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 man's natural  craving  for  dominion,  he  vainly  covets the worldly  means  he  imagines  necessary  to  the  conquest of  the  world. In his  efforts  upward,  he  grasps at earthly  things,  but  the  tighter  he  clutches  them the more  he  finds  them  escaping  like  sea-sand  through his fingers. Had he  but  faith  to  know  Christ  and His Apostles,  and  the  ways  and  means  whereby  they overcame the  world,  he  would  learn  that  as  water rises to  its  own  level,  so,  only  he  who  humbles  himself shall  be  exalted,  only  he  whom  God  commends shall share  the  victory. The point  at  issue  between the world  and  God  is  whether  man  shall  live  for  this life or  the  next,  and  where  by  faith  we  take  our  stand with Christ  and  publicly  confess  Him  before  men  in word  and  deed,  we  achieve,  besides  an  earthly  victory, a  claim  to  a  heavenly  triumph  when  Christ  shall confess us  before  His  Father  who  is  in  heaven. Thus besides  conquering  this  world  we  do  violence to, and  carry  by  storm,  the  world  to  come. In the eight Beatitudes  are  catalogued  the  weapons  of  our warfare. By pride  was  man's  dominion  o'er  the world lost  and  his  right  to  heaven  forfeited,  but  we by  meekness  regain  possession  of  the  earth,  and  by poverty  of  spirit  and  a  willingness  to  suffer  persecution for  justice's  sake,  we  reopen  the  kingdom  of heaven. Our weapons  are  virtues  that  follow  belief in Christ,  or  briefly,  that  is  the  victory  which  overcometh  the  world— our  faith.

Brethren, the  conquest  of  the  world  by  faith  is  a victory,  yes! but like  all  victories,  sadly  incomplete. For continued  warfare  is  the  price  of  victory,  and