Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-05-25
CHRISTIAN ENDEANOR.
Topic For the Week Beginning May go.
Comment by Rev. $. II. Doyle.

Topic For the Week Beginning May go.
Comment by Rev. S. II. Doyle.
ToPIo.-Chrstian growth. -Ps. xcii, Ills;
Eph. iv, 1l-l6.
The true Christian must grow. He
cannot stand still, for that is impossible.
He must not turn to the right hand or
left hand, for that is dangerous. He
dare not turn back, for that is treason
10 Christ. Christ emphatically declares
that one who puts his hand to the pillow
ind looks back is not worthy of Him.
God intended that we should grow and
develop. He has placed the elements of
growth within and without us. He has
placed high ideals before Us and calls
upon us to strive to attain to them.
Christ's intention and purpose toward
rus is that we should grow. eye have
not chosen Me-" He says. "but l have
chosen you and ordained you that you
should go and bring forth fruit and that
your fruit should remain. "Grow in
grace, says the apostle Peter. Grow in
the graces that adorn and beautify
Christ and Christianity.
Christian growth Is compared to that
Of the palm tree and the cedar of Leb-
anon Cps Xiii, 7-15,1 1.-The righteous
shall flourish like the palm tree; he
shall grow like cedar in Lebanon.
The leading characteristics of the date
palm and the cedar are their stately
loneliness, fruitfulness, undecaying
vigor and perpetuity. Nothing in all
the world of nature is more stately than
the cedar. The palm is ever green, sin
the winters cold as in the summer $
heat Not by years, but by centuries, is
the cedar age reekoned. " The wicked
spring as the grass, which soon with
ers and dies but the righteous are ever
green and fruitful. "They that are
planted in the house of the Lord shall
flourish in the courts of our God. They
shall still bring forth fruit in their old
age; they shall be fat and flourishing.
The fruitfulness of the GATE palm in old
age is remarkable. 1t has been said that
when it reaches its maturity it produces
800 or 400 pounds weight Of food and
even as much as 600 pounds. May our
Christian growth be like the palm and
cedar, beautiful, constant, producing a
fruitfulness that will rebound to the
honor and glory of God.
The Christians growth is to be to-
ward perfect manhood in Christ Jesus,
Eph. iv, ell. This is the high ideal
that Paul sets before us. Christ, he says,
''gaye some apostles, and some prophets,
and some eyangelists, and some pastors
and teachers, for the perfeoting Of the
saints = y till we all come in the
unity of the faith and of the knowledge
Of the Son of God, unto perfect man,
unto the measure Of the stature Of the
fullness of Christ" Perfection in Christ
is the ideal that is set before us, and
how we'll we know that this cannot be
attained in day or at single bound,
but by the steady, gradual growth of
months and of years, as steadily and
gradually the cedar attains to its stately
height and spreading beauty. Let us
take this as our ideal and strive each
day to come one step nearer to it.
Bible Readings.-Ps. i, Is; Jer. xii,
2; Hos. xiv, II; Nal. iv, /, 2; John
XIV, IS; Cor. iii, GO; II Cor. tx, SIS;
Gal Vi, 8; Eph. ii, 1929; Phil. iii,
7-15; Col. i, 9-17; II Thess. i, 1-3; 1
Pet. ii, 2; II Pet iii, IS.