To be near unto God - pagina 33

one and the same time among and with all the redeemed of the Lord. But even then it will all be the expression and the working out of the fact of our- creation after the Divine image. It will not be just in the same

way in which God communes with us, but be communion in a similar way. That we ourselves can speak with our

it

will

fellow

men at God

such incredible distances, brings us nearer in our prayer, and brings God nearer to when he speaks to us. And the "Hearken unto me, my people," followed by the prayer: "Give heed to me, Lord," is more real to us than to us

before.

There is still another phase in our secret walk with God, which we may call the phase of holy rapture. It springs from the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in us. As often as this indwelling operates there is no distance. Then the Lord speaks to us in the inner-chamber of the heart. Then we perceive his sacred presence not afar off but at hand. And our speaking to God is the confidential whisper as in the ear. Such is the case at the cool of the day when the peace "which passeth human knowing" takes possession of the heart and the sweet joy of being God's child transports us into holy ecstacy. But we can not deal with this now. We have in mind the man who believes, but who through sin and trial has lost in part the sense of being a child of God, and finds himself distant from Ck>d. Such spiritual conditions occur frequently with those who are most saintly. Then it seems that at first God does not hear us, and as though we 29

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