The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-09-02

be Just as good, quite as moral as a Chris.
tian through the power OF that conscience.
But what is conscience apart IRON religion!
In many cases it is slave in-tead Of
master. The power of passion browns its
voice and weakens it by every deliberate
sin. A man believing in the existence OF
no higher authority will drift upon the
current of his animal nature, for those ten.
denotes which are strongest will eventually
enslave him. No, without living faith in
God or a personal union with Him the con.
science loses its power to govern and guide.
but religion clothes 1t with exceeding
strength by revealing to man the source OF
those magnificent moral attributes with
which he is endowed. thus giving to that
"still small voice" within the soul an inf.
mite worth.
There is not heart out has some con.
ccption of higher life than it now feels.
Every young man and woman at the gate
way of responsbilit" is fired with enthusi.
asm and am bilious with great purpose
which they long to accomplish; going out
into the world they have to stem mighty
currents, within and without. the tendcn-
cies Of their lower nature and temptations
to sin clothed with beguling finery. Crises
will arrive when the future will b. deter.
mined Moments of dire peril traugllt
with tremendous responsibility. They will
then feel the need OF higher power, a
greater strength than their own to thwart
the enemy of rectitude. The ideal OF pure
manhood and womanhooi shining before
them will appear unattanably beyond
their reach, lost forever. How, then, can
they safeguard against this dread eXper.
ience which has b!ighted many promising
young lives. which, unable to stand against
the waves OF adversely have sunk helpless
and despairing! | answer, BY being rellg'
ious. Religion a.one can give them that
victory which crowns a life complete IN
Christ. 1t places them into direct commu.
nicatlon with God, whose delight is that
they should become worthy to share His
glory. Temptations will surely come, but
religion gives them a new meaning: they
are but reminders OF the existence OF
Father who ever waits to aid and sustain,
and, as blessings IN disguise they carry
messages OF an infinite love for every indi.
vidual soul, procaiming that virtue is the
beginning and the end of holiness the mar.
row road to perfection.
Another wonderful revelation of religion
asserts that you and | sprang from the
bosom OF the eternal Father. That AS He
is eternal we too shall live through endless
ages, created in His image. sustained by
His spirit. our life shall gather unto itself
magnificent growth. Religion sets before
us 4 destiny whose divine splendor startles
and Overnowers our weak conception of its
g,ory. The Word Of God calls into being
an amazing sense of power. 10 think, my
brother and sister, that through aeons OF
time we shall be adding parity to purify,
love to love, knowledge to Knowledge
g.ory to glory. living forever in the pres.
ence of the immortal and infinite God ris.
ing TO spiritual planes of inconccvable
grandeur and beauty sealing heights of
happiness beyond the dream OF angels. The
incOmprehers destiny of living soul
loyal to God and duty brings our faces TO
the dust when we consider that this is our
heritage; You and /. with all our weakness,
conquering death and the power of moral
eYi,
In the midst of the trifling fol'ies of the
world. the conceit OF fashion. the DEGREES
Of "A thoughtless society. and the whirl OF
| vapd pleasures, let us keep this thought
| like burning fire within the brain--the
| thought of God. holiness and heaven.
Brethren, allow the character of your
| heavenly Father revealed by Jesus
| Christ to stand before you as the goal of
al attainment. Religion gives us an ideal
| and an incentive to reach it. By contem.
plating and really loving this excellence il
to be inspired by it. The Christian man ia
always conscious OF a divine presence. In
ance OF God. He behoids His handiworl;
in every flower of the field. The hosts oi
shining stars as tncy whirl through space
| declare His majesty, and in the phenomena
OF nature he diScerns IA living expression Of
His glory. Thus by contemplating and
| duOrltlS his HdnulWOTS III tne HdtuTd
world without and the spiritual world
within, Christian is given grace to subdue
all things unto the one great end of moral
| growth. True religion is not belief in a
set OF do9mas, or the recitation OF q creed
or profession of faith; these are but the
accessories OF a Darticu lar attitude toward
| truth. but it is infinitely more than this
it is the life giving breath of the spirit oil
God which rules, not certain relations. bu,
| all correspondence OF the heart. soul and
body with the Creator and with fellow
| men.
There is no limitation to the exercise oi
the intellect, yet without moral principle
to guide and enlghten its research there
can be no advance in the path of truth
MANY of the greatest thinkers have died
atheists. Religion gives to intellect an
added power of analysis and discrimina
ton. IA medium whereby we discern truth
1t places the mentality OF man in commu
With the eye of the spirit tae glory o
God streams upon the page Of history. ant
every department OF scientific research ties
titles to His perfection and wondrous love
The mind OF the most brilliant scholar vii
only see in phenomena natural results
Religion alone has power to permeate his
work with magnificent meaning. There il
hidden wisdom only revealed to the chile
OF new birth" who has had a specia
and individual revelation of the Father,
| Religion crowns intellect with deep in
sight into the mysteries OF life. The earth
sea and sky. the comp'ex organism OF so
ciety. the deo;hs OF human nature. IN,
history OF nations. all these things shin,
with a new luster. and food the mind Will
profound meaning. A blade of gross ne
comes worthy OF study for the Suprem,
Intellect has imprinted on its fragile sten
divine thought and action. In everything
we see God. Under the benehcent nhu
pnce OF His SDirit our faculty nf c0rp nre
henson is robed With sacredness and gran
deur for He calls it forth to gloriou
communion and expansion. until one da,
it shall fully understand the love whicl
now passeth knowledge.
True religion above all things forms al
upright mind; it elevates the judgmen
above prejudice, and creates u noble pur
pose to receive knowledge through all lc
gitimate channels. 1t endows man witt
sincerity and quality of fair dea,ini
which no university can teach. II break
down :he barriers of set opinions and de
strovs the bitterness between sects anC
parties. 1t opens the heart to conviction
and a ready candor to confess error. Tn,
intellect was never intended to be bounS
to set rules OF encompassed with mammals
regulations. Its destiny is an upward. on
ward march toward truth, and true relig
ion fashions all our inquiries and misgiv
ings with reverence and ever leads us Il
the feet OF Him, with whom there il M
variableness nor shadow of turning"
Fame is only lasting after nan is dead.