The Detroit times., 1911-02-06


"a bent To disobedienoc. And nowhere
IL this bent. or genius. manifested more
laIpably than IN respect OF tho very
sweetest truths OF the gospel. Thess
truths often suffer reverse OF represen-
FSr esam pie ". TSs fni oil s 81 Law
by Jesus Christ Is. by this genius, often
speiled-negation of law. Law has
been swept away The FREQ forgive
20 SIN. The being made RICH: with
God freely. without. or apart from, tine
ice 10 OF the law. IL regarded as license
10 lawlessness And the old rule or
othe- gospel that Is no gospel. Is lsil
on the table by a large majority. And
thinking thus. willing thus. acting
thus. men become what the old theo-
logians used to call Antinomians. !. e.
anti-Lawists, or. as We know them. in
the more familiar term OF today. An
archists. as touching the kingdom OF
am strongly constrained. therefore.
70 speak now on the topic of The
Obedience OF the gospel" And begin
our consideration by reminding YOU or
the fact that the gospel II grounded
Listen 10 this WORD. Of holy writ: AS
by one mans disobedience many were
made sinners. so by the obedience OF
one shall many be made righteous.
disobedience Is the essence OF sin. ODE
dience Is the essence OF salvation from
sin. There could have been no gospi.
the world, had not One been obedisnt
for the whole world Your failure
and mine TO be obedient TO the perfect
law OF God. may be forgiven and for.
gotten mo-. only because Of tni ;, oeedien'
In his great book on Positive
Preaching and the Modern Mind" Dr.
Forsyth has, among many others. these
is Gods act OF redemption before II Is
perennial act of Cod Now. drive
those two thoughts together. and you
s ru aod sAs sc the aS at act
eternal. Then let me add TO that state
ment that Gods eternal gospel act Is
obedience. Test this eternal act by
crosses the stage of history, and you
see that God. moving toward redemp-
ton, Is always moving In the direction
OF obedience. He wrought through
through the law for obedience. He
sang, through the psalmists and poets.
OF obedience. He preached, through
the prophets. obedience. And In Christs
coming to express the mind or God 10
men, obedience was persistent and per-
feet.
God manifest in the flesh was un-
failingly obedient. He came into the
ing and willing. He came with the
distinct and definite determination 20
do, not His own will, but, the Fathers.
At His baptism, which John forbade,
Him to fulfill all Righteousness. In
dark Gethsemane" His shrinking
flesh was completely submissive 10 HIS
obedient will. which cried, Not My
vary. He became obedient unto death.
even the death Of the cross" This,
for all time, Is the worlds supreme
spectacle Of obedience. No law In hea-
ever did, or ever can. demand a fuller
measure OF obedience than Jesus Christ
completed on the cross-the double
measure OF perfect life and Of PEE
nal sacrifice for the sins of the whole
world: a fulfillment of law by obeying
II, and another fulfllment OF II Dy
bearing Its penalty. the only two ways
by which the most perfect OF laws may
OF obedience, the Lord made obedience
the foundation on which the gospel
rests. the atmosphere In which 1t lives
and the spirit In which IL acts.
Obedience q Test OF Our Loyalty.
Again. Christ, In whom the gospel
centers. makes obedience the test OF
our love and loyalty TO Him. The
night previous TO His passion, Jesus
said to His disciples: "Ye are my
friends if'--an awesome and constrain-
ing particle-"ye do whatsoever ! com-
mand you"
This. then, IL the test OF our friend
ship to Christ and OF our friendliness
to His gospei--obedience to Him. IL
is not our good opinion" OF Him that
Jesus asks. particularly, though II 10
important to us what we think OF Hin
IL is not our. condescendant patronage
compliment. that Jesus seeks. IL 10 not
merely TO be morally decent in our
to be kind and indulgent
to our families and TO have an honest
care OF our creditors that Jesus wants,
though He does want all these virtues
and many more; but He wants our
obedience. 1t Is not merely to be "nne-
ly sensitive to the situation" and TO
smile and smile and to make others
smile, that Jesus wants In U.S. There
Is no virtue in a visage OF vinegar; but
sometimes think there Is ground for
fearing that perhaps, Jesus dld not
mere "smiling' as we, in our SNUG
seem sometimes to do.
None OF these surface things are Q
is simple, rugged, honest obedience.
Is the test fair? Calm reason ans
wers. Yes" And 1t argues, further
more, that the friendship that has In
ship. Common gratitude answers,
Yes" and urges that. as Christ got
His shoulders under the mighty weight
OF our obligations. We ought to be
READY 10 ODlSe ourSeiNSs W Oooy A'ii.:
Simple wisdom answers. Yes" and
points to the fact that Christ, know
ing all the measures OF obligation, can
best guide us into the fulhllment OF
every obligation. This test, then, is
the touchstone by which we can try
our real relation TO Christ.
Do you not question regarding this
sometimes? DO you not, at times, try
TO fathom your own heart. touching
this matter7 Do you not sometimes
sing within yourself, those well-known
s"Tis a point long to know.
Oft Il causes anxious thought!
Do love the Lord, OF nor
Am His. or am notT
Well. here Is the test: Are you
seekipg to know what Christ really
says to men? And are you striving.
with passionate earnestness. to do
what He says? Or. 10 His word. with
you, an X quantity. unknown and un-
cared for. save In q sort or casual and
your life or does Satan. or self, OF the
your life. or does Saton. or self. or the
world. or all combined. have the call7
90 apart a little. with these questions.
and see what answer hack your soul
makes II you fear TO face them. that
IN All the more reason why you should
do so, cardfdiy.. fairly and honestly. Go
apart with them, and know the state
OF your spiritual health.
Gospel Cosnssds Obedience.
We think. thirdly. OF the area OF
gospel obedience. And TO think OF IL Is
about all. that we. can do. We cannot
IL, conceive IL or describe
IL. IL Is broader than the processes OF
mans mind IL is deeper than the
depths OF his nature. IL Is as high "a
+, he wary heavens