The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-07-03

20 ,1e discredit OF either PARADISE Lost"
@. The Principal Tor vas Il a reflection
upon the learning oi eitner man. IL sim.
ply indicates thar m order 70 apprehent
truth ~ any quartz: 4 man mast be sym.
pathe.icslly disposed toward a.. Milton
had no mind Tor mathematics, nor Newton
io- poetry. - the wlsest OF men, a. he
word holds wisdom may come 10 the
Scriptures and md nothing there; as the
soldiers OF Titus, az the taking Of jernsa.
lem threw open the ark OF the covenant
and ioand II empty. IL Is a proverb that
none a"e 80 blind as those who viii not
see; wherefore a man who would hear God
speaking through the Scriptures must d.
vest himself OF prejudice and be willing TO
hear HIM.
And at this point, again, We discover why
Christ j. SO often rejected rs the lncal-
nate word There are mu>A tudes who
regard HIM - cEie!est amoaeten thousand
and altogether lovely. but here are many
Others who see IN Him aothng but "A root
out Of a dry ground who hath no form nor
comehness that they should receive Him
Why tins vide difference OF view: : /, IS
due 20 the same difference IN receptvity.
There are some who profoundly feet the
need 81 Christ; the sense of SIN lies htav-
ily upon them. and they would fam he de-
livsrsi from Il. They wait, ike aged SIM
con IN the temple. Tor the coming of the
mighty One and. behoidng Him, they in
sayin-, NOW lettest Thou Thy servant de-
part m peace. for mine eyes have seen Thy
salvation They welcome the message be-
cause they were waiting Tor II. Others,
ike Nathaniel, cry, Can any good thing
come ont OF Nazareth And prejudice
must be overcome before they can receive
Him. Thus IL is written. He came unto
His own, and His own received Him not;
hut 20 as many as received Him 20 them
gave He power 10 become the sons of God.
Prejudice is grounded IN pride OF worldly
wisdom. and this is the great obstacle be.
tween the soul and Christ as the word
or message from God.
Thus II has come 10 pass that some who
have been distinguished for their attain
ments IN certain provinces Of knowledge
have been wholly blind on the godward
side. One cannot forget how Charles Dar-
win. after spending his life IN experiment.
ing along the lines of physlca science, died
lamenting that his spiritual nature had
been starved. In his childhood he had
been deeply religious. as he said. but he
had iwelt so long amid an environment of
purely material things that God and i'm.
mortality had become empty dreams TO
him. He called IL "atrophy that is, a
All through his life he had fostered the
natural man or, as Paul calls it. psuchi.
kos, the psychicsl man. He could reason
indefinitely IN the realm Of material things,
but the supernatural was wholly ruled out.
And the principle referred 10 will ac-
count. also for the fact that the Holy
Ghost is nothing 10 many men. And there
is more skeptcism al tins point, believe,
than anywhere else IN these days. We are
| living under the dispensation of the Holy
| Ghost. He il now the executive of Gods
kingdom on earth, and those who are in
the kingdom have TO do officially with Him
Yet there are many who Characterize the
.,.l Il 1. IL. L..
| pronoun and regard Him merely as an atiiu'
ence or eifiuence, bearing no vital or per-
sonal relation 20 them.
There is obviously a great difference Of
opinion here. Is the Holy Spirit the per.
| sonal director OF our life and service or is
| He not He at all, but merely "it?" II
| He sustains tie former relation 10 us, II
| is because our souls are in harmony with
| His great purposes concerning us and ad'
! lusted 10 receive communications from
| Him. In this case we stand as Elijah did
on Horeb, his face wrapped in his mantle,
while he harkened TO "the still small
Voice" And living thus we follow His
| guidance, as did Abraham on his journey
| from Ur OF the Chaldees along the wind.
| ings OF the Great River, ever needing the
direction OF the Voice. pitching his tent or
| moving on as the Spirit bade him. Other.
wise we are like the mutitudes at Pente.
cost, who, despite the manifestations of di.
vine power in the sound OF the rushing
| mighty wind and the miracle OF tongues
| looked on in doubt and bewilderment, say
| ing: These men are full OF new VINE"
| In a recent book on religious experience
| the manifestations OF pagan frenzy are col
| lated with the feelings and convictions of
! Christian believers. and all alike are sub-
! iected 10 analysis by the so-called "scien.
tifc method" Thus Judged there is moth
! ing III regeneration. nothing in sanctlhca.
| ton. nothing but infatuation in the up
! lifting and transporting influence Of the
Spirit OF God.
In view of such considerations is il not
apparent that the soul is blind and deaf 10
| heavenly visions and revelations. unless j.
! is attuned TO them And what solemn sig
nlfcance there is in the words of Jesus:
He that hath ears to hear let him hear"
There are. indeed. so MANY voices and
none OF them without signihcation," bu.
the people standing by say: 1T thunder.
ethi' O for the hearing ear and the un.
| derstandng heart! What avails IL TO call
a commission OF blind men to pass judg.
ment on the art OF Titan OF Raphael?
What ayails it 10 bid jury of deaf men
SIT in judgment on the oratorio Of the
Creation Thus when the philosophers
of Athens heard Paul preaching on Mars
Hill some Knocked and others said: We
Will hear thee again concerning this mat
ter The gospel is "foolishness to the
Greek. and to the Jews a stumbling block,
but to them that are saved it is the wis.
dom and power OF God /" Men sat like
blind Bartimaeus in the Valley OF Palms;
and It's beauty is unknown 20 them until
the Lord of truth, passing by. says Re
ceiye thy sight" The FIVE physical senses
are az FIVE gates open TO physical truth,
but faith is the sixth gate, al which alone
spiritual verities can enter. Wherefore 10
IS written: He that cometh 10 God must
believe that He is and that He Is a reward
OF Of them that diligently seek HIM"