The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-09-12

m am delusion.
~ Our Scripture
& today bids US take
&A our stand at the
Cross of Christ
and insists that all other standards of
living are vanity. Is such "a position
tenable? Can we persist in the claim
that this is the standard of Truth?
Does the empty boast of our ambitions
and attachments become fully exposed
there? If this Scripture alludes to
apostate Judaism undertaking by vain
oblations TO buy the boon of Gods ia.
yor, then, with greater certainty, any
standard we might propose with a Ike
purpose must be classed as a discarded
tradition and a vain manner of
life" II men can buy redemption, ii
is too cheap TO be worthwhile. If. |
say, men can, by ~expending money or
time, or toll, buy it, redemption is
neither what the Bible declares it TO be
for the present life, nor can 1t be 'eter-
nal redemption" The idea that we can
earn 1t discounts the very nature of
boh- DlllIt buQ pioNl u ItuCliIAAoil
of His OWN will, so graciously because
God so loved" how manifestly vain IL
is for man TO propose to bring a price
his little gathered up and unwashed
-fragments-an act denying his need to
receive a gift 50 unmerited and free as
Gods grace! How like an unclean
thing, like filthy rags, must 1t be in
Gods sight, How basely wrong is
every grade and shade of religious
teaching which affirms that we cam, by
any or all means, buy the least fraction
of our redemption As a bubble il must
o burst and reveal its absolute
emptiness.
Let the signal be unobscured so thai
all may read the warning, beware of
the traditions of men. In false philoso-
PIXIES that claim, on the basis of rigid
materialism, to account for all that is,
and that deny outright that a standard
of morals can be reasonably estab-
lished in poetry which, while rich and
splendid in diction and in sentimental
attractiyeness, speaks not the essential
I Hnd 0mv Truth, mruies~of conducr orr
namented with courtesies and tokens
of chastity, which neither root nor
fruit in purity of heart in schemes of
human comfy that assert goodwill
and fair play but esehew the call to a
surrendered will to God, which can
alone produce fair play-thus do we
meet today these delusiye traditions.
Some of them are hoary with age and
some of them scarcely out of their era
dies. Confronting them. shall we not
brand them as the output of apostate
Gentilism? They persist I'm rejecting
the Cross. They insist upon the value
| of what they can do. Their call Is
often enticing and charming, but if We
follow it let ii be understood that we
have chosen the vain manner of living.
Our piled up exhibits of generosity and
pluck cannot prove otherwise. All
must be classified either as the cross
or as vanity.
No wonder that this surfeit of tradi-
tions cannot pacify the nations, har-
monte capital and labor. or fOrtify the
home. much less save the soul. II has
no heart. And nations are constituted
of men who have hearts laborers and
! capitalists are men with hearts; home
Is the place of hearts.
In contrast with the Vain manner
of life" behold a life based upon this;
"Forasmueh as We know that We were
not redeemed with silver and gold. but
with the precious blood of Christ. as of
a lamb without 5lemish and without
spot How came this Lamb to be Of
fered? A heart Of love offered it. Why
does that offering so avail? God so
loved" But does it surely avail for
me? Christ loved me and gave him
self for me" If I believe this what
effect will be produced In me? The
love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit given unto
us Yes, Christian redemption has a
heart. And that heart is one else than
the pure, stainless heart in which
deathless love has IFS source.
Once you really see the Cross by
faith you no longer marvel that man
by wisdom knew not God" You no
longer imagine that philosophy false
ly so called can possibly save a soul.
/ or that .excellency OF speech or mans
| wisdom can make human discord into
harmony or cure human sin. You have
seen by faith the holy, unfailing, eter-
nal heart of love. You have seen that
from that heart came the paying of the
price that set the sin-bound slave free.
You have seen realty in its presence
how hateful is vanity. And the Lamb
will be in the midst of the throne
when all mans vain schemes tumble in
complete failure.