Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-09-28

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word. The whole thing is simple and
natural, and true to the fundamental
facts and laws of the moral and spir-
itual constitution of man. Take the
parable of the ''lost sheep" and the
aprodigal son." How does the Good
Shepherd seek His lost sheep? How
does the Father restore the lost child?
The Divine mercy and love seeks and
influences the children of men in
countless ways. God seeks man in the
very fact that sin itself Is foreign TO
mans higher nature. The life of sin,
of alienation from goodness, Is u disap-
pointment. Its pleasures are apples of
Sodom. The evil course, in the end,
exhausts itself. The prodigal gets to
the end Of his resources; then he re-
calls that he Is his fathers child. 1t
is 80 with all kinds of sin. In the laws
of mans moral and spiritual being, 1t
Is ordained that there shall be reac-
ton of the divine, the good In man,
against the evil within and around
him. do not know how far men may
20 toward destroying the possibilities
of good in themselves. No finite mind
can dogmatize on such question.
only know that Jesus never despaired,
and that He teaches us to despair OF no
man.
In seeking and restoring sinful men
to their true lives. the ministry or
loving and sympathetic humanity mas
the largest place Of any other 1nstru-
mentality. 1t is continuation OF the
ministry of Jesus. His ministry was
not In His words alone; 1t was chiefly
in His wonderful personality. HIS
gentleness, His faith in man, inspired
faith and hope and courage In those
He ministered to- Men are sought and
found through goodness and love ana
pity in their fellow-men. Jesus said:
"Do good, despairing of no man. be
merciful, even as your Father Ill
heaven Is merciful;" "If We forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will forgive YOU" Make the heavenly
Father real to men by being incarna-
fYons Of His love and goodness.
The love of God is seen chiefly in
love and pity in the heart of man.
In the ancient liturgy of the Church
there is a phrase that says, "God hnth
given power and commandment 10 ms
ministers to declare and pronounce to
His people, being penitent, the abso-
luton and remission Of their SINS
There is a wonderful truth In those
ancient words. God hath given snch
power, not to ordained clergymen
alone, but to every sympathetic ana
minjstering soul. The law Of divine
forgiveness and spiritual renewal is the
central law of the evanGel of Jesus
I stand by the side of man in the
spiritual agony of remorse, lie mas
drunk the horrible cup Of iniquity. lie
is sin-sick. He feels the crushing bur
den of his own wrong-doins. He longs
for deliyerancc, for ease of conscience,
for sense of divine forgiveness. He is
sorry for his sin. The inward dark
ness of his soul has projected itself
upon the heavens. He thinks that Goa
is angry with him. He Is afraid or
his Father.
Love re-crcates the soul, and the
man becomes "a new creation lie
begins to live new life and to hSht
n winning battle with sin and tempta-
ton. He knows and feels that power
is in him that is all sufficient for every
need and every emergency of his NE.
All this is of the free grace ana love
of the Father Not by works or
Righteousness that we have done. but
according to His mercy He saves us
The relation Of child toa father docs
not stand upon any legal formally; II
is not conditioned upon any service
that may be done by the child. inns
is pre-eminently true of the relation
between the Heavenly Father and HIS
human children.
The love and grace of God come
through no contract. st. PAU tells
of those who live as servants IN the
Fathers house. Their spirit is one OF
bondage not of joyous trust and spir-
final freedom. The effort to obtain the
sense of forgiveness and spiritual peace
and joy by a diligent discharge OF duty
leaves the tender conscience IN DOUBT
and fear, because 1.-THE commandment
is so exceeding broad" that Mt best
mans endeavors must be Imperfect, or
else it leads to Pharisaic self-com-
placpncy. 1t turns the moral life INTO
n legal routine of duty. Between that
kind of legal service which we may
render under hope of winning Gods
favor. and the free service to which we
are constrained by the sense or divine
sonship and love, the distance Is I'M
mea surable. 1t is to Jesus mat llie
world is indebted for showing us this
and enabling us to pass from the state
OF seryile obedience to God whom we
fear, to the joyous service of Father
whom we love. We accept this view OF
the relation between our souls ana Goa
upon the authority of Jesus as our
great Master and Leader In the things
of the spilit, as from one who stands
supremacy above us in spiritual insight.
Love creates loving and oDeulent ne.
1t DESTROYS selfshness from the heart.
IT makes character; and character IS
salvation in this and In all worlds.
The kingdom of heaven on earth Is
the kingdom of love, q society or men
and women who live the loving and
Christ-ike life; who believe that this
ia Gods world, and who live upon this
principle every day; who believe that
all men are brothers and sons OF COD,
and act toward all men as II they
really believed this.
These principles Of the religion or
Jesus are gaining more and more in
the world, in spite Of all that appears
to the contrary. The kingdom OF God
is surely coming on earth.
The Fatherhood Of God, the Brother
hood of Man. the moral and spiritual
Leadership Of Jesus, Salvation by
Character, inspired by love. the Prog
ress of Mankind onward and upward
n Hal
and spiritual Christianity; and some
day it will be accepted as the true In
terpretation of the religion Of Jesus.