The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-09-08
ISnecfa1 Contributors.
THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT.
BY REV. VIM. TUCKER, d. d.
Mount Gilead, o.

God is the spiritual Father of all
men. We are all his children, made in
his likeness and created in his image.
We have his moral and spiritual nature
"Have we not all one Father" He
is the father of all, within all, above
all and through all" We are COM
manded to pray to him as our Father
in heaven. The universal Fatherhood
of God is clearly taught in the inspired
word. 1t is one of the doctrines Of
Christ.
The, object and function Of the wit
ness of the spirit Of God is not to make
us the children of God, for we are all
his children, but to reveal the fact to
us. A witness never makes fact or
creates a truth. He only reveals, tes
titles to, or proves fact, previously ex
isting. This is the whole work. This
is the function of the divine spiritual
witness as it is that of all human testi-
mony. We are all children of God, but
we do not know it. We are in igno-
rance of it until God reveals it. This
he does by the divine revelation made to
US in the Bible, and by the witness Of
the spirit. The spirit of God beaTeth
witness with our spirits that we are the
children of God. And if children, then
heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs
with Christ. For we have not received
the spirit of bondage agsin 70 Lear, but
ss.sls... aeeiysg he ii OF adoption
surely we cry "a bba, ather. Ro-
mans viii, Is, 16)
''And it is the spirit that beareth
witness, because the spirit is truth"
This divine witness is necessary to give
us spiritual and experimental proof
that we are the children of God. This
witness gives us the inward assurance
and spiritual consciousness that we sus-
tain this relation to God
HE that believeth on the son of God
hath the witness in himself. :" 6 Here
by we know that we dwell in him, and
he in us, because he hath given us his
spirit. John iv, Is; V, H. When
we repent of our sins, reform our lives,
believe in Christ, discharge our duties,
meet our obligations, love God and
man, we have the inward witness that
we are the children OF God. 1--WE
know in whom we have believed. ""We
know that we have passed from death
into life because we love the brethren"
"If ye love me keep my command
ments, and / will pray the Father and
he will give you another comforter
that he may abide with you forever.
Even the spirit of truth. John xiv,
IS, 16, II. For tho man knOweth the
thing of man, but the spirit of man,
even so the things of God knoweth no
man, but the spirit of God. Now we
have received not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God;
"that we might know the things that
are freely given to US of God" [. Cor.
ii, II, 12) Christ and his apostles in
these inspired words clearly teach us
our spiritual relation to God, and the
existence and presence of an inward
spiritual witness to this relation en-
joyed by those who live in obedience
to the spiritual law OF righteousness
and love. This is the ground of reli-
gious experience of which every spirit
ually minded man is fully conscious.
Christian biography abOunds with evil
dence of this spiritual experience. The
children of God who have come to
personal knowledge of this relation by
repentance, faith and obedience, have
testified to it in every age of the
church. We can not nationally question
the truth of their testimony; for their
veracity stands unimpeached before
the world. The experience to which
they testify is clearly a matter of per
sonal consciousness, and therefore in
this they are not deceived.
Where the spirit testifes that we are
Gods children it also works or operates,
producing in men the divine character
and likeness. "As many as are led by
the spirit of God they are the sons of
God" 1.-The fruit of the spirit is love,
JOY, peace, temperance, meekness and
patience" ''He that loveth is born of
God and knoweth Cod" for God is love.
A Christian character and life is the
proof of genuine Christian experience.
1t is the moral evidence of the religious
change which men experience in pass
ing from spiritual death to spiritual
life. In this way they become like their
spiritual and divine Father.