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

av.@o service In the Beneficent CongreRa-
tional church, yesterday, and the pulpit
was occupied by the pastor, Rev. Asbury
Il. Krom. The musical portion OF the
service was In fitting keeping with the
occasion and powerful and, at the same
time, eloquent sermon was delivered 10
Rev. Mr. krom. who spoke az follows.f
ST. John. 2O29: Blessed are they that
have not seen and yet have believed :
As John Is characterized AZ the disciple
OF love and Peter as the disciple OF brave
as the disciple OF doubt. Except | shall
see in His hands the print of the nails,
nails, and put my hand into. His side.
VIII loot believe" this was shis answer
20 the faith and speech OF those who said,
I'VE have seen the Lord"
Honesty leads us 10 confess when we
have recalled the conditions under which
the doubt was expressed. that the doubt OF
Thomas was more natural than the faith
OF the other disciples. Christianity APP
peals TO US today with the credentials of
history that has been made splendid
by noble institutions and large souls.
Christianity was young then. II Chris
lame has been healed we want TO see the
man, man walk Unless we. we DO we shall shall no,
stand down at the the snd Of twenty ns" cen no
turies. twenty centuries that have wit
messed TO the value Of the faith OF the
what we under the same conditions do
ourselves.
II proves nothing to say that Thomas
was asked TO believe In Christ. the true,
and we are asked 10 believe I'm Christian
Science, the false. Thomas did not know
manity. We do not know yet that
Christian Science Is altogether false
Great does this doubtsr in his insistence
on facts reprxsent the common attitude
OF men today. Thomas is the forerun-
ner OF modern civilization. To believe
"a
the nail.
The Institution that expects to win the
faith of this age must be able 10 show
results that are 40 tangible that men can
see and touch them The labratory, TO
The company or corporation must be able
10 show tangible returns. The factory
takes its standing. not from the man
the finished product. We have conf
dence and faith in that famous manufac-
seen tg So Ne % Know Se,hnE we aboHt bsHf
the management But we have seen the
miracle OF the Gobelin tapestry. The
ness world Is so well acquainted with
this fashion Of the age. that his first
This is the convincing argument
The Christian religion seems. In the
minds OF It's adherents. to be an excep-
ion 10 the rule that In other phases OF
piled.
FAITH AND FACT.
Christianity. Il Is said, demands faith.
not fact Faith. too. IL interpreted more
ity than the inside OF that which when
seen on the outside we call fact. IL Is
most Sa asn 'hsn he 70 ssog results The
Is TO be faithful In his devotons and as
Tor Tor results Of course, those are to be
But the world will give no assent TO
such doctrine. IL ht.nands TO know
not what the church Is preaching or be-
HpNlDC VI oh L. ~
Is not interested In your faith, only I'm
so far as that faith can account for re-
always been so. The constant rebuff
40 Scepticism In the days OF the Master
was less the gospel. more the man. 1t
was great thing that the blind man was
able TO say when questioned Who was IL
who gave me sight? | do not know. But
whereas / was blind. now 1 see. When
the barbarians sitting about the camp
IRE. where sat the ,shipwrecked Paul.
without injuring him, they who before
had thought him a murderer now believed
the % evil vi the skill that y powl sble 70 TO res msks
the blind see, the character that Inn
presses with awe and wonder these re-
the things that lead men to faith They
sneak for themselves
Da vinci after he has painted the Last
Supper does not have TO insist on the
possibilities OF the brush or his skill in
the use of IT. Patrick Henry. after his
l
sary 10 plead for the virtue OF elonuence
or his capacity for speech that warns and
thrills. Nor does the man redeemed by
tne grace OF God from the pettiness and
limitation Of his daily living need TO pro-
claim In his home or TO his friends the
fact OF his salvation. Results speak
uuent than speech.
With this as the prevailing thought and
while that we should seek for the mean
Ing OF the words of our text. Blessed
are they that have not seen and yet have
To this age, that demands knowledge,
sight. first. and believes after?
Jesus looking deeper than we toany have
eyes TO see. It is at least the part OF |
wisdom in every age not to be borne un-
day thought. but TO stop. think and ques- |
tlon. Rousseau at the time OF the French |
revolution yielded himself TO the thought |
of the time and landed In great alb |
surdity.
Robespiere. AZ the. same time. yielded |
himself To both the thought and action OF |
the time and was borne into the gulf OF |
n great. boundless infamy. Because the |
sweep Of things demands proof iirst and |
OF things bears all to a safe and certain |
harbor.
brings out In this connection Is not be- |
tween doubt and faith. That is obvious. |
IL is tho difference between faith and |
ing after having seen and believing with.
out seeing.
Why is the faith better that believes |
without seeing? Why Is such n believer |
blessed when he has faith. Because first |
Of all. this mans faith Is a truer. better |
kind OF faith than the faith of the other. /
II Is the only true faith. Faith II the /
assurance of things hoped FOR, the test |
o. things not seen
True faith Is direct. spontaneous. IL |
docs not depend for its existence on eN- /
ternal manifestations. My faith I'm my |
friend IL based on something deeper than 4
anything he may say or do. Faith IL \
channel between my soui and his soul. I |
understand him best then when he n alb l
sent, or being present, when We both 1
remain silent. For u r. not his con- |
Ception of poetry. his discrimiha tion In /
color. his Interpretation OF life that I |
have faith in, hut tho man himself N |
hear him speak falsely ! shall attribute .