The Falls City tribune., 1909-12-17


tion, is the ultimate afbiter. Is not
jesus imminent throughout The III.
BILE? That Is the glory Of the book
fnls proves it a book of God, Scrip
turo is tie shrine Of Jesus.
Tho lord is at Hand" in The
Christian Church.
He dWells among the believing host
as He does not otherwhere, And that
is the only true high churchman.
ship, and that the only prerequisite
for bearing and wearing the name of
Christ. And the greatest ideal of
the church is that Christ should so
manifestly possess the Church that
the awe struck world will fall down
and confess that God is in 1t of IA
truth. Give us a Church so evident
ly filled with the presence of Jesus
that men shall say, I'VE must as
sociate ourselves with them il we
would find the Lord to be at hand, :"
and that kind of Guardianship III
never be oyerthrown. \ spiritual
church is a royal church, The true
Christian Church is the shrine Of
Jesus.
THE Lord is at Hand In The
Individual Christian.
That is our attainable IDEAL, Chris
tan brother and Worker-"Christ in
you" The Lords renl presence may
be sweetly obvious in you, music on
your tongue. kindness in your heart
and hands, b%roadness and tolerance,
and charity and generosity in your
! mind. The Lord may be palpitating-
ly near to you. SO that those around
shall know that to be near the Lord
they have only to be near you. Oh,
for a. sweeter, richer, mystical iden-
~tification between the Lord and the
believer, Oh. for an interblending
of personality, Oh, TO bring this
same rich loving Lord near to 9th
ers-in our homes, in business, in
the church, wherever Ger the plains
of time we may wander.
May the imminenee of the Savior
be the strength and beauty of our
lives!
In 1.-THE Lord is at HAND
Accessibly.
Does this not follow? If Jesus
Christ be Imminent. surely lie will
be accessible. And such He is.
The Psalmist cried. The Lord is
nigh unto all that call upon Him
Here again the New Testament echo
es the Old Testament. The Lord is
always nigh to every one. But in a
very distinctive sense He is nigh
to them that call upon Him. Many
are neal locally who are not near
accessibly. Some are sympathetical-
Ply remote who are locally quite close
to us. Jesus is as neal in helpful
ness as in geography. He is at
hand have His ear, for | have
His heart. He will hear me when |
cry unto Him. A distant Lord would
depress and distress us. An unap-
iOutildDlG odFlOl 8ohiu noi 9oA'
us. But Christ is even accessible.
can come to him when | will and
am sure of His kindly relief.
Continually | may prove the acces-
sibility of Christ. In the busy day
and in the silent night. In prayer
spoken or silent, formal or informal.
in Bible reading, in Holy meditation.
Ever may we approach our Loving
Lord and find a welcome diyinely
kind.
Ceremonially | may prove my
at hand is the deepest meaning of
all religious ceremony and its high
est biessedness. 1t is not csscntiai
that our c-eremonialism be of any
particular type. Some seem to prof
it by an ample ceremony. Some need
only the seyeres simplicity In cere-
mony. The degree is of very little
moment. They may well be left to
individual or congregational perfer-
ence. In all such matters the in
dwelling Jesus will surely teach us
the exercise of wide liberty. But
ceremonialism all must have. Our
faith needs to fix itself to form. And
the test of all rites and ceremonies
is, do they bring to my experience
the near Christ? Can | say as | en-
gage therein, The Lord is at hand?'
Elaborate ceremony without the Lord
at hand is a decorated delusion. Sim
plest ritual, if the Lord be at hand,
is precious as preciousness itself.
Is the Lord evidently "at hand in
our acts of worship? Grand or aus
tere, blessed is the worship where
in the soul says, The Lord is at
hand That was a God -breathed
sermon Wbiph made Won saw The