New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-27
DOUBT LEADS TO CERTAINTY.
THE REV. J. r. CARSON on THE GOOD EFFhCrs
OF WANTING TO FIND OFT.

OF WANTING TO FIND OUT.
The Rev J. F. Carson preached last evening III
the Central Presbyterian Church on Inc Na'
and the Cure OF Doubt" The text was rom
Luxe xii %: Neither be we OF doubtful mind. In
part he said:
There are three symptoms OF a doubtful mind
uncertainty moral debility and unhappiness.
,o,h,s,I mind is not marked by positive disoenel.
I'M, by languld unbelief There IS a hale ana
healthy tone about the mind that positively disoe
ueyes I. indicates intellectual DETERMINATION II
no, moral earnes,ness. But doubtful mhu i'u'-
Gates Intellectual iaziness and moral ihdi'ere"ce
7, "a a condition Of diseased uncertainty second
svun,om NJ a doubtful mind Is moral debility. The
MO, ~ moral stamina are the men OF stout faith.
The men who live grandiy In the world are men
OF strong convictions The men VINO mako h's'o'y'
the men who revolutionize society wheh IL heeus
revolution the men OF giant force IN every coI''-
munlty are the men who believe like giants Ihe
men who are strong morally are the men who are
resolute mentally and positive spiritually Inc
third svmptom OF a doubtful mind IL unhappiness.
There is no Joy peace to the man OF DOUBT.
These are possible only when the heart Is hxed
and the mind settled
These are the three prevailing symptoms OF
doubtful mind. The producing causes are varied
and many Doubt Is inherited. Men are born
auestoners You can see the question in the childs
eye before his tongue Is able to frame H. ,ocns 0 80
as the cns t ssEnI to sPcaK d Ss Is
honn Nth him Reiief or doubt are contagious.
Sar minds There are n prOyerb that says II
YOU always live With those who lame. you your
sew s w # eG mny be phpysicay If You habtaay
associate with those whose CONVICTIONS are io1se
velop a condition OF torpid paralysis hou cs ti
the mental tone OF your associates DOUBT IS ou,en
the outcome Of our circumstancrs. rms grea,
world o. ours is vast riddle l., Is con htadd
do"S,. The punsent sorrows and the baned hopes
OF NE lead TO questl01nihs - -, . ,oh,,,, mind
sch 1s s Sere ae VI was getting n
rid OF disease. one is to kin the patient That is
RI The otssr %ay is To- kin he disease in the patient
and restore him to health Most OF us would Preefs,
method has ever been resorted to in the OF
physical disease at least deliberately. But It is on
cure OF doubt The Church has burned her here
tics; And the heresies for which she burned some m,
day. The Church has passed the physical act Of
act the Of Sranns 9l him. The is d
counted. when In most cases he ought TO be COUNTED
IS Sensfacior He is herald Of the truth. rather
way The Of truth have e Ss Gsen sOns
be as the past. have no doubt OF the ultimate
victory. nor 10 have any doubt that the banners
% sna BUT iI the galway
ress. Heresy is truth in the making Doubt is
of that doubt which {. q reaching honest
evil and criminal. Thomas was a doubter, but he
wanted to believe. and did believe when the evil
dcnce was presented TO him. The best cure for
doubt Is established facts. Christianity is re-
ligon OF facts. IL rests all Its great. distinctive
doctrines on fact. II you are in doubt investigate
these facts. Examine the historic evidences. Hunt
up the records OF antiquity. Trace the pedigree OF
manuscripts. Dig down I'LL you reach the rock of
fact
Doubt doe, not arise from knowledge. but from
Its absence. II Is not investigation. but the want
OF investigatlo that leads to "A questioning Of the
great veritles OF the Christian religion There are
and ever VIII be unsoved problems In the religious
life; questions that cannot be settled beyond dis
pue; truths that cannot be proven with mathe-
matcal precision. But we believe them end our
belief IL not without reason. We believe them be-
cause or the authoritative voices that speak TO us
IN their behalt.thc voice OF inspiration. the
OF the Great Teacher. the voice of the wise al a
good OF every age. the voices Of our own soul-ail
these impel us to credit and believe the great
truths that redeem and magnify our manhood