Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-02-15
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE.

echool.
CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE.
The OILY ssre guarantee of Christian
stability is Christian experience. The
only conviction of the divinity of the
Bible and the truth of the gospel which
has real staying and holding power Is
that Khisb comes from the process of
applying.and testing the Bible in prac-
tical course of obedience. We are far,
tHdead. from admitting or thinking that
our religion can not trilmphantly main
tain itself in fair sight on the open field
of controversy. 1t does not shrink
from the forum of debate or from the
arbitramcnt of reason. 1t is ready on
proper occasion, though with no brag-
CART airs, to take up tie challenge of in
fidel foes of the scientific school. or of
any other school. using Only the weap-
OILS Of criticism and logic But in an
age like 6iirs. when skepticism is in the
air, and the tinie-spirit'' is confessed
ly hostile TO Evangelical religion, and
even all claims TO the miraculous and
supernatural. something more than
knowledge and syllogism is requisite 10
keep the Christ an serene and assured
in his faith, especially the average
Christian. He is in danger of under
going an unconscious process Of sap
bling, mining, honey-combing even. lie
breatfics malarial atmosphere, and
before he is aware Of It he may betray
symptoms of debility and depression.
such as denote the presence In his sp!r1t-
ual system of q lurking poison. The
only absolutely sure defense against
this fatal result il personal, living ex-
perience of the truth OF Chr s'ian.ty,
which shall satisfy his soul and LIT him
above the possibilities of serious doubt.
The only way in which one can really
become Christian runs through this
narrow gate of obedience and practi e.
A process of Putting the doctrines of
Christ to the proof in afl honest effort
to do them is the eternal condition of
Christian discipleship. Thus alone can
we know" those doctrines as true,
taste" them as good, and enter into the
freedom and fellowship of the Gospel
Mere study, learning aud logic can
never give a sense OF gertrude rs to re-
vealed truth. One who works only in
the dry and colorless light of the intel
lect will forever come short of genuine
Christian trust and peace. Before this
end can be attained the Gospel must
cease to be mere system or theory
worthy of admiration; it must strike
into mans heart, work itself into his
being, and work itself out in his life. In
word, it must be thing o. actual and
intimate experience.
And as we can not become Christians
| without experience. so we can not re-
main such, at least assured and happy
Christians, without keeping this expe-
ricnce alive and having it grow deeper
and richer. Especially is this true in
period when the word is resoundng
with the clashing arms of religious
combatants, and the air is vibrating with
doubt. If at such moment we would
feel the ground solid beneath our feet,
we must have an experimental knowl-
edge Of Divine truth that shall enable
| MS 10 say: 81 kR0W that these things
are SOL knoU whom have believed
l have tried the Gospel plan and re-
sources, and am sure of their Divinity
from their precise adaptation to all
my needs. You can spare yourself the
trouble OF attempting to unsettle my
faith, for it will be an utterly futile
effort"
Now this is not simply possible and
very comfortable attainment; it is also
perfectly valid before the bar of reason.
IL is no sign of enthusiasm or weak
credulity to plead this ground of conf
dence and be satisfied with it. IL is
true the argument which it involves
may not be particularly effective in
convincing the skeptic or silencing the
ga'nsayer, but it is unimpeac able as a
justification of the believer in his chos-
en- course. 1t rests upon n sound phi
lO.ophy. There is no better proof than
our own consciousness, our irrepressible
instincts, and our intuitive Judgments:
and all these enter into that composite
result which is called experience.
Especially in the domain of religion,
from the very necessities of the case,
Consciousness, instinct and intuition play
agreat part. The Bible rel es mu h
nFon its own self-evidencing we ght
to commend it to our favor, and expert
ence is but the response of the spiritual
sense in us 10 this inherent Scriptural
evidence With true app: eciat.on of
the Importance of what we have been
saying, Neander said: at is the heart
that makes the true theologian y He
was clearly right. The theo.ogian who
is intellectual. and nothing more, can
not understand, nor expound. nor de-
fend the doctrines of the Bible. Ne
ander's dictuDi is, in fact, little else
than variation of Pauls knowledge
puffeth up; charity edifcth." in like
manner Pascal in one of his most pro-
| found and sentcntious observations,
declares: Human objects must be
known in order to be loved; Divine
must be loved in order to be known"
The little that Matthew Arnold retains
of Christianity he owes to his heart. He
asserts that men can not do without re-
igion." Again he says. ito enjoy 1le
Bsbtc and 10 turn Il 10 has benefit 1.-THE
italics are his own] is the one proper
object to be proposed in dealing with
this book 1t remains true. and a
truth never to be lost sight OF, that in
the domain of religion, rs in the do
main of poetry. the whole apparatus Of
learning is but secondary, and that we
always 90 wrong with our learning
when we suffer ourselves to forget
this" In one of the finest passages
that he ever wrote, Hawthorne de-
scribes the different impressions made
by the painted windows of q cathedral
- seen from without or from within.
'.All this," he says, lis most forcible
emblem Of the different aspect Of rclig-
ious truth IS viewed from the warm
in1erior OF belief, or from lis cold and
dSc7ry outside. Christian faith IS q