T h e Only Hope of Stemming the Inrush of the World. From “Purpose In Prayer” By REV. EDW . M . BOUNDS
a dog’s neck; he that offereth an obla tion, as if he offered swine’s blood;, he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol.” Turning away in disgust from these costly and profane offerings, He declares: “But to .this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth a t My word.” This tru th that God regards the per sonal purity of the man is fundamen tal. This truth suffers when ordinances are made much of and forms of worship multiply. The man and his spiritual character depreciate as Church cere monials increase. The simplicity of worship is lost in religious aesthetics, or in the gaudiness of religious forms. This tru th th a t the personal purity of the individual is the only thing God cares for is lost sight of when the Church begins to estimate men for what they have. When the Church eyes a man’s money, social standing, his be longings in any way, then spiritual Val ues are a t a fearful discount, and the tear of penitence, the heaviness of guilt are never seen a t her portals. Worldly bribes have opened and stained its pearly gates by the entrance of the impure. This tru th th a t God is looking after personal purity is swallowed up when the Church has a greed for numbers. “Not numbers, but personal purity is our aim,” said the fathers of Method ism. The parading of Church statistics is mightily against the grain of spiritual religion. Eyeing numbers greatly hind ers the looking after personal purity. The increase of quantity is generally at a loss of quality. Bulk abates precious ness.
HE world is coming into the Church at many points and in many ways. It oozes in; it pours in; it comes in with bra zen front or soft, insinuating disguise; it comes in a t the top and comes in at the bot tom; and percolates .through many a hidden way. ‘ For praying men and holy men we are looking—men whose presence in the Church will make it like a censer of holiest incense flaming up to God. With God the man counts for everything. Rites, forms, organizations are of small .moment; unless they are backed by the holiness of the man they are offensive in His sight, “ Incense is an abomina tion unto Me; the new moons and Sab baths, the calling of assemblies I cannot do away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.” Why does God speak so strongly against His own ordinances? Personal purity had failed. The impure man tainted all the sacred institutions of God and defiled them. God regards the man in so important a way as to put a kind of discount on all else. Men have built Him glorious temples and have striven and exhausted^ themselves to please God by all manner of gifts; but in lofty strains He has rebuked these proud worshippers and rejected their princely gifts. “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool: where is the house that ye built unto Me? and where is the place of My rest? For all those things ?hath Mine hand made, and all those things hath been, saith the Lord. He th a t kill- eth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off
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