Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1904-02-10

II
And so l believe in our text Jesus is
not using relative term. but an alb
solute one. A pure heart-a fixed and
certain quality, and not arranged upon
sliding scale TO suit varying grades
ana conditions. There is a DISPOSE
| ton on the part of some people to
| quarry the declarations of God. and
try to bring them down to mans Level.
Ihis Is reprehensible. 1t is perilous
when God says: BE We holy. for / am
molly. BE We perfect even as your
rather In Heaven is perfect" He
meant exactly what He said. and
could not possibly mean anything else.
II one begins to qualify or weaken the
statements and commands of God.
where will he end? And IL one has
the privilege of adjusting Scriptural
declarations TO his own views all have
the same privilege. and the result is
that we have as many different stand
arus as there are Christians. But this
is manifestly wrong. and brings con-
fusion and vitiates Coos Word Ii
| is infinitely better and safer to at
tempt to reconcile and harmonic our
views with Gods Word than IL is to
try to accommodate Gods Word to
our views and conceptions. And So
when Jesus speaks of the pure in
heart, II was not with the thought
| that each was to decide for himself
Just how much that term implied. but
II was with one definite and fixed
! condition and standard in mind The
| pure in heart-those whose hearts are
sin-free
! WITH this Interpretation, however
w the difficulties in the way seem
almost insurmountable. Surely, If the
pure in heart are those in whom is no
faint of sin. there can be none such
and hence no one has the hope of
seeing God But we know that this
last is not true. We know that the
infinite purposes of God center about
man, and that it is His longing. low
ing desire that all should come into
| His presence. Gods Word teaches of
a Heaven which He has prepared for
man. that he might dwell with Him
forever. We know that from Genesis
! TO Revelation. as the sin and failure
and depravity of man are unfolded.
the mercy, love and forgiveness OF
God are gradually revealed in the
marvellous redemptive work. And
knowing this. we believe that when
Jesus spoke of the pure in heart He
! spoke of condition possible to man.
If he said: Blessed are the pure in
heart" there must be such among
men. And if there are those VINO are
really and truly before God pure in
heart, it is evident that they are pure
not by nature. not by self cleansing
and purifying. but they have been made
so by higher and mightier power
than their own. We have, then, three
propositions which we want TO get
clearly fixed in mind. First, that pure
in heart means a heart free from all
sin and sinful thought and desire
Second. that there are those who IN
Gods sight are pure in heart; and
third. that the pure in heart are such
not by inherent possession. but De-
cause they have been made so by Divine
Transforming power. With these
three propositions in mind let us re-
peat our text again: Blessed are the
pure in heart for they shall see Cod"
! Does il not begin to mean more to us
| and does not the harmonious relation
of the promise of the last half of TIE
verse to the condition named in he
! first clause become more apparent?
! IT HE pure In heart to see God Why,
i of course Who else could come
! into His holy presence, and where else
could the pure in heart go? Christ was
not declaring something new and
/ strange. 1t is as natural for purity TO
center in Heaven in the presence of God
. &c fnr 40 to g.r
wards the sun. or for the lark to mount
up the early morning skies and greet
the glorious king of day as he advances
up the royal pathway Of light in the
! eastern heavens. II is not thought
strange that the magnet should draw
the steel to close contact with itself. IL
is not deemed unusual or singular that
people of like tastes and purposes and
sympathies should be drawn together I'm
| close fellowship. Why should # be CON
| sidered anything but the most natural
| the most fitting that pure heart should
find its affinity and its complement with
a God Of purity and In the place where
| naught but purity is known? The pure
/ in heart to see God-of coarse! And
only the pure in heart can possibly see
| God. for in God s dwelling place there
| shall in no wise enter into It anything
unclean. or he that maketh an abomina-
/ ton and a lie"
! IT HAT man cannot become pure I'm
heart by his own effort is demon
strated by human experience and the
teaching of Gods Word Theheart I'M
der mans management and control is
'deceitful above all things and desper-
ately wicked" Man is sometimes de-
luded into the thought that he can car
~ on the heart house cleaning alone as
the man to whom Jesus referred who
drove out the evil and swept and
garnished his heart and then hattered
himself that he had done a splendid and
enduring bit of work. But II was the