Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1900-10-18
AHYPNOTIZEDAGE
BY Henry Van Dyke, ;,
D. D.. l.. l.. D.,

There are but two solutions which
really face the facts in religion. one
is the black, unspeakable creed that
the source of all things is an Unknown
mocking, malignant Power, whose last
and most cruel jest is the misery OF
d~isenchanted man.
The other is the hopeful creed that
the very pain which man suffers when
his spiritual nature is denied is PROOF
that it exists, and part of the discl-'
pline by which a truthful, loving God
would lead man to Himself. Let the
world Judge which is the more reason
able faith.
The d-isintegration of faith under the
secret process Of general skeptlclsm
has not, however, yet gone far enough
to make the peril of religion evident or
to cause a new marshalling of hosts to
recover and deferred the forsaken
shrines Of mans spiritual life.
When the process which Is now
subtIy working in so many depart
ments Of out literature has gone far
| Their, it may be needfuT to call for such
| a crusade. If so, I believe it will come.
Is it possible for is to ever find in
| the sphere of religion anything so clear
! and firm and tangible that We a lay
hold of it with positive assurance as
| we grasp the trunk of a tree, as we re-
| COTu d IdCI VI IIloIO1ys dS VIC
! a law of science, and say: This is real.
! this we touch, this we know, it cannot
be shaken?"
| Which view of religion shall we
| adopt? How shall we regard our faith?
| AS a power which supposes and mag
ines and acts as if certain things were
true? Or as a power which actually
brings US into vital contact with real
| tiles?
Certainly, for my own part, I cannot
but accept the latter view. There is no
rest for my soul anywhere else.
The doctrine of Christ is like the soft
| breath Of Spring, evoking the songs of
birds and the unfolding of new life.
No fiery chariot Of grace sWoOps down
to snatch men to glory. But a living
! messenger comes forth from God to ask
men to turn and walk back with Him
to their souls home.
Contrast the religion Of Jesus Christ
: -Christianity-with the Oriental reli-
| gions and with those forms of Chris
tianity which have borrowed the gar
ments of Buddha and speak with the
accent of Mahomet.
They despise and slight personality.
Christ respects and emphasizes it.
They aim to reduce and evaporate re-
sponsibility. Christ aims to deepen and
increase it.
LIE age mas nVpnOClZ0Q 1ISeII. IL Is
drifting steadily toward fatalism. II
denies freedom, and therefore it is mo-
free. It is in bondage to its own doubt
It is enslaved by it's own denial. Il
there is such a thing as liberty it car
only be developed, as everything else
has been developed, by action, by exer.
else. Life is self-change TO meet envi
ronnent. Liberty is s~elf-eXertion te
unfold the soul.
If the Christianity of to-day, by
dwelling exclusively or too much or
the ethical side of the gospel as 6
beautiful and beneficent rule of con.
duct illustrated by a perfect example
tends to ignore the intellectual necessi.
ties of man and fails to realize that i
has a message to deliver in the realm
of truth as we'll as in the realm o.
Righteousness, it will not and it cannor
meet the deepest wants of the present
age. Indeed it may even aggregate
these wants and make them more pain.
full. It may seem to give assent by ST
lence to the desperate assumption o.
skepticism that the unseen world is I'm.
known and unknowable. even to the
most perfect Of men.