The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-07-19

ourselves from all flihiness Of the flesh !
and spirit, perfecting holiness in the |
fear Of God Gil Corinthians VII, y. |
ooC.-.-.-.-.-.-s-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.~.-.-...-.-.-.-O
first and count the cost" before you
undertake such conservation of your
life, such a sacrifice OF your earthly in
terests. "No man having put his hand
to the plow and looking back would be
llt for the Kingdom"-fit for place on
the Throne as a joint-heir with Christ
luke TX, 62). They heard the further
expression Of st. Paul to all who would
become joint-hers with Christ in his
Kingdom assuring them that IL they
suffer with Christ they shall reign
with him.
"BeIoved, Let Us Cleanse Ourselves"
We doubt not that as the Heavenly
Father and our Lord Jesus so loved
the world as to provide the great sac
rIfice for sin, so st. Paul loved the
world-and all others of Gods people
must have sympathetic love for the
world But when we think of those
who are dearly beloved by the Father
and by the Son and by the apostles
and by each other, we think of the
special class of consecrated saints who
Scripturally are described as of no
earthly sect or party, but as "The
Church of the Firstborns whose
names are written in heaven"
These are dearly beloved because
| they have the mind of Christ, which
is also the mind of the Father. Ac-
cording to the flesh they are not all
lovely or beautiful. st. Paul else
where admonishes us that amongst
these dearly beloved" are not many
great, not many wise, not many noble,
not many rich, but chiefly the ignoble
and the poor of this world Their
riches and their nobility are not of the
flesh, but of the spirit, of the heart, of
the new will, to which they have been
begotten of God by the Holy Spirit
This is surely the Apostles thought,
for, in the preceding verse, he speaks
of these dearly beloved" ones as
"sons and daughters of the Lord. chill
dren of the AlmIghty-hence. begotten
again of the Holy Spirit-"new crea-
lures In Christ Jesus" Oh Corinthians
v, ~. All, how wonderful 1t seems
that there should be such a class as
this In the world yet not separated
from the world, except by their new
Spirit. These are In the world, but
not of the world, as the Master de-
clared. These have died to worldly
aims and objects and have become
alive toward God through the Holy
Spirit and through the quickening in
fiuences of Gods exceeding great and
precious promises given unto them.
Gods purpose respecting them Is that
they may be transferred from human
nature to spirit nature--from partlci-
patton with the world I'm the bless
ings coming to II to receive instead
the Divine nature, with the glory,
honor and Immortality attaching
thereto. as new creatures" sons of
the Highest uI Peter |, ~.
Christian "Filthiness of tho Flesh"
Having located definitely the class
| "NN'N'''' ny hht hIppNlVt lHt
QI Corinthians |, y, let us note how
and why 1t Is necessary that saints
should receive such an eXhortatlon
Why should the Apostle write to saints
respecting the cleansing of their flesh
from tilthlness? Could one be a saint
and yet have filthlness of the flesh?
We reply that these saints. begotten
Of the Holy Spirit, will not be perfect
ed as New Creatures until they expert
ence the "change" of the "INirst Resur
rectlon." Meantime they have the
treasure of the Divine nature the Holy
Spirit, the first fruits of their inherit
ance In imperfect human bodies. 1t II
not the flesh that is begotten again by
the Holy Spirit. but new mind, a new
viii The will OF the flesh they sacri
Gee. They give up all earthly rights
and ambitions and accept instead tn,
viii of God. the will of Christ. tn,
Holy Spirit that they may walk II
newness of life. However, from tn,
very beginning Of their Christian ex
perience all of these members of tn,
Royal Priesthood, In the present life
pass through difficulties which aris,
from three different sources:
QD The Adversary Is In opposition t.
them and will do them all the harm
the Lord will permit, Their protection
Is the Divine promise that they vii
not be permitted to be tempted abov,
that they will be able to bear-that tn,
Lord will supervise their interests 81
that with every temptation there vii
be provided way of escape.
(2l They are In n world that is darl
with sin and sellishness, superstition
and ignorance OF God and out of har
mony with his righteousness Th
world aud Its spirit surge about ther
every day. from morning until night
lts tides ana currents seek to swee
, them away from their resolutions o
sclf-sacrince and loyalty to God AM
, righteousness, In various ways It hold
, out TO them enchanting prospects
/ pleasures and riches, ease and aillu
, cuce, ThcM have their weight, eve