The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-10-16

by God. w @ lte ksd many difficult
questions. by the ctcdulous peoples OF
the present times. God has said these
things were ,isrltten that we might
have IN HI. Can there be;reality In re-
llgion and may we know 81 TT 4 take
two Illustrations; one at the beginning.
the other at the close of ChristB life,
the disciples shy they saw Him going
up TO. Heaven. Scientists couple or
generations ago said this was impps-
sible. The theologlnn answered We
have the ltrustWorthyi9sta Of
lwitnesses that the event occurred. The
philosopher q generation later renewed
his old cry whittier did tho Saviorsgo?
Did the Savior get nearer to God In,
heaven than here? The kind OF God we
worship h here. We should rather
worship a God on earth, q h,
so thu philosopher asked. and the
moro the .thcologlanJw perpleaed and
could only answer: 1T is written; It Is
written. SO the Biblical critic says to-
day. The thcologlan at first grew mn
cry. Such n development OF thought
forces us to NEE t the Issue, and yet we
can ask Is It simply a product OF the
Savior's fame. or ~ 1t q religious truth
as conceded by tho Biblical TRUTH
For the religious fact 1t Is of no I'M
portanca that the Lord rose after his
'crucitiSion. the main point Is, does he
reign over us? and does IT leopard
.ize our faith 20 believe In this State
ment that the Lord arose. have men
toned those illustrations 10 show how
our religious faith Is beset to-day. a
Many have been the theories con-
corning the Savior's purity. some ac-i
counting for 1t by physical reasons.
saying he was merely d great moral
character, u product of human Will.
May It be true Chrls.'s purity was
wrought out through the fires OF temps
tauon. or by physical control2 Bible
critics may prove Il TINT His purity.
was the outcome OF His Will, but His
truths yet remain intact, nevertheless.
The question may be asked.3Whai
are we going to do about this distress
faith. and this Christian faith may
lose some OF It's exaltnt!on for us, like n
rose that loses Its color. or a bird Its
shining olumagc: no n Christina, Is
still u Christian, though his enylson-.
iment be bearing on him, When the
higher lights 30 out. the lower lights
are stu burning for us. How often
tMhet thta Heavens grow dark upon us.
Just such times we fall back upon the
grace we have forgotten before Then
we say 1t Is certainly better to be right
than uncertain. 1t Is better$to do good
lthan3to do wrong. This is a moral prln-,
.cinle. as well as a religious one.t 81
), I'VE can almost comfort ourselves
by the further assurance that no dis.
itress or. doubt existing IN our age can
make us bad men. 1t is always our
privilege to be good men, We start out
in life5witls our dreams Of great things
as Scotss says, 'Opeg crowded hour y%of
glorious life, Is worth an age without, a
name NJ 3.ts,y VI. 81 Il. !,
doubt Is negative as well as posi-.
tive; SO with an age. The great his
wonderful pages OF triumphant truth
But I pass!to what 1inlost want ts say.
The present effort is equal to a transit
ton in time. Often In seminary.
course the student Impressed by the
opinion thar In clingins to an ortho-
ldox belief he Is untrue to himself
Tfcn he Is beset bygrelig.ous doubts as
a young bird homeless. without a
nest, hutters around in, uncertainty
and distress. s5% s:l
4 Liver life Is before the form: faith
Is before the doctrine. There can not.
be- the ithout the doctrine. Our
fathers built n home for the faith to
live In, for II fit them us the she'll. the
tortoise. q flower may not be like an;
other flower: 1t may. not have U perfect
form, but it will belts" as the shell
on tho tortoise's Is IT'S" II faith
wants to build a new home, let 1t build
for! every age will change a little. Let
us take this view OF 1t and not worry
ourselves In dogmato arguments. It
Is better that 1t changes little, than
10 die out. Faith will find its own
form, SD let us agree on this.
ss55""What do the times the eternal
times. Gods times, bring about? They
bring about summarized in one word
emancipation. Emancipation began
with Luther, and II has steadily gone;
on. We Baptists are yet subject, to.
siEtellectual,:f though not moral. ascot
ism The religion beginning with the
OF Luther makes man
feel free. 1t was the moral man that
becam> free first. During the rcforma-
ton, philosophy again came to the
front, and was used TO test facts Of.
nature, wrongly Of course. s5a5sg
Science must be free. The state
ments of chemistry could not be con-
trolled by the church. Even theology
wants to be a science. End the conflict
to-day Is between science and the
church on this question. Theology cries
out, II want to be 81 free!" and the
church answers back. II can't let you
be free. am afraid!"'SWould It not be
better If theology were free? What Is
the relation between obligation and
freedom? When does obligation begin
and where does It leave off ? The only
way I get some light on this matter Is
h1-fo cl, J,,t, NO Il > al, -
stitute a Christian?5 VIII n consent TO
the resurrection, the miracles OF Jesus,
the atonement. will holding true to
these doctrines make a man a Chris
tan? II itgwll not make q man a
Christian, then the discussion OF these
questions must go freely on. 81
eve can't find out II: God Is as good
as Jesus by conscience. Nature Is am
lbiguous, and so is conscience. l often
look up and cry out, What Kind of
faith can l have II 1 know¬ the rea-
son? l must know: what am to be-
licve about God? find there Is One
who lived In this world under hard
ships. who said God was His father. II
I want to know what God is l look at
His son. In the disposition, the
thought and purpose OF Christ there
Is the disposition, thought and
purpose OF l9 God And so III
argue that the best thing I know
Is Jesus Christ. and not the best thing
l ,knowti Is an Illusion. III am Chris
t!an, this outer world does not impress
me, 50, as the main lneaments Of that
Man. To be a Christian Is to look up
and share the disposition Of Jesus
Christi His divn!ty-yis Els love, His
will, His purpose and not a mctaphy-
steal divinity. III a q &.
In closing, i say there is no conflic:
between science and faith. There
may be a conflict between two kinds OF
faith, but not between knowledge and
faith. Science Is not science when It
seeks to give thercauSnl5 anteceuent Of