St. Paul daily globe., 1893-02-27
IS CHRISTIANITY PASsE
Rev. William Wilkinson Dis
cusses the Question.

cusSes the Question.
Yesterday morning in st. Andre W'S
church Rev. William Wilkinson said in
his sermon:
There has been going on in London a
discussion which has been taken up by
the NewYork Cburchman, on the SUBJ
ject, SIS Christianity Played Out?' A
large number OF ideas have been placed
before the public, and the impression
appears general that many things which
have been set forth in the name of the
Christian faith will no longer be held by
many earnest, intelligent men.
The trouble Is not with the religious
system which bears the name of Christ,
but with the foolish, weak, fantastic,
varied, and even ridiculous views, which
men have taken of Scripture teaching,
and tried to impose upon the heads and
hearts of their fellows. Where it is
seriously considered, how the faith has
been caricatured and~c d~circumscribed;
how private opinion has been made to
do duty for large. broad Catholic teach
ing; and when we know how modes of
worship have been insisted upon, rather
than it's essentials, is it great wonder
that men have mistaken the sham for
the real, and, seeing its folly and know
ing the yokeS 1t would impose, have
with disdain; cast it away as thing of
naught, if not one of most perniciouS
import. That which was designed to be
for mans universal good. to make him
glad with calm and serene gladness,
which was to be in very deed to him
supreme blessing. has appeared
root out of the dry ground, not because
it was not calculated to be and do all he
could ask, but because of those who, in
their noisy advocacy. could not under
stand the true glory of Its mission, or
in their own lives set forth the beauty
of its helpful lessons. No system which
pretended to be for the uplifting of our
race, or any part of it, ever so suffered
in the hands of its pretended friends.
Shall we then say that Christianity is
failure? that it is played out? Nay,
verify, for that would be to assent TO a
proposition which by any process Of
logic known would land us in absurd
conditions. Because things have been
taught In the name OF Nature
which she repudiates, is there.
therefore. no natural philosophy?
Because things have been taught
in the name of science which
are false and mischievous, is there
therefore no scientific truth. In the
discussion of a subject like this it is not
enough for an ObjectOr to Christianity
to say, "Yes. but the purpose of the Cos
pei is to make all men glad and blessed;
yet we know all men are not blessed. all
men are not happy" Granted. This is
most undoubtedly true. But the infer
10 nf t,ctn ,lNan co h0t
therefore. the Christian philosophy is
failure. 1t has been correctly said that
one of the purposes Of water is to keep
men clean; yet we know that some men
are dirty. 1t is not because the fault is
in soap and water, but in their not being
applied. Because coldneSS exists, heat
is not played out. Because there is
darkness in the world, light is not played
out. So because sin is III the world, sal
vation is not obsolete. Rather the pres
ence of the one proves the need of the
other.
ut will be we'll to think clearly and
simply what Christianity is, as set forth
in the words Of its founder, Jesus Christ.
1t is love to God and love to man, just
two manifestations of one of the pro-
toundeSt principles of which we have
any knowledge, and one of the most
powerful, for love often rules the court
the camp. the grove, and men below and
saints above. There are no known facts to
show that the mighty power OF love is
growing less. We are, happily, living
in an age of rapid progress. The world
has outgrown many things. 1t is quick
ly leaving behind many more. In sure
faith, we may say in mental and in all
spiritual things, the fttest will live on
in the eternal future, Ii this be so, the
true religion Of Christ will abide. be-
cause in pardon man can start right In
holiness he can go on right; in love he
can be most useful to all whom he has
opportunity to help.