The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-05-07
PEOPLES PULPIT.
The Helpfulness of Prop
er Vows to the Lord.
Who Should Make
Vows : The Response
bility Attached.
Pastor Russells Discourse at Brook
lyn Tabernacle.


ooOs-.~."..s-.-.-.".-. "'-s"s-'"s-s"'"s"'"'"'"'O
ing. 81 Deseech you. therefore. breth-
rem, by the mercies of God, that We pre-
sent your bodies a living sacrifice. holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your
reasonable service" Whoever accepts
the Apostles suggestion sacrifices his
human rights to the Lord and his cause
and the expression of such a sacrifice
or conservation is a vow-an avowal.
While it is true that those who make
a vow Of conservation and who fail to
perform ii in spirit will be less es-
teemed of the Lord than those who
never made this vow, nevertheless
there is great blessing connected
to the extent of self-sacrifice. Those
who never make this conservation, this
Vow, will in no sense be sharers of the
heavenly Kingdom and its high spirit
ual reward. This does not mean that
God has no other portion, no other
blessing. for those who refrain to vow,
for those who refrain to come into con-
that in the Divine purpose there is an
age of restitution just In advance of
us, the blessings of which the Scrip
lures assure us will be for all the fam
lilies of the earth (Acts Iii, 1921.
But we remind you that the high call
ing. the election of this Gospel Age.
guarantees to those who make the
TOW of conservation to the Lord, and
who perform it faithfully, still great
er blessing than earthly restitution
and heavenly spiritual nature with
glory, honor and Immortality and par
ticipatiOn in the Divine nature. God
is now justifying believers through
faith. i'm order to give them an oppOr-
tunity TO cOnsecrate themselves, to
make their vows unto the Lord and to
show their love and loyalty by keep
ing these vows. In view Of this who
will say that God has not attached q
great blessing to this VOW of cOnse-
cration-to all those who present them
selves i'm sacrifice to him?
How Vows May Assist.
The will is the proper ruler Of hu.
man life; but the fact is that great
many people are without this ruler
and guide as respects the higher things
Of life. Early in life the will usually
decides for name and honor and
wealth, to be secured as honestly and
as easily as possible. The will repre-.
sents the sentiment of our strongest
nj Hara ha cta sicfi
mental qualities. In majority of
people these are not the highest quail
tiles of the mind, but rather the low.
est. Selfishness, acquisitiveness, COM
bativeness, destructiveness and animal
passion lie at the base of the brain and
are usually persistently cultivated, en-,
cOuraged and gratified, with merely
certain limitations of decency, honesty,
responsibility, associating with them
as veneer
A chronological examination Of the
head shows other higher and nobler
qualities of the mind in every case, but
with many the upper stories Of the
mind are comparatively unfinished
and unoccupied. The owner of the
frame lives almost continually in the
cellar. Why is this so? Because the
lower organs have to do with the
necessities of every day life. And the
owner of the brain often finds it incon.
yenient to consult the higher elements
OF his organism, because these usually
through conscience would be inclined
to repr0re his course Of life His jus
tice would frequently forbid CONNER.
cial transactions which his lower ma.
lure desires to put through. His benev.
elence, his spirituality, his veneration
for God and his Word. If allowed to
speak, would thwart his selfish plans
and resolutions.
What such man needs to do Is to
make rOp to himself that he will
seek to live in harmony with his own
cOnvictions-that he will not allow the
baser qualities of his nature to rule
him. but will regulate those qualities
by the nOblest and best sentiments of
which he is possessed. We suggest
chat this VOW be to himself, because it
could not be a VOW to God. Gods Lao
commands his best. and in living accord
Ing to any other standards he is living
IN violation to the Divine Law written
IN his very constitution, represented in
the organs of his brain. True, our
fallen brains are not perfectly bal
anced, nevertheless, q measure of the
Divine likeness is to be found in every
human brain not idiotic.
If the whole world could come to ap-
preciate these facts and If each person
would rOp to himself to live his own
very best-according to his own high
est ideals-in full harmony with the
measure Of the Divine likeness which
he possesses, the world would straight
way be comparatively Paradise.
True. many things would still be
amiSs, but the will, the most important
factor. If right with God, would bring