Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-10-11

of the true knowledge of the glory
| Of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ="
Now there is a depravity that is not
| negative. 1t would be the greatest
| boon granted to many a man If past
sin was easily shaken off, but there
! is not a single act Of your life that
has not left Its deposit in your char
acter. Although, on the authority
of Huxley, the human body is COM
pletely renewed every twelve months,
yet the old scars remain as a per-
petual memorial. So, deep down in
your moral nature, there is the rec
ord of your first lie, first impure
thought and all that has blasted your
life from then until now. 1t takes
the power Of God to break that bond
age and 1t is only through Jesus
Christ that you and I can shake off
| the awful incubus of the past.
There are vast differences In the
| forms and degrees Of sin, and there
are vast differences between becom-
ing a Christian in early life, in ad-
vanced life and in old age. If you
have not already become a Christian
the practical thing Is to begin now.
There is no moment so absolutely
sane and solid: SO certain or alto
gether utilizable, as the present.
| There will never be another moment
so golden as the moment you are al
lowing to slip away. The longer the
devil has you in his grasp the more
deadly the grip becomes and the Sc
verer will be the struggle required
to secure your freedom In Christ Je-
sus. If I were an unsaved man, be-
fore all other duties I would assert
the supreme duty Of saving my soul.
The supreme duty Of life Is to shake
ourselves clear of the domination of
sin by the help of Almighty God.
But you say everybody does not see
it that way. 1t was so in the apostles S
day, and here in the context 1t gives
the reason, "1f our gospel is hid it is
hid in them that are lost" Do you
call blind man to give testimony of
the beauties of an electrical display?
The devil has constructed many
kinds of wells to blind the eyes of
men. These are the wells of selfish
ness, worldliness, pride Of life, the
| lust of the flesh, aVarice and many
others, to pull over the human heart.
My friends, there is no more fatal
mistake than to belittle and under
estimate the task of the religious life
and what has to be done In order
that a human soul may be recreated
in the likeness of God. 1t is task
of infinite delicacy, requiring divine
power and wisdom and one which, II
accomplished. ends in glories as eter-
nal as the throne of God. Thank
God that II We get the victory the
victory is one that shall become
greater and greater, certain and
more certain in the midst Of all this
conflict we wage in this world with
the enemy Of our souls. | was not
brought up to believe in the doctrine
of "final perseverance" but l honor
the doctrine and those who believe
In 1t, but since the day when | first
experienced the JOY Of sins forgiven
have been a fairly good soldier OF
Jesus Christ, and sometimes. In my
middle age I experience JOY so
satisfying that can scarcely contain
myself. That JOY seems to be ground
ed upon this hope: that am going to
win the last fight and obtain the final
victory; that am In an enemy's land
and assaulted by powerful foe who
hates me with diabolical hatred and
would ruin me when | am setting my
feet on the footsteps of the throne +;
that, by Gods grace, I am going to
win and celebrate the victory within
the gates and at the footstool of Him
who sits upon the throne. God grant
that against all our spiritual foes we
may fight the good fight OF faith
apd Law hold on eternal life'"