Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-02-25
ELEMENTS OF RELIGION
I Brilliant Sunday Sermon by Rev.
join N. Davidson.
Mans Interest In III. Incarastion--A Str king
Thought About the Divinity Of War.

BROOKLYN, N. YIN the Fourth Uni
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
down and new ones are taking their places
when what seems the very foundation OF
faith is being removed here and there to
make way for new material, it is well
worth our while to ask the question that
is consequent upon such a condition, What
elements of our religious faith are perma.
nent and are Likely to resist the tendency
| to change? 1t is IA question that is agltat'
| ing more people than ever before vi his
| tory. We have been told that there Is a
growing indifference to religion, that men
ire 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, o:
| the church is not as great as it was when
almost the only educated men were min
| isters. We who occupy the puplts 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 III many departments OF
| thought wherein the minister OF old time
was held to be supreme. The minister of
to-day must recognize his relatively
,haneed condition. He addresses minds
| at least AS well informed and as bright as
| his own-and on many subjects more So
| And he is woefully mistaken and unaiert
| if he does not welcome the change as an
advantage to himself and his wor:; rather
| than a detriment, Nevertheless, ior the
time being, this condition tends to bring
down the church attendance figures and
to lessen the churchs influence. 1t will
| continue to do so until the church hnds
| men who are leaders Gt not IN lntellect)
in the effort for social amcloraton. Ihey
must be SPECIALISTS and authorities IN
their field as the physicians and lawyers
are in medicine and jurisprudenct.
| That the temporary falling oh 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 1t Is still de,ving IN
| theoiogics and PHILOSOPHERS, WREN 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 splrt
! of the scientific age. Until science and the
| whole new method OF Thought that iol'
lows upon recent scientific discovery have
entered into and viviHed theology and phil
osophy, they will cease TO interest or m
| huence man. They have no point OF con
tact with his interests. But men are IN
terested in religion. This very question
ing and unrest proves 1t. Even the return
to paganism as it has been called. that
trend particularly noticeable in rural New
England, away from 'he lolll''i1'h 20 Wv
church and pack To nature II n'I W. w.
alarming as appears at hI,t slJnvr e.; o',,,. Wv.
are learhln" 10 SeG 'n''' "'t"'us' ~ 49,.
turleS3, we nave ca'len certain p'pp'ii' pc
ealS' thlhhlng u sNc inc"' " "'i .it;,,,
and so to AVOID more tcdioIS ltVe't's1..o,'
INTO the character OF 'ueSe H"l,,c p"H,n|ii
we nave n'u'h ~ ''"i,' "'HI' e. - H..
we may not AeIuoin SIT Mnn p'o' M"n ,rn
feet OF many pagan prophet. Nlc,' al l., "
asking Whelhei' a'ter "l'I u'n'p.' ,',.,,,,
small sect Is right ana an t'ic re, "'p"s
or whether there Is hpt pl' Vi r .,"'" ~
them an. lheN 90 i"lt"'l III
now Whcther thdI llutn may w.. n%ntl",, m'n
peoples Tree; tneS are "pi''ie'niG ;.I 'n.
after all salvation Is TO oe lounn ., W." "',e
and universal deS'iucIiol' WIZ t ,n' 't.'' rl.n''
whether the creator OF an n''Ioia rt ''"N
ly to make one OF them lis laNoilte' 70
give that one ,rue ana ,''"' LEV ''',i". Ni,.
and to Withhold 1t from an oIGe'', ,f',;r HaG''
are going even lntth"I thd', 'n's ~ ~; =
questioning lhtE 'rc P"l''"S Wv 1hn,.
ions side by SIDE ior comparisons inti
are lnquiring whether or not 'he - l;'l,,' u,'
that is III one may nov pG iounu o'snSiU,' Ed;,,'r
aily IN aho'her' ana tneN 90. - roi;no7
through TINS colnpardtite S'"Gh w rn,-+
ions that, at ootton' an alc "t,M., go,
areas, OF parallel bclleis ana aSpi''tlo'S '.o a.,
found making the c!aih oi cAt'uslN' ,''t
lation ridiculous IN laE'' "nen n,;.;,''
found that every sihelG iol"' VI m
on the lace OF tne earlh l'!" 'a"''n rn ",
exclusive revelation 1l so'i't CIV ANY, W., WV
find that the term nere'it IS iltitN "''
expression 4 one man :. or group ol men -
point OF view, we oesih 10 oP1i o"i H.,
to the Iact that our own pas. y,"i,nS u, '',I ,.
matter may not carry ~ '''"'" "e'7''
we had tnoush!' ,..., ,>,,,,lo d,,,,.
The discoveries that we ldte hl'1C u"t
ing the last century ABOUT 'Ne nap.ts ~ ~,
life ana the characteI ol 'housnt VI oi.Iti, IiL'
other Lalt or the word, me s1'eiitlnt III. W. W.
ods OF lnvcsllgatlon lhlo ne su"le'! W ~ ~
hgion. 1t origin, li>e anu-ol'eh Us u'
cay, into religious liteiatures, ana an.'n5 -
them our own blOe arc pio'ue'Ins ~
view, even while aha Pefn'PSS ntt""'i
they disturb our comp'"GencE, hcIis'o" a 70
| gwen new interest. we "no ''", -
Christians are not the ON! memo'IS "
who care tor HIM as hinch as we uo ','u
whom tic loves a. greatly as lie ioNr W.
| say that this Is the tendency OF men
minds to-day. Hardly do the most ol u
admit the changed point OF view as an
accomplished fact, even 10 ourselves ana
in many localities the old eNc'uslvG'neS;. Is Is
as impenetrahe as ever 1t was IN tue daIh
ages. Universally. where religious eNclu,
Siveness is found it Is accompanied: h'tn
and saieguardcd by some form OF cams to a.
final revelation or final authority l2r trn'i
some artificial guarantee that the doc'
trne preached in that churGh IN the De,
without change, world without end. That
such claim is manfestly impossible TO sub
stantiate has never deferred the church
from making it, 1t is one recognition
though weak onethat absolute trnu,
L. ,,ncb,n,oahle ond every religion and