The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-08-06

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form. And surely It would seem 20
In the face of the sin and failure Of
men from Adam down to the present
time. But let US look into the mat
ter little more deeply to see II Cod
has provided q way out of the DIM
Guilty. Surely II 10 not unreasonable
for me a. Q father to lay upon my
SON task which 10 beyond his skill
and strength to do. II I provide q
way by which the performance Of the
task 10 made possible. And surely
God cannot be charged with unreal
sonable exaction when He commands
w to be holy and perfect, inasmuch
as He has provided q way by which
man may meet His commands and con-
ditions. God says: BE ye holy"
and then pointing to His perfect Son,
He says: Behold the Lamb Of God,
which taketh away the sin Of the
world" Unrighteous before God
apart from Christ but In Christ, ac-
cepted because of His righteousness.
AS Paul puts 1t in the third Of Phil
ippians: THAT I may be found In
Christ. not having a righteousness OF
mine own, even that which is of tho
law. but that which is through faith
in Christ, the righteousness which IL
from God by faith" The first condi-
ton. then, OF doing the will of God
Is in obtaining from Him that right
eousness which we have not Of our
selves, and this Is realized by faith
In Jesus Christ as the personal Sa-
viour and the One Who cleanses from
all sin. -
n DING the Will Of God, then. involves
~ the acceptance of Jesus Christ as
Saviour, and this act depends upon the
real desire to do the will of God. II in
wolves the attitude of the heart towards
God. The Scribes and Pharisees, the
leaders Of the Jews, came to Jesus, talk
ing about God their Father, and pre-
tending to be jealous for God and the
doing Of His will. But they were not
willing to accept the Christ, the Son
Whom God had sent into the world to
save the world from sin and unrighteous-
ness; and, because they we're not willing.
Jesus declared they were of their ia
Their the Devil, and that they did his
will and not Gods will. Man cannot do
the will of God while his attitude towards
God is not right, any more than that
child who Is In rebellion against the
parent can do its fathers will. A re-
bellious heart cannot do the will Of
parent or God. Note the parable which
Christ spoke Of the two sons. One with
rebellion in his heart said, when told
to go and work In the vineyard: II will
not CO." And while rebellion ruled he
went not. But afterwards he repented
and went. The desire to do the fathers
will took possession of his heart and he
went and did 1t. And the second son
who outwardly assented, but went not.
lacked as much as did the rebellious son
the desire to do the fathers will. Ho
recognized the right of the father to
command him to go into the vineyard,
but he was so busy doing his own will,
and seeking his own desires, that there
was no room to desire the will of the
father, and so went not.
II ERE we have illustration OF two
i classes of people in the world to-
day. Both refuse to do the will of God.
One class recognize the claim of God
upon them, but being so occupied with
their own affairs, and the doing of their
own will. they fail to do the will of God.
'fhe other class in rebellion of heart re-
fuse to recognize that God has any claim
upon them. And would that 1t were
tr,,a that oil ", suoh rabaIliop xyouId m
pent and do the will of God. But, alas,
many, many will not! But there are
those who are coming. The will is be-
ing given up for Gods will; the desire Of
man is being given up for the desire OF
God. The family circle of Jesus Is grow
ing. In ever widening stretch of arm
He points out His mother and brethren,
including not those who only say Lord,
Lord. and go on doing their own will, but
including those who do the will OF God.
The acceptance Of Christ Is the begin
ming of the doing the will OF God. The
successive steps are taken as we do the
will of God as 1t is revealed to us. One
step at time, Is Gods order. Gods
Word assures us that "if any man will
eth to do His will he shall know OF the
teaching" II you live up to the light
you have, when you need more light for
the next step, God will see that you have
Il.
n DING the will OF God may bring sufs
~ fering, but 1t means blessing in tho
end. But what comfort to know that
the afiiiction Is In line with the will Of
God. Peter says land who is there who
knew what suffering meant better than
he--surely none, save 1t we're Paul.:
Wherefore let them also that suffer
according to the will OF God commit
their souls in well doing to q faithful
Creator" The Cody shall suffer perse~
cution, but what glory Is to some day
shine out of that suffering! We say
"Thy will be done" as though It were
the hardest and saddest thing In all the
world, when II is the most glorious. for
that will will find It's Joy and realiza-
ton ultimately In the best and most en-
during Doing Gods will IL q copartner-
ship AFFAIR. Christ by His indwelling
Spirit is present and ready to help W do
what we cannot do ourselves. And mot
onlv dooa Chrfst'a atrenxth becoma oy1p