Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-05-01
SPIRITUAL FASTING.
IF 50 DC Ye HAVE TASTED THAT
The LORD IS GRACIOUS

Christian Experience Bach ,fn-t Have
~. own. Zach Must Realize u 10,
ninseif-rhs Desires Of the Heart.
The term taste. used AZ u noun or a
verb. il In the Bible employed to dc.
scribe religious experience. and for this
purpose it IS very expressive aud zig.
nidcani term. n man has mn orange
In biz hand he cannot tell whether II /,
sweet or sour by simply looking ut Il or
By handling Il. Ho must actually taste
Of 70, and ihgn The resulting sensation
will settle the question Of quality. Pre-.
cisly 70 h u with religious experience.
Such exp, Renee IL only truly gained BY
spiritually ,aniing Of religion. Then the
experience will come. not NJ theory.
not A. something merely conceived OF,
bat NJ heartfelt fact.
The Palmist, for example, SAYS. slow
sweet are thy words 20 my taste, yea,
sweoter than honey 10 my mouth''
Psalms cxix, i03). This Language rep.
rc'cnis the spiritual delight and Joy. the
comfort and hope, Of which piety Is con
scious when in thoughtful contact with
the word Of God ~ contained In the
Holy Scriptures. Such pcty actually
tastes the word Of God. and knows it,
qualities and relations TO feeling by tast-
ing, as no one can possibly know them
without the tasting process.
The difference on this subject between
the eneering and soothing inhdel who
really knows nothing about what he Is
sueering az. aud the believing and do.
vont student OF tho Bible, IA heaven
wide. The latter actually tastes Of the
power and blessing Of that book. and
feels the power and blessing In his own
heart, and knows what they are by a
happy and glorious experience, and Ia
hence a judge Of tho Bible ~ the former
Is not and cannot be- 40 long as no main.
tains tho attitude Of scoffer.
50. also, the Psalmlst says again. 80
taste and rec that the Lord Is good;
blessed Ia the man that trusieth In him"
(fsalms xxxiv, ~. Tho Lord Is always
good and his tender mcrcics arr over all
his works, whether wo taste or not, yet
his goodness becomes fcalizcd fact In
our experience and n source Of comfort
and JOY 20 the heart only "a we spiritn.
ally taste Of II. The sinner who Il over.
whelmed with the burden Of conscious
sin, aud fearful Of coming aud deserved
wrath, when he comes TO God by pcni.
tencc and faith and asks TO be- forgiven.
and through Christ u forgiven. and then
has the sense OF pardoned sin impaired
10 his soul and tho hope OF glory sub
siituted for his fears and anxicties tastes
aud sees and feels and knows that the
Lord u good. He has a song on his lips
responsive TO the praises Of his heart.
Forgiven sins are IN his experience,
and the Hight Of Gods countenance
shines oil through TINT experience. The
Telling Of his heart is that God Is his
friend. and that he win not fall TO make
good To him the gospel promise Of sal.
Walton. The sweetest. purest and most
salcct companionshlp Of his earthly life
Is that which no finds In God himself
He has no occasion for atheism or any
form OF inhdelity ~ tho antido,e Of
fear. lie can believe In the whole doc.
trinc Of tho Bible God. and yet be hope.
full and happy. Ile has tasted that the
Lord Is good.
III 20 be-" said Peter. Eye have tasted
that tho Lord 10 gracious" Il Peter u,
~ The context shows that by tho term
Lord. As here used, the apostle meant
Christ--that Christ to whom lao referred
whom he said. "whom having not seen
70 lovci In whom, though now yo see
him not, yet believing ye rrjolco with
Joy unspeakablo aud full OF glory" II
Peter 81 Here Is tasting Of the gospel
OF Christ that only those who do tho
tasting can understand. Tho secret of
the Lord in this respect In confined 10
those who believe In him and love him.
Ihoughueas. careless, Chfistless minds.
filled to the brim with tho follles, van.
titles, scnsualities and sins OF this world
Yes, what do such minds know about
tho Goldman Of the goslel narrative.
or about tho grace Of salvation az Il
come, from mnl They have never
tasted that tho Lord IL gracious"
The dialect Of Christian saintship Ia
70 them an unknown tongue. They
have no experience that corresponds 10
tasting; and 70 long rs they remain in
such n mental attitude, they can have
none. The melody OF Christian piety ia
no melody TO them. Some Of them
would hnd more music aud more pleas
ure In tho obscenitios and profanities Of
a grog shop, or tho brutality OF a dog
fight.
This matter Of spiritual tasting Is al.
ways personal. No one can do Il for
another, or transfer his own tasting 10
another. And no one can tell exactly
what the tasting IA until no does Il for
himself. Religious tastenco il always
an affair OF experience; and those who
80 live as not to have II are OF necessity
very poor judges Of it, They may sharp.
ly criticize Christians IN their way, vet
ihey really know very little about Christ
ianity, and cxpcrimentally nothing about
it.-lndependont.
One day n drop Of water lay In a pool
on tho city street. 1t was stained and
soiled. But looking up. 1t saw, blue
SKY, and the pure heavens, and the white
sunbenms dancing everywhere, and be.
gan TO long for purity and for nobler.
worthier life. II looked up into the sky,
and its longing became an earnest PRAYER |
TO be made clean and beautiful. Aud its |
prayer was heard. Presently the little |
soiled drop was lifted up ont Of the gut |
terinio tho air--highcr and higher. Then |
the breeze caught It and II was waited |
away, away, aud by aud by 1t rested In
the bosom OF "A rOse IA lrOn of NINA rr,.s