Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-01-19

Gods mercy. They must so live and
act that they shall feel God has par.
dNned and cleanscd them from all sin.
They must SO live and act that other
people will feel that spiritual fires are
burning within them and that those
spiyitual fires are cleansing the impuri-
ties out of our lives. The greatest puri-
fer ON earth Is fire, AS we are appoint
cd to lead others to the Christian al
tars we must guide them by flame
which is pure. because Christ's fires
have burned and are burning within
us
We Need tho Divine Flame.
Only the divine light can produce the
true light of life. zone day the lantern
was talking to the candles which stood
upon the mantcl," wrote an inasina
tive author. ooh. how much my mas
ter thinks of me- it said. "IIc has Of
Ten told me it would be impossible for
him to go out into the dark nights If
did not 20 with him to point out the
way" aye aye" answered Il candle,
"that may be all true. But your master
would sing n different song if 1t were
not for my bright eye in Your socket,
shining through your windows OF glass.
D!d IT never occur TO You. q lantern,
that you would amount to na,ght I'M
less my light Shunn within You and
through yOuf" Christian disciples, docs
II not occur to you that You are rs moth
ing and will continue to DO as nothing
as Il divine light unless christ's light is
in You and shines through you: We
must have u divine aGmc burning with
in lis before we can be n divine light to
a sinful and II dying world.
Eu. though the divine tame within
lis IS absolutely essential Cor the send
| inc forth OF a divine light oft of our
| lives. how many of thrist's profcsscd
| disciples neglect imparting the holy
! fires within themselves which are al
ways burning ut Gods mercy seat In
| one cf the hcathcn temples of the east
, | saw fire which. The priest told me-
, had been in existence hundreds OF
| wears Those priests never allow that
| fire TO 80 out Have We always kept
! the divine flame burning within us:
| By diligcnt and unceaSing prayer, by
! continual reading of Gods word, by
! holy communications with Gods saints
| by n pure. gentle. true forgivinS spirit
! have we always fed the necessary fuel
| TO the fires of our spiritual life: Like
| l,noch, have we been continually walk
| ing hand in hand with Cod? DO no,
J 1h.ak for one instant that you can i'm
pCec upon the world an earthly famc
/ as heavenly light.
Music For Nusit-s Sake.
A musician told me recently that she
could intutivcly feel when she was
playing whether or not l'.c members a
her audience loved music. If there
were twenty listeners present and nine
teen were merely pretending to be 10y
crs of harmony she would play over tn,
heads of those nineteen to the twcnti
eth, who loved music for music's sake
SO in YOUR life God knows whether
Your light is II divine flame and maj
also intNltively can separate the earth
~ light from the divine. Oh, SO called
Christian disciples, before you attemp
t. lead others 70 the cross get the di
vine fires burning within you ut the nj
tars of your own hearts. Be not lik
the five foolish virgins with lamps bu
with no divine oil for their lamps
Pray, pray, pray. Plead. plead, plca'
ut the affairs of mercy for this light
lie only can make the spiritual fire
burn within you.
Nhcn the divine fires begin to burr
within us, what happens? Their influ
cncc eXerts itself all around us. Thci
power is felt by the people with whom
we coue in contact. Their quickenin,
rays fall on fields that we know no
Of and nourish and develop seed tina
may have been carried from rcnot
sources. Many years ago Mr.. Beechel
home*icl and lonely. was wanderin
through an Alpine village. where to hi
surprise. he found some OF the Amer
. can flowers growing in the gardens q
the Swiss hamlcti far from their M
dive soil. When our gospel light be
gins 10 shine it will develop spiritua
plants in fields or rocky soil and /
mountain ravincS. far from the place
> We ever expect 10 find them
Spiritual Light Needed.
Did You ever stop to think that spil
! ltllai Sr'tlS are Il great uF;tl IKE Ill
; c0mgpOn seeds we plant in our gardens
Their development depends not NOR
upon the soil than the sunbeams whic
kiss them. ''What is the matter Wit
0 my ga rdcn?" / ask neighbor Il hay
! bought exactly the same kind of see
:. AS you. / have faithfully watered III
$ ground every morning and evening.
n have dug out all my weeds as soon q
p they poked their green heads above I'll
u surface Of the earth. Yet here am
t with few struggling plants lookin
d for all the world as though they we,
g dying from a fatal attack Of typhoi
It in n hospital of flowers while 80
r have roses galore and great sturdy II
s yal beauties that are scattering the
?, Incense every whittier" "Ah," answer
e my neighbor, you have starved 20,
'e plants for light. You have not give
T. them the suns rays. Make your gardt
2 not under the shadow Of wall. Dig
'r in place where the first sunbea
n which dances over the eastern hills ca
e play hide and seek among your rose
T. Give them sunlight. Flowers. like We
etablos and harvest fields. must la,
TO light. They must have light" All me
10 nave their spiritual seeds within iheI
he even the lowest Of social outcast