News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1912-05-29

l
i've as Christ would have them live
| out who come to the close of the day
| ,onfessing how far short they have
come Of being what Christ wanted
| hem to be.
And the criticism of the world, and
the curse Of the church is, that in
those of us who have named the name
OF Christ practice comes so far short
OF confession, and that many OF us
who make pious professions by the
very negligence of our living cruelty
the Son Of God afresh and put him to
an open shame. Mr.. Drummond spoke
|, truthfully when he said that what the
church needs is not more of us, but
a better brand of us.
There is better way to live There
is a Christian life possible to each
one Of us which is higher and holter
and more victorious than any expert
ence we have had hitherto The per
lection of Christian character is the
perfection of faith in Jesus Christ
the faith that takes him to be all and
in all. Just as by simple act OF
faith we received the gift of saliva
ton from the crucitied Christ We are
to receive from the risen Christ the
grace which we need to live a con-
sistent Christian life
May we not explain our failure to
become what we hoped to be, and
what Christ wants us to be, because
We do not understand the difference
between the appreciation OF Christ
and the appropriation OF Christ? The
Christian church does not lack in APP
probation sermons, prayers, hymns
and testimonies swelling the praise OF
Jesus; but lack of appropriation is
shown in Indifference to the claims OF
Christ and the demands of a holy
life, in spiritual unrest when Christ
has said, Peace | leave with you,"
and in frequent failure at the same
point in my life. These are evidences
of our neglect to take Christ as the
complement Of our daily need, OF our
neglect to clothe ourselves with
Christ, of our lack of appropriation.
AS one read the New Testament
three things are made clear:
|. Gods purpose, which is to make
various methods by which this end is
attained. Sometimes the means used
do not seem pleasant to us, but when
we realize his high purpose, We shall
be satisfied.
II. Christ's promise. AS We begin |
to understand Gods purpose We ask |
who is sufficient for these things; but |
in the presence of every high call of |
God, of every holy purpose, of every |
unattained ideal, Christ stands and |
says, MY grace is sufficient for you"
And we may count him faithful who
promised.
III. An adequate power. When we
accept Christ by faith the holy spirit
comes into US to perfect the purpose
Of God and to make the promise of
Christ actual in our Christian expert
ence. 1t is the realization of the pur-
pose, the faith in Christ's promise,
and surrender to the spirit that con-
stitute the elements of that faith
which is the perfection of Christian
character. So our lack of deeper
Christian experience, of power in
prayer, and of usefulness in service,
loes not consist in the smallness OF
Iod's purpose nor the weakness of |
Christ's promise, nor the lack of an |
adequate power-oqr failure is be-
,ause We do not appropriate all of
Tod there is for us in Christ Jesus.
We are reminded of Martin Luther,
Who said that the entire secret of the
christian life lies in the use of the
ossessive pronouns; that it is a great ,
hing to know that Jesus is a Savior,
ut a far greater thing to know that
e is my Savior. In fact, the entire
philosophy of the New Testament q
18th relation to the Christian is that I
e shall put off the old man and s
hall put on the new. q
Therefore, just as by faith l ask .
hrist to be my savior let me flow 7
ike him for my need of humility, n
urity. strength, wisdom, sanctitica- a
on. righteousness, redemption-"Au s
need in thee to find" f
yrace there is. my every debt to pay;
ood to wash my every sin away; n
over to keep me day by day; n
For me, for me-"
Take Christ, appropriate him, en- 1
r upon the full possession and ap- = y
-opriation of your great inheritance !"
Christ Jesus. 1t is the secret of a Z,
lppy, victorious, Christ-like life. O