Telegram-herald., 1889-05-20


light, otherwise inaccessible, so that the
eye of the human understanding may
behold II. IL means that the Word
contains the infinite love and wisdom
OF God, wrapped in garments woven of
human thought.
The Word contains all truth. Its let
ter is the very clothing of the Divine
mind, and thereby the Word is Divine
truth. For tins reason ii is written,
'ln the beginning the Word was with
God, and the Word was God" The
Divine truth is within the body. The
letter OF the Word is not itself Divine,
but it is Divine by virtue OF the
spiritual sense combined therein; the
same as we say of a man, that he is not
a man by virtue of the body, but from
the soul and human principle within.
Man can no more ascertain the truth
of the Word by comparing statements III
the letter with contemporaneOus events
and facts IN natural science than he
can find the soul with lens and de-
sectlng knife. The soul is an organism
distinctly above the material eye and
It's plane of operation; likewise, the
truth of the Word occupies aplane dis
tinctly above material events and
natural facts.
As the letter of the Word is taken
from human ideas, it does not differ
particularly from what man might
write; but the spiritual sense is pre-
minently above the ability of man to
compose, and is as far beyond his full
comprehension as the infinite itself.
Man can not be led except by the
things that appeal to the affections,
thoughts, motives, desires or feelings.
Therefore the Lord wisely put the
letter in such form as to appeal to man
III the lowest state of being. To illus
trate: The Lord says that be is zeal
Gus God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers unto the third andifourth gener-
atiOns. This is not literally true, but
it is according to the appearance of
truth to the evil doer. One with disor-
dered eyes will say of the sunlight: at
is painful; it is severe" The sunlight
is not painful. 1t is the dIsordered eye
that makes the sunlight so appear. To
the healthy eye the sunlight Is glorious.
Likewise the Lord appears as Jealous
and revengful only when the spiritual
eve, the understanding of truth, is out
of order. If we obey natural laws, we
enjoy the delights of health: If we dis
obey them, we suffer physical disorder
and lose the pleasures of natural life
which the Lord has ordained. If we
obey spiritual laws, we viii enjoy the
spiritual delights of love and wisdom:
If we disObey them, we will suffer spir-
itual disorder and lose the internal
peace and happiness arising from har-
mOny with divine order. Evilpunishes
itself. Good deeds bring their own re-
wards.
The letter Of the Word contains
threats of punishment. This is for a
purpose. Those who have no love OF
the good and true qualities, cannot be
affected by appeals to a sense of good
or of truth.
The Word also appeals to the hope of
reward. Yet other parts of the Word
make the most tender and loving sup
plIcatIOns. In fact, through the form
of the letter, the Word addresses every
possible shape of life and thought
When man reads the Word with an
honest desire, the Lord communicates
to him the truth and power which j.
essential in his State. The Word, by
its internal meaning, communicates
with Heaven and the Lord, and
is thus n means by which
the Lord adapts His infinite love and
wisdom to finite receptivity. "Thc
words that ! speak unto YOU, they are
spirit and they are life" "The letter
kIlleth, but the spirit glyeth life"
The Word Is not intended % teach
| geology. The earth itself is a great
book bearing Its own unmistakable
| record. Each stratum i'll leaf whereon is
written its own history Man can
write books on the carth's formation.
1t is not intended To teach history.
Man can write his own history. The
| Word teaches spiritual things. Some
fail to see spiritual things in il because
I they read IL in natural light. II is a
/ divine, spiritual book Men read . IS
q finite, natural book. Instead Of look
ing for spiritual truths, they search for
natural facts and events, instead Of
testing 10 by experience ia a regenerate
life.
Instead Of searching in Asa, let him
look in himself for the garden Of Eden
with It's tree of life. and he VII find c
IN the form Of his higher nature, ,u
which life from the Lord abdcs. In
his lower nature he can hnd The tree of
the knowledge of good and Owl. with
ti0us. when perverted. ira turn DESTROYS
his intellectual faculties Instead of
trying 20 read geology ont of Genesis,
lof him look for The history ~ the second
birth. ard he w,Ii view is teach ugs
WITH greater awe and feelings Of sub
l--,s+r +ra- ever possessed hm when
,o--+c~,rfat.uv tho storm. the uIerdor
N the 3sv. or the silent glory 0f the
night.
IT. nav see in the history of the T.
~selffes fleeing from Egyptian bondage
wandering ,1 the wi idernese, and finally
reaching the prom sd lard. a reprcser-
s--t7tan q hs ovn recanerafo1
whereby he mav escape from hondaze
- here1 tsry EVIL, and, though ueet.nz
nth az tons and trials through hs
-er weakness. hnallv enters nto the
heaven If rrrm SO rest
The Word t.4uss - The useof natural