The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-08-26
THE MAY OF TRUTH.

To read on each Saturday the an- .nouncement of the subjects to be con- sidered in the pulpits on the following Sunday is not without profit It fre- quently happens that the subjects are of such a variety and suggest so widely different lines of treatment as to prove exceedingly interesting. The changing conditions of life require a new point of view for the most worn themes because a new application of a truth that has ever been the same in it's essential character is called for frequently.
 Christian knowledge" subject considered In one of our city church. es yesterday, does not seem particu- larly striking, for it has been present. ed again and again. But how many have sounded the depths of all that is included in the knowledge of Chris tian truth and life? Were such subject presented in the Medieval times Christian knowledge" would be understood as referring to Chris tian truth in some metaphysical as- pect. The knowledge of the head concerning the finer distinctions of some abstruse theological proposi- ton would be in evidence. There would be deduced much material for the intellectual processes and much grey matter would be used up In dem onstrating with all possible force of logic the right of this doctrine or develop spirit far from lovely ano Christian.
 But for this age the content of l"Christian knowledge" must be quite different to meet and solve the prob lems of the age. The demand Is for a Knowledge of the heart in preference to that of the head. It may be inter- esting to codify Christian truth in some sort of logical form but the real testing ground of the validity and power of such truth is in the consciousness and objective life of a man. The demand to-day is for con scious experience of Christian truth This may be called the laboratory method of attaining knowledge. The boy in the high school who is sent into the chemical laboratory and handles the clements, brings them to. gether, and records their action ant reaction, knows more about the sub ject than the boy who recites memor' iter what he has read in textbook The first boy becomes 8 master 1T his subject, the second boy is par rot.
 In gaining knowledge of Christian truth the laboratory method is pre- ferable. For one to be satisfied tt give intellectual assent to what other have thought out is not enough, for i is without proper vital or dynami force. The apostle emphasized ex perimental knowledge who declared that he made known to others onl. that which he himself had learned which his eyes had seen and hi hands had handled, of the "Word o life" That truth that penetrates far ther than the head and reaches tn conscience and influences the will t act courageously and righteously the most effective, but such trutl must be wrought out in the labora tory of ones personal being. How cal one know that a statement declare
 to be a truth is true? By using it. : statement familiar to everyone is Blessed are the merciful," or "Bless ed are the peacemakers." The sures way to learn whether these are tru is to be -merciful or be a peacemake when the response will quickly com to ones consciousness.
 To change the comparison fror
 the workshop to the farm it may b
 said that gain in Christian knowledg
 is in proportion to the direct effor
 that one makes to learn. In some c