Orange County observer., 1907-12-12
think our Christian life is susceptible
to a great deal Of sense and much nom.

think our Christian life is susceptible
to great deal Of sense and much nom
sense. Idonot think we need any more
visions of men than we getin the world |
around us, than we get in the faith
and life of Jesus Christ. do not
think that you need any more demon
sstration that the Lord is speaking to
you as you go in the way, than you
have when you feel that the Scrip
lures are Illuminated to you; when |
you hear the still, small voice COM |
mending you when you do right or |
admonishing you when you do wrong. |
I believe that God gave us brains and
that He talks to us with our under
standing; that God gave us hearts
and speaks to us through our emo
tions When we are lifted up into
transcendental heights-of which it
may be difficult to tell our experience
God is then speaking to us. There
is not one of us, however weak in
faith, who has not from time to time
been lifted up out Of the senses and
| the sensuous into the eternal. There
are, times when it has seemed that
we have taken fight from the body.
i have taken leave of the senses, and
are lifted out of ourselves. And while
| I believe that that is purely emo
| tional, yet it is for you and me just
/ as much-of vision of the Divine
/ reality as we shall ever get this side
/ OF Heaven.
It is different thing to know
| about Christ, than to know Christ.
can refer you to all sorts Of books
in my library which will attempt to
tell you all about Christ. This Bible
will tell you all about Christ, but it
can never give you an experimental
knowledge Of Christ; that is some-
thing which no man or book can give
or take away. The Scriptures may
tell you what is the love of Gcd to
YOU. but that is only TO know about
Him. It is quite different thing to
be able to say, "I know Him, for
have had a vision. of Jesus, revealing
and ministering the love OF God tc
me." I may read to you from day,
light to dark about the love Of God,
about the wondrous sacrifice on Cali
vary, and all that it means to men:
but If you have not the love OF GOO
in your own heart; if you do moi
: know that Calvary is your own saliva
= tion. you do not know anything about /
s Ihearsay. You may go into the realm
> of other things than spiritual and yo1
!. may take another mans word TO
= much truth. AS we are humanity con
stituted, it is necessary that W
4 should take great deal Of truth O
y the testimony of others. do no
. pretend to be an expert on electriclt
or economics. go to man who ha
u experimental knowledge sof thes
Is things, in whom can trust, and tax
70 his word for It. So It is throughor
IS all the realm of nature. But whe
i; you come to spiritual things, the onl
p- thing that is of any use to you is
:, first hand knowledge.
~ I care not how much you may
al able. to philosophize. You may {
as that from the Scriptures. tt
n heather can build system of philo
y. ophy on that Book. But 1t is t;
ey more necessary to have life that
founded on divine realities. ca
IS not how much you may know abo
er the Scriptures, about Christ from tt
ed testimony of other people; the thi]
MS that is important to me is. is yo
at neart burning within you as you wa
no by the way, while the Lord is spea
'se ing to your soul?
eA O, my friends, let us not be {
ne ceived. Christ can speak to you
ns day just as powerfully, just as 7
ou liftingly and just as burningly,
tai ever He spoke to the disciples. Chr
gin can speak to you, in words adapted
ng your peculiar need, just as much
ISL when He spoke to Moses in the bul
aln Ing BUSH He will reveal Himself
us, Just as truly as any patriarch e,
rn- got a vision of God. am weary
uai the way the church of Christ 81
we back to the Fathers. May we hs
ng, the Christian foresight and bra
ave and ability to turn our faces to G
VIII and learn from Him. am a gr
believer in giving all homage to tn
tne who have gone before. The kno
GUS edge of to-day is very largely founs
nat on what is left to US by those v
nat have antedated us-it is the cOnsr
you nation Of an ever-increasing p
nat gress But the only way that tn
ana who lived before us grew In kno
ex- edge was by turning their own ia
the to God that He might lead them,
the them illumination and knowledge
you the truth. And, if we are to nj
sak- any progress at all in spiritual thlI
lose we must be willing to have div
INK and wholesouled faith in Gods +
colo pose to lead us Alright, even as He
IN the patriarchs. I do not mean to
real that we are perfect, that we b
nave no reason for contriteness OF hear
= ] huf we balitt1e ourselves. Some