The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-11-18
LOVE and VISION OF GOD
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev.
D. D. MacLaurin.
Love Is the Only Interpreter Of the King
dom Of Heaven, Of all th, Spiritualtlcs.


Donald ID. MacLaurin, pastor of the Sec
ond Baptist Church, Rochester, preached
to the united congregations the final SER
mon in series of eight on "The Greatest
Thing in the World. His special subject
Eye That Sees All Wonders" The text
was from I Corinthians .xiii:l2: "For now
we see in a mirror, darkly, but then face
to face" DR.. MacLaurin said:
Love is the only interpreter of God. We
saw last Sunday that to love only are .di-,
vine revelations made, and that to perfect
love only can perfect divine disclosures be
made. The converse truth is equally valu-,
able, namely: That love is the only inter
prefer of God, Of all in the kingdom of
God, Of all spiritualities. Nor must you
think that this is strange or arbitrary We
have sought in all our services to discover
the analogy between the laws of the spirit
ual realm and the laws with which we are
familiar.
You will find that this, namely: That
love is the only interpreter, is part of the
discipline of life, in every direction, as
some one has well said: Love sees farth-
est, hears quickest and feels deepest"
Two illustrations of that proposition
have been given; one with regard to the
realm OF nature. Let us say that two men
are, journeying through your beautiful
park; one sees the general conformation.
the general outline OF street and sweep of
field aud shimmering lake, and he notices
that there are trees bordering the drives
and walks, but that is all. He has his
eyes chiefly on the ground. He does not
hear the birds; or, if he does, it is not to
discern one songster. from another. Now
take the other. This man not only sees
the general conformation Of the landscape,
the general plan of the artist who laid it
out, but he sees the trees, he sees. he dis
tinguishes one from another. He notes
the flowers that spring; he notes not only
the songster that sings, but he knows its
life and story. He sees the shimmering
pond and lake and the reflected overhang,
ing foliage and is ministered to by them.
At the end of the journey the latter man
IS enriched in his mind and heart. What
has made the difference between the two.
men? The one has been, and is, lover
of nature. He is student OF nature be-.
thre knows her lovers, and SO she makes
disclosures to him that the other man does
not get.
Two men visit the Metropolitan Museumi
OF Art; and let me say to those who may
not have seen those art treasures, it is
worth visit and much study. One of
these men hurries through it in perfume,
tory way. o, he notices there are large
pictures and small ones, but he has no,
time for those little bits OF paintings that,
adorn the walls. If there is a big gilt.
frame on one of the pictures, he admires
it greatly, buS it is a Eore, and he hurres
out, and wonders why people find SO much
in. the art galleries of the world. The!
other man discovers in some small piece
the product of q master, and ne stands
entranced before it for hours; and you
will see his eyes suffusd with tears and
if you notice You will see his lip is tremu-
iious. He pays no attention to the frame;
he sees the soul OF the artist, and he is
profoundly stirred. l have seen men all
in tears before some masterpiece in the
galleries of Europe; their soul finds the
soul of the artist. They interpret him in
his finest moods; they have come to know
him. /,
the Creator, Himself; for of all the sons
OF men none stand higher than the artist.
He who can take piece of raw. materin,
a piece Of ordinary canvas, and make it
ripple like river, make it roar like the
mighty ocean, carrying ship full rigged
upon its bosom; man who can make it
blossom into rose, or who can paint upon
1t battle scene, preserving the heroism
and valor of men; a man who can, by,
color, lay before you all that is beautiful,
all that is divine in the world, surely
stands first among the sons of God, and
nearest to the Maker Himself in that he
Is a creator. I
The lover Of art sees this. To him these
things are disclosed, while the man who
does not love sees little. The same is true
between men: To whom do you disclose
yourself? Who is able to interpret you?
is always .rnisreading you, misinterpretinS
your motives. 1t is the. man who loves
you. He interprets you, he knows you.
So l think the proposition. Is justified
that love is the only interpreter OF God.
This brings me to the first point l desire
to'bring to you this morning, namely, this:
That there is q time in the life OF every
man when he has no vision of God and
spiritual realities. ! wish you to mark
that. There is a time in the life Of every
man wheh he has no vision of God and
sRiTnituaties. g nt ls It s covers 81 al that period
ate, when there is absolutely no vision Of
God and spiritual realities. Tho Apostle
Paul' will justify that assertion, for you
will find him saying in this same spistle.
That. the natural man perceivsth not the
things OF the spirit of Ged, for they ARD
them because they are spiritually judged"
The natural man is mot in the realm in
which he can interpret spiritual rselitiss. !
This mysterious force in. the organic
kingdom we call life. Who knows the or
ganic kingdom we call lifes Who knowA
we Know it weaves bodieA in which u
dwells; that it is miracle and that II por-
forms miracles OF transformation. We arc
acquainted with il. They would not call
,ta miracle we're they to know what il is.
When life is busy. it is performing thesa
transformations, but the atom cannot IN.
derstand the results OF life forces; they ara
foolishness ratio it. They are utterly con-
trary to all it knows Of the operation In its
kingdom. }
gNow, do you know there is aaothsr king
doomg A third kingdom, which is above
the Organic and in which all higher life
torces dwell; y third Kingdom whose force
ls the spirit OF the living God. And until
man Has come into the life Of that king
aom everything that we say trsnspires in
kingdom, just as Paul says, "For, the nat
uraf man receiveth not the things Of the
spWit of God, for they are foohshness unto
him, and he canpot know them, for they
are spiritually Judged" He has not en-.
tered that third kingdom. He does not
know fts law. He does not understand its
Which things? Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither cave catered into the
heart of man, the things,,,-What things,
Paul? ''Thc things that God has prepared
fcr them that love Him" So there is a
time when there Is absolutely NO vision of
God, and no vision Of spiritual realities,
apA It is vastly valuable that men both in
the church aud out of it shall recognize
that great fact. Had men out Of the
church discovered that great fact, they.
would have been saved from many failures,
ssv:. - bo.eby Burns in another connection
and foolish notion"
Not until O man has been touched by
the finger Of God will his ears be opened
70 the haymonies OF the third kingdom;
not until bis eyeS have had the visfon Of