Albuquerque morning journal., 1907-03-31
A Vision of God
Through Purity
of Heart
To Find God--To Possess IIim--To
DO His VIII, the Task of
All Ages.
\ PURE HEART THE SUREST
WAY TO CLEAR VISION
Text of n Strong Sermon by the Late
Rev. j. W. Il. Mcneil Upon the
Attitude of the True Christian
Toward the Almighty.

Following is the text of n strong
sermon by the late Rev. j. W. r. Nc
Neil of Albuquerque, upon the theme.
"A Vision of God Through Purity OF
Heart"
Text: From Matthew. SIS: Blessed
are the pure in heart for they shall
see God"
Let us think first of how we get
this vision of God and then consider
the bleSsedness OF those who get such
a vision.
How we get a true vision OF
God.
To find God, to possess him and to
do his viii, has been for man the
task of all the ages. Starting with thu.
world and all its manifold phenom-
ma, Greek philosophy set as its task to
find the infnite--the First Cause. For
Hebrew wisdom, God was the start
ing point, and the problem for the be-
lever was how to put himself in line
with God. Whether in philosophy or
in religion God has been the chief aim
or supreme desire, in all the centur-
les. The Psa!mist did not express
merely the longing of his soul, or
that of Israel, but also the deep
yearning of the heart of humanity,
when he said: "As the hart pantetn
after the water brooks. so Danteth
my soul after thee. O. Cod" Cps. AZ;
1-2). 1t was to reveal to God and sat
isfy this longing for the human soul
that Jesus lived and died He taught
us that to have a true knowledge or
vision of God is to have eterna! life.
"And this Is life eternal. that they
should know thee. the only true God,
and him whom thou wouldst send,
4
But when Jesus said: blessed are
the pure in heart, for they shall see
Cod" he lifted this problem ont or
the sphere of science and philosophy
as those terms are generally accepted,
and placed ii solely within the moral
and spiritual sphere. While it Is true
that God is in all true science and that
all philoSophic truth is Gods truth,
yet he is to be found and known In
the sphere of moral activity, and
practical obedience to his viii. AC-
cordingly, If we are to gain a vision
of God, it Is to be done. not by turn
ing the telescope upon the heavens,
and standing amazed at the vastnesS
Of the universe, but by looking
| through the eyes of a surrendered
will and purified heart. The sciences,
Of which theology, taken in its broad
place in the evolution of human
thought and the onward and upward
march of the human race, Neverthe-
| less, 1t Is not the trained and keen In
tellects. but the pure In heart. that
| feel Gods tenderness and know that
he Is. His spirit bears witness,
teaches. and communes with the pure
| in heart
II is appalling how darkened be-
comes our vision of God and of divine
things when sin Is cherished and fos-
tered in the heart. Impurty so wells
the soul as to hide God from our
view. It breaks the flow of our fel-
! lowship and ntercepts our vision OF
! him who is too high and holy 10 re-
veal himself to the profane and ir-
reverent. Many of you have stood in
some eastern valley and watched the
setting sun. AS the sun went down in
the western sky some huge mount
| ain arose before your gaze, intercept
| ing more and more the light of day,
until soon the whole valley was
/ flooded with night and you stood SUBJ
merged in thick darkness. Just so
some of you today are wondering why
there Is no light for your soul; no vi
sion of God. The mountain Of sin has
arisen between you and the light or
! the world, and whatever light you
may have had In former days has
! fed before the gross darkness of sin.
But when sin is east out and purity
enthroned In the heart. II Is like the
dispelllng of night before the bright
ness of the morning sun. AS the hill
top and valley are kissed and beautl-
fed by the renewed sunlight, so our