The Red Cloud chief., 1885-07-10

say. 'rs . very cheerful and comfon-
ing thing to haye-a pleasant dream
which helps the dreamer over mary
! hard places in life. and 10 . solaee in
death" They nevertheless regard i,
as . delu~ion. and those who have fall
en- into il as the victims Of . sort Of
, IN ii lupacy. TO be treated with q
friendly pity and liberation. such ~ We
extend to weak-minded lobbyists and
monomaniae>-
II Is worth while to inquire who are
the more consistent and rstonal-thosc
who acknowledge the utility and rel;a-
b:lity Of faith. or those who profess la
accept nothing on its testimony. aud
claim To be agnostics. know-nothings
concerning everything that does not
come within the range of s.Ese-perccp-
ton and logical demonstration. In the
first place. this profession. Il il were
universally reduced TO practice. would
result in the destruction Of all faith. b.
lief and believing. aud make the words
themselves useless The man who SAYS
he believes only what he knows anil
under tand. is guilty of a soicc.sm-
knowledge excludes faith: and If We
ar to accept nothing but what We
know 10 bc true. there would be no
need Of faith.
In poi=t Of fact, however. this pro-
fcs>ed distrust of faith i never coined
into practice. The agnos;ic who says
he does rot believe awning that j.
mysterious. incomprehcnsiblc. or I'M
k.own 10 him. is either deceived or try
M to.deceiye. He believes a multi
tuIe II triths which he can not prove
or comprehend. He l. A. dependent
upon fl IN a. he is Upon reason. lie
can not advance n single step without
faith. The primary irt tbs and tirsi
principles which science aud philosophy
assume as the bases of their research
are matters Of faith. What i the
chaotic dust with which evolution starts
but n postulate of faith? Indeed. The
whole system Is as yet more a matter of
faith. OF creduli.y. tlan of demonstra-
ton. In practical affairs. men are
forced TO believe what they do not
understand. and To act upon IN IN alone
III tie most Important concerns OF life.
There are mysteries IN nature. in every
blade o! grass. in the smallest insect in
the body and in the sou II man. n
great - those in religion; and il is
neither consistent nor rational TO he
lieve the former and refuse To believe
the latter. Mystery is no bar to faith;
II Is N The realm of mystery that faith
is needed. Faith stops only AT The
manifestly irrational and impossible. a
doctrine or fact Of revelation may he
mysterious and incomprehensible Ia
human reason. and Vet not BE- irrational
or impossible.
1t is the office of Christian faith 20
convince men OF truths that are above
human reason. The ground of this
faith is the testimony of Gods word.
and the conviction it produces may be
Just as reliable and rational as that
produced by demonstration. We NAV
be rs firmly convinced on the testimony
IF Instructors and textbooks of u fact
Of science or mathematics before "a
after We have demonstrated IT, The
only question is A. To the validity IL
the testimony. The Bible is self-evi-
dcncing and sufficient authority for all
the truths ii reveals. and the conviction !
produced by faith in lis testimony is as
satisfactory a. that resulting from
logical proof or sensible evidence. II
there be any odds. it is in favor OF
Scripture testimony; for human reason
is fa!liblc. and he evidence of the
senses is sometimes de eptive.
Moreover. faith IN Christianity leads
T. an experience Of its trut a. All the
doctr mes demonstrated by Christian cx-
per ence were at first only objects Of
faith. justification. regeneration. adop-
ton and the other be- etiis of the atone
ment offered IT, the faith oi believers are
all vcriiications Of that faith. Thus
''thingS hoped for and not seen" but
to be true on the authority Of
wori. become things known. real
lied. possessed. and the ASSURANCE Of
faith is crowned By the assurance IF ex-
p%erience and consciousness. and. So. al
IL. He who walks by faith is
q mere enthusiastic dreamer Of a
pleasant dream. or one who hopes and
believes in vain. but the rich AM happy
possessOr Of the precious heritage of
faith. Ills belief in Christisn't1 rests
upon experiences Il its comforting. sav-
&c power. which are a part of his every
day lie. and are 10 him the highes. dem
of tie truth of that which he
bclieycs.-N. IS. Christian .idr0cate.