Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-12
CHRIST IN HEART
IS REAL SENSATION
OUT OF MANS LIFE HE MAY
AWAKEN NO RESPONSE
No Need of cautioning Any One W. o
Partakes Of the Blood of Christ,
Declares Pastor of the New Testa-
ment Church

Pastor Joseph Smale of the First New
Testament church preached yesterday
morning from the text: "Thy love is
better than wine" Song of Solomon 1;2.
He said in part
Those are to be greatly pited in
whose religion there is no love song
whose heart is never thrilled with the
truth of the gospel.
There are those who never are
emotional in their religious life. Re-
ligion is to them nothing more than
certain reasonable propositions-som
thing to be accepted by the intellect.
They have never regarded it as a mat
ter of delight and the revelation of it
as a rapture is foreign to their every
notion of religion, and so those people
whose souls gov under the consider
alton of the truth are accounted very
strange people; but after all not those
who go into ecstasies over Christ are
the strange people, but those who while
protesting him do not.
1T is very doubtful whether anyone
who can think of Christ coldly, I'M
feelingly, without the heart becoming
warmly affected, has ever experienced
Christ. Christ on the outside of a
mans life may awaken no response
but Christ in the heart is a sensation.
All is alive because all is love.
who ever knew real, genuine love to
be cold? He that knows Christ rejoices
in love, and So wonderful is that love
that he calls to his help the things that
are most esteemed among men in order
to describe it
Here in the text, the Lords people
in the figure Of the Bride of Christ are
talking to their beloved, the BRIDE
groom, and eXclai11ing to the ineffa-
bleness of his affection: Thy love is
better than wine.' He who really
knows Christ has the life of love, and
it is such love that it passeth knowl
edge, it passeth telling, it passeth
praising. Compared with the best of
earthly things 1t far eXcels them. To
what shall we liken his love?
Our text does not liken his love to
Vine and [ cannot recall any expression
of the bride Of Christ that does liken
Christ's love to any created thing, She
does not say Thy love is like wine
she says Thy love is better than wine
Wine, whether thought of literally Or
synbolically, cannot set forth the love
of Christ Such is the rarity Of it that
it is better than the best. Literally,
we can say Thy love is better than
wine because Christ'S love is unmiXed
good.
wine is good. but others will say IF
it is good it is doubtful good and you
had better leave it alone and the
advice is most excellent.
mo one can with safety even par
take of it moderately, but whenever
was there need of cautioning him who
partakes of the love of Christ? There is
naught but good in divine love. This
wine is without lees. Who ever tasted
wine of man but felt that it might be
better? But of Christ's love it is i'm
possible TO predicate improvement, and
it has this virtue, that it remains good
Not so with earthly wine-it some
times sours, the sweet ferments and
vinegar is formed. But Christs love is
good whenever YOU draw it. A man
may cry TO he baptized with Christ's
love and he may cry to be kept under
until he is soaked with it and he will
be better for the soaking. Christs love
is wine for the day of adversely,
His love provides atonement for n
mans sins and clothes him with
Righteousness in which there is not
single flaw. The love of Christ is a
mighty corrective. 1t tracks us in our
Wanderings and reclaims us. 1t disci-
plines us, separates us from all that
which is unholy. 1t beauties and
strengthens us. We know that wine
stimulates but the stimulation of
Christ's love brings strength.
wine is strong without giving
strength Its strength is to disintegrate
it overcomes q man with a view to
dragging him down, but the love Of
Christ, while it overcomes a man,
always overcomes him for the better
and drives out of him every evil pas
sion that has been ruling him and de-
stroying his peace and his very life.
This is its glorious work A man ur-
der its influence becomes man indeed.
1.-The poor man that takes wine be-
comes a millionaire, but only in imag-
ination. The little man that takes
wine becomes great, but only great as
a fool. The love of Christ meyer fools
a man. The Christian without a cent
in his pocket has untold riches. This
is the time Of the church's humiliation.
There are certain things that are kept
away from the church at the present
time, but she has an Inheritance in
corruptible. indebted, reserved in
heaven for her."