The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-03
CHRIST'S FOLLOWERS
HAVE HIS SPIRIT.
Counts hut for Nau8ht, Declares
the Reverend F. w. Luce.

At the Maple Avenue Methodist Episcopal
Church yesterday morning the Reverend
Doctor Frank W. Luce preached from Ro'
mans viii. 9: IF any man have not. the
| spirit Of Christ he is none Of his
| He said. in part:
1.-The essential object Of true religion Is not
simply to get to heaven. but to be good and
do good. While heaven is the goal. and
often encourages the patient runner in lifes
| vigorous race as the glorious end Of LIES
perilous and wearisome journey, yet, In
| passing along LIES highway toward the
| home beyond, the essence Of pure and sane
religion is, as much asslies in our power. to
| make this sin-cursed world more guiltiess,
pure. happy and blessed.
ITO accomplish this In personal expert
ence and in influence Upon others, one must
not only profess but possess true Christian
ity.. Not only a creed that IS right, forms
az to ethical truth. but possession OF
Christ: Not merely the practice OF his pre-
cepts by cold and rigid rule and principle.
Of his spirit, and in turn being possessed Of
him. That Is the essential vital principle Of
true Christian religion For this method
ceptions. Neither ignorance nor knowledge.
poverty. nor wealth youth nor age. faith.
spr nor man have not
There is something in mans moral ma
ture which permeates hi. life as odor per
permestss the rose This possesses s. .s Ks very
presence. 1t Is not controlled alone by what
he says or what he does. 1t somehow makes
moral atmosphere Of the man. II goes ss' out out
%ents WSs,her he S n no. This hea spirit df
nature. Some men are naturally immense.
~ larger than others No amount Of
stretching can lengthen out the short ones
and no amount OF cramping and pressing
can ninify the large ones. Kossuth's BIZ
oErapher said Of him: we must first reckon
with the e physical bulk OF the ems man and then
phete.'
But there is something more than the
ments composing il are s Of greatest mpor-
breadth, with which our text deals. By
may. and II he be a Christian. must. Be
breadth Of his influence viii be largely
By mans choice in bringing into his life the
Supernatural Christ, or In rejecting the
prssTs Of his free ssasfi CT. ., oo
Christ. on conditions OF right attitude Of
heart: through faith and obediepee. Paul
abroad in our hearts by the e Holy Holy Ghost host
which Is given unto us. And we are en-
couraeinsly taught that He is more will
anB " give TUG 11oiy opIlt 10 tneIu tn4t ask
him than parents are to give good gifts un-
to their children
But while the possession Of this spirit IL
u gift Of God. the weaving Of this divine
presence unto the SOUL SO that. the spirit
Of Christ permeates every element Of
life as heat permeetes the iron. that has
been thrust Into the flames. there is
vitality important human element.
And II this spiritual atmosphere has not
been acquired and claimed BY the conditions
OF the law Of grace having been duly met,
the glorious benefits can no more be spon-
taneously evolved on occasion than can
skillful knowledge Of mathematics. music or
casion calls for the solution of difficult
problem, the rendering Of difficult music or
the use Of correct utterance
Of Christ Is not ACQUIRED, spiritual mandate
rules the soul out as none Of his as certain.
ly as Intellectual law rules out the igno.
ramus who has failed to provide himself
with knowiedse. no matter how much he
may need II on occasion.
That the spirit Of Christ Is such an i'm.
perative necessity makes 1t matter OF
great and practical interest 10 inquire what
life Is an open book. He did MANY things, |
ner.' but openly before the world. And each |
act was saturated with sweet moral per-
fume and tinted with delicate moral shad,
spiritual language that cannot be mis-
ments Of his spirit?" sO''e :. '
The speaker then called attention to the
rated and illu,srated: The life Of Christ
indicated q sp.r;t Of compassion. a spirit Of
.ympathy. split Of humility. a spirit Of |
last point among other things sef he ssid: TINS
Jesus was never apathetic. He was IN
tensely in earnest. One great peril Of the !
church and the work to which God has as |