Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-06-27

Newton and kcpler; that even to conceive
of God as breaking his own laws or suffer-
ing them to be broken is to charge Him
with error as crentor and incompetency as
ruler of the Universe. Not till we have
got this principle of the universal reign OF
law established are we prepared to under
stand that there is mundane realm
with its laws and forces, SO there is a super
mundane realm with other laws and forces
and that the two realms are close together,
and more or less mingled with each other;
that man belongs to both realms, that both
natural and supernatural forces WORK on
him and in him; that he is in lower sense
a supernatural agent as God and good an
gels are in a higher sense; that just as the
natural force of gravity working upon a
falling child is not violated, not even
arrested, but counteracted by the natural
forces in the mother arm, coming from
her supernatural will. Mt the behest of
love which is also supernatural, so in ways
more or less transcending our present
knowledge, but in conformity with some
higher nature to which we may sometime
attain, supernatural forces may intervene
in our human life. using the laws of nature
for great ends which Justify the interven-
ton. Get the age to admit the miraculous
in Jesus Christ 1hd the whole point is gain
ed. A distinguished prelate has said that
I'VE must not Aist with passionate certi-
tude on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "
No, but with calm logical assurance, we
will insist; and in that spirit, and to that
conclusion, will we do what we may to
pilot this much tossed and bewildered spirit
of the age. For ii mankind was stupefled
by the glut of supernaturalism, it will be
demoralized, disillusoned, brutalized, by
the loss of it. Take out of human life all
sense of contact with the divine, and you
rob life of all its higher motives, and it in
evitably becomes sordid and shabby and
sterile. If the light of this world were only
its own candles, even its own electric lights,
if there were no celestial lights shining upon
it 10y day and 10y night, its darkness would
but foebly typify the intellectual and spirit
ual darkness OF humanity without super
natural light.
1t is only an application of the foregoing
to say that there is "a drift in the standard
of personal character. When religion has
become established and secure and no long
er calls for sacrifice and suffering, then the
religious feeling Is apt to cool down and
give place to philosophic calm and conYen-
tional decorum We have reached this
stage in the progress o. Christianity. There
are no great truths now under debate
Christianity eau hardly be said to be mil
liant religion. 1t has no crusades, suffers
no prosecutions, has no martyrs. Like a
middle-aged man of business who has at
tanned prosperity, and has only to keep on
III well-marked career, Christianity in
our day has lost the stimulus of danger,
and the fascination of possible heroisms.
And what is the kind of personal character
to which all the instructions and influences
of the church naturally tend With what
character is the church apparently satisfied
| fear we must say sober, correct. blame
less, conventionaiism, without spontaneity
or spiritual imagination or great will pow
er. What right have | to say this Be
cause when a man like General Gordon ap-
pears upon the scene, man of prophetic
energy and apostolic enthusiasm, the ques
tion respecting him mainly is whether he is
quite sane: because when n band of young
men full of evangelc ardor set out on a
mission to Africa, without first getting
leave from some board or council. the relig-
ious journals comment with cold disapprov-
al. We seem to be afraid of men OF orig-
nal power-afraid that they will disturb
our philosophic calm, and possibly make a
havoc of our settled theologies We would
like to have it always afternoon. Shall we
admit that Christianity has exhausted its
enthusiasm; That it has now no power to
stir the blood, to inspire young men to hero
ism aud sacrifice Shall we agree that re .
lgion is hencetorth to be colorless thing
a mere code of technical orthodoxy and
private decorum? God forbid Did not
Christ say that he came in order that men
might have life and might have ii more
abundantly? If more life and faith is
what we want, is not that source of life
inexhaustble ? The letter killeth the spirit
giveth life. Abstract propositions may
instruct, they cannot inspire. Not Chris
tlan doctrine, but Christ Himself is the
way, the truth, and the life. Already by
that divine instinct which reveals the pres
ence of the Spirit in the church, Christian
| thought is more aud more concentrating
upon the person and life of the Saviour
| Day by day He is more and more coming
out of the formulas which have been built
up around Him and which have obscured
Him from our eyes, and is standing out
before us, a real, human, divine person,
full of grace and truth, full of power going
forth from Him to vitalHe and energize
every one who will receive Him. II our
boat is tossed with storm and drifting hith-
er and thither we know not where, lie is
walking on the water. Let us beckon to
Him to come into the ship and we are safe.
Members of the graduating class--If il
seems fiattory to imply, as have done,
that the course of thought in the coming
| genei alton is to be influenced In any way
! by you, yet let it be remembered that those
whom the college presidents of the United
! States are this day addressing, will most
| certainly. have to do with the future course
of thought, and that it is of some conse
quence to others than yourselves what you
and others like you, think and believe. Tht
men of action in the great world as they
call it, do not give us much credit for wha
we do in the interest of mankind III our lit
tie world, as they call it, of book
and study. But in reality th'
great powers in human society are the ideas
right and wrong, which control events
and mould character, and shape institutions
just as there is quietly stored away in
single ton of coal power enough To move
planet out of its orbit, so there is poten
TALLY in one brain, in one lectureroom, il
one philosophy, power, beneilcent or ma
lign, to shape the course of whole hu
man generation for good or evil. Tn
children of this world may laugh, and tn
politicians may sneer, but it is nevertheless
true that it is of loss consequence to tn