The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-11-16

on the natural plane. You remember
that when the Lord restored the discour.
aged prophet he began with him on the
material plane. He found him wailing
there under the juniper tree, the heroic
soul starved out Of him. He spoke no
word OF repTOaCh. He ssid nothing 10
him aboutthe heavenlies; he Just fed him.
Il was not necessary for the prophet to
sing or pray. II was enough for the pres
ent, the whole duty Of the man to eat,
simply eat. BY and by he came to the
mountain top and the open heaven. So
this Association begins on the natural
plane, with. attractive rooms, baths, gym.
nasia, appliances for physical comfort,
recreations. Yes, recTeations. You re-
member that Jesus was present at the
wedding feast, and looked his benedlction
upon the innocent festivities. The Son Of
Man came not to condemn but to save,
not TO cuIs9 but to heal. He came to
take the sting Of ain ont OF human suffer
ing, It's bitter gaal out OF LIES cup, NB
shadow from the soul.
The Association would meet mental
hunger and burning inquiry, not with
negative restrictions, but with positive
light. When some were clamoring fOrthe
suppression OF Strauss Life Of Jesus, Ne.
ander protested that tuch azure was worse
than the disease. He held justly that
truth ia more than equal to error In fair
field and in full light. The antidote to
darkness is ever light Truth Is the sure
cure Of doubt. The wise master never
drives but leads his disciples.
The Association meets the young man
on the plane OF social iutl Hence. Who
can measure or weigh the influence of a
touch? There is life, character, heaven oil
hell in touch. The question Of Jesut
becomes significant one for uE all, "Whc
touched meY" It's answer determines
largely what we are. Socrates touched
Plato, Plato touched Aristotle. Shakes
peare touched Goethe, Walter Scott touch
ed Washington Irving. And so as social
thinking moral beings we have all beer
touched largely into what We are by those
above US and ab3us US.
THE TOUCH FROM on HIGH.
Thank God for the touch OF holy pa
rentage and Christian homes. Is your
touch healing or polluting2 This AsSocis
ton aims to LEI the young man feel the
purifying touch OF christianity in all the
range OF his being. 1t is in fact one Of the
borders Of that seamless robe whose touch
is healing. But the Association has an
ultimate purpose beyond all these. Have
you ever penetrated the high philosophy
OF John, "Whosoever abideth 10 him Gin.
meth notb" Why? Because he has not the
natural power to sin? No, but because oil
the higher association, tho stronger at.
traction. the fuller life in him, becluse Of
the expulsive power Of new atfec ion, tc
use fne iold phrass OF Chalmers. Paul
teaches the isterous Galatians a new
way to fight the old and everlasting hu
manlbattle when he writes 10 them, "WalE
in the spirit and ye will not fulfill the
lusts OF the tlesh.' You will conquer the
evil within not in negative way by mar
shalling all your strengthaIIinst il, ut ia
q positive way, by rising above il
into higher, purer, fuller life. There Il
an easy victory from that high vantage
ground. The Association, then, is Chris
tian in its aim and works toward trans
formation OF character. 1t co-operatet
with the judge, the sheriff and the school
master against the sloon and the gilded
palace OF iniquity, but in a positive way
by supplying something uoblsr and hettel
in their place. 1t aims at self mastery
spiritual regeneration, Christian conquest
Here, then, We have tle Gecond GiNrm
stiye-ChristlRn conquest.
Again, this Association aft rms with EN-
phasis the bles5edness OF Christian unity
Denominationaism is no. an evil. There
is measure OF truth ia Hegel'9 thought
Development in human life, thought anC
history has been through snti.hesis to 6
higher kynthesis. Truth, to be Understood
needs TO bs broken up ike ray OF sunlight
by the prism. Its various phases muGt bt
developed along special lines, its distinct
i've features accented by isolation, and
these apparent opposites must be mediated
again into harmony before its unity and
simplicity appear. In the unity Of oul
modern life, for instance, We can disLin'
guish various elements and trace the
source OF each. Arts and letters from
Greece; law from Rome; family life from
the Germans, and liberty from the Anglo
SaxoDs. ThuB it ia aiBo in tho history Of
the church. God called Abraham from
Ur OF the Chaldees, that in his separation
he might accent Monotheism to the world.
Again, he called Martin Of Wiltenberg,
that he might accent the priesthoal Of he.
levers to the world, teaching men to look
from the altar to the crosa. Again, he
called Johu OF Geneva, to accent Divine
Sovereignty to the world, directing the
eyes OF men from King and Pope to the
Lord God Omnipotent. Again, he called
John OF Oxford, to accent the full assgT-
auce OF salvation to the world and 80
We might point out the accented truth OF
each great UNCONVENTIONAL movement.
Rome was substantial service to civiliza
ton in tho earlier and middle sgea, as
Guizot and Hallam show, preserving the
oracles Of trqth and stapdinglike Holland
dyke against tho waves OF northern inva-
sion. The great generalization OF Guizot is
familiar and true, that ancient civiliEa-
tons were weak and in measure failed
because they were dominated by ono prin.
ciple, while modern civilizations endure
because there is ia them balance OF
forces, a mediation OF opposites, It is in
religion as in political lifS, the balance Of
forces, the mediation Of oppostep, is OF
service there, too. Greene points out the
advantage OF tue failure Of the Comp,e.
heHaion bill in 1894 and shows tho bene-
iCial influence Of ;nonconiormity on the
religious aid civil life Of England.
BEdHr AFFlRNATIoSs.
1tIa profound saying OF Leibnlta, often
appearing in the writings Of Others, that
men arc commonly right in what they af-
firm, often wrong in what they deny. The
systems which denominations have articu-
lated from their accented truths have not
been perfect. Time modiae0 these,
but the accented truths remain.
Judaism Ia not what 1t was, but
the monothesis ofAbraham is fundamental
Of the worlds faith. Luther did scant
justice to James and good works and was
q little logged on the sacrament, but tile
prie3thood Of believers 10 as precious as