Arizona republican., 1899-11-12

soul with ever increasing admiration
and respect-above us the starry hea
vens. within us the moral law Man
is a member of the kingdom of spirits.
He is capable Of virtue and of sin. He
is the offspring Of God. and in this lies
his greatness. He is a free being. ca
pable Of self government and self de-
struction. He can contend with his
Maker. What is man that thou art
mindful Of him" finds its answer here
Thou hast made him to lack but little
of divinity and clothed him with glory
and honor
why visit him." The answer is here
man is an immortal being. The plan
cts are said to he cooling off 50 that
life will eventually be extinct. Not 50
man. They shall perish, but lie re-
mains.
3. 4 sufferer is n being OF importance
in Gods universe. Man is sufferer
and IS therefore worthy of Gods
thought and visitation Wonderful are
the New Testament pictures of the di-
vine compassion for human suffering.
Christs ministry was full of tender
ness for the afflicted and sOrrowing.
Astounding in merciful offices for those
in trouble. pain or grief.
However feeble, as compared with
the stupendous forces of nature. how
ever obscure in rank. yet, if he suffers,
he becomes an object of the highest i'm
pOrtance in the divine government.
Hence the God of mercy lis mindful of
him" and sets his heart upon. him and
visits him every day.
I. Man as 4 sinner is Of special i'm
portanCe. A creature who sins always
makes himself of Importance; the MUIR
derer clothes himself with an impor-
lance he never had before; an offending
member of family assumes a signif-
canoe he did not have before. So with
man as d member Of Gods family.
Viewed simply as a sinner. he looms Up
in the divine government above the
stars. He has lifted up the hand of
rebellion against God-he and he alone.
Angels veil their faces and love and
adore God. Man alone lifts his guilty
hand and deIes Him. Yet God made
man but "a little lower than the an
gels"
). The crowning proof of mans
greatness and worth in the divine gov
eminent must be taken from Gods own
estimate; and that is found in the sac
riGce that God has made II restore
man TO the high place from which lie
has fallen. God created him In His
own likeness" lie was made pure
and holy and fell from that estate by
SHINING against God" n the divine
plan restoration was possible only by
vicariCus 2tOnenert. and God so loved
the world that he gave His only begot-
ten SON TO he the ransom for sin. ii
every age and race, that whosOever
beiieveth on Him should not perish,
but have eternal life" II is il view
of the Incarnation and of the Cross
that We see man crowned with glory
and honor"
In the Bible we have an account Ct
the Creation and an account Of the Re
Gemption. The story of the Creation
gives US an impression Of the ease with
which it was done. IN the beginning
God created the heavens and tie
earth" How different the account o.
the redemption. The moon and stars
cost nothing-the redemption of the
soul cost Gods dearly beloved Son.
differences:
/ We thus find the fact, and the rea-
condolences Of the fact, that God is
mindful of US" We have a place il
Gods thought. The weakest and most
unworthy of us all engages the divine
mind. and IS an object of interest and
solicitude to the divine heart.
,. We see that the real greatness Of
man as a sinner lies in his acceptance
of Christ as his Savior-in his peni-
tence. contritiun, confession and disci-
pleship; Tor that reopens the way for
the incoming and indwelling of the
Divine Spirit. Know ye not that your
bodies are the temples of the Holy
Ghost?"
3. IF a man is worth so much to Cod,
he surely ought TO be Of great value to
himself. IF God is thus mindful of him,
what madness for him to be unmindful
of Cod
4 If man is so important a creature
as a sufferer and as a sinner, how
much more so as a Christian. When ne
becomes a redeemed soul. a sufferer
healed. a slave emancipated, restored
and sanctined man. raised by the love
of Christ. and the indwelling of the
Spirit. 10 think Gods thoughts, 70 walk
in Gods fellowship and TO be one OF
Gods family-then he is, indeed,
crowned with glory and honor