The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-08-02


He intends by this that the essential
gospel is a Divine revelation to the in
dividual, soul-supernatural but essen
tial He made clear and simple, all
that could be cleared-there is some
thing there that never can be cleared.
To ignore this, is to put it down upon
level with philosophy.
We understand and distinguish truth
by the aims of it, Mathematics is an
essential body of truth for working
out and building bridges. Here is q
body of truth that goes down and
grapples with deeper things, and
sweeps to the very depths, &c. Out
of which Divine life is to come. This
is an entirely new method in the uni
verse. The very introduction of life
is here. If this gospel does not pro-
duce life it is failure even if it intro
duces ethics. Without life, it is q fail
ure. Any man whose apprehension of
this gospel does not introduce life
deeper grander and broader has no
lot or parcel in it.
Plant your artificial grain of wheat,
and it will not terminate, it wants
life But the moment life begins-you
have met the God element.
An infidel never risks his thoughts
out of Significance he can't reach God.
You had as well talk to a dog or a
horse about God, as an infidel.
You must go back Of the stars, the
planets, the elements to find God.
Agrippa could not comprehend and
thought Paul beside himself-they
were confused.
This is reduced down to apprehen-
sion of eXperience-no man knows any
thing about it if he has no experience.
[ had rather consult my own expert
ence on the atonement than Calvin or
any of the theologians. As well con
suit an oyster about Gods truth as a
man that has no conscious experience
of Christianity-Td as soon ask my
horse about the Bible as to ask Hux-
ley and that school of infdel philoso-
pliers. I'd rather ask an old illiterate
negro woman about it than all the
infidel philosophers.
If YOU would know whether the Cos
pei be true, experience it.
The drama of Job is written to be
enacted in every home. We are to
reach the height that we can say with
Job, though he slay me yet will | trust
him.
Whenever humility, courage or faith
is taught there is a man behind the
teaching. He referred to Paul in his
chapter on faith, with the illustra-
tive examples behind it; he said we
could find now heroes of faith. Now
I want you to understand what mean
by experience. / mean conscious
knowledge.
/ have known men to say they have
an experience who never knew God.
The biggest mystery in the world is
a Christian man. A sinner is a natural
man, but the life of a Christian is
something extraordinary. Saul of Tar
sus, and Paul were two different men.
Saul wanted to stamp out the Chris
tan movement, but later on he said
am new man, old things have passed
away He had realized the revelation
of which he speaks in the text.
We have a great deal of ignorance
about the Holy Ghost. He is a teach
er-will bring all things to your re-
membrance while a very great deal of
that which is called Holy
Spirit is nothing but sensationalism
such as can be witnessed in theaters.
Sometimes it is said we had a meeting
of spiritual power, when it was simple
emotion or commotion stirred up.
Some preachers make their shearers
cry by ghost stories and pathetic Incl
dents, and say the spirit was present.
The fact of mans crying or shout
ing with his voice, is no absolute evil
dence that the Spirit manifests His
presence, for sensationalism makes
much of such exercises. The Holy
Ghost preacher is not the man that
makes me cry, but the man that gives
me some thought of God that / had
not. I want this thing of sensational
ism to stop in the Methodist church.
We trife with the Holy Ghost-you
mark that word. He is the spirit of
truth and not of falsehood. Just as
we'll have an unconyerted man preach
the gospel as to have unconverted men
and women sing the gospel at the peo-
pie.
IF YOU can't find some Bible QUOTA
ton to back up your experience, it is
not true. The spirit never violated any
law of God or nature to introduce a
new law. God is no more going to
make a big preacher out of a small
man. than make a man out of an an
gel.
| have heard men say, brethren l
have not studied or made any prepare
ton, ssd have nothing special to say,
but will just let the spirit speak.
Should the spirit use a man of that
sort, it would be setting a Divine seal
upon laziness, which thing God never
did.
There is no completing a man at one
stroke of the Holy Ghost, thus bring
ing him by a jump into a sanctified
state Of perfection. You may memo
rize scripture RAPIDLY, but have TO
learn it very slowly. You may repeat
the lords prayer, but not know it..
Preachers may have their skeletons
and homiletics, but a man can't preach
what he does not know, or where he
has lad no experience.
We learn scripture as we experience
it. Whoever learned what is i'm that
Getbsemane prayer until me came 10
a Gethsemane? No man has q right
to set limits to spiritual depths and
spiritual growth. There was no glory
for ST. Paul that you may not know.
Christ never went any where that you
are not to be taken 'sWhere / ann there
We may be also" Paul never reached
any height i'm character that YOU may
not reach.
You many look out on the stars and
planets. and visible bodies in the hea-
vens above, and yet out and beyond is
light and glory, where eye hath not
seen or ear heard.
So John saw the glory revealed at
the TRANSPORTATION. and saw the Won
derful visions Of glory revealed to nun