The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-05-01

dS DeHJdInln hluu HAS 81 well ohO"h'
It's greatest war, our own rebellion, was
at heart religious war. A race was
freed, not by revolution, not by foreign
invasion, but by the travail and self
denial of the race that held it in bondage,
and to free it, lost money and lives un-
counted. It's discoveries have been
largely religious men. David Living
stone is the type of many men who have
added to our knowledge of geography and
ethnOlogy that the time may come when
humanity may be one brotherhood.
We speak Of this as a sceptical age. 1t
is not so. 1t is an inquisitive age, an
inquiring, challenging age. With more
boldness than reverence it puts its finger
into every historic nail-print, and not in
frequently grinds as "Nehustan" some
sacred relic beneath its icOnOclastic heel,
when it ought rather to loose its shoes
from off its feet. 1t has profound faith
in the natural, and none too much in the
supernatural: it needs to look less on the
things that are seen, and believe more in
the unseen as the eternal things. But,
it may be questioned whether any age
! has had more genuine and rational faith,
such as the Son Of Man in his progress
sive coming rejOices to find in the earth.
With all its materialism and speculation,
it still is foremost among the ages in
which men have not seen, but yet have
intelligently believed.
Third: Facility of assimilation.
There is still further evidence of the per-
manence of faith in the church's power
of assimilation and the extent to which
it is causing the truths of religion to in
fuence society. 1t has captured the
scholarship of the world. 1t is not true
now, that not many high, not many
mighty are called. The brightest intel
lects, the most varied scholarship, the
greatest Libraries are of the church and
for it. The discoveries made by digging
up buried Python and Nineveh, the find
ing of the Rosetti stone and the MOabite
stone, the deciphering of ancient inscrip-
tiOns, these are small part Of the diff
ferent kinds of work which are united in
Christian scholarship. The work in
many laboratories and in many museums
is made to explain and illustrate the
great truths of religion. All lands and
nations are put under tribute, and the
greatest men in the world are willing
servants of the cause of religion in this
direction.
Its present sympathy with the labOring
man which was never more real or hope
full, its belief that out of the present up
heayal and ferment better day is coming
in which men shall dwell together with
less of strife and more of love, its earnest
search for new light, its willingness to
revise past opinions in political economy
and social ethics that justice and mercy
4 may flow forth as waters, these are
signs of very practical faith in God and
man.
The sun is ever setting on our present,
and dawning on our future.
"0ut of the darkness of night,
The world rolls into light
1t is daybreak everywhere"
The future is not without its perils.
There are clouds as well as areas of clear
sky. But let us believe, as we may be-
lieve, that the faith which has been so
far transmitted and so yariously tested,
the faith which is ever attaining, yet not
receiving the promise because God has
still some better thing to give, that this
faith which was with the worthless of the
dimly lighted ages, and which shines
forth anew when we come to Christ, that
this faith which he re-established shall
f notperish, but that in increasing measure
he will find it on the earth at his coming.
. There is much faith that men do not
recognize as such. A man was sent to
+ Jesus by the rulers of Capernaum who
:, said, 'This man is worthy, but is not in
the faith. He loves our people, and when
the old synagogue burned he helped build
' the new 0ne." Jesus said, 81 will 60
, and heal his servant" But then came q
message from the centurion; This is
. too small an affair for you. Even / dc
q not have to go wherever / need some.
thing done. | send servant or use a
telephone. So you have resources Other
than your presence. Just speak the
3 word, you need not come"
I Those who heard said, "HOw shocking
y ly business like; how lacking in faith
o OF course the Master must be present tt
? heal" Jesus said, 'FaithP This mar
Q has more faith than you have" 81 havt
not found so great faith, no not in Is
: rael."
0 men of Wellington! You who art
= building the synagogue and who lOvl
. your nation and the cause of Christ, bu
who do not call yourselves Christians
i have you no faithp You would fight fO
the cause of Christ. II it were placed il
h the center Of that now vacant lot across
! the square, you would form yourselve
i around it and fight for it till you died
Have you no faithp You pay and Civ,
!. and sacrifice for it and rejoice in tn,
progress Of the kingdom. Have you NJ
r faith? Is it true for the first time OF