Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-31
ASCENSION'S LESSON.
Why the Apostles We're Deprived Of
the Savi0r's Visible Presence.
THE LOCALIZATION OF WORSHIP.
without Tangible Personality the Spirit
Everywhere Manifest.
SERMON By THE REV. GEORGE HODGES
WRITTEN roR THE DISPATCH,

FOh THE DISPATCH.l
1t was best for the apostles, and through
them, for us, that Christ should 60 away.
His ascension was for our advantage. This,
he declared plsinly; at is expedient for
you that 60 away"
The apostles found it hard to believe that.
At the thought of Christ's departure sorrow
filed their hearts We, too, find that a
hard saying. We are accustomed to ac-
count the apostles to have been more highly
favored than we are, because they touched
the hands of Christ and heard his voice and
had the blessing of his visible presence.
How, indeed, could anything be better than
thatl To walk with him who is the Way, to
learn of him who is the Truth, to live with
him who is the Life-what a privilege un-
speakable!
Think of it only in its relations to truth.
How many uncertainties seem to come in
between us and real knowledge of religion!
1t is true we have the Bible. We have the
record which Matthew and Mark and Luke
and John made. They said that Christ said
this and that. But the words come to US,
at best, at second hand. And then there
are
Tho Critics and the Commentators
And the critics discuss the authorship of
these old histories, whether Matthew and
Mark and Luke and John really wrote them
or not, some saying Eyes" aud some enc" I"
And the commentators debate the meaning
of the words, some holding that their inter-
probation represents what Jesus really
taught, and others denying it, and offering
quite Q different Interpretation. And in
the midst of these contradictory voices,
what wonder is it that we grow confused,
and Christ seems very far away, and the
teachings of Christ very uncertain? We
look back to that old day when Jesus spoke
to men at first hand, when there were no
eriticx and no commentators, and men could
see with their own eyes, and hear with their
own ears, and ask questions and get an
swers; and we think that they had better
chance in Capernaum than we have in
Pittsburg, to know the truth Of God What
did Jesus mean when he said, II is expedi-
ent for, you that ! 60 away?
We do not seem at first to get much sat
isfaction from the explanation which he
gave OF the advantage of his ascension. For
If I 20 not away the Comforter will not
come unto you; ID if depart, 1 will send
him unto YOU. we unueT6tduu, vi course,
that the Comforter 10 the Holy Spirit. But
the vaguest part OF our common theology is
that which concerns the Holy Spirit God
the Father, we are able to think Of; and
God the Son, we know; but what ideas
have we about God the Holy Ghost? We
are q little wiser than the people In Ephesus,
who had not even heard whether there be
any Holy Ghost; but beyond that, what
shall We say?
The Seen and ths Unseen.
At least, we know this; that Christ could
be seen, and. the Holy Ghost cannot be seen;
Christ spoke in voice that men could hear,
but the voice Of the Holy Ghost is mingled
Enthusiastically with the voice Of our own
heart Perhaps the truest thought that we
think about the Holy Ghost is that the
HOLY Ghost is God speaking in mans con-
science. But what a vague thought that isl
Christ goes away and the Holy Spirit comes
in his place; the visible is changed for the
invisible, the audible for the inaudible,
certainty becomes uncertainty. IT we had
Christ here to speak, we would know what
he said; but we cannot be sure what the
Holy Ghost says And yet 1t is expedient
that Christ should 50 away. How can that
be-?
We know, Of course, that in all instruc-
ton there is need, from time to time, of q
change Of teacherA Sometimes because we
| have outerown the teacher, and have
| learned bis truth; sometimes because we