The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-08-22

scent Of the land we seek Is waite
across the brief intervening distance.
lDUT David wanted something NOR
ID than q clean heart and a steadfas
spirit. He longed for the Joy whicl
had surged and swelled In his soul a
he realized that THE Lord is My ligh
and My salvation" His songs out OF
the mountain side thrilled and pull
stated with the inner strains OF faitl
which made ever fresh and new tn,
way of salvation. The JOY of Thy
salvation" Oh. how real! Oh. how
full and at times well-nigh overwhelm
ing! Every redeemed soul knows thai
experience. When the angels begin t.
sing in Heaven over one sinner thai
repenteth. there is a new song break
ing out In that sinners soul which IL
new and blessed and real, and which
he will never forget. The Joy of sal
walton is not abiding. because sin en-
tiers in to dim the vision and dull the
heart hayward to the Heavenly music.
David longed to hear those strains
again. He longed to feel the touch of
His Lord as He drew music from his
soul. The Joy of the Lords salvation
had vanished from his soul. Oh. that
he might feel that Joy again! Is not
that the yearnings which you have at
times. dear Christian? You recall the
fervor with which you sang:
20 happy day, that fixed my Choice
On Thee. my Saviour and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice.
And tell Its raptures all abroad.
Happy day. happy day.
When Jesus washed my sins away;
He taught me how to watch and pray.
And live rejoicing every day;
Happy day. happy day.
When Jesus washed my sins away"
And you long for the joy which
swelled in your heart then and made
you anxious to lead others to Christ.
You have lost that JOY and sense Of
nearness of your Saviour because you
have allowed other things. sin and tho
desires of the heart. to come betweeA
yourself and your Lord. That joy of
salvation may be restored to you even
as 1t was to David.
UJOY of salvation" and willing
spirit" David wanted Joy of SAL
walton restored to him. He wanted God
to uphold him with willing spirit This
was the fourth petition of the Psalmist.
A willing spirit is that which makes the
Christian obedient to the leading of the
Holy Spirit. The spirit of man is
naturally willful and disobedient. 1t
takes long schooling and earnest effort
for the Christian to stifle the self spirit
and give place to the willing spirit The
willing spirit is always the blessed twin
of the Joy of salvation. The two go hand
in hand. While the heart sings Of Jesus
and salvation. the life yields willing
obedience to the indwelling Spirit and
the exalted Christ But when the Chris
tian is far away from God and has lost
his Joy Of salvation. the self spirit is in
control. God wants the Christian to
walk upright. How sad is the picture Of
the Christian who is all twisted and dis
torted in his life because the self spirit
has carried him hither and thither, ire
spective Of Gods will and desire con-
corning him. It takes the willing spirit
to make Christian walk upright. Da-
vid pleads: uphold me with a willing
spirit" Hold me up with spirit which
will make me willing to abide in the will
of God my Father, and Jesus my Saviour.
TWO other things David pleaded for
L that he might be again equipped for
his Lords service. Because of unfaith-
fulness he feared that God might cast
him from Him and that He might with
draw His Holy Spirit Against these
two awful conditions he pleaded. The
guilty soul always realizes that IL it re.
ceived its just due it would be banished
from the presence Of the Lord and cease
to feel the working and leading of tho
Holy Spirit. Being cast off by Coo
means the hopeless despair of the outeI
darkness; the Withdrawing OF the Holy
Spirit means utter and finsl deafness t.
sin and Righteousness anf judgment t.
come. The prodigal son if the far coun
try. while he was enjoyi6g life there
did not dread being cast Of oy his father
but when he came back tSn penitent tn,
dread was in his heart that his fathe
might cast him of, because 1t was n,
more than he deserved. The soul in tn
presence of God realizes What an awfu
, thing II would be to be cast of by Co
! and to have Him withdraw His Hol
Spirit. And God let's tho anguish O
this fear sweep over the soul that II ma
learn more clearly how blessed II is +
be near the Lord and to have the Hol
Spirit as the indwelline presence I
lead us and strengthen us and plead wit
God for us for those things which tn
natural self does not realize are needed
: II is said that we do not %ppreciate on
blessings and treasures uAtil they hav
vanished. God lets the soul feel that
It has lost God and His Holy Spirit by 1,
. faithlessness. that He may awaken II I
a realization Of what fellowship wit
God and the possession Of the Hol
Spirit mean.
8 A ND all that David pleaded for wei
0 N essential to service fec his Lord. II
Z wanted to teach transgr essors the wa
4 Of the Lord: he wanted to lead sinnel
5 to salvation. He must be restore
}. Yielding to his own desires untitled hi
for service. He could net 60 on maxim
: a pretense of his religious life. Or
II