Evening journal., 1916-01-29
The Sufficiency of Grace
preached in the Tabernacle last night by Dr. Lyon


pay God for any Of the benefits Of life;
for this earth. rich with its treasures
Of silver and gold, its mountains and
hills, its broad prairies and billowy
seas? Whoever could pay Him for
the balmy breezes which fan the
fevered cheek, for the warm sunshine.
for the flowers smiling by the path
way? And further still. whoever could
have compensated Christ for coming
down to the world to teach and toll
and sacrifice and suffer and die for
our sins? Such gifts are beyond price.
But the very fact Of salvation being
free, leaves every one absolutely
without excuse for not excepting it.
Even a child can take a gift. No one
needs TO understand the place and
process Of mining in order to be en-
riched by bag Of gold, or TO be ac-
quainted with all the mysteries OF
organic chemistry to be benefited by
a meal OF wholesome food. II must
be noted as a most important fact In
Gods plan OF salvation that no soul
is condemned simply for wrong doing
and breaking the commandments, but
rather for the rejection OF Jesus
Christ as Saviour and Lord. This is
the condemnation. that light is come
into the world and men love dark
ness rather than light"
Let us note, in the second place,
that this grace Of God is sufficient.
Sufficient both TO save and to keep.
When | was a child, used to worry
a great deal for fear that some morn
ing the sun would forget to rise; but
as I have grown older. have found
that IL is always on time and never
Ia moment late. God always keeps
His promises.
The president OF a great institution
OF learning was telling me one day
his experience in the founding OF
that school It's wealthy patron had
given a liberal sum OF money for its
aid. But" said the president. while
the work was progressing. the
thought used often 10 come to me,
supposing our rich friend would cease
giving, leaving our buildings unfn-
ished, our equipment partly unpaid
for and the salaries Of our teachers
unprovided These thoughts cost me
no little worry and anxiety, until one
day our donor came into my Office
and said, Perhaps you have feared
some time lest I should weary OF Civ
ing for this school. I want to set
your mind at case upon this point. I
would rather lose my entire business
than see this school suffer from lack
of funds. I have confidence in you
and whenever you need any amount
feel free to draw upon me-" Said
the president. Naturally / have had
no concern about this since. I knew
he was as good as his word"
Our faith in God must combine two
elements; a belief in His willingness
to save and in His power to save.
Neither one OF these would be OF
benefit without the other. You might
believe that certain prince or en-
peror undoubtedly had power 10 give
you great wealth, yet II would moi
be forthcoming because he probabl,
lacked the desire On the other hand
some intimate friend might be NOR,
than willing 20 grant your request
but he lacked the ability But witt
our heavenly Father. neither IS want
| ing. Divine love has manifested it,
desire TO save. and divine omnipa
tence its power. Wherever there il
a need divine wisdom has also pro
vided a supply We see this in tn,
natural world. II God places polar
bear in the arctic region Of ice and
snow, He gives him warm fur coal
to protect him from the cold The
natives can unmistakably predict the
approach OF an unusually severe win.
ter by the especial thickness OF the
fur. If the Creator places dwellel
IN the tropics, beneath the burnine
OF the equatorial sun. He gives hin
the fruit juices to cool the fever heai
i'm his blood and the broad palm
leaves for refreshing shade. Th,
dweller in the malarial swamps find,
that God has hid beneath the bark O
"a tree a remedy for the disease. Ant
we who dwell in the temperate zon,
find the forests for fuel and hiddel
In the earth, the oil and coal to hea
and light our dwellings. Judging
from the past experience of the race
as man grows in knowledge and en-
lightenment, we can reasonably con
iecure that wherever i'm nature ther
Is a demand. divine provision has
been made for its satisfaction.
, Now let us apply this same prime
. pie to spiritual affairs In this twelft
chapter Of Second Corinthians. Par
had been speaking about his thorn !
the flesh. He said IL was a messengs
OF Satan to bpnet him, lest he shoul
: be exalted overmuch on account
the abundance OF the revelatio
which had been given him. So
think this thorn in the flesh was sem
paralysis or defects OF sight. II ma
have been. yet Paul does not sa
so. Some think Il was a bad ten
per and others some enemy that va
iniuring his work But no matt,
what this thorn in the flesh was. n
apostle shows his wisdom in M
specifying Il. for it might have bee
any one Of a thousand differeI
things.
Surely every soul that has eve
taken inventory OF itself finds /
own thorn in the flesh. and thus eac
one Of us is enabled to sympathiz
with Paul in his suffering and affli'
tion. He said that he asked thriC
that this thorn might be taken ava