The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-10-18
BY WILLIAM E. GILROY, D. D.

BY WILLIAM E. GILROY, ID. ID.
Editor of The CongregationaIist
TINE general title for this lesson
4 is given as "Cimeon and An
ma; the Insight of the Pure in
Heart"
This title is somewhat more &C
curate than the topic for young peo-
pie and adults WHICH heads this
article, for wisdom in the sense in
which we are speaking of it is really
discernment. Discernment, in turn,
is a matter of clarity and accuracy
of vision. And, as in the matter of
physical vision some imperfection,
of astigmatism or nyopia, in the
eye, distorts or blure the vision, so
imperfection of the spirit is bound
to affect the things that can be
only spiritually discerned.
To see with clear and unobscured
vision is necessary for discernment;
and it becomes, therefore, a truism
that it is only the good who can
see goodness, only the true who can
perceive truth, and only those whose
hearts are full of love that can I'M
derstand and discern the meaning
of love.
Must Be Discerning
To perceive goodness to see truth,
to understand love is to have a
great enlightenment that brings into
ones ken a world that others do
not know. The world of these new
relationships is a world of constant
discovery and of glorious contacts.
The man whose moral sense is dull
and whose spiritual vision is blind
can never form high contracts with
his fellow-men, nor can he discern
what is worth while in human re-
lationShips.
But Just as Jesus discerned in the
lives of men the elements of good
ness that lay beneath evil deeds or
evil regulations, so it is given to the
pure in heart to see God, and -
seeing God to perceive and under
stand goodness in all of his children.
The prophet, whom the blind and
the ignorant stone, is really a
prophet to the one who looks out
through eyes of faith and love with
the power to discern truth without
prejudice. The teacher, whom others
neglect and despise, becomes the
sublimely influential guide and
leader for those who can discern the
glory of the truth that he has to
impart.
- 1t was all this that was exempli-
filed in the coming of Jesus into
the world. 1t was the pure and the
good who were looking for-Eis COM
ing, and who knew Him and received
Him when He came. Here in our
lesson we have two old saints who
had schooled themselves in right
eousness and devotion. They were
as well trained by moral and spir-
itual discipline to know the Master
when He came as some miner whose
heart was all set upon gold might be
trained to recognize the golden vein
when he saw it in the rock.
| Finds Satisfaction
The reward of the righteous
comes in this enrichment of their
lives. The man of clear vision and
of unimpaired vision sees SO much
more. So these devout souls found
a deep satisfaction in the revelation
that came to them late in life. Sim
con has a revelation concerning the
babe brought to the temple, ano
Anna. who shared in the worship
of the temple. in some way per-
ceived in the significance of the child
and the fact that in him was to be
the fulfillment of the great proph-
ecies to which their souls were fully
attuned.
But the vision that they saw was
not all of comfort and satisfaction
They perceived that the salvation
the Messiah brought was to come
through sorrow and suffering. Mary
could not have understood at this
time the words that Simeon ad-
dressed to her, but in after years
especially under the shadow Of the
cross. she must have recalled these
word, "Yea, and a sword shall pierce
through thine own soul" And II
that dark hour it is probable thai
nothing so much helped her as the
recollection of these words-tht
realization that the way of the
cross was the way of salvation anc
the way of blessing which her sor
: had brought to mankind.
His Vision Is Clear
Discernment is written over every
word attributed here to Simeon. He
sees the inevitableness of the great
spiritual law that as it makes for
the rising of many through their
acceptance Of salvation through
Chist makes for the falling Of those
who refuse to bring their lives I'M
der the power of the Spirit.
He sees>the reality of that great
law of sacrifice through which love
accompIshes it's triumphant work.
1t is in the fellowship Of souls like
Simeon and Anna chat our own
vision is clarified. It is IN the COM
partnership of those who have the
vision of love that we attain to that
vision ourselves. And there is no
other way 1t is hopeless to expect
to see the things that can not be
seen except as the vision is clarified
and the eyes are trained to see them
The deepest, truest law of all the
universe is expressed in the simple