addresses-第16章

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particular　street；　to　help　on　there　the　Kingdom　of　God。　　You　cannot

do　that　when　you　are　old　and　ready　to　die。　　By　that　time　your

companions　will　have　fought　their　fight；　and　lost　or　won。　　If　they

lose；　will　you　not　be　sorry　that　you　did　not　help　them？　　Will　you

not　regret　that　only　at　the　last　you　helped　the　Kingdom　of　God？

Perhaps　you　will　not　be　able　to　do　it　then。　　And　then　your　life

has　been　lost　indeed。



Very　few　people　have　the　opportunity　to　seek　the　Kingdom　of　God

at　the　end。　　Christ；　knowing　all　that；　knowing　that　religion　was

a　thing　for　our　life；　not　merely　for　our　death…bed；　has　laid　this

command　upon　us　now：　　〃Seek　FIRST　the　Kingdom　of　God。〃



I　am　going　to　leave　you　with　this　text　itself。　　Every　boy　in　the

world　should　obey　it。



Boys；　before　you　go　to　work　to…morrow；　before　you　go　to　sleep

to…night；　resolve　that；　God　helping　you；　you　are　going　to　seek

FIRST　the　Kingdom　of　God。　　Perhaps　some　boys　here　are　deserters；

they　began　once　before　to　serve　Christ；　and　they　deserted。　　Come

back　again；　come　back　again　today！　　Others　have　never　enlisted　at

all。　　Will　you　not　do　it　now？　　You　are　old　enough　to　decide。　　The

grandest　moment　of　a　boy's　life　is　that　moment　when　he　decides　to

〃SEEK　FIRST　THE　KINGDOM　OF　GOD。〃











The　Changed　Life：　　The　Greatest　Need　of　the　World。









God　is　all　for　quality；　man　is　for　quantity。　　The　immediate　need

of　the　world　at　this　moment　is　not　more　of　us；　but；　if　I　may　use

the　expression；　a　better　brand　of　us。　　To　secure　ten　men　of　an

improved　type　would　be　better　than　if　we　had　ten　thousand　more　of

the　average　Christians　distributed　all　over　the　world。　　There　is

such　a　thing　in　the　evangelistic　sense　as　winning　the　whole　world

and　losing　our　own　soul。　　And　the　first　consideration　of　our

own　lifeour　own　spiritual　relations　to　Godour　own　likeness　to

Christ。　　And　I　am　anxious；　briefly；　to　look　at　the　right　and　the

wrong　way　of　becoming　like　Christof　becoming　better　men：　　the

right　and　the　wrong　way　of　sanctification。



Let　me　begin　by　naming；　and　in　part　discarding　some　processes　in

vogue　already　for　producing　better　lives。　　These　processes　are　far

from　wrong；　in　their　place　they　may　even　be　essential。　　One　ventures

to　disparage　them　only　because　they　do　not　turn　out　the　most　perfect

possible　work。



1。　　The　first　imperfect　method　is　to　rely　on



Resolution。



In　will　power；　in　mere　spasms　of　earnestness；　there　is　no　salvation。

Struggle；　effort；　even　agony；　have　their　place　in　Christianity；　as

we　shall　see；　but　this　is　not　where　they　come　in。



In　mid…Atlantic　the　Etruria；　in　which　I　was　sailing；　suddenly

stopped。　　Something　had　gone　wrong　with　the　engines。　　There　were

five　hundred　able…bodied　men　on　board　the　ship。　　Do　you　think　that

if　we　had　gathered　together　and　pushed　against　the　mast　we　could

have　pushed　it　on？



When　one　attempts　to　sanctify　himself　by　effort；　he　is　trying　to

make　his　boat　go　by　pushing　against　the　mast。　　He　is　like　a　drowning

man　trying　to　lift　himself　out　of　the　water　by　pulling　at　the　hair

of　his　own　head。



Christ　held　up　this　method　almost　to　ridicule　when　He　said；　〃Which

of　you　by　taking　thought　can　add　a　cubit　to　his　stature？〃　　Put　down

that　method　forever　as　being　futile。



The　one　redeeming　feature　of　the　self…sufficient　method　is　thisthat

those　who　try　it　find　out　almost　at　once　that　it　will　not　gain　the

goal。



2。　　Another　experimenter　says：　　〃But　that　is　not　my　method。　　I　have

seen　the　folly　of　a　mere　wild　struggle　in　the　dark。　　I　work　on　a

principle。　　My　plan　is　not　to　waste　power　on　random　effort；　but　to

concentrate　on　a　single　sin。　　By　taking



One　at　a　time



and　crucifying　it　steadily；　I　hope　in　the　end　to　extirpate　all。〃



To　this；　unfortunately；　there　are　four　objections：　　For　one　thing；

life　is　too　short；　the　name　of　sin　is　legion。　　For　another　thing；

to　deal　with　individual　sins　is　to　leave　the　rest　of　the　nature

for　the　time　untouched。　　In　the　third　place；　a　single　combat　with

a　special　sin　does　not　affect　the　root　and　spring　of　the　disease。

If　you　dam　up　a　stream　at　one　place；　it　will　simply　overflow　higher

up。　　If　only　one　of　the　channels　of　sin　be　obstructed；　experience

points　to　an　almost　certain　overflow　through　some　other　part　of　the

nature。　　Partial　conversion　is　almost　always　accompanied　by　such

moral　leakage；　for　the　pent…up　energies　accumulate　to　the　bursting

point；　and　the　last　state　of　that　soul　may　be　worse　than　the

first。　　In　the　last　place；　religion　does　not　consist　in　negatives；

in　stopping　this　sin　and　stopping　that。　　The　perfect　character　can

never　be　produced　with　a　pruning　knife。



3。　　But　a　third　protests：　　〃So　be　it。　　I　make　no　attempt　to　stop

sins　one　by　one。　　My　method　is　just　the　opposite。



I　copy　the　virtues



one　by　one。〃



The　difficulty　about　the　copying　method　is　that　it　is　apt　to　be

mechanical。　　One　can　always　tell　an　engraving　from　a　picture；　an

artificial　flower　from　a　real　flower。　　To　copy　virtues　one　by　one

has　somewhat　the　same　effect　as　eradicating　the　vices　one　by　one；

the　temporary　result　is　an　overbalanced　and　incongruous　character。

Some　one　defines　a　PRIG　as　〃a　creature　that　is　over…fed　for　its

size。〃　　One　sometimes　finds　Christians　of　this　speciesover…fed

on　one　side　of　their　nature；　but　dismally　thin　and　starved　looking

on　the　other。　　The　result；　for　instance；　of　copying　Humility；　and

adding　it　on　to　an　otherwise　worldly　life；　is　simply　grotesque。　　A

rabid　temperance　advocate；　for　the　same　reason；　is　often　the　poorest

of　creatures；　flourishing　on　a　single　virtue；　and　quite　oblivious

that　his　Temperance　is　making　a　worse　man　of　him　and　not　a　better。

These　are　examples　of　fine　virtues　spoiled　by　association　with

mean　companions。　　Character　is　a　unity；　and　all　the　virtues　must

advance　together　to　make　the　perfect　man。



This　method　of　sanctification；　nevertheless；　is　in　the　true　direction。

It　is　only　in　the　details　of　execution　that　it　fails。



4。　　A　fourth　method　I　need　scarcely　mention；　for　it　is　a　variation

on　those　already　named。　　It　is



The　very　young　man's　method；



and　the　pure　earnestness　of　it　makes　it　almost　desecration　to　touch

it。　　It　is　to　keep　a　private　note…book　with　columns　for　the　days

of　the　week；　and　a　list　of　virtues；　with　spaces　against　each　for

marks。　　this；　with　many　stern　rules　for　preface；　is　stored　away　in

a　secret　place；　and　from　time　to　time；　at　nightfall；　the　soul　is

arraigned　before　it　as　before　a　private　judgment　bar。



This　living　by　code　was　Franklin's　method；　and　I　suppose　thousands

more　could　tell　how　they　had　hung　up　in　their　bedrooms；　or　hid　in

locked…fast　drawers；　the　rules　which　one　solemn　day　they　drew　up

to　shape　their　lives。



This　method　is　not　erroneous；　only　somehow　its　success　is　poor。

You　bear　me　witness　that　it　fails。　　And　it　fails　generally　for　very

matter…of…fact　reasonsmost　likely　because　one　day　we　forget　the

rules。



All　these　methods　that　have　been　namedthe　self…sufficient　method；

the　self…crucifixion　method；　the　mimetic　method；　and　the　diary

methodare　perfectly　human；　perfectly　natural；　perfectly　ignorant；　and

as　they　stand　perfectly　inadequate。　　It　is　not　argued；　I　repeat；

that　they　must　be　abandoned。　　Their　harm　is　rather　that　they　distract

attention　from　the　true　working　method；　and　secure　a　fair　result

at　the　expense　of　the　perfect　one。　　What　that　perfect　method　is　we

shall　now　go　on　to　ask。



I。　　The　formula　of　sanctification。



A　formula；　a　receipt　for　Sanctificationcan　one　seriously　speak

of　this　mighty　change　as　if　the　process　were　as　definite　as　for

the　production　of　so　many　volts　of　electricity？



It　is　impossible　to　doubt　it。　　Shall　a　mechanical　experiment

succeed　infallibly；　and　the　one　vital　experiment　of　humanity　remain

a　chance？　　Is　corn　to　grow　by　method；　and　character　by　caprice？

If　we　cannot　calculate　to　a　certainty　that　the　forces　of　religion

will　do　their　work；　the