Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-10-05

should receive no encouragement from those
who have the welfare of the church at heart.
LIP SERVICE AND HEART SERVICE.
This people draweth nigh unto me with their
mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but
their heart is far from me-MArTHEw xv:8.
With majority of protesting Christians
religion is sentiment, not a conviction.
They have been taught to believe that in ev-
cry human heart there is Unborn longing
after the infinite, belief in Immortality, a
desire to worship some being about which no
one knows anything; and therefore, to dem =
onstrate that they are no exceptions to the
rule they embrace the most convenient form
of Christianity that happens to be lying
around loose. All they know, or seem to
know, about it is that it has been accepted by
some one in the past as the true religion,
and will serve to appease the craving afore-
said. They never reason. They take it for
granted that they need what is called relig-
ion, and SO they adopt Christianity as their
faith simply for the reason that there is no
other religion extant hereabouts. They do
not stop to inquire whether the plan of sal
walton laid down in the scriptures is plan
that can be reconciled to reason or not. 1t
simply serves to supply what they have been
taught to believe is an Unborn aspiration. If
they were in Turkey or Arabia they would as
readily espouse the Mohammedan faith, or if
they were in China they would be found
among the followers of Buddha.
When such blind unreasoning induces
men and women to attach themselves to
the Christian church, is it any wonder that
they honor the master with their lips, while
their heart is far from him? We will not
argue the question Of whether the religious
sentiment is natural to man in every con-
dition of life. The assertion has been made,
over and over again, by theologians for
centuries, and though there are abundant
facts that might be adduced to disprove it,
it is, perhaps, better for the world that the
superstition should remain unchallenged.
Yet the acceptance of this theory in its en-
tirety is productive of much harm. Men ar
que in this wise: lit was the intention of my
creation that should be religious. At least,
so have been taught, and I begin to feel
that it is so. will fulfill my destiny, yet
the whole business is mystery to me.
prefer not to bother myself about it, but will
accept it on faith as did my father before
me-" It would be wonderful indeed if a
human being could do otherwise than be-
]ieve that his destiny was to be religious,
after having the fact constantly before him
from the first dawn of his childish intelli-
gence through long succession of years.
It would, indeed, be marvellous if he should
grow up without deep seated conviction
that man is religious animal by nature, for
the distinction between natural inclination
and the bent of education is not clearly de-
fined.
So it happens that many thousands of
people join the church without any we'll de-
fined theory of religion, and without the
faintest conception of the duties assumed
when they profess Christianity. The preacher
tells them that religious sentiment is uni
versal, and they believe it. He tells them
they must accept the doctrines taught from
the pulpit unquestioningly, for to doubt is
to be damned. If he attempts to reconcile
those doctrines, many of them repulsive to
his better nature, with reason, he is told
that he is on the edge of the abyss of ration
alism, and rationalism is the bette NOR Of
the pulpit. To be rationalist-or what is
the same thing, rational-in religion COM
prises the greatest crime against the church.
TO exercise the noblest function God has
implanted in the human breast, with the pur-
pose of correctly Interpreting his will, is
an objectionable offense, subjecting one
first to suspicion, then to remonstrance, and
finally to denunciation and excommuni-
cation from fellowship. If one sees any
error in the imperfect translation of the
scriptures from the original tongues now
in use, he is reminded of the anathema
contained in the last chapter of the book
of Revelations "And if any man
shall take any from the words of the book
Of this prophecy, God shall take away his
part out of the book of life''
More reason and less faith is wanted in
the church. Men must be convinced of the
truths of ChristianitY-must feel in their
hearts the magnificent, divine plan of the
atonement-must know that their Redeemer
llveth, and be able to justify and defend the
faith that is in them. One man who is con
vinced by reason of the verify of religion is
worth score who simply accept on faith
what is spoken from the pulpit. He will be
no lip-server, but an earnest, diligent worker
in the cause. His heart will be thoroughly
enlisted in what his reason convinces him is
for his own best good and for the good OF
his fellow men. But those who do not ap-
preciate the importance of religion-who
take it, as it were, warmed over-will always
be numbered among those who honor God
with their lips while their hearts are fal
from him. A religion that cannot stand the
light of reason does not deserve to stand al
all, but we do not esteem the Christian re-
Iigion as such an one. We only deplore the
efforts of some of its advocates to lower it to
the level of a superstition that would be dis.
sipated by close, logical analysis as readily as
mist disappears before the rays of the
morning sun. To doubt the common &C.
ceptation of any given doctrine does not nee
essariIy imply disbelief in the essential
features of Christianity, but to so reason
from logical premises as to frame a consis-
tent and complete whole out of the fragmen-
tary material at hand is to confer lasting
blessing upon humanity and to strengthen
immeasurably the cause of true religion.