The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-04-13

KNOW uou VIC must interpret him by
love; for "ho that loveth not, knoweth
not God; for God Is love"
]. Jhe loving Heart Discovers More o.
God than The Creature Imagination.
Tho creative Imagination is rosponsi.
bic for n large part OF all that IL believed
in tho world. All false religions are the
products OF the imagination, and false
notions OF tho true religion como from
tho same source.
Buddhism ia tho creation OF tho for.
tilo Imagination Of Gautana Buddhh.
Mohainmedanism Is largely the pro-
duct OF the creative imagination in Mo-
hammed. But tho imagination will not
lead us to q true knowledge Of the di.
vlno-we must look 10 love for TINT.
Alter years of study OH religious sub.
lects Milton, tho poet, became blind.
His creative Imagination went to work
and produced paradise Lost" and
"RoSainel." So beautiful Is tho pic
ture and clear the view Of heaven that
Milton has become tho theological ex-
poncnt OF many. Michael Angeles
creative imagination paints on tho walls
OF tho Vatican palace tho pictures Of
tho Madonna ind the infant Christ.
His Imagination enables him to sec an
angel in tho rough marble, and with
the hammer and chisel he brings his
idea to view. The creative Imagination
OF Dante pictured out in verse tho woes
OF tho place OF the lost. Tie world to-
day Is depending upon Milton's imugin-
alton for its ideas OF paradise, Angeles
for Its notions OF tho Madonna and spir-
itual beings, and Dante's for its views OF
tho lost.
But as Christians We should not get
our conception of heaven from Milton,
or of angels from Angelo, or OF hades
from tho rytlm Of Dante; for these are
only the products OF the human imagin-
alton, and the creative imagination can
not grasp God.
On the altar wall OF the Sistinc chapel
in the Vatican is to be seen Michael
angeles masterpiecc-The Last Judg-
mcnt. 1t is really Il picture OF God, the
creation Of Angeles imagination. As a
work OF art it cannot be surpassed, but
from a theological standpoint it is
faulty.
God is portrayed as seated upon his
throne OF majesty, letting loose upon
mel his thunderbolts Of wrath. The
power and justice Of God are'vividly
presented, but tho mildcr attributes,
mercy and love are not to be found in
the picture. No human Imagination
can comprehend tho Almighty, and no
artist can reproduce his attributes on
the canvas. When John was on the
Isle OF Patmos he attempted to describe
the picture Of the son Of man standing
in the midst OF the candlesticks, but his
%countenance, shining MS the sun in his
strength, dazzles your eyes so thatyou
cannot see the picture.
Love is o greater interpreter OF God
than the imagination. Love goes to
Gods revelation and finds 4 God OF
love.
II. 4 loring heart discovers m0r9 of God
than an inquiring Intellect
As the intellect is higher than the
imagination, intellectual research
would ONE nearer the truth than
flights OF the imagination. Intellectual
men of the past spent their time in
searching for God. Plato, Socrates and
Aristotle sought to know God. The
wise men cane to Jerusalem in their
search for God. Intellectual astron-
omers have tracked God through space
until kepler cried out, "Oh, God! l
think thy thoughts after thee" An
atheist, travelling in Arabia, observed
that at tho rising of the sun his guide
fell PROSTATE upon the earth and wor-
shipped. He asked him how he knew
there was u God. The Arabian looked
about him and said, "Do you see these
footprints on the sand? They are the
footprints OF 4 camel, and by these
tracks | know it has passed this
way, although l have not seen it. The
footprints OF God are everywhere, and
by them l know He exists"
The brainiest men OF the. world have
sought to know God, and by adding
love to the inquiring intellect they have
always found Him. Jonathan Edwards,
the greatest metaphysician lIerschel,
the greatest astronomer; John Milton,
the greatest poet; Blackstone, the great
est barrister; Gladstone, the greatest
statesman, all learned to know God by
a loving heart. The heart always out
weighs the brain in q successful search
ing after God. This is the reason the
ignorant frequently know Christ when
the learned do not. The man who
strives to know God merely by the in
tellect will 90 astray, he will naturally
become hcterodoX. This is one OF the
troubles with the wise t%heologians OF
our times-tlie attempt to know and
expound God from a purely intellectual
standpoint.
The revolution in theology. which is
becoming very conspicuous, is purely
intellectual. 1t comes from the head
and not from the heart. 1t will likely
be fought out entirely in the arena OF
tho brain. God gave us intellect for q
purpose. Wcare to use it in his SER
vice. A man all heart and no brain
will accomplish very little in these days
oil advanced education. The three great
master minds OF thcworld arc Aristotle,
Paul and Francis Bacon, and without
doubt Paul is tho Chief OF these three
great spirits. He was tho brainest man
that ever lived. He accomplished more
than all tho other apostles combined.
But this same Saul OF Tarsus, before tho
loving heart came into play, fought
against the truth, with the same tena-
city with which he afterward chung to
it. The Saviour, that he was persecut-
ing, followed him on the way 10 Damas-
Gus, and, reaching down his mighty
hand, infused the spark of divine love
into his heart which transformed him
into the champion OF tho truth. BY
this loving heart Paul gained a knowl-
edge OF God that he never could havo
acquired by all his powers OF mind.
Over tho cross OF Christ a superscrip-
ton was written in letters Of Greek and
Latin and Hnhrnw .t.This istho L<inu of