The times., 1899-09-11
CONCEALED, THEN REVEALED.
Sermon by Rev. w. E. Donaldson mt
the Gunton Temple Church.

rial Presbyterian Church yesterday morn
ing on the subject Concealed, then re-
| vealed, from the text John I:iii:2: Be
loved, now are We the sons Of God; and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be;
but we know that, when he shall appear,
We shall be like him, for We shall see
him as he is.''
Mr.. Donaldson said: Man takes special
! delight in studying those questions that
relate to his own well-being either in the
present or the future. He has learned very
many things concerning himself. That he
! has an existence which is different from
| the brute. That he is of a higher order
Of creation. That he has powers which
are not only to be preserved, but to be
| developed
1.-The true Christian has learned more
of himself than has the man of the world.
for the Christian has learned of his own
relation to God He has learned the way
/ this relation was established whereby be-
levers become heirs of God and Joint
heirs with Christ, becoming sons of God
and adopted into the heavenly family To
these the apostle is speaking when he
says: Now are we the sons of God. The
| fathers love is richly bestowed upon those
who are his own.
Some things are concealed, though rot
by treachery, for God does not deceive
but with loving thoughtfulness for US he
gradually lifts US into the larger compre-
hension of his truth. He bestows his gifts
daily. Our nearness to God secures his
recognition of US and, therefore, the be-
stowal of his love upon u.s. 1t secures his
| protection from danger; the exercise of his
power to provide way of escape in cur
times of temptation. But it also secures
! that sweet converse with him which brings
joy TO our hearts. Matthew Henry said,
We have the nature OF sons by regenera-
ton; the title and spirit and right to the
| inheritance of sons by adoption. The
glory pertaining to sonship and adoption
is adjourned and reserved for another
world
I'VE live in the present, though we are
! ignorant OF many things concerning the
present. God works changes in US through
our knowledge of himself and of his truth.
/ There are many things about the Bible
we have not learned yet. There are many
things about the Christian life We do not
Know yet. But We may know more and
more of these, for we have confidence to
believe with John, though it doth not yet
appear what we shall be; we know that
when he shall appear we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is
I'VE live also for the future. If in this
ife only we have hope in God, We are of
! nope carries us beyond the measure of
time. 1t bridges the chasm OF years. A
proper and intelligent enjoyment of present
blessings makes US capable to enjoy future
| blessings. We shall be- said John. Death
| does not end all. Christ died, but Christ
rose again. The Christian believes in a
hereafter, and endeavors to prepare him
self for it. There certainly is hereafter.
and all shall have a part in it. But the
great question is What part? The Chris
tian has an abiding confidence. He looks
/ forward to the future realization. In God S
own time Christ shall appear. He will
come again. He was the son of God He
dwelt upon the earth. His followers rec
ogniZed his greatness and glory in so far
as these could be seen on earth, or were
revealed through his flesh But he shall
appear in greater glory. 1t shall be mani
fest TO mis- followers who have so learned
of him that they are in proper frame Of
mind and heart to see that which Christ
! will reveal. There must be continual
preparation for it, though that preparation
may not always be recognized. The
mother bronze may be steadily filling the
mold of the statue, yet it will take on
hardly a line of the real beauty of the de-
| sign until the mold is full. Our perfect
| life viii appear suddenly; yet there is a
continual preparation for it, of which we,
in our depreciation, are not con-
scious.
"As Christ is SO shall his followers be.
He is the risen Christ They, too, shall
rise He the glorified Christ. They, too,
shall be glorified. Angels sing his praises.
Shall man on earth do less? No, no. An
gels hear his message and obey. They re-
joice when a sinner repents and turns unto
the Lord. Shall men close their ears and
hold their tongues? The old adage says.
seeing is believing. which is following
| the thought that what we see we know
There are many things which we see which
are not understood. But there is coming a
time when we shall be like Christ, because
we shall see him as he is. His truth and
/ his spirit and his love shall be in us until
| they have wrought such transformation
| in US that we shall be free from many of
| the limitations we now experience. con-
verted blind man once said; Jesus Christ
will be the first person l shall ever see, for
my eyes will be opened in heaven When
ROWAN Hill was on his deathbed friend
who was visiting him said: You are
going 10 be with Jesus and to see him as
! ne is Yes, replied Mr.. Hill, with en-
phasis, and I shall be like him. that is the
crowning point
God deals with us as with children.
fathers legacy is not left in the possession
of the son until he has reached an age and
had experiences that are trusted to fit him
to appreciate the gift of the father more
fully than he could when so young that
he would not know how TO use it. He will
then understand better and appreciate more
fully. God deals with US in the same way
Many things are not known by US now
But the time will come when they will be
known and we viii appreciate it better.