The Penn's Grove record., 1916-03-17
WOULD See Jesus
Christian Desire Is to Know Him
Well in an Intimate and
Friendly Way.

This is our desire. Like certain
Greeks of old, we are longing to look
into his face, to hear his voice, to feel
the sense of to him, to catch
the music of his words as he speaks,
to know him in a more intimate and
friendly way. Shaking ourselves free
from b attractions and distractions
of this worldly atmosphere in which
we live, letting the heart be at it's
best and speak out what is truest
within, we feel that there is a very
deep and real longing to see Jesus. Is
it not for this that we are waiting
in our churches night after night these
opening weeks of the new year?
Not merely to look upon his visible
presence. That sort of a vision would
be wonderful. How often does the
devout heart think about the beatifc
vision and long for the hour of it. We
have thought many times about the
privilege of that hour when we shall
see no longer through a glass darkly
but face to face, when we shall know
even as also we are known. Some
good friends of ours have just recently
ended their pilgrimage, have passed
through the river and up into the
Celestial City, have gone from this
realm of promise and anticipation to
that realm of realization. And they
have seen him. Happy, blessed, for
tunate people-they have seer him
face to face.
The King there in His Beauty, without a
veil, is seen:
1t were a well-spent journey though seven
deaths lay between.
The Lamb with His fair army doth on
Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth in Immanuel's
land.
We wait for that vision, and the ex-
p~ectation of it constitutes one of the
mightiest motives to f%aithfulness and
holiness. Is it not written, Every
n that hath this hope set on him
purifeth himself even as he is pure"
But we would see Jesus just now.
We would see him in our churches
looking with his searching eyes into
the hearts Of pastors and. people, and
cleansing the temples, as he did Of
old time. We would see him in each
n of u special meetings. What is
the use Of Jul frequent coming to-
gether unless we do see him? We
want to know him better. Is that not
the real desire in every waiting Chris
tian heart? 1t ought to be.
It is 80 easy to use frequently and
| n niIior1U tho fhin1o hr1 oA1~a -
which Jesus reveals himself, and yet
to be quite unacquainted with him.
We remember how he asked that
searching and humiliating question to
a friend of his-"Have l been SO long
time with you, and dost thou not know
me, Philip" Have we been reading
the Bible, and preaching the gospel,
and attending religious meetings, and
observing the sacraments, and yet
after a year of such religious devo-
ton are we no better acquainted with
Jesus than before? Oh, we need to
see him so as to know him better.
We would see him at his character
istic work. What our churches need
is to clear the way and let him have
a chance to work. 1t is to put away
our unbelief SO that he can do his
mighty works among us. It is to in
vite him to come in and deal directly
with those who have not responded
to his command, Follow thou me"
How persuasively he can utter the gos-
pei invitation when his presence be.
comes very real in a meeting. How
mighty is the touch of his hand to
transform life.
Our need these opening weeks OF
the yea is not to see some great evan
gelist or church leader. It is not to
perfect some new forms of ecclesi-
astical machinery. It is not even to
search out our own souls. But first
of all, and above all, it is to see Jesus.
United Presbyterian.