The Penn's Grove record., 1916-03-31
IMITATORS OF GOD.
In All Ways His Children Should
Strive to be Like Their
Heavenly Father.
BE ye therefore imitators of God. as

AA1AN0NOA ~ NOu, de-
beloved children. "-Eph. 81, Or. W.
Where shall we begin our express
sion of these words? Where shall we
place the emphasis? Everything de-
ponds upon u point of view. We
must not begin with the word "Imi-
t%ators," or the ideal may paralyze us.
We must begin with the word Chill
dren," and imitation will appear as
the natural and inevitable fruit. We
are b children" of the Father, with
the large privileges and enjoyments
OF "at-homeness" with God. We are
beloved children, the life of the
eternal God flowing out toward us in
anectionate goodwill and ministry.
BE ye therefore imitators of God"
Why, IL we realized and utilized the
privileges EMBODIED in the two words
children and Beloved" we should
not need to be counseled to initiate
the Father. Imitation would become
inevitable; we could not help it!
Take a little child; let her be set in
a home Of perfect freedom; enswathe
her with a conscious possession of
parental love, and what will happen?
The ministry OF imitation inevitably
begins. We speak of our little ones
as perfect little mimics." They mi
mic our ways, our words, our tones,
our accents. In them we find our
selves repeated. One little trait ap
pears, and the father says to the moth
er, That's you" or another little
feature is produced, and the mother
discovers the father repeated. Well.
now, this word mimic" Is the literal
word that lies behind our English
word imitator. In the p~rofoundest
and most deeply spiritual sense we
are to be mimics of God; we are to
catch his ways, his tones, his accents.
We are to repeat and reproduce him.
Vigilance Essential.
What, then, are the essential fac
tors if beloved children are to be imi-
tators of God? Can we fruitfully
analyze the mimicry Of a little child?
I think we can mention two or three
elements which enter into a little
child's imitativeness. Before a child
can initiate a parent it must observe
him. Vigilance is essential. We a
OF little children that they are "all
eyes and ears" They are alert, OBJ
servant, receptive, aver watching for
dwellings. But they are more than
o~bservant. They are aspiring. They
want to become like that which they
see. The child notices it's mothers
attire, and wishes to year it. She
delights in putting on her mcther's
gloves, or hat, or ribbon. All, but the
aspiration proceeds to deeper and
more vital ends. They not only wish
to initiate in external attire; little
eyes can see through the vesture of
the body and a perceive the habit
and garments Of the mind and the
soul. What they discover they desire
to reproduce. They want to wear our
clothesl
But they do not rest contented with
the mood of aspiration, They make
c~easeless endeavors to repeat us.
They are forever trying to be like us.
Almost unconsciously they seek to
obtain our likeness. Now, can we
carry over these suggestions into the
realm of the spirit, and find in them
any help to express Jul relationship
with God? If we are to be imitators
Of God we must certainly watch him.
W. are to have a similar vigilance
in the spirit. We must fix our eyes
upon the revelation of God in Christ,
and mark every line and feature and
color in the glorious unwilling. But
we must not only fix our y we
must set u desires upon the Lord.
And let US remember for our encour-
agement that a desire can be trained,
taste a be acquired. To wish to be
like the master is to intensity desire.
To express a wish is to confirm it. To
be in the presence of God. even to
wish to desire is to have the begin
nings of heavenly aspiration. And
like the children, in their initiative
ness, u aspiration must be regis
tered in endeavor; we must seek to
repeat what we see. Deliberately and
strongly must we attempt to reproduce
the lines and colors of the glory we
have witnessed.
His Love Everlasting.
And let US not forget that all this
time the Lord is loving us; the affec-
tomato energy is flowing from his
heart, and is working upon US for
our redemption. While we are look
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-~.onsIneIIuo
therefore imitators of God, as beloved