The Newtown bee., 1906-04-27

The Bible is Oriental. We must,
therefore, read it and think of it as
such. 1t is not matter of fact, but
spiritual in it's teachings. 1t speaks
to us very largely in the universal Ian
guage of parallels, miracles, signs, and
figures Of speech, common to the
whole world. 1t appeals to our mag.
nation. Its language is that of child
hood and youth, as we'll as of the lat
er stages of life; and of all sorts and
conditions of men. Indeed, our spir-
itual life is largely the play of the
imagination. We do and must take
the simple things of the world and
make them express our thoughts,
affections, concepts and fancies The
reality Of life, after all, is in our own
hearts and minds. The outward con-
duct is the revelation of the life with
in, consciously or unconSciouSly ex-
pressing itself. In it's essence it is
mysterious, intangible, and underlined,
perhaps, but none the less real to us
and to others. The toys of our child
hood serve the same purpose as tile
treasures of maturity, and of old age.
A clothes-pin may be transformed in
to brave soldier, or a lovely doll; and
broomstick may be endowed with all
the qualities of fiery steed; and the
ShlIo 10 hdPPJ WILL CIC StCdCulCo VI
his own imagination. Such is life.
New faith is the power to realize
the unseen things, whether in this
world, or in any other world. 1t is
the imagination applied to things
spiritual. Man IS spirit, and to
come into conscious relations with the
divine and eternal is the most natural
thing in the world. Faith is neces-
sary in all the common interests of
life: in business in pleasure, in the
pursuit of science and art, as in reli-
gion. The great successful men of the
world d. are the 9 men Tho walk by faith
fore they come to them. They look
ahead, and anticipate, and plan for
the future, forecasting in their hearts
and minds the shadows of coming
events. 1t is the work of their imag-
nations applied to the interests
which concern them. They secure
the legal title to lands before
the railroad is projected that will be
sure to run through that way; and be-
fore the city that will be built some
day has entered the minds of others.
And so the man of science lives by
faith. He must see the thing he looks
for in his imagination before he can
ever find it in his laboratory. 1t is
uAC WI VI l01UAs AhO oO IL III dl u
The statue, or the painting must first
have its inception in the heart and
mind before the ideal can be wrought
out into visible form. And so, also, on
the same universal principle, Abraham
believed and obeyed the call of God;
and Moses ''endured as seeing him
who is invisible;;" and all the great
leaders of men in all the ages have
been men Of faith in God.
But let US not think of faith as being
without any foundation in fact. The
imagination does not work without
materials with which to build. Faith
is not without it's supports of reason
and common sense, as we'll as its hopes
and God-given intuitions. Faith in
God is based upon promises which
meet the natural expectations of the
soul: The light is for the eye and the
eye is adapted to the light. God is
the supreme necessity of the soul,
and the soul seeks for the center and
source of it's spiritual, immortal life.
And thus the spiritual progress of the
moral life depends very much upon
the culture of the imagination, which
like any other power may be pisused
and abused. But faith is the begin
ming of the true spiritual life, and the
grand theme of the Revelation of God
! 40 NV nav al " 'SAJ R1SA " dh0 OlCL1Shu
of our nature-life in the body, life in
the soul, life in the spirit. Every fac
ulty we have makes for life,-the love
of every good, the affections of the
heart, the thoughts of the mind, the
perceptions Of the beautiful, the love
of knowledge, the desire for power
the hungering and thirsting for right
eousness- these belong to the love
of God which constitutes the image of
the divine IN us-the prophecy of the
| life everlasting.
II you visit E. II. Dillon's, 9S6 anc
988 Main street, Bridgeport, you can
not fail to be pleased with the variety
Of hats you will there see. Their price,
are favorable ones to you. They carry
large line of trimmed dress hats
81: 4S to 800; trimmed sailors, CSC: I'm
trimmed hats, 25c to $500. They alst
carry large and beautiful line Of ha
| trimmings and you will do we'll to cal