The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-11-20
GIFT OF RELIGIOUS CONSCIOUS
NESS.

The following sermon L. from the pen
of Kew. w. H. lie sis. ID. d., OF Bridge
port. Conn, ant was published In ito
New York Herald iast sunday. IL Is the
frst OF series fer which. tie Herald has
offered very substantial prizes.
Inc theme of the sermon Is :" The Gift
of Religious Consciousness. -
And another came. saying. Lord be
hold, here IL thy pound which l nave
Kept laid un IN "a napkin for feared th6e
because thou art mn austere man.
ANA he said unto hIIn. Out of thiEo
own mouth will 1 Judge thee. thou
wicked ssrvant.-st. Luke, xix, 2U-22. :
ibe lord sf the parsblr, about TO 20
away into 'far country had given TO
each or MS servants n certain amount To
| make use Of while be was away. For
! these three the amount given Is snecihed,
but 10 all his servants he gave something
10 each plan, " the narable saws. ''ac
cordinR TO his several ability" Only
| three are specially dcsi gDHted. because
| they serve a sufficient illustrations os
the highest, the medium ard tho lowest
\ PIT. Each receiver seems to hbve known
that the amount handed him was not q
| gift outright, but "a trust, and that hiA
lord would eventually como back anu
| make an accounting. Each, therefore,
| treated his trust according to the opin-
| ion he held of his lord
. The substance Of the parable Is cvis
| GENTLY thls-that IN every man living
there IS implanted certain spiritual ca
| pacity or ability: that men have this ca
pacity in degree. so that one has clear and
distinct ideas of God, and his duty
! another has less, and another almost
| none at all. But the trust of spiritual
| instinct or consciousness and Of con-
science whiSh recognizes this conscious
ness, belongs TO all. None is so low i'm
| the scale OF humanity tnat the thought
| Of God does not somehow enter into his
life; and whoever has this gift has also
the inteiligence 10 know that he has il,
and In ask himself at least once i'm his
life, If only once, what he shall do with
| b.With this consciousness of God and this
| conscience there comes n sense of re-
sponsibility; and with that there comes "a
certainty of Judgment. We ndorse the
| reasoning Of the parable when we excuse
! the man of'small capacity by saying THAI
he does not know any better; Of another,
that he ought to have have known better
| and Of "a third, that he did know better;
and the popular Judgment condemns each
| man with a severity according 10 his gift
| OF capacity, his conscience, his educated
| or uncducated sense Of the value of the
| gift which determines his use Of IL, anc
| the very worst sin OF all In the popular
| Judgment Is 10 nave made no use of the
gilt. IL was the servant who knew his
+, gift and his lord, even though he knew
|
mis- gift, who excited his lords anger.
Make much of the thought. for il has
! much In it, II we grant the universal
! conscience, then everyone is bound TO
| conduct himself always under pressure OF
| the thought that one day he will be callei
| upon TO answer TO God for his use Of
| these capa' tt.es. III man only recog-
| nizes God 10y taking His uamc in vain,
| that Is n recognition. And in actual fact
there are many people who excuse them
| selves in their neglect Of religion on the
I very grounds on which this man OF .he
| parable rested his defence-viz.. harsh
| and distorted ideas of God and religion.
! Thew do not see that logiot lly man with
harsh ideas of God ought to be the strict
| er in bis life for that il he shapes his
conduct by his theory and If he expects
| God to Judge him by his own confession
| IL my whole idea OF rellgion.is that 10 is
! sucn a straight and narrow way that
| can walk in IL without help from above
and knowing that I must walk in it ii
( would be saved, / have yet never sought
that help shall care to plead this neg
| lect rs an excuse when i come to stand
| before n righteous ludgey Whether the
napkin i'm which we tie up our religious
| consciousness be clean ana white with the
starch and bluing and ironing uf "a self
| satisfied morality or filthy with the stains
| of every self-indulgence will make nc
difference with tAe ftset that We tied fft UP
| and buried it. When capital combines
| for selfish purposes we know what 60 saw
! OF IL; when an anarchist wants divisit q
| of capital for his own benefit we can deal
| with him. But when "a man puts his
| thousands in an old stocking and hides IL
! under his chimney hearth we simply cali
| him u mser-a miserable one. He may
| plead that he had no faith in banks but
| We condemn him nevertheless. Again
| the common judgment illustrates the par
| able.
| In some shops you may find device
| to keep check upon busibe IS transactions.
! A little disc springs up in full sight OF
| buyer, seller and empower. records the
! price and drops out of sight again. But
| av the clUse of ths day. when the account
! ing is made. the registry Is there and the
! balance must agree with that. A mans
| conscience is like this-overy thought OF
| God and duty that comes into the mind
! is on record there--a good thought, or e
mistaken thought, or bad thought, 10
| held up its signal for moment in the
presence ot all who cared to look and
| made it's unalterable record of what was
| done. When the time comes the Judges
! God and conscience, and even the popular
iudgment-will be at the count, as they
! now are at the transaction. He is n dar-
| ing thief who with these three LOCKING
| on can try to take money out of the box
! and throw up blank. Every thought
| of God and duty is a talent, pound,
| bringing with it a demand for interest
upon the original capital of Gods first
| Gift of spiritual consciousness and con-
science When the day of reckoning
| comes we shall be condemned by every
! opportunity we have had TO know and To
| do better No belief can possibly war
| rant neglect Whatever We think OF
God we are bound 10 do something.
WM H. LEWIS, d. d.,
Rector st. Johns church, Bridgeport,