The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-12-09
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Selected for The Times.)

(selected for The Times)
80, wretched man that I am. who shail
deliver me from the body Of this deati u:
thank God through Jesus Christ o''i
Lord. Rom. vii, p.
When a man begins 'to hunger ana
thirst after Righteousness. and VIII d
noble discomfort with himself attempts
to improve himself, he soon finds a pain.
full truth in many a word of the Bible,
TO, which he gave little heed in the Gays
when he was quite satisfied with hi1nseii
and did only what pleased him, right or
wrong. Tie soon finds out that he has no
power of himself to help himself; that
ne IS tied and bound with the burden OIL
his sin; that he is actually sore set ana
numbered by his own sins from running
the race set before him and doing his ou-'
ty where God has placed him. All these
words come home to him as actual facts
most painful facts, but facts which ne
cannot deny. He realizes with pain the
meaning and the truth of that terrible
struggle between good and evil In him,
Of which Paul speaks so bitterly in the
text How, when he tries to do good,
evil is ever present with him. How he is
crippled by the old habits, weakened by
coWardlce, by laziness, by vanity, by gen
eral inability of will-true, he is ready
disguised at himself and at his own weak
ness and sin-to cry: "Who shall deliv-
er me from the body of this death?''
Let him but utter that cry honestly.
Let him once find out that he needs some
thing outside of himself to. keep him, to
deliver him, to strengthen him, to stir
UP his weak WILL to give him grace and
power to do what he knows to be
his duty. instead Of merely admiring it
and leaving it undone! Only let a man
find out that. Let him see that he needs
a helper, deliverer. a strong one-in
one word, a Saviour. and he will find one.
/ verify believe that sooner or later the
LORD Jesus Christ Will reveal to that man
what He revealed to Paul; that He Him
self will deliver him! So that after cry
ing out with Paul: 80, wretched man
that I am; who shall deliver me from
the body of this death?" he will be able
to answer himself 81 thank God that God
will. through Jesus Christ. our Lord.
Christ Will deliver me from the bonds
Of my sins. Christ will stir up this poor,
weak will OF mine. Christ will give me
strength and power faithfully to fulfil all
my good desires, because He has put them
into my heart. What He has begun in
me, He will carry on in me. He has sown
the seed in my heart, and He will make
it bear fruit if l only pray to Him day
by day for strength to do what I know I
ought to do and that I may bring forth
the fruit of good works.
So the man gains hope and heart for
himself, and so, if he will but think ra
tionally and humbly, he may gain hope
and heart for this poor, sinful world. For
what has come true for him may come true
for any man. Who is he that God should
care more for him than for others? VIII
God hear his prayers and keep him and
not hear His whole church when it prays?
All this knowledge OF what is right;
all these good desires; all these longings
after 4 more just, pure, noble and happy
state Of things. There they are in the
world broadcast Though, alas! they have
borne little enough fruit as yet. BE it so.
But God put them into my heart and
into his heart. Why not in theirs? Who
save God put them into the worlds heart?
God sowed the seed in me; surely it is
God who sows it in other men! And
if God has made it bear (even the pooresD
fruit in me- why should He not make it
to bear fruit in other men III all the
world? All they need is that they should
pray God to stir up their wills, that they
may do the good they know and attain
the Dlessedness after which they long.
And then if the man has a truly human,
truly reasonable heart within him he
feels that he can pray for Others as well
as for himself. He feels that he must
pray for them and cry: "Thou alone canst
make men strong to do Thy will, o Lord!
Thou canst not mean that all the good
seed which is sown in Thy world should
wither and die and bring no fruit to per-
fiction surely Thy word will not return to
Thee void but be like the rain which
comes down from Heaven, giving seed to
the sower and bread to the eater. ON,
strengthen such that stand, comfort and
help the weak-hearted, raise up them
that fall, and finally beat down satan
and all the powers of evil under our feet.
and pour out Thy Spirit on all flesh, that
so their Fathers name may be hallowed,
His Kingdom Come and His VIII me Done
on Earth as it is in Heaven"
And so will come the one only true
progress Of the human race-which is that
all men should become faithful and loyal
citizens of the Holy City, the Kingdom
of God, which is the church Of Christ.
To which may God in His mercy bring
us all. and our children after US! Amen.
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TRIBUTE TO AN EDITOR.
Few newspaper editors in the South
have been favored with political honors