Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-02-18

whose ngnL ana warmth we neeO IN
dark days. A realization of the love
of God will keep us from both dis
couragement and apostasy.
But the Spirit of God is even more
explicit and gives three directions
which, If followed, will enable US to
keep ourselves in the love of God.
First, we are to build up ourselves
on our most holy faith. John Wesley
used to warn his preachers that they
would not grow in grace unless they
grew in knowledge. We may add that
many stray from the faith because so
poorly instructed in its contents.
They seem willing to trust their own
powers in the conflict with Satan,
whereas our Lord himself was content
to meet the assaults of the devil with,
1T is written"
An excellent illustration of obedi-
ence to the direction of the text is
found in the life of Charlotte Eliza
beth, who lived in the days of the Irv-
ingite movement. She heard of mar
velous healings and gifts" including
the gift of tongues, and was very de-
sirous Of taking proper attitude in
the matter She felt that few scat
tered texts were not enough, but that
she should read the Bible in con-
nected way for light. So, one night,
after earnest prayer for guidance, she
sat on the side of her bed, and, begin
ming at Matthew, read straight on till
she had gone through the seventh
chapter of Revelation, completing the
New Testament next morning. She
saw that miracles may even be Of Sa-
tanic origin and that they will charac-
terize some things to be avoided in
the last days. The prominence given
to women in the Irvingite movement
she saw to be unscriptural, and her
judgment on the matter was confirmed
shortly afterwards when she found
that heresy as to the nature of Christ
was being taught. We tremble to
think of the easy prey found by Satan
among Christians because of a lack OF
such building up of themselves on
their most holy faith.
! Next, we are instructed to pray In
the Holy Ghost. We are familiar with
the fact that the Holy Ghost prays in
us, but the thought of the text is not
so common. 1t represents the Holy
Ghost, so to speak, as the atmosphere
in which the Christian lives an6
breathes out his petitions.
Finally, we are to be looking fol
the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We shall need mercy when he comes
and looking for his coming is mean:
of safety. While such an attitude O
church, it has unhappily become rath
er rare in modern times. Yet it ap
pears on the very surface of the New
Testament as the normal attitude o
Christians. A missionary who hat
spent fourteen years in China stated
that all the native Christians in he
district were looking for the COMING
of the Lord. She went on to explain
that this was not the result so mucl
of specific instructions on this point
but because they had no book on doc
trine save the New Testament, an,
they found this truth for themselve
as a commonplace of apostolic teach
ing.
Jude speaks of false teachers VIII
ran greedily after the error {
Baalam for reward. Looking for tn
Lord is a cure for the greed whic
has led some into the ways of apo:
tasy. John Wilkinson, the founder G
the Mildmay Mission for the Jew!
was once approached at railway sta
ton by two women who had hear
him speak. They placed in his hand
large sum of money and one of theI
explained that God had intrusted I
them of this worlds goods and the
were anxious to prove good steward
lest the Lord at his coming shoul
find his wealth in their hands unuse,
So, in many directions, looking for tn
coming of the Lord is a safeguar
against falling from the faith.
Verse 1 of this epistle speal
of our being preserved in jest
Christ" or, as the Revised Versic
renders it, kept for Jesus Christ"
We do not wonder that Jude Close
with a confident doxology, Now uni
him that is able to keep you fro
falling Tor, stumbling), and to presel
you faultless before the presence
his glory with exceeding joy, to IL
only wise God, our Savior, be glol
and majesty, dominion and powe
both now and ever. Amen"