Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-06-02
FOR SALE.
The Lunenburg Heights House.
Lunenburg, Vermont
For particulars inquire of
MISS JULIA r. WHITE,
Administrative of the estate of
MRS. E. G. WHITE.

TEN OF restrictions and obligations: and
yet he is free. Those obligations and
restrictions only prescribe for him what
his own new Iieaven-sent nature would
wish to he and to do. They would be
very annoying, no doubt to the old ma
tnre which he has put off. They would
eXasperate what ). Paul calls 1.-THE old
Adam, which is corrupt, according to
the deceitful lusts." But they are ac-
ceptable to, they are demanded by, the
new man, which, after God, is created
III righteous and true holiness"
Whatever Christian may be out
wardly, he is inwardly free man. In
obeying Christ's law he acts as he de-
Sires to act; he acts according to this,
the highest law of his life, because he
reJolces to do 50. lie obeys law; the
law Of God. But then he has no incli-
nation to diSobey it. To him, obedience
is not yoke. Disobedience would be a
torture. His inclinations are in accord
ance with his highest duty; that which
| emancipates him is itself a law. The
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
hath made me free from the law of sin
and DEATH lie is as 5. Peter SAYS to
us today, a servant of God but then, as
he would not for the world be anything
else, his service is perfect freedom.
The antinomian psa that the rules
| and laws of Christian life are an infringe
ment upon Christian liberty is only
way of making Christian liberty cloke
of maliciousness. The care of consci-
ence, regular habits of devotion, system
in doing good to others, and in the dis
| pOsal of time, caution as to what passes
i'll conversation, avoidance of bad COM
pany, precautions against temptation;
these things are represented as inconsis-
| tent with freedom. Inconsistent they
are with mere natural impetuosity, with
a purely animal impatience of restraint,
with that notion of human liberty which
places it in the indulgence of the lower
instincts and desires at the cost of the
higher. True freedom, let us be sure,
consists i'll the power of acting without
hindrance according to the highest law
of our being. TO do wrong does not
assert our liberty, it degrades, it enslaves
us. 1t may have been necessary that we
should have the power Of doing wrong, in
order to do right freely. But none the
less we forfeit freedom if we do aught
but right. \ man is not really more
free because he steals. because he swears,
because he murders. This false notion
of liberty is its worst enemy. Our high
est liberty is secured by our free COM
plete obedience to every detail of Gods
eternal law.
Ny friends, let us look up to our
Great Emancipator Our freedom is af-
ter all His gift; but He has left us the
power the perilous power. of forfeiting
it, that we may, if we will, retain it for
His glory. Let us see that we do not
forfeit it by cloking under it the ''ma-
liciousness" which repudiates law. The
laws Of the land protect our social lib
erty. The laws of the Church, the laws
of natural and revealed Truth, protect
our mental liberty. The moral laws of
God protect our spiritual liberty. All
true law meets in, radiates from, the Di-
vine Person of Christ, the Everlasting
Legislator, our Deliverer from political
intellectual, moral slavery.
If we repudiate law we turn His gift
against himself. If, through our will
ling obedience, we find i'll law the very
countersign of our freedom, we are
and i'll this way only can be-free in
deed.