The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-15

Jesus call us by HIS mereies,
Savior, make us hear Thy call
| Give our hearts to thine obedience,
Serve and love Thee best Of all"
2. Another lesson to-day In this
prayer and which every individual
should try to follow, is to "be sincere
and without offense until the day OF
Christ" Here Is another hard lesson to
learn, and hard duty 20 follow, and yet
both must be done by each individual, II
the prayer stands for some thing more
than an empty form, and we intend
each OF us by Gods help, to make the
church what she ought TO be In this
world, not only light to honestly warn
those who are in danger of shipwreck'
but haven OF rest for those who are
weary and heavy laden. OnI entering
the church, man has the right TO feel
that he is going into higher and pur-
er atmosphere than that In which he
has been accustomed to move. He
longs to escape from the storms OF the
world, where there is so much dishon-
esty and so many stumbling blocks, in
to haven where he may find at least
some rest and peace for his soul.
Here he expects to find and has a
right to find the principles OF Christ,
| honestly set forth BY the preacher, and
honestly followed by the people OF
course no thoughtful person expects to
find perfection even In the church; for
there is a human element In II and
will be until the church militant be-
comes the church triumphant, but be
does expect Ia find sincerity here and
when he does not the church becomes
a hindrance instead OF help and a
comfort But is 1t the church's fault?
| BY no means; for the church Is what
the individual members make II, Every
Individual of us Is largely responsible
for the proper tone OF the whole body.
/ fear we are keyed tod low In the
matter of sincerity and hepce offenses
come Instead of keeping In harmony
with heaven and heavenly things, we
seem content, too often, to keep In tone
with the world and worldly ways. We
are In constant danger OF using mere
earthly measures for advancing the
church's interests. In our oVerwean-
ing desire for popularity we forget the
supreme value of souls, If we can get
a crowd and keep the machine a-going,
we are too frequently content to have II
80, and hence the church becomes more
like a hotel than Divine Brotherhood.
Each lodger has his own room, and
calls for what he wants, but does not
feel bound to look after another's
needs. OF course, where such state
] OF things exist, sincerity Is absent and
offenses constantly arise TO disturb the
peace and harmony that should reign
In an institution like this.
Let each of us In our respective
places try to realize the supreme i'm
portance OF truly preaching, truly re-
ceiving, and truly following the great
principles of Christ, and offenses will
not arise, but instead thereof, peace
and happiness, truth and justice, relis-
ion and plety will be established among
us for all generations; and the church,
with her manifold gifts Of grace, will
be resorted to as sure resting place
for the weary and heavy laden.
A. And now that the individual, as
well as the church. may be endued with
every grace, the Apostle prays that, we
may be FILLED with the fruits Of right
| eousness, which are by Jesus Christ
unto the glory and praise OF God" II
you will come and walk with me In the
fields and through the forests, may be
| able to show you what the Apostle
means by this final petition. The earth
Is full of roots, not one OF which knows
how to live. The trees are full of buds
every one of which IS closed and ban
daged, so that 1t cannot expand. All
things are populous. but all things are
CONCEALED and restrained. And so Is II
with every individual without the full.
ness OF God-wlthout the fruits oil
| RELATIONSHIPS, which are by Jesus
Christ. AS an individual you may be
very respectable man or woman-you
may be full OF high and godllke pow
| ers, and yet your condition Is one OF
bondage and inactivity, until the Holy
Spirit comes with all the plentitude OF
His power and grace, like the coming
of the spring into the soil and forest,
Then ali things wake up and begin
to grow until there Is fruit in exceed
ing abundance, and in state OF per-
feet ripeness. God expects everyone to
wake up. He also expects them 20 grow
To ripeness and maturity. No one
ought to remain forever In swaddling
clothes, or even In the impulsive inac-
tlvlty of youth. st. Paul said, when
! was child, spoke as child, un-
derstood as a child; Thought as n
child, but when I became man. put
away childish things" When the days
of maturity came, he no longer mani
tested the features of childhood in
talk or thought, or action; for there
would have been signs OF weakness,
which no man or woman should be
guilty OF, nor will they be II they hope
ID be real blessing and help In the
church and world God expects every
one to be In time full grown men and
this we may claim TO be, II we be NIL
ed with the fruits Of righteousness,
which are by Jesus Christ TO the praise
and glory OF God" Let each one Of US.
then. do our part In coming up to Gods
expectation OF us: for from Him are the
fruits of Righteousness found, and from
Him must they be sought. Let US then.
turn to Him In earnest and incessant
prawer-liftinE up holy hands without
wrath and without doubling, and He
will give us not only one, but all the
graces Of the Christian life and so by
growing equally In love and excellence,
and sincerity. each one will grow in
to perfect man, unto the measure Of
the stature OF the tullncss Of Christ"
This should be the object and aim Of
every Christian man and woman, and
II II only were, what power and
blessing each one would be for gn9d
and that not so much for his own glory
but for the praise and glory Of God and
for the church, which He hath planted
in the world for guidance and help Of
man