The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-12-17

Fatherhood of God Not that this blessed
aspect Of deity was wholly unknown be-
fore our Lords day. Moses had ex-
pressed II in that magnificent passage of
Deuteronomy, where he compares Jeho-
vah to an eagle mewlng her mighty
young. and teaching them to fly. "As an
eagle that stirreth up her nest. that hut-
tereth over her young. SO He spread
| abroad His wings. He took them. He bare
them upon His pinions." Hosea had en-
| balmed Gods love In the striking figure
| of n patient husbands dealing with a
wayward wife. The prophet Of the Exile
had framed II into words of most pre-
cious consolation. when he sang Com
fort ye. comfort ye my people," We hear
| the same unmistakable note sounded
through all Old Testament prophecy. II
have loved thee with an everlasting love"
But without question Gods love took
on new meaning with the advent of our
Lord. He that hath seen Me hath
seen the Father" Here is the sufficient
reason for the Incarnation. to reveal the
Fatherhood of God. In Christ men see
Gods smiling face, and hear the beat
ing Of His loving heart. Hitherto they
had thought of Him as majestic and holy;
and for this very reason remote and un-
| sympathetic, IL not unreal. God became
| an absentee deity, to be worshipped at a
distance, with the aid of priest and rtu-
al. SO far as the Church became sane
tuary II lost the character of a home,
and worship became austere and fear
some.
What a change has been wrought In all
this by the teaching of Jesus! Worship
pers who realize His ideal now worship
God as Father. Consequently. worship
becomes instinct with glsdness. and spon-
taneity. and expressiveness. Song consti-
tutes a leading feature in Christian pub
lie service. And this delightful exercise
must not be left to choir and organ.
however satisfying these may he to our
artistic sense. Even an Old Testament
palmist could cry OUT Let the people
praise thee. o Lord; let all the people
praise Thee" And he added, by way of
prophecy: Then shall the earth yield her
increase and God. even our own God. shall
bless us. If Thanksgiving Day and its
memories could evoke praise from an
Old Testament public. what jubiiation is
due from us who live on this side of
Christmas, and Good Friday, and Easter
Day! How slow Of heart we would be
not to see in Jesus life and work rev.
elation of Gods love! HE that hath seen
Me hath seen the Father"
Literally speaking, mo man hath seen
God at any time; and how much the
worship of God has been hindered by that
limitation! But the Only Begotten Son.
who Is In the bosom Of the Father He
hath revealed Him" The FatherhOod
of God, then. was first revealed In all
It's fulness. In Christ. God was discover
ed, for the first time as seeking wOr-
: shippers who shall bring to their pub
lie worship all the deep joy and holy
! reverence. and thankful expressiveness
that come with knowing that we are in
deed His sons. 'Our Father who art In
heaven" this Is the inspiration for our
praying; why should It not be the in
sp'i ition for our praise?
We have now seen that one thing to
make our worship acceptable to God is
, right understanding of His Father
hood The other condition has to do with
the character of the worship itself. God
is a spirit, and they that worship Him
must worship Him In spirit and In truth. y
TO worship God in spirit is evidently
to regard Him rs a spirit, one who Is
, not restrained by the limitations OF bodily
existence He Is omnipOtent and 30 is
, In no real need of our worship. Mae.
, made religions find their greatest error
here. In tho thought. more or less dis
, tipctly felt, that God is I'm need of some
1 thing. and so can be placated and pro-
lpitiated. Hence the propriety of sacri-
flee, which finally comes to be regarded
: ms u kind of bribe to the Almighty. Now
: God would cease to be the Almighty the
moment He could he moved by such
fieshly considerations as these God I,
spirit and the sole charac cteristic In
our worhsip that viii influence Him is It.
spirituality. what ! may call Its other
-worldliness; the happy faculty to look
at life. when we come into the house OF
God. at Its true value; the power to put
aside thoughts and things that have to dc
with time and sense. and to deal with
those other things that have to do with
eternity, and the souls highest inter.
ests. both here and hereafter True wor-
, ship should make the house of God In
very truth the gate of heaven. Here
II anywhere we ought to enter into Gods
very presence, and hold high convers,
with Him face to face. Here. IL any.
I where. we should be able to rate the
present at Its true value; to see the
folly of mere pleasure-seeking and mon
, ey-gettins. In themselves considered
rather than AS means for bringing tn.
Kingdom of God; to prize the simple life
with II high thinking and plain living
, and to abhOr the false tlnsel OF much
society: the empty show In much learn
ing and culture the heartlessness of much
religion.
Here. II anywhere, the truth should be
seen and loved. A higher estimate should
thus come to be placed upon holiness,
which Is the only thing In religion that
the worldllng supremely abhors the only
thing In religion which the child OF
God supremely desires.
But true valuation of life IL not the
, only thing afforded by public worship
I we also come to place a truer estimate
upon all other worship. that which We
practice ouslde the sanctuary.-the wor.
ship OF the market place. the home. the
/ closet and the soul itself, We discover
: that we need not go to church to find
God. Being spirit. lie is everywhere
I'm Him we live. and move and have