need, and the desire for a change of heart, a struggle begins. To
renounce their own will, perhaps their chosen objects of affection or
pursuit, requires an effort, at which many hesitate and falter and turn
back. Yet this battle must be fought by every heart that is truly converted.
We must war against temptations without and within. We must gain the
victory over self, crucify the affections and lusts; and then begins the
union of the soul with Christ. As the dry and apparently lifeless branch
is grafted into the living tree, so may we become living branches of the
True Vine. And the fruit which was borne by Christ will be borne by
all His followers. After this union is formed, it can be preserved only
by continual, earnest, painstaking effort. Christ exercises His power to
preserve and guard this sacred tie, and the dependent, helpless sinner must
act his part with untiring energy, or Satan by his cruel, cunning power will
separate him from Christ.
Every Christian must stand on guard continually, watching every
avenue of the soul where Satan might find access. He must pray for
divine help and at the same time resolutely resist every inclination to sin.
By courage, by faith, by persevering toil, he can conquer. But let him
remember that to gain the victory Christ must abide in him and he in
Christ.
A union of believers with Christ will as a natural result lead to a union
with one another, which bond of union is the most enduring upon earth.
We are one in Christ, as Christ is one with the Father. Christians are
branches, and only branches, in the living Vine. One branch is not to
borrow its sustenance from another. Our life must come from the parent
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vine. It is only by personal union with Christ, by communion with Him
daily, hourly, that we can bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
There has come into the church at Battle Creek a spirit that has no part
in Christ. It is not a zeal for the truth, not a love for the will of God as
revealed in His word. It is a self-righteous spirit. It leads you to exalt self
above Jesus and to regard your own opinions and ideas as more important
than union with Christ and union with one another. You are sadly lacking
in brotherly love. You are a backslidden church. To know the truth, to
claim union with Christ, and yet not to bring forth fruit, not to live in
the exercise of constant faith—this hardens the heart in disobedience and
self-confidence. Our growth in grace, our joy, our usefulness, all depend
on our union with Christ and the degree of faith we exercise in Him. Here
is the source of our power in the world.
Many of you are seeking honor of one another. But what is the honor
or the approval of man to one who regards himself as a son of God, a
joint heir with Christ? What are the pleasures of this world to him who is
daily a sharer in the love of Christ which passes knowledge? What are the
contempt and opposition of man to him whom God accepts through Jesus
Christ? Selfishness can no more live in the heart that is exercising faith in
Christ than light and darkness can exist together. Spiritual coldness, sloth,
pride, and cowardice alike shrink from the presence of faith. Can those
who are as closely united with Christ as the branch to the vine, talk of and
to everyone but Jesus?
Are you in Christ? Not if you do not acknowledge yourselves erring,
helpless, condemned sinners. Not if you are exalting and glorifying self.
If there is any good in you, it is wholly attributable to the mercy of a
compassionate Saviour. Your birth, your reputation, your wealth, your
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talents, your virtues, your piety, your philanthropy, or anything else in
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you or connected with you, will not form a bond of union between your
soul and Christ. Your connection with the church
