The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1904-12-16

IN asking TO be convinced Of the spirit
rsl ty some impression oi the senses We
.sk the impossible. A sign 10 prtye the
spiritual must Itself he spiritual. IL God
ssks from man love VIII some celestial sp-
peaTanee create love, Ii God asks from
man that tree allegiance Of the wlll. could
a voice from heavsn or a succession q
voices subdue the mind and capture the
hearts III God asks for righteousness or
loyal obedience of the life 20 the Jaw of
Aie could anything material generate the
moralf There can be no sign given 20 men
who cannot see the sign which Jesus IS
Himself. lie authenticates the spiritual
10 rs Seeing Him We must believe in
God. or Il not how could we be made more
sure OF Cody Christ Is the revealer OF the
Father He Is the sign and symbol and
evidence OF God lie Is Emmanuel, the
Sign and Seal of God with Us and God for
Us, the-proof Of the DIVINE IN our midst.
There shall be no sign gwen 10 tins gener-
alton other than that. there can be ne
other. He Is the highest sign, and II the
greater fails how can the lesser convince,
and as a matter OF fact Jesus has con-
WINGED the world oil God. and is convincing
the world. Through Him we. too. know
God. by Him We have access To God. In
Him We recognize God. For His sake we
love God. The vision Of Him Is the vision
Of God.
think II an evidence OF our spirituality
that We do so thirst. and 50 we hnd many
modern versions Of the demand of the
Pharisees. Sometimes in the name of
science. sometimes m the name of religion.
We can even manufacture slgns when they
seem TO be lacking. Sometimes by emulat-
ing the methods of mCdevaism. IN which
the so-ealed lives Of the saints are fiouted
before US, and asking US TO believe in the
great realities of spiritual life because Of
some material sign. Answers 10 prayer, IL
may be, proyidences which, however CO.
gent 10 the individual concerned. have lit
tie meaning TO Others, or sometimes We
have a recrudescence of the crudest spirit
uahsm, spirit rapping, table turning. tea
cup manipulating, after which the devo-
tees 60 home feeling that they themselves
have been assisting at some act of pro-
found worship, as II the melodramatic yul-
carlsms of spiritualism could prove any
thing bat the folly of the race. Or again,
we have the same claims appear IN more
pretentious garb IN Iheosophy, or Chris
tan Science, or whatever happens TO be the
fashionable form of IL at the time, where
esoterlc mysteries of some kind are prac-
ticed The root OF all such things is this
same unspiritual thirst for a sign, after
thaumaturgioal wonders, faith healing and
other things pretty much OH the level OF
conJuring tricks.
All, ne. All this is sign in itself, a
sign of the WEAKNESS and despair and
breakdown of the black materialism of our
day 10 satisfy the heart Of man, but IL has
the terrible danger of inducing a worse
form of materialism still. deCeiving the
carnal heart by wearing the dress OF spirit
ual religion. How unstable II is we see
from the constant swing of the pendulum
now from atheism and materialism 10 the
most outrageous experimentation as in the
81 hYa Il 9TH
IN the opposite direction from ultra mysti-
cism TO ultra-ratonalism. The cause of
these seemingly contradictory changes II is
not far TO seek, as both are really based on
the same foundation-a wrong conception
OF what the spiritual is and therefore of
what Is true evidence OF the spiritual. This
generation thirsteth for sign. There shall
be no sign gwen to IT. No sign can be
given 10 an unspiritual generation which
would Judge all things by material stand
ards, generation that Is blind TO the spir-
itual signs of which life is already full.
There can be no voice from heaven 10 men
who are deaf TO the heavenly voice of
which the whole world Is already full; If
the spiritual does not evidence itself: II
man will not see God in Christ reconclling
the world 20 Himself; ii the sign OF the
cross cannot convince the stubborn heart
and bend II to acknowledge It's divine pow
er. IL Jesus Himself Is not seen TO be His
own sign and miracle. His own evidence
and proof. there shall be no sign gwen;
there can be no sign given.
There shall be no sign given unto this
generation Is that the last wordy IL
that the c.ang of the closed door IN the
face OF a seeking soul? Master, we would
see a sign from Thee" That pitiful cry
If truly asked. not az by those Pharisees,
but craving for spiritual enlightenment
and spiritual communion, that pitiful cry
has ever been answered. Never turned He
away from earnest, sincere, honest inquiry
after light and truth. He condescends 10
our weakness when we cry, oh that |
knew where j might find Him" He meets
us by the way. He makes our hearts TO
burn within ms as we walk with Him, con-
vincing Us Of His love, convincing us Of
the path, showing us the path, and il suf
ficeth us. When the heart thirsts with n
deeper thirst than for a sign, when -
thrsts after the love OF God, when the
heart and flesh cry out, He shows ne the
signs of His passion. as with Thomas. Be
hold Ny hands and Ny feet" He com
forts US. He comforts Us with the sign of
the cross, and before that wondrous mani
festation OF the eternal love before that
revelation of the Fathers heart. we be-
ieye and worship, and adore and love and
we say in penitence and IN faith. My
Lord and my God" DO we believe!