Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1907-06-12
CHRISTIAN ENDEavoR.
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
Beginning June rs.

Topic.-who are slaves and who are
free men? = Rom. vi, l2-2S- "a temper
&nce topic)
The eighth chapter of Romans is one
iof the most comforting messages ever
written by The great apostle 10 the
genties. 1t IS the chapter in the great
Epistle to the Romans upon the sub
ject of assurance and gives a number
of ways by which we may be confident
that we are no longer under coudemna-
ton and that nothing can separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord" In the passage Sc
lected for our study this assurance IS
based upon our attitude toward the
sinful flesh and the Spirit. If our de-
sire is to walk in the Spirit rather thin
after the flesh, then we may know that
we are indeed the Children of God and
joint neirs with Christ Himself. Nor
is this attitude toward God through
the Spirit one of bondage. "Ye have
not received the spirit of bondage
again to fear, but We have received the
spirit of adoption. whereby We cry
Abba, Father" The Christian is not
under the bondage of the law of sin.
but is the shild of God and enjoys the
freedom OF children. The Christian.
then, the adopted child of God, is the
free man. His sins are pardoned and
he has power over them The law has
been kept FER us by Christ. and we are
no longer under Its condemnation.
This is the only true moral and spiritu-
al freedom in the world. and if any
one who is still in bondage to sin or to
the law and wants the yoke of bond
age removed the only sure and effec-
tive way of doing it is through the
work of Jesus Christ as our atoning
Saviour. The Incorporate man who
wants to be free indeed should come
to Christ, who can and viii make him
free-give him freedom from both the
guilt and the power of sin.
If therefore the Christian. the man
who walks after the Spirit. is the free
man, it follows that the man who walks
after the flesh, who is held in grasp by
vice and immortality. is the slave. and
this is too sadly true. No greater slave
ever existed IN the world than the man
who is in bondage and slavery of sin.
He may think he is a free man. but
let him try to give up bis sinful habits
and he will quickly realize how abject
and certain his slavery Is Nor need
we apply this truth to the drunkari
alone. This is one of mans greatest
vices, and its curse upon the human
race has been most blighting, but there
are other forms of sin around them
even more loathsome than intemper-
ance that hold msn in its grasp. There
are even greater sinners in the world
than the army of poor weaklings who
have fallen victims to the degrading
taste for intoxicating drink. There are
strong men. occupying high positions
in life and honored and respected by
society, who engage in vices too loath
some to mention. Theirs is not an &C.
casional fall from the path of rectitude
but it is the studied purpose of their
lives to bring about the ruination of the
pure and innocent, simply to crafty
their selfish and sinful desires. The in
temperate man soon shows his lack of
boDTiety, but tutSt iuoTdi lepeTS may
spend a lifetime in following their
vicious pursuits and even die with the
world at large ignorant of their true
characters. and they become slaves TO
their vices and are more degraded than
the beasts Of the field. Men are also
slaves to the passionate desire for
wealth regardless of how it is secured.
slaves to ungodly ambitions, slaves 10
sinful pleasures Of all kinds and char
acters. No man is free man who is
held in the clutch of any sin or vice.
Yet all may become free in Jesus
Christ. He can save ito the uttermost
al who will come unto Him. AS we
realize the countless numbers of those
who are slaves to sin in one form or
another, let us hold up the Christ man
faithfully before them, that they may
md him and learn the great joy Of liv-
ing In the freedom wherein Christ
hath made US free"
BIRLE READINGS.
Lev. <, o, 10: Isa v. IL; Amos vi, lie;
Deut. xxi. 1921; Cor. vi. 10; viii. s-13:
Eph. v, IS; Luke Nv, 1918; II Cor. ILL.,
II, 18; Gal. v, i, 1926.
The Seattle Stieker.