The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-12-17

distort aud twist the truth that you will
turn from the voice Of God and the plead
ing Of the Soul. Self fears in the pres
ence Of God. He wants not that God
should rule over your life. He himself
wants to be It's only master. And how
long is the struggle sometimes! How
grievous is the process before man will
yield and receive Gods gift of eternal
life. Dear friend, out of Christ, fight no
longer against God. Let Gods work Of
grace be wrought in you! Let your Soul
be awakened by the touch of the Spirit!
THE Souls Enemy Revealed.-The
L dweller In the valley has mar
rowed vision. He can see the famil-
lar objects which surround his dwell
ing, but he cannot take In the extent
OF yerdant fields and woodland which
stretch off in the distance. He is too
nearly on level with that which he
wishes to see. But let him Chamber
up the mountain side until he gains a
vantage point way up above the fruit
full and beautiful valley, and behold
the whole scene is spread out before
him like a great panorama. So II Is
with man. From mans level let him
view man and his vision is limited. He
can see man only In his nearer aspect.
He cannot see him as God does. But
let him rise on the wings of the quick
ened soul to the mountain top of Gods
presence, and he will then find new
picture spreading itself before him. 1t
has been said that mans greatest en-
envy Is self. But how few really realize
or believe 1t. And yet 1t is true, and
If man will only let God touch his
clearly, he will realize that the natural
man is at enmity with God. He will
begin to understand what is implied in
our text when 1t says: For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh; for these are
contrary the one to the other" And
until Self is revealed as the enemy Of
the Soul, it cannot be expected that
man will seek to bring 1t into subjec-
ton. This is the reason so many Chris
tians live on such low sensual plane.
This is the reason why they argue them
selves into the belief that many world
ly pleasures and indulgences are right.
They have not yet sighted the enemy.
They have not yet let God reveal to
them that the thing that must be over
come first is the natural man and the
desires of the flesh.
THE Confetti is the duty of
an army when at war to discover
the enemy, and when discovered to en-
gage the foe in battle. To refuse to
give battle is traitorous and invites dis
aster. 1t means that the foe will die
tate terms and bring the cowardly army
into subsection. The Soul must give.
battle to the forces which would cur
tail its liberties and bring 1t into sub
lection. 1t need not know defeat. 1t
may have glorious victory in Christ
Jesus If it will fight in His name and
with His strength. How strong the
will of the flesh and the desires Of the
flesh are can only be realized as one
struggles against them, and seeks to
knows no struggle in his inner life, who
makes no fight against the flesh, with
its appetites and lusts. is living on a
very low plane. The Soul is being
ruled by Self. God demands differ
ent attitude and condition from His
children. I'VE must fight, il we would
reign" Conflict is the order of life
20 hrfc n No
From the moment that he accepts Jesus
Christ as Saviour from sin. he must
fight against sin in it's manifold forms
within and without. Paul in our text
is not preaching a doctrine of asceti-
cism. He does not mean to imply that
every Joy and pleasure which can be
experienced in this life are sinful. He
does not mean that the Christian is to
be gloomy, and to frown upon every
good thing in life. He does not mean
this, for there is no good thing which
God would withhold from His children,
but he does mean that Self should not
rule, that higher desire and purpose
should rule the life than the mere fieshly
desires and appetites. 1t must no
longer be what l want" but what
God wants for me- This brings the
strife. Here is where the conflict be-
gins. 1t is the flesh warning against the
Spirit. and the Spirit against the flesh.
THE Victory and Reward.-The secret
/ of victory is revealed in the OPEN
ing words of our text. The declara-
ton that the flesh lusteth against the
Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, ="
is preceded by the wise admonition to
walk in the Spirit" followed by the
blessed assurance that If we do, we
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh"
The Soul is to look to the Spirit for
leadership, instead Of Self. One OF the
essentials to victorious army is the
wise general who knows how to lead
his army so as to avoid all the am
buscades and pitfalls of the enemy,
and to select the vantage ground from
which to give battle. The Spirit will
lead unerringly. He knows the pit
falls, the dangers which Turk on every
hand, and 1t is only as the Christian
seeks to walk in the Spirit that he can
hope to escape disaster and defeat. The