The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-02
Sunday Sermon.
a SIMPLE FAITH

- oASlI LIZ Il al j Ils
Ye believe in God, believe also in me.
st. John, xiv, /.
What is absolutely essential in relig
ion, so far as doctrine is concerned, is
very little and very simple. The church
has for long time had a strange notion
that in order to be saved man must
believe a long list of dogmas. whereas
the only condition imposed by the Christ
is that man shall have heart and a
life full of love which lifts some ones
burden whenever the chance occurs, ana
seek the strength to do it from Him who
is Father to all alike.
There is this difference between what
is called "a body of doctrine and a
spiritual principle, namely, that not
everybody can either understand or ac-
cept the doctrine, while no man is so un-
lettered or so obtuse that he need fail to
do what is right because he is in doubt
about it, The road to heaven is not a
tangled maze of statement about Christ
or God. but a straight and open path
from the trusting human heart to the i'm
mortal life. path in which the little
child and the grave philosopher may hand
in hand wend their way with equal pleas
ure and profit
You need corner stones if you erect a
building, and for like reason you need
certain beliefs if you make for yourself
a character. Faith in God who will
never desert you stands first 1t must
be an unflinching faith, however, or it
will give way in the time of emergency.
You begin we'll when you begin with
that, and you begin i'll If you begin in
any other fashion.
l have a queer suspicion that the gen.
| eral faith in the ability or willingness of
God to see us safely through all earthly
experience is clouded by more or less
! doubt. 1t is a matter which we keep TO
ourselves, but deep down in the heart is
wonder whether this beautiful some
! thing which we call religion can be relied
upon as firmly, for instance, as the sea
captain relies on his compass in a storm
| Hence the despair which we find when
death comes into the house, and hence
our weakness when a bold and insolent
temptation assails us. We are not thor
oughly convinced, and, though we hope
Z that God is there and does hear us when
we cry, we have a doubt which seizes
us like a sudden throb of agony.
l
ulation of it. 1t is a staff of willow. not
q staff of oak. 1t serves in good weather,
but in the tempest it fails us. When
Dayy invented his wire gauze lamp as Il
tprotection against the explosive of fire
damp in the mines the workmen looked
at it and shook their heads. 1t was too
simple to be worth much But Davy
had faith in his lamp. He lighted the
L. 3,
earth. sought the spot where fire damp
lay in ambush and exposed himself to
! the danger He had not only theory
/ but a conviction. He would trust his life
I to it. No test could be too severe. lie
| felt absolutely safe with that lantern in
/ his hand.
! That is She kind of faith we want if
our lives are to become heroic. And
when We are possessed of it we have
! something else besides. Faith in God
produces faith that our earthly eXpe-
rience5 are our discipline and our pre-
paration. The moment you see God as
your Father duty becomes not only clear
and distinct, but easy Alone you can
bear but little, but with the infinite res
ervoir of power and love to draw from
you are equal to whatever your position
may be- If God is with you then the
angels who do His bidding viii be your
companions. You become one of the
great family and will be conspiciously
helped by unseen hands over the rough
places. And this consciousness will grow
clearer as your faith increases, until in
the end there will be only thin veil be-
tween YOU and the other world. You
will live in the friendship of the depart
ed as you live in that of the dear ones
in your household. The Christ realized
this, but we are yet dull of hearing and
dim of sight.
Immortality will become not a vague
hope or even a reasonable belief, but a
demonstrate certainty, and you will live
in the two worlds at the same time. Your
last hour will find you with a smile on
your lips and great gladness in your
heart. You will eagerly step out of a
tired body to be welcomed by those who
await your coming.
That is the kind of religion which men
long for. and which they will have when
they wake up from this half belief and
this make believe to a realization of the
glorious truth. It was Christ's religion,
and it is our own fault if we do not make
it ours.
GEORGE Fl. HEPWORTH.