The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-23

natural and the spiritual sight-the old
nature predominates over that OF the
new nature wherein dwells the Spirit
Of God, and it results in all kinds of
mistakes and errors. But 1T is not Gods
will that it should be so. God has given
to us His Spirit that through His min
istry we may conn to know the deep
things Of God. This is what is implied
in the term spiritual sight. 1t is a gift
from God. 1t is the result Of looking
at the things Of God through the re-
vealing presence of the Holy Spirit.
But to return to the natural man and
the natural sight. The fact that he
does not recognize the reality and
meaning of spiritual sight is often an
effectual barrier to his salvation. Per-
haps he is well versed in scripture and
has sought to understand the things of
God with his intellect. Bob Ingersoll,
with the splendid brain with which
God had endowed him, endeavored to
do this very thing. Few men were ever
better versed in the Scriptures than
he. Few Christians have Scripture
texts at their tongues ends as did he.
and yet because Ingersoll did not rec
ogniZe this truth, that it was not his
spirit and his intellect which was to
understand God and Gods Word, but
his teacher if he would only receive
Him-because of this, he never knew
God. How many there are in the same
condition.
A ND by this we would not imply
IA that mans intellect and all his
natural forces are eliminated as a fac
tor in the finding Of God. These are
the mediums of Gods communication
to you, but not as pr~edominating and
willful factors, but as submissive and
Obedient agents for the operation OF
Gods Spirit. 1t is here that the sec
ond or spiritual sight begins. Dear
friend of natural sight, as you under
stand the things of man through the
spirit Of man which is in you, eve
so you must come to know the things
of God through the Spirit of God.
You must have second or spiritual
sight. Will you not recognize the
reasonableness of this proposition, and
yield the natural sight to the point
where God by His Spirit al reveal to
you the things which pertain to God.
Quit trying by your W effort to know
onI nn1arctana God ond with c,,hppiS-
sive and humble spirit let the Holy
Spirit become Interpreter and Teacher
to your soul. Imagine the man born
blind trying with his sightless Eyes to
see and understand the appearance
and beauty Of nature all about him.
Think of his refusing to believe that
there We're any other eyes which could
see better than could his poor slghtless
ones. Think of his standing in the
presence of Jesus and declaring that
he was satisfied with his view and IN
derstanding of things, and did not be-
lieve there could be anything better. I
fear hat the compassionate Christ
would never have stocped down and
anointed the poor beggar's eyes with
clay. He never would have washeG
in the pool and ONE seeing. All, We
need the sight which Christ alone can
give us by His Holy Spirit if we would
come seeing the things of God.
r N SPEAKING of the natural, unre-
4 generate man, in the verses pre-
ceding our text, Paul declares that
EYE hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart OF
man, the things which God hath pre-
pared for them that love Him" But
the apostle goes on to say Of the re-
generate man that God hath revealed
them unto him by His Spirit" And
then comes the query and the declara-
ton of u text. But how slowly and
how indifferently the Christian re-
ceives the revelation which the Spirit,
as He searches the deep things of GOO,
seeks to make to the soul. How little
We are satisfied with. How limited is
our view of salvation. When God has
set a table loaded with the richness
and fullness Of His ineXhaustible spir-
itual dainties, how content we are to
stoop down at the tables edge and
pick up only the barest crumbs which
have CHANGED to fall at u feet. We
might sit at the table and partake of
ali the feast We might through the
aid of the Holy Spirit see and enjoy
the wonderful things which God
hath prepared for them that love
Him." but we do not. We are salts
fed with the crumbs, and we make out
the rest of our meal on the weak and
sightseeing with the natural man.
We use his eyes and ears and tongue
and brain. Oh, how much the Chris
tan willfully shuts himself away
from! What fulness God has planned
for him and how empty he remains!
God wants us to have His sight, His
view Of things, to know His peace and
Joy, and fulIness. My brother, give up
the desire and tendency to see with
the natural eye; make the natural
man with his m%aterialistic tendencies
and his feshly appetites and lusts take
a back seat, and enthrone, the Holy
Spirit in your heart, that you may see
with clear vision and know and I'M
derstand God.
A ND now a last word to- the unsaved
y soul. My friend, the astronomer,
looking through his powerful telescope
is able to see glories in the heavens
of which my natural and unaided eye