The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-02-15

day morning, Joe Healey called around 10
pay his usual visit. He used to come
every Sunday and bring a bottle OF whisky
with him. and them two would spree it all
day until they turned the whole house into
a bed.am. Well, l saw Hea!ey coming last
Sunday morning, and / was afraid it wonld
be all up with poor Murphy if he got with
him. I went down to the door, and when
he asked ii Murphy was in l said, NO.
Murphy is out. He don't live here any
longer So I sent Healey off and saved
Murphy from temptation. But what |
want to know, your reverence, Is this. did
] tell a lie? I meant that the old Murphy
did not live there any more. You know
Mr.. Moody told US that when a man Is
converted he is a new creature: old things
have passed away. I believe Murphy Is a
new creature, and that the old Murphy
eff any maa be in Christ he is a new
creation. Old things are passed away; be-
hold all things are become new" After a
man makes this discovery he begins to
learn important truths. He learns that he
must now walk, not after the flesh, but at
ter the spirit. This is by no means an
easy thing to do. ! wonder how many
have mastered this art? IT'S one that car
not be acquired in a single lesson. l
sometimes think we shall never know per-
fectly how to walk after the Spirit so long
as we bear this body Of flesh. There is
much misrepresentation on this point. Not
a few have been sorely perp,exed, and
some nave been quite disheartened in their
attempts to make the plain facts OF their
experience fit certain doctrines taught
from the Scriptures. Here is a typical ex-
ample. A young man entered upon the
Christian life. There was no doubt as to
the genuineness of his conversion. He ac-
cepted Christ intelligentlv, and with an
earnest purpose to give Him a loyal serv-
ice. He had run the whole gamut of sim
full indulgence, but the change in bis life
was a radical one. He ceased to do evil
and tried to learn to do good. But he was
hindered by old habits and tendencies
which still lurked in his flesh: The strug-
gle was fierce and he faced it heroically,
until one day more severely tempted than
usual he went to his pastor and said: "1t's
no use, I might as well give up trying. l
have been guilty of some of the same old
sins that I used to indulge in, and I won't
be a hypocrite. so You can take my name
of the record" The pastor made use Of
his Masters method. and answered the
young man with a parable. 1t was the old
story OF a farmer VINO was blowing in a
meadow lot. He kept his eyes liked on a
tree at the farther end OF the field, and de-
termined to make his first furrow as
straight as possible. That was to be MS
guiding line, and it was his intention to
mare each iurrow as straight as the first;
He succeeded fairly we'll for awhile, until
a bird flew close to his face and startled
him so that he jerked on the rein with the
result a crook in his furrow. Several times
in the course OF his blowing he got off the
line, but just as soon as he discovered mis-
DETECTION lie pulled back and got on the
straight line again.
How aptly this illustrates the initial ex.
p%erience of a child of God. He starts out
with the determination to walk in the
footsteps Of his Master. That IS the CEN
trail purpose OF his heart. His new nature
throbs with a single motive OF LOYALTY. to
Christ. But in his immature condition he
blunders, he flies into a passion perhaps.
or INDUCES some old sinful habit, forget
ting his new relationship with God, and
he makes a crook in his iurrow. But in
the instant when ne comes to himself he
repents of his DETECTION and, fixing his
eyes upon Jesus, he gets back on the line
and tries again. Such deviations from the
line of rectitude often dishearten Young
Christians. Their blunders of immaturity
are mistaken for tokens Of insincerity.
w dlhlu Will SIIlSI III IL oShOoi IA SApS
rience they will learn that the evidence OF
their loyalty to Him in whose footsteps
they seek to follow, is not found in the alb.
solute perfection Of their walk. The real
test lies in their immediate repentance
and turning back to the line when a de-
Walton or DETECTION has been discovered.
A soul-inspifing truth that one ought to
grasp at the beginning of the Christian life
is that walking with God leads ultimately
to Gods house. A beautiful commentary
on this point was that made BY a little
girl, as related by DR.. Morgan, of London.
Her mother questioned her about the les.
son. learned at Sunday-school.. She had
been studying Enoch, and told her mother
that he was a man who used to, take long
walks with God. And one day they went
for an extra long walk, and God said to
Enoch, "You are along way from home.
Enoch. and you had better come in and
stay with Me-"
1t has been truly said that: Heaven IS
sometimes spoken OF as q place, admission
to Which is gained by some len;ent act Of
divine amnesty. People speak of going to
heaven as though it were a concert room,
to enter which a ticket only is required.
Nothing could be more un%scriptural.
Heaven is not a place into which We are
admitted. but a place into which we grow.
It is little short of foolish the way some
talk Of going to heaven when they die.
They exclude God from their life on earth.
They find no love in His PRESENCE here.
Heaven would be a place Of painful i'm.
prisonment."
The fe.icities of the heavenly country
will he conditioned largely upon our capac-
ity to receive. And our capacity to re-
ceive will be determined by OUT ability to
.on,o Tho eor,;na af boouon uill hp n COR
| vice OF Lore. I think we should stihe in
the atmosphere of heavens love unless we
had learned to breathe in its purity and
live in its beauty here below One must
learn to keep step with Jehovah here and
now ii he would enter upon the joys of the
divine presence hereafter. Learn to pVe
| what God loves. and hate what God hates.
Get in step with Him to-day and let Him
be your companion for life.
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