The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-10-16

/ a., W s"tH, "iiHt Alla moral nature - atrOr
/ phled. All biz thoughts. his impulses. ha
| acts are camal. He lives 10 Inc ncsh. and
| OF the flesh reaps corruption. Every sheaf
| that he binds for time or eternity l. a
| bundle Of corruption The smiles and
| tmlrks Of on evil person are not signs Of
NE, but danger signals that warn "a
| against falling into au open sepu'chrc.
on remember Vatican In Victor Hugo's
| lies M.aoahles" He Flacps. and in his
sleep he behoIds the death of sim. As he
comes % the house Of rcvelry, the flowers.
| the trees and the very skv are an the color
! OF ashes Vatican Wandcrs on through
/ vacant rooms, courts and gardens. By the
! fountains, 10y the payihOns, everywhere,
/ walk silent men who have no answer 20
! his questions Suddenly he finds all the
! inhabitants of the lifeess town clustering
about him, and they ery do you not
/ know that you have been dead for q long
! time" With q cry, Vatican awakes and
feels his sin. Do YOU net know that all
about us walk dead people? People VINO
! have no object IN life but TO amuse them.
selves and feed and fatten the animal?
! Ghosts that stalk about in shrouds and
! dwell in haunted chambers? No generous
impulses stir the soul, no noble aspira-
tions thrill the depths of the nature, no
| RESPONSIVE chords of the being yield to the
voice OF the spirit that calls 10 sacrifice
/ and service.
The mind Of the flesh, like the crane
in the old fable, is content with snails. A
beautiful swan ahghted by the banks Of
a stream in which a crane was wadng
about seeking snails. For a few moments
| the crane viewed the swan in stupid Won
der, and then inquired where DO you
come from" Il came from heaven" re-
piled the swan. "And where is heaven"
Heaven" said the swan, "have you never
I nd - Ard hao al
bird went on to describe the grandeur Of
the eternal city. She told of streets OF
gold, of gates of pearl and walls of jasper,
and the rivor Of life, clear Gs crystal
In eloquent language the swan sought to
portray the hosts who live n the heavenly
world but without arousing the slightest
interest. Finally the crane asked, Are
there any snails there" "Snails!" re-
peated the swan; mo! Of course not"
''Then," said the crane, as it continued its
search along the Shiny margin of the pool
you can have your heaven. l want
snails.' There are thousands of people to-.
day who are meeting the appeals of the
church of Jesus Christ, if not with the
snail's answer, at least with the snail's
attitude. You can have your heaven. /
want snails." And why? Because they
have yielded to the mind Of the flesh and
allowed the lusts OF the flesh to atrophize
the spiritual nature. ''Be not deceived;
God is not Knocked; for whatsoever a man
soweth that shall he also reap For he that
5oweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption" Fancy may figure the wick
ed as borne aloft in charots Of the sun"
says the Rev. w. J.. Watkinson, "but a
ray OF daylight reduces the pretentious
things to the monstrous forks Of the police
mans stretcher, the workhouse ambulance
the prison van, the hearse that bears men
to the grave ere they have lived out half
their days"
On the other hand "the mind Of the
spirit IS life and peace" Christianity
comes to men telling them of a divine
Saviour in whom is lie and Who came
that we might have life and have it more
abundantly. The Bible tells us Of "the
spirit of lfe," which exerts its power
among men. Jehovah is spoken Of as ''the
living God" and the Holy Spirit as His
living agent. by thy spirit God hath
garnished the heavens" Thou sendest
forth thy spirit; they are created. In so
far as testimony and observation 90 life
springs from life. The Spirit of God is
manifest in all His methods and works.
This same spirit, whose activity is exerted
in creation and the sustaining of life, is
also the spirit of truth, of holiness, of
wisdom and grace. The Spirit Of God
''renews the face of the earth" turning
, winter into spring, calling forth life,
beauty, fragrance and song. The same
Spirit transforms the human soul. The
, Spirit of God touches our hearts; the
great transaction is done. Behold o new
creature in Christ Jesus. We pass from
death unto life. We are alive unto God
through Jesus Christ our Lord, and the
things which are all in all to the sensuous
wording are Of value to us only as they are
! connected with and minister to the king
, dom of Jesus Christ, of which we are
! citizens.
! If you have passed from death unto life
, you are not piece of moral tinkcring and
ethical cobbling. Regeneration is a live
a. wire. 1t is permanent miracle, You are
! not only a new man, but a live man. The
/ dictionary defines a top as "gyroscope..
3 a gyroscope may be made to spin. But il
t is a dead thing, nevertheless It won't 60
+ without string or a spring attached to ii
and Manipulated by the hand of the spin
s ner. If you have been regenerated you
g are more than a gyroscope. You will not
/ run down" like top. You will not be
] subject to moods and modes. You will
! run without having a spring or string at
Q tached to you. The love OF the Christ will
| ''constrain you" and RESTRAIN you" In
the workshop, in the store, behind the
+ counter and in the Office your associates
9 will know that you have been with Jesus
1 and received life The mind OF the flesh
e has been buried, and no flowers were laid
3 on his casket. THE mind Of the spirit
{ lives and speaks through the llindling eye
The quivering lip and the softened ant
{ the tieshly-minded are the lotus meadows
/ Of pleasure and case. The grazing ground.
q of the spiritually minded are the greer
. pastures" beside the still waters" lee
i and fed and satisfied by the Shepherd O.
o Life. The difference between the carnally
+ minded and the spiritually minded is thu
: difference between the stall fed OK com