The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-03-05


very practical sermon Yesterday morn.
ing before large congregation, taking
Tor his theme, "What Is ReIigion"
The doctor spokeinsubstanCenstoll follows:
There are many mon without posItlvo
ill'will toward religion yet who have no
interest in it. They attend ontwardly
to religious observances, meaningless
traditions, or they quietly glide out oil
all connection with religion, and give
the whole OF their thought and time TO
business or pursuits OF other kind.
Sometimes when they have to follow q
friend TO tho grave they become I'M
easy, but usually they acquire consider
abIe dexterity in avoiding all that aug
gesti world 10 come. world in which
trade aud tho body do not play all the
part.
Such men arc to be piticd; they are
missing tho best OF lito; .hoy are mar
rowcd by ueglCcting to develop that in
them which lives and thrlycs only by
the inror Of God. There Is need then,
that We ask, What is religion?
In attempting TO answer this TOO mis-
apprehensions are to be noted. Ono
which Identifies religion with morality,
and one which identities it with wor-
ship. Religion includes and produces
morality, but ia not identical with it.
AT Its best morality lie the perform
ance oil certain duties, suggested TO us
by our nature and our relation to our
fellowlnen, aud it is impossible that
these relations should be fully under
stood without recognizing our relations
to God. And those who iail to rocog.
nize their duty 10 nun without ac-
knowlcdging any duty to God are merely
inhcritinsa Cody tradition that they're
nounce. Merely moral man is neCessa'
rily an imperfect man. lie resembles u
branch OF blossoms torn of the parent
stem. 1t is beautiful, no doubt; it is
also pitiable, because it is detached from
the root that gave it birth.
Another misapprehcnsion is that
which Identifies religion with religious
service with acts OF worship. Ii it BIZ
asked whether man is religious or
lrreligious such matters arc cited as his
habits OF family prayer, attendance ut
church. interest in ecclesiastical affairs,
but nothing is said Of the result OF these
practices, and that the proof that he
gives in Christ.likc life that they have
been means OF grace to him. II re-
nglon Is nothing mora thun the per-
Torrance of certain devotional services,
the acceptance OF some ideal and ira
tional belief, the assumption OF GER
tain ricidity and lrigidity OF demcanor,
the repression OF all that is natural and
lively in conduct, the Limitation oil lite
within certain bleak and unintcrest-
ing field, then it is worse than useless
burden which reasonable men ought to
avoid. Religion is meant to make life
hopeful, to make it reasonable, make it
strong to give abiding results. 1t is
meant to develop all that is good and
abiding in our nature, to give the fullest
freedom, the fullest enjoyment OF life.
and il instead OF doing this it stintS our
energies and makes US form false idea,
'hen our religion is mistake.
1t is hard to formulate definition on
this subject, and this because it is so
familiar. As rule what everybody is
thought to know nobody is found 10
understand. Now the definition OF re-
ligion which ! will give you is this: Re-
ligion is mans thought OF tho order OF
which. he is pari. 1t is the way in
which he feels and acts toward it, or as
he conciovrs OF it as personal toward
him. Theology is the Interpretation OF
the universe through the idea OF God.
Religion is the regulation OF life through
the same great idea
In the definition given we hAvo three
elements, thought, feeling, action.
Thought comes first. Every man who
Is not beso,teG or m lido: mus. have
somn conception OF the causes which
brought him into being, OF the meaning
OF ths life which he lives, OF the destiny
that lies before him at ita close. The
ideas which man has on these subjects
are the foundation OF his religion.
HIS feelings towards the cause Of his
existencr must depend upon his con.
ception of tho cause, and the action
which goes 70 make up the sums OF Lie
must necessarily be determined by that
feeling and that conception. The chris.
tian religion is that which gives US the
highest idea Of God. Israel had from
the beginning truer idea OF God than
VIVA found among other people. lsraeI
did not call God the sky, sun or moon,
but he which exists, or who makes ali
things to be. Christianity is the expan-
sion CT that highest conception Of God.
Christianity reveals God as the Father
CT all men, reveals him as love, as one
who would make his Righteousness the
Righteousness OF men; one who would
not ask OF sinful men a sacrifice OF pro.
pitiation, but would Himself oler the
sacrifice and be tho Precipitation.
SSays DR.. Fairbairn: "The Great
Father loves man in spite OF his sins
and in the midst Of his guilt, loves that
no may save; and should he fail in say
ing does not cease to love. In ths place
they call hell eternal love as really is IA
in the place they call heaven. For in
the one place i. is tho holy com pllrency
in the happy with scenes like the
brightness OF sunshine. or the glad
music OF waves that break into per.
ennial laughter. Rut in the othe. it is
the compassion Tor the bad which
seems lik, tho muiilcd weeping of sor.
row too great TO DO heard"
In tho new testament God appears in
Christ rcdeeming men; that is changing
bad men into good. He appears unit.
ing the redeemed into societies, which