The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1907-11-29


able to understand with the human
ear. And while am cognizant of the
fact that we can get just as close to
JeLus, spiritually and personally, as
these men eyer got in a bodily and
Gl4llt charm wrapped around their
lives, owing to the fact that they
talked with Him, that they really
held conversation with the Lord and
could see Him and understand Him
and love Him as a man.
You know how these two men were
walking by the way when Jesus came
and spoke to them and interpreted ia
them the Scriptures. They were un'
able to see Him, because He wal
then to be discerned only spiritually.
And after a few moments their eyes
were opened and they knew Him AMI
He vanished out of their sight. And
our heart burning within us as He
spake to US in the way?"
There are a great many Christian
people who have never heard Jesus
speak to them; who have not the.
faintest sort of idea of what it means
to have communion with our Lord;
ton; who are but babes spiritually;
to the contemplation of spiritual
things; who have no realization-as
they should have-that Jesus is con-
stinually speaking to them by the way.
Their eyes are closed because they
have never gotten spiritual power.
1t Is a peculiar thing about Chris
f111 .rryH OF h nr
the Lord can be spiritually discerned
until you get into spiritual relations
with the Lord. You cannot tell what
was the spirit that thrilled and
throbbed through the hearts CT these
men, until your own heart has been
-throbbing and thrilling with the
knowledge that you have been talking
with the Lord. But as soon as you
have had definite and experimental
communion with the Lord, you begin
to understand what was the feeling
of those men who talked with Christ
and whose hearts burned within
them
am not to define to you this morn
ing what ought to be your spiritual
experience Some of us think that we
ought to hear some voice speaking,
audibly, to us; that We ought to have
some oral communication that will
strike upon our cars and convey a
definite, distinct impression. But the
very moment that you are conscious
of committing a wrong act or that
you are doing right before God, that
very moment He is speaking to you
by the way. The very moment that
you open these Gospels, writings and
epistles-these explanations and ex-
plications of what Jesus meant-the
moment your soul is filled with the
divine glory and illumination, you
may be just as sure that He is speak
ing to you, as that He spoke to those
two going to Emmaus. 1 do not think
1t is necessary for you to have cold
chill run up and down your backs in
order that you may have a real
knowledge in the flesh that you have
been talking with a Divine power. /
think our Christian life is susceptible
to a great deal of sense and much nom
sense. lido not think weneed any more
visions of men than we getin the world
around us, than we get in the faith
and life of Jesus Christ. I do not
think that you need any more demon
stration 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 OF
admonishing you when you do wrong
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
lions. When we are lifted up into
transcendental heights-of which il
may be difficult to tell our experience
God is then speaking to us. There
Is not one of US, however weak IL
faith, who has not from time to time
been lifted up out of the senses ant
the sensuous into the eternal. There
are times when it has seemed tina
we have taken flight from the body
have taken leave of the senses, ant
are lifted out of ourselves. And Will
/ believe that that is purely emo
tional, yet it is for you and me jus
as much of a vision of the Divin
reality as we shall ever get this sid
OF Heaven.
1t is different thing to know
about Christ, than to know Christ
I Il can refer you to all sorts of book
= tell you all about Christ. This Bibl
will tell you all about Christ, but
can never give you an experimental
knowledge of Christ; that is some
thing which no man or book can Civ
or take away The Scriptures ma
Z. tell you what is the love of God t
you, but that is only to know abeu
Him. 1t is quite different thing t
be able to say, II know Him, for
have had a vision of Jesus, revealin
and min:stering the love of God t.
me-" / may read to you from day
light to dark about the love Of Goo
about the wondrous sacrifice on Ca
vary, and all that it means to men
but If you have not the love of Go
In your own heart; If you do nc
that Calvary is your own saliva
,tion, you do not know anything about
experimentally. All that you know
ihearsay. You may go into the realr
of other things than spiritual and 20
may take another mans word TO
much truth. AS we are humanity cor
stituted, it is necessary that W
should take great deal of truth O
the testimony of others. l do nc
pretend to be an expert On electricit
or economics. go to a man who ha
experimental knowledge of thes
things, in whom I can trust, and tax
his word for it. So it Is Throughout
all the realm of-Rature. But whe
you coneto spiritual things, the onl
thing that is of any use to you is
first hand knowledge.
| Care not how much you may b.
atfs to philosophize. You may d.
that from the Scriptures. TIL
heather can build system of philos
ophy on that Book. But it is ia
more necessary to have life that i
founded on divine realities. l car
not how much you may know abou
the Scriptures, about Christ from RI
testimony OF other people; the thin
that is important to me is, is you
Eeart burning within you as you wall