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

get Odck INTO the harness. Wnero ne
could feel the comradeship and fellow
ship OF his Lord and know that he was
working effectively for Him.
MY CHRISTIAN friend. my brother
lVl or sister in Christ. has sinful in
diligence Of the inner life or the out
ward conduct. has sin of omission OF
of commission. has neglect or indiffer-
ence. or willful desire. interrupted your
fellowship with your Lord. and taken
away your sense of Joy in the saving
Lord and His blessed service? Has
there come deafness in your Chris
tian life. which makes of the Christian
life and service painful duty? Have
you gone on In blind desperation and
Encouragement? Have you somehow
thought to earn your way back to the
Lord? Have you by your feverish zeal
endeavored to wipe out past sins and
failures? Perhaps you have. We all
are so apt to do so. 1t is so hard TO
get away down In the dust Of humility
and confess sin and plead for forgive
ness and cleansing. The pride OF the
heart keeps us from bending our knees
and opening our hearts to the search
light Of Gods purity and the cleansing
of Christ's shed blood. We go on, and on.
but transgressors are not taught the
way of the Lord. and sinners are not
converted. What we need Is what
David needed. The cry Of the Psalm
ist must pour from our lips We must
walk the pathway of confession and re-
pentance so that we may again be
yoked up with Christ and with Him
perform joyful and efficient service.
Ii AVING gained the presence OF the
III Lord by confession and repent
ance. David pleads for six things as es-
sential to equipment for service. He
longs to get back into the harness OF
his Lords service again. He wants to
teach transgressors the ways OF the
Lord; he wants to lead sinners to sal
walton. He knows he is not fitted to do
so. but he knows the Lord can equip
him. He asks first for a clean heart.
Create for me a clean heart. o God!"
This. God only can do. Man can sweep
and garnish the old natural heart, but
1t takes God to Great a clean heart. You
remember Jesus parable of the man
who drove out the unclean spirit from
his heart and swept and garnished 1t,
and how later seven other spirits more
evil than the first came back in his
company and took possession of0the
heart which the man had cleaned. 1t
is always so when man undertakes the
task Of his own heart cleaning. Fail
ure and disappointment must always
mark such attempt, for God is the only
one who can successfully perform the
task. David does not ask God to patcn
up the old heart, but pleads for the
creation of clean heart, as though
there was nothing which David could
provide which would make any kin5
Of presentable heart. What is needed
in his case is creation, not a max
ing over.
During house-cleaning time las
| spring wife and spread out an OLE
rug which we thought contained abun
dant good material for a smalle
made-over rug, but when we came I,
examine carefully preparatory to tn
making of the new rug we found tina
the remnants of the old rug were 81
utterly worthless that 1t was out o
the question to use It, David sprea
his heart out before the Lord an
when he saw its filth and worthless
ness he gave up the thought of re
construction and at once pleaded 10
the creation of something new. Some
how or other these hearts OF ours ar
pear pretty good and able to suppl
abundant material out Of which I
construct a clean heart. but when "
put It into Gods hands for remakin
He begins to show us that what H
has declared regarding the huma
heart-that II is "deceitful above a
things and desperately wicked
true, and we turn hopelessly from oul
selves and plead David's prayer
Create for me clean heart, o God
N AvID'S second request was for
- ''steadfast spirit" With David
was desire for renewal of that whic
he had known In the days that wei
behind. The steadfast spirit had kel
him faithfully watching over his fiocl
until called by God and anointed to
king. II had made him patient a
through the years of persecution ar
trial at the hands Of Saul II ha
made him brave in the hour of DANCE
It had given him generous. forgi'
ing spirit when Saul was within h
power and when victory finally ga,
him the kingdom. II is blessed thir
to be able TO plead for a renewal of
steadfast spirit. The past life speal
much of hopefulness for the .futur
But even II the Christian cannot ples
, for renewal. though the pastA Chi
| tian life has been all written ov,
with weakness and failure. still
may ask God to GIVE q steadfa
spirit. And "this." says F. B. Meye
God can give and will give to us I
His Holy Spirit He can renew o,
will from day to day. and infuse I'M
us His own unaltering. unalterab
purpose. He can make possible obed
ence to the apostolic Injunction. I
yo steadfsst. unmovable. alway
Astounding in the work OF the Lord
Hear what comfortable words n
Apostle Peter saith: Tho God of a