, 1877-03-18


Bib1e itself lays stress on this as IT, ;s*
sential point, it being, as MATHEW ARsa;ss':
urges so eloquently in his - Literatura \;
Dogma," the grand textbook Of Rie6tasssI:
ness, as the Greek classics are the te1tbooIss$
OF Culture. Even SO positive and =:
thusiastic q preacher as PETER said: ,.tl}t::9
truth I perceive that Con is No, ,respecte, :, :
persons; but in every nation he that feara,S ):
Him and worketh righteousness is accent.s
with Hir-" PAUL, too, dogmatic as be W. ::
in the assertion Of doctrine, was broad :sds
liberal in his Judgment: Of character. mi !
spoke hopefully Of the case ssWhea r.
Gentiles, who have not the [written) law: H..
| by nature the things contained in the liz
It is Of interest, therefore, to notice that :.
one studies passing events, he finds that a.
lesson Of today in religion is, the value nd
necessity Of moral earnestness; OF harin,
ever in view the rectifcation and elevation =
| character. >. &, -
# we begin with the skeptica, nothing H.
more evident than the changed tone Of it,
years in this very respect Let one compar, :
for this purpose, the writings OF Taomi :: :
PAINE, or Of VoLruRE, with those Of JON
MoR11Y or A1r. GKEd. The latter haye. =;
seriousness Of purpose, sense Of respous;. ::
bility, gravity Of thought and expression. ;
carefulness not to lend announcement ta.;
moral evil, which are conspicuously abeant
from the former. They reason rather than:
cavl they present difficulties rather than ?:
invent excuses they t1y not to forget tie
great problems which confront all thinker. II
whether or not these accept Christianity.:
They ally themselves carefully, also, with
good morals, and with al humanitarian rs.
forms and thus strive, with how much Of
success different minds will not agree, to
have positive as well as negative quality
to their skepdcism-
From the skepics one may pass to tia
heathen and seni-heathen. We may look to ,
awakening Japan, which seems so earnest
and persistent in the direction Of national Z,
reform, which begins indeed with politics
and commerce, but ends in education and i;
religion. Or We may note the famous at~
tempt at inside reform in the Brahmanis1n Of
India, in the case Of the :Brahmo Somai.
which now numbers one hundred societies m
the Provinces Of Bombay, a1adrtas Punjab, :
Assam, Orissa, and: S. Canara> u. D. Cox. :
wAY, who has been reading their Yearbook, !.
says that their service is not essentially i1if
ferent from that Of the English or Amer.
ican Unitarians, '1excspt that both preacher !
and people are 4carmer than our average Uni =
tarians." They denounce ldolatry and pro-
fess to return to the worship OF one COP, as
taught in the most ancient Sanscrit books.
They have broken caste and suffered pe1se-
cution from their former friends There is
much that is yet incomplete and Inconsistent
in their ideas and methods, but plainly an
earnest purpose il behind their Deeds They
are following such light as has reached them,
at 10 small cost to themselves in respect to
property, and reputation, and ease.
Even the Mohammelans give signs Of a
semi-moral awakening after their conception
Of religion. A writer in the last number of
the North Ame7inr7s Recie1a shows how lit
tie many OF the sentimental British states
men understand the working Of the Turk
ish mind on the Eastern question; and be
makes it plain that the Mohamme-
lans Of that land consider them
selves to occupy far higher moral ground
han do the so-called Christian : Powers.
They see that the peculiarities of their goy-
'rnment grow directly ont OF their faith, md
re willing to die for the two as thus Joined;
% that united Europe, instead of securing
oncession: as YVES hoped, only made a.
|nited Islam in opposition They think that
be Christian world worship gold. and will
ever make war for principle, while the
oftis rely upon rousirg the ancient faith Of
he Moslems, which counts life cheap in the
ause of the Prophet. A new ea1nestness is
bringing up as al inspiration, and because
/ it We may jet see tremendous conflict of
ncient enemies who represent warning re
gious ideas.
In the recent "reviyal" movement ths
over Is of the same kind. Meu deeply IN
arnest are at the head Of it,-men who have
0 doubts as to their creed, or as to their
ersond acceptance with COP. They in
9ire others with the same spirit, and the
oral contagion spreads No doubt they
ave done much good The reformations
ON vice show this, as do also the chsnges
ON Journalism and indifference. They
I've had the merit Of acting out their prin-
pies boldly and honestly, which is a grand,
ample to all Of whatever faith. No 1nan
obliged to accept Mr.. Moopz's creed, fiji;
EN- to him unreasonable; hut all men,
'lieve as they may, should learn a lesson
om his moral earnestness and thorough
nsistency. 10 this spirit We may point
classea Of reGgionists ss one worthy Of,
atation not only, but as necessity to
'wez and progress <. -
PERSONAL.