, 1886-03-21

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Paul says in Galatians: ~ am crncified with
Christ, nevertheless l live; yetnotI l, but Christ
lveth in me; and the life l now live in
the flesh | live by the faith Of the Son Of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me"
And in Colossians he says: Your life is hid
with Christ in Cod Nobody could sit for
the portrait OF that which Christ sees In him.
No earthly thinner could draw the features OF
this soul that has been transfused with the
life OF Christ.
This, then, is the higher, ultimate stage.
Some OF the characteristics of this eminent
state are, first, great peace and great tran
guilty. In this world, while men are yet
young and love impressions upon their
nerves, racket and struggle and rebound, echo
and re-echo, are not altogether disagreeable;
but as men get weary OF the strife of life,
a thought arises, still as the star OF even,
over the horizon, Peace and rest Not lack
OF activity, but peace. This may come by
lowering the tcna OF a mans nerves, but
there is a peace that comes by quickening
the tone Of a mans nerves. II is not the
peace OF somnolency. 1t is that perfect rest
OF the soul when It Is filled full of
that for which il hungers and thirsts-
II is the rest of impletion. That is the testi-
mony OF 10000 saints that have lived since
the advent OF Christ. Not only peace ordi-
narily in the avocations OF life, but In all the
exigencies that try mems souls. There never
has been a dying saint on his pillow that
had profounder rest and peace in God
than men nave had tied TO the stake
with fagots burning the body, so great Is the
power Of God upon the inward life. II is
also accompanied with great sympathy with
all men 1t is not a luxury which one boards
and enjoys by himself 1t is not a selfish
satisfaction that the soul is made to play such
melodies and choir such harmonies- Emitted
from God, il partakes OF the divine nature
and Is ELUSIVE, full Of sympathy with all men
In every direction; and 1t also has this for an
experience, a settled joy-not rs a thing
sought after, but as a thing which comes with
moral qualities when they are the things
sought for and not the joy itself
1t is a love upward toward all conceivable
excellence, it adds certainty TO our conscious
ness and Indifference 10 all outward events.
1.-The will OF the ord DO done,H that is the
rudder of life. Rejoice, when every harp is
broken and every organ Is destroyed, when
all the outward life is wasted, whom revolu-
tion Is in the land, rejoice in the ord.
It rises up into such a consciousness Ct
the divine atmosphere and life and treasure,
that It is happy under all circumstances
Such IL was when the mother, as
her babe breathed its last, and with its
last sigh and pulsation went away
lifted up her head and said; Il give
thee joy, my darling So in conditions OF
outward trouble. When all tho natural and
lower feelings are wrung, there is an atmos-
phere into which the soul may rise and be
utterly Indifferent TO the public opinion, in
different TO disgrace, as men call it, indif-
ferent TO everything but self and God.
Men may have "a twilight exper-
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understand the philosophy of 1t. Indeed, |
don't think that anybody quite understands
the philosophy Of it. think philosophy can
not really pronounce itself accurately unless
IL understands the nature and the terms OF all
the elements that go into the consideration;
and we know so little Of God, and we
know so much less Of the motion
OF the divine mind upon our own
nature, that it cannot be properly said that
we can philosophize about it. We can only
say this: These are the phenomena, and such
are the experiences; and these are so numer-
Gus and run through so wide a scale that /
can have no doubt whatever in regard
to them. In spite, however, OF all
mistakes, there is an experience in
piety which puts to shame all lower
forms of enjoyment Once had and
lost, It Is night; once gained, It is morning.
IL hlbei Ditl0 ~ ho H'ulttuihk VI tnt Nv budl
is to be. 1t redeems the life that now is.
Men may call it perfection, If that word
suits them. It Is a misleading word. 1
don't use it myself, l don't esteem it in
others. l merely say, in this world
nobody is perfect, nobody will be perfect;
nevertheless there is this transcendently high
soul experience which men choose to eau per-
f~ectnessL There is this state in which a man
is at rest with the Lord jesus and receives a
fruition Of all the promises that are made by
Christ to His disciples.
Now, may all ave It'll In some degree, yes.
1t is not to be bought. 1t is not to be gained
by the viii merely, but a man may unfold
his life little by little until he reaches that
state of mind in which these results
will be produced in him, but accord
ing to the measure OF the capacity Of the
nature that be has got Persons OF slender
endowment, OF a relatively Opaque brain,
coarse hbered, they can come into this ex-
p~erience, but it will measure itself in them,
moth the way in which it is in a genius, a poet,
a great soul like Fenelon, or Pascal, or Bour-
dalo1e, or any of the eminent men like
Wesley, Whitfield, Edwards. These were
men of genius, that is, large brains, fine in
structure and nature, with wonderful
education and a wonderful experience,
going on step by step until it came
TO these higher reaches. Nevertheless,
though a man cannot write poetry he
can read it, and enjoy it; though he mny not
be eloquent, he is susceptible to e~loquence
when he has it poured out before him; and
there are men that cannot originate
the highest visions and highest experiences,
but they can come so near to them that they
have, in their measure, something Of the same
kind in themselves And | say this is an OBJ
ject for search and for a reasonable
hope Of attainment TO every Chris
tian man, especially to those that
begin early, and that make the cultivation Of
their spiritual life the one supreme end
above every other. II is possible, and to a
degree that would make religion transosn-
IDENTIFY joyful and effcetual. II men only
more might be found seeking H. These are
what | call Gods elect. ! am not 50 profound
a believer In the old Calvinistic doctrine a.
some folks are; still l believe in election,
and l generally think men elect them
selves; and whoever rises through spiritual
culture TO this high understanding Of himself
and Of Jesus, and lives In the atmosphere OF
Christ, so that the life he lives he lives by
tAith in Jesus Christ, be is Gods elect
But the church Is too much like "A vast
room, with ono candle in the sconcc, or at
most two. What we want is churches that
have so large a company Of those that live in
this higher state, as that their joined light
shall form, as it were, an illumination, and
their joined impulse OF life shall have a cur
rent, by which others shall be taken up and
carried ON.
In spite OF all mistakes and eccentri .ities OF
the teachers OF this doctrine, IN spite Of all
misphilosophy, the truth remains one that
Is the most profoundly interesting TO you and
to me OF all truths that belong 10 this human
sphere, you can rise up out OF your lower and
uimal nature into your spiritual, until
ypu come TO a point Of resurrection
u the soul yet in the body, and in that higher
aor tier you can CONS into personal rela-