The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-01-18

tianity," the Rev. Ira Wemmell Hen
dersOn, pastor, took IS his text John
3 Verify, verify, / say unto thee,
except "A man be born OF water and
Of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom Of God He said:
It is my desire, as the Spirit may
give me wisdom, TO unfold TO YOU
what, 70 my mind, is the fundamental
in Christianity From The words Of
our Master ] conceive the truth 10
be that. save as we apprehend the
spiritual yerities revealed in Jesus
Christ; save as &c see the world,
man, our God, with the spiritual Wis
ion, We cannot become partakers of
the glorics Of the kingdom OF our
Father. Only as We open our hearts
and minds TO the indwelling Spirit OF
Almighty God do we enter into the
promised land OF the new dispensa-
tion, to possess II, to enjoy it. Filled
with the Spirit we live, but if the
Spirit Of God abide not in man he
is none Of His.
In that beautiful figure Of the vine
Christ cuts clear for us the nature of
the spiritual life. II is our oneness
within the Author of the universe and
of us It is the merging of our lives
into the life OF Cod. The perfect
spiritual life expresses itself in union
within the Maker. Entirely within
the living Christ moves the llawless
human. Fashion a man according to
the stature Of Jesus Christ and yOu
have a spiritual man. The spiritual
life is that life within Christ which
will make YOU ALWAYS ask, what
would Jesus do?' The ethical judg-
meAt always referring for its sanction
TO the spiritual.
Spirituality and gOdliness are SYM
ouymOus. Apart from the gloriied
Nazareue there IS, christianity speak
ing. no spiritual existence. Spiritual
ity is no mere statement Of philosO-
phy, it is a fact. \ vital and a Vivi-
lying reality is the life within the
Son OF Man. The Christ life is not
merely a state Of mind, but mode
Of action. The living OF the man
within jesus and for the Father, and
the Holy Spirit dwelling i'm him, that
is the life spiritual. AS the late Or.
Maltbie ID. Babcock we'll said: "Spir-
ituality is seeing God in common
things and showing God in common
things"
Now this spiritual life is not ESQ
teric in it's nature. 1t is not lie
for the few. 1t is a life for us all.
The economy Of IL good news Of the
Master Is worldwide IN It's Application
and incluSiVeness. 10 all men the
opportunity to dwell WITHIN Chrlst is
offered. TO all the higher Ire mas lta
appeal From Nlcodemus or the san
hcdrim, TO OnesimuS the slave. FROM
the mighty ~ intellect, TO the unIet-
tered and unlearned. TO the banker,
10 the beE-2G without money ana
without price, are given all the Wea.Lh
at GOD command IT they VIII
Iho hl&nNot CHRISTIAN ire IS IN
/ separable from the highest splHlual-
| ity We cannot understand the aoUI
/ of the message that the Master nrih&a
/ to MS until We enter INTO ms point o.
| view. The mlghhesJ lhrls0ahS o.
all the ages were men OF tne deepest
sanctitcation. And sancjihcailOn as
/ the souls progress toward the per-
| fectness OF God. Witness Peter as ne
| stands before the wondering, poly
! glottouS multitudes. on the uay When
! the Spirit tl,ed the church. witness
! Saul of Iarsus, as, ringing down the
! grooves OF change he sends the
! watchword, For to me to live Is
! Christ. The secret of the success
of Wesley. of Spurgeor, is spiritual
force. The most helpful power IN the
world to-day is the strength OF sou
OF consecrated men and women. Mer
may come and men may so, but the
influence Of the soul which is grow
ing into Godlikeness is the influence
| which bends hardest upward and
heavenward. To be truly Christlike
we must be truly spiritual.
The greatest value of the spiritua
life is that, through 1t. We are en-
abled, more and more, to understand
Jesus Christ Himself. The Chris
cannot be comprehendedsa save through
the spiritual depths OF His nature
AS true it is to-day as it was wheI
Nicodemus went through the sable
night to learn wisdom at the feet o
Jesus That which is born of th'
flesh is flesh. That which is born o
the Spirit is Spirit Save as we en-
ter into the Spirit we cannot ente
into the hiDuS pf IOp Spirlt. We can