The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-01-16

4
woman. And man has been doing
that ever since. Adam does mt change
much. Today. as then, he will try
to skulk out of his own misdeeds by
laying the blame on some fair and
noble woman. The truth is. she is
| far better than he is. For woman
will do almost infinitely more for a
man than any man will ever do for a
woman. That of Adams was the first
historical excuse. and the excuses men
make today are just as foundationless,
and they are just as foolish. Isn't
that true?
I want to talk with you about the
barriers between men ana Christ. and
the first barrier l deal with is-the
GbostIiness of the Subject of Reli-
gion.
Men are impressed with the intan-
gibleness of religion. And it is hard
to be dead in earnest about subject
that is intangible and invisible.
God? What is He? Ever hidden.
ever present, ever distant. ever near !;
Breath. -Ghostly Being. making
the knees knock in terror, ripping
open grave at the very feet of our
pleasure, hooking laugh at the
feast, filling all space like the light.
yet leaving room for all his creatures !:
terror. a Hope-Undef1nable I'm
movable, Irresistible, Unreasonable !;
-"God is Spirit. Heaven? What
is it? Where is it? Who hath ever
seen itp Land of Shadow! Land
hidden in the mists of Eternity! Re-
ligion? What is it? Intangible,
Imponderable, Impalpable, Invisible |!
the Soul? Who ever saw it? Has
anatomy ever discovered it? God?
Heaven? Soul? Religion?-What is
it all? You can't see it. You can't
weigh it. You can't measure it. You
can't point to it and say. Behold
there il is. I say it is the Ghostli-
ness of the subject that is barrier to
many an eager. enquiring. cropping
soul.
But is Religion really so impracti-
cal and unearthly? Look at the life
of Christ. Who is God Visualized.
see what life of noble manhood 1t
was What we're the principles work
ing within Him that produced such a
life? Although it may be yet only
in the germ. there is something in
you that corresponds. however family
1t may be, to that Something that
was in Christ Ask God. by His
Spirit. to help you ;and then set your
self seriously to cultivate that Some
thing in you that is kindred to the
real. inner Spirit of Christ. develop
ing it. living in that part of your be-
ing. allowing it to have sway. to as
sert itself and grow. so that that part
of your being shall dominate your
life. and so that you shall walk in
the normal path that Christ walked
in. live in the moral region He lived
in, aud be actuated in all your think
ing, speech. and manner of life by
the principles that guided Him.
That's what it is to be religious.
Isn't that plain, practical? Doesn't
that bring the subject Of Religion
down from the region of cloudy mys-
ticism to the region of everyday life
and fact?
You thought that religion was al.
together thing up in the clouds: it
is thing that has to do with every
day life. Religion: what is it ? 1t
is developing in you a manhood
patterned after the manhood of Jesus
Christ. Pass the barrier that has
been standing between you and Christ.
Begin now to develop the best that is
in you. Refrain from doing the
things God would not have you do,
do the things God would have you
60. And do all this because it is
Gods will. That's Religion.
Barrier No. 2-The Messenger and
the Message. Sometimes people like
AAAOooOAe0A
him, they miss the message. Thus
unconsciously, and through no fault
of his whatever, the messenger be-
comes barrier. And sometimes they
have groundless prejudice against
the messenger, and again they miss
the message Is it the messenger or
the message people are after? Is it
the minister or the Master who COM
mands their attention? II they reject
the message. or miss it-failing to
catch it's inner music because they
don't like the messenger or because
they like him too we'll. it is the mes
senger they are considering. it isn't
the message they are thinking of.
Listen to Gods message as you
would listen to the reading of will
out of which you expected to get
something.