Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-09-10

IS holy, the source OF all perfectIOn. LII
the heart of man He has placed deep and
abiding consciousness of right and wrong.
at every turn duty confronts him; on one
side lies goodness, on the other evil, with
an inward voice ever commanding with di-
vine authority to discriminate between
them. urging the choice of that which is
lawful and protesting against sin, every
thought and action being approved or con-
demned by this inward monitor. There is
not man or woman living who does not
feel that conforming to the will of God is
the paramount duty of life. The soul is
the great battle-ground where the material
and corruptible strive III ceaseless warfare
against the spiritual and eternal. By sub
mitting to the lower instincts Of our ma
ture we are destroying that which is high
est and best and .wilfully striving. suncon-
sciously, it may be) to thwart the great
end which the heavenly Fathers marvel
Gus love would have us attain.
Brethren, you may possess untold wealth.
Fortune may load you with her favors, the
world may fawn at your feet, but declare
there is no happiness to be found III these:
neither does religion confer any outward
benefit, that shall appeal as pleasures OF
sense, but it's blessedness, the highest, put
est, noblest gift in heaven Or earth is char
acter-character which finds its likeness in
the Christ, conferring a JOY which the an
gels wonder at, and fencing the soul with
impregnable battlements Of Godlike moral
ries and powers of hell are hurled back IN
confusion as the oceans waves --om the
mighty walls of a rock-bound shore. Thus
true happiness comes from beng, not by
having; from the life within, not influence
without.
Every, man possesses conscience, N and
you will hear many declare that they can
be just as good, quite as moral as Chris
tian through the power of that conscience:
| But what is conscience apart from religion:
| In many cases it is a slave instead OF
| master. The power OF passion browns It's
| voice and weakens it by every deliberate:
sin. A man believing in the existence or
| no higher authority will drift upon the
current Of his animal nature, for those ten
dencies which are strongest will eventually
enslave him. No, without living faith in
lsGod or personal union with Him the con-
science loses its power to govern and GUIDE,
but religion clothes it with exceeding
| strength by revealing to man the source OF
! those magnificent moral attributes with
| which he is endowed, thus giving to that
'sstill small voice" within the soul an inf
mite worth.
There is not heart but has some con-
/. ception of higher life than it now feels.
way of responsibility is fired with enthusi-
asm and ambitious with great purpose
which they long to accomplish; going out
into the world they have to stem mighty
currents, within and without, the tenden-
cies of their lower nature and temptations
will arrive when the future will be deter
mined. Moments Of dire peril fraught
with tremendous responsibility. They will
| then feel the need of higher power, a
greater strength than their own to thwart
J the enemy of rectitude. The ideal OF pure
manhood and womanhood shining before
then; will appear unattalnShy beyond
J their reach, lost forever. os7then, can
they safeguard against this dread eSpeI,
ience which has blghted many promising
young lives, which, unable to stand against
the waves Of adversely have sunk helpless
and despalrlng! l answer, by being rellg-
ious. Religion alone can give them that
victory which crowns a life complete IN
{ Christ. It places them into direct commu-
nication 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 a
: Father who ever waits to aid and sustain,
!. and, as blessings IN disguise they carry
: messages Of an infinite love for every indi-
8 vidual soul, proclaiming that virtue is the
e beginning and the end of holiness, the mar
4 row road to perfection.
r 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 a destiny whose divine splendor start!es
f glory. The Word of God calls into being
e an amazing sense of power. 70 think, my
Y brother and sister, that through aeons OF
0 time we shall be adding purity to purity
e love to love, knowledge to knowledge.
|, glory to glory, living forever in the pres
J, ence Of the immortal and infinite God, ris-
n ing to spiritual planes Of Uncomfortable
S grandeur and beauty, scaling heights Of
s happiness beyond the dream of angels. The
n incomprehensible destiny of living soul
: loyal to God and duty brings our faces to
d the dust when we consider that this is our
|. heritage; you and [, with all our weakness
d conquering death and the power of moral
l. evil.
n There is no limitation to the exercise OF
g the intellect, yet without a moral principle
:, to guide and enlighten its research, there
6 can be no advance in the path of truth
Many of the greatest thinkers have dleo
n atheists Religion gives to intellect ar
v added power Of analysis and discrimina
is tion, medium whereby we discern truth
h It places the mentality of man in commu
l. MON with infinite knowledge. "Giftet
o with the eye of the spirit, the glory O.
', God streams upon the page Of history, ane
n every department of scientific research tes
|
f. The mind of the most brilliant scholar vii
a only see in phenomena natural results
It Religion alone has power to permeate hi
l. work with magnificent meaning. There i
lg hidden wisdom only revealed to the chile
Is of "new birth" who has had specia
j. and individual revelation of the Father.
h Religion crowns intellect with a, deep in
IS sight into the mysteries of life. The earth
d sea and sky. the complex organism of SO
sety the depths Of fl human 1haa thaur nature tn
a with new luster, and food the mind will
profound meaning blade fa of Of grass gn,e be
n Intellect has imprinted on its fragile sten
$. divine thought and action. In everything
M we see God Under the beneicent infiu
u ence of His Spirit our faculty of compre
70 hension is robed with sacredness and gran
t. deur, for He calls it forth to a gloriou
e. communion and expansion, until one da
IS it shall fully understand the love whic
,e now passeth knowledge.
rt True religion above all things forms a
e, upright mind; it elevates the judgmen
C. above prejudice, and creates noble pul
C. pose TO receive knowledge through all /
I'd gitimate channels. 1t endows man wit