Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-02-21
A REMARK ABLE SERMON on TIL
ALL.ABsOEEING RELIGIOUS
TOPICS OF THE DAY.
MODERN DOUBT AND RELIGIOUS
DOGNATISM.
Sermon By II. W. Thomas, ID. D., OF
the Centenary y. T.. Church,
Chicago.

1nrc religion unde1ileu before God ant
the Father is this: 10 visit the f,tl.erless
and the widows in their :.tiiiction. and t.
keep himself unspottcd from the world
James I, S7.
There seems to be difficulty. common
to most minds. in at first making appear
;s real 10 the mental consciousness the
great facts that arise in the study of any
'iiStory or token or science. 1t is one thino
TO 90 over the words that express these
facts. but another and quite different
thing to realize their full meaning. 1t is
easy enough f any child to say that the
earth is of such size. and turns on its axis:
that it is 50 many miles from the sum- and
forever Journeys AROUND that great centre.
Eut 10 weigh these words. to get Il fall re-
alizaiion of tiirirmeaning, is quite an 'ther
thing. and usually comes to the mind later
an! with sense of surprise is if it were
something new. And the same thing is
true in the study OF history. Ii is easy to
run over names and dates and battle scenes
But to get the picture in the mind so rs to
feel the impression OF fact is more difficult
How few, in first reading the. history of
Egypt. or Babylon. or Rome. realize in any
full sense the mighty scenes that are pass
ing before the mind. We read of nations.
of armies. and battles; Of cities and tenn
pies. as light things, hardly thinking even
that this earth has been the scene and or
own race the actors in these vast events.
This same difficulty Of realization is not
only hstoric.-or in things relating to the
past.-it is prophetic also. The past fades
away from us, and the future is but vague
ly perceived. We seem often to dwell in a
ircamland where even the present passes
as kind Of rcvery. Bread and butter are
about the only things we always see and
never forget.
This same want of full mental realization
is still more apparent when we first come
into the field of Bible truth. This fact
may arise, not only from The general con-
ditions Of the mind that make the difficulty
common in everything else. but may find
special causes in the fact that we all receive
our first religious impressions-thc i'm
pressions that liaye shaped all our after
thnking-in our c:,illhood: and we then
associate Bible truths with the marvel
ous; and somehow we have been reading
them in this light ever since. How few
there are who bring even the same historic
rellz ton 10 Bible scenes that they de to
other matters of history. DO we read of
the Israciites crossing the Red sea. or of the
destruction Of Sodon, or of the demon
possessed swine rushing into tie water.
with the same critical appreciation OF the
| wonderful facts involved that we would.
should we find s;lc!l statements in Rol!in.
or Josephus. or Macalilay?
think that it is more tIan the growth
Of a personal consciousness ola more open
vision. or tie seeing of truth in myself
and for which daily pray. and daily bless
God--tlat | discern: think there is an
uplifting of reason on the part of many
flat is almost peculiar TO our times. And
| its effects are becoming everywhere APPEAR.
ent. The sense OF historic realization las
led to Il careful going over of many of tic
| old histories and II cullinu and pruning OF
|
standing has taken hold of tie Bible and
placed its marvellous statements under the
light of rigid Interpretation. Bishop Co
lenso is a special instance of this kind ol
mental development and critical work. lie
never seems 10 nave looked at the facts OF
biblical history as lie would at the facts OF
prOf.ine histOry-never to have fully real.
lied wha! lie was reading. till poor Afii
can native, WHO WIS assisting him in !:
translation of some Bible narrative. looked
up and innocently said: You don't be-
lieve that. do you!' And the same direct
f,cing of facts has come out in our time
in reference to the miracles of the Bible
Mr.. Tyndali has not denied that the sur
and moon did stand still at the prayer O
Joshua: he has only Shown what wonder
full thing it w"s-how much in The worlt
of physical ,;,ws AMI forces it meant wheI
such thing WAS affirmed. or if it ever real
ly occurred. And so with the miracles ant
marvellous statements of the New Testa
ment and lite of Christ. The acute histor
ic realization OF our times has taken al
these scenes out of that halo and that upper
world enclHntn,ent of spirit, in which the
de,out of all ages have been reading them
and has brought them down into the colo
world OF fact. and applied the same rule,
of criticism TO them that it would to any
other history. and bids ns look these facts
square in the tace and see just how muck
they mean. The critical sense reads tlit
account of turning water into wine, or o
abscissions or demoniacal possessions. moi
as children read the Arabian Nights" bu,
as banker reads the quotations of gold OF
exchange. to zee just what is stated and