"»^- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 "^m III i !,T III 2.5 2.2 1^ 12.0 1.8 U III 1.6 V] <^ ^ /2 ■T^^. ■' i^'^ «.^ O / / /^ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4503 "»^ ^^' CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes techniques et bibliographiques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a 6t6 possible de se procurer. 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The Changed Cross ■ The Music of the Will - The Art of Pleasing God The Safety of Sinking Broken Ci{ord» - What to Let Go The Highest Beauty - Ambitious to S«rve - . Reflectors of Christ Waiting and Willing Paoh 7 17 32 41 51 60 71 83 96 108 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. THE CHANGED CROSS. Life has many crosses. Some are of wood, soft and light, yet galling the back, and others are made of iron, hard and oppressive. We are grieved at being compelled to carry them, and yet we found joy in making them. Had we known that the crosses we were making were for our own backs we should have made them lighter; but we did not know they were ours until we began to climb our own Calvary. Some of these were never meant for us to carry, and there is cause for grief when they hurt us. What a cross it is for us to speak a few words for our Master when we have cultivated the unlovely virtue of silence in religion. Then there is the cross of public prayer and Bible study which were never made of God. These ought to be pleasures and not burdens, delights and not 7 a THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. tasks. The cross which God gives us to carry should always bring joy in the bearing. The meaning of the burdens and sorrows which God sends to us is not to crush but 1 3 exalt us. The knapsack of the soldier is not intended to be a burden, but is for service. God is not making sport of His children by calling upon them to bear the burden of service. He wishes men to be blest through us, and we are so short-sighted that we cannot see the end of the work given to us, so we give wrong names to things. Whatever is not to our liking or is difficult we label a cross, when it is an instrument for service. Think of a mechanic calling a plane a cross. The hoe in the hand of the farmer is not made to be a burden to crush him, but an instrument to secure comfort and independence, and the burden of service for Christ is the means of leading men out of the ways of sin into the kingdom of light. The sorrow which comes into our hearts is the chisel which is going to bring out beauty of character. The heavy burden may become light. The sorrow may be transformed into joy. The cross may be changed into a crown. THE CHANGED CROSS, 9 • The first step in the changing of the cross is to bear the cross for Christ. We know it is our duty to be loyal to Him, speaking well of Him before all men, always witnessing for Him, and ever seeking to lead souls to Calvary ; yet some- times we feel it to be hard to stand in the breach when the enemy is active in attacking the hosts of the Lord. Shall we shirk our duty when the foe is nigh? Every man has his burden, but is it not a blessed duty to bear the cross for Christ? How often we have carried our burden with a sad heart, and instead of a growing likeness to Christ we have gone murmuring on the way. The work which should have been a blessing was taken up as a hard duty, and where there should have been delight there filled the heart the undesirable mood of despondency. We took up our cross daily as weeping children going to school. Alas, we were the servants of God, but we were out in the wilderness, and had not yet entered Canaan ! The work of Christ was a task and not a delight. Bearing the cross for Christ may be a very heavy task indeed. It may not fit our back. The duty may not suit our tastes, we would 10 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. much rather serve God in some other sphere. So in a despondent mood we have accepted the duty by compulsion, feeling that as servants of God we must do something to show our loyalty. We cannot be charged with unfaithfulness, for we stand at our post as faithful as the Roman sentinel, but the task is not a delight. The weight of a burden does not always depend upon its size or contents. Let a stranger clad in mean attire hand a valise for us to carry for him a distance of three hundred yards, and our strength is tested by its weight. But let a mes- senger request us to carry a bag for Queen Vic- toria or the President of the United States, and though its weight exceeds that of the valise of the stranger, it will be carried a longer distance with greater ease. Love in the heart makes the burden light. Bearing a cross for the church is harder than bearing the cross for Christ. We can go singing on errands of mercy when the love of Christ constrains us. The heaviest duties become the lightest when love lifts the load. The soul-artist in love with his work finds hours to be as moments, and darkness is changed to light. A sea-captain who has suffered the pangs of THE CHANGED CROSS. 11 thirst in an eastern clime will find a delight in digging a well in his native village for weary passers-by ; and while some may laugh at his folly, he will find comfort in the thought that he built the well for God. The farther we carry our burden alone it increases in weight as our strength becomes less; but when we carry the burden for God, love lessens the weight and shortens the distance, and we are surprised when the journey is ended. Our cross is changed when it becomes Christ's cross for us. The second step in the changing of the cross is to allow Christ a share in bearing it. When we come to Him and ask Him to help us endure our sufferings, to take a part of the burden and to give us'grace to carry the cross. He will always take the largest share and supply the needful grace. This is a step higher than bearing the cross for Him alone. When we give the sorrow to Him it becomes consecrated sorrow. When we consecrate ourselves to God we place our- selves at His disposal. We recognize His right to rule over us, and then we promise to use our time, our talents, our possessions, our all, for Him. This is the consecration of the soldier 12 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. who fights for his country and is maintained at the expense of the state. In union with Christ we enter into partnership with Him. In accept- ing Christ for service we receive His aid. We do not set out on His work alone, for we have not only the promise of His presence in " Lo> I am with you alway," but we have the assurance of its fulfilment. We realize the presence of Christ, we endure as seeing Him who is invisible. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night become blessed realities to us. We have an advantage over angels in the divine hand wiping our tears, for angels have none for God to remove. There is joy in this service of partnership. We are yokefellows with Christ. When we accept His will there comes a sweet frame of mind. The child says to the accom- plished musician, " Will you teach me to play that piece ? " and the pianist takes him on his knee, and putting his hands on the keys, says to the child, " Put you hands on mine." The difficult piece of music is played with skill, the child allowing his mind and will to be at the disposal of the musician. The tiny hands, sur- rendered to the genius of the pianist, strike the THE CHANGED CROSS. 13 keys accurately, and the child is surprised to find that he has played the tune. There is power through surrender. As we allow our- selves to be controlled by God we gain power. The third step in the changing of the cross is to give the cross to Christ that He may change it, so that it will fit us, and then He gives it back to us again. Then our cross is transformed by Christ. It is no longer a cross borne for Christ, nor a cross borne with Christ, but a cross which has been given to Him to change it, and He gives it to us fitted for our back, along with grace to bear it. It is then a cross from Christ. Formerly we had union with Christ, now we have communion. It is a recip- rocal union. It is giving and taking in spiritual things We give ourselves to Him, and He quickens and sanctifies and returns the gift for service. There is a two-fold consecration — human and divine — which gives abounding peace and joy. In the consecration from the human side we separate ourselves from sin and dedicate to God for a holy service. Christ said, '* I sanctify my- self," implying that he consecrated Himself as a M THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. sacrifice for sin ; and as the elders of Bethlehem trembled when they met Samuel and said, "Comest thou peaceably?" and he said, " Peace- ably ; I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord ; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." This is the human part of sanctifica- tion. But there is a divine consecration, the Godward side of sanctification. Through the sacrifice of Christ the children of God are con- secrated to Him for holy service by purity, endowment and equipment. We give our all to God, so far as we know, and He takes what is given and fits it for service, and returns it to us changed according to His own will and our needs. The transformed cross in process of time is so changed that it is no longer a cross. When we are called upon to perform a difficult task» and the flesh revolts, then the burden becomes so heavy that we shrink from it or fall under it ; but when we hand it over to God, and wait upon Him, we are surprised at the answer, for the task has become a delight, the sorrow is transformed into joy, the burden is light. What seemed a barrier on the road to hinder our THE CHANGED CROSS. 15 progress will prove to be a stepping-stone over the brook in the way. When the prairie is covered with snow and the snow is still falling, as we walk along we seem to be climbing a hill, and the grass above the snow looks like shrubs ; but it is all a plain. So troubles are magni- fied when our hearts are not in harmony with the divine will, and when sin distorts our soul- vision we murmur at the goodness of God, which we do not understand. When God comes fully into our life, He shades our eyes with His hand from the glare of prosperity. His hand of affliction shades our eyes so that sometimes we catch glimpses of the glory of Beulah land. Life comes through death. Strong faith is begotten through tried faith. The gold ore does not grumble in the crucible because it is intent on being pure; and the tried soul smiles through its tears, for the image of God is being wrought out in the spiritual features. In this world we are like children in the night, but death is the breaking of the morning, when '* we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Let us rejoice in the sorrow which God .sends, for the path of sorrow leads to the mountain of li:! 16 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. joy. The cross which God gives us to bear is the material out of which the crown is made. Rejoice in the crown made from the cross. Give the cross to Him that He may make it a crown and place it on your head. When you accept a cross and hand it to Christ so that He may fit it for your back and give you strength to carry it, and it is returned to you, it is no longer a cross for the back, but a crown for the head. *' Your sorrow shall be turned into joy." ' THE MUSIC OF THE WILL. A PIANO out of tune sounds harsh to the ear, though the skilful musician possesses the power to bring out the sweetest strains of the noblest anthems. The weakness lies not with the player, the trouble is in the instrument. And a soul out of tune with God does not respond to the touch of His love. Instead of singing in harmony with His providence there are murmurs of dissatisfaction. There is no music in the soul, and Avhen God touches the keys there is discord where there should be harmony. A child of God should always be out of tune with worldly things which are not in agree- ment with the divine will, but when he is out of harmony with providence and the Bible, when prayer is not a delight and fellowship with the saints does not beget peace and joy, then the soul needs tuning. Sometimes our Father, in His gracious love, gently chides us with His 2 17 18 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. afflicting hand to bring us into harmony with His will, and while this is not pleasant it is profitable. How often, oh, how often, we have felt ourselves out of tune with the music of His plans ! We could see no beauty in the building of our lives. We kept our eyes fixed on the mortar, and failed to see the marble and sculp- ture. How many times we have looked upon Egypt and murmured, and were compelled to wander in the wilderness with no sweetness or beauty in our lives ! We allowed our own will to step in and throw the whole realm of our lives into confusion. Were a single angel in heaven to assert his own will in preference to the authority of the righteous King, the host of the glorified would be astonished, and hell would have found an entrance there. Peace and joy are not found by obedience to our own desires when these are not in harmony with God. This empty and selfish condition of things is not the ideal Christian life. There is something better in store for the children of God. In His com- passion He has blessed us with a discontented spirit. Blessed discontentment ! This is a surety THE MUSIC OF THE WILL, of blessing and a new order of things when we are unhappy in our sins. The first step in doing the will of God is to have honesty in seeking it. The heart of the child of God desires a knowledge of the divine will, and longs to discover and understand it so perfectly that there will be no danger of missing its meaning. This desire grows until it becomes a burning passion, and he cries continually, "Teach me to do thy will." The desire may be faint when the divine will seems to point in a definite direction and for a single purpose, yet if the soul has not honesty in seeking it there will be leanness and loss of faith. There must be an unabated desire to know and do God's will if we would keep in touch with Him. The boy will cripple human affection if he has no desire to do the will of his father, and love toward God will die if the soul has not desire sufficient to pray for a knowledge of the divine will. We may not be willing to do a certain thing which seems in the line of providence, still we can pray for grace to enable us to comply with His plans. And if we honestly pray that our wills shall be changed so as to 20 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. ! agree with the will of God, we shall be brought into that sweet and patient frame of mind in which desire shall be transformed into delight. What is the will of God ? How often we have asked that question, and longed to have some one make it clear to us. The will of God toward all men is that they should be saved. He desires not the death of any sinner, and has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Every thought, desire, word and act which has for its object the temporal, spiritual and eternal welfare of men is in accordance with God's will. The birth of Christ was ushered in with the angels' song of peace on earth and good-will to men. Men are doing God's will when they are prac- tising in their lives the message of the angels. Divine love wishes the salvation of men, and every man is permitted to carry out that divine wish according to his own ability. We are not limited to certain methods in carrying out this work so long as we point men to the true way to the Cross of Christ. Let salvation be our theme, and an intense desire for bringing men to God take possession of us, and the methods will take care of themselves. Doing God's will THE MUSIC OF THE WHL. 21 honestly is the safeguard of doctrine and prac- tice. Study the scriptures to discover the methods of Christ in dealing with men, and strive with a single eye for the glory of God to know and do His will as shown in the Bible, and all will be well. What is the will of God toward the saints ? What is His will concerning us ? That is the great question for each of us. The soul of the servant of God is drawn by the divine force of gravitation toward Him who is holy and true. When the heart is right it responds to the attractive power of Christ ; but when it has wandered away from the path of holiness, it answers to the attractions of the world. It is the will of God that His children pray, therefore we should continually call upon Him. It is His will that we study the scrip- tures, therefore we should be earnest students of the Bible. It is His will that we should help, honor and bless men, therefore we should do good always to them. It is His will that we make life serious and lofty, therefore we should aim to live above worldly things and set our affection upon things above. It is His will that His servants declare their allegiance to Him I*! ■m 22 TH^ MAKING OF A CHI^IST/AN. before all the world and not be ashamed of our Master or our profession; therefore we should declare our loyalty and confess Him before men. It is His will that we be conformed to the image of the Son, holy in character and life, sanctified and made meet for the Master's use ; therefore we should seek to be patterns of holiness, like unto Christ, sons of God bearing the likeness of their Father. The will of God is for our good always, and it is our duty and delight to bring our wills into harmony with Him. The passen- gers of a vessel in a storm may have deep con- cern for their own safety, on account of the rag- ing of the sea or the trustworthiness of the ship, but they are not troubled about the will of the captain, as they feel sure that his desire is for their good. So we need not be concerned about our Father's will toward us. He means to save us, and His thoughts toward us are for our safety. It is possible for men to do the will of God on earth. Divine light is necessary to find it out. There may be perplexing moments when it is difficult to discover His leading, but there is always the mountain of prayer which THE MUSIC OF THE WILL. 23 we can climb and seek counsel from Him who will not fail us. Divine love is necessary to enable us to know the message when it is given. Love can read the writing which eyes blinded by sin cannot see. We may be able to distin- guish between God's will and our own by wait- ng upon Him. Upon our knees the holy vision will come which will reveal our selfish thoughts and plans. As the father will show the son wherein their plans differ, so will God reveal in His own way and time the course His human child should pursue. Our wills will be in harmony with the divine will when we are in the habit of asking God for a divine direction of our wills. There can be no union of the two wills without prayer. How can I submit my will to the will of God without losing my individuality ? A proper and effective will is essential to manhood. A man without one ceases to be a man — he is only a machine. To give the will to God does not imply that it is thereby extinguished, but it does mean that it is directed. We hand over our wills to Him that He may bend and break them upon His anvil, and then fashion them into con- ijiti i m u rn 24 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. formity with His own. Then He hands them back to us in their new shape, and we are able to live and work in accord with Him. The choice of God's will in preference to our own is the great step toward doing it. To do God's will is the great thing, but 'he greatest of all is to do it at the expense of our own. We can know that we are doing it when whatever we do ministers to godliness in ourselves or others. Whatever does not help toward holy living is not of God. The human will must die before it can have a higher and divine life. We become upright in heart when we cheerfully embrace His will in all things, not preferring our own in some things, and seeking to bend His upright will to our wills. " Our wills are ours, we know not how ; Our wills are ours to make them Thine." God requires of us absolute devotion to His will. He may lead us in unknown paths, but these are always toward the light. He directed Abraham to offer Isaac, but when his faith was tested He provided a suitable sacrifice. The old serpent draws us down as the worm draws the withered leaf and makes it earth, but God THE MUSIC OF THE WILL, :o always lifts up into the strength and beauty of holiness. As some men are devoted to the Church, their plans laid aside for the plans of their Order, and everything is made subject to the will of the superior officer, so our devotion to the supreme will of our Master should be that of an active slave for God. This is the subjec- tion of our will without its extinction. This absolute devotion to God will require divine strength to enable us to follow Him. We can- not have the blessing of submission without cultivating a spirit of special devotion. Only through grace sought in prayer, and the study of the scriptures, can we be patient and follow God wherever He may lead. Attachment to God is a divine instinct. Special preserving grace is required to keep us from stifling convic- tions. Temptations will come, but if God is sought to impart the needful grace, the tempta- tion will be a stepping-stone to promotion in the kingdom of grace. As the stone is polished by the mason to adapt it to its place in the man- sion, so temptation will fit us for a place in the temple of God. A right method for the discov- ery of the divine will is to use our own judgment, I I I 26 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. \ li iili il and then make the right attempt in the direc- tion of our best judgment. We must also recog- nize the inevitable. There are some things we cannot understand. Christ said, "What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." Blessed hereafter ! God has eternal reasons for the events He is preparing for us. And while we may be uneasy about the situa- tion we prepare ourselves, we need not waver in our choice of the divine leading, and in our sub- mission to Him. He often leads to the prom- ised land by circuitous routes, and His paths are hidden to induce trust and submission. The trouble with us in our life is that we do not cease our anxiety when the divine will is dis- closed. We go forward when we should stand still. We are often called upon to trust God when we cannot trace the hidden way, and to wait when our passions would urge us forward. Whoever would enjoy the presence of God in everyday life must aim at conformity to His will. We are called to be conformed, not re- formed. We are to be regenerated by the Spirit of God and transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are called to be conformists, con- d to Spirit >f our con- THE MUSIC OF THE WILL. formed in character to the divine likeness. As the photographer produces copies from a nega- tive, and some of these may differ from the orig- inal, and then he modifies and retouches them to bring out the likeness, so does God touch us to change, renew and produce in us the likeness to Himself. It is well sometimes to have no plans of our own, but quietly to wait, praying for God to reveal His will to us. Our will must be conformed to His will, not only in a general way, but in every circumstance and detail. This binds us to go where He directs, to do what He commands, and to suffer whatever He may see fit to lay upon us in the way of affliction. Our best employment is a sweet consenting to God's will. Our hearts will then cry out, " What shall I do to make my life worth more to God ?" There is a pathway more sublime than yet my laggard feet have found. The dearest voices may sometimes lead astray ; then let God speak. Sometimes we stop and get down very low so as to become humble, but there is a better and truer way, which is foi us to place ourselves be- side the higher stature of Christ, and then we 11 If- I I, l^tjj I ii'iii ri— JIM— 28 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. see His greatness and our own smallness, and become humble indeed. God is the architect who planned your life and mine. He gave us the materials to work out the plan ; He supplied the power and the oppor- tunity ; but the becoming is always conditional on our willingness to do and endure. Entire obedience to God is the wise purpose of discip- line; when our will meets the will of God and is brought into harmony with it we receive our own again, we give to Him our old self and receive a new self. It is the triumph of discip- line to overcome the impossible. Christ is my personal master, and it is the whole of religion to obey Him. Doing the will of God is food to the soul. What do I gain by giving up my will for the will of God ? By giving up my weakness I receive the strength of God, for the fitful plea- sure of the world there is bestowed the abiding joy of the Holy Spirit, and for a narrow and selfish life there comes the life abundant. When two plans present themselves to us for decision, the chief thin^ to be dreaded is swerving from the divine will. When the world holds us as its willing slaves, it is always by the illusion of a THE MUSIC OF THE WILL. 29 benefit, which often proves to be ?, burden that curses. When God holds us His vvilHng slaves, there lies behind the response to His call the power of God. Our possibilities reach toward the infinite, and we can start a chain of living forces when we put ourselves in perfect obedi- ence to His will. When we become what God means us to be, His obedient children, He sends a message of grace to our hearts, and His grace brings perpetual joy. When we obey God wholly He opens our eyes to see the glorious things prepared for us. The brush in the paint- er's hand may cry out, "I cannot paint!" and though you may dip it in the colors it is not able to leave an impression upon the canvas; but let the painter take it up and the brush becomes a thing of life. The brush cannot paint through its own power, and the painter cannot make pic- tures without the brush ; so we are nothing of ourselves. God needs us, and when we yield ourselves to Him we become as the brush in the hands of the artist. Then we are able to do a great work, painting pictures in the world for God. We may accept the will of God in a spirit of m I i I I 1 11 30 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. resignation, and ** Thy will be done " be wrung from our hearts, A sense of duty compels us to acquiesce in the dispensations of Providence. It is our privilege as the children of God to have duty transformed into delight. Instead of say- ing in anguish, " Thy will be done," we can rejoice at every step, and our sighs will be songs, for the language of the heart will be, " I delight to do Thy will." Pain follows disobedience, and abundant joy is the fruit of perfect obedience. When doing the will of God is our continual delight, then there comes such a sensitiveness to sin that it pricks the tender conscience, and a peace whose strength and sweetness brings music into the life. Below the waves of trouble there is a strong and deep current which changes not. When our wills are in complete harmony with the will of God, when He as the great musician strikes the keys of our souls and these instruments are in tune, there flows the music of earth and heaven which charms the weary world. Let us get into tune with the Infinite till the love of God throbs through every thu ^ it . <"'► r.ll our words breathe His truth. ii i : -^ possible tor sorrow to enter heaven, shall THE MUSIC OF THE WILL. 31 we not regret that we did not live larger and holier lives for God? We may share the freedom of God. We may see the handwriting of God upon men. Give up your will to God that He may fashion it and return it to you again. Let there be no discord in your soul when God touches the keys. Allow Him to bring out the music which is in His own heart. Judge not what you may be by what you are. Judge not the God-like head of the statue, crowned with spiritual fire, by the feet. God will do great things for you. Through all the tumult and strife in the world the music of the will, made by the finger and mind of God upon our souls, will go ringing through the days and nights, and this will surpass the symphonies of earth, for God is the player, and we are in tune with Him. THE ART OF PLEASING GOD. m An artist may use his utmost skill in painting a picture and fail to please the person who engaged him, because the painting is imperfect. It may suit the artist, but not the purchaser. Our attempts at doing the work of God are often so childish in performance as to be reck- oned failures. If these attempts do not please ourselves or others, how shall they please God, whose judgment is absolutely correct? It is possible, however, for us to please God, though we may fail to satisfy men. As a child can please his father, so can we satisfy our Father in heaven. We can make Him happy by bring- ing our aims into agreement with His plans, by conforming our life to His purposes, and by doing our work according to His instructions. An employer is satisfied only with the per- formance, but a parent will be satisfied even with failure. The employer wants value for his 32 riti THE ART OF PLEASING GOD. 33 iting wV\o rfect. baser. ,d are I reck- please ic God, It is thougV^ Aid can Father ^y bring- )lans, by and by Itructions. the per- ,fted even lue for bis money, and the article must have a commercial interest, while the father is satisfied with the attempt, though there may be loss so far as money is concerned, as it gives the promise of future excellence. So God is pleased with honest intentions, though they may fail in per- formance. The great things attempted for God are pledges of faith, and He is made joyful in the strivings to do His will. We can make God happy by our attempts to do His will. There can be no holier desire or higher aim for us than to strive to please God well. Our chief thought should be not only to please Him, but to please Him to the best of our ability. This is the noblest ambition for a child of God. Our Father will not accept a second place in our hearts. He must be supreme in our thoughts and desires. No idol of friendship, popularity or success will come between God and our souls when the cross has clarified our spiritual vision and the Holy Spirit has revealed the deep things treasured up for us. There are some things which do not please God. He is not pleased with sin or its results. He made the world and all it contains perfect, a ■\m :1a )ii i ■ .,''1 - -t ?i • i^a 34 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. and His plans and purposes were for the con- tinual good of men. Sin entered the world and disturbed its harmony, degrading His children and defacing the family likeness. The order in the family of God was broken, and as a loving Father He hates this intervention in His affairs, and never can He cease to wage war against the intruder who has interrupted the harmony of His home. Let an engineer make a perfect machine and have it set in running order, and an enemy enter during the night, putting it out of gear — what would be the thoughts and feel- ings of the mechanic toward his foe ? So God is angry at sin and all those who help on the cause of sin. Yet He is not delighted at the death of the wicked, for while they oppose Him they are still the children who have wandered away from home. As shadows are sometimes the most conspicuous things in a landscape when the sun is shining, so sin hides and stains the fair image of God on the soul. The havoc which sin has wrought in our hearts and lives is displeasing to Him who loves us with an ever- lasting love. How hateful sin in us must be to God when we are professing to follow Him and THE ART OF PLEASING GOD. 35 do His will. The service which lingers on the lip, and finds no place in the heart, is not accept- able to Him. He asks genuine worship. The more costly the building the deeper must be the foundation ; the richer the worship the further must be its descent into the most vital parts of our being. True love is willing to do anything for the one who is loved. No sacrifice is too great to be given, and the heaviest task is sweetest food to the soul that worships at the shrine of love. Real love to Christ makes self-surrender blessed. As the child drops toys for better gifts, the soul saturated with the love of Christ lets go the things of earth for His service. The wayward servant and the wilful child are thorns in the heart of the kind master and parent. Our self-will separates us from God. It loosens the bond by which we are joined to Him, and if we continue to assert our independence it annuls the covenant. God is pleased with the salvation of sinners. It pleased Him to bruise Christ that we might be saved. There is joy in heaven over the peni- tent. The Father sees His prodigal son a great way off and runs to meet him. The joy of God I 36 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. and the angels surpasses the highest transports of earth at the welcome news that the dead is alive and the lost found. It is the purpose of God to make His children happy. He loves to give them peace and joy. He makes abundant provision in nature and grace for our happiness. As we use His gifts we increase our joys, and He shares our delight. We become godlike as we keep in fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The teacher finds delight in those pupils who follow his instructions and imitate his methods, and our Master is delighted when we strive to do His will and obey His command- ments. We honor Him when we walk worthy of Him, never forgetting the dignity of our calling and the deep significance of our relation- ship as sons of God. We grow like Christ as we give up our own wills to Him, that He may use us as He sees best. We please God by allowing Him to do what He likes with us. This is the humility which ends in exaltation. How to please God is a divine art. There is a divine etiquette, a homelike courtesy of soul, which we exercise in our relations with our Father. This is a divine art which God himself TlfE ART or PLEASING GOD. 37 teaches us. He trains us in soul manners. It is one thing to do the things which please God, and another to do them in God's way. Prayer, the study of the .scriptures, and fellowship with the saints, are means of grace, and in the proper use of them we glorify God. We may, however, engage in these sacred duties in such a way as will not be helpful to ourselves or others. These means of grace may cease to be means of grace to us. We may run upstairs to the first land- ing and then slide down the banister as children sport themselves, but that will not take us to the rooms above. Means of grace are steps leading to the courts above, but the steps of prayer and fellowship are not given to aid us in sliding down banisters. They are to elevate. They are not for sport, but for serious employ- ment. We may perform the things of God from a sense of duty, compelled to go the daily round of service as if we were treading in a treadmill. We are not convicts ordered to the daily task, but children, sons of God, counting our duties as privileges of meeting with God and serving Him. We may do in a perfunctory way the things which please God, counting the hours when I ll Ki IP 38 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. ii ; the task will be done, and losing all pleasure in the things which were intended to give God and ourselves continual delight. There is a way of pleasing God that is beautiful in simplicity. It is the method of the happy child. This is to do the works of God from love to Him. Love not only wants to serve God, but will find a way of serving Him. Love impels us to work for God, and the task becomes a privilege. Love will take a sickly flower and nurse it so carefully, that it will become the strongest of its class. Love to God will so change a man that he who never built an organ will make one of the finest instruments in the world. When every pipe, key and stop is wrought by prayer, and the building of the instrument is a work of devotion, the task will be an inspiration, and God will be glorified. We may run errands for God with delight. What a difference there is between two persons who do the same thing for you. One does it so well that no fault is to be found with the performance; but it was done tardily. The other does not perform the task so well because he possesses not the ability of the former; but he goes at his work so heartily, and while he THE ART OF PLEASING GOD. 39 he sings he is sorry that he cannot do more for you. His willingness more than compensates for his inferior ability. This is what pleases God. The willing heart is accepted. The high- est art is to do the things which please God according to His plans. We are often so anxi- ous to assert ourselves, and it seems so difficult for us to lay aside our own plans, that we lose the blessing of denying ourselves. The secret of this art of pleasing God is found in waiting upon Him for instruction and direc- tion. When we keep our hearts open and sensi- tive to the touch of His finger, when our own desires and plans are put in the background, and we seek His counsel, then we shall find the secret of doing His will. When we hand over our own mind and will for them to be fashioned like unto His own, and we receive them again bearing the stamp of His power, we shall do the pleasing things in His way. As the artist con- structs a beautiful mosaic out of very small pieces of stone, which in themselves are almost worthless, yet are necessary for the design, so does God take us as willing agents, and sepa- rately of little use, and make us a part of His . yf fX ."■gJMKi' g gW 40 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. world mosaic, of great value in our place, when He has exalted us by putting us there. There is joy reserved for us in pleasing God. We ought not to please ourselves. He who seeks to save himself alone, whose sole object is his own comfort and salvation, will lose what he is seeking. Christ pleased not Himself. We should strive to please God in all things and at all times. He must have the preference. We shall be best pleased when we please God best. When we think of Him above all others, we shall receive what we ask of Him. Let our chief aim and desire be to please God well. Let us put our will into His hands to be changed into the likeness of His own will, and given back to us, and then we shall be able to please Him. THE SAFETY OF SINKING. It seems to be very difficult for any of us to be perfectly contented. We may be in com- fortable circumstances, but the temptation comes to us to look at the prosperous condition of the ungodly, and then we are apt to become dissat- isfied. It is then we need the wide outlook of the gospel. Shortsightedness sees the castle but not the mine of powder underneath. The wicked may dwell in palaces, and the righteous in humble cottages. The remedy which God provides for the fretfulness arising from looking at the prosperity of others is to wait upon Him in prayer until the soul is melted with His love. When His finger anoints thine eyes thou wilt see worldly conditions with a spiritual vision. Bring the microscope of revelation to bear upon the wicked in high places, and you will see the leper, hidden under the fine apparel, being hurried away to the desolate island. When the Holy 41 r_'Ai!isiaa 42 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. Spirit clarifies the vision, anxiety about worldly comforts will pass away. The sinner is like a horseman riding in pomp and rejoicing in his glory, who is being conveyed by unseen guards to prison, and he knows it not Beneath the plain attire of the righteous man there dwells a prince. Sometimes he is travelling incognito to the palace of the King. Fret not because you do not see all your possessions. They are waiting for you. Sometimes a spirit of fretfulness is developed by a morbid study of ourselves. We look into our hearts and brood over our temptations, cares and burdens until we forget the goodness of God, and our spiritual growth is retarded. We are often like patients in the sick-room, thinking about their ailments instead of trusting to the skill of the kind physician. Surely God will carry on His blessed work in us if only we will let Him. We need not place the burden of the world on our own shoulders. The mer- chant does not fret about his dinner in his office, but forgets himself in his work, and his business will supply his needs ; so should we do our work for God, and lose ourselves in faithful THE SAFETY OF SINKING. 43 service for souls, trusting in Him who will not forget us, but will every day supply our need. Let us look away from self to God. For every look at self take ten looks at Christ. There is safety in sinking with God, and destruction when we trust to ourselves to be saved. We may waste our strength and destroy our peace by incessant struggles. Spiritual joy and growth in the beauty of holiness cannot be maintained and developed by our own wisdom in multiplying means of grace. The struggles of a drowning man will only hasten his own death, and endanger the life of the person who attempts to save him. Let him trust to the strength and skill of the strong swimmer and he shall be saved. So if we trust implicitly in God and cease our struggles we shall be saved. Sorrow is a very sorrowful thing to bear when we do not allow God to share it. How often our hearts yearn for some one to help us carry our burdens, and still we are unwilling to allow another to enter into our grief The sense of loneliness makes our hearts ache. The faces of some men seem in their strength to speak of dominion, while their features when at rest are expressive It hi y\ 44 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. ! '>'< of hopelessness. The pain of the weary brain speaks of the city of dreadful night where there is no sleep and peace is a stranger who never enters there. Burdens are multiplied by bearing them alone. The cares r^ life increase in weight as they wear away oui strength. The task becomes oppressive when we attempt to perform it alone. Our Father sends no burden for us to carry without supply! N ''. ^ iiecessary grace, but when we seek to do ii'.' . rk in our own strength we are sur^ to fail Lea., ni-^.c; will never take the place of player .ind *li'^ > i^/ '"•f the scriptures. As well attempt to build a house in summer out of air and water as to grow in the likeness of Christ by human knowledge alone. Culture is good, but it must not take the place of fellowship with God. Intellectual ability can never take the place of spiritual faith. We cannot contend successfully alone against our spiritual foes. Temptation is too strong for us to ride upon it in a boat of our making. The music of our passions will lure us to the rocks where we will be dashed to death. Tempta- tion is too cunning and powerful for us to oppose THE SAFETY OF SINKING. 45 it in Saul's armor. We can only defeat the foes of our souls by giving up our own schemes for the plans of God. When we count ourselves nothing, and God is supreme in our thoughts and aims, then are we certain of victory. We may lose the sight of God's face and the joy it brings through fear or unbelief We may not boldly mistrust Him, we may only be timid through sin, to lose our hold upon God. A battle may be lost through rashness or timidity. Let us fail to take advantage of the grace which God gives and we shall be overcome. Cowardice, weakness of faith, neglect of prayer or Bible' study, will be clogs to drag us down until we cannot see God or hear His voice. We sink to be lost when God is not near. When we keep Him out of our life, or do not give Him His proper place, we are sure to suffer and die. Self-help in the salvation of the soul is folly, because we cannot cope with our enemies. Di- vine help is offered to us, and when we attempt to work out our salvation alone we are guilty of refusing the wisdom and power of God. The help of our fellow-men is vain. The stones from the brook, winged by the Holy Spirit, are better fit 46 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. to use against Goliath than the armor of Saul. Trumpets and pitchers are more effective than cannon in storming Jericho, when God so com- mands. Whatever God directs will prevail, though it may seem feeble and unreasonable to us. Trust in men is folly. As children build castles and palaces on the seashore in the sum- mer evening, and return on the morrow to find that the tide has washed away their childish structures, so are we doomed to disappointment when we trust in men and forget God. We are engaged in a holy war. Our troubles are poi- sons for which we possess no antidote. The power to neutralize them rests with God. There is safety in sinking when we sink with God. When we acquiesce in the life and thought of a friend, as a pupil in a teacher, there comes strength and peace. When we let self go, and lay aside our own schemes for the plans of God, then we ri.se into a higher plane of living, and become rich in the possessions of God. Then we throw aside the tinsel for the gold. We sink into the power of God and are sustained. We drop into the everlasting arms and are comforted We trust His power to restore us to health THE SAFETY OF SINKING. 47 ith :ht les .nd od, .nd we Into irop Ited tlth as we rely upon the physician. When a woman is being rescued from a burning building by a strong fireman, her safest course is to lie help- less and not struggle. And we are safe when we sink into the arms of God. We give up our helplessness to obtain His strength. Our strength is made perfect in weakness. Faith in God always works wonders. We are nothing- God is all. We sink into His justice to deal righteously with us. Believing that our Father does all things for our good, we can trust Him when we do not understand His ways of deal- ing with us. Without this hiding power of God we could not live. He places a curtain over the future so that we cannot see the burdens. Could we see the trials of the future we should be crushed before we were called upon to bear them. We sink into the wisdom of God to guide us. We give up our own knowledge for the larger knowledge of God. We trust Him to guide us across the trackless prairie, and we are never lost. We sink into His love to care for us as a mother cares for her children. God has provided a remedy for sin, and He will save us. His promises reach far beyond our highest 48 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. I i II hopes. The love of God rises higher than the stars, descends deeper than the molten rocks, encircles earth and heaven, and is so infinite in detail that it passes not by a single soul. And that love comes to you and me. By it we rest quietly in God. There is safety always in trusting in God. He will solve the hard problems in the school of life for us. When we follow the leadings of His providence we shall not go astray. The blazed path through the forest is the safest for the stranger. There is safety in accepting the direc- tion of the Holy Spirit as He speaks in the scriptures. In all the conflicts of life there is victory through faith in God. We sink to rise when we sink with God. Humility is the path that leads to the top of the mountain. Follow the instructions of God and you shall become great. As the sea-gull rests quietly upon the waters, descending into the trough of the sea, and when the crest of the wave breaks and tumbles in its rage, the bird dives beneath and rises farther on riding in peace ; so may we sink in our helplessness under the waves of trouble with God, and mount on the smooth waters in THE SAFETY OF SINKING. 49 peace. There is deliverance in sinking into the power of God, and we are exalted as we trust in Him. There are stages of sinking which bring to us dominion over sin, and beget in us likeness to God. We step heavenward when we sink God- ward. We risk ourselves with God and are kept by divine power. The first stage of sink- ing is to have faith in God. Trust Him for the gift of the Holy Spirit that He may sanctify you wholly. Trust Him for peace and joy. The second stage is, roll the whole burden of life upon the Lord. "Commit thy way unto the Lord." Let Him control the whole tenor of thy life. He will be with thee in the valley and on the mount. The third step is, wait in holy patience for God to clear for thee the myste- ries of providence. " Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him." Be dumb before the mysteries of life, and fret not because you do not understand. Stand still when you know not which way to go. The clouds upon the mountains will burst, and you will find your way while the sun is shining. Stand still and see the salvation of God. The final stage of 50 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. sinking is, make God thy supreme joy. Let Him be the source of all thy happiness. Bring Him into thy mirth and He will transform it. Your heart may be as a poor old garden of dead delights. The beauty of the flowers may have departed and the mosses grown over the paths, and the only pleasure is found in recall- ing the beauty and fragrance of other days, and the memory of departed friends. You can- not live on the spiritual experiences of the past. Dead delights are not substitutes for present joys. Let Christ into thy heart and He will fill it with joy unspeakable. Lose your old self in God, and you will find beauty in the change which He makes of the gift you have given to Him. Have faith in Him. Sink to rise. Reach out into the unknown toward God, and as you walk on the seeming void, your feet will touch the rock beneath, and you will tread firmly. " Delight thyself in the Lord." BROKEN CHORDS. 1 HE soul of man is a harp of many chords, which send forth music when struck by the hand and heart of the skilful musician. When God plucks the chords the whole life vibrates with music in harmony with His will. When Christ enters the soul and makes all things new there is beauty, strength and love. When He is not there the harp is silent. It is dead for want of a pi er. God writes stirring songs for us to sin_ itting the words together and handing them to us that we may set the measure and make our lives sing heavenly music on earth. Sometimes the music is sad, though the words are inspiring. The heart is not right, and we have failed to get the proper pitch from Christ. Let the Holy Spirit abide within in His fulness, and then we shall catch the true note and find joy. If we get into fellowship with God, we shall be able to sing the songs which He has written, and heaven will be begun on earth. 61 /'T- |l '-': n 52 T//E MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. i Some Christians spend a large portion of their lives in despondent moods. They limp on account of their lameness, brought on through lack of faith. They are weak because they are out of fellowship with God. They grope blindly in the shadows, haunted by a fear of losing themselves. Their lives are incomplete. They have not the rounded life of the man filled with the Holy Spirit. When they sing it is only broken music that we hear. The ideal which God has for us is not a defeated life, but a strong, beautiful and victorious life. The harp of the soul has often broken chords. The tension of the cares and temptations has been too great, and the chords have snapped in twain. We began our life in Christ with a happy song, but by-and-bye the music ceased, and there were tears in our eyes, for there was sin in the heart. God comes to us by His providence to bring our lives into harmony with His will by ordering them and filling them with bless- ings, and instead of contentment and gratitude, there is complaint. Christ offers to us the gift of His Holy Spirit, and we refuse it by not complying with the conditions for receiving this ^ROK&N CHOkDS. 5.1 treasure. He draws near to lead us in the path of holiness, and we miss the way because sin is allowed a place in the soul, and darkness settles down. Sin brings discord where there should be harmony. We lose the joy of Christ by allowing the small and subtle temptation to overcome us. Sin produces inability to serve God, by destroying our spiritual vision so that we cannot see Him. We cannot sing, because the soul is out of tune. The bond of the infinite which holds us is broken by sin. We tear our- selves out of the bleeding hands which clasp us, and there are tears in the eyes of the Redeemer, because we have crucified Him afresh and put Him to an open shame. We are often guilty of the sin of neglecting to cultivate our spiritual faculties, and we lose our grip of God. We lose our delight in prayer by lapses into apathy and forgetfulness of the secret places of the Most High. We lose attainments in holiness by contentment with the things of earth. We lose our love for the things beyond the stars by being satisfied with the things beneath the stars. There comes to us a sense of something lacking in our spir- meoB 54 T//E MAKINC of a CHkiSTtAM. itual life. We are dissatisfied with our low spiritual condition, and we cry out on account of our leanness. We fail to enter fully into the service of God. He is calling us to live on the mount of praise, and we are content to sit in the valley of sorrow. He invites us to a higher and holier life, and we do not respond. Darwin, the scientist, lost his taste for music and poetry by his intense devotion to natural science ; so we have neglected the culture of our souls and the training of our affections until our taste for the things of God has been vitiated, and our delight in spiritual things is partially destroyed, if not altogether gone. We remain apprentices in- stead of being masters of the Christ-life. Let us thank God that the broken chords of the soul can be repaired. The dormant faculties can be aroused and made active. The veiled beauty of the soul can be revealed by the removal of sin. The soul can be set right, and the old things may pass away. We possess not the power to repair the harp of the soul, and there is no man who can help Us, though many have attempted to do so. Some one who is fully acquainted with the soul in all its con- ' BROKEN CHORDS. 55 ditions must undertake the work of setting the instrument right. Christ can mend the broken chords. He has the power to bring the soul into fellowship with God. He can restore the joys of salvation. He can awaken the feelings which sin has benumbed, and make them re- sponsive to the touch of the Holy Spirit. When He enters the soul it is His purpose and delight to make all things new. Christ in us is the hope of novelty. He banishes old desires and gives new aspirations. He supplies what is lacking to bring the soul into harmony with the will of God. A celebrated violinist, who had been a playmate of the famous inventor, John Ericsson, when they were boys in Sweden, waited upon him with the request to attend one of his concerts to hear him play, but the inventor said : " Oh, I can't ; I have not time for such things ; but if I can help you i . any way I will be glad to." The musician came to the shop of the inventor the next day with his violin, broken on purpose, and asked him to mend it. While it was being repaired they began talking of the wonderful principles of music; and to illustrate 56 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. what he was saying, the master of the violin began to play. As the sweet tones were emitted the mind of the inventor was absorbed, and his whole being swayed under the influence of the wondrous music. The clerks laid down their pens, and the men from the factory crowded to the door. When he laid down the instrument, Ericsson with tears in his eyes exclaimed, " Go on ! go on ! I never knew what was lacking in my life before." So when Christ enters the soul, and the Holy Spirit touches the chords, there is supplied the thing that was lacking to complete the harmony and make life one sweet song. The touch of Christ will make the broken chords vibrate again. Christ is the hope of peace and joy. Sin changes the harp of the soul, by taking out the chords which God put in, and substituting others. Sin puts in the chord of self When Christ enters the soul He smites the chord of selfishness, and puts in its place the chord of love. Then He plays upon the new- made harp and music falls in sweet cadences upon the hearts of men. It needs Christ to bring out of the soul all the music there is in it. I BROKEN CHORDS. 67 He draws out the hidden powers. Just as a clever musician will take out of an instrument more than an amateur, so will Christ tune our hearts and play upon them, drawing out the music, because He has complete control, and the power lies in Himself. We are nothing without Him, and with Him we can do all things. When He gets full control of the government of the heart, and is supreme in the kingdom of the passions. He will make it a palace beautiful. If you wish to resist temptation, think of Christ. It is the thought of Christ in the heart that keeps out the thought of sin. No two things can occupy the same place at the same moment of time, and if Christ fills the soul the power of sin is broken. Wherever He comes there is glory. Whatever He touches is made glorious. There is glory in our hearts when He enters. Christ in us is the hope of glory. Christ abid- ing in us is the hope of music. He brings heaven into our hearts, and angelic songs escape, and echo around the hearts of men as music in the hills. We sing because we cannot help it when the musician of the soul is presiding at the keys. I 58 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. i As the piano cannot help sending out anthems, songs and hymns under the touch of a great player, so the soul will send out sweet strains under the inspiring touch of Christ. He always reveals His presence, and He will show himself in our words and deeds when He is abiding in our hearts. Christ in us is the hope of power. He brings in power to overcome sin and to grow like Him. He gives power to work for Him and to do His will. He imparts power to rejoice in Him always. He opens our eyes to see the bit of work which God puts into our hands, in- stead of longing for distant spheres. Christ in us is the hope of glory on earth. We go from strength to strength as we allow Him to have control of all our plans and purposes. The more love we give to Christ the more we grow like Him. The greater our faith in Him the deeper is our strength. As we give Him a larger place in our hearts we enjoy a larger heaven. Christ in us is the hope of heaven. He is the rock upon which we build. He is the ladder by which we climb to heaven. He is our passport i MOICEN CHORDS. 59 to the skies. Through Him we shall enter the gates of the eternal city. Let Christ have full control of your soul. He will mend the broken chords. He will restore the harmony. Let Him in to reign and you shall sing because you must, and your songs will end on earth to be continued in heaven. wm I !H WHAT TO LET GO. Life in Christ has many paradoxes. We see a door open and run towards it, only to dash our heads against a granite wall ; then at the call of duty we move against the wall, and it opens and lets us through. We lay our plans wisely, only to find them all miscarry ; then we commit gross blunders, and God overrules them for our good. We pray for prosperity and there comes adversity ; then as we accept the adversity at the hands of God, it is changed into greater pros- perity than that for which we prayed. In these changing events of life we are taught to say with the Apostle, "When I am weak then am I strong." We all find pleasure in strength. The athletic young man rejoices in physical strength, the thinker in intellectual power, the sage in moral strength, and the spiritual man in man- hood in Christ. It is natural to desire perfect strength, which finds expression in buoyancy of oO IVNAT TO LET GO. 61 spirit and activity. It is not natural to be anxi- ous for weakness, and yet the child of God ought to find pleasure in weakness, for that is the divine path which leads to strength. There should be delight in weakness as a means to- ward the possession of spiritual power. There is no pleasure merely in climbing the Rocky Mountains, but there is the joy of anticipation. A glorious view of the country awaits the climber as he stands on the top of the moun- tain when the sun is sinking in the west, and there is the satisfaction of having accomplished the feat. So if we are going to enjoy the vision of God, and fathom some of the deep things of the life hidden in Christ, we must climb; but the path we travel is oftentimes a weary road, and our joy is the joy of anticipation. We can glory in tribulation and rejoice in temptation as a means toward the perfection of character and growth in the Christ-life. Our anxiety about possessions not only affects us in relation to temporal affairs, but we carry this desire with us into the spiritual life. This is legitimate, as we are made for conquest and not for defeat. Happy are we if we are con- 62 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN, liP tinually hungering and thirsting after righteous- ness and crying out, " Oh, to be like Him." In contemplating the blessings which are held out to us by God we often lay undue emphasis upon consecration by asking, "What must I give up ? " The miner digging for gold would be guilty of folly if he were brooding continually upon the cost of the dynamite used in securing the quartz and nuggets of gold, instead of being aroused to activity with the thought of the treasures he was hoping to obtain. Banish the thought of what you have to give up, and turn your heart upon what you shall get. Put strong emphasis upon the gold, which is of greater value than the dynamite. Think deeply upon and weigh well the large blessings of grace which God will bestow. These surpass in beauty, strength and permanence all the things of the world which you are called upon to give up. The things of time are exchanged for eternal benefits. You will obtain power with God and men, likeness to Christ, peace that passeth all understanding, grace sufficient for every trial, fulness of joy, a hope of heaven, and finally future blessedness, so great that it is impossible t l WHAT TO LET GO. 63 ' for you to estimate their worth or conceive their likeness, because there is nothing on earth with which they may be compared. " What shall I get?" is better than "What shall I give up?" The soldier in a time of war gives up personal ease and comfort for justice and liberty to the nation ; the scholar gives up amusement, wealth, friends and leisure for wisdom ; the merchant gives up his time and the pleasures of home for his business ; and the Christian gives up selfishness, a narrow view of life and earthly joys for love to God and man, a wide outlook upon life, and an eternal inheritance. The great question for you to decide is whether you will be subject to the world or to Christ. Will you acknowledge the world or Christ as your ruler? In relation to all customs and practices the test questions are : Is it Christ's ? Is it the world's? Whose flag floats over the place of amusement ? Whose image and super- scription are on the custom or practice ? Christ or Caesar, whom will you serve ? There is a divine method of progress in the soul revealed in the scriptures. It is the method of letting go in order to possess. You cannot 1:'^ w^ 64 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. grip the world and God with the same hand. Christ and Belial will not keep company in the same apartment. Your heart is not large enough for Christ and Satan to erect separate thrones and establish two distinct kingdoms with differ- ent forms of government. Letting go in order to po.ssession is the divine method of spiritual progress. There are some things which we must never let go. Faithfulness to God is a duty continually enjoined upon a son and ser- vant of God. We must never let go our faith in Christ, our love for the truth, the study of the Bible, fellowship with the saints, and communion with God. We must ever keep a firm grip of these things, always yearning after the higher things which lie along the way to heaven. If you are determined to advance toward the city of the Eternal King, and possess the treasures which he has reserved for the saints, it will be necessary for you to unlearn some things. As a pupil taught the French language with wrong methods of pronunciation must unlearn the old, and begin anew, and his organs of articulation be adapted to the new and proper method of pronunciation ; so must the child of God IV/^AT TO LET GO, 65 unlearn some things in the spiritual life. Sin has introduced false methods of living, and we cannot live aright the Christ-life, because we have learned the dialect of the world instead of mastering the language of holiness and God. We must let go and unlearn the ways of sin. Our spiritual organs must be adapted to the new language. The divine method of progress in the spiritual life begins with deprivation. You must empty yourself and lose the things which belong to sin. You must have the vessel cleansed before the new materials are put in. In an electro- plating establishment the articles are dipped in a cleansing fluid and the tarnish removed before they are placed in the vat of gold or silver ; so must there be the loss of the things which hinder your spiritual progress. Remove the clogs which hamper you in running the spiritual race. ** Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with pat'f^nce the race that is set before us, s." Our lives are made h up ea- leasure by the things we do not posesss. 1 . is the giving up of self and the taking of the 5 r ■ THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. \ 1 things of Christ that makes us strong and heroic Christians. Perfection is gained through imperfection. Perfect strength comes through no strength, perfect love through no love. Life comes through death ; greatness is begotten through nothing- ness. Exaltation is the outcome of humility, and there is gain through loss. Sanctification comes by means of rejecting self and accepting the fulness of the Spirit. Likeness to God flows from unlikeness to the world and sin. The less we are conformed to the world the more shall we be conformed to the image of the Son of God. The more loyalty we pc ssess the less will there be of the spirit of the rebel. The nearer we gtt to the Cross the farther away do we travel from the City of Destruction. A devoted servant of God is not a paid attach^ giving blind allegiance, but a freeman of Christ rendering hearty service. There are some things we should let go in order to become like Christ. There are some things we had better leave undone because of the call to higher and nobler things. Neglect thoroughly the non-essentials in the spiritual WHAT TO LET GO. 67 of JCt ^^1 life. The statesman has no right to neglect the duties of state in order to saw wood for his home. The wood is necessary and must be supplied, but there are higher duties that demand his time and energies. What shall I leave undone ? That is the question for you to ask in relation to your growth in the Christ-life. Do not spend your life as a mere putterer engaged in petty details. God is calling you to the essentials. Let go the things which may help you a little for the things which will help you much. Enter heartily into the spirit of the great things of God. Get filled with the Spirit. Seek fulness of joy and perfect peace. Neglect the minor things of the spiritual life for the things which will make you like Christ in beauty, strength and sweetness. Let sin go There may be some things in your heart and life which you would not call sinful, and yet you should leave them alone, as they are not worthy of a son of God. Let bad habits go. They are cumbering the ground, stealing your time and thought, dwarfing your purposes, and lessening your influence for good. Let selfishness go. Live for others. As barnacles cling to the bot- I ' '„ 68 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. torn of a ship and impede its progress, so there are parasites in the spiritual life which hinder our spiritual progress. Indifference to the graces and duties of the Christian retards our advance- ment and growth in grace. Let your own know- ledge go for the knowledge of Christ. Let your own wisdom go, for it is foolishness, and accept the wisdom of Christ. Give up your own strength. Out of your own weakness is your strength made perfect in Christ. It takes more strength to be weak than to be strong. The man of brute force requires more strength to keep from using it against an enemy than to to strike him down. Our strength is made per- fect in weakness. Stop wandering, and keep your eye fixed on Christ. If you follow where He leads by His providence and Spirit you will do a great deal more for God and the world than by your own plans or by following your own desires. God knows you better than you do yourself, and He will order the life of His child for His own glory. Stop resisting. Stop trying to find your home alone, and yield your- self to Him who will bear you on His shoulder rejoicing. Stop working for God, and let God WHAT TO LET GO. 60 Ll :r work through you. Let your prayer be, '* Not for Thee, but Thou through me." Give up your own will. Behind the hearty response to the call of God lies the power of God to help you. He did not seek your help when He built the Alps or painted the rainbow. The heavens were not studded with stars by your assistance; but when He would save men He grants you the privilege of mingling your prayers and using your gifts and graces with Him in bringing them to the knowledge of the truth. Think of what you will get by letting go. You will possess a high habit for a low one, spiritual love for that which is sensual, and a beautiful and noble Christ-life for an ignoble state or a low condition of spiritual life. You will get the peace of God which passeth under- standing for the peace of the world. You will receive fulness of joy for the fleeting pleasures of sin. You will obtain perfect love in Christ for sensual delight. You will secure perfect strength for the weakness of a life apart from Christ. Power from on high will take the place of weakness through self-trust. You will receive a transformed will in exchange for a will para- 1 ifr 70 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. W f lyzed by unbelief. A Christ-controlled life will be yours instead of a sin-controlled life. Yours will be a life of beauty and holy influence instead of an ungodly example. You will enjoy a Spirit-filled life where formerly there was unrest and dissatisfaction. All things are yours in Christ. Absolute surrender is the way that leads to the highest blessedness. Let go and you will richly enjoy the things of God. THE HIGHEST BEAUTY. As THE first martyr of the Christian Church sat in the council, while his enemies bore false accusation against him, the presence of Christ so greatly sustained him that all who looked upon him " saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." The painter's brush has represented the angelic countenance with a feminine grace, lacking in firmness, but expressive of intelligent innocence, sweetness of disposition, and purity of heart and life. It is an ideal face, betokening a mind and heart filled with beautiful thoughts and holy desires, a soul panting hard after God, and dwelling in sweetest content through fellow- ship with Christ. It is the outward manifesta- tion of a heart which is a stranger to low pas- sions and morbid desires, and speaks of spiritual refinement. The face of a saint will become like the face of an angel and reflect the glory of the face of Christ. The angelic heart will beget 71 w 72 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. m the angelic countenance. The shining face is the radiance of the glory of God. Saintliness is seen in the eyes and expressed by the emotions. Sin degrades the human form, painting the cheeks with hideous blotches formed by the colors of iniquity, bringing dullness to the eye, contracting the brow, misshaping the head and moulding the features according to the type set by the father of lies. There are faces that seem to wear the stamp of heaven. Sweetness lingers in the eyes and lurks in the lips, unwilling to depart. They have caught a God-like vision in its passing, and the imprint is left to lighten the path of sinful men to heaven. The child of the Eternal Father has looked into His face and a copy of the divine countenance is taken, never to be effaced, until it glows with greater efful- gence in the city of the King. When the gates have been opened wide to permit an entrance into the realms of the blest, the human form will lose the harshness of earth, and the dark hue of this sinful clime, and the environment of the new life will transform the glorified body into a richer freshness, such as this earth has never seen. The scars will be removed, the deformi- THE HIGHEST BEAUTY. 78 ties will be lost, the blemishes on the garment of flesh will be cleansed, and the uncomely will be beautiful. The haunting visions of physical beauty will be fully realized. We shall be like Him. The divine image will be restored. The touch of the finger of God will bring light to sightless eyes, and ears that have never heard the music of earth will awaken to the symph- onies of the celestial orchestra. Fellowship with God will restore the lost beauty of primitive days, and the glory of God, resting upon the saints, will break through the pores of the im- mortal flesh, and the transfigured body will shine with a brightness unknown to earth. We shall be like Him. The memory will be re- freshed with the treasures of other days, the imagination will be filled with immortal images, and the emotions will respond to the feelings of God. Glorious hope ! Blessed realization ! The heart of man yearns after grace and strength for the habitation of the soul. As birds love their beautiful plumage, so the sons of men admire the perfection of the temple of clay formed in Eden by the hands of God. We long to possess the glory of the human structure f r 74 T//E MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. which bears the impress of the divine mind. The Maker of man has given us a lust for beauty as an incentive to goodness and a witness for Himself Sin has wrought degradation and left us the heritage of nakedness, and we seek to made up the loss of Eden by the adornment of dress. We yearn after the angelic counte- nance. When Christ enters the human temple we turn our eyes inward to the adornment of the spirit, and yearn after the higher beauty of the soul. The highest beauty is the beauty of holiness. A holy life is a beautiful life. Holiness is spiri- tual beauty. A ripe character is like unto ripe fruit tinted by the sun until it is lovely in appearance. As the fruit is sweet and tender, and with a loose hold on earth drops to the ground, so the ripe Christian has tender sym- pathies, and in holy words and deeds gives sweetness to the life, and at last lets go his hold of earth, having accomplished his work. The vast conception of Michael Angelo depicted God as a being of infinite strength and majesty, but the tenderness of the Father and the beauty of the eternal thinker and artist were wanting l THE HIGHEST BEAUTY. 76 in the picture. God is beautiful. He surpasses the grandeur of His works and the fairest of His children. The glowing sunset at sea, the bright lights which stream across the sky in northern climes, the tint of the flowers and the dazzling beauty of the diamond, are the expres- sions of His mind. The perfect human form, with its various types of beauty in man and woman, is the picture set in an immortal frame by the hand of God. Christ was beautiful. He was the embodiment of intellectual and spiritual beauty. His life and character were harmonious. Although there exists no genuine portrait of His physical appearance, and artists have vainly sought to express His features, we can well be- lieve that the youth who advanced in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man, was altogether lovely in His manhood, and was the noblest of the race. The first gentleman of earth was of modest mien ; dignity and humility entwined their arms around Him, gentleness beamed from His eyes and mouth, and firmness couched in His lips. His steps were the stride of a king. His grasp the touch of a woman's hand, His laugh the smile of refinement, and *f ■Iff 76 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. His whole bearing the open beauty of a saint. The beauty of the angels is the pure light of noble spirits untouched by sin ; the glory of the countenance is a breath of heaven borne to earth to woo weary souls from a world of care to gaze enraptured upon the heavenly type of beauty. This is our inheritance. The glory of the angels and of Christ is the precious legacy of the saints. We shall be as the angels of God in the courts of the King. We shall be like Christ when we see Him in the bosom of the Father. There are many types of beauty on earth. There is the beauty of youth, which passes away with the fleeting years ; there is the beauty of form and color, which is attractive ; but complexion fades, and the lustre of the eyes grows dim, while the rose-tinted cheeks are blanched, and the freshness departs. There is the beauty of the intellect, which sharpens and refines the rugged features and redeems them from plainness ; but that, too, remains a memory when the years sit heavily upon the drooping head. Then there is the beauty of holiness, which is the highest beauty of all. This is the most eloquent persuasive toward religion that one I ■• THE HIGHEST BEAUTY. 77 man can use with another. The eloquence of holy livinj surpasses the grandest flights of oratory. The angelic countenance, the saintly soul breathing gentle deeds and soothing words to a sinful world, while it holds sweet fellowship with God, is the highest beauty seen on earth. The Christ-like face is seen in the Christ-like life. There is continual comfort in a face that bears the lineaments of the gospel. Holiness has a beauty of its own. It has its source in Christ, as it is a reflection of His glory in us. It is spiritual and divine. Sin lays the germs of an immoral life in the soul which blossom in the face. Christ sows the seeds of purity in the heart, and the whole life is made beautiful with the graces and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Sin is deformity, but holiness is con- formity to the image of Christ and to the will of God. Vice and selfishness do not produce angelic faces. Holiness is seen and acknow- ledged by the wicked. Before Stephen had spoken a word in the council the angry mob and his judges saw the light in his face. The wicked see the holy life of the man of God and are rebuked by it. Holines.'? is its own adver- ra THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. \\ tisement. It witnesses to the power of God in the soul. Men see the sun and feel its heat without any announcement. Purity of heart is independent of any profession, but it needs the profession as a witness of God and an invitation to sinners to seek His abundant grace. The beauty of holiness is an unconscious possession. A holy man is humble, and unconscious of all his goodness. Stephen did not know that he had an angelic face. Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with God on the mount ; but the Israelites saw the glory of God upon his countenance. Holiness itself is not something we may possess without knowing it, but the beauty of it is left for others to see, while we know little of the lustre that shines throui^h our lives. The peace and joy are ours, and we are conscious of their existence in us ; and the beauty is ours, but we are more concerned about doing the will of God than gazing upon the shining of the soul and the external radiance of goodness. All may possess this likeness to Christ. It is not the heritage of a few, but an invitation to all, The gold is there for the digging, the THE HIGHEST BEAUTY, 79 pearls are there for the diving, and saintliness is for you in Christ. Come to Him and hold sweet intercourse with Him, and as you wait in faith the beauty of the Lord will rest upon you. The seat of real beauty is in the soul. Outer glory may be a moral cosmetic or a mask which will fall off in the day of testing, but inner glory is ingrained in the nature and is a living thing which endures to the end of life. The rose fades if there is a worm gnawing at the root of the tree ; and there must be life at the centre if there is going to be grace and harmony on the outside. The beauty of holiness comes from within. The soul is the workshop of the divine sculptor. That is the place where He does the carving of the face. He lights the lamp within, and the divine illumination shines through all the words and acts. Carve the face from within and dress it not from without. Let Christ chisel the angelic countenance in the secret chamber of your heart. Beauty of soul transforms the body. Contact with Christ begets spiritual refinement. The intensive life makes the ex- tensive life. The plain man becomes handsome when the inner glory of th^ 30ul shines through I n\ 80 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. m w JH his eyes. The angelic countenance is the halo of the inner glory of the soul. Christ in the heait becomes Christ in the life. Ti^e cheerful- ness of the saint is the echo of the music in the soul. When Christ enters the heart heaven is begun on earth. 1 he city of God is not confined to eternity, but its foundations are laid and its palaces are erected in the soul. The kingdom of God is within you. It is internal in the individual soul before it becomes external in the world. The angelic face is a tint of the dawning day, ? foretaste of heaven. The glory of to-day is a prophecy of the future when we shall be kings and priests unto God. How may we obtain this highest beauty? How may we be Christlike and possess the angelic countenance? Christ is the artist of the beautiful. It is He who inspires the earnest yearnings after purity of heart. He touches the springs of life at the centre, and brings the will into harmony with the plans of God. He moulds the character into a thing of beauty by His providence and Spirit. He works through us His holy purposes of blessing the world. There is nothing in us ; the glory is all wrought a ■ THE HIGHEST BEAUTY. 81 by His presence and power. We are trans- figured by faith in Christ. We join hands with Him in the sanctification of body, mind and soul. Faith changes us into beauty. We are made new. We are linked with God in the higher life. Let Christ touch your eyes, and your sight will be restored; let Him touch your soul, and you will be transformed. We are transfigured on the mount of prayer. If you form the habit of talking with God as friend to friend, your language will take on new forms, and yo:ir aspirations will rise toward heaven. It is prayer and meditation on holy things which makes the face of the saint as the face of an angel. Close and frequent intercourse with God begets saintliness. Communion with Christ makes every secret place a mount of transfigura- tion, where the glory of God is reflected in the face. We are transfigured by the indwelling Christ. Let Christ abide within your heart and the darkness will flee away. Give Him His true place and He will transform your soul into a royal palace, out of whose windows kingl)- deeds will shine. We are transfigured by the indwelling Spirit, The face of Stephen was like unto the face of 6 I f Nl! 82 T//E MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. an angel because he was a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. His personal appearance depended upon the fulness of the S^jirit. The sunshine of His face was the overflowing of the light of God within his soul. His glowing angelic face was the picture of the inward vision. If you would possess the highest beauty, get filled with the Spirit. Open your heart in abso- lute surrender to God, and wait in faith and prayer for the filling of the Spirit, and your face will be like a benediction, all radiant with the glory and the calm of the vision of God. 'It AMBITIOUS TO SERVE. \\ The great apostle of the Gentiles was a high- minded man, who held himself worthy of noble things. ^The fact of being a Christian was to him a great profession. He was ambitious to please God in all things, and did not strive to pVrv^ i.mself He was not lacking in courtesy in reius.ng to be anxious to please men, but his soul was set on fire for the glory of God, and he could not allow any interest or plan to interfere between himself and his Master. So in speak- ing to the Corinthians he said, "Wherefore we are ambitious that whether present or absent, we may be well-pleasing to him." We are born with a thirst for place and power. Angels desire to be gods; men desire to be angels. The worldly man is ambitious for self He aspires after wealth, position and fame to gratify himself The words "ambition ".and "ambitious" come from the Latin word amdire, to go about. The 83 w m 84 TNE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. It ' II Romans called solicitation ambitus, going about. The ambitious were those who, soliciting offices, went around the senate from one to another, to solicit votes. We are often ambitious in this .sense, anxious fur authority, using our own influence an.i the help of our friends to secin'e power and place. When we seek these things for the honor they bring, and not for the sake of doing good, we become low-minded, and have lost the secret of power with God and man. The sons of Zebedee desired seats of honor, not that they might use the place for righteousness, but to gratify a selfish thirst. Simon Magus sought the power of working miracles to satisfy his sin- ful heart. Some men are so ambitious to reign, that they preier authority in hell to service in heaven. A true servant of God is ambitious to be worthy of his Master, that he may be well- pleasing to Him. When his communion is unin- terrupted by sin, and he is in the enjoyment of that holy fellowship which is the source of peace and joy, his greatest thought is to be worthy of God. This is the highest ambition possible to man on earth. The quest of Christ- AMBITIOUS TO SERVE. 85 \\ likeness surpasses in grandeur the noblest thoughts of men. The quest of new lands and possessions is a ncjble quest. It is one thing, however, to seek them because of the wealth or honor conferred upon the explorer, and another to seek them that tribes may be civilized and men may be blest. The chief question in our search after the things of earth is whether we are seeking for self or God. To strive to pos- sess the world for .self is carnal ; to seek to gain it for God is Christ-like. It is one thing to plant your own banner in a new country, and another to plant the flag of your sovereign, taking pos- session in his name and for him. Take po.s.ses- sion of the world for God. The faithful Chris- tian is ambitious for his Maj:ter, Christ. He strives to do the will of God, and is happy if he receives the divine approval in all that he does. Holiness is godly ambition. The soul aspires after the things of God. VV'c accept the way that is disagreeable, and it becomes pleasant, because it is the path which he desires us to fol- low. If our hearts are bent on righteousness, we are lured to godly living as the miner is drawn to the fields of gold. When the child of I 11 \1 ^ ae THE MAKING OF A CHktSTIAN. In i ': God is dwelling near the Cross be becomes am- bitious in a godly sense. His zeal in the service of Christ consumes his heart, and he is ever looking for some means to gain fresh conquests in winning souls for the divine kingdom. There is nothing too high for him to attempt to reach. He is a hero in the service of the King. Like Carey, in India, he attempts great things in the hope that he may accomplish something. The mountain may be steep, but he will try to climb it. The continent may have deep jungles and vast stretches of unexplored territory, fast bound in superstition and vice, yet he will plant his feet firmly there in the name of God, with the hope that even his death may be an incentive for others to take up the banner that has fallen at his side. He claims the darkest spots on earth for God. He holds himself worthy of the noblest things, beca'se he is in Christ the heir of all things. He is ambitious to excel in all that he does for God and men. He ii^- solicitous to do the work of God in a style worthy of Him for whom he labors. Striving with the love of an angel and the humility of a saint, he seeks to serve AMBITIOUS TO SERVE, 87 God better than anyone else. He is as ambi- tious as the painter who is ever striving to excel others in the beauty of his works of art. As a student at college contends for the gold medal, he also contends that he may make his work and life more satisfactory to God than that of any other man. He is eager to get to the front rank in righteousness, and is anxious to win more souls for God than anyone else. He studies lie work and lives of men, and then resolves to be greater in holiness and to do more ex- cellent work for God. Alas, how often we fail in this struggle, because we are easily satisfied with our spiritual condition. We are contented to live average lives and be dunces in the school of Christ. We have no ambition to reach the h^ad of the class, and are satisfied to stay at the bottom. It is not that we are dull pupils, but we are v\'ithout ambition for God. My friend, how many souls have you won from sin ? What have you done for God ? How many flaws are found in your work ? Are you contented to be a raw Christian, stifling the speechless longings of your heart in worldl)- pleasure, seeing not the glory awaiting you in earnest service for God ? ;■{■ i 88 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. »! The servant of God, living in sweet fellowship with Christ, is solicitous to occupy the lowliest position if souls may be saved. He seeks not the highest seat, but is willing to take it if he can serve God better there. Service is every- thing to him, and position nothing. That is the highest position where he can serve God best. It may be a dungeon or a throne. Better the dungeon with Christ than the throne without Him. Most men are ambitious to rule ; he is ambitious to serve. He is not only willing to be a minister to others, he is anxious to be a minister to all men. He needs not crozier, crown, sword or sceptre to symbolize his power ; he watches over his flock and rules them by feeding them. He is ambitious to please God in his work. He knows that God sees it while he is engaged at his task, and is glad. He feels assured that when finished it will be closely inspected, being subjected to the scrutiny of God. He is glad to know that he will have a just inspector, who will jud^e impartially, and not suffer through the selfish and ignorant judgment of men. He is ambitious then to do his work so well that God will approve it, and will U AMBITIOUS TO SERVE. 89 say concerning it, as He said of His own works at the end of each creative day, "It is good." Our work may not please men, but it is enough if it please God. Is there any ambition higher than this ? How great is the joy of the artist, on exhibition day, when he sees the high approval of his picture by the judges, and watches the lingering crowds who gaze in admiration upon his canvas. What will the verdict be upon your work on the great d.iy of God ? Will the picture be turned with its face to the wall ? Will the angels pass it by without even a glance at it, or with a sad look ? Will God deign to smile upon it ? Are you pleasing God in your work ? Is it substantial ? Is it beautiful ? Is it har- monious ? Are there dark spots upon it where it should have golden lines? Seek to please God in your work. The child of God, constantly waiting upon Him, is anxious to be a true follower of the lowly Christ, humble in spirit and submissive to the teachings of his Master. The example of Christ is the strongest and most beautiful he has ever seen, and he is so enamored with its noble- ness that he yearns to enjoy the same fulness of W.. \ I'.' if ■ I I •il 90 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. 111 m grace and humility. As holiness is the passport to the skies, he is desirous to possess it. He cries, " O for the holy ambition to gain the highest seat in glory ! " He is anxious not merely to be holy enough to enter heaven, but to be found worthy of a place near the throne of God. His heart is set upon being a polished instrument in the hand of God. Not being satisfied with a shining surface, he longs to be transparent, all beautiful within. Being attract- ed more by the love of God than the love of glory, he never rests till he attains the heights which God intended he should occupy. He sees the heights which lie in the light of God, and strives to reach them. Lands, power and wealth do not attract him more than holy living. How shall we become possessed of this godly ambition ? Heaven is not reached by moun- tains piled on mountains till they reach the skies. Not by towers of Babel, but by golden ladders of holy communion, upon whose rungs the angels climb, do we enter the courts of God. How may we possess that God-like ambition which strives to possess the unsearchable riches AMBITIOUS TO SERVE. 91 of Christ in their fulness, and will not rest satis- fied till the will of God is done to perfection ? This holy passion can only be found through a change of attitude toward all things in earth and heaven. There must be a new insight, by which we can measure spiritual things, and see their inner wealth and beauty as God sees them. This new sense of ambition is obtained by having Christ abiding in our souls. When He takes up His residence in our hearts we see the world and all it contains in a new light. Sin hides the beauty of divine things, but Christ reveals their worth. When the love of Christ takes posses- sion of the reins of the soul a new passion for righteousness and the service of God enters, and we are borne along with a holy frenzy to be all that God desires, and to work out fully His righteous will. Christ in the heait is the secret of a holy ambition. His love compels us to win souls as kings strive for new territory. Driven by this divine fervor we become ambi- tious to gain the world for Christ. Then we aspire after that likeness to Christ in which He finds delight. When He gives orders to be '5i ii- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k A 4L<. 4^. V. y. ^ u ^ 1.0 I.I ;f:lilM lllllM " IM 12.2 ■ L / ^ Photographic Sdences Corporation ,i^>;^^^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 4^-% ^ I !Bi 92 THE MAKING OF A CHklSTlAN. ill I i; II 1 executed we hasten to fulfil them, though we may have to climb mountains, brave the rigid clime of arctic winters, and travel vast regions of barren soil. Christ in you is the propelling power in missionary enterprise. He is the source of godly ambition, the sun which feeds the flame of holy desire. When the Holy Spirit comes in His fulness, and fills your heart, you will be aroused to a new and higher activity in holy service than you have ever known before. He will guide you into new fields of truth ; unknown spheres of influence will be opened up to you ; the powers of mind and soul which were latent will be revealed and used, and the words and acts of your life will be winged, so as to give them power and directness in reaching the hearts of men. The eternal Spirit imparts this passion for holy service when He descends and baptizes with power the faculties of mind and soul. We need this pentecostal baptism to equip us for the work of God. This is what you may obtain by surrendering your will to the control of the Spirit. This godly ambition is secured by the r' ;i: AMBITIOUS TO SERVE. 93 We for :ain the the abiding presence of God. The feeling that we are alone in any enterprise begets weakness, and the courage which dares to attempt great things for God is not possessed by us. When we have the assurance that God is with us, we become bold to present the claims of God to a sinful world. The realization of the presence of God makes us faithful ambassadors of the Cross. Richard Baxter, Spurgeon and Moody were ambitious men. They were ambitious for God. There was nothing too high for them to dare to attempt in His service. Do you aspire after high and holy things ? then cultivate this sense of the abiding presence of God. Joseph knew that God was with him in Egypt; Elijah on Carmel's rugged height felt the power of the Eternal presence; and Daniel was not alone in the den where lustful hearts had thrown him. We are quickened with this holy ambition, through our wills being transformed by the power of the Divine Spirit. When our will is touched by the Holy Ghost we are changed from a self-satisfied condition to a lofty hunger- ing after being great in the kingdom of God, 94 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. !. ? u 11- i \\ ■ i I through eminent service. Our hearts then cry out for labor and not for leisure ; we yearn to be servants in preference to being masters ; we seek the lowest seats and the hardest stations; we become solicitous to serve others and not to rule over them. Greatness in the kingdom of God is found in service, and not in lordship. This passion for God is found in the vision of the unseen. When God is seen through the eyes of the soul, and eternity is a present reality, this longing for attainment becomes an insatiable appetite which cries to be appeased. The life of every devout soul then becomes a Pilgrim's Progress and a Holy War. Oh, for this holy passion which sees God in the glories and trials of every day, and longs to reveal Christ to all the world, and claims all the world for Christ ! Be ambitious for God ! Press on ! It is God- like to unloose your spirit and let it soar toward the seat of God. Press on, for in the grave there is no work and no device. Press on while here on earth you may. They build too low who build their palaces beneath the skies. What is the reward of life ? A little power, a little !i AMBITIOUS TO SERVE. 95 transient fame, a grave to lie in, and a name which passes away. Seek to be more holy than other men. There is room for you at the top of the ladder of holy living. We are too easily contented to remain on the lowest rungs of the ladder. Be ambitious for holiness. Follow hard after God. Seek to perfect your work after the divine pattern, so that God may approve it. i 'i REFLECTORS OF CHRIST. w ':. i 1 At an exhibition of lime-light views, the oper- ator sometimes finds it difficult to throw the pictures on the canvas at once clear and distinct. The picture is thrown on the shade in all its lineaments ; but it is dim, the strong light is not turned on, and the view is not perfect to the sight of the spectator. So Paul says that when Moses gave the law, the truth was not clearly seen, because there was a veil over the face of the lawgiver. He gave the letter of the law in rules and maxims, which contained eternal prin- ciples, but there was needed the presence of Christ, and the power of the Spirit, to unfold the large spiritual meaning of the truth which was veiled. In the gospel the veil is removed, the spirit of the law is seen, and when men turn to Christ they turn to the spirit, and learn that love to God is better than sacrifices and burnt offerings, so that they are permitted to enjoy 96 REFLECTORS OF CHRIST. 97 to the clear vision of truth. " We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Sin casts a veil over the heart so that it can- not see God and His glory. When sin hangs like a thick curtain over your soul, you are not able to enjoy the glory of His presence. Sin raises a barrier over which you cannot climb into the way of righteousness. Carnal desires, sinful pleasures, false plans and purposes, hinde the light of God from penetrating your soul. You cannot serve God and mammon ; the world and God cannot be held in the same hand ; it is impossible for you to keep fellowship with dark- ness and have companionship with the ungodly, and at the same time enjoy communion with God. You are not able to be loyal to both Boer and Briton when they are engaged in war. The veil which sin has cast over the soul must be taken away if you would enjoy peace with God, and see the glory of His face. The open face is the unveiled face. The heart that has found God and rejoices in Him has the veil of , ;?( ■i i { 98 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. % 4. sin removed, and without a cloud you may behold Him whom you delight to love, for the pure in heart shall see God. The unveiled face beholds the glory of the Lord. When sin is taken out of the heart we behold the beauty of the Lord ; the trials which were as dark clouds become refining processes to perfect our charac- ter ; the sorrows are seen as gems set in the soul by the hand divine ; the mountains which we climbed in weariness are trails of glory leading to heaven, and the burdens become levers to lift us near to God. Life has new aspects when we look upon it with a clean heart. When the blood of Christ has cleansed the soul from sin there comes a new vision of God and divine things. The darkest path becomes filled with light, and the Sun of Righteousness, shedding its brightness en the way, shows the flowers by the wayside, where in the old life we saw nothing but weeds and thorns. The traveller who jour- neys along the prairie trail at night sees danger where there is none ; the darkness intensifies his fears, and even his sure-footed horse trembles as he travels ; but when the moon shines clear and strong his fears pass away, because all things REFLECTORS OF CHRIST. 99 rith ling by ling lour- iger his ;s as and are seen as they really are. When the sinner walks in the darkness of sin he magnifies the troubles of life ; where mercy and love are strew- ing his path with blessings he sees justice dealing out punishment ; but when grace has renewed his heart he sees temptation fitting him for promotion in the kingdom of grace and glory, and he hears the voice of God comforting him, as a gentle mother comforts her weary child. The heart is a mirror. We gather up uncon- sciously and shadow forth to others what we associate with, and thus we become reflectors of men and things. English-speaking children playing with French children will reflect their associations in their accent and forms of speech. We reflect language, customs, thoughts and nationality. We are mirrors, having no lights in ourselves, but reflecting the light of. God. We are reflectors of Christ. There are differences in reflecting power. If a ball of glowing hot iron be held before a metallic reflector it will throw back the heat with great power ; but if placed before a glass mirror light will be reflected, but no heat. All the virtuous I I mg£ ■BH! IJ, 'I ll I 100 TNE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. characteristics of Christians are reflections caught from Christ. Paul stood before Christ and reflected zeal. John reflected love, Peter courage, and Cornelius devotion. We stand before Christ and reflect His likeness. We may take up His simplicity or strength; the gentle- ness or love of His character, or His humility, may be caught as in a mirror, and we show to the world fragments of the beautiful life of our Master. The greater the grasp of His image the larger will be our reflection of Him. If the face of the mirror is kept polished the stronger and clearer will be the reflection. Keep the dust of worldliness out of the heart, and Christ's likeness will be better shown. We are photo- graphs of Christ. He is the original, the nega- tive, and we are copies of Christ. The nearer .we bring an object to the mirror the better will be the reflection ; and the closer we draw near to Christ the greater will be our power of reflec- tion. If you desire to show forth much of Christ, keep close to Him, and walk with Him. The unveiled heart reflects the glory of Christ. The word rendered praise signifies primarily the irradiation of a luminous body. The heart REFLECTORS OF CHRIST. 101 cleansed from sin is a thankful heart, reflecting the glory of the Sun of Righteousness, and diffusing its effulgence on the world. The Christian life is expansive and expressive, speak- ing out the divine idea to men. The quiet, gentle forces in the heart and life shed a silent influence upon others, as the fragrance and light of a scented lamp. Let the light of your heart and life so shine that men may see. Let it shine that men may see Christ in you, and, sieeing Christ, they will glorify not you, but God. The light of your life, reflected from your heart by the image of Christ, will be permanent, trans- mitting its influence to generations unborn. You may wish to be a missionary to the heathen, and you may never look with your physical vision upon a foreign land, or tell with your voice in a strange tongue the old, old story ; but a thousand years hence you may preach Christ to the heathen by the light you shed to-day, gathered up by other lives and sent on (as the sun hides its light and heat in the forest in beds ol coal), to future ages. We are immortal, and our thoughts, desires, motives, words and acts never die. The sum total of our i ilnl Pi 102 THE i}fAK/NG OF A CHRISTIAN. physical, mental and moral ancestors is in us, and the influence of a good man never dies. Most of the sunshine we get comes to us by reflection in the brightness of the air, the sheen upon the sea, and the color of the flower ; and the sunshine of the spiritual world comes to us by reflection from others in the brightness and beauty of their lives, which are glimpses of the disclosures of God to the soul. With unveiled heart we catch the glow and sweetness of the divine presence, and reflect the beauty of Christ to men. We are transformed by beholding Christ, '* changed into the same image." Beholding is transforming. There is life for a look at Christ. A long, steady and trustful look is the look of faith. Looking at Christ transforms us into the likeness of Christ. We are changed by our associations. In early life Darwin loved poetry and literature, but through his intense applica- tion to natural science he was changed, so com- pletely changed, that he lost his appreciation of poetry. Now, by associating with Christ, look- ing at Him lovingly, we are changed little by little until we become like Him, and have no REFLECTORS OF CHRIST. 10.1 taste for anything that is distasteful to Him. Looking at Christ has been the strength and unction of believers in all ages. *' They looked unto Him and were lightened." Trials, per- plexities and difificulties are changed by looking at Christ. The sight of Jesus is enrapturing and transfiguring. It e.xpels sin and drives away the power of temptation. Reflecting is transforming. By reflecting Christ we are changed. The gospel is a mirror wherein we behold Christ ; and as we look at Him with a heart renewed, the unveiled countenance be- comes also a mirror which reflects His image, and we are transformed into the same image. Standing before His love and contemplating it, we become like Him in love. Look intensely at the tenderness of Jesus and reflect it, and you will become like Him in tenderness. You can- not help being changed into the image of Christ, when you constantly keep your heart looking upon His portrait and reflecting it. We are changed unconsciously yet surely, gradually changed into the same image. New dispositions take the place of old tempers ; new trains of ■an iif 104 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. thought, less self-seeking plans, more humility and courage, are the rays of glory which shine from our reflection of Christ. Our attachments and sympathies are different when we are fashioned by the presence and glory of Christ. The more we reflect the glory of Christ the greater becomes our likeness to Christ. We are transformed into His image from glory to glory, as with unveiled face we reflect His glory. Look long and often at the image of Christ, and you will so love Him that you cannot help surren- dering your will and all your powers to His strong and secret influence ; and you will go on changing from one degree of glory to another. Your character will develop from one stage to a higher stage. You will go on from one stage of tenderness to a higher stage of tenderness, from one degree of glory to a nobler degree of glory, from faith to faith and from strength to strength, from less strength to greater strength. We ascend in knowledge and beauty by reflect- ing Christ. As a conquering army advances through a country, taking one stronghold after another as steps toward the ultimate conquest I REFLECTORS OF CHRIST. 105 of the whole country, so each acquisition in Christian experience is the ground of future conquests. Some of the American Indian triSes drank the blood of their heroic enemies, whom they had slain, that they might imbibe their valor; and in our conflict with temptation we seize the power of the temptation to enable us to gain the conquest over future temptations. We are changed in body, mind and soul as we reflect Christ. Beauty of soul and character is reflected in the features. As great and loving thoughts of Christ dwell within, their kindly glow lights the eyes, self-control lingers on the lips, and the pure shining of the face is trans- figured into pleasant smiles. The photograph of a loved one worn near the heart has an influ- ence on the life. Let the image of Christ be ever in our minds, and our thoughts be ever of Him, and we are changed into His likeness, so that others see the strength and beauty of our Master in our words and deeds. The face of Dante was so sullen — caused no doubt by brood- ing over his wrongs, and with thoughts ever turning toward his Divine Comedy — that the 106 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. people said he had been in hell ; and the face of Moses so shone with holy lustre, induced by his communings with God in the mount, that the people could not look upon it, so great was the glory. Associations fashion character. The Holy Spirit transforms us by His abiding in our hearts. As we behold Christ and reflect His image, the Holy Spirit works upon our hearts, changing us daily into strength and beauty. As we surrender our wills to the moulding influences of the Spirit, we are brought into full agreement with the will of God, and the glory of Christ abides in us, and is reflected in our lives. The Spirit is an artist painting the portrait of Christ in the soul, which be- comes luminous by His presence, and shines through our mind and body upon the world. Let the Holy Spirit fashion you according to the picture of Christ. Murmur not at His methods of fashioning you, or you will mar the picture in its making. Let the divine artist have his way in your soul. Blur not the por- trait of Christ by permitting sin to daub the canvas. Keep your heart polished as a mirror, REFLECTORS OF CHRIST. 107 that you may reflect the beauty of Christ. Reflect Christ perfectly. Let your thoughts and your love be pure. Keep your heart fixed on Christ, ever open to His entrance, that He may abide there, and the light of the unseen world will come in, illumining your life, and the glory of Christ will be unconsciously reflected on your face. !'. ii WAITING AND WILLING. The knowledge of God is the foundation of all wisdom, as it includes the knowledge of truth, law, love, beauty and goodness. It is like the foundation of a massive building, the strong basis upon which the superstructure of character is raised. The intellectual know- ledge of God is refining and ennobling, but the knowledge which is spiritual is the highest knowledge. God is seen with the eyes of the soul ; He is known by the spiritual faculties ; He is held by faith, which is the right hand of the soul. So important did this seem to David that, when giving wise counsel to his son, he said, "And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind." Knowledge is life and power. A medical man must not only know the seat of a disease and its nature, but he must understand the remedy, including the 108 WAITING AND WILLING, 109 properties of medicine, so as to administer justly; and not only must we know sin by the reveal- ing power of the Spirit, but we must know God. To know God and Jesus Christ is to become dissatisfied with sin, to hunger after godliness, and to pursue Christ until we possess Him, with all the treasures He has in store. To know Christ is salvation. When a traveller is lost on the prairie in a snowstorm, for him to discover the trail and know the way, with strength to continue in it, is safety, hope, peace and life; and to know Christ is to possess peace which pass- eth understanding, to enjoy a hope of heaven, and to have eternal life. When we know God our desires will be transformed by that know- ledge. The more we know God the greater will our desires be transformed. As we know God we shall delight ourselves in Him, and He shall gives us the desires of our heart. He will change our thoughts, purposes and will so as to be in harmony with His will. If instead of seeking to attain great eminence, or even to be useful, we seek to know God, we shall become useful and eminent. The greatest saints have sought after God without any thought of them- 'i : ^ .ll H 110 TI/E MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. selves ; and in their pursuit after closer fellow- ship with Him, they have been unconscious of the glory that others have seen in their lives. The knowledge of music changes men ; the study of art or literature has a moulding influ- ence upon their intellects, hearts and lives ; and the knowledge of God transforms our motives, desires and will. When the soul has a just comprehension of the goodness of God, when His love is seen encircling our lives, when mercy stands barring the advance of justice with drawn sword, and His power is felt in minister- ing to our daily wants, and guiding our every step, then we cannot help being changed by these silent influences into His likeness, until our characters shine with a lustre that is not our own. The knowledge of God prepares us for serving Him. When we know His laws, their beauty and justice will compel us to obey them ; when we know His character we shall be drawn to love Him. Our knowledge of a bad man prepares us to deal with him in agree- ment with his vicious habits and deceptive plans, and our knowledge of a good man fits us for working in harmony with his disposition and WAITING AND WILLING. Ill conduct. So as we know God we find delight in His service ; His burdens become light because they are buoyed up by love, and the service which is begotten of love sees no dangers, and finds delight in heroism. Grace Darling and Florence Nightingale had not a single thought of their bravery; the desire to help and save banished all other yearnings in their hearts ; and when our hearts are filled with the knowledge of God we shall serve Him from a sense of love, and not by the demands of duty. To serve God is to be obedient to Him, ser- ving Him without any stint, but in the spirit of his instructions, with a fulness and freedom that courts no pressure but that of the knowledge of His will and the compulsion of His love. This is the kind of service which God delights to accept. The true servant of God is not a con- script forced by law, but a volunteer wooed and won by grace. His service is not forced by dread of punishment, as the labor of a convict, but it is the honest and hearty response of a freeman. As a gardener in laying out grounds does so in accordance with the will of him who has employed him, and does not seek to make m 112 TNE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN, his plans out of harmony with his master, so the servant of God hands over his will to his Master, and his chief delight is so to order his life that in all things he shall please Him. Serving God truly is to wait with cap in hand for His orders, and to hasten to execute His commands when given. He waits patiently upon God, but not passively. He is not a machine but a man. He waits ready to ad- vance at the command of providence or the Holy Spirit, as a soldier waits ready to charge, with his bayonet in position, his mind intent, and his heart beating and expectant for the word to be given when he shall rush upon his foe. We are serving God acceptably when we wait for His word to advance or retreat, and gladly do either, not because it is pleasant, but that it is His will. Waiting upon God is more than the praising of virtue. You may praise goodness and admire the beauty of holiness, and yet not be holy. You may be a critic of godliness without posses- sing the strength and joy of a godly life. You may be gratified at the rendering of one of the great oratorios of the masters of music, and WAITING AND WILLING. 113 your soul may be enraptured with the heavenly strains, and still you may be unable to play on the piano, not even know a single note of music ; and in religious experience, the ability to recog- nize and admire saintliness of character is no evidence of change of heart and life. Waiting upon God is more than simply wishing to be like Him. You may wish to be an imitator of Jesus, and yet fail of possessing the beauty of the Christ-life. Wishing for love is transient desire; waiting for it is intense longing and expectancy. We all wish to be like Christ, but how few of us wait at His feet, looking up into His face until we gradually and unconsciously grow like Him. Wishing for holiness of heart and life is a passing fervor; but waiting upon Christ for His glory to be revealed in us is an abiding hope. Waiting upon God is to be ready for whatever He desires us to be and do. It is the attitude of a son delighting to do the will of his father. Whatever God desires us to be, in person or character^ that is our desire ; whatever He asks us to do, that is the request which finds a cheerful answer in our hearts as we hasten to obey. There is no weakness in a 8 w 114 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. whole-hearted response to any call of God. The waiting soul is sustained by the conviction that behind the cheerful action, which is in perfect obedience to His will, there lies the power of God. Waiting upon God has the promise of power. ** They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run and not be weary ; and they shall walk and not faint." The weary fret and care of this world bears heavily upon us, and we sigh for relief ; the tears flow from our eyes, and we wonder whether our Father in heaven heeds the beating of our hearts ; and as we lift our eyes toward the skies in faith the half-forgotten duty becomes a thing of beauty, and God gives us wings to rise into the glory of His presence, and our old strength is exchanged for holy vigor. Then the most tired can wait upon Him, the timid become strong; the weariness passes away, the sighs are changed to songs, and we are able to walk without fainting along the way of holiness. God demands service according to our ability^ He will use us to the limit of our powers, and not beyond. Whatever work He commands lies WAITING AND WILLING. 116 ity. Lnd ies within the range of our ability. If you cannot speak for Him, He will send you as a companion an eloquent Aaron. Every Luther will have his Melancthon for the work of reformation. The ability which God requires is not according to our natural powers. He seeks not men of great talents. Giants in belief are stronger than men of vast physical proportions. David with his sling, contending in the fear of God, was a greater giant than the man of Gath. You may have little natural ability, but if you are willing to do the work of God according to His bidding you possess the supreme qualification. The most useful men in the world are those who are simply used. " Great men can do their greatest work no better than ju^u so." The ability He requires is not according to our educational acquirements. Culture counts for something in the world, and in religion it is not only not to be despised, but eagerly sought ; yet before learning and natural ability there comes the willing heart. Sometimes God chooses learned men for his service, as Paul the pupil of Gamaliel — a man of deep and varied culture ; Moses, skilled in Egyptian lore, and Luke 116 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. \ \ the beloved physician ; and again He selected His servants from the lowest ranks, as Amos the herdsman, Matthew the tax-gatherer, and the fishermen of Galilee ; but all of these had the chief qualification of being willing to serve Him fully in everything. You may have no educa- tion, yet you may be one of God's chosen ones if you obey Him perfectly. The measure of our ability is not according to our activity. Zeal is secondary to obedience; energy is not to be compared with harmony to the divine will. There must first be the willing mind, and then the soul set on fire, to win men for the kingdom. The true ability which God accepts is having Christ formed in us. When He abides within us there is real power. Just as the propelling power of the ocean vessel lies in the furnaces, which are unseen by the passengers, so the life and strength of the Christian resides in the heart where Christ abides. When the Holy Spirit fills your soul with love, you will have the ability which God delights to own and bless. Consecration to God is the ability acceptable to Him. Without your consent and co-operation divine grace cannot act in and through your life. WAITING AXn WILLING. 117 he ss. to on fe. It stands at the door of your life and asks admis- sion, but it will never lift the latch nor force an entrance; you must arise and open the door to admit Christ with His grace. Consecration will not add to your tasks, but will make life easier to live. It is half-hearted consecration which makes life difficult. Consecration is the true ability for a servant of Christ, as it puts you into the Lord's hands for service. When you have sur- rendered your will to God, He will do with you as governments do with recruits — equip, drill and direct, so that you shall not fail in the hour of conflict. Godliness is ability. The more we are like Christ the greater will our ability be to serve Him. Fellowship with Christ is the secret of power. Serve the Lord with a perfect heart and an upright purpose. Loving God is letting God love us. Love is the willing submis- sion of our wills to the will of God. He loves us, and then we are able to love Him. As Madame Guyon says : " I love my God, but with no love of mine, For I have none to give ; I love thee, Lord, but all the love is thine. For by thy life I live. " mmm. 118 THE MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. Willing to be holy is more than wishing to be holy. To wish and not to will is spiritual col- lapse. It is a house built upon the sand, which will fall when the storm comes. To will to be holy is to seek to act in harmony with God. It is to determine and then to strive through faith to follow Christ with an undivided heart. In the Blackfoot sign-language the native puts his right hand in front of his heart, and makes it waver to signify the instability of a double heart. To will to be holy is to seek likeness to Christ, with a heart that is single, unwavering in its aim and perfect in its trust. There must be an active purpose. Active willing is the privilege and duty of a servant of God, as distinguished from the extinguished will of the man steeped in sin. We become something only by overcoming something. Where bread grows on trees there dwell the weak races of the earth. The Bible lays emphasis on overcoming. In the Christian life we are more than Alexanders, sighing be- cause there are no more worlds to conquer, for there are for us more worlds to conquer. To will to be holy is to have an active purpose in overcoming our spiritual enemies, and to strive WAITING AND WILLING. 119 to attain through Christ sainth'ness of life. To will to be holy is to fall in line with God. He does not use the most capable, but those near- est at hand and most willing. The watchers at the gates, and those waiting at the posts of the doors, are the first to receive orders and to be advanced to power and influence. Israel stood watching and waiting at the sea when God spoke to them the " Go forward," and the sea divided for them to pass through. Those who were endued with power from on high were waiting and willing at Pentecost. The prophets were men who lived near to God, and He used them to declare His purposes to men. John at Patmos was near to God when he received his glorious revelation, and Paul was in the third heavens when he obtained the vision too glor- ious for human language to describe. Luther and Wesley, Knox and Judson, were not more capable than some other men, but they were at hand, ready and willing, and God used them for accomplishing a glorious work. God is waiting for us, and it is ours to will. It is not the busi- ness of the Church to convert, but to e /angelize the world. To will to be made holy is to receive pp 120 THE MAKING OF A CHRtSTtAM. I' P m p; the Holy Spirit as our guide. The greatest saints are the greatest receivers. It is not receiving the things of God to minister to our own joy, which is selfishness, but receiving them that we may do the work of God. Love seeketh not her own. We must not only wait, we must also will for the fulfilment of the promise of the Father. God seeks quality of service more than quantity. Ten sentences from a man sanctified by God will do more toward helping men than a long speech of an inconsistent professor of religion. One man gives a thousand dollars and gets no fruit, and another drops a tear and wins a soul. Willing service is definite and deter- mined service for God. As you walk at a rapid gait along the pavement of the street in the city, where the numerous pedestrians are stepping leisurely, unless you watch carefully you will lose your gait and fall into line with them ; and it is easy, very easy, for us to be conformed to the world, keeping step with fashion and world- liness in amusements and manner of life. When a youth I could not help noticing the influence of the Marseillaise hymn of the French, played WAITING AND WILLING. 121 by the brass bands, the players and spectators keeping step with the music, young and old walking with measured tread. The measured step is very well on the street, but it is danger- ous on a suspension bridge. The regiment of soldiers must then break step for safety. Now we are called upon to keep step with Christ, and to break step with the world. The saint must be in tune with God, and out of tune with the world. Likeness to Christ depends upon wait- ing and willing. The service of the willing mind is the secret of being led by God and becoming like Christ. God is working out His purpose in us and through us, according to the measure of our self-surrender to Him. Abraham gave his son Isaac to God, and He gave him back to his father. This is God's method always in dealing with us. We give Him the burden, and He returns it in a new shape for us to carry easily for Him. Perhaps you are not willing to carry burdens for God, but you are willing for Him to make you willing to carry them. Then pray to be made willing, and instead of worry you shall find peace and joy. m >S its iii Ii4! 122 THE MAKING OF A CHRJSTIAN, Waiting upon God, and being willing to do His will, is the supreme qualification of the man of God. It is by this we rise toward the like- ness of Christ and possess it. Just as we ascend a hill, we rise in spite of the difficulties it pre- sents in the way of climbing, and we mount be- cause the hill is there ; we will to climb and we ascend. And there are circumstances which tend to depress us, but we use them as oppor- tunities, and out of them we are exalted, and without them we could not possess the strength and beauty of the Christ-life. Not that there is anything in the circumstances to exalt us, but because we use them by God's grace for His glory. The secret of the highest attainment is to wait upon God in perfect obedience, and to be willing with a changed will and a renewed mind. A man's / will hangs largely on his / do and / am. If God were to come to you with half a dozen facts, and to say, " I give you these to be used for me," no doubt you would gladly accept them ; but when He has come, as He al- ways does, and lays the treasures of the whole universe at your feet, you are bewildered for WAITING AND WILLING. 123 s . want of a definite purpose and energy, and you lose the blessings in the abundant riches of God. Waiting and willing is the secret of the greatest eminence. When you cease to think of yourself, and only want what God wants, then you will begin to be worth something to Him, as He will then be able to use you for His own purposes. This is the secret of the highest power. How many of us think of personal religion as a thing desirable because of what we shall get from Christ, instead of what we may receive to enable us to do great things for Him. What would you think of the soldier who was always intent upon his rations and pay, and thoughtless of his service to his country? This is the secret of perfect peace and happiness. The willing mind is the delighting mind. There is delight in will- ing for God. There is abiding happiness when you can say : "O Lord, let Thy will be done in me, with me, through me, for me, on earth and in heaven, by Thy power and for Thy glory." If you have no love for your vocation, and for the lowly ministers in the service of Christ, pray that He may kindle within you that love for w ^llt m li'j .' ( '; I'i 124 T//£ MAKING OF A CHRISTIAN. them which will make you find delight in them. Waiting and willing is the secret of holiness, How often we are compelled to confess that we value the opinion of men more than the ap- proval of God. Let the collection in the church be taken up in bags, where no one can see what is placed therein, and it will be less than when an open plate is used. We give to be seen of men. There is a lesson for us all in the open plate. The sublime secret of Jesus is to hate our life that we may keep it unto life eternal. Wait upon God. If the sparrow on the leaf- less tree partakes of heavenly bounties, and the hungry raven in the icy wood pecks from the hand of God its daily portion ; if the spot- less lily has its lowly birth in the slime of the filthy pond, and is nursed into beauty by our Father's care, how much more will He clothe those who wait upon Him when their eyes are dim and their hearts are heavy? Be patient and wait upon Him. Be willing for God. " Ready, aye ready " is the sublime motto for a holy life. The art of holy living is the secret which the Spirit imparts to those who are wait- ^ l! WAITING AND WILLING. 125 ing and willing for Him. About the paths of the samt the swift angels glide, whose motion is sweeter than the music of earth. The centuries unbar their gates for him. the stars sing their Glorias, and in high moments when his fervid soul glows white with love, the vision of the Godhead appears on his face. May you learn the art of holy living, and iind the secret of the largest life in Christ. Ffri 1 ^iili i I By JOHN MACLEAN Canadian Savage folk 641 Pages ; 100 Illustrations ; Cloth, $2.50 ; Lbatheb, $3.50. This beautifully bound and illustrated volume is the most complete work on the Indian races in Canada yet issued. No more entertaining book has been published. —Caiiadian Bookseller. The book is full of romance from beginning to end, and every student of American history will find in it much to interest — much that is told with a charm which few historians possess.— Canadian Magazine. There is no man in Canada, possibly anywhere, who has made a more careful, painstaking life-work in the study of the aboriginal races and all the writini; extant relative to them, their traditions andhistorv, than Dr. John Maclean. The pnblication of this his latest work should, and no doubt will, be welcomed by all Canadians as well as by thousands of the reading public in Great Britain. . . Canadian Savaob Foik will be a standard work for all time in the history of Canada.— 7Ae Week, Toronto. Cbe Indians of Canada (Third Edition.) Cloth, 351 Pages, 23 Illustrations, $1.00. The book is as entertaining as a story of Mayne Reid's.— TA< Book- teller (England). Historical, instructive and peculiarly interesting.— TAt Empire, A delightful book on our Indians.— TAe Young Canadian. CIK Ularden of \H Plains Illustrated^ Cloth, $1.25. In those pages Dr. Maclean has gathered a number of stories and sketches illustrating the strange life of our great Northwest. The contact between savagery and civilization on the frontier has developed some remarkable social conditions. Oxford University men, fierce desperadoes, zealous missionaries, Indian braves and adventurous spirits from east and west, figure in these pages in strong, dramatic sketches. Dr. Maclean has renderra a distinct service to Canadian literature by photographing in this series of pictures a type of Canadian life which is fast passing away. —W. H. Withrow, D.D., F.R.S.C. TQronto: WILLIAM BRIGGS, Publisher. ng int >ld tre all )r. no he sa to. ik- nd kCt ne nd >aa in