Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1904-03-03
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
SUBJECT: WHAT ARE THE PERMA.
NENT ELEMENTS OF RELlCION2"

An Eloquent and ForcefuI Discourse by
the Rev. John M. Davidson-Man's In
terest il. the Incarnation-A Striking
Thought About the DIVINITY of Man.
tartan Church, Flatbush, Sunday morning,
the pastor, the Rev. John M. Davidson,
preached on What Are the Permanent
Elements of Religion?" He said:
In this period of questioning, when old
structures of religious faith are being torn
when what seems the very foundation of
faith is being removed here and there to
make way for new material, it is wei!
worth our while to ask the question that
is consequent upon such condition, What
elements of our religious faith are perma
nent and are likely to resist the tendency
to change? It is a question that is agitat-
ing more people than ever before in his
tory. We have been told that there is
growing indifference to religion, that men
are abandoning the churches, that pagan
ism has re-absorbed large sections of the
country, even Puritan New England shar-
ing in the general dissolution.
No one can deny that the influence OF
the church is not as great as it was when
almost the only educated men were min
isters. We who occupy the pulpits to-
day frankly recognize the fact that the
occupants Of the pews are not only our
equals in intellect, but are capable of CIV
ing us instruction in many departments of
thought wherein the minister of old time
to-day must recognize his relatively
changed condition. He addresses minds
at least as we'll Informed and as bright as
his own-and on many subjects more so.
And he is woefully mistaken and unalert
if he does not welcome the change as an
advantage to himself and his work rather
than detriment. Nevertheless, for the
time being, this condition tends to bring
down the church attendance figures and
to lessen the church's influence. It will
continue to do so until the church finds
men who are leaders (if not in intellect)
in the effort for social amelioration. They
must be specialists and authorities in
their field, as the physicians and lawyers
are in medicine and Jurisprudence.
That the temporary falling off in the In
huence of the church as an institution ar
CUES for an Indifference to religion l do
not believe. The church has not yet
/ learned its work. It is still delving in
theologies and philosophers, when men
are no more interested in the one than
the other. Both theology and philosophy
are vital matters, but the old manner of
discussing these subjects cannot now inter
| est men who are touched by the spirit
| of the scientific age. Until science and the
whole new method Of thought that fol-
lows upon recent scientific discovery have
entered into and viviied theology and phil
osophy. they will cease to interest or IN
ffuence man. They have no point of con.
terested in religion. This very question
ing and unrest proves it. Even the return
to paganism, as it has been called, that
| trend, particularly noticeable in rural New
England, away from the Journalism of the
l oh IN not
alarming as appears at first glance. We
are learning to see that although for cen
| turies we have called certain peoples ''pa-
gans," thinking to give them bad name
and so to avoid more tedious investigation
into the character of these same pagans.
we may not seldom sit with profit at the
| feet Of many a pagan prophet. Men are
| asking whether, after all. comparatively
small sect is right and all the rest wrong
or whether there is not a bit OF truth IN
them all. They go further. They ask
now whether that truth may not make al
| peoples free; they are wondering whether
after all, salvation is to be found with one
| and universal destruction with the other
whether the Creator of all nations is like
| ly to make one of them His favorite, to
give that one true and final revelation
and to withhold it from all others. Men
are going even further than this i'll thei,
l
ions side by side for comparison. They
are inquiring whether or not the truth
that is in one may not be found occasion
ally in another. and they are finding
through this comparative study of rehg
ions that, at bottom. AL are alike. Great
areas of parallel beliefs and aspirations are
found making the claim of exclusive reve
lation ridiculous In fact, when it is
found that every single form of religion
on the face of the earth lays claim to ar
exclusive revelation Of some sort, and we
find that the term s'heretic' is merely ar
expression OF one mans, or group of mems
point of view, we begin to open our eyes
matter may not carry so much weight as
we had thought.
The discoveries that we have made dur
ing the last century about the habits O.
life and the character Of thought Of the
other half of the world, the scientific meth
DDS of investigation into the subject OF re
ligion, it origin, rise and-often---its de
cay, into religious iteratures, and amons
them our own Bible, are broadening il
view, even while, and perhaps because
they disturb our complacency. Religion il
given a new interest we find that WI
Christians are not the only members 0
Gods family, and that there are other
whom He loves as greatly as He loves us
say that this is the tendency OF men
minds to-day. Hardly do the most of u
. admit the changed point of view as al
accomplished fact, even to ourselves, ant
in many localities the old exclusiveness j
as impenetrable as ever it was in the darl
ages. Universally, where religious exclu
siveness is found it is accompanies, bre,
and safeguarded by some form of claims t.
, final revelation or final authority for trutl
some artificial guarantee that the doc
trine preached in that church in the be
ginning IS now and ever shall be preache,
without change, world without end. Tha
such claim is manifestly impossible to sub
stantiate has never deferred the churc
from making it. It is one recognition
| though weak one-that absolute trut
is Interchangeable, and every religion an
every church that claims to have a fna
and true revelation must, of course, clair
to possess a knowledge of that absolute
, which Spencer calls "unknowable" No
one such body could step forth boldly an
lay hold on the great affirmation of to-day
that the faith of to-day is but the steppin
stone to the faith of tomorrow; that rev
e;ation is not sealed; that truth is Ii,
| | ing thing, growing as VIC grow; that mar
kind is saved through perpetual evolr
ton from lower to higher, or, in, othe
words, by fulfilling one meted destiny {
. becoming perfect as the Father in Heave
, is perfect Our business to-day is frank
to admit that the final revelation is we
far off and that we have by no mean
found the absolute" truth The know
Sdge of to-day is but little section of tha