The Washington times., 1902-05-05
Eloquent Sermon by Eng
llSh Divine at Church
of the Covenant.
TEXT TAKEN FROM GALATIANS
"out of the Circle of Faith No Man Can
Put Himself"-Faith Is in Them ALL
Faith Is the Root of Humanity-Homcs
Built on Faith.

OF the Covenant. the Rev. Dr. W. Garrett
Horder, of London. delivered the sermon
Dr. Horder preached from the text:
Il live in faith, the faith which is in
the Son Of God, who loved me and gave
himself up for me''-Galatians ii:2o.
His address was in part, as follows:
Il live in faith-that is the cry of hu
manity. The faith which is in the Son
OF God-that is the cry of the Christian
heart. Who loved me and gave himself
Up Tor me-that is the cry of those who
nave perGonated the great Christian idea.
Out OF the circle of faith no man can
put himself. You say. Why, there are
men who call themselves skeptics. unbe-
levers, agnostics. Yes; but faith is in
Them all. They try to put themselves out
II the circle OF faith. but they cannot
You say, The very Book declares that
faith is the gift Of God And SO IT is; 1t
is a part OF the original endowment OF
the human mind. Without it man could
not continue the struggle of life. All men
have not religious faith, but the faculty
of faith is there, and is in constant exer-
cise-every day, every hour, every mo-
ment Of our lives. Faith is the root OF
humanity. Without it man would be like
. piece of thistledown in a windy air
Each mans life is dominated by some
ideal, and this ideal is the object of his
faith. 1t may be only an ideal of ease
in life, of freedom from work, but there
it is, and it shapes his life
Home Built OF FAITH
DR.. Eorder then showed how the ideal
of the business man, the man of thought,
the ne'er-do-well. or the man Of pleasure,
guides the life of each. The home. he
said, was built en- faith, its whole atmos-
pherc being that of mutual confidence. In
the world Of science the great effort is to
eliminate faith, to build everywhere on
knowledge. but all science is built on
certain p-esuppositions that lie beyond
the realm CT proof.
And then, too" he went on, mo man
of science, however great, can inVesu-
gate in every realm. He is confined to
one; for all the rest he is obliged to
trust to other workers. Life is not long
enough. our powers are inadequate. 10
examine everything for ourselves. Even
those trained TO demand evidence cannot
always act on that principle
Let no one therefore say, I have no
faith You may say, L am net credulcus.
must have some ground for faith That
is right. But do not say, for 1t is not
true. have not the faculty of faith
When God made you man he gave this
faculty into your nature. Through its
exercise en- the highest object you may
come into the grand succession OF the
men of faith whose story is outlined in the
Epistle 10 the Hebrews"
wife-Love and God-Love.
Sidney Lanier wrote a fine poem indi- |
eating the true difference between wife,
love and God-loye. comparing the one to a
dove. the other TO an upward soaring lark: |
=. .wife-love flies level, his dear mate to !
seek,
Gcd-love darts straight into the skies
above
The sane distinction applies to faith, |
which is . close relative of love. In great |
number, faith flies level, to persons and |
objects around. But when religion comes !
in faith darts straight into the skies !
above. Man needs the upward look; the |
downward look to earth bends and de- |
forms; the upward look makes him stand /
erect.
But the eternal and invisible God must !
be made visible in way that iE bearable |
to US; and this we have in what St. Paul
here calls the Son CT God. 1t meets a crav-
ing of my nature. and because ii does.
believe in It, / have eyes, and there is
the loveliness of earth and the blessed
faces of my friends for me TO behold.
have ears, and there are the songs Of
birds and the music OF inspired melodists
% be heard have heart, and there are
wife and children and friends to love. And
have a craving for God. for the eternal.
YEAR, to know what feeling lies at the
,ack Of all this strange and solemn world,
and I see one like unto the Son OF Man.
and somehow or other this meets, as
nothing clse does, my craving for God.
"This is an age of collectivism Where |
,ur fathers talked of the individual we
nix OF the race; where they thought of
he man. we think OF humanity. We have
reverted TO the old classical idea in which
. mans value is estimated by his use to
he State.
vastness of Humanity.
Then, 100. tDtIe 10 tnt NdsNHcss VI /
humanity. The teeming millions that
,rowd the earth have become realized as
hey never were before. The individual
seems an invisible speck in these teem-
ng millions. And SO with a deeper feel
nr than the Psalmist's we cry. Who is
nan. that thou art mindful of him?' But
;.rely our thoughts CT the vas;ness of
he earth and the human folk that people
/ should carry greater thoughts of the
;od from whom they all spring and in
;hom they all consist. AS science en-
arees our thought Of the creation. re-
ipion should enlarge our thought of the
,reator A vast universe means vast |
;od Science should render IL impossible
or us 10 speak Of God as a magnified |
,ord Shaftcsbury; IL should make Us
birk Of him as one In whom all things. |
~ matter how small or how great, con-
list"
Tse sneaker quoted number OF pas
ayes from the Old and New Testaments,
frustrating this thought of the Creator,
hen continued;
I'VE are all disposed to think that we
ire lost in this vast crowd of humanity; |
hat .hc Divine love is love of humanity
athcr than q love of individual men. So
re limit the Holy One of Israel. So we
make God such an one as ourselves. Is |
owe TO humanity possible save as IL goes
ut 10 the individuals that compose 1t?
$ not the individuality of love involved in
he very name Father which is SO often
n our lips? Does not each child OF the
amily stand out separate and distinct 10 I
father? II we can only combine in our |
hought the two great reyealings of God ,
LII.