Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-08-13
THE TELESCOPE.
An Instrument or Rather Condition
of Mind and Heart Which
Needs Man.

many material substances in the light
the stethoscope fer perceiving, not by
the eye. the internal state of the breast;
and various other scopes for perceiving
various things. But what we need most
of all is telescope for seeing God,
writes Bishop II. w. Warren, in Chris
tian Work
This is legitimate field for scientific
research with suitable instruments. We
need not wait till this muddy vesture
of decay is taken of. as Job said in
despair of present vindication, with
out my flesh shall see God" for Moses
but expressed a desire in accordance
with human possibility when he said:
Il beseech Thee show me Thy glory"
History had told him that the Lord had
appeared under various forms unto
Adam. A6ram. Isaac. Jacob and others.
But Moses wanted to see the real es-
sence. For that there must be waiting.
but in the denial God offered to make
HIS goodness pass before him. And He
did. TO the great irradiating of his face.
For such vision human eyes are not ade-
quate. Elisha knew that the organs for
seeing spiritual eXistences existed and
only needed unveiling when he said:
/ pray thee open the eyes" of the young
man. The Lord of all spiritual realms
asserted the same fact when He said:
THE pure in heart shall see Cod" This
"shall' has an assertive or imperative
rather than future force. This is a
common significance. The verb OPTIC
mai. from which this opsontai, "shall
see,' comes. does not mean to see with
eyes exclusively. but it means to per-
ceive with the mind, to know, as Acts
SOB: Il perceive that thou art in the
gall of bitterness and the bond of in
iquity;" Col. 2:1S. seen with feeling of
reverence american Version note.O
John 3: II and So seen with spiritual or
gans John 1916, Ye shall see Me spirit
ually present after My body has de-
parted.
1t also means to become acquainted
with by experience, John 8: Sc. not ex-
perience life. Luke 1922 Not know by
experience one of the days of the Son of
Man.
! 1t also means to take heed to. to see
to it. Matt. 27:4. See to your betrayal
of innocent blood yourself. Also verse
"a. See to it yourselves. Acts 1915. See
" tue thtCi VI your OWN law.
In these senses. then (a) to perceive
with the mind, (b) to know by expert
ence, (c) and then TO reverently take
; heed to- man may see God.
What is the. instrument, the theo-
scope?
! Prof. AgassiZ once approached the in
strument of celebrated microscopic.
but paused and said: Tell me what I
am to see" The microscopic. delighted
answered: you are a man after nv
own heart. You recognize that there
must be prepared mind to enable the
eye to see rightly" We shall see what
We expect or desire 70 see. Thousands
have eyes but see not the things that are
visible to others. A cold critic. gazing
on one of Turner's gorgeous pictures of
sky in which God made the outgoing
OF the morning and evening rejoice
said: Il never see such colors in the
Sky as YOU paint" Don't you wish You
could?" said Turner. 81 never can be-
gin TO paint what see." To some
, primrose by the rivers brim
yellow primrosc'is to him.
And 1t is nothing more
To another every common bush is aflame
with God. So the first qualification is
desire and expectancy. Then one is
anxious to be taught, like Agassiz. by
artists already qualified. How many of
them there are. What a choice selec-
, ton of the results of their seeing is
recorded in the Bible.
! The instrument of this theoscope is
the heart. With the heart man believeth
unto righteousness; and this rightness
is the purity in heart that enables one
TO perceive God. AS the patriot thrills
to see his country in the flag; the bride
to see covenaated constancy of love in
ring; the Christian to see Divine love
even unto death in the cross, so the pure
in heart have a telescope TO see God in
everything that He has made.
How the Bible seers saw Him. The
/ heavens declare glory of God and the
armament showeth His handiwork.
He bringeth the rain. He causeth the
grass to grow. He giveth to the beast
his food. How the hymns roll the
rhythm of His presence in nature till
the morning stars sing together and all
the universe is one Eolian harp swept by
the breath of God.
! The harp at natures advent strung
Has never ceased to play:
The song the stars at morning sung
Has never died away.
How the world, human history, and
ones individual experience are all slori-
fed when God is perceived, even dimly.
in them all
The full revelation is not yet.
For if could see as in truth they be.
The glOries that encirc.e me
] should lightly hold tEis tissue1 fold
, With its marvellous curtain of blue and gold
. The full revelation of God. when we
awake in His likeness and see Him as
He is, must be expected, desired and pre-
pared for here. After our theoscope
which has been made by the best artist
has been used to perfection by an ex-
F., pectant soul till God is pavillioned in
every splenGor, breathed in every rose.
and all nature sings His boundless love.
! . I,1v.