The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31

| tiSiSih inc t'hNrcittS anu ii''uiitth
even the minds of Christian believers.
Now that the smoke Of the battle has
| cleared away, while many tragedies are
disclosed. it does not appear that the
| Churches have been weakened by the
strife or have yielded any essential truth
| or conviction. The belief in God. and in
| his creation and government of the world,
| the incarnation of God in Christ. the
miracle for which Christ stands. and pre-
eminently the miracle of his resurrec-
tion-in word. the supernatural inter
| probation of life, remains mistaken Ii is
| unjust to charge, as has sometimes been
done, dishonesty and a spirit of evasion
| against those who, while the fierce battle
was in progress, kept silence. unable to
defend by cesent argument what yet
| they cherished still as true
| In the latter part of the century there
| came efforts at the reconstruction of the
ology in order to a better adjustment Of
the increase of knowledge regarding the
nature of God and his relation to the
| world. The doctrine of God as immanent
| in the world. and not only transcendent
| or above and apart from 1t, has proved
valuable in reconciling many of the dis
cOveries of history and of natural science
| with the Christian faith. Efforts have
also been made to simplify theology by
| the reduction of the large and complex.
| even conflicting, mass of Christian tenets
and beliefs, given in history or repre-
| scented in various Christian sects. to a
| few simple principles in which all must
agree. resting for their confirmation not
| on metaphysics. but on the genuine
| Christian instincts as revealed in the
| New Testament. There has been at
tanned also better philosophical method
| for meeting the difficulties and perplexi-
| ties of the age.
| But these attempts at the better inter-
probation of revealed religion and the
| formation of more consistent theological
! systems have found n temporary rival in
efforts to create. first of all. better sys-
tenn of natural theology" as It may be
called. which shall take account of the
| doctrine of evolution and other discov-
cries of natural science since Paleys
| time and the day of the ''Bridgewater
Treatises." Those who aim at a recon-
Citation of religion with science treat the
| idea OF evolution as a mediating prin-
| ciple by which the conflict between
science and religion may he overcome
/ This effort is the more significant, in
view of the popular interest in evolution
| "A word which has become almost the
| watchword of the age. From this point
of view the invasion of religious terri
| tory by scientific men GHuxley. Tyndale,
/ Haeckel. and others, and the counter in
| vasion of scientific territory by philoso-
| pliers and theologians, give promise of
some mutual understanding in the future.
| w.
| 1t remains now to turn to another most
potent motive which has affected the for
| tunes of religion in the nineteenth CEN
| fury. 1t may be called Natiouaiisn,
meaning by the term that higher concep-
| ton OF the life of the state or nation,
slowly but most effectively asserting itself
throughout the nineteenth century. never
apart from religious convictions. always
| indeed in their support and furtherance.
| In Illustration Of this point, we turn again
| to the French Revolution. as giving the
| momentum. both directly and by way of
reaction, to the conception of the sacred
| ness of the State, as an ultimate fact in
| Gods government of the world. In that
| fearful outburst of the French people.
their long pent-up indignation was vented
no less against the State than against the
| Church-the one a device OF kings and
lawgivers for holding mankind in subjec-
| ton, as the other was scheme for the
same end by a designing priesthood. The
| Humanitarian sentiment received in con-
| sequence at this impressive moment di-
rection of antlPathy to nationality as an
4
in subsection to some higher principle, IL
the rights of man were to be secured.
| Something even of this negative mood
entered into the formation of the Ameri-
| can Constitution, where there is to be
/ noted singular omission of any refer
ence to deity as the author and preserver
| of the national life. On the Continent of
| Europe there wac the phenomenon of Ma
| poleon building on. the ruins of the French
| Revolution, while yet preserving the de-
structive motives which inspired it. Ma
| poleon revived the dream of empire, in
whose expansive embrace the nations of
Europe We're to be subordinated. If not
| suppressed altogether. He proposed to
! reconstruct the map of Europe. as though
| nationalities and crowns were purely
| human artificial arrangements to be dis
! posed of at his sovereign pleasure
| The failure of the French nation. its
demonstrated inability to do the proper
work of a State. well as the fact that
| the career of Napoleon was possible,
! indicates inherent weakness in all the ma
| tions of Europe at the beginning of the
nineteenth century. They existed either
in repose, and even stasnation. after the
| I'm If he pf I..
Reformation, averse to change distrust-
| full of enthusiasm, or were content to
strive for purely selfish aims. In accord
ance with the principle that the people
| existed for the State, rulers followed their
personal wnims, Indifferent to moral
sanctions, needless of the growing evils
| calling aloud for redress. Such in partic-
ular was the condition ir France. 1t was
| better in England, but even there the ma
tional selishness hardness. and cupidity
| We're so strong that England became Of
| fensive to the world, and especially to the
| American colonies, so that after the LAPSE
| of hundred years the dislike of England
| still remains deeply rooted in America.
and it seems as il any alliance between
| these peoples of common descent were
| forever impossible. However this may be.
| there has been reaction against nation
ality during the nineteenth century. The
nations have been forced to struggle
against this opposition. and through the
struggle they have attained their purif-
| cation.
| The subject is connected with the
fortunes of religion in many ways. The
! indifference to nationality, the distrust
/ of the nation as incompetent for the
eXigencies of life, the placing of an alb
| strict humanity as an idenl ahnv.. M