Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-12-15

beauty of the religion Of the Lord
Jesus. They are valuable; they
are beautiful; but here in the
depths of the heart, where the
change Of purpose is wrought and
the regeneration OF the sinful
nature is effected, is TO be found
the chief and prime value Of that
religion. Here III this life that
has been purified. III this cllarac-
ter that has been ennobled, Ill
this moral nature that has been
elevated and made new, IS the
embodiment of its value. En-
perienCe of the truths of christ
ianity, a deep and profound
knowledge Ct Jesus the Christ,
generated by a close and spiritual
communion with him, reveals the
doctrines Of His religion as a
transcendant important to the
human family, and is the one re
ligion that meets the demands OF
Universal humanity, satisfying
the longings Of the universal
heart, and elevating the nature
Of all mankind. When our est
innate Of religion is based as was
Paul's upon our knowledge OF
Christ, upon our experience of
the benefits of religion, no earth
" consideration viii! be held as
conquerablc to it IN the least. We
often hear men who profess to be
christians saying that they find It
hard to deny themselves Of certain
pleasures. The allurenents of
the theatrical performance, the
pIeasurable excite1nents Of the
dance, the qualification Of base
and low desires, the yielding OF
the will to the influence Of intem-
perance, all these pleasures, dam
ming and ruinous to character. lie
finds it hard to relinqulsh them
for Christ. His practical eNper-
fence of the truths Of religion IS
neither deep nor profound. Hi
life is not hid with Christ in God
They should go and get more re
ligion. They should lay down
at the foot OF the Cross till they
know Christ and the power of His
resurrection, and then these plea
sures will have 40 hold upon
them, and. with Paul, they will
count all things but loss for the
excel1ency Of the knowledge of
Jesus Christ their Lord. Oh, for
a deeper experience Of spiritual
things! Oh, for a1nore profound
knowledge Of Our Lord Jesus
Christ! Such knowledge is the
very life Of christianity. Such
experience is the essential ele-
ment il religious Development.
Hear ne; that which has held
the Church back in the last de
cade has not been altogether the
hardness Of worldly hearts. It
has been altogether indifference
on the part Of the true Church of
God. God wants q church that
knows Him; that has all appre-
citation of the value Of the true
religion; that is willing to deny
itself Of worldly pleasures; that
finds its highest JOY i'll following
Christ, and il walking in the
ways o holiness. With such q
church what could not be accom-
plished. God has said it, and it
must be true, that all nations
shall acknowledge Jesus Christ
as Lord to the glory Of God the
Father, but this cannot be till the
church awakes to & sense Of its
duty, and properly appreciates
the privilege which God has Civ
ell to it Of having a deep and pro-
found knowledge of Jesus Christ
in its private life. When this is
accomplished, when the Church
has experienced and reduced to
practice the great truths Of the
christian religion, the dawn OF
the millennium day will not be
far distant, and all men shall hear
the tidings Of great JOY. God
grant to us as a church a deeper
knowledge Of spiritual things.
Lastly. We notice further
that the value of christianity is
enhanced by the fact Of its excel
1cnce. No system of religion
ever devised by man can be truly
said to possess excellence. There
are doubtless many beautiful
things embraced i'll them, but
they do not possess inherent ex-
cellence.
"Arnold, III his Light Of Asia
has given to us many of the most
beautiful ideas which are found
III systems Of religion devised by
man alone, but has omitted that
which robs them OF all true ex-
cellence, the fact that beneath all
their teachings there is one idea
that is almost supreme, and that
idea IS selfshness. Now, this
destroys the excellence Of such
religions when compared with the
religion Of Jesus Christ, the one
dominant idea of which is a love
that is as broad as the universe
and as large as humanity III its
extent. In this idea is found the
inherent excellency of Our re
1ioiOu. that it based Oh love, and