The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1904-10-15

so-called secret Christian cannot know
or experience the meaning Of Salvation.
There may be recognition OF all tho
claims OF Jesus. there may be effort at
secret allegiance and discipleship, but
The soul is robbed Of half the Joy anu
blessing which come from vital union
with Christ.
CALVATION then. involves mora
- than belief of the heart. The latter
must be supplemented by the confession
of the mouth. To connect up the dyna-
mo with the live wire from the power
house Is not all that is necessary. And
to connect up the soul with Christ by tho
wire of faith Is not all that Is needful.
The motor stands there dead and inert.
There is no evidence Of the power and
life which II may be claimed lies within
the wire and that dynamo. All the con-
nections are made perfectly, and the
great generators back at the power
house are humming out their living,
vital current but there is no evidence
outwardly of the inner conditions.
Something more Is needful. But turn
the switch and let the current pass
through the dynamo and at once We see
the outward evidence OF the inward
presence. So with the one who believes
in Christ. The wire of faith has con-
nected the soul with its Lord and
Saviour, but the evidence of that union
Is only seen. yea and felt. as the life OF
the Christ flows through the disciplefn
confession. AS well might the dynamo
be connected up with the water plug at
the corner II the current Of electricity
were not permitted to flow through it.
And the soul which claims union with
Christ by faith might just as we'll have
faith in the heathen's god unless the
quickening presence OF the Christ Is
permitted to flow through the life In
open confession. do not believe 1t Is
possible for one to know what Salvation
really is. until the lips and the life con-
fess the Christ. in Whom faith Is placed.
Salvation is not theory which can be
hidden away in the heart. 1t is not doc
trine to be locked within the secret
chambers of the heart, and good to have
ready against the dying hour. Saliva
ton is a living, real force In the life
which If present within must become
visible without
A ND what is faith of the heart? What
I1is confession Of the mouth? The
faith of the heart is something more than
conscious recognition of the claims OF
Jesus. The confession of the mouth Is
something more than vain and empty
words spoken in the name of the Lord.
The devils believe and tremble, Scrip
ture declares, and Jesus said: Not
everyone that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the Kingdom Of Heaven.
Many will say to Me in that day (the day
when all shall come in the presence OF
God to be judged) Lord, Lord. have
we not prophesied in Thy name?' But
Jesus will say unto them: 81 never
knew you; depart from Me, we that work
iniquity." Yes, surely faith Of the
heart means more than idle, inactive.
unresponsive belief in Jesus Christ: and
confession of the mouth means far mori
than Just taking the name Of Jesus upon
the lips. Saving faith Is a dynamic force
which changes the life. and tunes thu
lips to respond to the Divine harmony
of the soul. Saving faith involves at
least three things: Consciousness OF
the guilty and lost condition Of the soul;
acceptance of the Christ as the complete
and only Saviour from all sin. and obc-
dience to the will and commands of the
accepted Christ. What profit is 1t to
my soul II recognize Jesus as the
Saviour of the world, II there Is not
within my heart deep sense of my per-
sonal need of His cleansing and saving
power? I must be convicted sinner
before can be saved soul. But saw
ing faith involves more than conviction
of sin and recognition Of Christ as a
Saviour. Christ cannot be my Saviour
until by faith accept Him as such
The acceptance of Christ as personal
Saviour must be as positive and formal
as must be the acceptance of a gift from
a friend before the gift Is really mine.
And obedience must follow acceptance.
WHAT follows according to the Dr.
w vine prescription is confession.
This Is the expression and confirmation
of that which has taken place within.
1t has been said that a thought is not
real and tangible until 1t has been ex-
pressed in spoken or written word. The
confession OF Christ by word of-mouth
clarifies the vision Of faith, It clinches
the convictions, 1t confirms the hopes
and aspirations of the soul The con-
fession Is the inseparable and the indis-
pensable twin Of the faith of the heart.
Many soul has struggled on in desper.
ate effort to live the secret Christian life.
No peace or Joy has come to the soul.
How could II when the Christ Who had
dared to face all the world for the lost
sinner Is being denied and diahonored
by silent lips. Either Of two things al
ways happens to such believer. Either
he at last brings the joyless and troubled
religious experience to a close by an
open confession OF the Christ he loves.
or else in wilful obstinacy and disobe-
dience he loses the presence Of the Christ
and falls short of the Salvation which
Christ yearned to give him. Bishop
Huntington has said: Religion be-
longs In the heartbeat Of mans affec-
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