The record-union., 1899-12-03
REASONABLE
!. REQUIREMENTS
OF RELIGION.

night however. His text was from one
of the old Hebrew prophets, and clearly
states the universal and eternal re-
uuirements of religion There was
large audience and they listened with
devout attention to the sermon. me
interior of the Synagogue has been
greatly beautified, and this was the
first service since the renovation. Ihe
text was: What doth the Lord require
of thee but to do justly, and to love
mercy and to walk humbly with thy
God."-Micah, 6:S.
Clear ideas in religion, said the
speaker, are of great value. In these
words of the prophet Micah we have
a clear statement of what constitutes
the essence of religion. This may De
regarded as one Of the greatest utter
ances of Hebrew literature. 1t Is
condensation of the great messages
that God sent to mankind through
those inspired teachers of religion, the
Hebrew prophets. It is an ep1tome OF
the whole Bible. 1t outlines the eie-
ments of a true and full religious lie.
1t is a chart and compass that VIII
guide US safely in all our relglous
thinking and acting.
This statement is an appeal to the
conscience and reason of man. 1t makes
clear the fact that religion is reason
able life. a life that all men ought 10
live. 1t is obligatory on all men alike
that they do justly, love mercy anc
walk humbly with God. These are the
reasonable, universal and eternal re-
uuirements of religion. To the consld-
Grafton of these divine requirements
I ask your prayerful attention.
Every person in this audience is IN
terested in the subject of religion. Your
presence in a place of worship is evil
dence that religion has some influence
over your thought and life. You may
not call yourself a religious person, and
vet you would not like to be called IT.
religious. You may not call yourself
a Cody man, and yet you would resent
being called ungodly or Goddess. 1t is
possible that you are more religious
than you are willing to admit You
may be nearer the kingdom of God
than YOU think. The divine love en-
girdles your soul as the atmosphere en-
swathes your body. God longs to come
into the life of every one of US, 10
beautify us with the beauty OF holl-
ness. 1t is as true to-day as when
THE Lord God is a sun and shield:
the Lord will give grace and glory; no
good thing will He withhold from them
that walk uprightly." Religion brings
TO man the best things of the life that
now is and Of that which is to come
The essence of religion may be held
by people who differ pole-wide in their
forms of faith and modes of worship
IL 1r1.n 60
righteousness and reverence. the love
of God and the love of man dwell IN
our hearts and rule our lives? If religion
is the life of God in the soul OF man,
then we should expect that that lie
divine will manifest itself in diversity
of ways. There will be diversitles OF
gifts, but amidst all the diversity Oh
expression that may ADJOURN there Will
be seen a real and substantial unity
This unity will be in the fundamental
essentials and in the practical results
of religion, for all will strive to 40
justly, love mercy and walk humpiy
with God. This oneness in essentlaiS
unites all who are truly devout; wheth-
er they worship in church or synagogue,
on EbaTs mount or Gerizim's hill.
Religion is in harmony with mans
nature 1t is rooted in mans consul
tuition. 1t is natural to man.. Man IN
his very nature is religious. He was
made so when he was created IN the
image of God. Man did not create re-
ligion neither can he destroy It, Burn
every Bible, tear down every chufcn'
level every altar, dismiss every minis
ter. blot out every ordinance and SYM
boil of relig tomorrow, and religion
would still go on. The yearnfng for
God in the human soul is independent
of these outward helps and signs
Erase every medical school, cremate
every medical book Danish every med
zeal man tomorrow, and there would
still exist in man the desire and effort
to regain health. Religion is to the
soul what health is to the body.
In pleading for the culture of the re-
ligious life, L go on the basis that you
are willing to live according to truth
and right and reason. / take 1t for
granted that you desire to be a full
orbed man or woman. You want TO
round out your life with all that 1pakes
life worth living. You would not know
ingly or designedly starve or dwarf
any part of your nature. You nave
body. To fulfill its functions 1t must
have appropriate 1000 anu CARE iou
have a mind. Its development requires
appropriate food and care. You would
not knowingly or designedly harm your
intellectual nature.
You admit that you are not wholly
body or wholly mind You have moral
nature You may call this moral nature
by different names. You may call 1t
the sense of right and wrong, you may
call it conscience, you may call 1t the
faith faculty or the religious instinct
in man. No matter about the name,
the fact is the important thing. There
is something in your makeup that is
neither physical nor Intellectual There
is something different from and above
these. We are conscious of pleasurable
physical feelings. We know what intel
lectual delights are. We are also con-
scious Of moral and spiritual exulta-
lions. We are lifted up at
times into realm that is
not physical or intellectual, where we
see the light that was never on sea
or land" Moses endured as seeing
Him who is invisible" There is an
eternal truth in the vision that came to
Jacob of a ladder whose base was in
deed on earth but whose top reached to