The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-03-13

pastor, took as his text Romans 1914
and 14:S: Put We on the Lord
Jesus Christ. For whether we live,
we live unto the Lord, and whether
we die, we die unto the Lord; wheth-
er we live therefore, or die, we are
the Lords" He said:
The need to-day in the church OF
our Lord and Saviour is for men and
women who are truly Christ's. The
call Of God and of the world about us
Is for men and for women who in
life and unto death are the Lords.
High in His Heaven the Father
yearns in the deepest recesses Of His
heart for human souls who will serve
the Master tirelessly and with a liv-
ing faith. The world looks toward
the servants of Jehovah for leader
ship and light. Whichever way we
may turn our eyes, we may discern
the pleading, reckoning hands OF
Jesus and Of men who want saliva
ton. Do We listen but a moment we
may catch the cry Of a sin-sick world
and may hear the call of God. Be-
loved, God desires and man needs a
strong, full-blooded, sanctifed host to
live and to preach the true Christ
life. The consummatton Of the King
dom and the coming Of the Christ
depend largely upon the activity OF
us who are called Christians. The
measure of our fullness of life within
Christ Jesus will be the measure Of
our lasting influence with men, OF
Z our favor In the sight of God, of the
amount Of Heavens happiness that
shall fill our hearts. The way unto
righteousness and peace and JOY"
is through thorough-going union
within the Christ. He is the mediator
of our sure salvation. He is the
leader who can bring US perfect love
and who is worthy of our aid.
Within Him and clothed with the
power that He gives we may fear
naught but God. Without Him all
is vanity. Are you weary? Put on
Christ. Are you sad or sick or do
you wish the richest joy? Turn to
Jesus. He is the healer of the whole
worlds ills. He is the Saviour who
can really give salvation.
The burden of our text is a call for
the strict and whole-hearted allie
glance of the individual mar and
Christian to Jesus Christ. PUT We
on the Lord Jesus" says Saint Paul,
and the implication is that we are to
dwell wholly within the Christ. The
call is for men and for women who
will be clothed upon with Jesus
Christ-not merely once but contin-
nally-unto the attainment Of the
perfect likeness tof. our Lord.
S Now the text brings US face to face
do we think-a moment--with these
two separate and distinct truths. The
first is that it is the duty of every
man to enter into the Christ life.
The second is that having entered
into that life we must progress to-
ward Christlikeness. That is to say,
we must grow continually toward
spiritual maturity and toward the
perfectness of character which should
accept the Lord as Saviour. for His
power to save is a fact proven and
Rttested by a long line of human ex-
perience. We Christians ought to
grow into new and richer graces, for
thus only do we evidence our love for
that Master whom we serve.
The duty which we have p~redicated
to be obligatory upon every man is
not less a need. The man who neg
" t6CLS " OUCy IaS Sdll VI SAlloI "
entire yielding of self up to God,
destroys for himself the greatest
blessing which, in life, may be- at
tainedi and which God proffers to
human kind. C2ly Is we accept the
Christ as our Saviour and u Friend
are we surest of life eternal and Of
fellowship with the Father here.
Convinced of the awfulness of our
own sin, as every normal, right
minded man must be, it is clearly as
much q necessity as an obligation for
each of us to seek and to sieze that
certain cleansing from the stains of
an evil life which God has sent US
through His Son, our Elder Brother.
Desiring, as we all do, the highest
happiness for self, it is hard to I'M
derstand why men refuse the Cos
pei. Hoping, as each of US should
hope, for the accomplishment of the
greatest usefulness in the world, it is
difficult to believe that men can, de-
~liberately and willfully, disdain to
accept that H~eaven-born power which
can make us most worth while. Pur-
ity, happiness. success: All three can
be had at the hands of God Himself
if men will but heed the Gospel Of
His Son. Wise is the SHINING soul
who believes. For he who loves
Christ, lives best.
If the need of the man who is far
away from God is great to put on
Christ, the obligation of the Chris
tian to be continuously clothed upon
by Christ is just as real. We must
ever be renewing that spiritual life
with which the Christ in our first
acceptance Of Him hath clothed us.
The Christ life permits neither stand
stills nor retrogression. We must be
on the move and that always ahead.
10 stand still is to stagnate. We
must push on. Desire for further
and grander attainment in the God
blessed life should always consume
us as with a fire. Our faculties
should be concentrated not upon pres
ent success but upon future accom-
plishment. Se!f-survey is a good
thing if so be it lead not to self-Satis-
faction. That Self-suryey, moreover,
is most profitable which takes stock
of mistakes and which incites to
further and. finer effort. : Belief on
Christ Is not merely assent to a fact,
but the consideration of the soul to
a life of service for His sake. Mere
belief may gain us Heaven. but we
must labor would we grow in grace.
Many of US who would be ashamed
to be rated as Just passed" in the
records of this life's victories, seem
to be very well satisfied to slide into
Heaven with but small margin to
spare. The best of our love and u
work is none too good for God. The
apostle was right when in the words
of the text he advised us unreserved-