The Monroe journal. [volume] (Monroe, N.C.) 189?-1965, 1919-11-07


duct. law court proceedings. intimate
confessions. and other forms still. Our
lamp has many lenses. II can east
light in many directions. as many as
there are human needs. There Is
message for every aspect of God thar
man needs. And mans needs are
manifold so far as light is concerned.
for there are many. many things that
il is hard for us TO understand. Some
times il seems TO us that the sense OF
mystery is overwhelming.
CROPPING IN THE DARN
The psalmist seems 10 infer thar W.
are cropping in the dark. picking our
way in the path only by the light OF
the lamp. How true picture that i
Of so many OF us, Especially so Al
times in our lives. when il seems tina;
SO few things are clear and definite TO
us as We plod along the best way We
can. II appears SO hard for US TO UNI
dersiand the ways of God with the
world aud with ourselves. But when
We think of il nationally. dispassion-
ately. il would be strange il i were
otherwise. Just as no man can reyea.
God TO a generation in more than one
of the divine aspects or ideas. so no
person can wholly understand God.
The different prophets who are re-
corded as revealing Gods messages
revealed different sides or aspects OF
God. Ii man could reveal all OF
God. he would be more than man
And so if man could understand
God thoroughly. he would have to be
equal to God himself. Necessarily the
infinite must be incomprehensib,e in
its entirety TO the finite human mind.
OF course we do not mean that one
does not have definite conceptions OF
what his course Of action should be on
definite occasions. He does. What We
mean is that no man can understand
God in his entirety. We can look at
the sun only through smoked glass.
Some mystery is necessary TO us 10
reveal the Infinite
Look at Gothic architecture. That
style of architecture is creation OF
The Christian church. The Gothic
Christian lived in the atmosphere OF
the infinite, and so defniteness of de-
tail and form are subordinateed to
the sense of incompleteness or llmlta-
ton From the high, shadowy re-
cesses Of rs dark forests the Old Teu-
. ton Gofh copied his long narrow arch
, ed windows and doors sloping up TO
POINTS that almost disappear from
sight. and his high. dark. yaulted cell
ings whose tights and shadows min
Gle until the eye fails 10 penetrate
their mysterious depths. |, was TINS
style that produced the greatest ca
thedrals of the world Ii helps IL
impress upon us the sense of the in
, finite. The first thing in understands
ing God is to realize that we cannot
entirely know him, Hence We neea
what light is given us.
LIGHT ENOUGH TO WALK BIZ.
But there are certain thines about
God that we can know, aud We can
COME 10 know more and more about
him as we grow more and more IN
; the likeness TO him. We have his mes
sages to us in the great book that re-
cords his dealing with mankind. And
= we have also our conscience, which IS
4. the voice of God talking directly 10
us. Regardless OF our beliefs as TO
! this or that point of doctrine, We
: know what is right and what is wrong
| under given circumstances. We can
take the light that is given US and
+ find the path with il so that we shall
not stumble or lose the way. We nave
I light enough TO walk by. Almost oil
! men have enough faith Tor praciie1i
I religion that is, for doing what they
know to be right The trouble Is they
wait to satisfy their reason before
7 they act. All men believe in Christ
I enough to follow his teachings as "a
5 good and evil. his ethical lessons. Bui
! how often they wait to lie coayincei
on some theological question aoouI
= him. some point OF doctrine, betot'
? acknowledging any allegiance az all
S The scientist. when he has enough
d light on any subject 10 for" work
; ing hypothesis. considers that he cat
0 20 ahead and build on that un'i
9 fuller proof comes TO satisfy his rea
e SON. Darwin was free TO confess lnal
\ evolution was only working ny
e pothesis like that for many years be-
fore he accepted ii as fact He pro-
; ceeied with il as an act OF tlitn oa
5 fore he satisfied his reason about Il
: Isaac Newton beliyed in gravity upon
e the evidence merely of the apple Fah
0 ing to the ground. He worked Oh
70 that faith until he established the Ia"
= of gravity. Scientists put profsssu
+ christians to shame every day viii
: their faith.
+ Look at the world of finance, too
v It proceeds for the most part or cred
: it, as every one knows, and what l
Il credit but faith in the security? j. L
II Morgan the elder testified under oat'
/ rot long before his death that HIS hrn
II made many loans where the socur't!
was very much smaller thhn III