Albuquerque morning journal., 1907-03-31

souls are touched and lighted by
Gods presence and We have a vision
which fills the heart with joy un-
speakable and full of glory. If then
YOU would see God II you would pos
sess him and do his will. be right with
men. be clean and pure in life. and
keep thy heart with all diligence. for
out of IL are the issues of life
There is a prevalent idea today that
the quality of ones religion depends
I largely upon the accuracy with which
one acheres 20 certain intellectual
and dogmatic propositions regarding
the Christian faith. In this age OF
real enlightenment. when we Protest.
ants boast of our deliverance from
medieval theological darkness and
night: when we no longer have. nor
desire to have, divine Thomas Aqui-
mas to think for us and dictate what
form our faith shall take: it ought
to be unnecessary TO assert that the
! Christian faith does not consist of in
/ tellcctual assent to a formulated and
/ prescribed dogmatic creed. There is n
great difference between faith itself
and the form, in which faith clothes
! itself. In our servility to form, we
separate ourselves from God to w0r-
ship an image which man has made:
for if faith is the gift Of Cod. the
form OF faith is the work of man.
The soundness of my faith. the purity
Of my religion and the ciearness OF
my visions Of God. do not depend
upon my accepting in toto the creedai
decisions of ecumenical councils. The
very genius of the Christian religion
opposes Intellectual slavery; 1t antag-
onizes the perfunctory imitation of the
mere copyist, and unqualitiedly con
demns the religious and theological
parasite. The faith that fines God
and worships him is not an intellec-
tual assent to dogma, nor any other
mere intellectual process. 1t is
grounded in and springs out of the
moral life. The verv core and es>
sence of the Christian religion is fell
lowship with God through Jesus
Christ. who Is the mediator Of this
new and blessed relationship. As
Christians we come into this fellow
ship by moral surrender to the i'm
pelling power of the inner life of Je-
sus Christ. We continue therein
through divine companiOnship
which demands devotion of heart and
purity of life. 1t is this fact that
makes our text true. 1t is for this
reason that the pure in heart see God
Jesus was conscious of an entirely
uniuue and unutterabe fellowship
| WITH NIOu WHICH has tNdlbN'N ill7 nam
above every other. The measure ol
the exaltation of Jesus life above
every other is the fulness of the in
flowing into him of the divine life ano
character involves the outflow from
life of all that is incompatible with
goodness, love, purity. and divine
Righteousness. We, therefore, reasserl
that if YOU would find God. If you
would possess him and do his will
I be right with men, be clean and pure
in your life: and then shall YOU surely
| realize in your experience a blessed
vision of God through purity of l;eart
"Blest are the pure in heart, fol
they shall see their God;
The secret OF the Lord is theirs
Their soul is Christ's abode.
"He to the lowly soul doth still him
self imDart.
And for his dwelling and his throne
chooseth the pure in heart
, Lord! we thy presence seek; ma,
ours this blessing be:
Give us the pure and lowly heart
temple meet for thee"
with vision of Cod comes
blessednesS that only the pure in hear
can ever know. The verdict of tn
Y worlds sanest minds and pures
hearts has been that mans highes
BOOu Is 10 ne lOulu III lpSocSSlilS po
e and doing his will. Our highest, mos
sacred and most blessed relations l
life are personal relations; and ou
friends satisfy US and enrich ou
lives according to the riches of tn
life they reveal to us. In the person
9 alty of God dwells in all fullness, an
: he who gets the vision OF the bound
;. less riches of the life of God ha
Il unfathomable resources of JOY. An
just this is the blessedness of tn
d pure in heart Our joy is never s
II sweet, so profound. so boundless, a
when it springs out of an unbroke
It and undisturbed communion wit
II God. God in the soul is our highe!
Ii guarantee of Transporting delight an
rapturous joN-
u In paul's letter to the Phillppiar
we have what may seem to the III
o initiated strange anomaly, The gret
e apostle, in Roman chains. not know
ia ing what hour his head may fal
l. rises to magnificent heights and OF
o of chains and maItreatment endure
~ for Christ's sake, he cries: "Rejolc
l. in the Lord always; again / will sa.
= rejoice . In nothing be an>
e ious but in everything by prayer an
III Thanksgiving let your requests !
N