The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-07-01

to the discredit of either Paradise Lost"
o. The Princlpia.' nor was 1t reflection
upon the learning of either man. 1t sim.
ply indicates that III order to dpprchend
truth in any quarter a man must be sym
pathetically disposed toward it. Milton
had no mind for mathematics, nor Newton
tor poetry. So the wisest OF men, as he
world holds wisdom, may come to tn,
Scriptures and find nothing there; Us tho
soldiers of Titus, at the taking OF Jerusa
lem threw open the ark OF the covenant
and found it empty 1t is a proverb thai
none are so blind as those VINO. will no
see; wherefore a man who would hear God
speaking through the Scriptures must di
vest himself OF prejudice and be willing te
hear Him.
And at this point again. we discover why
Christ is so often rejected as the incar
nate word" There are multtudes who
SSgard Him as chiefest among ten thousand
others who see in Him nothing but "a root
out OF dry ground. who hath no form nor
comeliness that they should receive Him."
WHY this wide difference OF view! |. is
due to the same difference in receptvity.
There are some who profoundly feel tho
need Of Christ; the sense OF sin lies hcav
ily upon Them and they would flin he de-
livered from it. They wait, like aged Sim.
con in the temple, for the coming OF the
mighty One, and, beholding Him. they in.
stantly receive Him as the God Word,
saying, Now lettcst Thou Thy servant de.
part in peace. for mine eyes have seen Thy
salyation." They welcome the message be.
cause they were waiting for it. Others,
like Nathaniel. cry, Can any good thing
come out OF Nazareth?' And prejudice
must be overcome before they can receive
Him. Thus it is written. He came unto
His own, and His own received Him not;
but to as many as received Him to them
t,sa, Il
Prejudice is grounded in pride OF worldly
wisdom, and this il the great obstacle be.
tween the soul and Christ as the word
or message from God.
Thus it has come to pass that some who
have been distinguished for their attain.
mcnts IN certain provinces OF knowledge
have been wholly blind on the godward
side. One cannot forget how Char.es Oar
win, after spending his life in experiment
ing along the lines of physical science, died
lamenting that his spiritual nature had
been starved. In his childhood he had
been deeply religious. as he said, but he
had dwclt so long amid an environment Oi
purely material things that God and iEr
mortality had become empty dreams to
him. He called it "atrophy'-that is. .
wasting away for want of nourishment.
All through his lie he had fostered thi
natural man. or, as Paul calls it. psuchi.
kos. the psychicll man. He could reason
indefinitely in the realm OF material thiags,
but the SUPERNATURAL was wholly ruled ont
And the principe referred to will ac'
count. also. 70? the fact that the Holy
t'hOst IS nothing to many men. And there
i more skeptici.m ut this point ! believe,
than anywhere else in these days We ara
living under the disuen.atioa Of the Holy
Ghost. He is now the executive OF Gods
kingdom on earth. and those who are in
the kingdom have to do officially with Him
Vet there are many who characterize the
tiltG person Of the godheal BY a neute.
pronoun and regard Him merely as an affiu.
erce or ctiluencc. bearing no vital or per.
soral relation to them.
There is obviously a great difference OF
opinion here. j. the Holy Spirit the per
sonal director OF our life and service. or il
He not He" at all. but merely 'it:" il
He sustalns the former relation to us, il
Is because our souls are in harmony with
His great purposes concerning us and aG'
lusted to receive communications from
Him. IN this case we stand as Elijah did
while he hardened to the still small
Voice" And living thus we follow HE
guidance, as did Abraham on his journey
from tr OF the Chaldees along the wind.
inss OF the Great River. ever needing the
direction of the Voice. pitching his tent OF
moving on as the Spirit bade him. Other.
wise we are like the multitudes at Pente
vine power in the sound of the rushing
mighty wind and the miracle of tongues,
looked on in doubt and bewlderment. say.
ing: THESE men are full Of new wine"
In 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
lected to analysis by the so.called "scien'
titc method" Thus judged, there is moth,
ing in regeneration, nothing in sanctihca
tloH, nothing bat infatuation in the up.
lifting and Transporting influence Of the
Spirit OF God,
In view of such considerations is it moi
apparent that the soul is blind and deaf tc
heavenly visions and revelations. unless IL
is attuned to them? And what solemn sig.
nihcance there Is in the words of Jesus
He that hath cars to hear let him hear"
There are. indeed. so many voices and
none OF them without signifcation." bu,
the neonle standing bv say: 1T thunder
eth!' . for the hearing ear and the un.
derstanding heart! What avails it to c.ll
a commission OF blind men to pass iudg.
| ment on the art of Titan or Raphael!
| What avails it to bid jury OF deaf men
ht in judgment on the oratorio Of the
| Creation" Thus when the philosophers
ot Athens heard Paul preaching on Alari
Hill Some mocked and Others said: VIZ
will hear thee again concerning this mat
| Ter The gospel il 'foo,ishness to th7
Greek, and to the Jews a stumbling block
but to them that are saved it is the wis
| dom and power nj Cod" Men sit lika
blind Bartimneus in the Valley of Palms;
and its beauty Is unknown 10 them until
The Lord OF truth. nassng by. says: "Re
seiye thy sight" The five physical senses
are as five gates open to physical truth
but faith is the sixth gate, at which alona
| spiritual verities can enter. Wherefore il
| is written: "Je that cometh to God must
believe that He is and that He is a reward
er OF them that diligently seek Him"