Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-01-26

is 70 make ourselves miserable in the present
Tins utterance must be taken in connection vita
hI- dehLit0n OF happiness.
II another passage he says: u know of no
higher work which man can DO than 10 subtract
from he sum Of human ignorance and add TO the
sum OF human knowledge, TO lessen the amount
OF human misery and increase the amount Of
human happiness. l would say: Millions for
enlightenment and enjoyment, not a cent for
supersfitiOns and delusions.
The sweetest thing on this earth is Joy, and
the song Of gladness from the human heart is
the purest sound that ever lowed from the lips
o. q, man; Around humanity clusters all that is
lair all that is good all that is sacred to this age
ana nothing Is fairer, better, or more sacred
thau human happiness ="
This again must be referred to his definition OF
happiness.
Human love should no longer be wasted on
divine beings. 1t should be laYished on human
o. ngs II gods had done much for men as
men nave done Tor gods, earth would be para
disc tor every humaR heart. What sorrowful
waste OF feeling has been lsYe OF God What
pItlIui ioss OF time ana money has been worship
OF GOD! What fearful failure OF faith has been
trust in Godi"
Il want the knowledge that will help me here.
want the truth that will help me here. want
10 live Ills life wen before / begin another [
want 70 be able to assist my fellow-beings in the
way OF living better now.
want to see the present hour made bright and
beautiful, There is music in the word here" as
well as In the word 'hereafter;'' there lie happi-
ness in it, there is glory in it. want the road
half mile, and want to make the whole journey
with proper dignity and behavior, not put on my
good manners just as reach the end"
Here ls an admixture of Christian sentiment
ana CHRISTIAN practice with look away from
Christian faith.
When you come upon the writings of an agnos-
tic or an infdel do not allow his utterances 10
provoke you to wrath, for an angry man s in ne
condition to solve problems. II there are errors
in the utterances, the angry man is too blind TO
see them. And then there may be much OF beau
~ and of truth in the oracular noise and fumes
OF agnOsticism. Even the habitual liar mingles
more truth in his speech than he does falsehood
And we may CLEAN good deal Of truth from az
Mysticism that Is new and valuable.
On the other hand we should not allow our
selves to become so enchanted OF the truth and
beauty which we find there as to jump to the
rash conclusion that there is nothing else in it
but truth and beauty, and eagerly espOuse all
that is said and as eagerly declare that dH has
been said; that there no errors In what has
been said and no truth has been left unsaid; he
has spoken nothing but the truth, aud he has
spoken the whole truth. IL is unwise to accept
any mani teaching in that indiscrminate man
ner; the habit Of scrutiny is prudent virtue.
This passage from AgnOsticism which have
read this evening is worth much for its style
II has manly Yigor and poetic beauty, and Meth
er quality is sacrificed to the other. They are
balanced like two well-mated, high bred steeds
that never let the traces slacken.
Taen there Is the utterance OF truth which
might with propriety, with becoming fitness, be
proclaimed from this pulpit. We might cut brief
passages from their context and you could not
tell but what they were from the sermon OF some
preacher. Perhaps the language in some places
has flavor OF bold independence and OF irrever-
ent audacity which is little unusual in the pull
pit. such appearances sometimes make a strong
appeal TO the irreVerent in an audience; the
speaker exalts himself for a moment as a Judge
over God, aud they applaud him an adventur-
Gus hero. The agnostlc in the passage which |
haye quoted, says, I'VE say TO God as well as to
man: do as you would be done by" God must
submit to human conscience. If a God is charged
with dong what the human conscience con-
dennis, he must forfeit the reverence of man
kind The truth contained in this passage is
Christian truth, though perhaps not clothed in
Christian language; il is truth preached from
hundreds and thousands of pllpits; il is truth
taught of Chris: and practlced by Christ it is the
same truth which Whittier gave expression TO
when he said
But nothing can be good in him
Which evil Is in me.
but Whittiers expression of il is much more
humble and refined. There are not two laws of
righteousness one for man and another for God.
Christi life was an expression OF the law of Gods
Ire and at the same time an expression of the
law of mans life The two laws must then be
Identical for they are expressed in single life
and in single moment in thai life, in every
single moment in that life. The Agnostic, then,
is but repeating Christian doctrine, and possibly
without knowing its origin, at least he makes no
acknowledgment of Its source.
We cannot, then, object TO his doctrine here,
but sniy TO the air OF presumption in stating it;
he assumes to give commands unto God: I'VE
say to God, do as you would be dOne by God
was already dong that and then He made man
and told him to do the same. 1t is God that gives
commandments unto men.
The duty Of man to his fellow man lie empha-
sized and some sentences might well be put into
a sermon: II want TO be able TO assist my fell
iow-beings in the way Of living better now.
want to see the present hour made bright and
beautiful. There is music in the word mere as
well as in the word hereafter" / want
the road OF life made COED the Whole length. not
the last half mile, and want 10 make the whole
journey with proper dignity and behavior, not
put on my good manners just as / reach the
4 =