Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-11-10


and to thus make character. AS those |
now being called grow in love for the |
Lord, every hindrance to his favor will |
be quickly noted 1t is this class that |
| in our text is represented as seeking |
Divine assistance in the searching out |
| of their secret faults.
Some of these faults may be known |
| to ourselves and to the Lord but I'M
| known to fellowmen. The heart that
! is truly converted to the Lord and to
harmony with all the principles of
| righteousness which he represents
| must more and more desire full per-
| fection-full victory over the weak
nesses of the flesh. and must strive for
| this condition. Other secret faults
may be secret from us but well-known
to the Lord and possibly quite plainly
| manifest to our brethren and neigh
bors. How earnestly all who are truly
the Lords people should seek to see
themselves as others see them, and to
| correct those faults which hitherto
have been secret to themselves.
Assuredly the Lords assistance is
necessary in this work; but, in praying
to him, in the language Of our text. we
should remember that his method Of
! answering our petitions is to show us
the facts of our case. and then to en-
courage us by his promises to fight
good fight against the weaknesses thus
brought to our attention. The Bible is
the Lords lamp. The Spirit Of it's won
derful teachings, like a two-edged
sword. is sharp and penetrating. 1t
can discern or discriminate between
the very thoughts and intents of the
heart which deceive SO many into
thinking wrong course justifable.
The Christian who makes continual
and good use of this Sword will soon
find that with it's assistance he is able
to analyze has 0,Dn n,otiDeS lying behind
his words and his acts; will sometimes
find himself secreting them, and some
times masquerading them as graces
and virtues.
The difficulty with the majority Of
Christian people seems to be that they
have never undertaken a close scrutiny
of the notifies lying behind their words
or their deeds-yea, the motive or in
tention lying hidden in their own
minds The reason for this laXity, the
reason for their failure to follow up
with the searchlight and to bring
every thought into captivity to the will
of God in Christ is that they have not
yet attained to a sufficiency Of love for
righteousness and sufficiency of a
hatred for iniquity. The reason for
this condition Of things may be that
;cf3s xrbo bor
in the past fed merely upon the milk
of the Word and not upon the strong
meat and are, therefore, weak in the
faith and weak every way along the
lines of Christian character develop
ment. What they need is more love
for the Lord and greater apprecia-
ton of his Word, which will lead to
more earnest study of the same.
1.-THE entrance of thy words giveth
light psalm cxix, 1907. AS the Word
of the Lord dweIls richly and abounds
it educates us respecting Gods will
and its standards and, if we are obedi.
! ent to his will and his gracious pur.
l poses, we will endure his tests and
ultimately stand approved as our Lords
joint-heirs in his Kingdom.
+ Keep From Presumptuous Sins.
s One of the great character tests i'm
posed upon the Church is humility. Ii
e is not sufficient that we love right anC
r hate wrong and search for even Oul
f secret faults. Even after attaining
It perfection we might be presumptuou'
), and, if so, be unfit for the proposed ex
l 1foti holr
s. called Lucifer, the Morning Star, wa
It | perfect; but the sin of presumption
Il | crept into his heart and blighted every
e thing. So Satan StrOve to tempt ou
II Lord, who was perfect, to commit
e presumptuous sin, through which b
r would have made shipwreck of his ca
t, reer. He wished him to presume upol
/ Gods goodness and abundant care, no
e by starting a rival empire, as Satal
r. himself had attempted to do, but t
t. presume, nevertheless, upon Divin
n goodness to the extent of jeopardizin
D. his life by leaping from the pinnacl
- Of the Temple and trusting that Go
" would suspend the laws of nature an
" work a miracle for his protection
sc when no such miracle was necessary
I'll because no such hazard had been d.
T. manded.
7e Applying this matter of presumptr
&c GUS sin to the Church of our day; W
e. find some who appear to be the Lord
people presuming upon his goodnes
and mercy and love by jumping froI
nc financial and other pinnacles an
re trusting for miraculous protectio
e. from disaster. This, to our unde
Of standing, is presumptuous sin. Som
bo times we see presumptuous condut
II amongst elders and others in the Bod
~ of Christ, much after the manner
40 Moses transgression. when presum]
ho tuously he smote the rock, while Go
~ had merely hidden him to speak I
- - the rock. For pastors and elders
| the Church to assume and RI ovoroi,