The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-07-31

ist church, at the morning SER
vice Sunday. took for his subjer.t, IRE
fgfous Lessons from the Life OF Robert
InaersollY The text was tnken from
Romans. 1i:5s LET every man be fully
persuaded in hts own mind"
Mr.. Payne began by saying: "No easy
task confronts the one who shall truth
fully writs the history OF American relig-
ious thought and progress during the
present century. 1t began with the In
tolerance of extreme Calvinism; ID closes
with the widest possible liberty In relis-
ious thought and practice. This has. been
accomplished by much labor and pro.
longed warfare on the part of religion
lists and sscularist. Men within the ,hurch
Iabored for the emancipation of the hui
man intellect and health. Men outside of
the church, impeiled by no religious mo-
tive, greatly aided In the work. The great
est Of these secular opponents of all CAL
whistle types Of Christianity, during the
present century, was the man Of whom
We now speak. Robert q. IngersoIl, a
man OF large heart. sweet Instincts and
noble helpfHlness. wish to bring briefly
to you attention some things we should
remember In connection with the man,
lessons we should learn ont OF his expert
enos, and few things the Christian
church should lay to heart now that her
chief opponent is no more.
"The first lesson we all ought 10 learn
from the life Of this man is this: be care
full how you present the Creator and
Father Of men to His children. Teach
them to think of Him, not as their worst
enemy. but their dearest and best friend.
If you cannot speak OF God to men. nm
less you run the risk Of destroying their
belief in God, far better never to mem
tion His name at all to them.
"Ingersoli began to think In day
when Gcd was universally portrayed as
a tyrant. To him IL sesmed better. and
he was right, to believe In no God at all
than such God.
"Another lesson is this; 1t Ia Q word OF
warning: No man VIII. have right In
the 10th century to devote himself solely
to the work Of religious demolition.
There hays bsen times IN the past when
this was Justified. A third error Is this.
It Ia ons of fact According to the def
milton of Jesus. there was more real re-
fIigioa In the life of Ingersoli. atheist as
he was. than there Is in many a profess
ing Christian, whose life Is morally and
spiritually unelean.
''Ths world united In saying that as q
husband, father and friend, Iugsrson
was little less than perfect. Ths man
who Processes to believe In God, Christ
and the right life, but Is untrue a. hus-
band, false as a father, infidel as a
friend. Pharisee as Christian. Is mora
Of msnanee to true faith and life than
ever Ingsrsoll was. SILL another lesson
Shat ths church especially needs to iearn
ut this time Ia fofebsarance with and
charity for thoss VINO do not believe In
1t and oppose 1t. Denunciation converts
no one. The man who has no faith In
q lovingly. heavenly Father. In the inf
mite possibilities Of all souls to become,
God Ike, In an unendtng life beyond the
grave for all suuls, who cannot see IN the
gentle Jesus the grauaest character Of all
history, Is deserving, not of our hatred
and anathsma but ofsour sympathy and
help.
IA fifth lesson the chnrch needs to
learn from the IFS Of IngersulI, Is this:
The necessity of quickly adjusting her
theology and creed to the obvious taaoh-
ings OF Jesus, the plain dictates of human
conscious and reason and the imperative
demands Of mo iern science II she would
make impregnable In the coming century,
her citadel of faith and practice.
Robert Inaersoll was made an atheist
By the abominabIs theology Of JohniCaI-
vim. According to HIS light he was an
honest man, one OF ODDS noblsst works.
Many today who bslieyed In tina man, but
wha cannot get away from the mental
bonnags Of the question, swiIi he bs
saved OF course believe he will, for i
helisve all men will be saved. He did not
believe in God. But that did not hurt
God. 1t deprived a naturally good man
of ons of the greatest i6ys- OF the soul
life. He did not believe in hereafter.
But he does today. He saw through n