Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-05-09

themselves on their most holy faith. pray
ing in the Holy Ghost. aud thus keeping
! themselves in the love OF God, looking ioI
! .he mercy OF our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life" OF the number OF these he
prays, may be those to whom he writes,
! hoping that they will see the present mis-
cry and the sure future punishment asso.
,iated with the course of wlckedness and
neglect of faith, and on the other hand,
| blessedness now and hereafter OF those
who are no. only in name. but III deed and
| In truth. the children of God, and III order
| that those who read. and that all of every
| time who hear this eplstle may know how
to avoid the dangers against which he
warns them, and to persevere in their serv-
ice for God and for the right. he gives
them these two verses explaining the prin
.ples and the method OF progress of the
servant of God; giving to them what has
been called The Law of Christian Safe
ty." that they should keep themselves in
the love of God, and explaining how thar
may be done.
To this end he insists, first, upon the ne
:essity OF establishing true spiritual life
on proper foundation: Building up your
self on your most holy faith" As i'll the
beginning of the epistle. so here. the faith,
the teaching. the revelation of God is given
as the Foundation upon which alone true
religious life is to be built. There is no es
tablishing of spiritual growth upon mere
ly ethical foundation; there is no erecting
fabric of true religious character upon
the teachings OF men. and as for the church
itself Jesus Christ must needs be the true
corner stone, so of all religious ideas, the
revelation of God must furnish the base.
As the foundation of building is essential
not only to the solidity of that which is
erected upon 1t, but also furnishes the lines
and dimensions according to which it is to
be built, so unless there Is at the basis or
foundation of all religious life some reveal
ton or some truth broad enough Tor an
ideal and strong enough TO sustain the
whole building, there can be no security
and no assurance that the character will
stand. He who seeks to direct his course
in life according to the teachings OF mems
wisdom. or the dictates of human con.
science uninstructed by God, is sure to find
his character like unto ship: tossed about
by the waves and driven by contrary gales,
for human Judgment and human ideas oil
right and wrong are as valuable as are the
winds of heaven. There must be an ult-
mate and universal standard of right ac.
cording to which we may direct our moral
lives. or we can never be sure that we are
not going wrong. Such an ultimate and
satisfactory standard must be given by
one whose knowledge is infinite as com.
pared with that OF man, and such stand
ard has been given in the revelation OF
God. 1t Is therefore not unreasonable moi
unnecessary that the Bible should insist
upon this revelation as being the founda-
ton upon which we are to build our char.
acters. Nor can we fail to notice the use
of the word building" here, as applying
to our relation to the revelation Of God.
Day by day and year by year the Christian
is erecting a structure either OF righteous.
ness or of unrighteousness. According to
the general desire and tenor of the life ls
the general character of the building. On
the whole, every man Is moving onward
either toward holiness or toward wicked
ness, either advancing or retrograding IN
his moral nature. As long as we live IN
this world we shall continue in a state OF
change. We never shall lay down our ar
NOR nor have our work finished until we
cease to draw the breath of life. 1t is nat
ural to believe that some, after many years
of careful labor in the erection of true
Christian characters, have suddenly turned
and in short time destroyed the result
Of years of effort; there is danger to every
one lest by failing to continually build up
his character in Righteousness. III the true
faith, he should be taking away from shat
which be has already huilded. There Is nc
period of rest. there is no goal attained;
there is no definite eternal reward until
we reach tina; other world. Building IL
the word used. Of our daily Christian lives.
Let us see to il that every stone placed IN
the building OF our characters Is one
formed upon the model of the life and
deeds of Jesus Christ, and is a strength to
the Whole edifice.
The second duty insisted upon by Jude,
if the Christian would keep himself guard
ed from the dangers which beset him., Is
expressed by the words praying in the
Holy Ghost" Now we are well aware that
there is no prayer except in the Holy
Spirit that is to say. no prayer except
such as is in harmony with the SPIRIT OF
God. and so sincere that that Spirit will
join to it his utterance and intercessions,
u no nj
and he must needs be persuaded that the
Holy Spirit which descended at Penteeost
is still active in the church. 1t needs no
enormous faith. no long experience to pray
in the Holy Ghost, but it requires SINGER
ity. a meaning and feeling in the prayer,
and a determination that the expression
Of the desire made in the prayer shall DO
followed by fitting action.
The third and fourth conditions requisite
to growth in spiritual life referred to in
the text, while not less important than
those already discussed, need only to be
mentioned. for their necessity is clearly
apparent: Keep yourselves in the love oil
God, looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life," living in
such a way that Gods love to us shall both
grow and be continually more apparent.
and stronger factor in our spiritual life
is something eminently necessary, If we
would live as His children. Were it not
for the supreme and infinite love of God
we should have no hope either for this
word or for the world to come and the
more deeply we appreciate that love. and
the more strongly we cling to it. the more
confident may we be of our own future,
and the more will we be led to give unto
Him in return that love which He seeks
from Us. And not less certain is it that
only through the expectation of the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ can we have hope
anto eternal life, as it is the only hope
which can sustain us in the time of our
Weakness. OF our sin. of our despair. Ac.
.ord;... as our confidence III the truth OF
he Gospel grows, and our assurance of the
love which Christ has for each of us, shall
,e our ability to stand in the evil days Of
his life and to persevere in our pursuit
lfter holiness. This is the divine word of
sod: it is His message TO Us, and may He
grant us grace so to build up ourselves
our most holy faith, praying in the
Jolly Ghost. keeping ourselves in the love
II God. looking for the mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ unto eternal life that we
nay be guarded from the evils into WHICH
20 many are falling about us in the world,
he evils OF doubt, of carelessncss. OF i'm.
morality. so that we shall be saved as it
we're brands from the burning and kept
oy Him that is able to keep us from fall
ng. and presented by Him faultless be-
fore the presence of His glory with exceed
ng JOY
The fellow who is run over by an auto
nobile Is apt to have that tired feeling.