THE WAY OF LIFE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 41, 28 May 1910, Page 10

THE WAY OF LIFE.

TWO DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS. (Published by Arrangement). Dear Friend,—l received your letter and note the contents. I thought I would answer your letter, as you seem in some doubt. You say you are not like some others in your religious lite, and you sav your mother could date back to her change in ...e, but you have never had such experience, and your sister has changed in her religion; that she is a greater worshipper at one time than at others. All true worshippers will have more life within at different times, according to the power of tne "Spirit" within. You say your sister of late onlv goes to church occasionally. It may 'be she gets nothing when she soes. If I were to invite you to dinner, and put an empty plate before you, witn knife and fork, you would not some often to dine with me under those conditions. This is what takes places in some of the churches. A true worshipper must fo somewhere where lie can tret food for his soul, or it is no place of worship for him. These ministers are only hirelings and have no seed to to "Christ" said. There are those who .preach Moses in every citv, preaching the law of works for "Salvation life," but these hirelings are needed. The world has to be moralised as well as spiritualised; and so those people only prepare the ground for "God's" children to sow the seed. These ministers have not the way of life in their own hearts ami cannot teach others. Because one man makes another man'a minister, or priest, that does not follow he is a preacher of tne good things of the "Kingdom of God. "God" only can make a true preacher through the* "Christ Spirit." Now some of the ministers of the church have lost the truth of late years; they can only preach the letter of the word. They know nothing of the ' Spirit of God" in his word, and so going to church this way is like a door on its liases, come and go. no change, like preacher, like people, in many cases. 1 have no doubt but that "God" is saving here and there, some among them, by * the operation of his "Spirit," but not from the hireling.l 1 would have more hope of a person who reads his *:ble and does not go to church, than the person who goes to church and does not read his Bible. But Bible and church should go together. You say vou have always tried to ao your best in life, and you are doing still what you think is right, and go to church regularly, but you feel no difference in religious matters. In this life of yours here this .kind of life of yours is commendable, and all men and women should try to' tneir duty in this world's life; and out .fellow creatures demand it from us, and so does "God,and vou will have your earthly blessing for doing what was right while living here, as .Scripture says: "As a man sows so shall he reap." But you have no Tight to expect a gift for doing what was your duty to do. This is where you may* have erred in your religious life through bad teaching. Do yo know that "Salvation Life" is the gift of "God" without works? "Christ" is our works before "God" for righteousness. When the Apostles were talking to "Christ" about their works, He said, when you have done all that is commanded of you to do, say within yourselves, we are but unprofitable still, and that must always be so in our religious life down here. '•Christ'' hath said, "The flesh profited nothing"—that is in the true spirit worship of "God." "Christ" said: "Be ye holy as 'God' is holy." Again: "Be ye perfect as 'God' is perfect." You see it is 'Be ye it." You cannot buy it, neither work for it. But, like the rest in the world, some time or other in their lives would steal it if they could, rather than bes? for it, forgetting you are saved through "Grace and Faith." You could never pertain to this perfection life demanded of "God," through works in vour natural body-life. It is "God" giving us the righteous life of his "Son" as our substitute. You think out what a substitute means. The next time you pray to God, you tiirouoh the mind's conscience believe in God's words. There is one thing the Scriptures say, "God cannot lie"; as that is reason why you should not have faith in what he has said in his word. So when you approach the "Throne of Grace" at the mercy seat remember "Christ" is there in "Spirit" as your "High Priest/' to offer your prayers and petitions, and he is also there as your advocate to plead for'you, and also there as vour substitute in the individual, and* if our substitute he must so free. As Scripture says: "He whom the Son shall set .free shall be free indeed." And be holv and .perfect through Christ our substitute if you have faith to believe it, and a heart to live in it. All true religion is having faith in what "God" has provided for us, not so much what has provided for himself. The Scriptures say since the days of "Christ," there is no'room for the priesthood, since Christ has become our High Priest as the Apostle Paul has declared. So ever remember this against all others, that Christ is your High Priest, Advocate and Substitute at the mercy seat, so open vqur month wide, so says the Scripture's. Could you trust Him? rf so, you would realise the power of "God's" Word speaking to you when you read it. Now when T go to church to hear a man preach, I do not go there to be told my dutv. and what I should do, and what I 'should not do. I know that before I go. If he has nothing more than that I come away empty, as far as the preacher is concerned; but I want to know is if he can cive me the "Salvation Life" in "God's" Word through "Grace and Faith." I will .put it another way for you. Scripture says: "Christ" was the end of all the law and profits for righteousness. So if you come to the end of a thing, there is no more to get, so "Christ" is our righteousness, having fulfilled all "God's" laws for us, and brought in everlasting rightteousness for "God's" people, and declared on the Cross, "It is finished." Tf finished, then we can add nothing to our "Salvation Life." So "God" now gives us a perfect righteousness through his "Christ." our siiostitute, hence "Christ" could sav. "Bo ye holy as God is holv." Read Bth Romans, verses 1. 2 and 3. In writing this 1 am not doubting your Christianity because you say you do not feel anv chaiiffo. but always the same. Some Christians get their change. a little light here, and a little h<rnt there, and at times they do not know where they are, and they are never sure in their minds if they are saved. This kind of Christianity is through btad teachings. ■• and lack ' of faith in God's word. This kind of Christian does not believe in the Scriptures, neither has he got faith in His word. If any Christian were to say to me he was not sure of his "Salvation Life," T would say. "You do not believe the Scriptures. Read John, sth. chapter, 24th verse: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my words, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation^

in simpler words. If you have not this truth in your soul's mind it is because you do not believe it

The words of Christ are dear and! simple hero. Now this brings you face 1 to face with a reality and .you must say. "yes" or •'no," as before God, so leave off working for ''.Salvation Life" and commence begging. "For by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified before God as says the Scripture." Mot that ydu Will do less work this way, "but more." You would feel better and stronger and more qualified to wor.k in the Master's vineyard. Christians wil Hake at times What" God •has done for them, and by them, and through them, and put it to tneir own credit instead of "God's" and "Jesus Christ's," and fulfil the "Lord's" words. "All that ever came before me are but thieves and robbers " Robbers of "God's" power and glory. Those people who worship "God" through "Grace and Faith" live the best lives. No pel'son can live the "Christ Life" unless he has "Christ" in him, and according to the measure of the "Christ Spirit* in him so will he live it. As Christ said:

"Without "me ye can do nothing"— that is> spiritually Godwards. How"can a person be a Christian if he does read his Bible—'"the living word of the living God?' rt Read John/nth chapter, 17th versell

"Sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is true." You see in Christ's last sermon to his Church before being crucified, he gives them the secret of all his life on this earth. It was to give his people and Church a sanctified, holy and perfect life. He says: "Sanctify them through thy truth." What is truth? The perfect life of Christ on this earth, and perfect obedience to God's will, as He said to His Father, "I always do thy will." This 'has sanctified Christ, and as he was our substitute before "God" and (for us. Here you can see the purpose of God and Jesus Christ was to give us his people all the merits and virtues of his life. He did not need it for himself; if he had he could not have given it to us and said "Be ye holy as I am 'holy," or said:

"I give unto my sheep eternal .life and they shall never perish." This "give" he secured for us in fulfilling all God's just demands against us as our substitute, so giving us the (greater "Light and Life" as Scripture declared he would when he came. In the 19th verse he puts it more distinctly; "For their sakes I sanctif}' myself that they may also be sanctified through" the truth." Christ says nere it is for "their sakes, I sanctified my life in this world." How does the truth sanctify us? If we believe the words of God through Jesus Christ, and that being an accomplished fact, it must sanctify the mind of the individual who through "Grace and Faith" sees it and believes it, because it is so, whether we believe it or not. I see no other wayGod could give us a perfect, 'holy, sanctified life. There can be no other sanetification for-man. He could never accomplish it in his own life; it must be 'Be yet it," through the truth of what already exists. "Christ" well knew the difficulty in teaching his church and people this great truth, for he repeats it in the 17th and l!)th verses, And then follow on the subject in the 21st verse: "That they may all be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us."

You see we become the "one of us" through what "God in Christ" has accomplished for us. As the words of Christ are true in the 17th and 10th verses, the 21st verse must be true also. Here, like the sanctification truth, "Christ" follows up this "one in us." Again in the next, in the. 22nd verse, he says: "The glory which thou gavest me i have given them, that they may be on§, even as we are one." •Here we see man's perfect return into the one perfect God with the same glory as Christ had. He still follows it on in the next verse, the 23rd: "I in them, thou in me, that they mav be made perfect in one." Now this is very clear, iplain and simple. After Christ accomplishing all this for "His Bride," whom he hath married, ■he reminds his "Father" that there is one thing yet in the next, verse 24. He says: "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am." He would not be complete without them. Here we can see the result of the marriage of the Lamb, and the blessedness of those who are married to the Lamb I would like you to read the whole of the 17th chapter of John. It is one of the greatest chapters in the Bible, and sould be read with the Sermon on the Mount—Christ's first sermon. The 17th chapter of John is His second and last. In this last sermon in the 17th chapter of St. John, in the first verse, He says: "The hour is come." The very hour of His appointed life had come. In the fourth verse: "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." Working and living out the Sermon on the Mount for us. And when the hour had come He at once reminded His Father and God in reality and asks his Father and God to give His "Bride," the Church and people, the result. I think He could not have given His Church and people the secrets of the greater depths of His mission sooner, as the hour had not yet come—the work was not finished. Also in the first verse He says: "The hour is come to glorify thy Son."

That was to taike him to the cross of crucifixion, that was to glorify "God" and "Himself," which was the next step. From this chapter he goes to the Garden, and from the Garden to Calvary, and there He said, "It is finished. ' That was the death penalty for all God's broken laws for us as our substitute, as written: "God laid tipon Him the iniquity of us all." "Christ accepts." He takes upon Himself all our sins and bore them on the Cross. 11. Corinthians, oth chapter, 21st verse: "He hath made Him to be sin, who knew -no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Here we see in this verse, the reason for the substitution of "Christ," that "we" might be made the righteousness of "God in Him." John, 10th chapter, 11th verse: "The .o-ood shepherd giveth his life for his sheep." What does this mean? "Substitution." As He says in the 15th verse: "f lay down my life for the sheep." Nineteenth verse: •'NTo man taketh it from me, but 1 lav it down of myself." Does this not prove him a willing substitute for his people? As we see He goes willinglv to the Garden for the very purpose, there the power of darkness in Satan's kingdom tafkes forcible possession of Him and so carry out their wicket part, "God" having left Him in their hands for a time. As Christ said to Pilate (John,. 19th chapter, 11th verse): "Thou couldest not have any powep at all against me, except it were given free from above. But said this your power and hour of darkness, John, 22nd ] chapter, 52nd verse. Christ was ever speaking and teaching Sis Apobtlesanfl feople, that the laj^

down of His life for the sheep would glorify God and Himself. As he said, John, 13th chapter, 31st and 32nd verses, "And shall straightway glorify him." "Immediate results." showing the 'atonement was of God and Jesus Christ, and not of man. Proving it to be the greatest part of all His life and that the Angels of God desired to look into these things. . .