St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-09-10


are in Christ Jesus. Salvation
is a large word. 1t means in
nnltely more in the spiritual realm
than it does in the natural Here
Is man in danger of physical
death. In the nick of time he is res
cued. 1t is a complete fact. His
salvation from death is not progress
I'VE. Because he was saved yesterday
does not require that he be saved
again to-day. But it is quite the con-
trary in the spiritual realm, for sal
walton Of the sinner to-day means that
tomorrow he may and should enter
into larger and fuller realization and
enjoyment of that salvation. This is
the thought of Paul when he COM
mands the Philippian saints to work
out their own salvation with fear and
trembling" He did not want them
to fall into the error of supposing, as
SO many Christians do, that the saliva
ton which came with the acceptance
by faith of Jesus Christ as Saviour
was all that the soul was to realize
1t was to be a daily salvation;
progressive in its realization, and in
the end--what? Salvation. Not some
thing more than salvation, but sal
vation-the fullness of salvation. Pc
ter in the six short verses preceding
our text unfolds in a wonderful way
the fullness of salvation which God
in His mercy had provided for man.
Read them slowly and >thoughtfully
and prayerfully, and see ii, when you
reach the words of our text, which
speaks of the final triumph of our
faith In the salvation of souls, that
salvation does not mean more to you
than it did before.
III ERE we find the merciful God, the
IL crucifled but living Lord, and the
redeemed soul bound together by the
most intimate ties of fellowship. The
fullness Of salvation includes 1t al.
It gives to the soul nerciful Heaven
~ Father whose plan for the salvation
Of man extends through the ages, and
that salvation includes q growing &C.
Quaintanceship with the Heavenly Fa-
Sther, and His marvellous work of grace.
It. gives to the soul crucified and
risen scrucified for our trans
gressions and raised again for our JUS
tiflcation." It gives to the soul here
in this life . protection within the
hollow of His hand and in the life
to come an inheritance incorruptible
and undeflled, and that fadeth not
away" Surely salvation means more
than escape from the consequences of
sin, it means more than deliverance
from death. It means soul life--eter-
nal life which begins to unfold the
moment the soul puts its faith in
Jesus Christ as the Saviour from sin,
and which continues until it comes
into the full realization of all that
that salvation means, and that time
is not reached until we receive the end
Of our faith, even the salvation Of our
souls.
DAUL in his letter to the Philippian
/ church speaks of his ambition to
win Christ even at the sacrifice Of
the loss of all things else The fact
that Christ had forgiven his sins and
saved his soul was not sufficient for
him. He wanted all that Christ had
to give him. He realized that how
ever much God had revealed of His
grace and truth to him, however much
Of Christlike character he had at.
tanned, yet he had not reached the
goal, he was not yet made perfect;
but, he says; 81 press on, If SO be
that I may apprehend that for which
also I was apprehended by Christ
Jesus. Brethren, count not myself
to have apprehended; but this one thing
I do, forgetting those things which
are behind, and stretching forward to
the things which are before, press
ON toward the mark for the prize of
the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus" Salvation to Paul meant that
the saving power, the resurrection life,
Of that Christ was to reach to every
atom of his life and being. He yearned
not alone for the hope that would stay
his heart in the hour of death and
give him hope of abundant entrance
into Heaven at last, but he wanted
that salvation could give
him
THE term salvation holds such vary
ing meanings for different people.
TO so many it means only the final
escape from death as consequence
Of sin. To others it holds an increas-
ine meaning and beauty for this life,
and salvauon-full salvation-to be
entered upon when this life is ended.
n Is like the flower by the roadside
which mods its greeting to the multi
tudes as they pass. To all it is q
flower. All recognize it as a Bit OF
nature which is charming and fra
grant and lovely. And to some 1t never
means more than this, but to others 1t |
.peaks an increasing message, as the
perfectness of every detail OF the
flower is revealed to the appreciative
md searching eye Of the one sensitive
= the unfathomable delicacy ana
,a.uty of nature. The leaf, the stem,
.he METAL, the stamen, the rich color
NO the rare perfume, each bears its
ndiyidual message to the eye ana
,aart Each Is a poem of beauty and
~, n,ateness In itself, and the bios
ann to such one means more tnan
aoas to the one who sees blossom
md nothing more. And this Illus
rates our point in reference to salva-