The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-06-12


waves Of the sea. ioaminR out their own
ahomo, mnrmutere. comp,ainors, having
mems persona IN admiration because % ad.
vantage 10 BE- q blessed thought that to-
day such persons are not conspicuous In
tho church. for this is an ace Of honesty.
an age OF the denouncing Of al duplcity.
an arc, whom Pharisoes and hyprocrites
once brought to the light, are abhorrent 10
all classes OF men, but while not openly
conspicuous az members Of the church II
Christ, such emis8aries of Satan are stili
at work in the world, and their influence
is felt in 4 subtle fashion influencing the
hearts OF men against pure and holy living.
In very striking terms Jude calls atten.
ton 20 instances in history where God
showed Ills adherence of unlaithtulness
in mind, heart or action upon the part OF
those who were His prolessed followers.
He refers to the large number OF the chill
dren of Israel, who. having been delivered
from Egypt, for their lack OF faith were de.
stroyed in the wilderness. He reminds
them of Sodom and Gomorrha; of Cain,
of Ba,aum and of Core, in order that they
may be persuaded Of the high value which
God sets upon adherence and obedience to
the faith which he has given to men; Tor
the point of the whole episte lies IN the
contrast between those who thus neglected
their privilege and duties as children Of
God-who, knowing the right yet pursued
evil-who protesting love 20 God praeti-
cally ignored Him IN their lives. and those
who not only in outward profession, nut
IN inward service, sought TO live as be-
came the children of faith. building M
themselves on their most holy faith, pray
ing in the Holy Ghost and thus keeping
themselves in the love OF God, looking for
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
rLs,-~,,1 lffo - fAF fh0 ma hnF n thnCn Hn
prays, may be those TO whom he writes,
hoping that they will see the present mis-
cry and the sure future punishment asso.
ciated with the course OF Wlckedness and
neglect Of faith, and on the other hand,
blessedness now and hereafter of those
who are not only in name, but in deed and
in truth, the children of God, and in order
that those who read. and that all OF every
time who hear this epistle 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-
ciples and the method OF progress of the
servant Of God; giving to them what has
been called "The Law of Christian Sale
ty," that they should keep themselves III
the love of Cod and explaining how that
may be done.
To this end he insists, first, upon the nc-
ccssity of establishing a true spiritual lie
On a proper foundation: building up your
self on your most holy faith" As IN the
beginning of the epistle. so here the faith.
the teaching. the revelation Of God Is gwen
as the foundation upon which alone true
religious life is to be built There is no es-
tablishing Of spiritual growth upon mere
~ ethical foundation; there is no erecting
] fabric of true religious character upon
Iko ,h,v,rr- IS ov,I Cow Tho 1hsvnnin
itself Jesus Christ must needs be the true
corner stone, so of all religious ideas, tho
revelation Of God must furnish the base.
AS the foundation of a building is essential
not only to the solidity OF that which IS
erected upon it, but also furnishes the lines
and dimensions according to which it Is to
he built, 80 unless there is at the basis or
foundation Of al religious life some revela-
ton or some truth broad enough for 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
bis character like unto ship tossed about
BY the waves and driven by contrary gales,
for human judgment and human ideas Of
right and wrong are az valuable as are the
winds OF heaven. There must he an ulti.
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 on ultimate and
satisfactory standard must be given by
one whose knowledge is infinite as COM
pared with that of man, and such a stand.
ard has been given in the revelation OF
God. 1t is therefore not unreasonable nor
unnecessary that the Bible should insist
upon this revelation as being the foundn-
ton upon which we ore 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 at unrighteousness. According to
the general desire and tenor Of the life is
| the general character of the building. On
the whole, every man is moving onward
either toward holiness or toward wicked
ness, either advancing or retrogradiug 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 a short time DESTROYED the result
nf years Of effort; there is danger to every
nne lest by failing to continually build M
his character in righteousness. in the true
faith he should be taking away from shat
which he has already huilded, There is no
neyiod of rest, there is no goal attained,
there is no definite eternal reward until
we reach that other world. Building" is
The word used Of our daily Christian lives,
Let us ser to it that every stone placed in
ne building OF our characters is one
| .ormed uron the model of the life and
leeds Of jesus Christ, and is strength to
! inc whole ediGce
The second duty insisted mon by Jude,
| f the. Christian would keen himself guard
I'd from the dangers which beset him. IS
! expressed by the words praying in the
Holy Ghost Now we are well aware that
here is no PRAYER except in the Hoy