The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-03-30

We return to the story of the blind man
this morning with some confidence be-
cause OF the precedent chapter gives us
for lengthy discussion. Our gospels are
more limited I'm space than we are In
time The gospel according to st. John
has twenty-one chapters some OF them
brief. yet one whole chapter forey-one
verses. is given up to the story OF the
blind man who came finally 10 see and had
a creed and the courage to express II.
This man must have gotten strange hold
upon the gospel writer's mind. We don't
know Just why but perhaps he had much
more influence I'm the world than we have
any reason 10 expect | think other blind
men must have gotten their eyes opened
because OF him. Like experiences do more
than similar tastes 10 bind men together
lie may have had n large following.
As a disciple of Jesus. coming To be-
lieve In him, as only a man can who has
his horizon eNcended because Of him, he
must have exercised great influence. We
want him To lay hold upon us this morn
ing from the point OF view OF his expert
ence BY so doing we shall exhalt him. III
he helps us that will be the surest test-
mony that John made no mistake in Civ
ing him large place In valuable manu-
script. The value OF man, IL has been
said, the measure OF that value, Is the
capacity the man has to enlarge life. This
Is why the last In our estimation may
well be the first in Gods.
The bubbing spring must ever remain
small for it lives by giving. These valua-
bic souls lust decrease while we IN
crease. ecessarily so. The essence OF
their value Is IN the nature OF having
something to give and giving 1t. Quality
usually decreases with an increase OF
quantity.
We want this man this morning TO help
us let our pumb-line down and see if In
these religious waters we can touch bot
tom. There is a chart OF the bottom or
the ocean as OF the surface of the land.
Curiosity did not prompt men To make
their surroundings TO discover the deep
and the shallow places. Necessity was the
mother Of this thing.
on just what the waters OF the deep
rested In the primitive mind was n matter
of mild speculation. rhey thought there
were bottomless pits there. Perhaps by
that way ono entered into the abyss OF
hell. Then all became hazy.
is THERE ROCK?
In the troubled waters of religious be-
lief many that are tossed question II be-
meath, after ALL there is rock Is there
anything stable and final? Perhaps there
is for each individual man; but for all
men. II not. then my experience has
little from which YOU can learn. The ad-
vance we make in the world OF thought
oft-tlmes creates more new questions than
II solves old ones. The child asks ques-
tion. We answer II and then the child
has two more ready at hand. Thus the
child faculty i'm this respect seems un-
limited We are responsible however. for
the new questions ourselves. Our an
swers have extended the child horizon
New. strange things appear in rapid sue
A. ,le..sa al
new things dawn as we travel on the fast
train.
Thought is centering more and more on
the personality OF man. We are swinging
away from nature 10 human nature. OF
course this Is simply history repeating
itself. One age filings itself ont OF itself
and forgets itself in the wonders OF the
world. From the middle Of the last CEN
tury until near Its close that was the con-
dltion Of human thought. The color of
the rose was OF more interest than why
we smile or sigh. To measure the
heights Of the stars was more worldly
achievement than 10 measure the heights
OF faith. Yet the mind was fundamental
In all this II must interpret. Nature
must furnish the facts. but the mind must
arrange them and set them I'm order. But
the new world without was thus revealing
new possibilities I'm the world within.
What was this mind that could interpret
and arrange IL was necessary 10 study
g. From natural science divorced
ourselves 10 marry psychology. All forms
and expressions and phenomena have
come under observation. Religious ex-
perence has not escaped Grant that
psychology teaches that such experience
has value. That it Is real and vital yet
it also reveals the variety I'm religious ex-
perence and that of the Buddhist and the
Christian Scientist has 10 psychology, the
same worth and meaning as a psychology
cal fact as your Christian experience. In
dlvlduals vary by nature. environment
varies, training I'm each case is different.
and II any man Is 90 find bed rock where
he can say. ~ know one thing" where In
Heaven or on earth can he hope To find
81?
We can draw just as near To practical
Christian living IN tho church and practi-
cal Christian training In the home and
Sabbath school as we choose and still this
difficulty remains. Does this man need
20 he born again or does he need 10 have
faith. or do Gods will or sell his goods ?
Does he need TO surrender himself or as
sert himself? In the perplextns problems
aroused by the variety Of religious expert
ence we begin 10 question the founda tions
OF religion and wonder N after all there II
such a thing a fact. The larger
knowledge Of the soul and the deeper in
sight into religion has awakened more