The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-16
CALDWELL
VERONA AND
ESSEX FELLS
ARE "SAVED?''
REV. Mr.. GILES breaches
ON REPRESENTATION"
East Orange Pastor Declares Character
and Genuineness Determine
Future Destiny.

The Rev. w. Warren Giles, pastor Of
East Orange Reformed Church, preached
last night on "Predestination. He de
clared that character determined destiny.
Commences and not sinlessness was the
earmark of sainthood. he said. The self
despairing helplessness of man was stron-
ger than the omnipotence of God, he
aYerred. A congregation composed in large
part of strangers and members of other
churches. listened. Taking his text from
Matt. xii, IA, For many, are called, but
few chosen Mr.. Giles said:
anxious souls read this passage in de-
spair, but it is a mistake. Jesus Christ
divides men into two cla~sses-those called,
those chosen. The chosen get in; the
called stay out. Those who stay out do
not stay out because Goo puts them Out,
but because they will not come in. Those
who come in do not come in because Cod
drags them in, but because they choose TO
come in. All those are elect who select
the kingdom of God, Character alone
within you, says Jesus. 1t is there or no
place. Men go TO heaven not to be made
good, but because by the grace OF Cod
they have been good. 1t they land else
where IL isn't anypouys Iauit pul tnelr
'dThere is no caprice in the government
Of God. When He calls a man righteous
ii is because the mans life is 50 coin-
pletely absorbed in Christ that Christ J
Righteousness becomes his righteousness.
1t lisa case of vine and branch intercnans-
ing a common life. When the Westmiii-
ster dlvines talked about imputation,' they
meant, of course, 'imbartation.' Brass
buttons do not make a soldier any more
than a high collar makes a minister, or an
academic degree a scholar. The tmputa-
ton Of professional dignity by external
decorations imparts nothing by way Of
brains. God never put a premium on stu
pidity by browning a Ounce; neither do we
Is-aapfhf,o 1In 1tnKac rhnlU Is Whnt IL
appears. Especially is this true of saint
hood. God has decreed all the appliances
by which saints are made; but He has lett
ii to you and me to use them. We don't
have to If we don't want to. We are
elect, if we will only select, etc.
The five foolish virgins weren't smut oct
by a Divine compulsion. They Simply
lacked oil, which indicated that everything
or anything was of more value to them
than the kingdom Of heaven. They weie
as well off outside as in. The man WHO
buries his talent, or breaks in without a
wedding garment, isn't the victim of q
Divine decree, but of a selfish, personal
caprice. Judas had just as good a chance
as John. IL he fell and was lost, 1T was
not because God threw them down; but
because he voluntarily sold out. Being 4
thief by choice made Judas an unbelievef
by necessity; because there are some sins
which follow of necessity from foregoing
sins that occurred without necessity. Un-
| belief followed Of necessity in the wake Of
theft.
ANY other view makes Jesus as untrue
to Judas as Judas was untrue to Jesus.
Jesus never assorted men. He simply calls
attention to the way in which they assert
themselves. Let the dead bury their dead
and come take up thy cross and follow me.
This was His challenge. 1t sent the scum
to the top and the dregs to the bottom,
and caused those who wished to exclude
themselves. Surely calling them AWhHtrtf1aT
were not even by Divine enactmer&
couldn't make them what they ought to be.
LAS to the elect, those who receive the
kingdom, Ii is to be noted that they are
genuine, but not perfect. A gold dollar
may be genuine and yet imperfect through
mutilation. A counterfeit, though techni-
cally perfect, can9Pt be genuine. Genuine
marks for sainthood. The difference be-
tween him. and the wording is Indicated
when they fall. The Christian falls with
4 ring which is a cry of penitence, and the
wording with a thud, which Is a ours
ing of his hard luck. One is all metal, the
other all alloy. The difference Is one OF
character. Christians are not saved be-
cause they feed the hungry and clothe tir''
naked, but they do. these things because
they have been saved. Mary was not CON
verified because she bought spikenard for
the dying Christ, but she bought spike
nard because she had been converted. The
penitent thief was nailed tight when Christ
met him. He did nothing but sincerely
select the kingdom of God, and he and
his Saviour entered it arm in arm. No man
is asked TO DO anything more, ana .Sfl
when a man really does this, he won't se)p
until he does everything in his power.
Even the p~enitent thief defended Jesus
with his dying breath.
ITO sum up, Christians are neither per
feet nor powerful Theybfttimes slip, they
sometimes neglect all until the eleventh
hour, and they never see the day in this
world, when they are not forced to pray,
Forgive us our debts, as We forgive our
debtors But battle-scarred and beaten rs
they appear. they are genuine. They
recognize Christianity as u cross-bealin2
enterprise, and wherever the flush.
whether in Galilee or Golgotha, they fight
right on until Jesus Christ, the captain OF
their salvation, sounds the final RETREAT.
Not for their actual doing, but their hon-
est striving; not for entering in, but for
'agonizing' to enter in. are they saysd,
They are elect because at the. Divine
confessional, in self-despairlng helplessness,
they scry, Father, / lave sinncd; have
mercy upon me- God cannot resist thai
cry. There is one thing stronger than the
omnipotence of God. and that is the self
des9airing helplessness OF man. Through
the blood of Christ It takes hold Of the