The Penn's Grove record., 1904-12-02

lowed Him. SOar child loves and ~rejoices
IN you when he obeys you. Christ the
great captain of righteousness IS asking
men to follow Him. "If We know these
things, happy are ye if We do them" This
means more than mere intellectual assent
to the doctrines and teachings Of Christ,
for this nay remain only profession and
not pass into feeling and action.
You recall the searching words Of Christ
speaking to the intellectual failures of the
Pharisees, in Matthew XIV: s: "This peo-
pie honoreth Me with their lips, but their
heart Is far from Me. But in vain they do
worship Me, teaching for doctrine the
commandments of men" And aaain,
when He was speaking to this same aris-
toeracy of the intellect and sticklers for
the strict letter of the law, He said: "And
why call We me Lord! Lord! and do not
the things which / say" Manifestly,
then, Christ was eager that men should
give honest, hearty assent to His claims
of dlscipleship. He then promised poten-
tial freedom, personal liberty. But the
mere exercise of faith was not enough.
Christianity IS something larger and finer
than even the genuine exercise OF faith
in the person and work Of Christ.
Faith unfolds itself in many forms Of
Christian experience and activity, ali Of
which are embraced in repentance,
growth and service" When st. Paul
wrote to that little band of men at Ephe-
sus, who had exercised their faith in the
personal Christ, he babe them grow up
in all things into Him, who IS the head
even Christ" But lest there may be some
among us this morning who, in thinking
difficult to believe this Divine Son of
God, but who do not quite appreciate the
relation of a man to his sin, to his fail
ures, MS deliberate acts of wrong and evil,
Is it necessary to repent? And what is
repentance? EXCEPT We repent" cried
John the Baptist. Manifestly it is neces-
sary. And what is it? 1T is a deep
change of the entire thinking, feeling and
willing man; and involves as its elements
enlightenment, contrition and confession,
prayer for pardon and peace, counting the
cost and endeavor after new obedience"
Look at these for a moment. Enlighten-
ment! This is the work Of the Holy
Ghost. 1t was not until the prodigal son
came to himself that he started on that
wondrous pathway to lifelong blessing.
Enlightenment as to his own folly and
sin and consciousness that a fathers love
awaited his return. Ny brother, il some
things are uncertain, pray for e~nlighten-
ment and He who IN the same chapter
proclaimed Himself to be the light of
men will reveal the path to eontrition
and confession. Il have sinned against
heaven and in Thy sight" was a life Civ
ing confession and prayer. 1t showed
that faith in the Fathers love was sorry
and ashamed for its past ingratitude. In
| that heart cry for pardon was the souls
receiving Christ, and because He received,
he had the right to be a son Of God. Man
repented and God by His divine act re-
generated.
There are Others here to-day who win
admit the truth of much that l say, but
in whom and about whom there are OBJ
stacles which you have not the courage
and the determined patience TO overcome.
Some of these obstacles are the power OF
sin in the soul, for, like st. Paul Of old,
you find a law that when you do good
evil Is present." a false pride in ones
own personality and achievement, for
there are not a few of US, with 81 thank
Thee that / am not as other men are
tendencies; the environment of worldly
interests and friendships, and the insin-
certify of many processing Christians. All,
how many of us does this latter include2
Nevertheless, not a few are enabled to
rise above these obstacles and become sons
of God.
Again I ask the initial question of this
message, can | do as / please? Or must
I do as another p~leases? And l believe
an honest study of the New Testament
will show us that the only freedom which
is comprehensive is the freedom and lib
erty which God gives to our whole nature
when we have accepted or received His
Son Jesus Christ to be our Redeemer and
Master. May you this day. my earnest,
seeking friends, find the Christ whose
sacrifcial love, represented in this a%toning
| blood. and receiving Him by faith. be
called children of God. and if children,
then heirs, heirs Of God and joint heirs
with Christ, if so be that we suffer with
Him, that we may be also glorIied to-
gether.