"A CHRISTIAN."

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 293, 11 December 1899, Page 2

"A CHRISTIAN."

The, Rev, J. Clark, preaching at the Tabernacle on Sunday of last' week chose as his text Colossians 11., 6 and 7, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him; rooted and built up in Him and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding- therein with thanksgiving-." Our text speaks of ■what concerns the true character of Christianity, what a Christian ought to be and what a Christian ought to do. It gives one keen pleasure to take a sweep of the Christian horizon at that time and see Jerusalem, Antioeh, Borne and little Colosse. That grand old man, the Apostle. Paul, was greatly concerned for the Christians at Coiosse, lest any man should beguile them with enticing- words. I do not think there has been a period when this Epistle of the Colossians speaks more fittingly than at the present. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy. "Why, we might have thought that Paul was writing to the Church to-day. We need the same warning against the same subtle philosophy, "the rudiments of the world," worldly •principle and worldly policy. Now, what are we to -understand by a "Christian?" Some years ago a great publishing firm in America offered a big prize for the most perfect definition of a Christian. There were many answers,-but few, however, were suffi.cienly condensed in their veirbiaige. -We should say that a; Christian is one who receives Jesus Christ as his Saviour and obeys Him. as his Lord. He must be the Lord, Master, Governor, Director. Thank God, it is possible to be a Christian and know it. "To as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sons of God." The life must be before the name. The brethren were contemptuously called by a hundred different names, but the world, happily hit upon the word Christian. Oh, what a world of meaning there is in it! It is a- much-abused word fearfully misunderstood. By it, we are perforce made to think of Jesus Christ, of Bethlehem, Nazareth, Calvary. By humility we receive Him as our Teacher; bj' obedience we acknowledge Him as our Lord. To-day the word Christian is made too all-in-clusive. We speak of England as a Christian country, of New Zealand as « Christian colony. How can this be in th* sense of our text? The word is tpo universally applied. Paul saya a Christian offght to be "rooted and built up in Him and established in faith." The Apostle here uses mixed metaphors. That is -a comfort to a preacher. The man never lived that eoukl discover a figure of speech .that could go on all-fours with' a fact. The Apostle rides rou^'h-shod over the hypercrities. Tie speaks of being" rooted, drivingl down the roots, drawing up nourishment: rind ihere are other figures— walking- in Him and built up in Him. His life was secular, spiritual, sacrificial. Let us follow in His footsteps, walk in Him, walk with Him. Let your walk be consistent. There is so much to draw you aside in the philosophy and tradition of men. You are to be rooted and bniM up so that yon are 'to grow up to be a lovely structure in the Lord, or a beautiful tree to His

praise. And let your heart be full of thanksgiving. You cannot offer more; you must not render less. You are not ashamed of the title "Christian," I hope? Grand old Polycarp, with his dying breath, thanked God for it. In his day the word was ridiculed and caricatured, and should not we be glad to bear the name? Christian! Lovely word! Blessed fact! Glorious life! May it toe yours for His name's sake.