Oh, have we not to bow in shame before God, as we think of His whole Church and see so much of the carnal prevailing?  Have we not to bow in shame before God, as we think of so much of the carnal in our hearts and lives?  Then let us bow in great faith in God’s mercy.  Deliverance is nigh, deliverance is coming, deliverance is waiting, deliverance is sure.  Let us trust; God will give it.

THE SELF LIFE.

II.

Matt. 16:  24.—­If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

In the 13th verse we read that Jesus at Caesarea Philippi asked His disciples, “Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” When they had answered, He asked them, “But whom say ye that I am?” And in verse 16 Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”  Jesus answered and said unto him:  “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonas, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven.  And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  Then in verse 21 we read how Jesus began to tell His disciples of His approaching death; and in verse 22 how Peter began to rebuke Him, saying, “Be it far from Thee, Lord; this shall not be unto Thee.”  But Jesus turned and said unto Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense unto me, for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”  Then said Jesus unto His disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.”

We often hear about the compromise life and the question comes up What lies at the root of it?  What is the reason that so many Christians are wasting their lives in the terrible bondage of the world instead of living in the manifestation and the privilege and the glory of the child of God?  And another question perhaps comes to us:  What can be the reason that when we see a thing is wrong and strive against it we cannot conquer it?  What can be the reason that we have a hundred times prayed and vowed, yet here we are still living a mingled, divided, half-hearted life?  To those two questions there is one answer:  it is self that is the root of the whole trouble.  And therefore, if any one asks me, “How can I get rid of this compromise life?” the answer would not be, “You must do this, or that, or the other thing,” but the answer would be, “A new life from above, the life of Christ, must take the place of the self-life; then alone can we be conquerors.”