The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-12-29

IE&Y [ J. I&N#zNESNMMMl the least this
whole conception
'seeIns 20 be out OF harmony with the
@ gospel OF salvation by grace, yet our
rteSt appears 10 favor t.
p" II Will clehr up matters considerably
10 note the change OF translation in
the Revised lersiop which instead OF
saying add 10 your faith" reads, "in
h-our faith supply virtue" etc. In 9th.
words, faith is the root from which
fall" these graccs blossom forth. They
are not entities 10 be added but flow.
ers which Will bloom III we care for the
rpet. of faith, We shall notice these
y gEaoes ia order.
~ iFFst COMES VIRTUE" The root idea
lof this word in both Greek and Eng.
cAish ~ is manliness. vigor. firmness,
stTength of will. The thought is EN-.
bodied in a hymn Mr.. Sankey used "
sing ygiihh great effect, -.
Dase TO be Daniel
...,, .ir Dare &c, stand alonel
Dafe'to hhvc n ptrpose true
7f0rs 10 make h,knownl
90, Such liripness l. the. fruit of faith.
Men who have tried other cures for
: tenslayihg habits, but in vain, have
found help here.
.,,,After Virtue comes knowledge"
How appropriate. that this should fol.
low virtue. for no man is more dan.
gerous. thanh who has a strong will
but is not Instructed In the use Of IL.
: Tie is related t6 the mule rather than
to the Ideal man. But the new spirit
which comes through faith in Christ
brihgs light ns TO our duties and the
word OF God Is found lamp to our
J feet. t'rhe knowledge referred to here
is LprnctIcal rather than speculative;
we may not be told the dimensions of
heaven, bat the way to get there Is
made plain.) -. ..
Temperance" or self-control, comes
next What commentary on our ma
tiondl sin that the word suggests nb-
stinencc from ,drinkl But it's meaning
ia much broadcr for our judgmunts,
3dhr tastes, our speech must be. con
p atroiiesl, ,0Hrt IL found one Of the Sc
'''AH VI FfiuiifnN VI. AAlHl h' VI ~ VII
men Impress us by their reserve, while
little aRea ipvt ALL their goods i'm the
d 'showcaSeJ> ,.. .rt.. .., $40,
d ~Patienee' may be defined ns cheer
f,il.Jr hopeful endurance. IA is fnr re-
nOtbd 'frdmth Spoicnl idea it Is not
the ia hence df the Indian M the stake,
but 9 the Christian who sings AZ .he
suffers. it. grows ont OF faith but IS
nOurishcd byitbo hope of Cbyists mp.
Repljns. for we read oftGu Of the pa.
tieaca of hope" ..r ..,. .t.o
7y,The peyt grace isu "godIjDeSs," . the
fuadamcntal idea OF the word being
reverence toward God. There ls no
table Jack Of this virtue teday... Would
that WIG could keep ever before. us such
revelation Of God ns Is found In
Isaiah 40, where we see him holding
the oceans In the hollow OF his hand
weighing the. poyntains in scales, call
ing the. stars by name, and accounting
tho nations as the small, Invisible dust
OF ihe balaneel .,...
Following godliness Is "brotherly-
kindness" or as the Revised Version
reads, "lOve OF the brethren" This Is
disunctively Christian, for those who
are near TO Christ viii love one mn
other. Many young Christians have
been helped tO assurance by the text,
I'VE Know we have passed from death
unto life becau use We love the brethren"
Finally, we have charity" or love.
This Is love 10 all men, IN the most
general sense. Hence, Christians ase
melted 10 do all that mere humanita-
rians will do, and more!
It is TO be noted in this cluster Of
grsces, growing out Of faith, that two
are active, virtue" and knowledge :"
two are passive, Temperance" and
patience one, "gQdllness,' has ref
.erence 70 God :another, "brOlheFly love
has reference 10 the church; the last,
love" has reference % al mankind.
How appropriate that they should be
just seven 81 number, Tor this y the
number OK Completeness!
We cannot urge sufficiently that
these graces are not 10 te added. one
alta time, but are 10 grow aud develop
simultaneously. out Of our faith in
Christ. Galatians 3 % speaks not Of
t'c fruits Of the Spirit, but Of the
fruit" growing on the one cluster.
Old Jeremy Taylor speaks. OF this
text as "a rosary Of Christian graces.
Let us tell over It's beads frequently,
with much prayer that these things
may be in us and abound.