Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-13

| questions that are therein suggested. But
no one ought, then, to keep the command
ments unless he is able to answer the meta
physical questions that are suggested by the
This, however, comes out more plainly
when we leave our inquiry about theology
and ask the other question, what Is faith?
told. If see an event happen. 1 know that
that event has happened. That is kDowl-
edge. If am told by somebody in whom
have confidence chat an event has hap
pened am as sure Of it as if had seen it
with my own eyes: but my certainty is not
knowledge, " is faith.
Faith Depends on Authority.
Faith, then, has regard both to propo-
sltion and to a person. 1t may be thought
of IN both ways, as the accepting of the
truth of q statement, and as the putting OF
faith in a person. These two elements enter
into faith. Faith, then, depends upon au-
thority. Authority is one of the essential
factors of human thought. We cannot get
along without it. Authority Is no more to
be decried than metaphysics. Like theology
it is both right, and valuable, and necessary
SO long as it keeps its place. Authority gets
distinctly out OF it's place when it speaks in
imperatives when one says to another "you
must not think, you must let me do your
thinking for you" To such a demand no
rational being has any right to yield; no. not
for one hour. That means intellectual
slavery,
Authority, however, is in its proper place
when instead of commanding, it bears wit
ity' would be "tesGimony." Authority in
its right meaning signifies the witness, the
Judgment. the verdict, the decision OF one
whom we consider to be competent to
decide. In this sense of it, we are all the
time letting other people do our thinking
for us.
Original Investigation Is Too Slow.
We have great reason to be profoundly
grateful that we are SO made that by this
hand OF faith we can reach out and accept,
and make our own, what others give us.
Otherwise, the world would be full of grown
up babies. Each person would have to dis
cover all knowledge for himself As it is,
we all help each other. All the generations
the discovefers, all the explorers, all the in
ventors, all the deep reasOners, help US to do
our thinking. No man lives, though he be
the most independent of all free thinkers,
who does all his own thinking.
This which is true in the domain of physi-
cal science is also true in the domain OF
theological science. We depend upon the
masters. We have not the time nor the
ability to reason out these great scientific
problems, whether physical or meta-
physical. We must accept the conclusions
power. And we do that. man works in a
mill, going upon great principles which he
takes for granted, which somebody else has
worked out. He does not feel that he must
begin by verifying those laws Tor himself.
He does not wait till he understands those
hard matters. And another man of equal
good sense, accepts the great elements OF
theological truth which are set down in the
creed in the same way.
Acceptance OF the Creed.
ri,. on.ad :. SI,a ,ard;ot of a.. tz,l-
of spiritual masters upon the truths OF re-
ligion. Let man, If he can, work it all out
for himself. Let him test each article by all
the tests he knows. The Christian Church
welcomes all such testing. But let no man
blame another who, not being of u theolog-
ical bent of mind, is content to accept what
the church teaches. This person is satisfied
that the church Is wiser than he is. He is
glad to have set down in this brief form of
words the simple statement of the truths in
which the great company of the Christian
saints and scholars have from the first
agreed.
He looks back and notes that uuestioners
have tested this old creed with every acid
known to theological chemistry. and that
the creed has endured. He makes up his
mind that the tests of the present day Ques-
tioners are likely to result in the same
surance OF the validity of these ancient
truths. And Ee asks no questions he puz-
zles himself with no problems, he vexes
himself with no doubts. He accepts the
Christian creed as he accepts the law of
gravitation, worrying as little about the
theological difficulties of the one as about
the mathematical complications of the
other. It seems to me that such a decision
and acceptance is sign of most excellent
good sense.
Faith Of q Little Child.
But faith is even simpler and easier than
the acceptance of proposition, it is the
putting of our trust in q person. Faith, ae-
cordingly, is level to the attainment even
OF little child. Christian faith is Iaith in
Christ. The Christian looks into Chrfst's
face, like the man in the text, saying: Lord,
1 believe. And like the man he may not
have an answer to any of your questions
Yet he believes in Christ. Can he believe in
Christ without knowing how the divine and
human meet in him? Cannot child believe in
his father without knowing how body and
soul. the spiritual and the physical, meet in
him?
That is what faith is at its best. 1t is that
loving, personal, abiding confidence. No
question in the world can touch it. No
puzzle can perplex it. 1t eludes definition.
1t does not lend itself to the systematic
logic of the theologian. 1t is a matter of
personal experience. You may prove to the
Christian that even the Christian creed is
full of error - 1t makes no difference. How
that may be he knows not-one thing he
knows. He knows Christ. and Christ has
helped him, and he loves Christ. Jesus
Christ is the beginning, and the middle and
the end, and the whole of the Christian
faith. GEORGE HODGES.