The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-06-19
Reason and Religion.

reason anu heklRlOu.
We live in an age Of speculation,
when multitudes are proudly claiming
the privilege Of liberalizing Christian
doctrine, when many thoughtful peo-
pie prefer to be accused of dangerous
license than of hasty indorsement-an
age whose moral atmosphere tends to
obscure Christ's glory and weaken the
providential agencies of of the church.
The age Is given more to speculation
than to spirituality; more to contro-
versies than to contriteness. Many
are content to look down upon relig-
ion from the heights Of their own self
conceit and reason about it, unwilling
to bow before the altars of God, and
looking up to Him expect His bless
ing to to descend upon them from
above. Thought is often upon swift
wing, leaving heartfelt experience
behind to droop and die. There is
danger of placing thought and expe-
rience in a position of seeming antag-
onism to each other. There Is an at
tempt to enforce Christian standards
by human strength without the aid Of
the Holy Spirit; tendency to yield
to an out ward pressure Of humanita.
rianism, to ,concede to infidelity much
of the Christians supernatural ground,
to apologize for the strictness Of relig-
ious standards. to discredit the inspi-
ration of the Bible, and to abandon
altogether the solemn verities Of eter-
nal retribution.
There are two great dangers of the
present day-the search for truth
without the direct help of the Spirit,
and the fanatical belief in the leadings
of the Spirit apart from the truth.
The former is much the more preva-
lent error, and the one most necessary
for the majority of Christians to guard
against. In much of the attractive
writing and preaching of the day we
have the truth exalted; the truth of
Jesus, it is said, must conquer because
of it's essential life. Doubtless it must;
but the Lord Himself said He could
not tell His disciples the full truth
because they could not bear it until the
esprit should should show 1t to
them" st. Paul had the truth Of the
Old Testament, but he used 1t to sorry
purpose before the Holy Spirit enlight-
ened his mind. He said: II verify
thought with myself that I ought to
do many things contrary to Jesus OF
Nazareth. -.
Observation proves that the human
intellect, with all it's culture, cannot
comprehend the expressed mind of
God. 1t goes off into vagaries and er-
rors that sadly mislead society. How
do we know that it is error? Because
it agrees not with the word that Is
written: IF they speak not accord
ing to this word, it is because they
have no light in them" ..
This, we believe, is the explanation
of the fact, so often deplored, that
Christians themselves fail in their ex-
amples before the world in many vital
questions now agitating society. That
In ward .monitor-the "Guide into all
truth"-is not regarded as He should
be. Men reason about questions Of
daily living, and, reasoning, they
walk in darkness, and know not
whittier they Co." A definite recogni-
tion of the special promised guidance,
an honest following of the light as 1t
is given,. a conscience made wakeful
and wise, as only the 'indwelling Spirit
can make it, will lead to right opin-
ions and consistent action.
For the outcome upon the side of
righteousness and humanity of. all
these questions affecting society Chris
tians are held responsible. "Ye are
the salt of the earth: but if the salt
have lost his SAVIOUR, whsrewith shall
it be salted?" Without our full share
of the wisdom that comes from heav-
en- there is not one of us but will be
ensnared at some point by that spe.
cious trio-"the world, the flesh, and
the devil" In the rush, the pressure,
and the peril of the busy six days,
how invaluable are the Sabbath hours
for communion with our infallible
Guide. Not one moment of the pre-
cious time can we afford to spend in
any way which does not lift the spir-
itual nature to closer intimacy with
Hmm. Y. Advocate.