The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1902-08-29

thing that Laccheus ever dld was 10 come
down. and so will II be for every one OF
YOU. What can l 40 TO be saved. Some
one is even now asking. and there IS no
more important question. According 20
the Scripture YOU can merely live because
of your good works and while IN the one
place. n IL said. Work out your own sal.
vation with fear and trembling" two
things must be remembered. First. this ,s
Gods message 10 Christians. and second,
We can only work out what has already
been worked in.
Working will not save me.
Purest deeds that can DO.
Honest thoughts and feelings too,
Cannot form my soul anew,
Working will not save me,
We must FIRST OF all come down II we
would be saved. IL Is only by chlldlike
trust In Him and absolute confidence IN
His word that we pass from death 10 life.
With some there must be a coming down
from pride We must reach the place
where we will not fear what the world viii
say.
A young man in former congregation
promised me that he would give up gamb.
me that his difficulty was hIs
evil companions. and he would never
be able 20 live CHRISTIAN lite until
he could leave them. He was afraid OF
what they. would say, but at last gave me
ms promise that he would confess Christ
the next morning With one OF his friends
whose influence over him was always bad
he walked 10 his place of business the next
morning. trying all the way TO make his
confession, until at last the store was
entered and the words were not spoken.
Finally by great effort he made his way
into the store, called his friend back and
sand, Il have made up my mind to be a
Christian, and unless YOU will 20 with me
| shall have to part company with you,
Tears came into his friends eyes and he
said, 1T is the best thing you ever did, Is
there any hope for me" There is no one
really worth having as your friend but
what would say the same thing II any
one whose eye lights upon this page should
accept Christ and confess Him the same IA
a coming down from morality, for what the
world calls morality. does not say we are
not saved because We are good. but be.
cause Christ is and always has been and
our faith is in Him. and every socalled
moral man out of the church Is against the
preaching of the minister and may be a
dangerous friend for the man who is
weakeg than himself, for we are our broth.
er's keeper whether we will or not. With
the most of us u is a coming down from
sin. and we must give that up, for VI we
regard iniauty IN our hearts God will not
hear US, neither can He save us, but the
very moment we are ready and willing TO
forsake all known sin He gives us the
strength 20 do IT. just as the man with
the w,thered hand had no power TO stretch
forth his hand, that is IN himself but the
moment he had the will 90 do It Christ
gave him the power and Immediately he
was healed
III
The result. When Jesus went 20 the
home OF Zaccheus as He entered He said
This day is salvation come 10 this house y
The greatest heritage a Christian child
ever had left TO him is a Christian home.
There must have been 4 great change IN
Zaccheus before he met the Saviour.
doubt not he was selfish. | know he was
sinful. After his meeting with Christ his
whole family came 20 know God There
could be no better position for any father
TO take than that taken by Xaccbcus. II
will wait until my boys grow up, said a
gentleman TO me recently, and then we
will all become Christians together i
told HIM what doubtless he already knew
that Noah took his boys into the ark by
going in first himself. The saddest thing
in the world is 10 see a family divided and
divided by the most sacred things in the
world. In George MacDonald's great book
on Robert Faulkener there ~ a story said
| 10 be founded upon fact OF the father OF
| Robert Faulkeaer, whose life was irrelg-
lous. His wife had done everything she
could to lead him TO the knowledge Of the
Saviour. Finally Just before she died she
had a dream. She left the dream for her
husband, which resulted in his conversion.
She said. Il dreamed that | had died and
entered into the other world. and
searched everywhere for you Andrew, but
] could not find you. At last ! came to an
abyss that was, oh, so very deep, but not
so very wide, and IT was tinted with blue
like the blue OF the sky, when suddenly
on the other side ] saw you gave a cry
that all the universe must have heard
when suddenly turning about | saw one
coming toward me. He had wonderful
face. He had on a garment which came
down to His feet, and as He came nearer
| saw IN His hands and feet the print Of
the nails. Then ! knew who He was, and
] fell at HIS feet and cried out, oh, Lord,
my husband, my husband and He took
me by the hand and led me out over the
abyss and put our hands together, aud
then He led " back again and we were to-
gcther.' In the story which she left for
her husband she cautioned him 10 meet
her, and 20 give her no such disappont.
ment, and 1t Is said that he came. but il
we are not united IN this world we shall
not be IN the next. Between the saved
and the lost there is great gulf fixed. and
no man can pass over It, To-day, however,
is the day Of salvation, and we may know
Christ N we will