The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-07-10
x1h|sct of The Rev. Edward 1. Georges
Sermon Last Evening.
[ MOST ELOQUENT DISCOURSE.
other Sermons Delivered Yesterday by
wsIl-known Providencs Pastors Upon
Topics Of Great Interest to the People
Churshss Were wen Attended.

- God Good to AL" taking his text from
Mark xv. "a In the evening Mr.. George
took for his text John xiv. 1. "Let not
your heart be troubled, ye believe in God.
believe also in me-" He said In brief;
II il one of the blessed tendencies Of
today. our going back through the creeds
and formal tsaching OF the church TO the
vorv woods and atmosphere OF Jesus
himself 1t is not necessary to join In
the hue and cry Of Jooay against creeds,
Tor croeds have done and are still doug
mighty work. Through many spiritual
drought the living teaching OF Jesus has
been preserved In the creeds, even as
cfatarus hold the water which once bub-
bIed up from the spring. 1t is the water
of life that the creeds contain, but IL is
given to US to drink from the spring
AZ we then 20 back to Jesus himself,
We often find sympathetic attitude to-
ward doubt and difficulty, which does
not appear In the creeds. Christianity
a. no longer an experiment.. IL has been
nut TO the test Nineteen centuries OF
right made the church positive In Its
declarations.
A Greed ought to Speak
with assurance of the common facts OF
che Christian consciousness. But there
are many conscientious, troubled minds
which need something more than dog
matte assertions ss to the Christian
faith: which need persuasion and not
positive declarations only; which need
the sympathetic Jesus himself, the Jesus
who said. II have many things TO say
unto you, but ye cannot hear them now"
Che Jesus who was always considerate
toward difficulties and questionings
The words OF jesus which have been
read recognize difficulty and distinc-
tion which the creeds do hot, The
distinction between the nature OF faith
fn GOD and faith in Christ himself the
dlmculty:of advancing from one to the
other, of merging the one in the other.
Jesus recognizes that faith in himself
may not be a. easy a. faith in God. Be-
lieve in God as the father In whose house
there are many mansions, and who doeth
Al things we'll, but believe in me also.
ss the one who gives you access TO It,
who goes to prepare q place for you;
and faith An Christ distinct, speak to
need and difficulty OF todsy.
The difdcuity is OF those who
believe in GOD. but do not believe
fn Christ. These comprise the majority
Of the human race. The belief in God
and the belief IN Christ are not identical.
II Christ was here ia earthly form I
Know he would not ignore their difficult
a. 9, nor have only Guiding Tor their un-
bslief, He would speak sympathetically as
Be- always did.
7he Difference Explained.
fIhith In God in its ground is rational
md Intentional Faith In Christ In its
rround II historical. We do not believe
II God or In Christ for the same reasons
In God has its origin In the reason
and the natural intentions of
che human heart; and therefore faith
IN God belongs TO the human race from
the beginning. Faith In God is broader
than education. or ciyilis alton. or theo-
81 '' 4 hnman. We believe ia
God because we cannot help it.
The intentions of our heart from earliest
childhood reach out and up. We are SO
made that we need God. And when we
by reason--we see that the existence of
God is this orderly. reasonable world
BY the inspiring. progress of tho ages
which evolution Is emphasizing. by the
existence Of that mighty power, the sense
or duty, the sought" itself.
Very different from this In its origin
In Christ is historical. it is in hard
facts. Faith In Christ is not like faith
Is Goa universal--it il at present.local,
confined to those who have n knowledge
Of certrin historical facts. 1t 10 not a
system worked out by thought but as
simple faith taking its rise In certain
ssts ossa Sc sns logic s'h Of evsHsa. sD%
There il person.
Tho Jesus OF History.
There IL record of his life, death and
seachings and resurrection, the Gospels.
There il q Christian force in the world,
blessedly manifest in millions of lives
through ninteeeu centu ries. an actual
never 30 active aud self-evident
~ to-day. Christ Ii character In his
think ye of Christw "What will ye do
with Jesusf These questions de emand
an answer from every FAIR mind. III you
have difficulties, then simply face the
fact, simply stand in the presencs of
Jesus, aud let the historic character
make its impress upon you. Here IL the
beginning of the Christian faith i'm this
impression. All reasoning, all doctrine,
follow from this personal influences,
and whether you put your trust In him
or not there he stands. just AS really az
Julius Ceasar. Faith in Christ is main ly
territorial. II answers TO our deepest
needs. While faith in God and faith
in Christ are thus distinct they
are necessary to each other. Faith In
God alone does not satisfy. Does Bra
himinism with its vague inn
personal deiiy. Zoroaster with it's
dualism, the religion of Egypt with
its sun god and idols satisfy
And why not Because they are con-
ceptions of God without Christ. They
are the achievement of the reason un-
aided by the historical revelation.
We need for life something more than
God. we need the Christ-like God, the
loving father. Why should we in
these days of our Lord Jesus
Christ remain In the condition of those
who lived before his coming. trying TO
satisfy ourselves with belief In God
only. Shall we not believe In God
on che ground Of reason and intention
aud in Christ on the ground OF
historical fact and Of deepest need.
We need not only. . revelation but "A
revelation anaIyzed BY reason, vitalized
in spiritual experience. Let us believe
not only In God but Ia the Christ-liks
God who loves us, who was iu Christ
rcconciling the world unto himself.
A TOUCH.
Subject Of Rev. Edward bromley; sermon