Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1909-12-18
PEOPLES PULPIT.
Gods Work
and Ours.

ooOs-s-s-s-e-.-s-s-s-s- s-s-s-s-s-.-s-s-s-s.s-sO
xvii. III. st. Paul refers to the Scrip
lures as the power of God. saying.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God. aud is profitable for doctrine.
for reproof. for correction. for instrnc-
tion in righteousness; that the man of
God may be perfect thoroughly fur
nished unto all good works" III Tim
othy iii. IL. III.
"Ye Are Gods Workmanship"
We have seen that God does a work
in his consecrated people. using his
providences in connection with the ex-
periences Of life. and that he specially
uses bis Word for their instruction i'll
righteousness. We are TO remember
incidentally that our Lord Jesus who
redeemed us and reconciled US by his
blood is still our Advocate with the
Father and our Instructor as the Fa-
ther's representative; that through him
we may be all taught of God-in the
School uf Christ. Next we should note
the Divine method in this work of
grace being carried on In our hearts
from the time we fully submitted
them in full conservation. in faith.
Our text declares that Gods work in
us is divided into two parts-to tciH
and to do Let MS examine first
How God Works In Us to Will.
The will is the real person or ego
The body is merely responsible as the
agent or servant of the will With
the world the will and the body are
usually at -sympathetically coop
erative. But in those begotten of Gods
Spirit as bis children matters are diff
ferent. Their wills BY conservation
are developed along lines quite antag-
onistic to the natural preferences of
their flesh. so that the Apostle wrote
with the mind | myself serve tor
desire to serve, the Law of God. but
with the flesh ! serve Tor desire To
serve, the Jaw OF sin" (Romaus vii.
25,. Hence every spirit-begotten per-
son has a warfare between his new
mind. with its holy aspirations and de-
sires and its opponent flesh with its
animal propensities. some good and
some bad. Hence the Apostle ezhorts
nj, these New Creatures TO war
good warfare against their own flesh
and 10 bring it into subsection to the
New Mind and to the Divine Law
He urges hat we Bring every thought
into captivity 10 Ihe obedience OF
Christ" tll Corinthians Y. 81. This. of
course. would mean absolute perfec-
tion. 50 far as the New ,reature would
be concerned and a complete deadnpss
so far rs lie flesh is concerned. With
every thought captivated to the Lord
the individual would never in any
sense commit sin other than the sin
of ignorance or imperfection.
God works in the minds of his peo-
pie not along the lines of ensldUeneW
of the mind after the manner of Satan
and those who are subject to his de-
lusionS-by hypnotisnl. etc. Gods cp-
GRAFTON is the very reverse Of this. He
entightcnS the mind to do his work. lie
displays to onr minds gradually lisht
and truth. purity and goodness in their
true colors. in contrast With sin. IL
norance and detilement, And in The
same words he sets before us the great
prize of gory. honor and immortality
and joint heirship with our I,edeencr
in his Kingdom. The power OF these
hopes working in a consecrated mind is
wonderful. 1t can make the naturally
weak strong. the naturally timld buId
as a lion.
This operation upon the mind is
gradual one from the time Of our be
getting Of The holy Spirit until our
change-net all at once but gradually,
little by little the Lord displays to us
one feature after another of his won
derfu ian of salvation. Step by step
he shows 10 the appreciative aud obedl-
ent heart the riches of his grace, his
loving kindness. his tender mercy, The
boundlessness of his love and the ulti-
mate outworking of his Divine powers
for the blessing of all of his creatures
who will accept his favors Oh his own
terms. All the while he leaves us free
agents to will III harmony with his
proposition or to reject 1t. He will
coerce no one. Our Lord Jesus ex-
pressed the Fathers sentiment in this
matter. saying. THE Father seeketh
such to worship him as worship him in
spirit and in truth" (lohn iv, 81.
How God Works In Us to Do.
E,ndeavor to do right naturally fol
lows right willing But this does not
signify that God completes work
upon our wills first aud then hegins
fresh work upon us. stimulating MS TO
do right to the best OF our ability. TN
The contrary. as through his providence
and Word God exercised an Influence
upon our wills through the knowledge
Of his Truth. little by little each new
point of Truth was expected 10 be ac-
knowledged by efforts on our part to
do Gods will to the extent that the
new will was able to control the inn
perfect body. We may safely con-
clude that each step in right wiitiRr
must be followed by a step in right
toi.a1 before another item of grace and
Truth would be granted as basis Tor
additional willing and then additional
doing. Thus. rs we walk by first put
ting Que foot forward and then the
other repeatedly. SO the New Creature
walks or progresses by first willing
and next doing the Lords good pleas
ure to the extent of his ability.
As surely as the right willing Is the
result OF Divine operation ID the re-