Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-06-12

Rev. q. P. Clifford on Spiritual Power
We are to think together o-nlg nj concern
ing sDiritual power. The church OF Chrlst
stands for spiritual power in the world;
having that, whatever else she LACKS s1e
has everything; lacking that whatever else
she has. she lacks everything. The SUD
iect naturally frames itself under tnree
heads; LIST, what is spiritual power znn,
How il may be obtainedE 5ro, W mar arr IhS
shall not attempt to define 1T. Spiritual
power cannot be defined. We are always
irving to secure power. 1t was my prlvi-
e0e To listen to Henry ward beecnsr
when he was in the height OF power. we
bows listened to him in rapture, and aIter
the lecture we fioeked 10 the PLATFORM a .l1
crowded around him trying to md out tne
secret of his power. He told US what
time he got up, what time he went 70 pea,
what he had to eat, when he took a Datn,
but he did not give us the secret OF MS
power There would be more preachers
and teachers that could capture power II
they could find the secret of mans power
After three years training with the Mas
ter, Christ said TO his disciples, "iarry IN
Jerusalem until endowed with power from
on highu Training they had, power Jhey
lacked. We use thoughtlessly "knowl-
edge is power" This expression has passed
current into our language. Men know
men would do one half as well as Jney
know, heaven on earth would be the re-
suit. The eye is fitted to the light, ear is
planned to catch music, the lungs Tor AIR,
The stomach for assimilating food that we
10 not perish. "Work out your own SAL
vation with fear and trembling, for II is
God that worketh in YOU" The disciples
had certain things; they had knowledge.
knowledge is the condition of power but
not power. Ignorance Is not crowned
with power by the hand of God. The
knowledge of these disciples was very mar
row. They knew nothing of literature, Oh
science, of political economy, but they
did know the word of the living God;
they knew the Old Testament, for they
were Jews.
The American school is the scapegoat
for the child. In that olden time there
were no modern parochial schools. The
Jewish father taught his own child, and
these disciples OF Christ were taught from
the cradle to know the Old Testament.
I You remember on the dav of Pentecost
that marvellous sermon that brought 1000
souls TO the light. The power was not so
much in the sermon as the audience. The
audience was made up of devout jews
The modern business mans mind Is hll-
ed with the Sunday morning newspaper.
4 In these DAYS he comes TO church with
tired mind. These men at Pentecost had
their minds filed with the thoughts of
/ God They had the first condition of
power, they knew the Old Testament;
| theyl were not up in higher criticism or
speculation, but they knew the word of
God; this was the condition OF their pow
er. They knew the Old Testament as in
terpreted BY the Master. They knew the
Old Testament in sense that we never
/ knew it, They believed what they knew.
Knowledge and faith--"With the heart
man believeth unto salvation" | have
some coal in my cellar; in september and
| October look at 1t, but in Dec. when the
4 coal is here, / 90 down with my coat OF
and shovel in hand and the blazing fire
makes me know it is mine. That is
1 knowledge and faith. knowledge is above
the brow, faith below it. Many do not
even have a trap door between their head
and heart They obeyed what they believed,
vet they had not power. As they tarried
/ they prayey. Every prayer is like coin, 1t
has two sides. The very heart of spiritual
power is to know what God hath done, 70
/ believe and obey God and the power comes.
4 What is this power given forg IL is not
| for physical means In Franklin Academy
| | had a classmate, very sweet woman Tor
whom l had the profoundest respect in
many ways unbounded She is away be-
yond me. sShe told me last summer that
she had an ''astral body" | do not know
who the lady's dressmaker was. She lives
| in Washington and she told me she was
able al any time in this astral body to
make visit in Boston. "If in sympathy,
YOU can recognize me when / Gomez |
have not seen her yet. | was down on the
sea shore with two or three friends and
my wife was with me. We were talking
or rather l was listening while she was
talking. This lady told me to lie down on
/ the sofa. / did so, crossing my feet. "No,
/ do not cross your feet" she said. Now nix
your mind on heinhnite, / did. " Breathe
] : Il oh M
did you not feel a thrill2 II always do
when do that" ! said, Il dare say, every
woman feels thrill that breathed IA times
/ in succession; you mistake the organiza-
/ ton of the Spirit Amusing as this may
be, yet it illustrates the tendency of mod
ern Christian life; the tendency to meas
ure the power OF the Holy Ghost by ply
steal thrills, by emotions, by sentiments.
Christ's apostles everywhere are not FILL
ed by human experience but by faith that
Jesus Christ is the redemption of lost
race. "When the spirit shall be received,
We shall receive power, and We shall be my
/ witness The best witness / ever knew
was a young man who stood with no care
for the lawyer pointing his finger at him,
no care for the persons in the court, think
| ing of nothing but the '.whoie truth and
nothing but the truth, the right. When
be stepped from the witness box the inn
preston of truth was left on the minds
/ OF those " no ntaIu ulIu- Ndhb 70 khON
what you have witnessed concerning the
matter in hand. The proof that the disci-
Piles had the spiritual gift lay in the fact
| that they preached in the power of it. Sur
render your soul in prayer to God and
with this spiritual power, because you live
men will believe in Jesus Christ.
sShe is high-priestess at the altar of
Christian Science and an Esoteric Bud
dhist.
THURSDAY MORNING.
Rev. o. P. Clifford on The Child in the
Midst.-The child in the Midst is the ans
wer to the inquiring disciples: Christ's
commentary on the kingdom of God. HUI
man nature is pretty constant toward the
young. Centuries come and go, civiliza-
don rises and falls, but human nature is
about the same. You will find men and
women looking out everyone for himself,
and the devil takes the hindmost.n These
men had been discussing as to who would
be greatest. Why did men rise up early
and stay up late.
The hour of TRANSPORTATION was the
/ bour of nnOu for Christ on earth His face