The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-20
SPIRITUAL VALUES.
Sermon by Rev. Augustus M. Lord, Sun
day Morning.

day Morning.
"Spiritual Values" was the theme of a
most helpful sermon delivered yesterday
morning by Rev. Augustus Nj. Lord OF
the Benefit Street Unitarian Church. The
lines OF Scripture upon which the dis
course was based are TO be found in the
sixteenth chapter OF Matthew, twenty
sixth verse: "For what is a man profited
II he shall gain the whole world and lose
his own soul; or what shall a man give
in exchange for his soul?'
BY way OF Introduction Mr.. Lord called
attention to the interesting fact that in
the growth OF ideas and literature of the
Northern nations, especially England,
Germany and Scandinavia-there is al.
ways to be found at o1e period or an
other, embodied in the religion, poetry,
and art of the people, and crystalized in
their legends and traditions, this
thought: the selling OF his soul by some
man TO the evil one. Goethe's "Faust" is
but the fused and unified representation
of that same thought.
1--WE may smile at The old superstition,
SAID the speaker, land yet let us re-
member that the facts upon which the
superstition was based are still with us.
We have done away with the old ex-
planation, but we have not, therefore,
done away with the facts or freed oor-
selves from the necessity of seeking a
new explanation which shall give us the
hocfe ns N af - l.
and will, new and wiser resistance and
activity"
In illustration OF this point Mr.. Lord
cited The mental attitude OF men toward
physical phenomena. Once thunder and
lightning, pestilence and famine were
thought to bs the visitation OF some evil
spirit or the manifestation of the wrath
of God. Now our disbelief of such
theories has been supplemented by The
setting ourselves to face the physical facts
of nature as they are to study them and
thereby to reason out a new position and
theory which Is capable of an applca-
tion that shall protect, enrich and en-
tighten human life.
SO before we can attain stability and
detiniteness and the rover of protection
and enrichment in our moral life, we
must face the facts that affect morality in
precisely the same serious, positive, de-
termined way that we face the facts OF
physical life. The old dogmas and SUI
perstitions have a powerful hold upon
people because the facts that these dog
mas and superstitions try TO explain the
stern realities. The old ruins give at least
some leverage for resistance to evil and
some motive for the persistence in good.
And here is one great duty of men and
women trained to think and feel to think;
that they shall not stop at disproving the
old superstition, but make it their busi-
ness TO think out and feel out and act out
and work out the whole truth here; TO
get at the larger motives, the deeper in
spirations, the greater safety and the
greater opportunity Of new science of
morality aud new vision OF religion.
The very first thing that we must do Is
TO set ourselves to comprehend the true
value OF human soul and of the power
which is its right, and the mighty ex-
periences which are its Inheritance; and
then we are to use every means TO impress
that same thought of the souls value up
on others. What the world and what this
country needs most OF all is a keener COM
prehension of spiritual value. We put too
low sn estimate on integrity and health
fuluess OF soul. III it seemed worth more,
we would work more and sacrifice more,
and pay more for 1t.
Where in the scale OF values do we con-
sciously put our own soul--or, IL you
will SPEAK more widely, the human soul?
What do We think Of the soul anyway
its nature. its power, its destiny? For too
few OF US think OF 1t at all. Yet it Is better
TO think crudely than not to think at all;
for the soul is the center of all values
only that has value which can bs esti-
mateo in terms OF the spirit, changed in
o the life Of the soul.
We must try to see how eli things,
work, success, pleasure, are affecting the
soul, our moral life; whether We are be-
coming meaner or richer in spirit. More
I han that, we must give ourselves times
and hours In which TO put ourselves into
direct touch with that which feeds the
spirit Directly; the contErt- with moral
greater than our own. with
moral aims and desires loitier than our
own, with thoughts deeper than our own.
To this end the Bibles of the world were
the religions Of the world were
the temples OF the word were
built.