The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-06-11
A Curious Sermon,

The following passage from sermon deliv-
cred before the Y. NJ. G. A. at Paisley by the
Rev. David Watson of the Church of Scotland,
is exciting much discussion and sharp contro.
versy over the water:
'The great, and the wise and the mighty are
not with US. That / fear we must all own to,
however much we may grieve to say 80, and
the more we read of the history, the poetry,
the biography and the literature OF the age, the
more will we think SO. The best thought, the
widest knowledge, and the deepest philosophy
have discarded our Church. Not that they
have taken up hostile attitude towards us
(some have, but not all), but they have turned
their backs upon us with quiet dislike, an un-
spoken disapproval, and a practical renuncia-
ton greatly more conclusive than a wOrdy war
would be. do not mention names, it would
be unfair to do so, for there is still social
stigma thrown at the man who ventures to dis
connect himself from the common creed But
that does not alter the case one whit-the great,
the wise and the mighty are not with us.
The stern fact is, they do not identify them
selves with the Orthodox Church we belong to.
They are not even nominally with US. They
LOOK not Tor our heaven; they fear not our hell.
Theydetest what they call in the humanites of
our creed, and scorn the systematized spiritual
ism we believe in. They step out into specula-
tive atheism, for they can breathe freer there
their lungs are not compressed. and their hu-
manities are happier there. But, mark you,
they DO not pass over into practical atheism,
for however they hate the name of Orthodoxy
and everything theological, their hearts are too
large, and their souls are too religious-instinc-
lively religious-to forget that reverence that
Is due, that living regard that is meet and fit
Some become practical philanthropists and
phllosophic friends of man by helping industry,
extending knowledge, advocating temperance,
lnaugurating institutions that incarnate Chris
tianity, furthering society in a thousand ways,
reforming the manners and making the men OF
time and CLINE. And if it be so with some,
make bold to say of all, that, more or less nat
urally plous, more or less consciously moral,
they are all instinctively religious, despite their
remuneration of our theological creed. They
are all big with faith in the ultimate salvation
OF man, faith that inspires them to toll and
shames our whining cant And vet these men
the master minds and imperial leaders
amongst men-the Comics, the Carlyles, the
Goethes, the Emersons the Humboldts the
Iyndalls, and Huxleys, il yo1 will. are called
by US atheists, are outside our most Christian
Church, pilloried in our Presbyterian Ortho-
doxy as 'heretics' before God and man. Why
are these and such like men without the pale of
the Christian Church? Not that they are unfit
we own that; not that they are too creative
know that. But that we are unworthy of them
and by the mob force of our ignorant numbers
nave driven them out. They shun us because
or our ignorant misconceptions and persistent
Misrepresentation of heaven, man, and God.
They feel our evil communications corrupting
their good manners; they feel our limited Wis
ion narrowing the infinitude of their horizon.
and therefore, as an Indispensable condition to
the very existence of their souls, they separate
themselves from u.s. and forsake-and greatly
unwilling many of them are to do so-the wor-
ship with US OF our common God"