The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-02-21


treasure house of his God, If he is will
ing to pay the price. l am sick and
tired of hearing the unsaved say: 81
would like to be a Christian" while
they are holding on to the price of
that salvation with a self-will and
stubbornness born of hell. am
weary and heart-sick from hearing
Christians with doleful and mournful
voices and made-to-order. sad counte-
nances crying: 81 would like to be
a better Christian; / would like to
possess this virtue or that spiritual
gift," while they cling to every cher
ished plan and desire which fill their
lives and are unwilling to pay the
price of self-sacrifice and devout seek
ing of God which would make the
coveted gift their blessed possession!
The people who cry: lord, Lord"
with false humility and mistaken re-
ligious fervor, may work up deal
OF sentiment and awaken false hope,
but If the price for salvation is not
paid by surrendered will they will
be among those to whom the Lord
will say in the last great day: "De-
part from Me, for never knew you,
ye workers of iniquity."
The Laodicean Christians, poor, mis-
erably poor, although rolling in wealth
with their pockets filed with the
money of the world which flowed
through their city. Naked, disgust
ingly naked, so as to compel God
to say that He would spue them out
of His mouth, although they were
clothed in the magnificent white wool
ems for which the city was famous.
Blind, helplessly blind, although the
natural eye was keen and feasted it.
self upon the riches and beauty and
culture of the world. And God cries
to them, as He does to the Christians
of to-day: BUY My gold, buy My
white raiment, let Me anoint thine
eyes with My eyesalve." The price of
Gods pure gold of unalloyed faith
was the giving up of their riches,
their indulgences, their selfish ease.
The price of Gods white raiment,
which would clothe them indeed and
give them the right to sit at the mar
riage supper of the Lamb, was the
self-righteousness of outward APP
pearances which had permeated the
church and had almost choked and
killed out the spark of Divine life
which at one time had been felt. And
they were blind and must go to the
great Physician to be healed. They
must use His eyesalve if they would
have their spiritual vision quickened
and come to see themselves as God saw
them. If the poetic vision Of man can
penetrate the fair face and form be-
fore him. the air of grace and the
winning smile, and see nothing but
"a rag and a bone and hank of hair"
what awful things the penetrating eye
of God beholds as ii pierces the veneer
of mans culture and refinem> 1T and
religious superficialities and lays bare
the hidden heart. When man looks
with God he sees indeed that 1.-THE
heart is deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked" and is eager to
be clothed upon with the righteous
ness which is by faith in Christ Jesus.
He is willing to pay the price. He is
willing, as was Paul, to 'crucify the
flesh with the affections and lusts,"
that the ''fruit of the Spirit might
be unhindered in its growth in his
life.
4 Message for To-Day.-The mes
sage to the Laodicean church is
clear and solemn message for the
church of to-day. When has the
church of Jesus Christ been so
wealthy and boosted of that wealth
as is the case to-day? When has she
welded such power as she does to-
day in social and educational fields,
and in reform movements? When
has the church turned so eagerly to
the wisdom of man for the solution
of life's problems and the strength
ening and building up of the church
as to-day? Emotion is being derided
and frowned down, and cold intel
lectual acceptance of the doctrine of
salvation is taking it's place. The
deep spiritual truths of Gods Word
are being leveled to mans ideas AMI
reason, and he is becoming stricken
with the fatal blindness which affiict-
ed the Laoicean church. And how
patient God is through it all. Read
in your Bibles the verses which close
the chapter from which our text is
taken. God is love to the end-lovc
in His punishment of sin; love in His
dealings with His hayward and dis
obedient children. He follows the
counsel of our text with the reassu--
ing words: "As many as | love,
rebuke and chasten: be jealous there
fore, and repent" And He waits.
He waits! He waits And il lie
cannot gain the ear of the church
He turns to the individual hearts and
stands and knocks. If he opens lie
will come in and sup with him, and
the wonderful promise of sitting
with Him upon His throne is given
to the individuals who pay the price
by overcoming and letting the Spirit
of God operate in their lives.
What God Offers Us.--In one hand
God holds out to us gold, tried in the
fire; white raiment, and free treat
ment for spiritual blindness, which
Is the most awful condition into
which the human heart can come.
The strongest denunciations of Christ
n