The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-01-06

vows OnlO me LOTQ Salfn CNVl, vi
81 Beseech You, Brethren, by the Mereies ]
Of God. That Ye Present Your Bodies Living
Sacrifice, Holy and Acceptable Unto God and
Your Reasonable Service" (2omsns XII, D. |
oOO..-s-e---.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-...-...-...-.-.-.O
Once made and accepted by the Lord
through the importation of the holy
Spirit, it cannot be annulled. But why
should we wish to annul the Vow?
Why should anyone who puts his hand
to the plow look back? To use the
Apostles Illustration, why should the
SOW that was washed return to wal
lowing in the mire? Why should We
after having renowned the world and
received the begetting of the holy Spir-
1t, and after having tasted of the good
Word of God and the powers of the
Age to come, lose the precious taste
and appreciation of these, and return
In craving to the beggarly elements Of
the world? Surely there are no good
reasons for so doing. Surely the joys
of the present life, as we'll as the hopes
of the Kingdom to come. all should en-
courage us to fully "set our affections
on things above and not on the things
beneath"
The world, the flesh and the Adver-
sary-all exercise influences contrary
to our Vow or Resolution to the Lord
to be dead to the world and to self
that we may be alive with Christ and
share his glory-suffer with him, that
we may reign with him. The poet has
expressed the proper thought here, say
ing,
''NTy soul, be on thy guard,
Ten thousand foes arise.
The hosts of sin are pressing hard
To draw thee from the prize"
Much of our success in keeping our
Vow of Conservation depends upon
two things:
a. The clearness of our, grasp of the
situation when we made our Vow and
the thoroughness of our intention; the
amount or weight thereof; the will
power exerted for righteousness.
C2) An additional feature of great
weight in the matter is the degree of
our knowledge. 1t is in line with this
thought that the Scriptures declare,
my people perish for lack of knowl-
edge" God has given us his Word
and informed us that it is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof and for cor
rection in righteousness, that the man
of God may be thoroughly furnished"
He has advised us to search the Scrip
lures and to forget not the assem-
bling of ourselves together. And
where his advice is followed and the
Scriptures are searched daily, not in
a formal manner, but with desire to
know and to do the Lords will and to be
guided in his way, strengthening of
the will is effected. Correspondence
there is weakening of the evil in
fluences which oppose us as New Crea-
lures and our Vow. The Word of God
is so arranged as to provide meat in
due season. for all of his faithful peo-
pie, whether old or young, in every
time. AS babes in Christ" as young
men and as full-grown sons of God, it
is for each of us storehouse of Grace
and Truth, to make US strong in the
Lord and in the power of his might.
Only by appropriating this spiritual
food can we have strength to fulfil our
Vow, to finish our course with joy and
to attain the Kingdom. Item by item,
as our minds are able to grasp its I'M
folding prospects of glory, honor and
Immortality, we are thereby strength
ened by the Lords might in the inner
man.
In proportion as we realize the facts
of the case we may appreciate what Il
great 1a,yain the Lord has offered us.
We surrender in conservation our
earthly rights, privileges and pleasures.
and receive in return more happifying
spiritual blessings in the present life
and the inheritance of the unspeakable
blessings and glOries of the future. 1t
should, therefore, become much more
easy to pay our Vows with a willing
heart, as we grow in grace and in
knowledge of the Lord and his Word
Indeed, as the Apostle suggests. it is
possible for lis to reach the place where
we can rejoice in tribulation also
knowing that thereby our future bless
ing is increased.
what Shall Render7"
AS the consecrated believer consid-
erS what God has already done, and
what he proposes yet to do for his
faithful, gratitude wells up in his heart
and his inquiry is, What shall rem
der unto the Lord for all his benetits!'
The more he considers the matter, the
more he realizes that his talents and
opportunities are necessarily small. in
significant. 1t is from this standpoint
that the poet wrote. 20 for thousand
tongues TO sing my great Redeemer's
praise"
1t Is well indeed to show our appre-
citation of Gods grace by songs of
thankfulness and praise, but we are to
remember that not merely poetic ca
dences are our acceptable songs. but
that from the proper standpoint life
itself is the proper hymn of praise to
be continually rendered to the King
of kings. Singing and making melody
in our hearts unto the Lord" will imply
that our works will be in harmony-a
song OF life" Gphesians V, 49,.
Taking the Cup.
The Psalmists answer, prophetically
represents the attitude of heart of all
the faithful. Each is expected to say.
Il will take the Cup of Salvation and
call upon the name of the Lord
psalm cXvi. 49,. The cup of salvation
at the present time is the cup" which
our Lord proffered to his disciples, say
ing, "This Is my blood of the New