Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1891-05-05
SPIRITUAL FASTING.
IF so BE We HAVE TASTED THAT
THE LORD Is GRACIOUS

Christian Experience-EachM Must Have
His Own, Zach Must Realize IL for
Himself-The Desires OF the Heart.
The term taste, used as "A noun or
verb, is in the Bible employed to de-
scribe religious experience, and for this
purpose it is a very expressive and sig
nificant term. II man has an orange
in his hand he cannot tell whether it is
sweet or sour by simply looking at it or
by handling it. He must actually taste
of 1t, and then the resplting sensation
will settle the question>Sf quality. Pre-
cisely 50 is it with religious experience.
Such experience is only truly gained by
spiritually tasting Of religion. Then the
experience will come, not as theory,
not as something merely conceived of,
bat rs heartfelt fact.
The Psalmist, for example, says, "How
sweet are thy words TO my taste! yea,
sweeter than honey TO my mouth"
Psalms cxix, 1893. This language rep
resents the spiritual delight and joy, the
comfort and hope, of which piety is con-
scious when in thoughtful contact with
the word of God as contained in the
Holy Scriptures. Such piety actually
tastes the word of God, and knows its
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 sneering and scofiing infidei who
really knows nothing about what he is
sneering at, and the believing and de-
Won't student of the Bible, is 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 is
hence Judge of the Bible a. the former
is not and cannot he SO long as he main
tains the attitude Of scoffer.
So, also, the Psalmist says again, go
taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man that trusteth in him"
Psalms Xxxiv, y. The Lord is always
good and his tender mercies are over all
his works, whether we taste or not; yet
his goodness becomes a realized fact in
our experience and a source of comfort
and JOY to the heart only as we spiritu-
ally taste Of it. The sinner who is over
whelmed with the burden of conscious
sin, and fearful of coming and deserved
wrath, when he comes TO God by peni-
tence and faith and asks 10 be forgiven,
and through Christ is forgiven, and then
has the sense of pardOned sin impaired
20 his soul and the hope of glory sub
stituted for his fears and anxieties tastes
and sees and feels aud knows that the
Lord is good. He has a song on his lips
responsive TO the praises of his heart.
Forgiven sins are in his experience,
and the light of Gods countenance
shines all through that experience. The
telling of his heart is that God is his
friend, and that ne will not fail TO make
good 10 him the gospel promise of sal
walton. The sweetest, purest and most
select companionshlp Of his earthly life
is that which he finds in God himself.
He has no occasion for atheism or any
form of infidelity as the antidote of
fear. He can believe in the whole doc
trine of the Bible God, and yet be hope
full and happy. He has tasted that the
Lord is good.
If so be-" said Peter, eye have tasted
that the Lord Is gracious" Il Peter ii,
81 The context shows that by the term
Lord, as here used, the apostle meant
Christ--that Christ TO whom he referred
when he said, Whom having not seen
We love; in whom, though now We see
him not, yet believing We rejoice with
joy unspeakable and full of glory" Il
Peter 80. Here is tasting of the gospel
Of Christ that only those who do the
tasting can understand. The secret of
the Lord in this respect is confined to
those who believe in him and love him.
Thoughtless, careless, Christless minds,
filed TO the brim with the follies, van
titles, sensualities and sins of this world
yes, what do such minds know about
the Goldman Of the gospel narrative,
or about the grace of salvation as il
comes from himp They have never
"tasted that the Lord is gracious"
The dialect of Christian saintship is
TO them an unknown tongue. They
have no experience that corresponds to
tasting; and SO long as they remain in
such mental attitude, they can have
none. The melody of Christian piety is
no melody to them. Some Of them
would find more music and more pleas
ure in the obscenities and profanities Of
a grog shop, or the brutality of q dog
fight.
This matter of spiritual tasting is al
ways personal. No one can do it for
another, OF transfer his own tasting to
another. And no one can tell exactly
what the tasting is until he does it for
himself. Religious tastence is always
an affair Of experiences; and those who
80 live as not to have it are Of necessity
very poor judges of it. They may sharp
ly criticize Christians in their way, yet
they really know very little about Christ
ianity, and experimentally nothing about
it.-Independent.