Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1903-11-19
ion of God and no vision Of spiritual real


God and spiritual realities is enignatical,
"for now we see in a mirror darkly." That
word "darkly" is a translation of a Greek
phrase meaning, ''in a riddle" and thus
you, who have a revised Bible, will find
that the phrase in riddle" is placed in
the margin, for what Paul meant is this
For now we see in mirror, in riddle"
OF course, they did not have the mirrors
| which we have now in the apostolic age
Him forevermore.
Beloved, we will never all meet together
here, but we may all meet together yon-
der. We will never all see each other,
therefore, here. Let us 80 live that We
shall all see each other yonder, when we
have come up, like Him, to meet the hosts
out of great tribulations, it may be, having
our robes washed and made white, III the
That which they had was a metal polished
on one surface; sometimes Of silver, hut
usually it was q round piece of metal pol
shed as well as they could do it, to which
was attached a handle. Now, You can see
such a mirror would not reflect clearly, as
our splendid mirrors do, the images that
were before it. Now it is that furnished
the Apostle Paul with this striking illus
tration: "For now we sec in mirror, III
riddle
Why, the gospel itself, is as a camera OBJ
stultb, III hLItIi VIC sNc ICiltltt viz illil- :
OF eternity. What we see is not the thing
itself, but only the rejection of it. What
we see cannot be the thing ITSELF but only
the reflection of it. That is what the Go5-
pei is. The fourfold gospe! does not give
us the living Christ; it only gives the in
age CT the living Christ. i is imperfect III
50 far as man has had par1 in it, and IN 50
far as the reflector viii give oaly an lhi-
perfect image OF the reality, and We must
yl,n f,n+ rnt ,v,,lt ra
looking upon in Gpiritua! things is not the
objects themselves, but only the r2tcc-
tons. Nor must we forget that the IeiI-
nltron is made enigmatic, tIat the objects
look ike riddles to Us also, because the eye
OF the soul has not clear vision. What VIC
sec, depends on what our heart j.. llo",
often We are troubled by the m, Is and
fogs that arise from the lower lcreis Of our
own lives. How often you and ! know
what it is to be lost III the logs that settle
down upon us as the racing yachts Wcre
lost tha other day in their final reach lor
the goal: utterly lost, hidden thcGi,. .ea
and hidden .gom all about them; ald like
the challenger, we arr APT - r@o o"J Ot
our course and lose time in tho race for the
goal. 50 we must not forget that both tie
mirror and the eye that sees con tribute to-
ward The cnigmas ol oGr life and the eng
mas that surround Us.
Let us look fer a mowcnt or two Al.
fc's riddles IS they relate TO God Him
fosf. Now, have 4 deal o. sympathy for
the mu,titudCS OF men who find it hard to
see God. They hear from The pulpit OF
"Eod : omnisclcncc, Ills o"lnlpce. enlc, lia
otnr;ity. He ills inmcHsty, God IS spirit
Now, what aort ct an idea ,caa man E"L
from these descriptions Of IT," t.ornNl:
And he hears, You must love Goa,' that
the sum total Of the gospel IN a "oiu. 50
lar ~ Caty Is conccrrcd, - lt&, lH"N
shalt love, the Lord thy Goi with al lhE
heart, and with al thy sou), and with all
thy mind And hc says 10 Us. How can
] love Him? lie is iuuoncci ciyab'c to me. !
cannot form an image Ct linn. ] cannot
see linn TO know Him, to love Him.
Now God Understands This heap better
then many thcoiogian5 do. -. lie sad,
the "tttcrance OF God" the Word. SHa.
CONG, into human relations l19 sh2Ii :, "a,
on I'm; the nature ot man: lie 5NaIl 'P'
Stcnd tho i&"4er o. cNtn''E, cup ,lfE
llIG'scl' uhtll he rtIchv5 NC lo"t' ".t-o
OF humanity, uh;li lie ShAI ihoN' III ll'H
Tiaey OF human INC 80 tna' " "Ti ~. C!lt , ,'",',
lin, 50 that men Cah heIr LIS No!t', -
that men can LOOK upon iijS l3cc "'y "a
hearing iilm ana N !, ,no,neh''$ Inn a.'n ~
seeing INN, theF SAal near ana 'o0e" al"
see the iFIhS God.
oou cannot Do seen Dy amy eye i'c'E II
no mirror large enough 70 i'neey l'ih!' ana
even IN that W4lrn is ~, 'Ge express lI'"a'
OF lis perSo"' me 'HtI>t l nave ae0ii
taking, about, we nave peSh SI'.hI' q? /
Sa,I only moment ago, o'iy inc rsN1,l'l,i
OF HIM. we 20 Eo1 Ste utSuS' w guy
see the image OF Jesus ~ tins ioU"io'd on
lVeto.d ipiroF, the Ne" les ah"h'' ":s
saying this IN ofdst 10 fci.eN' ""tll.t'
minds OF real dHhcuItIcs. ! am S"El''@ INNS
to relieve ChriStan5 oi real cI1'oL'i'';