The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-02-02

| the meaning OF the statement The first
Is that the import OF the passage is best
brought out by rendering God is spirit,
rather than. God is a spirit. since il Is
| not the personality but the spiritual ma
ture OF God which is emphasized. The
| second Is that the word for spirit is the
| emphatic word. Spirit is God. that is. OF
a spiritual nature is he. and from this
| fact follow the conclusions concerning
his worship and service which we shall
presently consider. But first let us limit
our views to the words. God Is spirit"
IL may seem but a vague definition
elusive and difficult TO grasp. or, per-
! haps II strikes us as self-evident--so OBJ
| viously true as scarcely TO require to be
asserted. Jesus did not advance IL as
| anything new. but rather as a view of
| God which IL was hard for men to make
| real TO themselves and to apply In thought
! and life. We may admit that the notion
OF spirit is. at first sight, elusive and diff
hcult to grasp. Our SIP ppntaneous thought
Is that the things OF senso are plain, OBJ
vious and certain. II In the common
feeling OF men that what ,hcy can see.
feel and handle is sure and comprehcn-
sble. Seeing is believing" they say;
knowledge Is OF things We see" But
who has seen spirit: VINO knows what
II Is or can define it7 What basis has
faith in the invisible, the intangible?
is SUPERFICIAL.
II this line OF remark is spontaneous.
II must be added that II is 40 super
| fetal. 1t is verdict made In advance
OF any real reflection. For what we most
Immediately; directly and certainly know
Is spirit. Yes. spirit is the one only
thing which we know at first hand. The
one direct object OF my knowledge is
myself. | know myself In immediate in
tuition as thinking feeling and will
ing being. that Is. as n spirit; and this
knowledge is the condition OF all other
knowledge whatsoever. In a more in
direct and inferential way. l know my
fellow men as spiritual beings. Their
various actions are a sign language
which. on the analogy Of my own spiritual
nature. l interpret as indicating intelll-
gence. feeling and volition in them kin
dred 10 what / find in myself
IL Is because / am a spirit, a person.
that ! know them as spirits. l interpret
them by myself The animal cannot
understand man. He does not and can
not know what a person Is. because he
is not person himself To the animal.
the acts OF men are as mechanical as
the processes OF nature. The dog or the
horse can see and hear as we'll as man.
But Of the world OF spirit or personality
the world Of moral feeling and motive
that IL OF the world In which the very
meaning Of mans life is realized-the
animal can know nothing. The very
glory Of man is in the fact that he be-
longs TO q spiritual order--that his first.
chief and only first hand certainty Is his
knowledge Of spirit. In knowing himself
as man. he knows a spiritual world.
MUST BRING HIS OWN NATURE.
Let us advance one step further on this
line. When man looks out upon the
great world Of nature and beholds the
beauty. law and order OF the universe.
what test has he TO apply to it-what
faculty or capacity by which TO interpret
Il? Has he any eye by which to discern
its meaning? There can be but one
answer. He must just bring his own
nature to the Interpretation OF the world
AS read through the signs given by my
fellowman the intelligence that Is ex-
pressed in them. 40 / read In the laws and
order Of the world the evidences of in
tellisence and benefcence. I could do
neither II l were not myself spirit-par-
taler In n spiritual world.
Thus the statement Of Jesus. while not
advanced as an argument. does contain
the supreme truth 10 which reflection can
conduct US. Spiritual being Is the ground
and source Of all things. That view
alone explains the world or man or per-
mits their explanation. Spirit is not.
oi'ti aiis ro dltoEttntT NdEue ana elu-
sive. One might almost say that spirit
Is the one thing that we do not know
what II is. hut spirit we can define. II
Is being which is conscious Of itself and
which IL able to choose the ends OF its
action. This much we absolutely know
I'm consciousness and u IL confirmed by
all history and experience.
THE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH
We have. then. In this short formula.
God IL Spirit" the fundamental truth |
az once or religion and OF philosophy. IL
is the truth which gives value to life |
and meaning to The world. II is the |
truth which guarantees the dignity and |
philosophy expresses it in different terms, |
but they have no different meaning. IL |
says: The ultimate reality Is Spirit or: |
Henson is fundamental I'm the universe. |
or: The world is grounded in intelligence |
and love. They are all expressions OF |
the faith. which In the conviction OF |
things not seen. They reaffirm the /
apostles contention that the things that |
are not seen are, after all. the secure and /
lasting things. God Is spirit: man is
spirit; this is primarily and fundamen- /
most certainly and most definitely know /
these are the truths I'm which are L
grounded all the deepest JOYS and hopes /
OF ife and the secure prospect of immor-
tality.
TRUE WORSHIP.
The third thought which wish 10 con-
slider II developed out OF that which Nc \
have tust discussed IN IL the idea OF true
worship and is expressed as folIovs.