The Tupelo journal., 1903-02-27

possess this virtue or that spiritual
gift while they cling to every cher
ished plan and desire which fill their
lives and r unwilling to pay the
price of self-sacrifce and devout seek
ing of God which would make the
coveted gift their blessed possession.
The people who cry: "Lord, Lord"
with a false humility and mistaken re-
ligious ~fervor, may work up a deal
of sentiment and awaken a false hope,
but If the price for salvation is not
paid by a surrendered will they will
be among those to whom the Lord
will say in the last great day: DE
part from Me, for I never knew you,
We workers of iniquity."
The Price.-God has bought up the
right in the world to do a life-saving
business. His Word tells us that we "are
bought with a price," The price which
He paid for lost mankind was the gift
of His only begotten Son. He was
willing to empty Heaven in order that
it might be filled again not only with
the crucified and risen Son but with
those who accepted redemption in
His blood. 1t cost God His richest
treasure to give salvation to man,
and it costs man the yielding of his
will to God to obtain that salvation.
Our text m to us as the direct
voice of God. He says: 81 counsel
thee" Think of it! God as our Coun-
sellor! He Who is all wise, all pow
erful, and eternal, Who knows our
end from the beginning, and Who
loves us with a love which can only
be measured by the ages of eternity,
comes to man and counsels with him
as to how he can win his case with
Satan and become heir to the eternal
riches of Heaven. Man will pay thou
sands of dollars to human counsel to
get the best advice in legal or financial
matters, and if a mans life is at stake
he sacrifices everything he has to OBJ
tain the very best counsellor known.
God as mans faithful, wise Counsellor
says: "Buy of Me gold tried in the
fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be
clothed, and hat the shame of thy
n~akedness do not appear; and
anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that
thou mayest see"
The Laodlcean Christians, poor, mis-
erably poor, although rolling in wealth
with their pockets filled with the
money of the world which flowed
through their city. Naked, disgust
ingly naked, s. 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
10 them, as He does to the Christians
of to-day: Buy Ny 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
p~earances 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 a hank of hair"
what awful things the penetrating eye
of God beholds as it pierces the veneer
of mans culture and refinement 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.
A Message for To-Day.-The mes
sage to the Laodicean church is 4
clear and solemn message for the
church of to-day. When has the
church of Jesus Christ been sc
wealthy and boosted of hat wealth
as is the last 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 churcl'
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 and
reason, and he is becoming stricken
with the fatal blindness which afflict-
ed the Laoicean church. Ard 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-love
in His punishment of sin; love in His
dealings with His hayward and dis
obedient children. He follows the
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