Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-02-22

conspire its ruin. In other words, our
souls are In the grip Of deadly dis.
ease. which dwarfs and stunts them.
What is that disease? A correct dag.
nosis is the first step to complete the
cure.
Suppose for moment you have
boy who. instead Of growing Into
health and strength. Is pinched and
dwarfed and anemic in appearance.
You take the lad to physician, and
lie will tell you that that boy OF yours
is really suffering from wrong habit
of life. He ia not being nourished prop
erly. His digestive organs are being
overloaded with food which he cannot
assimilate. What the boy needs is not
more food, but less; not richer diet:
but simpler. Nature IL being thwarted
by artificial living, and artificial living
is the seed-plot of disease. Ana the
physician will doubtless tell You that'
the boy being young, the cure Is simple.
He will say: "Give nature chance
by simplifying his daily diet" Well
It is even so with the health OF the soul.
Our souls are starved and stunted ny
disease, which is created and agra
waited by a wrong mode OF life, we
are so gorglng our minds with all the
elaborated and artificial forms OF Nv
ing. that tho spiritual within us IS
stifed. Sin is the disease which Kills
the soul, but sin is simply product OF
that sordid selfish life which clogs the
great arteries Of the soul. II deltber-
ately we follow life which makes no
provision for prayer and communion
with God, which cherlshes evil haDl'S
and nourIshes actions which begin ana
end in self, then we are deliberately
killing the soul within us. What. then,
is the price we have to pay II we want
to grow a soul? We must change the
mode of life which enthralis us. anu
make provision, not for the things OF
the flesh, but of the spirit In thar
purer. sweeter, simpler atmosphere the
the soul will inevitably begin to grow.
The vitality Of your soul Is WONDERFUL.
Its recuperative powers are marvellous
but these powers must have their op-
portunity. Here Is n disease which Is
stunting and slowly killing my soul--
am I willing to fulfill the CONDITION
which will eradicate that disease. ana
make spiritual growth reality?
3. That leads to the third point.
What is that condition? And who or
us. nv his own strength. is sufficient 10
meet that condition? We cannot GER
tainly, by our own efforts, nope 10 re-
verse those natural tendencies witmh
us which war against our Souls. we
cannot, by any strlvings OF our OWL
force spiritual growth. III we are "n,
able to add a cubit to our physlca'
stature, much less can We add TO our
spiritual growth. Yet. the call or
Christ Ia to grow In grace. ana IN Hls
likeness" What. then. is the secret OF
that growth? The Gospel Of Christ IS
the answer. Our souls grow MS they
come into living touch with Him. We
cannot transform ourselves. but we are
transformed into His likeness. ms we
reflect the spirit Of Jesus. and we re-
fleet Jesus in the measure that we re-
fleet on Him. Make Christ the theme
of your daily prayer and meditation.
and every moment You spend IN MS
presepce Is n springtide OF spirituai
growth within your soul. That growth
YOU cannot check: no sin can hinder u
if you are living in the atmosphere OF
Chrjst's life. 1t Is not our strlvlnCS
and strugglings that add to tn" stature
of the soul: 1t is our faith. simple ms
that of little child which, laying ho'u
of the love Of God revealed In CHRIST
builds up the SOUL day by day, INTO HIS
grace and into His likeness.
Now, I ask, is there anything strange
or mysterious about that? Is sniritua!
growth subject to laws any different
from those which govern any process
of mental development! Surely nor.
TO make any theme n subject OF daiiy
thought Is to make that theme potent
influence In your life. The more deeply
It laws hold Of your mind the more pro-
foundry II becomes n part OF yourself.
All YOU have to do Is to fulfil the con-
dition of continuous thought, and the
object of your thought reacts upon you
md becomes dominant factor %
growth. We speak. for instance. OF
man being possessed by some master
possIon-it may be the love Of money,
or of power, or Of sordid seif-'ndul-
gence. or of some higher interest. nut
whatever it Is. the result Is the same.
Constant dwelling upon 1t moulds char
acter into its likeness.
So It Is with the soul that surrendefs
itself to the influence Of Jesus. AS we
think of Him, and as we enter into the
spirit Of His life, and breathe the at
mosphere OF His love and purity. grad.
ually we nre transformed. and the soul
within us leaps up into glad recognition
of its lawful Love. Every power we
have, every faculty we possess be-
comes interpenetrated by His spirit.
and because His spirit Is life we live
also.