The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-02-10

mOny and beauty which he has not seen,
for II is a greater faith. Blessed Is the
man who believes not I'm the man lac has
seen. but In the ideal man whom he has
not seen, who has not revealed himself.
For u Is a greater faith because a great
lieves not In the Christ whom he has seen.
or had revealed 20 him by the weakness
OF speech, but the Christ whom he has
not seen. It is a larger Christ, that Is
larger faith
Blessed Is the man who believes not In
the God he has seen, but Ia the unseen
truth and beauty.
SEEING AND BELIEVING.
The faith OF the unseeing man then Is
better In quality. larger In quality. Can
we further justify by one more step this
faith Of the other disciples as compared
with the faith OF Thomasy
IL IL perhaps the greatest justification
We can find. for the man who believes
first and sees after I'm other words. the
man who first has faith and then knowl-
edge, not only has "A better, larger faith,
but better. larger knowledge OF that
which he sees
Faith has at times been opposed 70
reason. Again ~ has surrendered 10
logic and been engulfcd. But true faith
never stands i'm opposition 10 true reason.
for faith Is the herald the John the Bap-
list. that goes before and makes the patti,
straight for the sight that follows. lmagis
nation. insight, faith, these are the
things, not test tubes. that have unlocked
and given us new science. a new phil
osophy, new theology and better,
larger truer llfe. TO return again
not that he was witnessing for the
first time the fall OF the apple that gave
him the clue 10 his law. But for the first
the law OF gravitatiOn and that faith is
what gave significance to the simple incl
dent Faith In the power OF steam makes
the lfting OF the ia OF the teapot I'M
mortal aud gives as a new world.
There Is nothing OF significance in this
world as II stands alone Isolated and out
life apart from humanity Is but "A wan
dering Robinson CrusOe. The subltmest
fact isolated from the law that governs
IL is meager and small. IL is only as we
see things I'm their true relations that
they gain Importance. Darwin. with the
eye OF faith, sees the law OF evolution
became the object Of study by the most
brilliant minds OF the century.
Spencer sees law running through So
ciety and then the lowest forms of hu-
manity become objects of the profound
The student OF religion seeing a law
of development that connects all forms
OF worship stndies then the sacrifice OF
the wandering Arab and the clan gath
ering OF the lowest tribes In Central aus
tralia
And II IS faith that sees this law and be-
lieyes i'm IL and brings IL 10 fact and the
object OF sight and then these small, IN
NlKninCunt ldGtS DtCOfnt AlpS ana
alayas In the world OF knowledge. To
see first without believing is TO see Moth
ing. To believe first and To see after IN
70 give the world science, art. poetry,
Little flower. il could understand you
what YOU are. root and all aud all In all,
l should know what God aud man is But
only the man who first OF all believes I'm
God can come to know God I'm the httle
flower.
Men may see the strength OF the hills
no o. a hD
OF the ocean, but only az men come 20
believe first in the eternal Will they see
in these things Gods strength. beauty
and sublimity and only i'm this way Will
they ever understand the nils or the
deep.
stalking before leads men down into the
corridors Of truth and points out 70 them
the Significance OF things. Instead -of
faith onpesing reason there Is mo a,,o;,s,as ssns
knew Jesus better than Thomas. They
believed I'm Him first and saw the nail
print and side pierced after And think
ing OF our duty and opportunity.
Let us be honest. frank with ourselves
this morning and ask and answer IL i'm
our own faith we are not nearer TO
Thomas than TO John. Let US also ask
and answer II in our efforts to reach men
and lead the m TO a larger faith we are
not giving them something 10 see first
and asking them TO believe after In
consequence the church is lukewarm and
men say. Unless J see the print Of the
nail | shall not believe
GROWTH OF THE CHURCH.
Despite our half-hearted emphasis and
faith I'm God we are terribly interested I'm
results. We point back To the long and
splendid history OF Christian faith. sac
rince and unselhsh devotion. We recall
the statistics Of our communion and re-
jOice that the growth OF the church IL
larger I'm proportion than the growth of
ing world. behold our churches. our char
ity and our good works. The world does
behold all these things and believes in
them, just as Thomas believed in the print
of the nail.
But II does not necessarily follow 1t
does not follow that men because of their
faith I'm these things believe In God.
yoltaire once built church. He wrote
over the doorway. 'Votaire erexit Deo."
..Noltaire built IL to God. Said Mr..
churches built TO St John and the Bless
ed Virgin, he was anxious To build and
see built one 60 the eternal God. Isn't
established bur Institutions built. our
churches organized. not by the spirit OF
God. for God and TO God. but by the spirit
of man TO man for man. They do not re-
veal God Let your works so shine be-
fore men that others seeing your good
works may glorify your Father in hesv-
en-
The work is To glorify not us, but God.
The only way that men can reveal God
I'm their works Is first OF all to believe
with their whole hearts in the unseen
God and then God shall reveal himself
In the man. The man believing In God
witt then seek the church Tn the tr1e
spirit. will understand it's function and its
meaning to life and will serve its ends By
making il serve his. a great cause
for alarm is not that men do not come
TO church. IL is because they do not
come to God. The greater cause for
alarm Is that when men do come into the
of the church they do not find
God. What is need a Is not more
churches. but more open closets and open
hearts. more fellowship with God Himself
and then that which results from the
Will produce its effect only
as the artist conceals himself and reveals
the beauty or truth he endeavors To por-
tray does he become worthy OF the ar
lists name. Only as man bides HIM
self and the results OF his labor. only as
an Institution becomes obscure itself, and
reveals the beauty and the truth Of God.
does he or II become worthy OF the name
OF Christian.
But there Is n lesson 90 those who make
no profession of belief and who excuse
themselves on the basis OF the shortcom-
ings of the church and profcsedly Chris
tian men Let me point you TO the fact I
that the truth OF Christianity Is greater
than any creed. or any life. You are not
act a bpiigNe "A the church ar I'm any