The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-02-06

bTOOhlyH, N. .-FTeacnlHS dL the
Irving Square Presbyterian Church
on the theme, "The Life Spiritual in
Christ; the Fundamental in Chris
tianity," the Rev. Ira Wemmell Hen
derson, pastor, took as his text John
3:5: verify, verify, 1 say unto thee,
except a man be born of water and
of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God" He said:
1t is my desire, as the Spirit may
give me wisdom, to unfold to you
what, to my mind, is the fundamental
In Christianity. From the words Of
our Master I conceive the truth to
be that, save as we apprehend the
spiritual v~erities revealed in Jesus
Christ; save as re see the world,
man, u God, with the spiritual Wis
| ion, we cannot become partakers OF
the glories 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 dispense
ton, to possess it, to enjoy it. Filled
with the Spirit we live, but If the
Spirit of God abide not in a "a he
is non of His.
In that beautiful figure of the vine
Christ cuts clear for us the nature Of
the spiritual life. It is u oneness
within the Author of the universe and
of us. 1t is the merging of our lives
into the life Of God. The perfect
spiritual life expresses itself in union
within the Maker. Entirely within
the living Christ moves the flawless
human. Fashion a man according to
the stature of Jesus Christ and you
have a spiritual nan The spiritual
life is that life within Christ which
will make you always ask, what
would Jesus do?" The ethical judg-
ment always referring for its sanction
to the spiritual. ,..
onymous. Apart from the glori1ed
Nazarene there is, Christianly speak
ing, no spiritual existence. Spiritual
ity is no mere statement Of philoso-
ply; it Is a fact. A vital and a vivi-
flying reality is the life within the
Son of Man. The Christ life Is not
merely a state of mind, but a mode
of action. The living Of the man
within Jesus and for the Father, and
the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, that
is the life spiritual. AS the late DR..
Maltbie D. Babcock well said: "Spir-
ituality is seeing God in common
things and showing God in common
things"
Now this spiritual life is not ESQ
teric in its nature. 1t is not a life
for the few. 1t is a life for us all.
The economy of the good news Of the
Master is worldwide in it's application
and inclusiveness. To all men the
opportunity to dwell within Christ is
offered. To all the higher life has its
appeal. From Nicodemus of the San
hedrim, to Onesimus the slave. Tom
the mighty in intellect, to the inlet
tered and unlearned. To the banker,
to the beggar, without money and
without price, are given all the wealth
at Gods command if they will.
The highest Christian life is in
s~eparable from the highest spiritual
ity. We cannot understand the soul
of the message that the Master brings
to us until we enter into His point of
view. The mightiest Christians of
all the ages were men of the deepest
sanctifcation. And sanctification is
the souls progress toward the per-
fectness of God. Witness Peter as he
stands before the wondering, poly
glottous multitudes, on the day when
the Spirit filled the church. Witness
Saul of Tarsus, 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 Spurgeon, IS spiritual
force. The most helpful power in the
world to-day is the strength Of soul
Of consecrated men and women. Men
may come and men may go, but the
influence of the soul which is grow
ing into Godlikcness is the influence
which bends hardest upward and
heavenward. To be truly Christlike,
we must be truly spiritual.
The greatest value of the spiritua!
lifo is that, through it, we are en-
abled, more and more, to understand
Jesus Christ Himself. The Christ
cannot be comprehended save through
the spiritual depths Of His nature.
AS true it is to-day as it was when
Nicodemus went through the sable
night to learn wisdom at the feet of
Jesus: THAT which is born of the
flesh is flesh. That which is born of
the Spirit is Spirit" Save as we en-
ter into the Spirit we cannot enter
into the things of the Spirit. We can
not grasp heavenly things until we
let Heaven into our hearts. Only as
we discern the soul forces which un-
derlie the activities Of the Saviour
can we understand Christianity and
Christ. Only as we are filled with
the Spirit car we understand the
Lamb of God.
The fullness of the promises of the
Prince of Peace car come to those
only who are strongest in soul SER
vice. Christ has left us certain prom
ises. He has conferred upon us GER
tain privileges. But those promises
and those privileges are realized, in
their fullest measure, by those only
who live the fullest life. Christ says
to US with reference to prayer: IF
ye abide in Me and My words abide in
you. ye shall ask what We will and
it shall be done unto YOU" A prom
Use and a privilege. But to whom?
To US all indeed. But fully to those
Of US only who live fully within
Christ.
The promises of Christ are con
slant. Prayer is the same blessed
privilege to-day that it was on that
fatcful night in Gethsemane. To you
and to me Christ grants the same ac-
cess to the Father that He had Him.
self. But we need the deepest spir-
itual insight to learn the secret Of
success in prayer. Read that petit
ton Of u Lord in the seventeenth
chapter of the fourth Gospel and see
if it is not the spiritual fervor of it
which enthralls you. The secret of
the success of Christ in His earthly