News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1912-03-13

lp 3tSA a2M SgE 49, ing OF conscience
is usually follow
sSs ~ 4 ed by an innel
conflict of reason
ing and excuse
making, all of which silently bu
surely test the solidity of the hearts
conservation.
You may ask, after all, why should
this question trouble me, | have nc
call%' Have you forgotten that wher
you accepted Christ this was includ
ed among the items for your consid
Grafton? You have passed it by. If
IN the church where you are a mem
Der "a notice was read from the pull
pit inviting every. member to attend
a social the following evening, would
you be foolish enough to afterward
insist that you had received no in
v1tation and refuse to attend? The
opposite would be the rule, for any
candidate for membership, expecting
to unite soon, would expect such a
| purpose sufficient ground to entitle
him to be present. Thus your church
| membership and mine involves our
responce to the call of the Great
| Commission.
| The plan of God for appointing and
directing the work of his children is
a most natural one. When a person
is converted, God would have him
come to the bureau of divine commits
| sions and there receive his appoint
ment for service. one can rightfully
excuse himself for when he accepts
the benefits of the salvation of Christ
he thereby obligates himself to ODE.
dience in the service of Christ.
God could not have a book on earth
containing all the names of Christians
throughout the age and giving the
life work of each; for our free agency
would then be lost God chose the
better plan: to have each child come
to him in prayer and talk his life
work over Do not ask, and run
away, but tarry until your conviction
has become settled, for it is this Di-
vine conviction which constitutes
Gods call. Many have committed spir-
itual suicide by Fastening away with
some lmpulsive conclusion before God
had a chance to speak. Such people
have often wondered why they make
shipwreck in their faith life or why
spiritual things seem closed to them.
IL is no mystery. Divine teaching and
guidance are given only to those who
follow closely the instruction of the
TEACHER in Gods school of learning.
Deception and delusion always follow
self-will in gaining spiritual things.
~ Every Christian should therefore def
nltely present himself before God for
the assignment to his life work. Have
you? Public sentiment. however.
seems to have laid this responsibility
only upon those who go as mission
aries.
Dare you say that it is not really |
necessary for every Christian to OBJ |
tain from God a conviction as to what |
he should do with his life. The logi-
clan will at once take the words from
your lips and declare it is then not
necessary for any Christian Wisdom, !
like water, floats everything on a
level surface. Bring these false the
cries concerning missionary work be-
fore your better judgment, and &C.
clesiastical distinctions and privileged
classes will sing to the bottom, leav-
ing all Christians on an even footing,
and each responsible before God for
his share of the evangelization of the
world
Public sentiment has poisoned the
atmosphere with so much anti-mission-
airy sentiment that many children
have grown up with no little prejudice
against becoming missionaries. When
1 person does go from a community
.hese children see so many tears and
lear so many words of regret they
eel that going to be missionary is a
This adds very material
y to the difficulty God encounters in
human wills in trying to secure ODE
Hence in enough of his children to
the world in this genera
ion. All this prejudice and bitter
less must be worked out of the mind,
md transformation wrought, before
and love for the heather
will be entertained and a conviction
# personal obligation can be posi-
lie.
Crushing such a conviction of per-
onal responsibility to take the Cos
'el to the heather, is a spiritual
rhine. 1t affects every spiritual
Ierve just as girdling a tree affects
very branch and leaf. The one who
isobeys his call to the foreign field
nds himself strangely paralyzed in
is work here at home, especially in
lis pleas for foreign missions.
The question of today is not, "will
GU be a missionary" but will you
resent yourself before God for ap- .
ointment to any work, to any field; :
'herever he knows you can do your :
est life work.