Download PDF - Free Methodist Church

148 THE EABNEST CHBISTLAN.GROWING IN GRACE.No one who has his senses so e.xercisedas to be capable of judging in the case,can be blind to the melancholy truth,that the cause of the Redeemer hassuffered sadly from the want of thatdeep-toned, consistent piety which isattainable by every one who has beenborn from above. The opinon has indeedprevaUed to a great extent, andis still entertained by many, th-at thefreshness and fervor of the first love ofyoung Christians must of necessity passaway, and give place to darkness, anduncertainty, and coldness. Most disastroushave been the effects of thisopinion upon the growth in holiness andusefulness of the church; and insteadof shining brighter and brighter to theperfect day, her Ught has been oftenobscured, her hopes enfeebled, and herinfluence neutralized. Instead of avigorous, heathful action, her conducthas been fitful, and her very life an alternationof spasm and collapse; at onetime, all zeal and devotedness, and' again chUUng aU around with indifference.Now it is perfectiy manifest thatneither the aposties nor their Masterever countenanced or encouraged sucha life in his followers, " Nevertheless,"said our Lord to the church of Ephesus," I have somewhat against thee, becausethou hast left thy first love. Remembertherefore from whence thou art fallen,and repent, and do the first works;or else I wfll come unto thee quickly,and remove thy candlestick out of hisplace, except thou repent." In thispassage we have set before us tiie eviland the remedy. If a declension in thefervor of piety and the strength of faith,if leaving their first love, by Christians,must be repented of, then is such conductoffensive to God, prejudicial to hiscause, and injurious to the souls of men.Every sin is offensive to God, hut thissin necessarUy prejudices his cause withsinners, and consequently injures theirsouls; and the only remedy is repentance.But every Christian has a securityagainst this e-vil in the abundantgrace of our Lord Jesus Christ, which,according to divine promise, may beobtained through faith and watohfiUnessand prayer. Let every Christian, therefore,conie boldly to the throne of grace;that he may obtain mercy, and findgrace to help in the time of need. Un[tU the church shaU unlearn the lessooso often taught by good but mistakenfathers and mothers in Israel, that theexcitement attendant upon conversionmust be succeeded by depression anddoubt; until ministers and members ofthe church practicaUy leam that theirpower of doing good is in proportion totheir hoUness, there is no reason to expectthe universal triumph of the causeiof truth and righteosness.It is impossible that the -wise and benevolentKing of Zion should ever subduethe world to himself through the cooperationof a people so imperfectiysanctified as is the present generationof Christians; nor does it seem at allconsistent with his infinite fitness U.govern, to impress the character of thfchurch, in which there is such a mixture of pride and selfishness and worldliness and the spirit of contention, upoithis earth's entfre population.—JametBrainerd Taylor.• •-•-•A VERSE OF EXPEBIENCE.BY S. S. BBADLEY.While reading the many experiencesin you): Earnest Christian, I am led towrite a few verses of my experiencefrom a long chapter of many years.My instrection in my youth, if religions;in any form, was Calvinistic, as that;was the belief of my mother. My!father was a Universalist. But I al^ways -was reUgiously inclined. I respectedall who professed to love God,;and I prayed much, but finally cohcln-|ded that I was cast off; Then I tried jto be a UniversaUst. After hearing a!sermon of that stamp, one of my oldcronies said tome: "Was not that agood sermon 1" I answered " yes; bntI do not beUeve it." He replied: "Whyinot; it suits you as weU as me," Solilived until near thirty years of age, Ii