The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-20

faith Is not confined 10 the Jews. Sin ia
not confined to the Jews: sin dates from
Adam. and IS as universal as the human
race. The remedy which Christ brings is ~
universal as the disease The forgiveness il
wide in its scope as the mercy If
through one mans disobedience many were
made sinners. so. through the Obedience OF
one shall many be made righteous Where
sin abounded Gods free gift did more ex-
ceedingly abound Then, says imag-
mary objector, We would better continue in
sin that grace may continue 10 abound.
Such an objectOr does not understand the
nature of sin and death, nor Of grace and
life. If we are living the life of faith We
are dead to SIM we no longer desire 10 20
on with II; the very essence OF life is a
supreme desire for righteousness. How.
then, can man who is living the life Of
faith, that is. the life which chooses
righteousness, choose to so on i'm sin?
When we have come into vital. sympa-
thetic relations with Jesus Christ. We have
become, at least in our desire and aspira-
tions, dead to sill, as Jesus Christ was dead
to sin, and alive only TO righteousness. as
Redemption is the summons of Christ. and
the obedience of the soul to that summons,
To new life, here and now. 1t IS the proc
lamatlon OF emancipation to slave, and
the acceptance by the slave of liberty. here
and now 1t is deliverence from the life 10
which the soul was married. a life which
has now died. and it's marriage To a new
life, even Christ. Those entirely mistake
the very nature of redemption who suppose
that it is a contriyance by which men who
are sinners here may get into heaven here
after. 1t is q divine method by which the
cipated, the soul may be welded 70 and
made participation in the Christ life on
earth.
And, then, having stated his philosophy.
having shown its historical foundation in
Abraham and David. having shown philo-
sophically its effect on the problem of pain
and suffering. having answered the objec-
tions, Paul passes by one of those transit
lions so common with him into Il personal
experience, or at least what is in form a
personal experience. ] was the other day
at the house of a friend, who showed me i
wonderful statue Of Shakespeare, modelled
by Ward the sculptor, aud he told me what
may be familiar to you. but was new to me,
that When the sculptor models his statue
he first makes in clay the skeleton. and
then on the skeleton he builds up the
nerves and arteries and muscles. and then
clothes them with flesh Thus Paul lays in
an analysis of spiritual development with
the anatomical foundation of the creation
he is to set before us. We may strip away
the flesh and blood and nerve and muscle
from this living statue that Paul puts before
us, and if we do we shall find beneath it n
wonderful analysis of spiritual develop
ment. And then if we take up the narra-
clothed that analysis with living flesh and
breathed into it the breath of a personal
life.
SAVED BY THE LAW
"Once," he says, II was dead in sin. I
was living sinful life and did not even
know that it was sinful. The law came
TO me. 1t said, Thou shalt not covet And
L L
in nourishing my evil desires. But still I
went on with the wrong, knowing it to be
wrong. And so; through the law, the sin
that before was objectionable became ex-
ceeding sinful began to struggle against
the sin, but L was under the domination Of
the flesh, sold like a slave and struggled
in vain. was an enigma to myself, what
I was doing I could not comprehend. What
I wished to do L hated to do. What hated
in myself die continually. was two men.
There an evil spirit in me that mas
tered me. More and more clearly / per-
ceived the right and still ! did the wrong.
| was at war with myself. / was a slave
to the law of sin, from which / in vain
struggled to be free. l like a captive
bound to q dead body; from the corpse I
could not disentangle myself / was
wretched until | learned that God meas
ureS man not by his achievements but
by his aspirations and desires; not by
animates him, and the end which he pur-
sues / learned that those who follow after
they have the fellowship and the friendship
of God; that this, on the one hand. is suf-
hcient to secure his friendship, and on the
other hand his friendship and his fellow
ship can be secured in other way. If
one pursues the flesh. he is at enmity with
God If he pursues the spirit he is i'm fellow
ship with God. And if he thus pursues the
spirit, if Christ is in him. though the body
is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive.
the flesh, and even the flesh itself. win be
come instrument of Righteousness. For
not those who do righteousness, obeyng
am eternal law of God, are His sons, but
those that follow after righteousness, be
ing led by His spirit, they are the sons OF
God The spirit which the gospel gives is
not a spirit of bondage to law. but the
spirit of adoption which leads as to see
in God not an awful Judge, sovereign and
call with the familiarity of childhood
abba. that is papa. And we know that We
are children, because of the intimacy of our
spirit with His spirit. And II are chill
dren then we are heirs of God. we arc III
heriting Him, and we are Joint heirs with
Christ and shall be conformed to Him
And if we suffer it is only that our suffer
ing may work out i'll us an eternal weight
of glory.
ton waiteth for the unvailing of the sons
of God For the creation was made subject
TO decay not of its own will, but by reason
Of Him who hath subjected the same in the
hope that the creation of itself also shall
be delivered from the bondage of conup-
ton into the freedom of the glory of the
children of God. For we know that tho
whole creation now, and not only 50. but
also we ourselves, though we possess the
first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves
groan together within ourselves, waiting
for the sonship. even for the redemption or
our body, for by hope are we saved: but
hope for that we see not, then do We with
patience wait for it,
POSSIBILITY OF MAN.
And what this hope is that cheers, sus-
tains, illumines and inspires He makes
clear. Whom He did foreknow He also did
foreordain to be conformed to the image OF
the Son that He might be the first born
among many brethren. Moreover, whom
He did foreordan them He also called, and
whom He called them He also frightened.
and whom He frightened them He also glori-
fed God has foreseen in pan a possibility
which men never sec in one another nor in
themseIves-a possibility of being finally 50
conformed to the image of Christ that
Christ will be but as the first born among
many brethren. So that they will be in the
Father as Christ is in the Father and have
given to them through Him the glory which
the Father gave to the Son. And, foresce-
ing this possibility. the Father determines
to make it a reality, and, determined 90
make it a reality, he calls humanity 10
Him that He may achieve this result IN
them, and having called them TO Him, ia
rightens them; and, bringing them to HIM.
self and bringing order out of their moral
chaos in themselves and frightening them,
He will glorify them and finally present
them fautless before the throne OF HIS
grace with exceeding great glory. Secure
in this faith andin this hope of life whlen
begun. carried on and ended in God, noth-
ing can discourage or dishearten the apQs-
(N.I IsA