Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-12-21
HIGHER AND LOWER FORCES.
~ Rev. Or. J.. 4. RondfhaIer.

o. wakeful ana watchful. His judg-
nent on them is his estimate of hui
Inanity. He measured both its strength
and its weakness He said. There IS
that in man which strives upward and
there is that which drives downward"
Christ did not start his estimate of hui
manlty with wholesale condemnation.
His idea Of conversion was not that
you must first pulyerize and then re-
construct the whole nature. His idea
was 10 feel along the whole character
until he found something the divine
could touch or waken, then he worked
with that So he dealt with Nathan
lei, with the Roman Centurion, with
Zacchaeus, even with the thief on the
cross. Study his dealings with these
people and see how he touched on their
possibilities or something good i'll
them. and worked with that.
1t was gracious thing 10 say this:
1.-THE spirit is willing but the flesh
is weak" 1t was so large in pity. so
great in forgiveness. But it vas more
than that. 1t was just thing to say.
1t gave credit to the good as well as
admitting the evil Wet get into the
habit of forming orr opinions and
judgments entirely out Of The worst
conditions. The Christ fairness teach
es TO temper the worst with the best.
Christ never preached that every one
must first be crushed TO Il Jelly before
he can be reshaped, reformed, recreat-
ed. Study his dealings with people
and you will find how lie took the
rough block of human nature and by
the action of divinity upon it lie
brought out the form divine
Jesus never condoned or smoothed
over sin No words as fiery as his
against evil But he did not lump
everything Unfortunately, he anal
yzed every man. Among all the rub
bish r. always found something that
was worth saying. THE spirit is VIII
ing" he said, but the flesh is weak"
A man cannot be as good rs he wants
to be, because his lower nature is too
weak to keep pace along the track his
spirit maps out. His lower nature
needs to be strengthened into the tenn
per of his higher spirit. That is wide
ly different from imagining that the
lower nature is to be destroyed ere
the higher can prevail
Do not, however, mistake Christ;
meaning. He did not excuse the dis
ciples for their unfaithfuluess. He did
not palliate their selfish sleep. 1t is 81
bad use we make of his word when
we make a proverb # it and use it as
a sort of absolutioA for wrong doing
We say when conscience pierces or
self-condemnation rises, 20, the spirit
is willing, but the flesh is weak" and
we think that wipes out the wrong.
Such a use of Christ's word is fatal
TO it's saving intent. It's real use is
to make us wildly conscious OF the
two great forces in opposition in ev.
cry man, that we ourselves may bring
these two forces into tremendous CON
tlict. This is the true battle of life.
A willing spirit but weak flesh.
What death struggles have wagcd
ideals of right rise the more intense
that struggle is within you. Salts
fed with a low IL, ell of life you Go
not feel the impulse that makes this
struggle between the higher and lower
forces il you, and that is an evidence
that your whole spiritual nature is
tuned to a low key. 1t is an evidence
that you think moanly of yourself AMI
that is long step toward becoming
mean The mtn who thinks nobly of
himself in whom self-respect rises to
high tide, will feel most keenly this
limitation of his lower nature and wiz
make the most manful efforts to free
himself from the captive entangle-
meLts of the flesh A true man will
ask rs my spirit really willing? Is
the Christ estimate true measure CT
me? Do in my spirit level up to the
divine definition of possibility in me?
Do l reach the dignity of human ma
ture that Christ puts upon it?' Bless
ed is the soul to whom such a gospel
ing of questions comes.
Here is a great stage of salvation to
reach: Il in my intrinsic self am
greater, stronger. more dominant than
my lower. meaner self. l aspire to
greater things than my passions. am
capable of nobler conceptions than my
lusts. | am fitted for better things
than my selfishness." This is reach
ing out toward the divine, this is
coming TO yourself as Christ puts e
il the parable Of the prodigal son
Consciousness of yOtr true self, that
spiritual self, which Christ dignified by
his recognition. consciousness of the
high possibilities in you viii slip at
last into the consciousness of the need
of God in you to bring the whole OF
yourself, both lower and higher. into
the region of God, which is Christ
manifest in the flesh. Any way that
you can open upward and Godward
the better willingness Of your spirit
is the way for you TO welcome the in
coming God, the Christ of the con-
version of weakness into strength. the
Savior. who IS the spirit Of willing
ness. the determination for the right,
the true. and the beautiful.
VIEW OF SIN.
BY Rev. 0rriH r. jerks.