St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-10-25
On Knowing Christ.
BY REV. GEO. H. BALL. D. D.

"To know him, and the power of his
resurrection, and the fellowship of his
sufferings," was his ruling passion. He
wanted no proposition between him and
his Lord. To know about him, of him,
was not enough. Thousands know of
Christ and are lost. Saul knew of him
while student under Gamaliel, and
when he held the garments of them that
stoned Stephen. He might have become
a nominal believer and still have had
no personal acquaintance with him. On
his way to Damascus he began a real
acquaintance. HencefOrth he knew him
as his own Savior, his life and hope.
Faith became experience. We never
really know anything until we expert
ence it. '.What man knoweth the things
of a man, save the spirit of man which
is in him Even so, the things of God
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God"
We only know men by being men, and
having the experience of men and only
know Christ 10y entering into the expe-
renee of Christ, through the incOrpOra
ton of his experience, feelings, tastes,
aspirations, into the exercises of our
own souls in active life. This had been
Paul's privilege. The spirit, purposes,
feelings, sorrows, joys. sufferings and
triumphs of Christ had been wrought
into his inner life by the spirit and the
intimate companionship in trials, la
b0rs, prosecutions, deliverances, suffer-
ings, joys, conflicts, great variety of
exercises. Christ was formed within
him he was crucitied with him lived
in and with him, and hence knew him
richly.
Still the cry of his soul continued, 81
hunger to know Christ" An intimate
friend of a great and good man, said !:
ale grew upon me every year." There
are few such men. Christ grew Oh Paul
until desire for new unfoldings became
Il passion. The more he knew of him,
the more he expected, and the more ea
ger he was to know him better. He
counted everything else as drOss COM
pared with the excellency of the knOwl
edge of Christ Jesus his Lord, which he
had already attained; reckOned himself
among the perfect" and as having
"attained" gracious endOwmentS. And
yet us not "already perfect" nor us
having 'already attained" he pressed
forward with more ardor than ever, to
"knOw Christ" He did not undervalue
the blessings gained, but was so intent
upon higher knowledge that he had lit
tie time or disposition to dwell upon
the past. Hear him. "This one thing
do, forgetting those things that are be-
hind, and reaching forth unto those
things that are before, press toward
the mark of the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus"
What prize Heaven? Happiness
Delightful communion like that the
disciples enjoyed in the walk to En-
maus Nay, verify; but more knOwl-
edge of Christ in the deep mysteries of
his suffering, lis experiences with death
aud the power of his resurrection. He
mentions resurrection first in the text,
because that lowered before him like a
mountain peak, a good to be won, but
suffering and death come before it in
the order of time. Few desire to know
Christ in his sufferings. We prefer the
mount of glory, scenes of joy, ''third-
heaven" revelations, ''green pastures;
and ''still waters" Paul had large ex-
coveted most of all, acquaintance with
ger for this, that he thought little of
what he, had enjoyed. He spent DO
time thinking how good lie had become,
NJ" liShsy Lulu huu piCSSCu
how far in advance of other Christians
he had grown, but his supreme desire
was to penetrate-tO the deepest mystic
ries of the Savior's life, to know him in
the Fellowship of his sufferings,n the
center of his saving love, the richest vein
of his marvellous experience this he
could not do without entering himself
into the valley of sorrow; into such Il
Cniritnol ctofa that hn oruilf on1 hon
and wretchedness of sinners would bur-
den his soul as they did the soul of his
divine Lord. 1t was in sufferings that
Christ revealed his mightiest love, his
most powerful grace, his inmost heart
of Kindness, and Paul desired to enter
upon an experience that would enable
him to appreciate those sufferings, and
to know the love that lead to them
and he understood full well that the
only way to reach such a result, was to
suffer with his Lord, be baptised with
the same baptism that overwhelmed his
soul. How many of us desire such a
knowledge of Christ We sing, "Neareu
my God, to thee, cen though it he a
cross that raisetb me-" yet recoil from
trials and sacrifices that offer rich reve-
latiOns of Christ. How many of us
sufferings ~ Are we so anxious to ap-
preciate Christ as bearer of burdens,
a sacrifice for sin and shame, that we
court the baptism of suffering to attain
it'll Do we welcome losses, trials, sick
nesses, sorrows, that we may expert
ence the power of Christ rs a refuge
and support, and gain perception OF
his sympathy for the miserable? We
never know another except as we are
like him, having the same tasks, trials,
joys and sorrows. Are we eager to
know Christ on such conditions7
Paul asked for no chariot of fire to
take him to glory. His Lord had grap-
pied with the great enemy and he pre-
ferred the same passage, "being made
comfortable to his DEATH" that he might
know him, feel his power, enjoy his
support in death, experience his fellow
ship, and appreciate his victory in the
resurrection. Since Jesus had died, he
preferred to die; where Jesus conquer
ed he wished to conquer; the same
power. that quickened him he hoped to
feel. "LoOking unto Jesus" was his
passion; to be bound to him by every
possible experience, his ambition. So
should it be with us. Our glory in
heaven will be measured by our knowl-
edge of his suffering, according to the
sacred oracle, ''If so be that we suffer
with him that we may be gl0rifed to-
getber." Many will say, ''This is hard
saying, who can hear it ?" but some I'M
derstand, and rejoice to know Christ in
losses, sacrifices, sufferings, and will
soon know him still more in death and
the resurrection, and finally in glory