Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-06-28

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First. that religion alone can furnish
the sufficient motive To high order
of morality. For human being to be good
| implies struggle. Justice Is 4 constant re-
| sistance 10 evil. The one hardest thing
man can do in this world is to be good. Jesus
himself tells Us that 10 enter into the strait gate
that leadeth into life, mere seeking will not
| avail /; we have TO strive Tor it like wrestlers.
But why should | struggle so hard for virtues
| sake: What adyantageth il me- st. Paul asks,
| 10 strive with evil as with wild beasts at
| Ephesus : Why not eat and drink, why not
taste the ambro>ia and sip the wine of life to-
| day, for tomorrow we die WHY should |
| knit nv brOws over Seneca and practice Stole
abstinence with Epctetus, while those seduc
| tive Horatlan stanZas are singing IN my ear:
| Enjoy the present passing hour
And put it out of Fortune power.
| Happy the man. and happy he alcnc,
| lie who can call to-day his own.
Seneca SAYS because it i beneath man To
| live for aught but the highest. But alas,
| Seneca did not reck his own rede. Pride, self
| respect. the dignity OF a man, the highest mo-
| tive 10 which the moralist can appeal, is II con-
sderation too abstract and remote 10 influence
| men save here and there one. BIT there is
one great, impressive, all-pOweriul Idea 10
| which the nature of man-of all men-is re-
| sponsiyc and which when il fully possesses
| man. inspires him with lotticSt affections and
| makes him capable of highest achievements;
| that is the idea of God. the religious idea.
Man. without this sense of tod in him is not
man. is not his full self, is living on the lower
plane of instinct or prudence. and is incapable
of approaching the beauty and attractiycness
of pure goodness. But what is there that man
will not do for the Being that he loves SUI
premely: Will he not love what He loves, aud
hate what He hates, and strive 10 conform his
whole being 10 His: In this reNcrcntial love Of
man for God, in the attractivcnc>s of goodness
As seen in Him. in the lnathsOmcness OF vice A.
opposite and repugnant to MIN, the soul finds
sufficient motive 10 the tolls and hardshipS of
virtue. and in this alone. A. what would be
a hard task work il done for l.abaE become,
delightful for Rachel'- sake, 50 Il goodness
which refuses itself TO mere abstract morality,
runs delightedly in the way Of Gods command
ment>.
The other proposition. and the one which
demands present emphasis. i that emotional
pieIy does not so far guarantee high morality
10 lis posse>Sor THAT he can be absolyed from
tee duty of obeying the commandments of God
as commandments. II is true that the ideal
religious man. loving God with all his heart |
SOUL mind and strength. will not need the |
whip aid spur Of command 10 urge him on |
ward in the way Of holiness. lie will choose |
that way by SPIRITUAL instinct and run in il out |
of pure delight. II j. true also that the actual |
piety which does not stimulate 10 Righteousness |
Is open TO the charge Of being spurious. But |
let lis speak of men anu women - they are,
truly religious but imperierty 50. and carry |
ing with them the necessary accompaniment |
ed is that these men, let Us say that You and |
and the other Christians about Us who hope that |
we are religious truly AMI know that we are
very imperfcctly, cannot trust our morality 10
the guidance OF our religious feelings, but must
reinforce II by the positive prcceptS of Gods
law. IL we would enter into life. we must
keep the commandments. There are no darker
pages III the history of religion than those which
record the raNa"e> Of immortality over the |
lives of of those communities and cOngrcga- |
al " In howl
We're Christians by faith they were therefore 4
law unto themselves; and there no sadder |
personal tragedies than those which have be-
fallen good men who have put in the place Of
Gods commands a. the rule OF life, the ntui-
tional morality of the Christian consciousness
Why perpcually wrneing our hands
over the lapscs of good men: Why we call
ell on 10 read frequent and 80 startling ac-
counts of the corruption of men CONSPICUOUS
for piety that the world has come TO regard
pronounced piety almost a Il disqualification
for business trusts? We are rcaping the incv-
liable haryests of the sentimental piety which
our pulpit,. our platforms and our periodicals
have been sowing for 4 generation past. a pictv |
which cOnld mol nouri>h u pure morality;
which discarded the fear of God; which sub
stituted impulse for obedience and persuasion |
for command: which picked out of the Scrip |
lures verse oftcndcrnc>> here and an appeal
of love there. and kept back all the word, of
and rebuke and warning; which re- |
duced the Gospel, ~ has been said, from II full
organ of varlou, pipes and stops cap9ble OF
terror ~ well aS of sweetness, To a drawing |
aS of shepherds lovc->ick lutte or
II sentimentalist's .Eolcan harp. oh for
prophetic inspiration once again to rcbukc
these false prophets who prophesy smooth
things, when the times demand the toughest |
utterances! oh for one who should come in
the spirit and power OF John the Baptist and
say 10 these baptized multitudes Bring forth,
fruits meet Tor repentance.
To the great question of the hour how shall
mankind attain higher and purrr morality
his then, Is the answer: bv an increased en-
phasis upon the ethical part Of the Christian
life. 1t Is not an answer 10 say, by making q
religion identical with morality; that make, 4
egall>tS, fhari-cc>. men who 1.-THE their mint
md thank God that they are better than others, .
men who, like the elder brother in the parable,
never tran>grr>> commandment and are }
'old-hearted and chur>h. Neither is it an 7
answer 10 say, 10y making morality dcni zeal C
With religion; thai makes dcNotccs, piciist>, | @
men who are more >Oliritou- about their states |
II mimi than their conduct, men who Vehe- s
nently protest that they are ready To die for | T
he Lord but before the next rUck-crOwing | :,
ursc and swear and lie. II i true thai there | !.
: no vital morality but Christian morality: n
nj II Is also true that there i vital faith n
mt that which makes for righteousness. II II
on Will enter into life, there i something a
more To do than To run I" Christ and knccl il
own To Him and con>ccrutc yourself to him
lis servant. You must keep the command | -.
lents. DO YOU ask which: The Master All
wers, Thou shalt do no MURDER thou shalt "
ot commit adultery. thou shalt not steal, thou III
halt pot bear false witness. honor thy father n
nj thy mother. and thou shalt love thy neigh it
or as thy self" What, just the old words RI
yer again: This new teacher come directly
rom tod, he for whom our nation and man n,
ind have been waiting these thousands . OF "
ears, does he bring no new way Ia eternal :"
ir, only the old hard way of keeping the com a.
landments l. there not some cvangclic j
lethod, 10y laying on of hands, or lay spiritual pt
Notation, or ccStalic uplifting IT, upon some
lount oi TRANSPORTATION, some sacrr,lotal fo
Ilnlnuncailon or some inward exercise, by In
hlch one can gain eternal life in Thu new a.
Spcnsainn: We thought that surely now IT !"
0ud he no.lunecr necessary Ia climb tu spirit q.
al heights 10y the hard steep road of practical vi
,cdlrncc, but that on- might he carried
ithrr IN chariot of fire with horses of tire" lIr
his is the disappointed response not only of
r. Young mans heart. hut of the universal | IN
art OF man. This is the cry of the world to
r. church al all times. Give H. some >ubsti- u,
tie io whnlc-hcartcd personal obedience To W
y commandments. And II is the great sin of -.
- church that il has too often Nicllrd this VI
Institute. now in one form, NOW IN another, Al
one time by reducing religion I" either an
notlonal state, or an external Observance, at Jo
lothcr time by prumnlgating doctrines which FL
aciirally relieve mcn from responsibility
+ their own >nl, alton. The one great practi- 4.
error which more than all others has W
orn Christianity of ii- strength, and put OH po
hhN W lh' Noih I'ihlhlhlui. - Tue no NJ
N that the Gospel has brought. in some form tito
other, mitigationS Of The stern law Of UI
,hleousne>s. Divine cnruuragcncnis. most wa
acouS perslIasionS. impHrtatiun> of super ri,
turnl strength, all these come to us through -
, blessed Gospel of the grace of God, hut :"
angelic mtlgatiOn> Of righteousness, never. SCI
IL voice which sounded from Sinai is re- Ter
hood from Calvary. II is the mediator OF 4.
new covenant, 1t Is God speaking unto u~ adj
these last times by his Sou, who saws to Us, Po
+ We will enter into life. keep the Command Tin
nts.' ~,
Address 10 mn CLASS. VI
.nnu trinndS Of Lhr q rn,Lnntinn 1 LLss IL.