The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1904-11-19

der. The dirty spots must be secured
and the whole dish washed with hot wa
ter and o a and then rinsed in clean,
hot water before it can be accepted for
further use. And this illustrates a most
important and vital truth in connection
with the Christian. He must be purged
and clean before the Master will con-
sent to use him. And right here we must
emphasize the vast difference which
may exist between the Christian who is
being used by the Master and the Chris
tan who is using himself in the Mas
ter's name. Christian service does not
always mean Christ service. The
Christian in action does not always
mean Christ acting through the Chris
tian. The Christian must be purged, a
vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for
the Masters use, before he can be filled
with the presence and power of Christ,
and thus prepared unto every good
work. How the Master is hindered by
the unclean vessels which are offeredfor
His use! The spiritual life and power
OF the church is proportionate to the
spiritual life and power of the individ-
ual members Of the church. The spring
cannot rise above its source, and the
church cannot realize a higher spiritual
strength and power than that of its
membership. - 40
GO that the question Of the condi-
~ ton Of the church resolves itself
into one as to the condition of the in
dividual Christian. If the church is
not meet for the Masters use" it is
because its members are not. If the
church lacks power it is because the
power Of Christ is not flowing through
the individual Christian. If the church
is not being used as a clean vessel.
sanctified, and meet for the Masters
use, the fault lies at the hearts door
Of the individual Christians, and the
remedy is to be found not in change
Of principles, or policy, or methods,
not IN the adoption of new-fangled de-
vices, but in a purifying and cleansing
Of the hearts and lives of the individual
Christians in order that there may be
placed in the hands of the Master yes
sells meet for His use. How much the
coming Of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ |
Is hindered and delayed by the unclean
vessels which the Master is unable to
use we will never know until He at
last comes in. glory and we know as
we are known, but certain it is that the
world would have been brought to
Christ centuries ago If the vessels
which Christ needed in the accomplish
ment of His worldwide mission had
been kept clean and sanctiied for His
use. Every great revival, every great
and glorious work accomplished for
Him, have been preceded by a cleansing
Of the vessels that they might be used
for Him. Heart-searching prayer has
discovered the unclean places, the foul
stains of sin, and the yielded will and
the recOnsecrated purpose of heart have
united with the quickening Spirit to
cleanse n purify until the Master
could smilingly say: This is a YES
sci which is fit for use. l will fill it
with My grace and power. twill send
1t forth blessed and to be a blessing"
And where there is a lack of spiritual
blessing and power it is always because
there are unclean vessels, unfit for the
Masters use.
TN the verse preceding our text Paul
L introduces the figure Of a great
house in which there are various kinds
of vessels, some of gold and some of
silver, others of wood and still others
OF earth. In the opinion Of some COM
m%entators the great house typifies the
church, and the vessels the members
of that church. The vessels Of honor
are those OF gold and silver, and those
of dishonor the wooden and earthen
dishes. The first are taken to represent
the true disciples of Jesus, the latter
those who are identified with Christ's
church, bot who are u~nregenerate It
Is the figure of the wheat and the tares, I
the wheat and chaff, the drag net filled
with fishes good and bad. The vessels
of gold and silver are precious and able {
to endure the trying fire of God, and
hence fit for His use, while those of wood
and earth are worthless, fragile and I'M
able to withstand the searchings of the
Divine flame, and therefore are vessels !,
OF dishonor, filling a place in the great {
house, but never being used in goodly I
This exegesig would seem to
be sustained by the opening words of !
our text. which declare that, "if a man :
purge himself from these. heI /,
shall be" and so forth, evidently sug- 8
a separation from the worldly 7
minded, unholy brother, and a living be- 8
lore God that will be an example and '
'ebuke to him. Instead of being vessels Z
" wood and earth we are to have the Z
o~reciousness of the gold and silver, and '
he transmitting power of Jesus>C Christ
an change the commonest clay and the Y
wood into the purest gold and b
silver. - n
. ND yet a favorite figure used to S
a typify the humble disciple whom C
loves 70 honor by filing with His v