The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-08-02

state or position before God, and con
stltute what might be called his legal
standing.
In this sermon, however, we are to
think about what God graciously does
to transmute this legal standing OF
the believer before him into the actual
experience and conduct Of the believ,
er himself. This Is what we mean by
Salvation from the subjective side
II the other things touch on Christ's
work FOR" us, these relate TO Christ's
work in" us, on the suppositlon that
We have received him as our Savior,
and confessed him as our Lord.
In other words, he, through the Holy
Spirit, does several things which 90
to make the true believer a holy man,
and which are enumerated In this
eighth chapter Of Paul's letter to the
Romans; for although our text Is lin,
tied to but one verse, we intend to
speak of more than one.
In the first place, the Holy Spirit
sets the believer free from the law
OF sin and death, verses 2 to 4.
Prior to his regeneration through
faith In Christ, the believer was I'M,
der the power Of q tendency or law
In the direction Of sin, the outcome
Of which was death, eternal death;
but the incoming Of tht Holy Spirit to
him means that a new tendency or law
has been set up within him whose d.
rection Is just the opposite to this.
In the second place, the Holy Spirit
gives him the spiritual mind" or dis
position to obey and follow out this
tendency in the direction 0f holiness
and eternal ~life-verses $40.
In the third place, he not only gives
him the spiritual mind, bu) goes far.
Their and gives the spiritual power to
exercise that mind, verses lib. 80
that the Christian has no excuse foJ
committing sin.
A Life OF Victory
The New Testament does not teach
q doctrine Of sinless perfection, or the
eradication Of evil from our hearts.
as long as we remain in the flesh, but
It does teach that there Is such a
thing as living a life Of victory over
every known sin every day. Chris
tians have no classification for apol-
Ogi2ing for quick tempers and irritable
speeches and envy and jealOusy-not
to speak Of grOsser sins of the flesh
on the ground that such things are
part Of their temperament and can't
be helped. 1t is true that they can't
help them so far as their old nature
Is concerned, but the very purpose Of
the indWelling Of the Holy Spirit Is
to enable them to live a supernatural
life Of power over them If they yield
their wills to him.
In the fourth place, the Holy Spirit
gives the believer spiritual encourage
ment to exercise this power, for he
bears witness within him to his Son.
ship to God and heirship as well
through Jesus Christ-verses 14.17,
What stronger motive could there be
to stir a man to put away sin and
live q holy life comparable to the
apprehension Of the fact that he Is
indeed a child Of God and n Joint heir
with Jesus Christ? People Of the
world are inclined to smile at these
and consider them ethereal and
visionary. because they cannot under.
stand them, lacking the spiritual dis
cernment, but these are, after all, the
real things, the substance Of life, while
the phenomena that occupy 80 much
mans attention now are only the
shadow Of the true.
Change In President Arthur's Life.
I remember the great change that
came about In the character and In
the outward life Of President Chester
A. Arthur. As a New York politician
and collector Of the port, he had beer
one OF the boys" the higher and finer
class Of boys" and yet one Of them.
when a strange providence placed
him in the presidential Office after
the murder of President Garfield, whaf
change came over him! What a
sedste, wise, successful, honor.
able and pure chief magistrate he
made! All speak well Of his memory.
The dignity, the exaltation, the priv,
leges which had come to him contrib
tied to make him over. 1t Is much
he same with the Christian who
snows who he Ia and what he has in
Finally, the Holy Spirit gives the be-
spiritual access unto God In
,rayasr~yerses 1928. This Ia the
'rownlng act Of grace and power.
L. tms Gfraavn 80 rn,u.