The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1904-03-11
Following Christ.


ton Presbyterian Church.
There are many who picture the
Christian life as one easy to be fol.
lowed. This may be true as it re.
CARDS the fact OF salvation us ac-
complished by Christ and its re
ceptiou through faith. 1t is not
true when it applies TO the life that
follows the acceptance Of Christ.
IL is more than II mere union with
any church, obedience 10 certain
forms or conformity to certain
ceremonies and rights. Such is
not life, but stagnatlon, so closely
resembling death rs not to hr dis
linguishahlc thercfrom. The right
conception Of the christian life is
one that calls into action the high.
est powers of the soul. mind and
body in Il struggle for the attain
ment Of better aud holicr things.
As one plane of higher living is
attained it opens to view others
that are still higher. There can
bc no satisfaction with our attain
ments until that day in which we
shall b" like Christ.
To he Il consistent follower of
Christ has then lis cost Our mas
ter demanded denial oi self and
hearing of Il cross in order To diSci-
pleship; II life in which self is sub
ordlGated to Christ; our desires.
our ambitions, our purposes, all
brought into subjrctiou to those of
the Master II it be necessary to
sacrifice and suffer because of nj.
Icgianrc to Christ then the cross
must be willingly undertaken.
While self denial and sacrifices
may be regarded ms essential to fol
lowing Christ, III II few brief SEN
tcnccs the Master shows the com
pnrulivr values of the soul aud the
world; the soul with its self denial,
saved; the soul gaining all else,
hut lost In His hands He holds
the balances. On one side is
placed the world with all the am
bitl0nS of the soul gruiied; It's
pleasures and apprtltrS and pas
siouS satisfied; its gains in the sub.
Stanllal things of this life. On
the other side is placed the soul.
What, He then asks, is II man
proiited if he gain the whole world
aud lose his own soul! or what will
II man not give in exchange for his
soul! = While it costs something
to be Il follower of Christ. the soul
is saved and gaining all else, away
from Christ the soul is lost.
And now the ISSUES are joined.
The master has taught the essen
tails of disciplcShip or for follow
ing Him, self denial and cross
bearing He has skctchcd the
comparative values of IA world
gained but soul lost and world
lost but a soul gained. He looks
now forward. Jerusalem must be-
visited, followed by His rejection
and His death on Calvary. Bnt
He will arise from the dead. Be
yond this, He shall come in the
glory of His father with His holy
angels. His triumph over all shall
be manifested, And in that day
shall He honor those by whom He
has been honored. Them shall He
receive, not ashamed to call them
brethren. " But those ashamed of
Him! Whosoever therefore shall
be ashamed of me and of my words
in this udulterous and sinful
generation, of him also shall the
Son of man be ashamed when He
cometh into the glory of the Faith.
cr with the holy angels. "
1t costs to be n christian, in
self denial. in sacrifice aud per
haps in actual suffering. Consider
this cost but look at the compara
tive value of the soul and the
world. Escaping this cost, you
may win all else, but losing the
soul all else is lost. When the
Master comes in glory with His
holy angels shall you be received
unto honor' Will He acknowledge
you before the Fathers Or will
He be ashamed of you as you have
been ashamed OF Him!