The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1895-07-25

-RElieios AND I'VE
The Ovssses sf H.. -. - 0sgSs - YAs
sssss Csivsrsssy csa.ssssossa
Mr.. n. II. Horne, Of Claytoa n.
C., graduated at the State Univg9isy
In 1895. He ~ awarded the -wiley
p. MAngum" medal for orstory. The
Subject Of his commencement ID
dress vas Religion and LIFE.
The one supreme fac. Of al ago
has been God and the second
supreme fact has been man. Thers-
fore the one supreme question for
man has ever been, what 10 his rela-
ton to God. and that 10 the question,
what 10 religion:
/ make no excuse for attempting
TO answer this question. Thinkers
have declared i, to be tie most
momentous one Of the ago., involv.
ing a. it does the voyage Of the mind
through the unknown infinite Of
thought, the deep questions Of the
soul
BETwKEN NAN AND SoD.
y what . voyage that! o what q
sea to sail!
We believe it will not lessen the
respect of any man for his religion
to have some Of Its mystery cleared
away by turning on the light That
mans religion 10 not Of the right
sort which fears examination. Ii
right, it comes out stronger for hsv-
ing been examined. The truth must
be helpful.
Our question is not about IN ex.
perience which Can not be described
and for lack of q name 10 called q
religion; an experience which every
man believes somebody has but .,
times may doubt if he has; An ex.
erience which can be
DONNED ON SUNDAY AND DOYPED
ON MONDAY;
an experience we may have had in tn.
past to which very uncertain and in.
frequent reference 10 made. Gu,
question is about that which man in
his Utmost soul always has with him
his belief about his relation to tha,
which is above, around, beneath him
That belief is ever present. unutteret
or unexpressed it may he, yet there
and, since thought leads to action
that belief has ever led men Il
worship the All-embrscing and tn,
All-Sustainer.
Thus we settle the question tina
we can not speak of any psrticula
religion but of religious feeling il
general. Religious feeling is . re
ality that exists and Whatever v
may see its origin and force to be
it deserves our attention and highes
respect as the motor of the creates
acts that have been accomplished il
the moral domain.
Religious feeling is one of tn
facts of life, As q fact
| 1T HAS A SCIENTIFIC BASIS
and is not an accident Give q
the idea that religion come
by chance, by caprice, by myster.
1t comes by none of these. Religio
comes by law; natural lsw if 20
will, or by supernatural Law, for .
law is divine. Religion in Christian
ity does not come by chance. tt
cause lie: Stand before Christ; se
believe, love; the effect iE becon
like Him.
We do not mean that religion
made by law.
RELIGION EXPRESSES LAW.
"Religion mus be supposed par
mount to law" says Burke, land i
! dependent for its substance on a
| human institution; else it becom
) the absurdest thing in the worl
, an acknowledged cheat Religion
not believed because the laws ha
!, previously established it, but it
, established because the communi
r has previously believed it"
b Every fact has Its explanation
: . principle. What is the princip
j that explains the fact of religio
y Examine the fact. l claim it
I universal. Religion in its aspect
morals and doctrine is to be foul
!, in every tribe and nation that be,
. the name Of man. While true Il
d the forms of its manifestations,
tellectusl moral, spiritual, aesthet
# practical, are almost countless
d their variety; yet at bottom of th
&c all is the same principle, the. %
u instinct, the same aspiration.
% If the fact to be explained 10 Il
:; universal and has for its explAnat
a one principle, then that priuci
IA must be one which il bound up v
,e the nature of man and hence can
N press itself at all stages Of hun
q development. -- 60.
Of Such q principle il this hun
70 nature is built on the religious b
ne human nature Is religious to the q
'st ''every human heart Is human" {
.a the universal human heart ever 10
for the Supreme Being, for Fl
y, Him is it's life. s.- -' -.
The exercise of the natural inn
of tendency of every man gives him
he ligion, for in the heart Of the il
y vidaal as in the heart of the nat
no all growth is but the developn
." ~ Of what is nstively in it
- ave know and it IL our pride
by know" says Burke. ''that M,
tas by his constitution . religious
t.. NAL; that atheism is against not
en- our reason but our instinct and
ew it can not prevail long" Thus
ne unnatural, it il unconstitutional
ND Il s~r::