Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-12-15
PULPIT.
Gods Work
and Ours.

OOCs-e-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s |
xvii. ~. st. Paul refers to the Scrip
lures as the power OF God, saying,
'An Scripture is given by inspiration
Of God. and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof. for correction for instruc-
ton in righteousness; that the man Of |
God may be perfect. thoroughly fur
nished unto all good works" I'll Tim
othy iii. Ii. 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 his Word for their instruction in
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-
theirs representative; that through him
we may be all taught Of God-in the
School of 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 soill
and to do. Let US 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 one-sympathetical coop
erative. But in those begotten of Gods
Spirit as his 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 server the Law of God, but
with the flesh | serve Tor desire to
serve) the law of sin" (Romans vii.
25). Hence every spirit-begotten per-
son has a warfare between his new
mind. with its holy aspirations and de-
sires and it's opponent flesh with it's
animal propensities. some good and
some bad. Hence the Apostle exhorts
all these New Creatures to war a
good warfare" against their own flesh
and to bring it into subsection to the
New Mind and to the Divine Law.
He urges that we Bring every thought
| into captivity to the obedience Of
Christ UI Corinthians K. 81. This, of
course. would mean absolute perfec-
| ton, so far as the New Creature would
be concerned and complete deafness
so far as the 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 enslauemeni
of the mind after the manner Of Satan
and those who are subject to his de-
GRAFTON is the very reverse of this. he
entightens the mind to do his work. He
displays to our minds gradually light
and Truth. purity and goodness in thei
true colors. in contrast with sin. ig
norance and deflement. And in thu
|
prize of glory. honor and immortalit!
and joint-heirship with our Redeeme
in his Kingdom. The power of thes'
hopes working in consecrated mind il
wonderful. 1t can make the natural,
weak strong, the naturally timid bolt
as lion.
This operation upon the mind is ;
gradual one from the time of our be
getting of the holy Spirit until on
change-not all at once. but gradually
little by little. the Lord displays to u
one feature after another of his won
derfuI Plan of salvation. Step by stel
he shows to the appreciative and obedi
ent heart the riches of his grace, hi
loving kindness, his tender mercy, tn
boundlessness of his love and the ulti
mate outworking of his Divine power
for the blessing Of all of his creature
who will accept his favors on his owl
terms All the while he leaves us FREE
proposition or to reject it. He will
coerce no one. Our Lord Jesus ex
pressed the Fathers sentiment in thi:
matter, saying. THE Father seeketf
such to worship him as worship him il
spirit and in truth" John iv, 23l.
How God Works In Us to Do.
Endeavor to do right naturally fol
lows right willing. But this does mo-
signify that God completes WORK
upon our wills first and then begins 6
fresh work upon us. stimulating us tt
do right to the best of our ability. Or
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 to be &C
knowledged by efforts on our part tt
do Gods will to the extent that the
} new will was able to control the i'm
perfect body. We may safely con
clude that each step in right-,Oillins
must be followed by step in right
doing before another item of grace and
Truth would be granted as a basis fo
additional willing and then additiona
6nin Hh,,c H. L