Pantheism's destruction of boundaries - pagina 39

Methodist Review. Living in u house of one's own by no means forbids :i going abroad in every pathway of life. And, as we said abo\-c, Ixjhind our line we desire to arm ourselves more completely that we

may be the better ready for the Of one claim, we grant, we

strife.

can make no surrender; it must be born within us that we believe. Even as wc are stabbed by those who announce themselves as the enlight-

—

ened and the civilized and label us as the

'*

nonthinking part of

the nation," so they must suffer us to wound them as often as we distinguish ourselves as " believers" from the " nonbelieving

It

is

But

of the nation."

])art

this is the verj' thing in question.

the protection of that boundary for which

They deny

life.

And

the

fall

by

sin

;

for us

it

wo

stake our very

stands firm and lixed.

therefore they cannot recognize a bou?idary which

is

estal>

by the entrance of grace, while for us this transition is one from death unto life. We are taught by the word of Gud that sin not merely spoiled the will and corrupted our nature, but that it also dark-

lished

ened the understanding. On the contrary, the palingenesis not merely renews the will and transforms our nature, but also sheds a light of its own into our inner consciousness. lie who believes receives not merely another impression of ferently affected

in

life,

but

is

also dif-

the world of thought, which difference

cannot be better interpreted than by Augustine's celebrated Augustine had himself been a pantheist at hiterrogatoriiim. first, and had not been able to conceive God otherwise than as hiding in

the- vXt].

turned away from

But when, led by the

Spirit of

God, he

Jesus patihilis of the Manichaians and lixed his gaze nj)on the Man of sorrows, then, with the self-same ears with which he had heard the sound of the jiarticles of light in leaf

tiie

and stem, he now heard this entirely different speech of Then, as he wi-ites in his Confessions,

the creation.

I asked the eartli, and it answered, "I am imt lb-;" and wliatsoever arc tlK-rein made the sanii' ronfc-ssion. I asked the sea and the deeps and llie creepint,' things tliat live<l, and they replied, " are not thy (iod; seek liii^Iier than we." I asked the breezy air, and tlie universal air witli its inhabitants answered, " Anaxinienes was deceived; we are not tliy (itiil." I asked the heavens, the sun, nioon, and stars; " Neither," said llu-y, " are we the God wlioni thou si'ckest." And answered uiit() all thiuLTs which stand about the door of my Hesh, " Ye have told me concerning my God

We

I

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