Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-06-25

hood to maturity through the discipline |
of doubt. In his first chase. which | will |
call the freshman sophomore. youth |
comes to college wcll-set i'm his child |
hoods faith, and looking with the disdain
of conscious superiority ON the efforts of
agnostics and inndcls who call themselves |
scientists to pull down the Christian |
faith. The vine of his faith is supported
on the trcllis of facts as he knows them. |
But he progresses but Il little way when
science goes to work on his trcllis and
dcmoishes it. TO the sophomorc's hor-
ror his vine of faith has fallen to the
ground and cannot lift itself 1t is not dead
but he is hopeless of it. and let's it lie.
Then comes the senior sophomore period
when he says, "Go to. | will build me
another trelis and this one shall stand;
but as for vines, let them grovcl where
they will"
The sophomore youth is nccdlcssly des-
pcratc. The difficulty in the first place
was that he included in his religious faith
more than belonged there. When the in
truding element were cast out he imagin-
ed that faith was dead Tho boy grows up
in n Christian faith that is dogmatc and
intolcrant. The boy has n great deal in
the field of his creed and when the nom
essential element goes out it seems to
him that all is gone and he is i'm pitt
ful state of despair.
But If the frcshman-sophom srasps
too much in his religious creed, so does
the senior take too much into his scicn
tic formula. Tho man who starts back
at tho annroach of grim doubt is either n
lazy fellow or coward. lie throws up
his hands without making fight. He re-
acts too far. and gives too wide an in
torprctation To scientific facts Just MS he
did before with historic liiblo facts. When
the Scientist ntcrprcts his scientific facts
i'm the realm of religious faith he must
he prepared to eat some of his words.
An old professor Of philosophy used to
say, 81 would give half of II years salary
t. hear David Hume if he could come
here ana discuss in my hearing the sys-
tom of Herbert Spencer"
Tho trouble is that religion on the one
side, and science and philosophy on tho
other side invaded ono anothcr's field,
and from this trcSpass arises trouble.
while if each would remain in It's proper
domain, they would work together in har-
munY.
The false conclusions Of religious fana-
tics no more discrcdit the truths OF re-
| liSion than do tho rawlings of the men
tally unbalanced discredit the conclusions
/ of scientific rcasoncrs.
Jesus Is tho hero for young mon. Young
| mon. | want to win YOU. but not to my
| self. | say to myself. "You are bigot
| anyway: fun Of your philosophers and
| vain conccits" So | want to Just quit
preaching and call to you, and drop be-
| hind the Master, so that when YOU look
my way Nou may see the Man of men,
! Christ Jesus
Having had a glimpse here and there of
| the life of Jesus, we should understand
| him craving the personal touch with our
| own lives John did not toll the story of
the Life Manifest without n motive. His
motive Is that YOU may have fellowship
with him. wath tho Father invisible, with
| his Son Jesus Christ. You are strong in
| a no
seen Jesus. Erapplc to Him. Learn of
| Him. You will enter into "A fellowship
that will make your ideals realities; that
Will open M Il field for your efforts i'm
the world. will supply you with a motive
| ana am aim. and a dynamic power in the
exercises of which your joy will he fun.
OF what use is it that Jesus is friendly
| If lie is not to he your accepted friend
What use that He is the way to God if
| You do not walk in the way? He could
have YOU prove that religion is practical
You have the intellectual grasp of Christ
! The graduation Grafton is fun of the
Jesus ideal, whether His name is nance
or is not. You have the emotional grasp
you admire Him as a hero and perhaps
love Him too. But | listen to hear youi
stern II will" that proclams that yot
have set your foot definitely in the way
of lite. Every crisis in life is O. be me-
with resolve acted out The first criSi.
is at the point where it lies before mar
to say what he will do with Christ.
DO YOU see that there Is 81 gap between
Johns revelation of Jesus ana the reward
he promises of fellowship? Having tn,
vision of Jesus. having the grasp Of Him
YOU have "a fight before YOU That /.
what strength is for. conflict.
| said there was no argument in john
| letter, but there is at least one, after all
Tie world is on one side and the Fatho
is on the other. If YOU love thu
! world, you must forfeit the love Of tn
Father For the world passes away AM
the things that aid in it; but he tina
docth the will of God ahidos forever
| Loving is doing. Doing is loving. will
til" Fatlsr. Loving and doing lead to be
, coming. Everything whose worth j.
transient is of the world, We must MS
: the things around us, not let then
smother us We must love and live il
! either the world or the Father but not il
both. We must release ourselves or Him
1t is a cheap use of strength TO max
1t bring praise or popularity. IT you ca
do a thing well it is almost vulgar to Il
l it for sake of being commended. That
] mere display. Strength seeks outlet i
2 chiValrous uses. Dissipation and swagGe
, are Indications of wrong use of strength
4 Ever the question is. "IIow shall We in
h. vest personaity?" Ever the passionate
~ devoted follower of Jesus asks. "Hoy
r can lose myself in serving men,
4 In the fight that is on us we must say
r ourselves from animalsm, Worldliues.
= scIShncSs.
e There are some things a man can't d
$ and remain strong. There are othe
@ things man can do. and must and wi
= do, and all the while become StrOngc
Young men sometimes blame lack {
@ self-Control. a vicious wastefulncss, q
= their Maker. 1t. is unfair. a man GRAY,
n an object of passionate devotion. Let hin
l. wait in manly patience the occasion an
the object that is worthy. If he frt
r and dreams his powers away, when Chris
70 comes, he will not he pure to see Hin
n strong to grasp Him, or devoted in scrN
r. ing Him.
Then, young men, in our use of strengt
$, let us keep pure and honest and snSl,
$ minded. Let us he strong for invcstmen
.; Your aims cannot be too high. But h,
e lieVe me, If your accomplishment is real
n high and noble YOU will have to mai
your own way. There are some Trims
s that the world finds straightway to i
G mind can value in trice There al
II other things too high for the world
& reach Go after them. If YOU want TO |
II pattcd on the back, do good to thyse
Is and all men shall praise thee" But rath
10 let not your attainment be measurable /
the two-toot rule of mons expectation
s DO something too high for them to III
4 derstand, and have a secret between v,