The Washington herald., 1918-03-10
Knowing the Unseen.
BY JOHN {. COPENHANER,

SOAhNN - WI A-NhEh AeAAg
Pastor Mount Pleasant NJ. f. Church
South.
john I:l7-'If any man will do his
Win, he shall know
1t was in the street car coming
from the Sunday Tabernacle \
stranger standing next to me re-
marked pleasantly: Been over to the
Big Shed?" and the conversation be-
gan. Referring to the great preacher
he said: He breaches we'll, but /
do not believe he privately indorses
some OF the things he publicly de-
cIares, such as he'll and eternal
punishment. Why man. II he be-
lieved that. he could not sleep, he
would he driven crazy" replied
that I believed he was sincere, pri-
yately held the views he gave to the
public, but that those future terrors
could not prey upon him, because he
kr"Y he was saved from them. He
tuT..cd impatiently and asked: How
can he know? A man eonnOt know
anything about the things beyond
the range of this natural life. There
can he know? 4 man cannot '-TOw
tIon." could not tell him is
factorily how these things are known,
but could only state that they are
known to the human consciousness
with absolute certainty. Ny car
friend seemed to be a member Of that
class mentioned in ] Corinthians 2:l4
But the natural man recslveth not
the things of the Spirit Of God: for
they are foolishness unto him: neither
can he known them, because they are
spiritually discerned.'
The spiritual world with its per-
sons, phenomena and events Is real,
and spiritual things are potent and
vital. even IL We cannot discern them
with the natural senses or with the
reason. There are spiritual senses
as well as physical senses. and it is
by these that spiritual verities are
diseerned. My friend told me of an
astronomer who had searched the
outer borders of the univere with
his telescope. and. finding no Being
that might be God, he was confirmed
in his belief that God was a myth.
Certainly such q conclusion would
not do credit to an infantile intel
lect. The wind. gravity and light
are not seen with the eye, but we
do not deny their existence, Tor we
see the results of their action on
material things; We feel the wind on
our faces, feel the tug Of gravity
constantly and feel the warmth of
the sunlight. Such things as love,
hate, pity, sympathy, are not dis
cerned with the fve senses. but we
do not deny their existance. The
natural man has his reason and
senses to discover and certify the
reality OF the things of this world.
The spiritual man has his spiritual
sense to discover and certify the real
ity of spiritual verities. The Bible.
which IL the only guide book into
the mystic world of the spiritual.
present and to come, is a book Of
positive statements. There Is no un-
certainty, no wavering of opinion on
anything. We have the assurance of
the things that our immortal nature
cTaVes-God, Immortality, pardon, re-
generation. eternal salvation, eternal
love, life and happiness. 1t is a book
of definite and authoritative know
ledge on these things, and not mere
human speculation and philosophy.
And 1t not only gives the informa-
ton, lays down the facts, reveals
the great turths, but assures US that
these facts and truths may be GER
tined In the inner consciousness of
the human life. so that q man knows
absolutely and Is assured Of it all.
Look up the word KNOW in the
concordance and you will be Impress
ed with the number Of passages in
which that word Of certainty and as
surancs 10 used. HeRe are several;
Job 1s:2S-"I know that my redeemer
liveth." Psalm 4s:l0-"Be still and
know that / am God" John S:32-
"And ye shall know the truth" IL
Timothy i12-"For 1 know whom ]
have believed
The spiritual kingdom is not built
on vague speculation and vain the
ories therefore, Men are not moved
to strenuous action, untold sacrifice
and absolute self-abnesation by q
philosophy or speculation lor vain
wishes. Abraham did not launch out
into an uncertain destiny when he left
his home and country. He knew God
and therefore trusted Him. Moses did
not undertake his overwhelming task
Of mobilizing and leading horde OF