The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-10

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hA 307 E. Broad. SY
ii. 81 DUNBAR, Manager
"a j. IS,
his reason only, but a warm, spiritual
affection which spoke out In the OK
elimination MY lord and my Cod 4 t
This is tho faith to which we are called
and by which we may realize power and
peace It is the faith of q personal
trust In a living, though unseer,s christ.
He lives FOR lis. rs our representative
before, God, and In lis or we wll) by
the power and presence of the Holy
Spirit, Not rs a dead hero, nor as a
sacred memory, nor an inspiring ex-
ample merely, but a divine Saviour, liv-
ling III all 1.-THE tenderness OF that I'M
wcurying love: the breadth and depth
of that sympathy; tho sovereignty OF that
wisdom; tile patience Of that saving
purpose; tho majesty of that TRUTH right
eousness and rcdeeming power, which
appeared ir.a all His lowlyi walk; among
the poor, the sad and the sin-burdened
on the earth. And He is still with us, by
His Holy Spirit. ruling, teaching, helping,
enllghtening, purifying. Jesus Christ,
tho same yesterday to-day and for
ever" aa5
The glory which Thomas saw ir the
risen Saviour may be quite rs close and
real and living for US as for him, be-
cause it is the glory of God In the face
OF Jesus Christ. Tho blessedness of the
relation in which Thomas stood may be
ours through faith, though we SEQ Him
not.
Observe how intensely personal was
this faith Of Thomas. IIe did not say,
Thou art indeed the Lord ard God"
but, like a child lost in "a dark and be-
wildering forest, who suddenly recognizes
In the shadowy form approaching him his
own seeking father, he exclaimed, MY
Lord and my God"
Christ must be known IT. such an ex-
perence of personal revelation and per-
sonal surrender or To remains outside
OF our life, and we remain nnblessed.
Faith which is not personal trust is
really no faith in Him at all! Personal
trust realizes power, because 1t is yield
Ing to Christ in all that He is or would
DO to us.
He stands at the door and knocks.
If you are not blessed it is because you
will not let Him como in! You oppose
your will to Him at some point lie car
not be Lord and God to You If you love
other gods in your heart. The gods Of
your ambition. your profit. your pleas
uro,. your pride, your self-will. must be
cast down. There must be self-surren-
der. That is tho law of Christs King
dom.
We need. above all things In this dark
world, to find and know God; and. indeed
IIe is not far from every one of us. Let
me tell you where you may meet Him.
Back of that physical existence which
you share with the brute creation. and
back OF what you call your outward life,
with it's relations and obligations and
business, there Is hidden tho secret life
of the soul. Here the real You" the
tmo self. lives and hroods and knows
itself as tho world can, never know II,
Here every man is alone, and 1t is mr.
awful thing TO many. They can find
nothing better to do in llfo than to
seek diversion, In order to forget them
selves. ls IL, @
i. ,,o4 s,,ont lonely chamber Of your
III, anory ona az Won has at times
III ira terrible mystery OF life. rho
sonso Of yourself and The awful loneli-
,,nur being has oppressed you.