The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-06-30
REV. HoRATIo sTEBBINs.
Text Of His Discourse at the Unitarian
Church.

Text OF His Discourse at the Unitarian
Church.
Rev. Horatio Stebbins. of San Francisco,
preached at the Unitarian church. Seventh
and Union streets, yesterday morning TO
crowded house. His sermon was closely
listened to and much appreciated. He
took for his text:
Matthew v:4s--Be We therefore perfect
even as your Father in Heaven is perfect"
.''No greater honor. respect or encourage
ment could be given to human nature than
this" he said. 1T assumes something in
US that is in the likeness of tod.
The great, broad fact is that all fine
character is founded i'm great and noble
aims. II man would be noble he must
aim at something noble. and so we Judge
rightly at mans character by what he is
driving at, Whatever he is striving at
coIors his mind and his nature is subdued
to what it works in, like the dyer's hand
the low and grovelling aim. the low and
grovelIing character; the noble and pure
aim. the noble and pure characteristic
plane.
1.-The great character can be only by TAX
ing Gods example and object. Ii YOU
would have the best things of human
nature in you. you must have faith in God,
Just as really and firmly as we would have
money We must have faith III money. In
short, If you would be noble human be-
ing, YOU must have faith in the noblest OBJ
iect.
Il know, and admit cheerfully, that
there is, now and then, good man with
no such faith. He lives honestly and up
rightly and thinks that when he dies he
expires into darkness / admit such good
ness. 1t attracts my attention rather as a
freak of moral nature. do not initiate it.
The man himself does not commend it to
me. | can only say that if we're in his
place should not do as be does.
His way OF thinking evil put the world
out OF joint with ME. But his case is
rare the best, the greatest, the loveliest;
have not been those who thought The
world was kept sweet ard pure by being
put ON ice, but who felt that the fresh vital
air of an eternal good will was flowing
through it, inspiring, helping and comfort
ing men.
'.All human experience confirms the
words of Jesus that there is nothing so
morally helpful as faith In God. 1t i'm
plies that all things are made to work to-
gether for good under the guidance and
control of an intelligent and benefcent
WILL 1t is not a matter of commercial val
ues. nor of rewards and punishments. 1t
squite unworthy to regard the working
out OF salvation as mere business trans
action, by which comfortable conditions
are to be secured by and by. 1t is the
simple, moral fact that the highest good of
every moral being is to be in harmony
with the eternal will. II there is spirit
uaI world. and am spiritual being, it
matters little what becomes of what we
call the material world. The earth may
decay or float down stream, singing like a
dying swan.
1T will have at least been subservient to
great rational and moral ends, for the edu-
cation of beings capable of an eternal in
lensifying life.
But that is not all. Belief is not faith.
Ii your religion consists in believing in God
the devil is just as religious IS you are. A
man may believe in the ten command
ments and break them ALL An ignorant
man will believe anything he is told to be-
lieve. if he is told that believing will save
him. Belief is OF the head and it is good
there; faith is of the heart and is of the
nature of trust.
There are human creatures in whom
We had perfect faith. There are such now.
Our hearts beat in unity with theirs. To
have faith in God is to have ones heart
beating in sympathetic unison with God s
heart. That such as this is possible with
men is fact OF human experience. 1t has
been attested by thousands and tens OF
thousands of human beings and among
them some of the best and the wisest of
the human race.
THE profession of beliefs of many sorts
and of many things is entirely consistent
with an air of vanity and responsibility
that has no more TO do with faith than
arithmetic has to do with poetry. Heart
and conscience and imagination supple
ment belief with moral clothings of truth
and love and we trust God and he trusts
us. That is faith and TO have such an a i'm
is TO be perfect even as He is perfect"