The San Francisco call., 1901-10-18
MODERN PHILOSOPHY
MAKES FOR FAITH

What answer shall make to our breth-
ren who come in the fellowship Of alien
assailants, speaking these strange new
words SO fraught with danger? What
answer shall we make to our own hearts,
trembling with dread of the new doctrine,
disease of doubt, whose germs are crowd
ing the air we breathe? We answer first
of all to ourselves and to all Inen-we seek
the truth, cost what il may. come whence
it may; content that the things
which can be shaken shall be removed, be-
cause we are thereby made to know more
clearly the things which cannot be shaken.
and shall remain We answer boldly that
the God of truth, who has spoken unto US
words of hope by Jesus Christ, cannot deny
himself and that, therefore, there can be
no contradiction of nature by revelation
We are eager TO deny the identity of
standing of that revelation in any particular
age, and we refuse to consent that its di-
vine and all-suffcient authority may be up
set by mans theory to the operation of
the Godhead by which is given the knowl-
edge of all the truth he wills to impart.
We entreat the recognition of the purpose
for which holy Scripture was given and of
the fact that nowhere is there promised
revelation of any truth which has not refer
ence perfect and complete to that pur-
pose We are not astonished by the dscov-
cry Of supposed inaccuracies: they are but
natural exhibition Of the human element in
divine revelation. and our faith in the in
dwelling divinity is not shaken by these
evidences of the reality of that human ele-
ment We charge You that We be not made
dATdlQ Dl any CTlllClSm OF NIO0 s word. how
ever nigh be its claims or however low be
its spirit. for the scrutiny of the documents
the comparisons of texts, the exploitation
OF so-called mistakes, historical, geograph-
ical, numerical. the seeming triumphant dis
coveries of Biblical contradictions all these
shall but make more manifest the giory of
the indwellines truth, the same ALWAYS and
everywhere, in every age and in every land,
the life of that multitude which no man can
number. And then we bid you rejoice that
in the good providence of God the prog
ress of knowledge under the inspiration Of
the restless time spirit has made for the
furtherance of the gospel Biblical criti-
cism has made for faith natural science
has made for faith. modern philosophy has
But we must bid you note and strive
against the last and most evil result of our
age tendency in the reckless spirit of in
dividual license, the caricature and con
trndiction Of that ideal of personal liberty
which the church has created and per-
petuated among men. The fool who saith
in his heart there is no God is quick to
there is no human authority of right de-
manding his recognition and obedience.
The man who derides the revealed foun-
dation Of all ethical obligation is the easy
victim Of the devils delusion that self-in-
terest is the sole motive of human action
and self-advancement the only test of
moral conduct And finally the defiant
denial of the God who ordaineth finds
elimination in the assertion that there
ernment to whom in superstitious faith
obedience has been rendered and anarchy
is born as the legitimate offspring of un-
belief The crime at Buffalo, month
agone, by which the head of our nation
was taken away, was but the natural fruit
of this tree of God-defying denial. The
great and good President was slain by the
spirit of our age But we must recog-
nize that this awful crime, thrice repeat
ed within forty years, is the offspring of
the spirit of lawlessnesS, full grown to
maturity of malevolence, and that other
children Of the same evil spirit are close
about US every hand, themselves the
fFez Ia 10
make possible and certain these giant mon
sters whose deeds of violence have
shocked our souls. The failure of the
citizen OF a republican government to do
his duty in the endeavor to elect honest
and true men as the officers of that gov
tation Of this pernicious life. The selfish
indifference which, governed by disgust
is content that the city or the State shall
be given up into the hands of the least
reputable people in it rather than do
valiant and painful battle to preserve
the ballots purity and the honesty of
official administration, this the tiny germ
ment grows into the vigor which threat
ems our very social life. 1t is cheaper,
men think and even say, to let the Gov
ernnent be in the hands of the corrupt
than to labor and to suffer to keep II in
the hands of the honest and upright. The
venial Legislature can be easily pur-
chased and the ends good citizens are seek
ing easily secured. The rights of corpo-
rations can be made safe Dy putting mon
ey into the purse of the guardians of the
State; the privileges desire be ours
for a price, and that price is less than
must be paid for honest administration Of
public affairs.