Milford chronicle., 1905-04-14


tiOn which came over you on the day o
your conversion? Then make the pray
er Of my text Make it day in and da!
out Make it and continue to make i
as YOU rehearse all God has done fOl
you by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ
Oh. that today we could have the thrill
which surged through us when we frs
felt that God had purged us>with hys
SOP until we were clean, that he had
washed US until we were whittier than
snow!
Not the Only JOY.
But gratitude to God for what Christ
has done for US is not the only
Joy of salvation that is buried and
needs to be renewed. One of these joys
that need to be resurrected is the one
we used to find in Christian service.
No sooner were we converted than i'm
mediately we went forth to try to
save some one else. Then when we
brought a brother or sister to the cross
there came over us another joy which
we had not hitherto conceived, the joy
of saving men and women for Christ
There is no joy on earth greater than
that. Not even the joy Of being saved
ourselves can be compared to the joy
Of knowing that by the grace Of God
we have been able to save some one
else from perlshing.
The man of the world who has never
experienced this joy cannot understand
It, The exhilaration of it is couched
for him in mystical and unknown
tongues. For years and years l could
not understand what Paul meant in
his letter to the Romans. felt he did
not mean what he said. I believed he
was only using an exaggerated ora
torical figure of speech when he said,
For could wish that myself were ac-
cursed from Christ for my brethren,
my kinsmen, according to the flesh"
The more l studied that passage the
more l felt and do feel today that Paul
literally made this prayer: 20 Christ,
If there is no way to save my brothers,
my sisters, my friends, my people, but
by blOtting my name out Of the book
Of life, then destroy me for their
sakes!' In other words, Paul said,
destroy me II by my spiritual death
others might spiritually live forever in
thee" And yet is not this joyful will
ingness to be sacrificed to save others
experienced by the new convert al
ways?
Was young HamiltOn's death an I'M
desirable one? No sooner were the
honor and life OF his father Alexander
threatened in his political
warfare against Aaron Burr than his |
eldest son, the pride of his heart, |
leaped forward and said, 'If necessary |
l will die that my father shall live"
Three long years before the fatal duel |
at Weehawken, when the first secre-
tary of the United States treasury laid |
down his life, his eldest boy died for
his fathers sake. DO you not believe
that when young Hamilton was dying
there came an unspeakable joy to him
because he was dying in his fathers
stead? When Nathan Hale was led
forth to the gallOws to be strangled as
a spy, did he go there like craven
murderer? Oh, no. He went with his
head up. His step was firm. A happy
smile was upon his lips. He said, "The
Oniy regret that have in dying is that
[ have but one life to lay upon the al
tar of my country" Yes, Nathan Hale
lied happy. In dying he felt that he
was making it possible for his country
10 live. So Paul was happy when he
said, 20 Christ, if it is necessary for
ne to spiritually die that others may
live, then blot my name out
If the book of life" Thus the joy of
saving an immortal soul which comes
% the Christian is even greater than
hat joy which comes to penitent men
md women when they first give their
learts to Jesus Christ.
The JOY of Saving Others.
Oh. apostates; oh, We negligent and
ilothfu church members, standing
dly about in the market places when
Gods vineyards are filled with the rip
st clusters just ready for the pluck
ng. You have known in thetpast the
oy of salvation in the saving Of souls!
Why, can see even now the reflection
# a past joy upon your faces as in the
ime when you used to lat or in the
sunday schools and bring little chill
Iren to Christ / can see you now
milling as you used to do when you
irought your friends to the revival
meetings and labored with them to ac-
ept Christ. 1 can see you now going
p to your minister and earnestly and
apturously saying: Pastor, keep on
raying. We will get them. They
re bound to give their hearts to Christ.
We will get them yet" But now the
world and the flesh have crept in. You
10 not work for souls as you used to
o. You do not have the old joy Of
aving souls. Oh, my friends, will you
ot pray that this Joy may come to you
gain: "Lord, God, give me the old
brill Of being saved by thy sacrifice.