The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-11-23
r5'712E 7,RZMRIT
~ Hlg1lGl o174E REV. =
SUNDAY g0S60AIrsA w. HENDERSON,
SERMON lAUOUIAIT AITHE FAMOUS. DIVINE.

| 1,
ence shall be held TO be the test OF
value OF opinion. how much more
necessary will IL not be in the sphere
OF the religious life. IL is easy for
the scoffer TO mock at the joys and
the comforts OF the Christian life.
There is no difficulty for the man
who really wants 10 find men who,
after half-hearted service and misin-
terpreted, misunderstood experiences.
pronounce the life within Jesus a
fraud. But is the cry OF the maligner
of Christianity legitimate and we'll
based? Has any man right 10 dis
parage a system of living of which
he has no experimental knowledge
or OF which his sole information is
unscientific or fraudulent? Which
shall be mightier, the testimony OF
the soul which having fulNlled the
conditions is satisfied and sure, or the
tale of woe of the charlatan who
never met the measure?
But If il is needful TO be rich with
experience TO deny the grace OF the
God blessed life. il is still more neces-
sary TO be saturated with a deep,
Chrlstly, spiritual, personal expert
ence in order to convince others of
it's value and TO enjoy what Beecher
called Its privileges and preroga-
tives." The holy men of Israel knew
the beauty OF Jehovah and the glory
% a life near 10 Him because they
enjoyed and practiced experimental
communion with Him. Jesus pro-
claimed the majesty Of the Father
and the loveliness of a God-inspired
career because He dwelt within the
presence Of His King. Paul paints
the manifold blessings Of the Chris
tian life because he was a thorough
going ChriSt-man. The Samaritan
woman received Jesus as the prophet
for whom her heart longed because
she had seen Him face to face. And
her brethren from the city believed
on Christ since she repeated TO them
her own short, graphic story concern
ing the truth she had both heard
and seen. There we have il. faith
founded on fact and on fact repeated
that is TO say, upon personal eX-
perience.
All preaching and all testimony
which strikes home to the heart is
the story OF the personal experiences.
The first principle OF a reaching talk
is, to sum II up in a sentence, tell
only the facts Of life. And if in the
telling OF the Gospel story and in the
application of the truth to the de-
mands and the problems OF to-day
this element of dead certainty is OF
such immense Importance, who shall
deny its insistent necessity in order
to the enjoyment and appropriation
of the Gospel blessings by the indi-
vidual
The Christ life must be a live,
frst-hand, personal experience or It
is useless. You may take your food
prepared or predigested as you will.
You may take your knowledge OF
the scientific disciplines by rote. But
no man can know Christ or enjoy
rich and enriching spiritual COM
munion within Him who does not live
his life within Jesus for himself.
Now we believe, not because of thy
saying; for we have heard Him our
selves and know that this is indeed
the Christ, the Saviour Of the world, !"
said the men of Sychar. And this is,
as in the nature Of the case II must
be, the testimony of every man who
will enter or who has entered into
the enjoyment Of the privileges and
the prerogatives" OF the Christian
life. No other method of entrance
| Is So satisfactory. NJ Olutl leSll-
mony from the citizens Of the eternal
kingdom is so influential and con-
vincing. No other knowledge is so
certificating TO the intellect. No other
evidence is so soul inspiring. With
out a vision of the Christ no man
may witness vorthily for Him.
Blessed with a personal experience
we may lead the multitudes to God.
FH.tt To-, Ia, 80 Il ~ g M
sonal experience with the presence
and the personality OF Jesus Christ
is a paradox. Strictly speaking there
is no such thing as a Christian life
apart from the immediate influence
of the Lord Jesus. We might as we'll
call a man a sinner and without the
pale of the kingdom Of God, as we
have II in the economy Of Jesus, as 10
call him a nominal Christian" We
speak Of nations as nominally Chris
tian because we do not wish TO be
unkind in our terminology. In real
ity a nation that is nominally Chris
tian is usually nation that bears no
more resemblance to Christ, His
plans, His teachings, His character,
than is expressed by the fact that for
convenience's sake and for purposes
OF international differentiation, We
so denominate II.
The man who hopes TO win men
with a message that is other than
born OF a personal and direct inspira-
ton from God Almighty is an an
achronism. II may have been possi-
BILE at some time in the dark ages OF
history 10 win men 10 Christ by hear
say testimony, but II cannot be done
to-day. The world wants the mes
sage Of the eve witness, the report
OF the man who has heard the truth
with his own ears. Humanity desires
the testimony OF the scientific inves-
tigator, the man who has tested the
truth and has found it real.
Now We believe-because-we-
| know" This is the gist OF the text
and the outstanding truth OF that
Joyous Samaritan day. This Is the
test OF faith. A vote OF confidence TO
/ the Christians who can say It. JOY
urspcakable 90 the SHINING man who
finds therein salvation for his soul.