Notes and Recollections of a Reading

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 7
 
There is never any light from God without love. Whenever there is a real revelation of God to a soul, you always get the conscience reached and the heart affected.
I believe we never know anything about God with the mind, save that we cannot know Him. All true knowledge humbles, because it brings something to me of God that I did not know before, and it finds in me something contrary to it; truth perfectly divine and heavenly in its character, yet suited to me,—it brings what is heavenly, and shows me I am not that and humbles me. Take the thief on the cross; light shines in, and see the effect " Dost not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation, and we indeed justly." Truth is of no use until it is subjective, i.e., until it affects me, otherwise it is only a matter of memory. Thus church truth may be held by one who does not know what it is to be in the Spirit, it is only a matter of memory. The Holy Ghost does not merely say there is a church, but we are members of His body, of His flesh, of His bones; it is not a mere dogma.
The tendency with us is to make theology, and not to take what Scripture says. I do not get merely a statement, but God connects it livingly with my heart and affections. Another important thing is how far the actual condition of 'a soul is such, that it is able to receive truth. Thus at Corinth the Apostle fed them with milk, they were not able to take strong meat, so Also in Hebrews; we need to bear this in mind, if you talk to a person about truth that he is not in a state to receive, you only puff him up. If a Christian walks unfaithfully he may lose even what he knows. All living truth becomes a part of myself like food; thus it is said " if any man thirst," and then it speaks of coming out of his belly, that is out of the very inmost part of the man himself. I do not believe any one has got the truth unless it has engaged his affections to Christ and moved his conscience.