The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-04
TIE WORTH OF RELIGION.
Sermon of the Rev. Alexander Kent
at the Peoples Church.


at the Peoples Church.
AT the Peoples Church yesterday Rev.
Alex Kent spoke on the subject, 1.-The
Present Worth of Religion" In his dis
course he said that many of the people of
! the world were inspired in their religious
observances by the fear of the fire to
come. and their acts were characterized
as n kind Of investne having for its
purpose the avoidance of that fate. Like
Government bonds, the investment was
based upon 4 belief in the ultimate pay
ment.
He defined religion as a sentiment or
feeling awakened in mans heart by his
contemplation of the universe, and true
religion must be the result of a true
knowledge of the universe and the effect
such contemplation guided by such knowl-
edge would have upon the normal mind.
knowledge is a lamp which each soul
must carry for itself to illumine its path.
Often we have not Knowledge itself, but
only faith that knowledge lies in certain
direction.
The ancients had no patent on knowl-
edge nor a monopoly of the road which
leads to it. But there has been a ten
dency to ascribe to them remarkable pre-
negatives in this direction. The speaker
then pointed out that the modern concap-
tion of the universe was great advance
upon the ancient. He said:
is the universe but combination of
blind atoms. moving aimlessly, fitting
about without design? Is there nothing
n tn o,,l
to be most pitied of all animals. Rever-
ence, love. trust are the essentials of
life. Their presence in the human soul
Is demonstration that there is something
IN the universe to which they respond.
lhe evolution of man depends upon these
elements in him. They are the funda-
mental truths Of all religions
Christ took no materialistic view of di-
Vinity. He declared that God is spirit. not
that ne is spirit. He believed that there
was no suspension of the law. no break
IN the chain of cause and effect, only an
opportunity at all times to amend. Coax
ing with an external heaven. or threaten
ing with an external hell. are irrelevant
TO true religion. Selfiessness cannot be re-
warded with pleasure. but virtue and IN
sei1sdnesS have joys in their OWL eXer-
else. In the Christ thought virtue was
life, and life was harmony with the uni
verse. He looked upon natures forces as
divine activities. raising men to higher
usefulness. True life was to know God
and 10 cooperate with him. 1t was
Christ's purpose to draw men into closer
fellowship with God
Man has always regarded God as trans
cendental rather than imminent. He re-
sents the seeming Indifference of the uni
verse and rebels against fate until he sees
the light OF love shining through the
law. and then realizes that the Law is
indispensable. Religion thus becomes full
OF encouragement. 1t is a great thing to
feel that the universe is on ones side.
christ said i am my Father not OLE in
numerical sense. but in purpose and
sympathy. Hence he was looked upon as
God made manifest. And he called all
men brothers. Under this conception. diff
ierences in creed, birth. position, dwindle
into insignificance. When We contemplate
the universe in the spirit rather than in a
material sense We come together in one
general bond of sonship and daughternoos.
In all time there has been a common
conception of God as tyrant. Thoughts
and acts have been ascIibed to him which ,
should properly be ascribed to a devil |
Man was condemned almost from creation
and condemned to bring forth others who |
were themselves condemned before their |
birth. Under this idea no means of es- |
cape was provided until the birth of Christ. |
One Moses and his progeny obtained early |
information. and were permitted to do GER |
tain things for which, later they were |
to be let in on the ground floor, SO to |
speak. Then Christ paid the whole pen |
atty for those then living. and those who |
we're to come. but not fer those who had |
been born and had lived and died during
past centuries. Only by the invention Of |
the doctrine of the Trinity was the God
head enabled to share in the grandeur of
the sacrifice performed by Christ.
The new religion believes that the Law
is for the benefit of the governed, anI none
other. and punishment which defeats the
purpose OF the law is contrary to the law
itself. The application OF the principles
of true religion to the everyday features
Of life is the vocation of the Church. To
reform the masses it is necessary to make
good their Institutions. So long as good
men allowed to go hungry. God is not
reigning in this world. So long as there
Is injustice. he is not ruling. 1t is the bust
ness Of the Church to see that the work
Of God is done in the world. and IL it
cannot do that it had best take down its
sign
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