The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-20
REASONS REIGN.
it Extends Even to Re11gs
ion in the Pres ent Age.


sermon on this subject may seem unnec-
saying that q man should use reason and
common sense in religion as in every
thing else. II all people were OF this
opinion, l admit there would
be no occasion for the dis
course, but there are some who labor
under the delusion that in matters Of re-
ligion, reason Is to be set aside and Gre
dulfty is to take its place. To dissipate this
delusion will be the purpose of this hour.
Elm the first place the Scriptures give
not even the shadow OF a support to sucap
q ridiculous notion. On the contrary, as
you can readily see, tine Bible both recon-
mends and commands the use of these
high faculties with which the Creator
has endowed us. Isaiah represents
the Almighty as saying TO
together And well be might, for there
is no other possible way of approaching
GOD, or even of conceiving of him, save
through our reasoning faculties.
The word reason means all our intel
lectual powers in full and harmonious
operation, and it Is only by the exercise
of these that we can know God or enter
tain any religious ideas whatever. Rea-
son is what separates us from the brute
creation and allies us with God. 1t is
because we have reason and conscience
that we are cast in the divine image. In
In6S6 lOIIY DarJlCuldrS we HF6 ike tXOtk
and unlike all lower orders Of being.
The animal world below man has no idea
OF Deity, and you cannot teach religion
to dog or horse, because these inferior
creatures lack these Godlike faculties.
''Now, when man tells me must not
use my reason, that / must deliberately
throw away these God-given powers
which ally me with my Maker and
through which alone | can pass into q
consciousness of God and enjoy COM
munion with Him, all have TO say is.
You may degrade yourself to the brute
level my friend. if yon will, but you Ger
tainly cannot take me along with you-
You may cut off my hand or my foot
il you please but when it comes to cutting
off my head, emphatically object
AN INCONSISTENCY.
The fact is that these people who deny
the use of reason in religion do not real
ize sthe absurdity for their position. and
forget the essential dignity OF
nature In asking us to
fling aside our reason, they also ask us to
fling aside religion itself, for religion
without reason is simply an impossibility.
We might proceed farther, if there were
need, and show how these people who
argue against the use of reason in relig-
ion make use of the very thing they are
denouncing, in the process OF arguing.
10 argue means TO employ your reasoning
faculties. What right have these people
to use their faculties in discussing this
important religious question. whether
or no reason should be employed
insreligion? They are doing exactly what
they claim ought not to be done. Wna6
fragrant inconsistency. 1t appears then
that reason is the Indispensable condition,
the very foundation or religion. To do
away with it is to discard the very idea
OF God and upset the Church of Christ.
.EThe Bible always addresses N an rs 9
rational being and commands him to use
the exalted faculties which God has given
him. BE ready always to give an an
swer to every man that asketh you rea7
son of the hope that is in you Here is
the emphatic command and he who sets
himself up in antagonism to this most
precise and peremptory command is an ell
emy of Christianity and guilty OF BIAS
phemy.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES.
"The Christian religion in its purity
and when reduced to its lowest terms
stands upon a few fundamental and eter-
nal principles which are eminently
reasonable. No one need have the base,
less fear that free and untrammelled
use of our intellectual faculties will
destroy our faith and give us
nothing to stand on. This apprehen
sion arises from ignorance and is
not entertained by thoughtful
Christian men. The elements Of our ex-
alted faith are upheld by and synony-
nous with the great postulates OF reason.
Reason may pare off superstitions, dis
courage speculationS and represS fanAti
cism and bigotrv, but it can never under-
mine the truth. Whatever Is contrary to
lacks sufficiency of evidence will
be marked 'unproven.' and yet
recognized as belonging to the domain OF
! the probable. Some questions will be re-
| garded as open questions and others Will
| be looked upon as settled forever and be-
Il
| fact have not the time to particularize
| and cast all the various opinions of theo-
| logians into these different categories
| after having been inspected and crit
| icized by human reason. but can
| give an example under each head
| SO as to exhibit the method
| "Under what is contrary to reason for
| example, would cite the medieval doc.
| trine OF the Trinity, which maintained u
| contradiction IN terms, namely that three
| were one and one was three. We beleVa
| in the Trinity today, but it is reasons
| able belief, belief in God manifesting
himself to the world historically through
Christ and effectualIy by the agency or
! the Holy Spirit.
| I'VE discard the nonsensical specuia-
| tions on this subject which prevailed in.
an illogical and unsclentitic age, because
| we cannot believe what our reason de-
! clares upon its face to be an lmposs1bll-
Ion the other hand would have you
notice that it is reasonable to believe in
| such things as are not absolutely and
mathematically proven, but in whose
| favor there is a preDonderance of evi-
| dence. The majority of human beliefs
| are Of this character. in religion and
| everything else. Every subject has
two sides. If we are impartial
Judges, as we ought to be, we
listen to both sides patiently, balance the
/ n
cording to which side has the greater
weight. We IRE doing this constantly in
the varied walks OF life, aud we do the
same in religion il we carry the same de-
| gree of common sense into 1t that we put
into our business, our amusements and
our social life.
''rake the subject Of Immortality for
example We believe in it, AMI our be-
/ lief is reasonable but we have no abso-
| lutte proof of it. Our friends do not come
back to us after death, and none of us
have left the body and visited them. Rea-
son declares the superlatlve beauty OF
Christ's life and character, and recon-
mends the same as the best means OF
/ personal salvation and the regeneration Ct
society, 1t stands with uncovered head
before the matchless teaching of Christ
/ who made love the corner stone OF relig-
ion, and proved the sincerity of his love
| by the willing surrender of his life, To
| follow Christ is highest reason. and here
methinks I'll stop. l leave you at the
foot of the cross, beholding him who died
thereon, that you might truly live. lass
! won NOT to DrOStrate Your reason before