The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-16
THE VOICE OF THE PULPIT
AN APPEAL TO REASON, AND III RE-
SUITS THAT MAY BE EXPECTED.
short Sermon by Rev. Samuel w. Rel
CART, ID. D., Pastor First Presby-
terrain Church, Salisbury, Md.
Come now and let US reason together"
saith the Lord lea 1S

1t is one of the marvels of unbelief that,
while it processes the highest respect for
that type Of character which is the product
of Christianity, 1t yet depreciates tie judg-
ment Of those who put their trust in its
author and regulate their lives by it's pre-
cepts.
of people, but they are very ~credulous,
is the verdict of the world. They &C.
cept their creed merely on the authority
OF the religious teachers. They believe
facts which are incapable of proof. They
pursue a course which is rreconcilable with
reason. Science has reason on its side.
Philosophy is based upon reason. But re-
ligion is altogether a matter of faith: a
matter in which the feelings are involved,
but with which the intellect has nothing
to do. Religion and reason have nothing in
common.
This is the opinion of the world. But
the world may possibly be mistaken In its
judgment. Reason may after all have a
place in this system of belief and course
Of conduct. If the author of the Bible be
the same God who has endowed man with
the faculty of reason there can be nothing
in revelation contrary to the dictates Of
reason, or God would contradict Himself.
And there is nothing contrary to the sound
est reason in the teachings of 1.-THE
Book" or the practice of believers in it.
Whatever demands religious teachers may
make upon the belief of man, God makes
no unreasonable emands upon His crea-
lures. The Bible is an appeal to reason.
The language of it's divine author is, Come
now and let us reason together" and the
appeals of Gods messengers, prophets.
apostles and preachers are addressed as
much to the intellect as to the heart OF
man. Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, jeremiah,
Ezekiel reasoned with the people to whom
God sent them. Peters great sermon to
prove the resurrection Of Christ was a log
ical argument.
SECRET OF PAULS POWER.
The power of Paul as a preacher was the
irresistible logic with which he pressed upon
the minds of his hearers the truths of Chris
tianity. When the Roman governor covered
beneath the eloquence of the great apostle,
it was as she reasoned of righteousness,
temperance and a judgment to come"
Come now. and let US reason together"
God makes the demand upon US. What is
it to reason? IT Is to draw a j~ustiiable in
ference. to take a well-known fact or facts,
n deduce therefrom a principle. a theory,
a duty. 1t is TO climb to the knowledge Of
the unknown upon the stepping stones OF
the known.
The grandest achievements of art and
science are due to the exercise of this fac
ulty. Thus, from the circular shadow of the
earth thrown on the surface Of the moon
during its eclipse Tin connection with other
facts), astronomers inferred that this planet
is a sphere; and Columbus, reasoning from
this fact. was led TO believe that India could
- 49, ffs e. %h4 - AutD
observing the common fact that an apple
loosened from the tree, falls to the ground.
reasoned that an invisible force must draw
the one body to the other, and SO discovered
ceiving the lid of the tea kettle bobbing up
and down as the water boiled, inferred that
this led to the invention OF the steam engine.
In like manner let reason exercise her office
with regard TO spiritual things. and what
will be the result? Let us take admitted
US. Start with this well known fact: There
Is a right and a wrong In human conduct.
Nobody can dispute this fact. Some things
We do we know to be right, and some we
know to be wrong. We make constant use
of the word ''ought"-and a most weighty
word it is. What does it mean? 1t implies
s sSiSa and such ant a f thin s"s: you mean / 70 anu G0
under obligation to do it. There is an au-
thority compelling me to do 1t. If I fail to
do 1T. I am false to some obligation; / vio-
late some law.
AN UNREPEALABLE LAW.
What law? The law of the state? Not
necessarily. There are thousands of things
I ought to do about which the laws Of the
state say nothing. The laws of a people
are not the highest standard OF authority.
Human laws vary. Human laws are imper-
feet. The avs of different States differ. A
law Is made one year and repealed the next.
D,,t <h1 l.-y 80 ~s-lt .rI L. 49,
changeable, unrepealable. 1t is not human
laws that mark the distinction between
right and wrong. 1t is not human opinion.
it is not the consent Of mankind. Were you
the only man on the face of the earth you
would still have the consciousness Of this
difference between right and wrong, the
conviction that there were some things you
ought to do and some things you ought not
TO do. You would feel that you Were under
obligation, l. e., under law. Now law i'm
plies a lawgiver. the will Of a superior. 1t
implies a judge.
alterable eternal distinction between right
and wrong. reason compels me to admit
that there is a law not Of man., and a law
giver higher than man, to whom he is
man incapable of reasoning who denies or
ignores this. The fool hath said in his
Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good
understanding have all they that keep His
commandments"
Take another fact. Here is a book which
purports to be the word of God, a revelation
of His will, a compilation of His laws. We
cal. 1T the Bible. i. G., the book-the book OF
books. 1t was penned by, many men,
living in different ages, In different coun-
tries, speaking in different tongues but all
protesting TO speak in the name Of God,
under the inspiration Of Gods spirit. This
book Is the basis of all religious teaching
in the home, in the schools. in the state.
The laws of all civilized nations are based
upon IL. The wisest and best of men ac-
cept 1t as a divine revelation.
No one will question the scholarship or
a%cuteness OF mind of such men as Sir Isaac
Newton, John Ruskin, Sir Humphrey Davy.
Michael F,araday, Sir William Herschel.
Charles A. Dana. Cyrus w: Field: These,
and hundreds Of others that might be
named-not clergymen, but laymen:
not theorists nor dreamers, but men in the
accept with reverence the teachings of the
Bible as divine.
Unquestionably the foremost man in Eng
land, perhaps In the world, during the last
1.-The Impregnable Rock of Holy Scripture
he published 10 the world his Judgment of
the Bible. Bismarck was no fool. He ruled
with an iron hand, and raised IL to
the front, rank among the great powers of
the world. He was a firm believer in the
divine authority of scripture. Il know not
whence / should derive my sense of duty"
is his language. IF not from God and His
revealed word"
A SAFE GUIDE.
Yes, the best, the wisest, the ablest, the
most useful, the most successful men of ev-
cry civilized nation have been those who
accepted this book as the word of God, and
regulated their lives by its precepts. No
one ever brought disaster upon himself by