The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1922-03-24

" y -
able to guarantee that he Will pay
back? If he is not, there is no grant
of the loan. But in redemption, where
would be the security to offer! we
have never found ourselves resource
full enough to repay any investment
for the soul.
In our human line is a David,
Peter, and a Demas. They are con-
sentative samples of the millions OF
others. What examples Of security to
set over against loan from Heaven
David! Blame the woman, or divide
the blame between the two; either
way, when tie net result is given be-
hold the exhibit of human insufficien'
cy of asset. Peter! Say that he meant
to be brave, or say that when justice
and fairness were Knocked, he con-
tended against the wrong; either way
you must decide that but for the
guarantee of Jesus, made to him be-
forehand, his ability to make good
any pledge Of fidelity was not sufti-
cient. Demas! Paul writing to the
church at Colosse, sends greetings
from this man, but later writing TO
Timothy he is compelled to say, DE
mas hath forsaken me, having loved
this present age" Such mans guar
antee would fall below par. But these
three men are far and away in adj
vance of the man who until now has
rejected Gods mercy. If they, with
oil fIok Qn0nnfn6
draw exclusively on Gods grace to
deliver them, then, how absolutely
impossible it must be for soul con-
demned and lost to approach God on
the basis of loan.
Rather than pose as guarantors, we
must accept the position Of eggars.
We have no security to offer. moth
ing in my hands bring" Nothing!
The program of redemption could
never be placed on the basis Of
trade. In trade it Is proposed that
we approach an equivalent; give and
take. But in matters that pertain to
the salvation of the soul, we are
bankrupts rather than contractors
With what would we trade? Might
we offer bad habits in exchange for
the healing and mending Of the soul:
Might we offer ten thousand neglects
and vanities for the peace of Godi
Might we offer our piled-up guilt for
the uncondemning smile Of Godf
Might we offer our poisoned motives
besoiled thoughts, fiippant words, and
ruinous deeds in exchange for the
"blood that cleanseth"? Would such
be our proposal?
Having nothing with which to either
arrange a loan or q trade, we are
driven to look for possible resources
elsewhere. God, and God only, has
t,Slem. He has given, He can yet i'm.
part. His sunshine at the window,
beaming and throbbing to get in that
it may cleanse the place and bestow
the glow Of health to the face of the
invalid there, is but shadowy hint
of how His grace urges and presses
upon our souls that we may receive it.
Behold the tree gives its fruit, the
artesian we'll it's water, and the far.
stretched spaces their air, and think,
sin" is offered to you and me. 1t Is
all contingent upon what He has al.
ready given and done. "He that
spared not his own Son how
shall He not with Him also freely
give us all thingsY That gift once for
all is the guarantee of all the rest.
We know what He can do and will dc
partly because of what he has done.
Giving is His; receiving, ours.
But If what he has done becomes
the guarantee of what he will do, 1t
must also be accepted as the marking
out Of the boundary Of his doing fol-
us. If we reject that, we declare fol
the loan or trade plan, and remember.
it Is under that plan that, "the wages
Of sin is DEATH" A possible barter
but what a result
So really all this hinges upon our
determination to try to push God into
the sphere Of cold commercialism be.
cause we insist upon the barter plan
and turn from the gift" Our idle eff
fort, our wicked effort to push God
into the mart must fail. His gracious
call for us to receive from his merci.
full giving turns bankruptcy into for.
tune, the beggar into the son of the
king, and the duration Of the change
is everlasting. The habit of buying
and selling, the mathematical reckon.
ing and bidding on prices may cost
men everlasting failure. The fact is
absolute that God will not barter. But
He will give. Even wounded pride will
not be lowly enough to accept that