Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-11-15

wilt only become pure, as l am pure,
I will take thee some day to myself.
I will receive you into heaven, where
there are joys forevermore" There
Ia evil in the world; do not yield to II.
And in his tenderest tones he encour
ages us with the promise, "He that
overcometh shall inherit all things, and
I will be his God, and he shall be my
son." We are made aster his image.
The Greatest Love.
You remember how tenderly Jesus
impressed this idea on his disciples.
He told them that the union between
bis nature and that Of his people was
as close as that Of the vine and Its
branches. And again he returned to
the thought in that last solemn hour
Of his parting before he suffered
Christ ia about to leave his disciples.
The shadows Of the cruciixion are
falling over him. He looks on the men
who had sat at bis feet so often In the
past and speaks these beautiful words.
Greater love hath no man than this
that a man lay down his life for bis
friends. Ye are my friends If We do
whatsoever I command you. Hence.
forth call you not servants, for the
servant knoweth not what his Lord
doeth, but l have called you friends,
for all things that have heard Of my
Father | have made known to YOU"
Cannot you, my brother, interpret
these sentences in the language of
your own life? You so and hire a
servant in your kitchen. She may be
very good and faithful, but she Is not
your friend. She cooks your meals she
cleans your room, but she does not en-
ter the holy of holes of your heart
You do not tell her your secrets. You
do not let her become part Of your
most sacred joys. But it Is so different
with your intimate friends. 1t is diff
ferent with the relationship which ex-
lists between father and son or Il
husband and wife. In that holy re-
latlonship we live in the closest union.
We share each others sorrows. We
live in each others Joys. We go hand
in hand and heart IN heart. SO God
says. IL Iou Ohil cDty lIe anu De-
come pure, as would have you pure,
together we shall live in holy fellow
ship. We shall be friends. We shall
dwell together as friends forever and
ever and ever. We are made in the
same image"
Now. my friends. are we ready to
obey Gods will and become like unto
himself through the redemption and
the blood Of Jesus Christ? We have
been talking about man as God first
created him in his purity and simple
ity. But sin has come into the world
and so uniformed us that we are far
from perfect. The divine image is soil
ed and incrusted with the mre of sin.
AS we say of man who has yielded
to the power of drink that his mother
would scarcely recognize in the sodden,
blotched visagc the face of the child
she cherished in infancy. so we do not
see Gods image In the sinful man; but
as Paul said 10 the people whom he
had led TO Christ, "Such were some OF
you, but We are washed. but We are
sanctified. but We are justified" And
he says, too, that they who behold "as
in mirror the glory of the Lord are
changed into the same image" so the
image that is overlIid or lost is re
stored or brought to HIGHT by Christ.
Christ says, "Yc are my friends if W
do whatsoever | command you" Thai
means, You shall again be stamped II
my image If you will accept my atone
ment and my love and sacrifice VIII
you do It? viii you today throw your
self upon his mercy and become pure
as he is pure, and dwell with him OF
earth and dwell with him forever am
ever? Jesus said. Il am the way
VIII you take that way to become lil;,
unto himself and dwell with him i
heaven rs his friend throughout etrf
nifty? The opportunity is yours II W
will accept him, for God will recrea
you in his own spiritual image. -
God created man IN his own image"
tCopyrlrh.. ,e,' ." Lois K,opscM.l