The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-05-21

ueW, itS TOOtieto must peTblSteutly
reach down and out and draw up the
nourishment 1t needs, or else 1t will
wither and die. And tho law of life
and growth is as binding upon the
Christian as It Is upon the little plant.
The Christian must will to grow. He
must drink in the sunshine of Gods
love, and the rain OF His discipline.
He must send out the rootlets of de-
sire and purpose into the rich soil Of
Gods Word and Gods presence and
draw the nourishment which he needs,
IL he would keep In health and vigor
the spiritual life which Christ has
given. And this Is the salvation
which the Christian is admonished
to work out with fear and trembling"
but the salvation which God offers to
the unregenerate sinner is the finished
product of His marvellous love and
mercy. Gods salvation is complete
salvation.
TT is also immediate. Oh, II guilty,
l. lost sinners who have a dawning
sense Of their need of God and OF
Jesus. power to save them would only
realize that the salvation which is Of
fered them Is one of immediateness.
Not something to be realized to-mor-
row, next week or next year, but now,
right now. 1t is always In the pres
ent that God saves. All of Gods
promises Of salvation are written In
the present tense. God does not date
His salvation notes ahead SO that the
before cashing them. God says: Now
is the accepted time, now is the dag
of salvation" Now, right now! Inn
mediate salvation! was talking with
a dear man the other day who realized
he needed Christ He believed in Col.
He believed in Christ as the Son Of
God and the Saviour of the world. He
wanted to be and expected to be a
Christian some day. And in the dark
ness and uncertainty of a future hope
and purpose he was cropping about. To
him, religion was a profound study"
as he put 1t. The idea possessed his
soul that to be saved required days
years of study and preparation. |
tried to point him to the immediate
ness of the salvation which God Of
fered him. But he Is still unsaved. He
is still cropping about In the darkness
of his own notions, while the bright
promises of Gods word continue to
bear the date of the present. To-day
he may have salvation. Tomorrow,
next week, next month, next year, God
promises nothing.
A ND last of all it is an only saliva
n ton. 80 great salvation" that
there is nothing like 1t in Heaven or
in earth. 1t Is the one and only sal
walton. The world has sought to pick
quarrel with God upon this score.
1t has called God narrow because He
offered an only salvation, and has in
vented schemes and religions Of Its
own which would seem to offer q
multitude of roads by which the soul
may travel from earth to Heaven.
Gods road Is the only through road
to Heaven. Mans roads appear we'll
paved in this life, but they end In
nothingness in the life beyond. And il
God has provided an only and sure
way Of salvation, what more is need
ed? What man is there in the world
who would seek to pick quarrel with
his town and neighDoring city be-
cause more than one good, safe
through road was not provided? 1t Is
considered enough. Those who want
to pass from .one place to the other
are glad to take the only road. What
folly for some dissatisfied soul to
plunge off OVER some road that begins
we'll and ends in swamp or woods
somewhere. Ne would have no one to
blame but himself. And why should
the man be dis satisfied with God upon
this score? When God provides an
only salvation in the person Of His
Son, and then makes the offer to the
world that whosoever will may come,
He has done all that Is necessary ~
save the lost world, and He Is not
to be blamed If some choose dark
ness rather than light. because their
deeds are evil"
fDHIS is the wonderful salvation
J. which God offers to You and to me,
and as He offers it and in patience waits
it's acceptance, the servant of God, in
our text, exclaims: How shall we es-
cape If we neglect so great salvation"
There are an infinite number of rea-
sons why people reject Gods offer Of
salvation. We have not space or time
to enumerate them. You know what
it is that is keeping you from accept
ing of this so great salvation" But
our text suggests perhaps the reason