The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-04
81. PnuI,s Chanel

Rev. L. B. Ridgely, vicar, preached
at st. Paul's yesterday morning on
THE Spirit and the World taking his
text from St. John. xvi, and 10 ire
vised Version) when He is come. He
will convict the world in respect of sin
and righteousness and of judgment
Howbeit he shall guide you
unto all truth
Mr.. Ridgely said in part:
The forty days between our LORDS
resurrection and ascension are proof
of the realty Of His risen life. One
wonders not that He spent them with
US, but that they ever came to an end.
Why did they?
First, because his disciples were not
perfected. They needed to learn d les
son impossible so long as they saw
him.
Second, because he had a work to do
for the world impossible so long as he
lived visibly in it-a rallying point for
crowds, a physical centre for criticism
and controversy.
send the spirit. And he shall convict
the world of sin and of righteousness
and of judgment.
1t is legal formula that he uses. AS
if the world were indicted before God,
with three counts" in the indfct-
ment.
There are three things that "men of
the world" pride themselves upon. One,
their excellence in the sight of any
toward fellow men. A third the excel
lence of their own judgment.
The worldly mind recognizes cruelty
and fraud, because these hurt men and
endanger society. 1t cannot recognize
sin, because it is not cognizant of
God. The philosophic worldly mind
ever denies sin.
So, too, the worldly mind believes it
is night in its dealing with fellow men,
even when it repays meanness with
meanness.
So. when its judgment conflicts with
Christian judgment, the worldly mind
assumes that Christian judgment is
wrong.
Christianity, therefore, sets itself
against this pride of the worldly heart.
Its very aim is to convince the world
that ii is sinful, and that it's stand
ards of righteousness and judgment
are wrong.
This is the reason why Christianity
is not more popular with the crowds.
Notice that it is not the plan of
God merely to preach the gospel to
a man. and then, if ne will not be-
lieve, to dub him sinner and
doom him to hell.
The spirit comes to convince the
world of its own sin; to make men
stand convicted in their own eyes.
Note again, that all men, in and out
of the church are sinners. The differ
ence is that we who believe in Christ
have the clue by which we are emery
ing from the labyrinthine catacombs
of sin. Those who believe not are in
hopeless case.
But note also that Jesus is not only
the clue, but also the touchstone of
life. He who sees and hears Jesus, yet
rejects him, has in fact seen and re-
jected holiness and proved he loved
sin better than holiness. Therefore
Jesus says, "Of sin, because they be-
lieved not in me-
Again, if Jesus had lived on visibly
in the world, many would have de-
clared him today an eccentric ascetic,
whom no really sensible person could
follow. His theories Of righteousness
would have been rejected because new.
never tried by hosts of men, Therefore
he went to the father and left his
disciples, that they might put the
principles in practice and win the world
for admiration of his type of righte-
ousness
Finally, by his resurrection, Jesus
proved the prince Of his world de-