Middletown transcript., 1899-03-18
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
Topic For the Week Beginning March
19-COmment by Rev. s. III. Doyle.
ToPIc--Self rnasterv-IC Cor ix oAo7

Topic For the Week Beginning March
19-COmInent by Rev. S. Fl. Doyle.
ToP1o.--self 1nastery.-I Cor. tx, 24-27
Paul here illustrates the Christian
life by foot race and boxing contest.
In order to win the race at the Isthmian
games one had to carefully train him.
self for the contest, and this necessitated
many self denials, Temperance in all
things" To win the boxing contest one
must not only feign heavy blows, but
actually strike them. There must be no
fighting "as one who beateth the air,"
but as one who "strikes under the
eyes," This is the negative and positive
side of the Christian life. We must
deny ourselves, but that is not all. We
must be in active operation against evil
within and without us. There are
things we must not do and things that
we must do. The successful contestant
in either Of these contests had first to
master himself before he mastered othe
ers. To do SO he had to deny himself of
many things in training and had also
to learn to do certain things efficiently.
The Christian who will master the du.
ties Of the Christian life and win the
eternal crown of reward must be gov
erned by these same principles. He
must first of all master himself. He
must be willing to deny himself Of
everything that will weaken his power
over himself or will threaten to rule
him if he does not rule or destroy it.
Christianity teaches self mastery. It
praises and eulogizes the man who is
able to control himself. It points out
the absolute necessity of self control if
we are to win the race and the battle Of
the Christian life. Nor does it ignore
or try to conceal the fact that self mas
terry demands self denial, temperance in
all things 1t emphasizes this fact and |
illustrates it. Paul here declares that |
he keeps his body under-that he brings
his physical desires under-perfect con-
troll; that he bruises it, leads it about as |
slave and smites it under the eyes.
This language is Of course only fgura-
tive. Self torture never produces self |
mastery. It weakens the body rather
GAdA eb1ouStu6uS lt' SOuSIduL S611 u6-
nying labor for others is undoubtedly
the idea in the mind of the apostle.
Thus he kept his body under and made
it conduoe to his growth in power and
in grace.
Self mastery is a Christian grace
much needed today. It is needed not
only in reference to sobriety, but in all
things, in drinking, in eating, in think
ing, in speaking, in actions of all kinds.
Many Christians practice sobriety, tenn
perance in drink, but are very intem-
perate in speech, in desires, in habits Of
other descriptions. We must be temper
ate in all things if we would win the
prize of eternal life. We must do but
one thing, and whatever in our lives
does not assist us in this one thing must
be controlled or destroyed. If contest
ants for worldly prizes are SO ready and
willing to deny themselves for prizes
which soon fade away and are forgot.
ZEN, how much more ready should we
be to do the same for an eternal orownI
Bible Readings.-Prov. XIV, 1; xvi.
30; xix, IL; Xxx, /; xiii, 1-S, 29-S3s
Isa. v, II, 12; xviii, II; Cor. vi, g.
10; Gal. v, 1926; Eph. v, 18; Titus /.
'-9; ii, liz; Pet. iv, 1-5; II Pet. i,
20