The Penn's Grove record., 1914-09-25
NEED TO KNOW GOD
Though Other knowledge Is De-
sirable and important, That
Is Essential.

The field Of knowledge Is vast and
varied. One cannot know everything,
and so we have to specialize accord
ing to taste or the demands OF our
vocation, or both.
But while there are many lines of
research possible, and each is desir-
able and fruitful in its own way, there
is n line that is absolutely essential
to all, which all alike need to pur-
sue. And it is the essential knowl-
edge.
We need to know a God; other
knowledge Is desirable, other knowl-
edge Is tmportant-this is the abso-
lutte essential. If God be God, If the
world is the work Of his hand, If he
plans all, directs all, determines the
good Of all, then to know hlm-his
mind, his will, his purpose, must be
the essential, the fundamental knowl-
edge. One has said philosophy. TAX
Ing MAI az its center, says know thy
self" but the inspired word which
proceeds from God says know Cod;
and this, we say, is the essential
knowledge. Jesus said to know him is
life, eternal life.
Moreover, this knowledge Is acees-
stble to all. Not all may enjoy the
privileges of the advanced schools of
learning; all may not have either time
or opportunity to pursue other forms
of knowledge advantageously; but the
essential knowledge is within reach Of
even the humblest and the poorest Of
US.
With the Eyes of the Heart.
The condition Of this knowledge is
that the eyes of the heart be en-
lightened." We sometimes get the
impression that we do all cur seeing
with our eyes of the mind and that
u greatest need is to train and dis
cipline the mind. But the deepest
things Of life are not seer with the
intellect, but with the heart.
There have been intellectual giants
that were blind to the supreme things
Of life. Paul prays that the eyes Of
your heart may be enlightened, that
We may know" the things that most
concern you-the things Of God that
most concern you. And this enlight-
ening of the eyes Of the heart is the
gift Of God through the acceptance Of
Jesus Christ. It is thus we get the
vision of the deep things OF God and
tho kh{n-a @hH% w. - n.A1k n0nnnwn
to US.
How beautiful the world was to the
man of GaIilee! He saw no more
with the eye than did the multitude
about him, to whom it all looked so
common; but with the eye back of
the eye, with the heart" he saw the
Father everywhere, the grass, the lily,
the sparrows-all witnessed to his
presence and his ways. 'That the
eyes Of your heart may be enlightened.
that we may know"-the things that
every child Of God should know, the
things that it is of the utmost impor-
lance you should know. And what
are these things of God that it is SO
essential that we all should know?
First, the true goal of life, Gods
purposed destiny for you. That We
may know what is the hope OF his
calling" And surely it is of the ut
most Importance that we know this.
How are we going to direct u en-
ergies wisely, intelligently, triumph
antfy, unless we know the true pur-
pose Of life here and the end of it.
To what does he call US?
Well, it must be to the highest and
best of which we are capable. He
who so loved us that he spared not
his only Son, but gave him up for
us. can be satisfied with nothing less
than the highest and best for US. And
let us be sure, as another has said,
that mo young life is faced up the
real path toward the heights until it
has a vision of being the very finest
thing God made it capable Of, every
power developed to the utmost, every
strength harnessed up and held In
harmony with every other strength
just the purest, truest, broadcast life
that God could have thought of when
he gave being and BIRTH" 1t Is to
nothing less than this to which God
calls us.