Newport weekly independent., 1902-11-07

heart the searchlight of Jesus right. eousness penetrates. It will reveal sinner every time, and in the same blessed Light will shine forth Saviour's face.
 The sun purifies. The room from which the sunshine is consistently ex- cluded fairly swarms with microbes. To live in such an atmosphere breeds sickness and death. But give the sun a chance and it will purify the air; it will dry up the dampness and mold; it will paint sunbeams on the floor and drive grim-visaged death from his lurking in the corners. The sun will distill the water from a stagnant and foul-smelling pool and give it back to the earth in pure and refreshing rain.
 Jesus as the Light of the world puri- lies. In the presence of Jesus sin stood revealed. The hidden iniquity of the heart was laid bare. But not only was this true, but the iniquity of the heart and the sins of the out ward life were swept away. By faith, the purifying Light of Jesus was al- lowed to cleanse from all sin. The foul leper was healed, and the fouler lep- rosy of sin was cleansed away. The demon-possessed were delivered and the heart purified from the defiling presence. The palsied were healed and told trat their sins were forgiven them and to go and sin no more. Into every life where Jesus was allowed to come the Light revealed it's need and purified from sin. "And if we walk in the Light as He is in the Light =. .. the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth from all sin.''
 Reflected Light.-"As long as am in the world, I am the Light of the world" To see how wonderfully this was true of Jesus, one needs but to read the record of the Gospels. Wher- ever He went the sin and hypocrisy of man were revealed in the pure, white light of His presence. The Scribes and Pharisees, the doctors of the law and the rabbis were stripped of their out ward cloaks of religious forms and ceremonies, and stood revealed in their true character. The whited sepul- chers were shown to be full of dead mems bones. Traps laid for Jesus were sprung by his delft, unerring hand andalways caught those who laid them. How wonderful! Surely, Jesus, as long as He was in the world was the Light of the world. But how is it now? Has He ceased thus to be? No, for He de- clared that His disciples were the Light of the world. His Lights shines through them. Luke, in his Gospel, wrote of "all that Jesus began both to do and to teach,' and then in the Acts goes on to tell all that Jesus continued to do through His disciples, and the blessed story is still being written.
 The Light must shine in before it can shine out. The mirror perfectly re- fleets the light or image which comes before it, but it is all on the surface. The sun or the image does not become part of the mirror. But it is different with the disciples of Jesus Christ. In order that they may perfectly reflect the Light of Jesus. that Light must penetrate the innermost recesses of the life before it can be given back to a world lost in the darkness of sin. Like the diamond. we must drink in the light in order to flash it out again. Moses face shone, and the face of Stephen became as luminous as the face of an angel, because the very soul and be- ing were saturated with the Divine presence.
 The disciple of Jesus must live up to the light he has before he can secure more light. Put this in your heart, O., Christian and ponder it deeply. Have you wondered why you did not have more light, why the Word of God was so little understood by you, why it's pages were not luminous with the fas- cinating presence of the Christ? The Lord cannot give more of the light of His presence until you use the light you already have, and live it out in your life. God never intended His eternal truth to be a theory, but "living epis- tie. known and read of all men," The early disciples lived in the Light, and their accusers 'took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus" What n glorious tribute.
 Not very many mghtS ago l saw the great luminous moon climb the heav- ems. It was one magnificent. glowing, effulgent light. and the earth was bathed in the beauty of it's presence. It was a glorious sight. On the lips of everyone was heard the expression of delight, But as it neared the zenith something seemed to be the matter. A deep shadow crept across the face of that glowing moon, and the earth was east into darkness. It could no longer rejoice in its light. What was the mat ter? Had the sun ceased to shine? Or had the moon rolled off into space be. hind the stars? No.the sun still shone, and the moon was still there, but some- thing had come between the suns light and the moons ref1ecting surface and darkness resulted. The earth cut off the light and the moon was in eclipse. The things of the world have come be- tween Jesus, the Light, and the people of the world, and they are in the dark ness of an eclipSe And oh how 7po,y