SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 9253, 5 January 1889, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

<3> THE THREE PREPOSITIONS. [by bev. w. haslam.] There is no doubt that we were not only created to be saved, but to " glorify God in our bodies and souls, which are His." We make a great mistake, and lower the standard of our lives very much, when we spend all our thoughts about getting salvation and blessing for ourselves. It was very touching to hear that young missionary who has devoted himself to the work in China. Hβ said people read the first verse of the 67th Psalm,' God be merciful unto us, Mid bless us," and there they stop; but the next verse goes on to say " that Thy way may be known upon earth and Thy saving health among all nations." Remember, if God pours out blessing upon us, it is not for ourselves; it is that we may be full to overflowing for the glory of God. How can I get that? How can I do this? By offering and presenting yourself to God. When you look upon the world, you find that there are people doing their best—they are like the heathen; there are people doing their best, and asking God to help them—they are like the Pharisees; lastly, there are PEOPLE THBOWINO- THEMSET..VE3 UPON GOD. That is what it ought to be—presenting themselves unto God, which is their reasonable service—not in order to obtain blessing, but to be a blessing to others. What blessing did the apostle refer to ? We find it in Rom. v. —the great blessing of justification, of being brought a& near to God as His own beloved Son, " Who was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him;" and not only have we justification, but "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access into this grace wherein we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God," "for whom He justifies He will also glorify." We have more in that fifth chapter. When sin is blotted out through the blood and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, we shall have the anointing of the Holy Ghost. You have heard a great dial about the keeping power of the Lord, We find that, too, in the fifth chapter. If Christ died for you and redeemed you when you were an enemy and sinner, much more will He keep you, now that you are a reconciled child. The justified soul may go on to realise the keeping power of the Lord Jesus. Though sin reigns, we are told grace reigns also, and grace is stronger than sin, however strong sin is; Christ is stronger than Satan, however strong Satan is. Have we such a blessing as that in the very first stage of our Christian life —the blessing of pardon and justification? A good many people have come up here for sanotification who have not got the blessing of justification, the blessing of knowing that our standing in Christ is complete. Now, what is next? We are brought in the next chapter to another stage, and that is the new life you have heard about—the resurrection life— " Christ living in you by the power of the Holy Ghost," to make you do God's will. After you have given your heart to God, you must give your will definitely to God. HAVE I GIVEN MY WILL TO BE GOD'S SERVANT? "Know ye not that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, His servants ye are whom ye obey?" and, when you have yielded your will to God, God takes that will and puts His will in its place. What a glorious privilege to say, "My will is the will of God." Our privilege is to go out of self altogether, and to be taken in hand by the Lord Jesus, that He may dwell in ua, that He may be our Master; and He can set our souls at liberty. Rom. viiL goes on to say what is the effect of this : " There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus," for the law of the Spirit of life makes us free from the law of sin and death, which is ever in our members, and remains there; but the law of the Spirit of Life is stronger than the law of sin and death. Have I given my will to God ? Next, have I given my body to God, a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him, which is my reasonable service ? For this I was created. HOW CAN I GIVE MY BODY, give myself, spirit, soul, and body, to the Lord Jesus ? He is the Altar that sanctifies the gift. Directly I lay myself upon that altar, praying, "Lord, take all; Lord, make me Thmc, the Lord will accept every such offering that I make. Will you do it, whatever it may cost? There are three prepositions that the Lord gives from Himself. In John xiv., 17, the Lord, speaking of the Holy Ghost, says He is with you, and He 3hall be in you; and in the Acta He shows how the Holy Ghost is to come upon you; Ee is with you when you are converted to 3od, in you when you have given your will to God. and upon you when you are filled with the Holy Ghost for service. Now, ;hese disciples to whom He was speaking iad the Spirit with them. How did they ;et that? They beheld the Lamb of God. ;ame to Jesus, became His followers, and ELe kept them. Just before He was taken, Hβ said, " I have kept them, and not one of ;hem is lost but the son of perdition." He done can keep us. As to the next stage of Jhristian life, that comes to us through the •esurrection of Christ, for by that WK ARE RAISED INTO NEWNESS OF LIFE. If I am one with Him in His death, I may >e one with Him in His resurrection also. I >elieve that we may have a definite cerainty in regard to each of these stages. If 'ou wane to have the Holy Ghost with you, 'ou must give yourself up as a lost soul to >e saved; if you want Him to be in you, you Qust give up your will; and if you want to >e a consecrated soul, you must offer and [resent yourself as a living sacrifice, and the ire will descend upon and sanctify you for rod's glory and praise. We have these hree things typified in the history of the children ot Israel, who were saved out of Sgypt. Firso, they were under the blood. hen the Lord brought them across the Red sea—this is a type of the surrender of the vill. Then, later, on the other side of the Cordan, a man with a drawn sword led them tn to victory. That Jordan is a type of,

i [Pentecostal blessing. When that blessin,, THEY WENT OUT ON THE AGGRESSIVE • no longer on the defensive, as they were after the resurrection, when the door wa, shut for fear of the Jews. They were bold and with all boldness and confidence the* went forward, trusting to their guide their friend, who was to be their protector These are three stages definitely marker! out j-(l) J rom , the death of Christ, who shed His blood for us; (2) from the resurrection of Christ; (3) from the ascension of Christ. Do I believe in the death of Christ for my salvation ; the resurrection of Christ for newness of life; the ascension of Christ; for the outpouring of the Holy Ghost to sanctify me to God's service It is only by surrendering ourselves definitely and diatinctly—our heart, our will, our "body— we shall qualify for His service. Kemember, we don't believe that it is in our giving but in His taking us. Has He taken all of us ? Has He accepted us ? Igo on thanking and praising Him more and more for having accepted me, because-He alone can really lead and guide me. We see, then, that there are three different landmarks of this life that we have been hearing about; but let us not only aim at reaching these blessed truths for ourselves, Justification is absolutely necessary, and resurrection life is absolutely necessary; but when we have these things, what does God want from us? It is to give ourselves wholly, that He may transform us into harmony with His wonderful will, to use us, weak as we are, for the glory of His name, and for the salvation of souls. WE LIVE IN WONDERBTX TIMES, when God is stirring up the hearts of so many, and making them willing to offer themselves that He may take possession of them and use them. Let us thank and praise God; and lam sure that the more we do so the more blessing will be poured out, for it is thanksgiving that obtains the Holy Ghost. Beloved, take care that your religion is the religion of the Holy Ghost. There are a, great many religions in the world, and vet there is only one , worth calling a religion and, if your religion is not that of the Holy Ghost, it will be of no avail. It is the mighty power of the Holy Ghost that can wake you up, fill you, penetrate you, the weak instrument, for the salvation of souls as well as for your own sanctification. It is only by the power of the Holy Ghost that you can be awakened to see that you are a lost sinner, that you can see the necessity of appropriating the cleansing blood; this is the mighty power that can work through you and save souls. What a privilege to go and tell dying ones, God loves you ; there is salvation for you—a living Saviour, One that has died for you. Has He saved me ? you say. Yes, He has; and I know He can save anybody after that. What a privilege to live as witnesses for Christ, for the glory of God, for the salvation of. souls, so as to make known His ways upon the earth. His saving health among all all nations. May God prepare and fit each one of us for such a work as this, and use us continually for His service and glory! PRAYER AND PROTECTION. A party of northern tourists formed part of a large company gathered on the deck of an excursion steamer that was moving slowly down the historic Potomac one beautiful evening in the summer of ISBI. A gentleman who has since gained a national reputation as an evangelist of song had been delighting the party with the happy rendering of many familiar hymns, the last being the sweet petition so dear to every Christian heart, "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." The singer gave the first two verses with much feeling, and a peculiar {emphasis upon the concluding lines that thrilled every heart. A hush had fallen upon the listeners that was not broken for some seconds after the musical notes had died away. Then a gentleman had made his way from the outskirts of the crowd to the side of the singer, and accosted him with, "Beg your pardon, stranger, but were you actively engaged in the late war?" " Yes, sir," the man of song answered, courteously; "I fought under General Grant." "Well," the first speaker continued, with something like a sigh. "I did my fighting on the other side, and think— am quite sure—l was very near you one bright night eighteen years ago this very month. It was much such a night as this. If lam not mistaken, you were on guard duty. We of the South had sharp business on hand, and you were one of the enemy. I crept near your post of duty, my murderous weapon in my hand; the shadow hid me. As you paced back and forth, you were humming the tune of the hymn you have just sung. I raised my gun, and aimed at your heart, and I had been selected by our commander for the work because I was a sure shot. Then out upon the night rang the words : Cover my defenceless head With the shadow of Thy wing. Your prayer was answered. I couldn't fire after that. And there was no attack made upon the camp that night. I felt sure, when I neard you sing this evening, that you were the man whose life I was spared from taking." The singer grasped the hand of the Southerner, and said, with much emotion, "I remember the night very well, and distinctly the feeling of depression and loneliness with which I went forth to my duty. I knew my part was one of great clanger, and 1 was more dejected than 1 remember to have been at any other time during the service. I paced my.lonely beat, thinking of home and friends and all that life holds dear. Then the thought of God's care for all that He has created came to me with peculiar force. If He so cared for the sparrow, how much more for man created in His own image, and I sang the prayer of my heart, and ceased to feel alone. How the prayer was answered I never knew until this eveni ing. My Heavenly Father thought best to keep the knowledge from me for eighteer years. How much of Eis goodness to us w« shall be ignorant of until it is revealed by the light of eternity ! ' Jesus, Lover of My Soul' lias been a favourite hvnm; now it will be inexpressibly dear."Word, Work and World.