
entail of christianity, to be of one
mind and one heart, and to love God
supremely.
There is but one Saviour, there is but
one Gospel set forth in the blessed
Word of Life. "The Lord our God is
one Lord" There is but one right re-
ligion, and that is of God. The world
is filled with fads and r~ancies, with
all sorts of absurd societies and all
sorts Of religions, but there is but zone
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father Of all, who Is above all"
and through all, and in you ALL"
Oversees $50 The great end of Christ's
coming was to teach Righteousness and
save souls. For this end He emptied
Himself Of all the pre-existent glory in
which he had dwelt from everlasting,
came into this sin-cursed world and
died upon the cross, and then "as-
cended up on high" leading captivity
captive" and bestowing His free ia
vors, His Almighty grace as "gifts
unto men," And all this las been
planned and ordered on purpose to Sc
cure precisely what is set forth in the
18th verse, 'for the perfecting Of the
saints"-saints is the common name in
the New Testament to designate be-
levers, Gods people, christians. This
delightful, most benignant plan was
fully ,consummated that all true believ-
ers in Christ should be united in the
same belief as to fundamental truth,
edge Of the Son of God, the same COM
plete holiness Of life, the same deep
conservation Of heart, and it is all
summed up by the great apostle in the
18th verse as attaining at last unto
the Measure of the stature of
the fitness of Christ"-a "con-
summation indeed "most de-
voutly to be wished" but this last is
phrasing from Shakespeare, and not
from st. Paul. Grow in grace, grow
in holiness, that is Gods law and plan.
What does the apostle teach just here?
in faith, in love, in belief, in h same
knowledge of the Son Of God, in the
complete conversation and holiness Of
life, then shall the "perfecting Of the
saints be fulfilled, then shall believ-
ers stand upon the Mount Of Vision
and shall have at last reached what is
so impressively described as "the
measure of the stature Of the fulness
of Christ" Blessed estate! Exalted
privilege! The means to arise to this
high ecstatic plane is faithful living,
constant "endeavoring to keep the
unity Of the Spirit in the bond Of
peace, speaking the truth in love-"