Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-10-13
COMFORTING CERTAINTIES
A Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rsv. Dr..
Robert Bruce.
Words Addressed to Nlcodemus--The Person
That the verities Of Our Faiis
Cluster About.


inquirer after truth. He had come to
| Jesus under cover of the darkness. AS an
official of the Jewish Sanhedrim, he did
not dare to be seen talking with the Naza.
rene Teacher. Yet he is convinced in his
own mind that Jesus is prophet and
that. too, a prophet sent OF God; This
much he confesses to the Christ. Then be.
gins the wonderfully instructive interview
from which the text is taken. This inter.
view is evidently only an outline, but the
outline is marvelously suggestive. Nico'
demus was good man. He was religious
man. He conformed to all the religious
forms and ceremonies Of his nation His
outward department was blameless and
his standing in the community was honor
able. But he was not spiritual man. lie
was not what we would call to-day con.
verted man. To him Jesus thrice used the
solemn double amen, amen, l say unto
thee"
Nicodemus could not understand what
Jesus meant by being born again. He was
unable to see what that new spiritual lite
was Of which he himself was lacking. Then
it is that the third double amen OF Jesus
introduces the words of the text: verify,
verify, l say unto thee, we speak that we
do know and testify that we have seem.
In this utterance Jesus uses the word
"we," not simply as the plural OF majesty,
but connecting Himself with all His disci:.
pies, so that IL ID pelle'tIf popSt nd
riRht LOT us .1uhy W USE LIS "Hu Shr;s.
say. we SPEAK 'nat W. , uo nno ~ tho nar.
.lans are eon aiE;a;o WIZ !, n sense i
NAV be said that 'the Bible and the Bible
alone ia the religion OF Protestants,' yet in
the fuller sense our religion is life.
Christ is Christianity. His life in Himself
and in His disciples is the spirit and the
power of true religion. We have something
more than opinion; something better than
creeds; we have as one of the eternal verl
ties Jesus Christ as the manifestation OF
God. 1t has been well said that Christ
either deceived mankind by conscious
fraud or He was Himself deluded and de-
ceved, or He was divine. There is no get
ting out of this trilemma. 1t Is lnexor'
able Tie stood before the men VINO knew
HIM best and sad ne that hath seen we
hath seen the Father. and again declared
to them: Il and My rather are one. ms
was tremendous assumption ana aWiui
blasphemy II 1t was not the truth. lnat
1t Is the truth the course OF time ana tne
course OF Christianity both abundantly de-
clare. "a,
The verltles OF our precious faith cluster
about person. ms person was uou'
manifest IN the hesh, ana LOT an Ihe cen.
turles since Bethlehem the noplest' "isest
and hottest nave bowed before iii'n' IeV ever,
emily eXclalmlng; MY LORD ana my uou:
1t matters not from what poiht we we"
him, Jesus STANDS before tne "oriu az
more than man. 1t IS SAID OF safe ana
perfect arch that 1t must meet two require
ments. Its feet must not sip ana lts mo
die must not bend Jesus Ihrist IS the a aI
connecting humanity ana diVlnitF. Inc
weight OF the centuries OF CHRISTIANITY rest
on that arch and they rest there saiely, LOT
".Iesus il God: there never was time
when He was not.
p,u,dIess eternal mprc;ful the word
The Sire begot.
B,cl,y,rd our thouobts through ares
etretch onward throuuh realms of
Hiss
For tLore orc +uo etorn;ties and both
Lilo ore H;s
,...I,a. Sc 49, on.,;.;o. :, +b,. tho
r., quo. iei oi 'ne ~ ~ IN tnaU s"e
VI! ist,an ny - NI 'h,e nv T. no va" ,'.
new new Inoush. " Nleo'iei'u'' 10 ne"
stnoushe 10 many ,o'n'Si s.a was nv' &c
rsuie ~ spge.n nut p.I, , ~ ,.'n, va
l"v'' Wheh 'esns 'iis's.e' wa. ~ was n. .t,,
salN 10 pT porn as"'n u. "a'ei w un,i
Raven. iooe VI -,iooueii"s 'l'te "'".n
navy sa'u i. vas nto.ssai. ~, ~ . -. H,' ~
deal hohes.N, 10 oelaVe knuly, 10 e NE We ui',
IiRh'E' 90 many say ,o,uas' any !" oy az.
tfis tneE mean upr'ein,'ness III w. peileeu
form 'hGE are i'Hn,. n,, no man .'s "tvl
,iNtu VINO IDS peeh lilus "p',Hn'.
nave snmeo ana come shof, OF .he glory VI
"od' Inc history OF hianhl'u SHOWS .hI'
we mus! not seeh hoiL'Gs' II, oi G ~ .'on
put 700 III oruel 70 honiess; ' II! , inu'o
come lhto 'he so1i Oh man man, M''h ms uINiiie
me- ana then, ana not WI ,heh, are VIC Ill
harmony WIN ,ne dlFlhe ho''hess.
Nhen that NE comes III 'heh there Is
mnhllestea inc eNpnm'sfe power Vi new
anectloh' better sun 'he eApusNs power
OF ne" me N1thlls ess VIA" ~. G"n
account lor Ihe 'n'nsc III i1n' No'hins
~. i.'e fIti sAt;o owa' m;f In
y, y ~ az, that o,,o.,, az
fert must have an a1rouate rause This
also i, true in the realm of spirituality. If
nnrserutors are changed into preachers. if
those once thoroughly depraved have been
nodded into recognized saints if the dreps
nf societv hoy. been Transformed into un.
paralleled martyrs for the truth, if common
nconle have been fashioned into those of
whom the world was not worthy-we ask
What cause a. what nower il oJrouata for
snrh mary, Ions alterations We know
these changes, II is folly to saw we do not
know The nower
Twice earh dov orr CITY is oshed Inv n
mighty ebb and flow Of tides that sweep in
and out. despite all the winds that blow,
Your child recognizes the fact but he is
puzzled to think that the pale, silent moon,
serene amid the clouds is the cause Of
those res;stiess Hoods The child j. nuz.
lied Inf when vour nh,losonher eynlains
tn Won that The moon does this Inv attrnc.
lion Of gravitotion and Won ask him to OK.
Main to Won his attraction Of grav;tot;on
then he TOO, is puzzled. Yet he knows the
power. knows it so well he can measure il
nnnI nSa II So FOO win Cbr;at;nn;tv md
ts n "y We can recogn;ln II. force and
nse II Inf ia sacret il The secret of lie
like al, force in its orioin if Is a mystery
Tennyson says:
eve have but faith we cannot know,
For knowledge is of things we see"
This is not quite true. Know,edoe is Of
things we feel, as we'll AS Of thinrs we see
Many things we know Thai we rannot see
We never saw a pain. bnt we shoujd cali
~, - r,al ,'ho 81 hh,,iI ,n,'' ., ,'a 81, w.