Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-06-28


contradiction even from thoee VINO deny
their divine authorship. The proof thar
these documents contain tb1.correet rus
a. life for every man is Independent OF
their authorship. and lies in the TACT that
they receive the fun assent OF every
sound mind. that 10 .uSe fCoieridse
phrase they find a man. 11d IN Inc itet
that on actual trial they efisely ~ the
needs OF human society 4 We W.
should assume that men instructed 81
the experience of those ~ went before
vi 1s'"' lnsp ss e' i VOID Iii Be true
that they are the complies rtsstems mt of
the rule OF life--the Observance OF which
Is health: the violation oDRhieh Is death.
claims 9 70 b. true is tasf Whit is gen
ugne works we'll. what ~ false cannot
work we'll. The ten commandments and
weii when applied 20 iifsi They are
plainly and without controversy the corr
rect rule OF iife.
But not only Is duty q uatter about
which there IS no mystery hsf further X
Il equally plain that he who lives In any
other way than the best way. does this
to his own hurt. Any power OF mind or
body used as Il was not meant 10 be
used. is injured. II no; destroyed. Not
only - 81 plain, then. that there Is best
Wy TO live. but also that to persist in
any other way Ia destruction. In other
words. that "sln II death. This conclu-
sion we shall be compelled to reach, If
The results OF wrong-dong had never
been revealed. not only on logical
grounds. but because OF what We see
every day of the results Of wilful viola
lion of the laws of life. On the grounds
OF actual experience we must conclude
that sin Is death. No clearly thinking
nan or woman can doubt that or -
guilty OF holding that ii Is a matter of
complete Indifference which we live. II
did not need revelation to declare that
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap"
But no sooner do we conclude with GER
iainty that for every reason II Is of the
highest moment that n man follow the
path of duty: thai he owes II To God and
10 his fellow-men 10 do right. and that he
must suffer fearful consequences II he
choose TO do wrong; no sooner do We
reach this conclusion. then we reflect that
there plainly exists among men strong
tendency 10 deviate from right. Carlyle
Il not likely to be charged with using re-
lisious cant. and he asks In all simplicity
and sincerity. What man can walk ac-
eurately by the law of truth for one
Tty2" We must candidly answer: no
man. That is the truth. after all
But right living is the only condition of
life and no man can walk accurately by
the law of truth for single day" Is
anything palmer than that
MAN MUST HAVE HELP.
The divine must cooperate with the
human II man Is TO he saved. There is
no mystery about the necessity of a sa-
vior IL is the simple. irresistible logical
outcome of perfectly certain facts.
As "A matter of history one claiming TO
be- the savior of man has shown himself
on earth: of humble family. brought up
among an illiterate people: preaching
and working three short years in an OBJ
scure corner of the world. he has left a
system OF teaching that has carried lib
erty. life. light. wherever IL has been ac-
cepted that has cast down the thrones
of tyrants and dispelled the darkness of
cruelty and superstition; that has made
the drunkard. the sneerer. the hater of
his race, Il sober man. u worshipper of
God kind father a good citizen. Men
may sneer at Christianity; nevertheless
IL Is the only thing that has radically
helped human society. They may gloat
over the Inconsistencies of those who call
themselves the disciples of Christ: they
may cxutingly point To the church men,
bers who have been false to their trusts
or shocked the moral sense of the COM
munity. 1t still remains true that the
disciples of Christ are the salt of the
earth: that for every one who is recreant
10 his vows. there are hundreds. nay.
thousands of quiet men and women all
over the world. who unknown and unno-
ticed. are exemplifying in their own lives
the power of the Christ TO turn the whole
current of human life from darkness to
liSHt mere is only one way 20 explain
the veriflable assertion of the best socie-
~. the best type of civilization the best
tNpes of Individual character. the best
codes of law. the best conditions of hui
man life. with the prevalence of the gos-
pei of Christ.
There are great mysteries about the in
carnation and the atonement; but there
IS no mystery about the necessity of
divine savior. And that such a savior
exists in Jesus Christ can be certainly
fftix ,Nr.x h.
himself by his own personal experience of
personal relations with him.
And SO of the fourth of these great YER
tiles OF which We are speaking
THE FACT OF IMMORTALITY.
If any man knows that Jesus Christ
lives. he knows that he also Is immortal
am aware that many deny that we can
know anything about the future. The
great American representative of agnos-
ticism has declared that mo man knows
anything of what is beyond the grave
But over against his assertion to this cf
fect stands the statement of a greater |
man than he and greater authority in |
these things-Paui. the, preacher to the |
Gentilcs. who said ave know that when
this earthly house of our Tabernacle has |
dissolved we have a building of God, a |
house not made with hands. eternal in
the heavens
!. Young men and women: fellow stu
dents: do not look upon you as those |
who are about to encounter for the first |,
time the realit es of life. The conditions /
Of real life have beeh about you here. !
Here you have had your daily trials and
won your daily victories. Here yol have
been called upon to exercise honesty
thoroughnss. cheerfulness. courtesy, /
faithfulness. You will continue to have
The same discipline. and that which you
have here received will stand you In good
stead These same demands will ever be /
made of you. Neither do look upon you
as those who have finished your educa-
ton. or who will ever finish 1t. Yet
henceforth your conditions viii be differ
emit from those In which you have here
tofOre worked yau will no laoe ,intler