Democratic messenger., 1904-02-06

Inc true way OF looking upon our rela-
tion TO Christ is that His presence within
our heart by faith gives us energy to
achieve, not by easlaving. but by enfran.
chising the will, iavgorating it. energizing
1t. vitallzlnc 1t, until with Augustine we
can say: We will. but God works the
willing: we work. bat God works the
working"
Philippians. >: u. ls. has often been mis-.
understood. II says: Work out sour own
salvation with fear and trembling. For IL
Is God which worketh IN you both. to will
and do of His good pleasure To work
ont does no: mean 10 work into outward
expression what God puts within us hut
as 1t literally means. To achieve for sal
Nation Is an achievement IS well as being
at the same time git. Nor does it mean
that We are To work Ia Paul's absence
The possibility of working out our saliva.
tion rests upon the fact that God is with
in, 80 that we can will aud 90 OF His good
pleasure. Thus. will. IS not an instrument
which We can turn from side to side. and
which when necessary God can use; 1t is
ourselves acting. That which God does is
not our act unless Gcd works through our
wills.
The possibilities OF such an empowered
HE are divine. We need not he periec-
tionists and still believe as we ought that
Chrlsts grace Is sufficient for us. Many
pretend to believe 1t. aud do not live 1t.
They worry. they fret, they give up. The
most OF Us seem to think that the normal
Christian life is 10 rise aud fall like the
tides. Yet Paul SAYS: There hath no
temptation beiallen you but snch as is com
mon 10 man; bat God is faithful. who will
not suffer you to he ienpted above that
ye are able; but will with the temptation
also make way of escape, that ye may
be able to bear 1t.
Christ within also makes al living sl-
cred. We have made sad divisions among
objects. We have divided space into holy
and unho,y. and declared tnat God could
be found only in certain places. which had
been consecrated. We have divided time
into holy and secular. declaring that we
would serve God on the Sabbath aud con-
duet our business and amusements as we
pleased the rest OF the week. We have d-
vlded money into two parts. We have said
that the giving OF the onetenth. or one
twentieth to God. justified us in the claim
OF unlimited freedom in the disposition
OF the rest. We have divided up persons,
and put certain class OF people called
priests, ministers. missionaries, upon ped
estals, declaring that the standard of con-
duct for them differed from the standard
for others, and that their work was espe-
cially religious.
All wrong. All space Is holy, and the
green grass may be the chancel carpet and
the trees the massive pillars and the sky
the dome, IL below there is 4 heart pray
ing in spirit and truth. All time Is sacred.
The Monday should be as much devoted to
Gods service as Sunday. and the Office and
the store should be as much shrIpes of
devotion as the closet All money IS sa-
cred. and the money spent upon the nee
essaries OF life. upon business and pleasure
should be spent with equal consciousness
as upon the church. All Christians have
Christ within them, and they should aim
-. al. t,
need to-day quite as much AS the Chris
tianization OF the secular life.
Then at last, the Christ within ls the
source OF final holiness. Christ at last
is to present us hoy and rnbiamabie, and
Treprovable in HIS sight.
Sin does two things for us. separates
ls from God and distorts our nature. When
we are forgiven we are restored to the di-
vine fellowship. But what about The ct
fects of sin upon our nature: See the
sears upon the tree and what the liie OF
the tree does for il. Listen 10 what Paul
says: Il am perplexed until Christ be
formed within YOU AZ Christ had His
Beth,ehem. His Nazareth. His Oiivet. so
does He again in His reinca-nation have
His Bethlehem, His Nazareth. His Olivet.
Who knows why one plant grows into the
geranium, and the other into the rose: The
type is something more than the ideal pre-
sented for the imitation OF the plant. IL
Is an informing life.
l think it was the last thing that DR..
A. s. Gunbert wrote for the Examiner:
Among the Dutch the rose was sometimes
cultivated by planting an inferior rose
close to rose OF superior variety. The
rose of inferior quality was carefully
, watched and an;hers removed TO avoid
self polarization the object being that
it should be poilenized by the superior
rose. Gradually tine rose thus treated took
upon itself the characteristics OF the snpe-
rior life OF ITS companion" SO, our lives
are pollenized as it were by His righteous
ness.
Thus Christ within becomes 10 us the
source of divine comDanionship. of power
for achievement. OF the exaitation o. con.
duct, OF final holiness. He who wishes
10 plant hope within his own heart OF such
prospects, should begin and never cease
exercising faith in Him who loved us and
gave Himself to die for US.