Arizona republican., 1890-06-23
SABBATH SERVICES. Yesterdays Gatherings at the Various Churches. Dr. RickersOn's Sermon at
 the Baptist Church. Faith Against Realism, and Piety as COntrasted With Infdelity-
 The Apostates' Creed.

The Methodist church pulpit was yes- terday filled in the morning by Rev. George S. Rene of Boston. Rev. George II. Adams assisted.
 Regular services were held at the Methodist church (South).
 At Trinity Episcopal church Rev. R. w. Pearson delivered sermon at II q. m. In the evening he delivered lec- ture upon Gambling: the Louisiana Lottery"
 Rev. F. D. Rickerson, at the First Baptist church, in the morning gave the first of his series of lectures on Modern Infdelity," of which we ap- pend digest. It was entitled:
 COUTURE OR CHRIST"
 First of a series of lectures on some of the types of "Modern Infdelity"; with some studies of its causes, and some suggestions as to remedies.
 Text: ? Timothy 43, 1. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doc trines but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers; having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
 Gods ultimatum is this: He demands unqualified faith in his Word, not in any human creed or interpretation, but in his Word-the only perfect revelation of his character and will, the incarna- ton of himself in language, the only standard of moral excellence, the revela- ton of the only way of eternal life. God thunders from the mountain of fire the Ten Commandments-the summary of moral obligation. He explains, urges, entreats; but alters no word, modities no shade of meaning, makes no com promise, provides for no possibility of unbelief. Thus saith Jehovah: l Am that I Am." In the fullness of time God sends his Son-the manifestation of his character and purposes, the living gospel of redemption-and says to the world: "This is my beloved Son-hear ye him." 'He that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." Here the issue between God and man is joined.
 Here is the bond of union the com mon point of attack for all these various, and often warning, systems of unbelief. They refuse to accept the bible as the authoritative word of God, and they deny the declaration that eternal life is possible only through faith in Jesus as the Son of God. The infdelity with which we most often come in contact declares that God reveals himself more fully in the nature of man than in book. According to this theory am, in measure di- vine-a son of God, as Jesus was Son of God, and so in harmohy with God. need only to study the best models, to educate my higher faculties, to bring me into complete accord with the divine. Hence my moral munitions are reliable. As I come to the bible something of God and truth in it touches me, harmonizes with my inner sense of right; this I accept, and it becomes a part of my received body of truth, a factor in my higher life; another some thing is repellant, is not in accord with the the godlike within me--this reject add to my store of truth from Plato, Confucius, Zoroaster or Jesus, as the case may be. It is the modern religion of "culture"-more dangerous than any and all other types of infdelity. It ignores Gods way of life; it repudiates Gods estimate of sin; it manufactures plan of redemption without crucifed and divine Christ.
 1. To give us some idea of the prev alence of infidelity, glance first at its outcroppings in science. In practical achievements this is a marvellous cen. tury. Science has been foremost in the race. Perhaps it is no marvel that science has grown bold, opinionated reckless. As an illustration of this give you what is called
 1.-THE APosTATE's CREED."
 I believe in chaotic nebula self existent, evolyer of heaven and earth.
 And in the differentiation of the ori. ginal homogeneous mass; it's first be. gotten product which was self-formed into land and water, self-organized into plants and animals, reproduced in like species, further developed into higher orders and ultimately refined, ration alized and perfected in man; he de scended from the monkey, ascended tt the philosopher, and sitteth down il the rights and customs of civilization under the laws of developing sociology from thence he shall come again by thu disintegration of the heterogenize, cosmos back into the original homogen eousness of the chaos.
 1 believe in the wholly impersona absolute; the wholly uncatholic church the disuniOn of the saints, the surviva of the fittest, the persistence of force the dispersion of the body, and in deatf everlasting.