SUNDAY READING.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 16869, 16 October 1920, Page 10

SUNDAY READING.

A Sermon preached in the AVhiteley Memorial Church by the Rev. J. Napier Miins. “EYES AND NO EYES.” 2 Kings; 6, 17: “And Elisha prayed, and said. Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw; an,d, behold, the mountain was full .of horses and chariots of fir© round about Elisha.”

Roughly, the world may ho divided into two classes —the people who can see and the people who can’t. What the prophet says of the idols is true of multitudes of human beings, “Eyes have they, hut they see not.” Two men, possessing much in common, may differ most markedly in this respect. One will take- the journey round the. world and discern next to nothing; the other will stroll along a country lane and astonish all he afterwards informs of the wonderful things he has seen in the hedgerow, on the ground and in the air above him. “Sir,” said Dr. Samuel Johnson, to a fine gentleman just returned from Italy, “some men k; .n more on the Hampstead stagc-coach than others in the tour of Europe.” The poet Wordsworth holds up to ridicule and contempt the unimaginative soul to whom “a primrose hy the river’s brim, a yellow primrose is to him, and is is nothing more.” A lady was standing one day with Turner before one of his great pictures. “Why, Mr. Turner,” she said, “I cannot see the things in nature that you see.” “Don’t you wish you could, madam?” was the sarcastic reply. ' George Macdonald believed that wo. should some day discover that the loss of the human Paradise chiefly consisted j in the closing of tho human eyes. But j for*f polish desires and ignoble cares, we should at least realise that there was far more of Paradise still about us than most people dreamed. The world is full of natural beauties and spiritual significances; every bush is afire with God; | every day we tremble on the verge of a j Divine apocalypse, but a deplorable ■ blindness has fallen upon our orbs of vision. We see well enough so far as the physical organs of sight are concerned, but our minds are dark with a darkness which defies tho skill of tho opthalmist. , That was precisely the trouble with the young man of the text. No na- j tural faculty was missing. He was alert and wide awake. He had just rushed j into the house breathless to tell Elisha what he had seen—a mighty army en- I compassing tho city with prancing steeds and chariots and breastplates, all gleaming in the morning sun. The warring host had. been sent by the King of’Syria.- In the raiding struggle between his people and the children of Israel, h© was finding himself strangely baffled. Somehow or other, despite the deepest secrecy, and the most carefully laid plans, he never seemed able to surprise the enemy. His little game of strategy leaked out every time, and the tables were turned on his own sorelyperplexed head. Like a true modern, he concluded there were spies in the camp. His suspicions fell on his own officers, who, However, loudly protested their loyalty and gave him to understand that the trouble was with Elisha, Jehovah’s prophet in Israel.* In a way of which they had no explanation, he was able to obtain and communicate to his Sovereign the secret movements of the Syrian Army. There was nothing for it but to capture Elisha in his temporary retreat at Dothan, intern him or put him to death. To accomplish this purpose the , hill was successsfully surrounded by night. Elisha’s servant was up betimes the following morning, and beheld with something like dismay the menacing host. “Alas, my master,” he cried, “how shall w© do ? Our destruction is inevitable. Nothing can save us from capture and cruel death.” Surely this young man is clearer of eye and keener of perception than the prophet gives him credit for. He is fully alive to the imminent danger of their position. He takes in at a glance tho meaning of that imposing array. Why should the prophet pray for him? His affliction was soul-blindness; he saw only the material busk of things; he utterly failed to discern tho spiritual powers and presences which over wait on those whose lives are in tune with the Infinite. Elisha told the young man that there were raovo on their side than on tho side of the enemy; but he might have argued till old age without convincing him that there was anything on that mountain but the horses and chariots of the Syrians. When I began my ministry I was possessed for a time with a frantic desire to prove to people tho existence of God. Wo think we can do it when we come out pf college. I discoursed upon the subject in the pulpit; I went through the various arguments with the young men, With tho years I have left all that audacity behind. I still believe in the evidences, and I hold that their cumulative effect is to carry conviction. But, ultimately, God cannot bo proved, and men do not realise him by argument. God must be discerned, seen, felt, to be apprehended and known.

There are people who have looked upon tlio masterpieces of Raphael and Michael Angelo and have seen nothing very wonderful in them. Are they therefore not masterpieces P Is the fault not rather in the beholders P' They lack the trained mind and the responsive soul.

Elisha did not attempt to prove to the young man of the text the existence of the spiritual forces which had hastened' to his help. He looked up to Heaven and prayed, “Lord, open his eyes that he may see.” And the subtle vision that stilled and strengthened the soul of the prophet was given to the youth in answer to that prayer. His eyes were opened and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. It is such a vision that we need in our time. There is no need that we should trouble about the substantiality or unsubstantiality of these chariots and horses of fire. We might as profitably worry our foolish heads with the old speculation as to how many angels can stand upon the point of a needle. The story has its lessons writ plain and large upon the surface. Some _ of us have,almost lost track of God in His world. We.say wo believe in Him ; wo would repudiate with indignation the suggestion that we are athiestic, but, do we believe in Him as wo believe in money, in pleasures, in clothes, in social influence and position ? These count for more with most of us than the forces that live and move and speak in the Infinite. We discern what is close, the tangible, the mechanical, the lucrative;

wc have no eyes for the spiritual powers and presences with which the Upper Universe is filled. Tho enemies of unrighteousness loom large and terrible before our vision; we arb unaware of the strength of the allies of truth. Our faith in the supremacy of moral forces is feeble. We mistake the small for the great and tho near for thef precious. Behind all our other weaknesses lies the weakness of onr sense of God. There is nothing wo so much require for the march and warfare of our time as spiritual vision. One of the effects of such vision is to instill tho serene courage of optimism. Elisha was unperturbed by tho evil tidings brought by his servant. The young man saw nothing but tho enemy and the certainty of bafflement and defeat. Tho prophet beheld the Divine hosts within the enemy’s lines and knew that tho very hairs of his Head wore all numbered. ' Nothing could happen to him without the Father. Deliverance was on the hill with danger, and all was well. When his eyes were opened, the youth also shared his master’s cheerful strength. The fear with which. ho had been paralysed passed away. His pathetic inquiry, “What shall wo do?” melted into the wonder what tho Syrians would do. During the second year of the war I was living in the city of Hull, in England. A German landing was expected on that coast, and we all had our printed instructions, should such a landing bo effected, what roads from town we were to take and what things wc were to carry with ns. But there was no panic. Mon possessed their souls in peace, walked about the streets with calm, confident steps, and pursued as usual their useful avocations. And why? It was because wo believed in a- Fleet that some had never seen and that no landsman ha'.' seen for many, many weeks. We knew that our Navy, though wo beheld it not, was somewhere at the post of duty, and wo worked and ate and slept in great content. *■ The man iwho sees God, who feels His living contact and responds with his whole being to tho intimate and redeeming divine relations, is not afraid. In.time of extremity and distress, ho gets comfort out of his religion. Out of his stony griefs he raises his Bethel, and says, Surely the Lord was.in this place. Ho believes that God is mightier than tho devil; that the forces of righteousness arc infinitely superior to tho powers of hell, and he cries exultantly, “The Lord roignethj let the earth rejoice.’’

Another effect of spiritual vision is to lead men to co-operate with spiritual forces. In Elisha, vision and action arc found side by side. AA r © see him making use of such powers as were committed to him, and cleverly outwitting those who sought his life. The world is not going to he uplifted, and righteousness will never cover the earth, apart from human enterprise and human endeavour. 1 have spoken of the sense of calmness which was" onrs during the wav in consequence of our knowledge that, upon the great waters, there was, though all but unseen, a mighty fleet of destroyers and dreadnoughts and submarines and minesweepers, guarding our shores and protecting out interests. But it would have been a very serious thing if we had never related ourselves in any way to that Fleet —never supplied it with food or ammunition, never co-operated with any of its needs or movements. And. the activity of the Eternal is largely conditioned by the activity of the agents through whom He works. We must ally ourselves with the Invisible Spiritual Forces. It may be a great thing to have had our eyes opened to the mightiness of truth, but until we have come to realise how essential to the troumph of truth are sacrifice and zeal and loving service, we are blind while we see. A literary man, the windows of whose house looked out upon the great mountains, went one day to see an oooulist. His eyes were giving him trouble. The occulist told him it was not now glasses he needed but iust rest. “When your eyes get tired of your reading and writing,” he said, “go and stand at your hack window or in’your front porch and look steadily at the mountains for five minutes —ten will ho bettor. Tills far look will rest your eyes.” • “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills.” In presence of the Infinite spaces and of tho powers with which they are filled I shall know no more any pain of. want or any weakness of fear. I shall realise that though hell is nigh, God is Higher still. . I shall believe that all power is given ijnto Him, and that He must reign until He has made His enemies the footstool of His feet. Thai will not be an excuse for sitting down and singing myself away to everlasting bliss. Rather it will become the mighty moving motive hy which I shall be. constrained to work with both hands earnestly for tho coming of the golden day; the da v when tho Kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. “Lord, open our eyes that wo may see.”

CHURCH SERVICES. , SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17. CHURCH OF ENGLAND. St. Mary’s—ll and 7. Old People’s H0m0—10.45. Omata—7 p.m. Te Hcnui —8 no service, 11 and 7. Bell Block—7 p.m. Okato—2.ls. - Inglewood—ll and 7. Kaimata —8. Tarata—2.3o. Egmont Village—-8 p.m. Kaimiro —8 p.m. (Tuesday). Durham Rond—B p.m, (Thursday). Waitara—B (no communion), 11 and 7. Urcjiui—ll (no communion). Tikorangi—2.3o. Leppsrton—ll. METHODIST. Whitoley Memorial—Tl and 7, Rev. J. Napier Milne. Fitzroy—Tl and 7, Rev. J. P. Martin. St. Aubyn—Tl, Mr. J. Jomison; 7, Rev. J. Nixon. Omata—2.3o, Mr. W. Chattcrton. Upper Mangoroi—ll, Rov. J. Nixon. Lower Mangoroi—2.3o, Rev. J, Nixon. Carrington Road—2.4s, Rev. J. F. Martin. Franklcigh Park—3 Mr.'E. Chattcrton. Old People’s Home—s, Mr. W. S. Cobham. AVaitara—ll and 7, Rev. F. B. Lawrence. Lepperton—supply. , Hnirangi—2.3o, Rev. F. B. Lawrence. Ilrenui—7, Air. G. Herbert. Unit!—ll, Mr. G. Herbert. Pukearuhe—2, Mr. G-. Herbert. Opnnake—ll, Mr. D. R. Wright: 7, Mr. M. Hugh son. Oaonui—2, Mr. D. R. AVright. Okato—ll and 7, Rev. C. Aker. Tataraimaka—2, Rev, C. Aker. Rahotu—ll and 7, Rov. C. Strand.

Warca—2.3o, Rev. C. Strand. Elthum Road—7.3o (Thursday), Mr. J. Cox. PRESBYTERIAN. S. Andrew’s —11 and 7, Rev. 0. .Blundell. : Inglewood—ll and 7, Mr. C. E. Perkins. Waitui—2, Mr. C. E. Perkins. Waitara—ll and 7, Mr. A, H. Gould. Urenui—2.3o, Mr. A. H. Gould. BAPTIST. Tabernacle —11 and 7, Rev. A. H. Collins. SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST. Bullor Street—7 p.m. "'The seven events which immediately precede Christ’s reign on the earth.” Mr. P, Dixon. THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. Brougham Street—7 p.m. “Tho Foundations, Aims, and Objects of the Thcosophical Society.”