The Tupelo journal., 1904-04-08
81

h NkN&AW ness of the worlds
:SV ksfhW sin. Some n has
NSS IIFHR&3AH said that "the first,
.S9Y<EE wonderful and
beautiful as it is, is but a faint type OF
the true and glorious Light OF Life.
To every man that second Light is as
free as the first, and if he will accept
1t the darkness is forever past. More
God cannot do. The Sun of Righteous
ness is shining ever more brlghtly
than the orb Of day, but, ii men Will
shut themselves up in the darkness OF
sin, as in a subterranean vault, they
alone are to blame that His glorious
rays do not penetrate its blackness."
And as the man who would shut him.
self away in the dark cavern where
the sun could never penetrate might
refuse to believe that there was any
sun and any glorious light, so the man
who loved the darkness of sin and re-
fused to come to the Divine Light
might contend that there was no Sun
of Righteousness, and no glorious
Light to chase away the blackness or
sin, but it would not alter the facts
in either case. The great sun is in the
heavens giving freely, fully and con-
| stantly of it's glorious, l~ife-giving light.
and the greater Light, the Son OF God,
has come into the world and shines
with yer increasing brilliancy n
seeks to draw men from the darkness
and "the region and shadow of death
to the light and safety in Him. The
man in the sunlight does not need ar
gument to convince him that the u
is in the heavens sending forth it's
light. He knows it because he sees
and feels it. But the man in the cave
might be prone to argue the point and
you would never be able to convince
him while he chung to the dark recesses
of his retreat. But get him out in
the sunlight and all doubt and all de-
sire to argue would disappear. We are
not going to argue the point that Light
has come into the world, for Gods
Word and the testimony of the multi
tudes who have seen the Light and felt
it's blessed influence are evidence in
controvertible. We want to consider
those who are abiding in the darkness
and seek to draw them out into the
Light.
\ NOTWITHSTANDING the fact that
IN Light has come into the world,
there are many who love darkness
rather than the Light. They prefer to
sit in the shadows instead of coming
out into the blessed, life-giving Light.
They abide in the darkness. They see
the Light, even as n in a dark cav
ern might see far in the distance the
glimmering light of the sun as it crept
through the of the rocks.
They know it is shining out in the re-
gions beyond them, but they cling to
the place of darkness. Such were those
who came into touch with Jesus when
He was upon earth-His %neighbors at
Nazareth who allowed prejudice and
envy to blind their eyes and who
sought to destroy the true Light which
had shined unto them-the scribes and
Pharisees and the multitudes that fol-
lowed their leadership; all these were
they of whom Scripture declares that
the Light shined in their midst and yet
their darkened minds and hearts of I'M
belief ~apprehended it not. And such
are those to-day who come into touch
with the Light of the Gospel-Christ in
the world in the Spirit-and yet who
will not turn to that Light but prefer
the darkness of their own ways. Pre-
ferring the darkness when the soul Of
man was intended to find life in the
r.- Wy H. -ok xyo,IDr %L4{ fhA
earth worm delights to burrow into
the lark bowels of the earth. We do
not wonder when the hideous crawling
things which Turk in the darkness flee
from the light and plunge into the
darkest hole that can be found. 1t is
their nature. They can know nothing
higher and better. But think of the
very life depend Upon abiding in the
glorious light of the SUM-, choosing
rather the darkness of some damp cell
lar! Could it thrive? Could it live?
Indeed no, you say. And neither can
the soul of man thrive and live in the
worlds darkness of sin. 1t has been
made for a higher and better expert
ence; for Light instead of darkness;
for Heaven instead Of eternal separa-
ton from God in the outer darkness.
Strange, is it not, that there are men
and women, young men and maidens,
boys and girls. who prefer the darkness
of sin to the light and purity which is
found in Christ Jesus? And yet they
do. They choose to abide in darkness.
COD calls it darkness, for such it is.
~ But the Devil gives it other
He calls it worldly enlightenment, per-
sonal liberty, pleasure, ease, luxury,
indulgence, etc., etc. The Devil always
likes to change the names of things.
He learned the trick away back in the
beginning of mans history when he
called the fruit Of the forbidden tree
good, and wholesome and desirable.
And the present advertising age has
learned the trick to an amazing degree,
and attractive and hi~gh-sounding
names and phrases are tackled upon
articles for sale which help sell the
goods. but do not in the least change
their true character. The world has
answered the question: Whats in a
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