The Penn's Grove record., 1911-09-01

In these days when knowledge is
spread through the whole earth, while
the making of many books goes mer-
rily on and much study is a WEAKNESS
to the flesh, it may be timely to call
ing God.
While mar Is In this mundane life
there are many things which owing to
the limitations Of this life he shall
never know. 1t Is not for him to
know the time and the seasons, but,
If he be wise, he may understand the
signs of the times. Yet we are ex-
pressly told that far away above ever
the imaginations of the human mind
in it's ghostic flight In the one great
in~destructible truth that a man may
nay, that a man must-know God.
If man would cease his molelike fer
reting after the mysterious earth
worms of philosophy, and come out
of his pessimistic darkness, and try
to know God and to serve him now,
many of his doubts would resolve
themselves. If a man does not know
God, he has missed the one great, i'm
portant thing; he has not yet found
the key by which he may enter the
holy place of his own life.
How he came here, why he came
here, why. he goes from here and
whittier he goes-these things he
knows not
The work of God speaks In no un-
certain tones on this subject. 1t tells
us that knowledge of God is de-
pendent upon a spiritual awakening
and a revelation from God himself.
We are told that there was a time
when Samuel did not know the Lord.
for the word of the Lord was not yet
revealed to him." We are further
told that there came a time when
Samuel did know the Lord, and all Is
rael knew that Samuel knew the
Lord. And the knowledge of God SO
impressed itself on the lay mind that
the servant of Saul testified of him:
Nov, there is a man of God in this
city" A man who knew God; who
walked with God; who made himself
felt in the national and individual life
If Israel.
The key which David handed to
young Solomon was the key of Dt-
vine knowledge. And thou, Solo
mon, my son, know thou the God Of
thy father, and serve him with a
perfect heart and a willing mind"
jeremiah told the men of his day
that worldly wisdom, might and rich
es never would bring a man to glory;
that if any man would glory. Let him
glory in that he knoweth the Lord"
Gods controversy with Israel
through his prophets was concern
ing their lack Of knowledge. Isaiah
goes SO far In his rebuke as to &C.
cuse them of the densest stupidity
and calls upon the heavens to hear
and the earth to give ear. He Is
astonished that the OK knows his
owner, and the ass the place for his
fodder, but Gods people do not know.
The depravity Of that day was not
on account OF the lack of religious
observance. The smoke from the
morning and evening sacrifice went
up as regularly as the days came and
went.
1t was a time of decent. decorous,
esthetic, eye pleasing, ear tickling
service; but 1t had no CORE. there
was no heart in 1t. 1t was all exter-
malt was something which the Lord
could not get away with; it was
abomination to him. and we have no
reason to think that God has changed
his mind in this year of grace. They
offered incense; God wanted clean
hearts and pure lives, and these come
from knowing God. The apostle
Paul denounced the church at Cor
NTH for this very thing, and a strange
denunciation it Is to come in his
matchless argument for the %resurrec-
ton.
Awake to righteousness and sin
not, for some have not the knowledge
of God. | speak this to your shame"
Is it any less ~disgraceful in any Chris
tian community, in any Christian
land. not to know God? We trow not!
But the great reason given by the
matchless Son of God ought to set all
men seeking for God. 1t is given not
to the disciples, though heard by
them. 1t is spoken in the holy place
of prayer. Any man, be he a sim
cere man, is most sincere. is at his
best. is approaching his zenith, when
in his closet, after shutting the door.
he prays to his Father. This is no
fitting place for cant, dilettantism or
sham. 1t is the one real moment OF
his life. and the Son of God tells his
Father that: TT is life eternal to
know the true God, and Jesus Christ.
whom he had sent"
Friends, what an opportunity! To
grow in the knowledge of the Father
and the Son; this is worth while To
know God experimentally-his pur.
poses in creation and in redeeming
this is life eterral. "And
Jesus Christ" The knowledge Is
vet one. for there is no saving knowl-
edge apart from him, just as there
was without him nothing made that
was made. All men know him. put
all men do not know him. What does
this knowledge mean?
Salvation alone to him. He alone
paid the price of sin. His blood alone
cleanseth from sin. He rose Ior our
justification and he will demand a
reckoning for our knowledge, our
faith and the use to which we put
them now. There is no promise OF life
for ignorance and the solemn duty de-
volved upon every Christian. And
emphatically comes the obligation to
know, obey, love, serve and deny IT.
selves for the living God. 1t is life