The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-02-09

lfNNs Joiih "i' - ~ h'''' ''''
ed Jesus made clay and Amounted my
ewes. ana said unto me: Go wash in
the pool Of SLOAN And ! went and
washed and came seeing
SOME one has said there are three
Chrisls
The christ Of history.
The Christ Of dogma.
The Christ of experience.
These three Christs are one ana the
same, viewed from three different
standponts
The Christ of history is Christ as
tho historian speaks of Him, as ne
tells MS of His birth and boyhood and
marvellous scenes of his wonderful life
The Christ of dogma is Christ as
the theologian discourses about Him
The Christ of experience is Christ
in the human soul carving on for men
the great work He came to perform
for men.
The christ of history is a delightful
and important subject of contcmpla- b.
ton.
How interesting it is to think o.
each stage i'm His history from His
birth 10 His ascension and to notice
that each period in His life was pre-
paratorv 10 the one th?t followed it,
With what delight we accompany
His first historians as they conduct us
~.
dones.
How attontvely we listen to these as
they tell ms what they really heard
Him say
The christ of dogma should have
our most earnest attention. Right con
captions OF what He is in Himself ana
His work are of vital consequence to
our present and eternal well being
But the Christ of experience Is
Christ in His most important aspect.
II is only when lie becomes such to
men that they possess what their ma
lures really need.
OF what use would the miracle
worker of Galilee be if He did not
work His wonders in cur own souls
OF what Importance would He be To
men who are spiritually blind if He
did not open their eyes? OF what use
would n divine being hc To "A soul in
sin and doomed 10 woe If He did not
evidence His divinity by saving that
soul
There are men who love to write and
sing about the historical Christ who
know nothing more about Him than
they do of julius Caesar.
There are men who defend the hi
ynitv If Christ, who know nothing
more about Him than they do of >Ju.
lius Caesar
There are men who defend the di-
vinity of Christ and the Nervousness
of His atonement, who know abso-
Mtely nothing of His power nor the
cleansing efficacy of His blood i'm their
souls. OF what use is Christ To such?
But when Christ enters the soul.
orives out Satan. sets up His king
dom ana brings i'm a reign of right
cousncss then it is that He is of inn
when He becomes the Christ of cx-
poricnce.
our text is the utterance of man
who knows the Christ of experience.
He had been "A poor blind beggar
who SAT by the wayside asking help
from the passersby.
The sight of amliction ever panied
the heart of Jesus.
1t Jared His soul like Il terrible dis
cord ia the harmonies of nature.
He could go no farther before chang
ing this afflicted man into Il happy
man.
His disciples might have passed on
discussing the cause If His blindness
hut Jesus could not go on till He had
taken that blindness away.
our text is . concise history of how
this work was done and the cxpana
ton of how this man became expert
mentally acquainted with the Lord
Jesus Christ.
This acquaintance with Jesus was
of greater importance To this man than
any merely intellectual knowledge He
could have gained about Him
The Christ of history and the Christ
dogma lecame more important to Him
as divinity made history by giving
Him eyes TO see.
This is true in regard to all Chris
ti9ns, Whatever they may know of the
Christ of history, or the Christ OF
dogma. they are especially happy In
knowing the Christ of experience.