The Progress., 1893-11-25

that the whole word of Gnd - ,.o,,..;,,
cd IN the canons of Scrintu,,, ,,.,, ,.,,t,
.o "ipi'' the apostles held n grander
conception of God and his revelation
a"I "eclared that God had spoken Ia
All peoples-he declared that vitb,rt
khowledye of the Hebrew revelation of
Ia" the people of the earth woro ,
Jaw unto themselves. We must yro,,.
10 tins larger faith. This gathering of
.no enus OF the earth in the name of
the one God has accomplished thi,
truth We have learned anew the old
oid truth that God has not left himself
without witness among all people.
Inc Roman Catholic and the Protes
tant meet on this platform and lear,
that when they really know one anoth-
er nlne-tenths of the BODY of tboir
creeds are identical. We see the begin
ning-a true catholicism in spirit { not
in form.
FOR the first time we really meet the
true representatives of the millions of
Chlna, Japan, India, the far east and
the far north. We find that TO each of
these people God has spoken n word
we ind nothing there that is worth
having that is not contained in Chris
hanlty, but we do find much that is
from God, and we rejoice and take
courage. We grasp with greater firm
ness the faith that the fullness of his
word in Christ they will yet receive.
The faith of the future must have this
world consciousness of God = presence
and truth.
We must not in the future Confound
strange faces and strange costumes aud
strange tongues with tho devil and his
angels.
1t IL too small a notion of God
1t is too big n conception of the devil.
Such confusion must become more
and more impossible in the faith of the
new generation
Sccund-That the only test of the or
thodoxy of the religion of the future
Will be the measure of the character of
its disciples.
There is only one conceivable condi-
tion under which Christianity might
tremble to enter into discussion and
comparison with other religions if the
character of its disciples were inferior.
Before this supreme test the Christian.
ity of Jesus Christ today stands match
less. We know its authority must be
supreme because the type of man it pro
duces is the highest of which man has
yet shown himself capable.
The Creeds of the world are all under
going the searching investigation of the
electric light of this scientific age.
Many traditions are being swept away
as fiction pure and simple. Any creed
that cannot stand this search ought to
perish. | do not want religion that
is not true. If | am wrong, the sooner
| know it the better-the better for
me; the better for all concerned. True
orthodoxy is loyalty to the truth. The
creed that survives the shock of the
icUnoclasm of the twentieth century
will be one that can meet and that will
be ever ready TO meet with calmest
assurance the assault of hosts arrayed
against it, and that courts the most
searching analysis of science and philos-
ophy. II cannot he called Roman or
Protestant, orthodox or heterodox. old
school or new school; il must be vital
its logic must be the logic of life. We
are told that in Pennsylvania there is
a religious body of Germans who take
an eager share in the worlds work.
But it is customary among them for
man to give mp money making at mid
do age.
To this end he lives abstemiously
and lays by every penny, accustoming
his children to dress plainly and TO live
without meat or dainties. At 80 he
usually hands over his Office or shop to
his sons and gives the rest of his life
to missionary or charitable work for
the bettering of his kind.
A CHRISTIAN DEFINED.
Doyou ask the question, Are these peo-
pie Christians? Perhaps they have no
organic connection with any historic
church. Roman or Protestant. But
this really has nothing to do with the
question. They are Christians if they
live Christ's life-it does not matter
what they call themselves or what we
may chose to call them. All religions
are true which produce Chrisrlike
men aud women. 1t is blasphemy to
call any religion false that does pro-
duce such disciples. 1t is blasphemy to
call any religion Christian which fails
to produce Christlike men and women.
Only here will we find the supreme test
of the true religion. This is to be the
only measure of the orthodoxy of the
future. Sectarianism is fast dying, even
in its own homes. People more and
more are ceasing to care about the
distractions over which our fathers
fought unending wars. In the great
centers of our life sectarianism In
Christianity is already downed. This
is because the test of life is coming
now to be the only test of creed. We
have come to believe you-to know that
a mans life is his creed.
To know the religion of n people at