The times., 1899-09-25
DIR. KENT ON INDIVIDUAL LIFE.
Mans First Interest. He Declares, Is
Purely Personal.


Rev. DR. Alexander Kent preached at the
Peoples Church yesterday morning on the
theme, Individual Life and Influence
I'm religion, as in all else" said the
speaker. mans first interest is purely per-
sonal. It concerns himself. His interest in
it comes from what he believes. or he is
told, it can do for him. He is conscious
OF wants which he hopes it may satisfy
of needs which he trusts it may be able &c
meet He is also aware of weaknesses from
which he would be freed, of faults which he
would be helped TO overcome, and often of
wroagdoings which he wishes could be
blotted out.
EVERYWHERE man feels himself in the
presence of a power or powers superior to
himself-a power or powers upon which he
is dependent and by which his life is con-
ditioned. 1t matters little what this power
Is called though it is of the highest inn
portance that the conceptions which meh
form of its nature or character be such
as to command their confidence and affec-
ton, and to call into action the higher
and nobler qualities OF their being To
regard this power as malignant or ca
pricious is to come under influences which
foster malignity and distrust. To think
OF it as purposeless, Indifferent, moving
blindly and aimlessly to no certain end, is
to drift blindly and aimIessly with it, or to
struggle hopelessly for ends we can have
no assurance of obtaining. But to think
of this power or these powers as purposefu
and benignant, as moving in the whole
course of history TO higher and nobler
manifestations of life and beauty, is tc
have a ground of confidence and trust
which nothing can destroy. Ii is TO have
an ideal of life that grows with our growth
and an encouragement to effort that moth
ing else can give.
MANS ideas of his power are always
affected by his own moral condition They
can never rise higher in point Of moral
character than the highest ideal which he
cherishes for himself. If this ideal in
cludes the vindictiye and vengeful, he will
ascribe such qualities to his God. If his
thought of justice involves the retaliatory
or retribution idea and the gravity Of the
offence is conditioned upon the state or
dignity of the being offended against, then
when the being Offended is the infinite
majesty the torment must be eternal. This
is the kingly conception of justice. The
fairness of all orthodox creeds-so- called
were dominated by this thought. Sin was
an infinite offence because committed
against the infinite God Hence punish
ment to be just-that' is, proportioned to
the offence-must be infinite also. Hence
again, the necessity for an infinite atone
ment and so there grew up the whole
orthodox system of dogma known as the
plan Of salvation, TO meet the terrible ex-
igency created by this conception of JUS
tice. Naturally, therefore, this ideat of
sin and the absolute hopelessness of mans
condition under the reign OF law and JUS.
tice have always been kept TO the front in
the teachings of the church.
Under this conception the one impor-
tant function of religion is to punish men
with way of escape from the chains of
justice and give them clear title to man
sions in the skies when the earth life is
ended. All the real needs OF the soul are
overshadowed and often lost sight of by
this imaginary peril which theologians have
created.
1T is the perception OF the antagonism
between the Christ spirit and the Church
spirit, between the Christ purpose and the
world purpose, as expressed in our pres
ent industrial regime, that keeps the great
bulk of men and women out OF church re-
lations. They know that joining the
Church cannot possibly open the way to
freedom from their conditions. 1t Is max.
ing no effort in this direction. as a body.
and the few men and women within its
ranks who are seeking to move 1t in this
direction are looked upon as endangering
the very existence of the institution. They
are endangering 1t as 1t now exists, and