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4 THE TABERNACLE PULPIT God’s Will and My Life. “To do Thy will is more than praise, As words are less than deeds, And simple trust can find Thy ways, We miss with chart of creeds.” OME years ago, during the Woman’s Conference at Northfield, one Sunday morning, 1 sat in the front seal in the corner of the village church. The speak er took for his subject, “Every Human Life a Plan oi God.” 1 remember very distinctly the announcement of his sub ject, though 1 do not remember his text, or anything that he said especially. S When he had announced his subject, my mind went instantly back over hills and valleys and rivers and streams until it rested in a little cottage, out in the rural district of central North Carolina, where my eyes first saw the light of day. Then I asked this question: “Is it possible, 0 God, that that morning in that little cottage by the side of that humble little hie, the infinite God stood with a chart and compass in his hand fur the govemmeu, of its lile?” There came to me as definitely as any words ever came to my ears, this answer: “Yes, it is not only possibxe, Lut it is true.” Then 1 put my head down on the pew in Ironl of me, and began to pi ay: “U Lord, 1 am sorry 1 had no one to tell me tins truth in those days, and now 1 pray thee forgive ail the mistakes oi the past, and lei me get this morning into the ciicie of tuy plan, and keep me there, tioly f ather, until the day oi my death.” While 1 am conscious of many blunders 1 have made since that day, 1 am conscious also of tne fact that that moimng was an epoch in my life. Since then, 1 have seen God with d.ffeient eyes, and his truth has been to me what it had never been before. It was just this that the Apostle Paul is speaking about in Colossians 4:12: “mpaph.as, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all tne will of God.” hpaphras was prayaig for certain brethren, that they might be “pvixect and complete in the will ox God.” It is one thing to do light; it is another thing to be right. Many of us are trying to do light wno are not nglit. All the light doing will amount to nothing in the sight of God until we are right. It seems to me that the Apostle Paul has the same luea in Galatians 2 20: “1 am ciucified with Christ; nevertheless 1 live; yet not 1, but Christ liveth in me.” There are three classes of Christians. First, the man whose creed is made up of “don’ts.” Ask that man to engage tn anything that is question able, and he at once says: “No, 1 don’t do that; 1 am dead; 1 am crucified with Christ.” 1 wish we had more of that class in our chuicljes. Then we have another class whose creed is made up of “do s.” They are always “hustling.” They are never absent fiom any church meeting, and are filled with good works. And yet, 1 am sorry to say, it does not take very much peisuasion for them to engage in anything that is questionable. They live but they aie not crucified. Now the other class of people—and I .would to God that there were more of them—is a Class rep resented by the Apostle when he says: “1 am cru cified with Christ” (1 don’t); “nevertheless I live” (1 do); “yet not I, but Chr.st liveth in me.” The do’s and don'ts are brought together by the plus sign of the cross, and there we have a perfect Christian. PERFECT. We must understand that the apostle in using the word perfect is not holding up a hope that we may enter into a state of perfection that admits of no higher development. It is not the perfection of The Golden Age for November 8, 1906. Tabernacle Sermon by Rev. Len. G. Broughton. maturity that he is praying for. The Apostle Paul knows too well that they can never attain unto that in this life. He is, however, holding up the possibility of entering the perfection of state. The difference is illustrated by the apple on the tree. The apple when it is half-grown is perfect, provid ing it is appropriating all of the environments that go to make up perfect fruit: but it has rot reached the perfection of maturity until it ripens, and falls to the ground. The apostle here is praying that these Christians may live in a s*ate of perfection, appropriating all that God environs them with for the development of their Christian character. COMPLETE. Then let us take the next word. “That ye may stand perfect and complete.” The revised versh* translates the word complete “fully assured.” Thus not only is it possible to enter and live in the will of God, but likewise that we may know that we are in the will of God. If that is true, it be comes a very interesting question, Am I living day by day in the will of God? Not only am I in the will of God when I am preaching and explaining the Scriptures, or attending conventions, but am I liv ing day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment, at home and abroad, in the perfect will of God? That is the question. HOW WE MAY KNOW HIS WILL. We may know this by coming to the word of God and finding out. fiist of all, what the will of God is concerning his people, and then by an alyzing our own lives, to see whether or not we con form to the will of God concerning us. SAVES. The first thing I will ask you to note is, the fact it is the will of God that all men should be saved. 2 Peter 3:9: “The Loid is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repent ance.” That is univeisalism in so far as its pro vision is concerned, but it is specialism in so far as its appropiiation goes. 1 used to hear my father tell how, when he was quite young, the United States government, by universal proclamation, of fered land out west to any young man who would go and settle upon it. My father was anxious to go, but could not make up his mind. While he was de bating the question, two of his companions decided to go, and they went. Those two young men settled upon the land, and became independently rich. My father gave it up in doubt, remained at home and became dependently poor. There is a um’crsil proclamation, which became special because all men would not accept it. The atonement of Jesus Christ is broad enough to take in the universe of God. Never has there been a soul that has not had a chance at salvation in the purpose of God, but how sad it is that so few have accepted this provis ion and been saved! Are we standing in perfect harmony with this part of the will of God ? Do we believe that it is the will of God that every man should be saved? It is easy to think that God wills the salvation of our church and of our neighbors, and of good, respect able people, but has the thought taken possession of us that the vilest sinner, the gutter snipe, is just as eagerly sought by God as the man who lives in the mansion? Until that thought has taken possession of us, so we are willing to live that way, and to work that way, we are not in the will of God. Do you not think that the woild sees how the church makes a division among men? They see that we are more anxious about the salvation of some people than we are others; they see us running after the rich and the intelligent and the iefined to the neglect of the poor and the outcast. Hence, the world does not respect our religion. Oh, it is easy to bring sinners to Chiist when the sinner becomes convinced that it is his soul that we are after, and not his wealth! SANCTIFIES. Take the next step. It is the will of God that the saints should be sanctified. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7: “For this is the will of God, even your sanc tification. For God hath not called us unto unclean ness, but unto holiness.” Let us not be frightened here. I know how prejudiced we are upon this sub ject of sanctification, and yet there is nothing taught in the Bible any more definitely than the doc trine of sanctification. What are we to understand by the word “sanc tify”? It means two things, to cleanse and to set apart. It is the will of God that we shall be clean. It is also the will of God that we should be sepa rate. Surely there is no one who would say that God does not will the separation of his people from sin and sinful companions. Is there a true wife who would be satisfied to live with a husband not sepa rated unto her? Never. Os course, it is the will of God that we should live a separate life, holy unto him. Now if this is the will of God, it is possible for us to attain unto it. In the purpose of God, we are sanctified and separated the moment that we are re-generated. But though this be ’true of us in the purpose of God at the time of our re-gen eration. it is not true of us in our experience. We have the birth-risht, but we have not claimed it, and what we need is to get down humbly before him, and by faith appropriate what he has provided for us. This is what some call a second blessing; it is however only claiming by faith the full provision of God. DELIVERANCE. We come to the next step. It is the will of God that we shall be delivered from the power of sin. 1 Corinthians 10:13: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the tempt ation also make away of escape.” How pecious this truth is! Temptation is not an uncommon thing. God has not willed to keep us from tempta tion, but, blessed be his name, he has promised to keep us from being mastered by it. But when we are temtped, then what? Fix our eyes upon Jesus. He says he hath provided for ev ery temptation. Not only the great temptations, not the little ones simply, but for every temptation he has provided away of escape. There is no reason in the world, as I read the Scriptures, why any Christian should yield to temptation. Christ has made the way of escape. If liis word be true, there is always a remedy if we will only look up, and ob tain the light and the strength. So when we come to face our temptation, let us face our Christ, and in his strength we may be come strong, but in our strength, we are ever weak and feeble. THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT. Let us take another step. It is the will of God that we should receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Luke 11:13: “How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.” Jesus Christ wills that every man, that every wo man, that every child redeemed by his blood shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. It may not be the power to preach, or to teach, or to become a missionary, or to evangelize, or to write books, or edit papers, but he wills to equip every saved soul with the gift of power for the life that he desires that soul to live. The Holy Spirit is in charge of the work of extending the kingdom of God on earth, and when a man believes this, and surrenders his life to the Holy Spirit as the Master of the situa tion that he may be guided, directed and instruct ed and empowered by him, that moment he receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. How impo taut! First, it is important in order that we comprehend “the Word of Life.” I shall never forget a visit into Luray Cave, Vir-