"Born of the Spirit;" or, Gems from the Book of LifeOsborne, Zenas
Religion
"Born of the Spirit;" or, Gems from the Book of Life
Osborne, Zenas
Free Methodist Church of North America; Osborne, Zenas
Our jails, and portions of Canada, are largely made up of that class.
The pressure brought upon men to supply the wife and daughters with
fashion’s demands, have driven them to the lodge, the gambling hell,
the brothel--and the worst of all--the saloon! What can be more
appalling than a lady martyred to fashion? from head to foot out of
shape--distorted--compressed--pulled out--cut off in trying to fit
the fashion plate. Alas! Alas! We are imitative beings. In this the
poor ape the rich so far as they are able. If they cannot wear the
glittering gems of great value, they will decorate themselves with
shoddy finery. Is it not time to call a halt to this wicked, ungodly
mode of life? For any man or woman to come out from this style of
things, and endorse plainness in dress, and righteousness all the way
through by precept and example, requires a holy heart, filled with
love divine. And this manner of life pays bountifully in this present
world, and will in the world to come, even life everlasting. During
the past fifty years I have noticed those that the Lord blessed the
most, and were the most useful in the church and world around them,
were that class that conscientiously carried out in their lives the
Apostolic plan already referred to.
There is much connected with fashionable attire that is supremely
wicked. First, the cost of the material; secondly, precious time
spent in its making; thirdly, the wearing of such is in violation of
the word of the Lord. 1 Peter 3:3, 4. The only organized opposition
to this mode of life is the Free Methodist church. She has stood like
a beacon light for nearly thirty years, warning men and women of
their imminent danger.
_Holiness unto the Lord_--is the key to the arch that spans the
temple of the living God. It is that which gives symmetry to life and
character, a state that we enter into when the soul has been swept
and garnished by the Holy Ghost and the blood of the Lamb, which
greatly enlarges our views of Christ and His powers to save, that
brings perpetual sunshine to the soul, that makes earth a paradise,
that causes flowers to bloom in the desert, and the water of life to
spring from the flinty rock, and the heart of the needy to rejoice
with joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. It is food to the
hungry, drink to the thirsty, and comfort to the weary and heavy
laden. It is full of hope; big with immortality. Over this boundless
plain comes the odor of Eden, fresh from the throne of God. This
holiness is a state, an experience, “where only Christ is heard to
speak, where Jesus reigns alone.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account