The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-03-16

out under the baptism OF Gods holy
spirit. There has been, undeniably,
deal of that sort of work done in
the world. Men have wrought in
all ages under the influence of noble,
true thoughts about God, about the
future state, about the eternal distinc-
tions between right and wrong. Over
and under and through all human
life from the beginning has run the
silent conviction of divine things.
Now and then this conviction, by the
aid of Gods spirit, gets itself incar-
mated in some tender, teachable soul:
then that soul becomes a aviours of
men. History is illuminated here
and there, now and then, by the light
of these glowing centers. Every age,
every nation has them in close and
tender keeping. Abraham, Moses,
David, Isaiah among the Hebrews;
Buddha, Zoroaster, Confucius among
the Asiatics; Jesus, John and Paul
among Christians; Hampden and
Pitt among the English; Washington
and Lincoln among Americans;
Shakespeare, Milton, Burns, Longfel-
low, Whittier; in times near and re-
mote, among people ancient and
modern, the world over there have
been glowing, reverent souls doing
work for God and humanity History
is aglow with the light, the world is
full Of gratitude for the work of in
spired souls.
Inspiration is the breathing in of
holy, pure, true thought. But such
thinking must find its last home with
God; for God is the eternal fountain
of purity, goodness and truth. The
inbreathing of such thoughts by the
soul of man is the receiving of the
Holy Spirit, the inspiration of the
Holy Ghost. The peculiarly of the
inspiration of this Bazaleel, whose
life we are considering, consists only
in the kind of work he did under its
influence. Gods spirit wrought with
his spirit in building the tent in which
the people might worship while pass
ing through the wilderness. Not
withstanding this was only manual
labor; Notwithstanding it was of this
temporary nature, it had the inspira-
ton of God behind it. Bazaleel
wrought under the conviction that he
was at work for God.
This reminds us that architecture
never put on such impressing glory
as in those ages when men wrought
their prayers and hymns into all man.
ner of cunning workmanship and
threw them aloft in cathedral spires.
The magnificent cathedrals and
abbeys of the old world expressed in
wood and stone the religion of the
old time. We call the times in which
these were built ages of faith. We
do not say of the men who built them
that they were inspired; we say
they were men of faith. History
has its ages of faith, times in which
men wrought under the influence of
strong religious conviction.
Henry j. Van Dyke has said the
best art will never come again to
the world until men are more relig-
ious than they are now. Il believe"
he says, "that true gre tness in art
will only come with revival of moral
earnestness and faith" But moral
earnestness is not confined to great
ness in art. 1t is sort of universal
genius; it helps any man in any kind
of work in which he may happen to
be engaged.
Here we reach the point of our ar
ticle,subject the power of moral earn
estness; an d we reach the conclusion
that moral earnestness is the soul of
all true service, whatever form service
may take.
Agassiz said that the human mind
must be open to inspiration from the
Creator of the world if it would gath
er strength for the difficult task of
investigating it," True art is "the
perfect expression of the noblest
thought and feelings" True science
holds within it a place for God,
sanctuary for his worship. Work is
simply drudgery which has in it no
inspiration from the great Master
Worker of the universe.
George Eliot says of Mordecai
that even when he was bending over
watch wheels and trinkets, or seated
in an upper room looking out upon
dingy bricks and dirty, cracked win
dows, his thoughts went on in wide
spaces. That is what moral earnest
ness means to us. Whatever our
work our thoughts shall go on in
wide spaces, reaching up to God for
inspiration, reaching out to the world
in helpfulness and sweet COMMISSION.