Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1911-07-06
Seeing Gods
Face
ByReverend Stephen Paulson

- A4Sl 1lOo LII oCO y z xAJ u
face; my heart said unto Thee, Thy face.
Lord. will I seek.-Psalm ss:S.
Is it possible that we, sinful, as we,
know ourselves to be, shall see the
face Of God?
To e God is to be pure. No step
that defleth, nor anything that
maketh a lie, can stand in his pres
ence. Blessed" said Jesus, "are the
pure in heart, for they shall e Cod
To see God is to be at peace. Even
as chaos became the ordered course Of
nature ct his word and presence, even
as the waves of Galilee lay down in
peace at the Masters feet, so here
can be no disquietude in his presence.
for there the wicked cease from
troubling and the weary are at rest.
To see God is to live in love. There
shall besno more curse, but the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it,
and God shall be all in all, and God
is Love. In his presence there can be
nothing of hatred, or envy or strife,
for heaven is the abode of Eternal
Love-.
To attain these blessings is a
height of which, in u present cond1-
ton, we may well despair. Then why
does God say, Seek ye my face?" Is
that simply mockery of u impoten-
cy? Does not our inaermost soul re-
spond, "Thy face o Lord will eek"
And has not God, through his Son,
made it possible for us to seek him
and to sec his face?
And is this a promise for the future
only? Is it only the happy and vic
torious dead who see Gods face? Is
it not allowed US to catch glimpses of
his glory? Not fully, for we live in a
twilight, and we e as through a
glass darkly, but then face to face.
Yes, it is possible for us to see God
even now; ard what quest could be
greater? Men give their lives to the
search for hidden things. The world
is still full of mysteries, and many
things are left to be discovered. Men
explore the earth to it's uttermost
parts; some spend their lives in the
study of the heavens. THE heavens
declare the glory of God, and the
armament showeth his handiwork."
Shall we not seek the face of him,
who is the Author of all these Won
ders? Is not he the supreme quest OF
the human mind and soul?
First, like the psalmist of old, we
may learn to see the face of God in
Nature. Walking through the world
with open ard loving eyes is n of
the best aids t faith. In the spring
time of the year, when the earth is
clothing itself in beauty, God in his
power and goodness seems nearer to
us. Study and love the works of
God; they will give you simpler tastes
and purer pleasures; in friend1ess mo-
ments they will give you companion
ship; in troubled moments they will
breathe you peace. And the more you
know of Gods works, the more you
will see him everywhere
Secondly, we may see God in the
minds and lives of other men, Never
was anything good or true OF wise
written or spoken without the inspira-
ton of Gods Holy Spirit. Books are
the great treasures of Gods reve1a-
ton t o human minds in all ages.
Above all is the Book of Books, the
Bible, which contains depths of wis
dom which the human mind has never
sounded, and which the ages will
never outgrow. Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but My Words shall
not pass.
But most cleary do we see God in
the face of Jesus Christ. Keep in
mind that great sentence of ST. Paul
e Cor. 4:6), God, who commanded
the light to shine out of darkness, hath
shined in our hearts, to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ" When
you look into the face of Jesus you see
who desireth not the death of a sinner
but that all men be saved; who so
loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son for its redemption.
When you look into the face of Jesus,
you see a revelation OF owe that is
infinite and all-embracing.
Many of us are like Philip of Beth
saida: philip saith unto Jesus, Lord,
show us the Father and 1t sufficeth
us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been
SO long time with you, and yet hast
thou not known me, Philip? He that
hath seen me hath seen the Father:
and how sayest thou then, show us the
Father? Believest thou no that 1 am
in the Father and the Father in me!
The words that | speak unto you
speak not of myself; but the Father
tina dwelleth in me, he doeth the
works"
Thou, Lord Jesus, art the glory OF
the Father!