The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-09-18

defa Of literature fiads in tlie Blils mgehs
anQ parallels, songs and chronicles of sur
hass1g beauty, but eloro are gthcrg who
ia teu q nt divine or9aies' and hear the very
voice a God
how are we 30 account o. his difference
Of eA!ii1ue AZ 10 spiri hial value and vera
clou8 ~ segrlty OF the Scriptures Is IL
due. sae lBf0re TO a difference of relation
with Nod lq some cases. men hold them.
selves m readiness to hear, as Samuel did
~ the ear'y watches Of tie morning. when
In angR or b0i the heavenly voice he said
Speak, Lord. Tor Thy swpunt neauetb.~
In Other cases they stand in critical OF
skeplical nttIuide, De Theo lore Parker dad
when he nlmgried, II am n1t. willing 70 re-
oerve thisdstatnnent upon tie authority Of
any su-l y 'rsOip az God There Is 10th
ing in the iworH that can 90 destroy tho
receptivity ,Oi Die soul as hs pride OF
worldly wisdom. No man can hear hEav-
only message who IS not instantly willing
10 admit that Gods wiser than be.
The tact thh a haa is li0erally educated
IN certain dire 3tCna does not argue that
he b. competent to- receive a dayine com
mumicalian. In thu middle of The seven
teentn century blerF were two men living
in England whose rmes are equally his
toric and illustrOus iAu broad culture Onr
of these was Sir Isaac Newton md the
WAAANA DNNU aAllhWMt AHAHN ~ ~ HHAEHIHI
TACT that Sir Isaac Newton could not ap.
precidte Paradise LoS," and equally sin
lqildr' thab John Milton could see nothing
in "The Principal" Obviously this was not
to the discredit Of etEN Paradise Most"
or The Puncipia," nor was it a reflection
upon the learning of either man. II sim
ply Indicates thar IN order to dppressand
truth Ia any quarter nan must be sym
pathetically disposed toward it, Milton
had no mind for Mathematics, nor Newton
for poetry So the wisest OF men, as he
world holds wisdom, may come TO ehe.
Scriptures and find nothing there; as tAe
soldiers a. THUS at the taking Of ,lerusa-
lem threw open the ark ct the covenant
and found 1t empty. It is proverb thEb
none are 90 blind as those who will not
see;: wherefore a man who would bear Goa
speaking through the Scriptures must do
vest himself Of prejudice and be willing to
herr Him
And at this point, again, we discover why's
Christ Is so often rejected as the incar-
nate word" There are muititudes who
regard Him as chiefest among ten thousand
aud altOgethBT lovely, but ohere arc many
others who see in Him nothing but "a root
out Il a. dry ground, who hath no form nor
comehness that they should receive Him"
Why this wide difference OF vlew! H. Isl
due to- the same difference in receptlvitY-
There, are some who profoundly feel the
need Of Christi the sense of sin lies 5eav-
lily upon them, and they would fain be 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
sgantly receive Him as the God-sent Word,
saying, Now lettest Thou Thy servant de-
part.in peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy
saavHtioRis DHEY welcome the message be,l
cause they were waiting for 1t. Others,
like Nathaniel. cry, Can any good thing
come out of NAZARETH" And prejudice
must be overcome before they can receive
Him. Thus5lt liz written, He caue unto
His own, and His own received Him notj
but to,as MANY as received Him to them
gave III power 'ts2become the sons of God"
Prejudice is grounded in pride of worldly,
wisdom and this Is the great obstacle be
tween the soHl md Christ az the word"
ODmessaSe from God.
Thus it has come to pass that some who
have BEEN distinguished for their attain
ments i'm certain provinces of knowledge
have been wholly blind on the godward
side. One cann@ forget how Charles OAR
win, after spending his life in experiment.
ing along the, Hires 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 dwelt so long amid an environment OF
purely material things that God and IN
mortality had become empty dreams to-
him.. He called it "atrophy" is, "a
wasting. away for want of nourishment
All through his life he had fostered the
natural man., or, as Paul calls it, psuehA
kos, the 1psyclical man. He could reason
indefinitely iIr one realm OF material, things,
but che supernatural was wholly ruled out.
A1rdl the principle referred to will 40
ooun-E, Also, FOR the fact that the Holy,
Ghost is nothing to many men, And there
is more skepticfsm at this point. believe,
thdnanywhere else in these days We are.
living under the dispensation of the holy
Chest. He,ls now the executive of G@d's
kingdom on earth, and those who are in.
the Kingdom have to do officially with Him.
Yet there are many who characterize the
third persian of the godheadlby nauter
prOnoun and regard Him merely as an atiid-
oaee o." efidence, bearing nSovital oa per-.
sSnal relation 10 them
There ISS obviously a greet 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 iaerely "ft%' Ii
a He sustRins The former relation 10 US, it
\ IS because. our souls are ia harm Wny vita
/ His great, purposes concerning US and ADJ
| lusted to, receive COMMUNICATIONS from
! Him. In this case we stand as Elijah did
| on Hcreb;, his face wrapped in ms mantle
while he, hardened tor, "the still small
Voice" And living thus we, follow His
guidance; as did AbraiBam on his journey
from Or of the Chald4es along the wind.
ings Of the Great River, ever needing the
diresaon of the Voice. pitching his tept or
moving ON as the SPIRIT bade, him. Other-
wise, we are like the multitlUies at Pente-
cost who despite the manifestations Of di.
vino power in the. sound af the rushing
mighty wind and the miracle, Of tongues.
Looked IN in doubt and bewilderment, say
ing, "Fhese men are full Of new wine,''
I'm a recent book on religious experience
SHE, manifestations of pagan frenzy are, 90!
TBted with the feelings aad convictions ai
Christian believers, and all alike are sub.
iected to analysis by tloe. so,caned "sc;e0
tific method" Thus judged, there is moth
ing in regeneration, nothing 10, sanctfflea