, 1876-09-04

scassd knowledge Of their tlnaea to bcnr upon
lie iess favored Yesterday and tG 7 les't y, yalna to
snaks Of learning closed for thousand years.
r. would not permit Moses to be reatMtl!el ty
GalIlco, nor tho. government Of Solomon
aermany. Let us In the tight Of the past meyer
fear tho sincere etulcnta ol TeHgIon, but fear
rather tl,osn who close tho holy books md de-
clsre that tlloy have mustered fully It's con-
Assuming, then, that tho accumulated learn
I'M al thIN age must 10 busy working changes
#, Christian doctrine, lot us pass onward to 9TH
IL W Learning itself must bc defined. The new
an.l varc.l facts Of science and nrt and gcog-
raphy aud mechanics do not make up what 10
called tho learning OF the nineteenth century:
inmates in the books Of modern scttn:c, stand
for the Information Of the present. The words
"progrcss Of knowledge " too otten peint tl,o
try. hut Tiers Is n learning better tl.an tho
nsw nss wisiom Of Huxley IN sc1gnee, and Fulton
antl Morse in tho application Of natural agencies
S nenIcs e 'Ss,q Wopds eaTnE a a as ha
maj, rights and wrongs, us to tho etements Of a
good character, rs tot9o essentials Of rellg1on,
a. to tho necessary character, of God. Ia thc
iIeas aid practices ot the Christian Church.
Ills most marvellous increaso Of knowledge
i, not 10 bc found With those 1ncn who dcclaro
that the earth ls lnnlloHa oL Jeafs 0lu anu tliAt
i,sn,an l llfo has been slowly evolved from hum
blcr germs Of being, for even II their dcclara-
tions were mt conjectoral they would not b
very significant, for Il matters little by how
at Huxley aud Darwin dazzle and interest, but
tshcu UuG comes to Weighing tho value Of Ileas
one must soon confess that the new knowledge
Of mon's rights and privileges and OF his powers
md Tic now ideas OF Gods character are tl,o
form oi learing that most perfectly shapes all
tho institutions ofsoctety from iresuc to throne.
was not chemistry nor gsoGgy n9r sn.t a.1Eo1 s'c
what free nations earth enjoys; that set frec Its
dawes: that cmaneipatcd woman; that closed
tho inqu!sit!ons; that founded public education;
was thc slow study Of man and aud; tho slow
accumulation Of mural IDEAS TINT brought
about this transformation Of state and home and
indivldua. THIS, then, Is tho form ct modern
learning that has Affected most radically tho
Christian religion, mud which will continue to
mold It for generations to CONC.
Il Is contended by n,aty thatouragc cher!shes
awcakcr belief in God ttnn W. cherished BY
any former century: II would bo impossible to
demonstrate whether such declaration were
true or falsc, but this Is evident beyoni all Dc
bato that our age surpasScs all before It in Its
longcontlnued study that turned the best
orders Of men anu women Awny from tho glnll-
atorla shows, from the brutality OF the Coll
scum, md the Spanish arenas @ of cruel sport,
making Him shine forth fn cVcr-lncreasny
beauty. The salnc SCENE may br Witnessed IL
tho history of tbs i,lca Of Christ. Even were II
truo that the modern times were more skcptical
than tho pnst times, yet q grand anti I'M
presslvu Deity believed Ia doubtlngly and only
In some OF carth's dnys would bring to the soul .
better lot virtue and nobtgnsss t1an would
como from humble, dstortcl God or Christ,
bol!evcd in with all the enthusiasm Of q fanatic.
There is indeed real sorrow In unbclcf-in the
,u,brcf thut leaves tho midnight sky without
ally Creator, aud all tho depths Of Heaven With
out any footsteps o. beings , ,lavl5E imnlorta!
halt their dnys in thia shadow and then emerge
ut times into the presence Of a. most glorious
Father aud savior than to belloyo every mo-
nle,t with faith that never Changed In such
and sucl, Heaven as awaited their souls. Ono
Of the old saints said thnt "to look docN from
Paradise and sed onss o,s'. ,taihes and Jrle"ds n
<rc1aiattaU torneA's Hou|d not cause sorrotc, oH'
to, 1y shotoiag one tahat agony he had himself 6
eaped.'' What tho current century may be
losing by the shadow Of unbcllef It ut,lst ccI
tauly be winning buck by the richucss in tiutt
Aud beauty Of these hours Or days OF taith tlnt
como at times to tho spirit
Having nurked how knowledge Is q perpctua
powGr, rcBsiapinE man IN 1ll lis relations, mud
that hence It is reshnping Christianity, and tha
s5an II II" not as 1 aconss SyFi 5 lat te ~ @
gather up somo Of the results Of thls purifying
procces. -
j. Tho march Of learning ts always tho prog
latlon Of truth Involves tho culture Of TN
flculty that thus discovers the truth. Whel
society has lcarncd the chcat Of klngcEaft o
pricstcraft, 1t has not alnply acquired two nov
facts: it l...s enjoyed nj, awakening Of reason b
which 1t will discover more facts. After EuclI'
had discovered onu problem in geometry, b
easily went forward until lic loft tho world
book full A mathematical taste md facult
wcre Developed along with the. science ttseli
THUS alongsfde tho wOrld's growing knowledg
moves growing reasoning power, q force dc
yc.opcl by Its labor md clatsd with its success
must inclutlo thp fact that reason las learned t
nrt md the method Of action. Hence, Us u
effect of tic now relation Of learning to rclE
ION, only the most reasonable doctrines VII
hcnccforth rank hfgl In tho lnany crceds Of tn
Church. A multitude Of proposttlons may. b
long retained IN the volumes et theology, bu
the Church will point to only few doctrines q
being. fouudation'stones OF Its temple. IL
doctrines which knowledge 0f the world
past declares most useful iu building up vlrtAs
and which harEnontze best with the widcsprca
reasontnE powers OF man, will more and nllr
become the only sacrcd confession Of faith: A
Illustration of these statements may bo fo,in
in, for example, this ainE'c remark, that rcaso
will sce IN the love OF man for Clirtat and Il,
consequent initiation Of Him all TINT Ia yital I
inquiry, whit was tho nature ot Jeeust but IL
answer Ut this question will weigh nothtn
against tile heart that shall carry tho ytsbl
qualities Of TINT nGdtator. Rcason will sift I'll
precision, gather up all TINT belray their d
yiuoncss by bringing blessings To the dear elsi
dren Of tht. liis. AZ the God Of Nature
Known by sS aIsptasSns q eauses To- su
blcsBcs all tho xoncs, and in
Hin IN all that cnuohles and blcssee, 10 tho &C
ofrelIgtonwill bo seen in tho DOCTRINES which a
full Of great causes'for great reaulta.
We need not express these thoughts In Il
form OF DronlGeY. for already learning. anil /