The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-10-02

street finds evil easy to learn, but it is
hard to do right. 1t is natural to run
down; to climb UP, is arduous and re-
pugnant
Now this is the scientific doctrine of
"reverSion to type" In nature, degen-
GRAFTON is easy. At great pains, you
have cultivated delicious apple and
take pride in your orchard; but 1t needs
constant care to keep it up, or it will
speedily deteriorate. BY careful breed
ing, Darwin procured choice brood
Of pigeons, through natural selection;
but when he left them to themselves
for a while, he marveled at the quick
ness with which they reverted to the
common pigeon from which they had
sprung. So in mankind, there are con-
slant and weighty tendencies at work
pulling him down to the condition of
the brute.
Men seem to be comparatively help
less to oppose this downward tendency
When I would do right" said Paul;
"evil is present with me. The good
would, do not; and the evil would
not, that I do Horace testified to
the same. impotence: II see the better
and approve but 1 follow the worse. -
David knew the depravity of his heart
and explained by saying that he had
been born in sin and shaped in iniq-
uity.
This knowledge of our sinfulness
shuts out Gods fellowship. 1t renders
us guilty. AS Adam hid himself from
God after his sin, so we instinctively
| feel our unworthiness to be in the
presence Of the infinitely holy one.
And here comes the second r of the
gospel. Reconciliation is the work of
God in annulling the ruin wrought by
sin and bringing men to fellowship with
himself. Who is reconciled? The
preachers of another generation have
represented that it was God, and that
He needed the sufferings of Christ to
placate Him and make forgiveness pos
sible. I do not so read my Bible. 1t is
not God but man that needs to be rec
onciled. 1t is man that has been
Iestranged. God has always loved the race
He so loved it that He gave Christ to
the world to save men. The cross does
not appease the wrath of God; it dis
plays the everlasting love of God. This
is what makes our gospel the good
news Conscience tells us we are
ruined and merit only death: the gos-
pei declares Gods love and shows us
how to become worthy of it, and to live
like the children of God.
The great French preacher, Fenelon,
once made this prayer: 20 Lord take
my heart, for l can not give it; and
when thou hast it, 0 keep 1t, for can
not keep it for Thee; and save me in
spite of myself, for Jesus Christs sake"
This note is sounded by the Profound
est minds and brings us to the third r
of the gospel. 1t is redemption. The
objective work of Christ must be APP
propriated by us. God is good; we
must believe He is good to us. He is
willing to pardon and help; we must
believe He has pardoned us and is will
ing to help us Thoreau, travelling
alone in the Tuckerman ravine, fell and
sprained his ankle He lay there suf-
fering for hours, till stranger hap
pened along and helped him to the no.
tel, four miles away. 1t is not enough
that God is willing to forgive. The sim
full man must believe it. and, renounc-
ing his sin, trust in God by the act Of
faith. Then Gods grace becomes more
than fact; 1t becomes a factor.
In our old city hall, recently demol-
ished, John B. Cough. man wrecked
by strong drink, found Christ present
helper and was saved to a glorious man
hood to a noble work for the fallen
and to the Christians heaven The
three Rs Of the gospel We're exemplified
in him-Ruin, Reconciliation and Re-
demption This is Christs gospel of
hope for mankind.