The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-06-15
re. A most pathetic manifesting of this

less sacrifice and cruel practices and bar
barous acts of superstition by way OF sup.
posed atonement. But whether better OF
worse atheism is not constituent chlrac
teristic of man. Strange, is it not. that II
is never innate, but always an acquired ac
complishment. always the sad result OF
culture else of sin. BY nature. and that
means by right, God is always the rightfu
occupant of the throne. But as our self
Importance grows, as we become con
scousy great in thought and achievement
we become al great in arrogance, as Is
all science falsely so called. and the King
is asked to vacate the throne, and God i
not even bowed out of the universe, but
heartlessly banished. Oh, no. denial is not
better than affirmation of God, however
superstitiously that affirmation express it.
self. 1t is evidence OF Gods care much
needed to offset threatened evidence that
He has not interest in the human race.
Notice the two possible results to which
these religious instincts lead. They are
the receptacle into which Christianity fits.
Without them the Gospel of Jesus has nc
appeal. They cry out for God. Chris
tianty introduces God to them. They
want an assurance OF Gods care. Chris
tianty assures them God cares for men to
the uttermost, even enough to die foI
them Creation thus prepares for revela
tion. and welcomes its beneiicent approach.
There, is another result that shows the
helpfuness of the religious instinct univer
sal among men. 1t is the sorrow that pos
sesses us when We are told it is all a deu
sion The moment YOU convince man there
is no God, or, If there is, that He is ind'f
ferent to mans welfare. that moment the
face loses its compacency, the heart its as
surance, the spirit its buoyancy. the mind
its sense of satisfaction. Doubt, disap
pointment. despair set in. Little to live
for, nothing to die for is the cry that will
ho rpu,fortal A otnliI Indifference
results that crushes out the hearts music
else wild despair that dethrones reason
and intiicts self injury. Let me make
prophecy more dismal in its outlook than
That one we are considering Of future
discovery that God does not care, 4 pro
phecy that if ever that dark day dawn,
poor humanity in despair will in an h"ut
fall back from all hopefulness. aspiration,
jovousness, and by one despairing plunge
reverse the life satisfactions OF a thousand
years.
Greatest of all these is the presence and
worth of Christianity to he accounted Tor
Christianity is very unyielding fact. 1t
has become too deeply rooted in the earth
to be waived aside and crowded out by an?
discovery, however authentic, that would
invalidate its Claims. 1t has been con
fronted for centuries with conflicting be.
iefs and scientific evidence against its in.
tegrity The more it is opposed tine more
fearessly it asserts itself, comforting the
heart, lighting the dark mind, inspiring
and reinforcing the spirit. A fact SO help
full to humanity in every conceivable ne.
cessity when SHINING and needing forgive.
ness, when weak and needing strength,
even when suffering martyrdom at the
stake in the amphitheatre of wild beasts,
in heather lands, midst prosecutions too
numerous to be mentioned, but not too
many to be valianty borne, must be con-
fronted with stronger, surer proof than i'
at present conceivable that it reiinqulsh
its hold upon men 5 esteem. Yield 1t must
if it were even proven God did not care:
for Christianity was rooted in Gods es-
TEEN before it found a pace III man ;.
God not on.y cared, but so cared that He
loved, else Christianity. that superb bios
som and fruitage of Christ life and teach.
ing and DEATH had never existed. Chris
tianity not only embodes Gods care, it
enshrines Gods heart. And the surest
thing about it all is that we who have
Yielded to Gods word, caught the bless
ngs of the revelation through Jesus. have
all the evidence necessary for the reality
of God and His care What value is proof
against Gods interest in us, however
scientific, to the man who has seen the
Lord, whose sins are forgiven, upon whom
God is each day lifting up the light of His
face? When once the spiritual life has en-.
tered the human heart, all cold, external
evidence is ignored. and Wisely. Ihen,
again, the peace OF mind that results from
belief that God cares for us enough to
share His eternal home with us by and by
is evidence that will die hard, if it ever
die at all. before any external evidence
that this world is all, and that our brlet.
storm-tossed existence is forever hushed III
deaths long s.eep. A man said to me dur
ing the week. 1T pays to be religious, even
though it be discovered at the last that
Il. Z. al hn tN
that present satisfactions are worth the
having, whatever the future may reveal.
When the divine spark that we call the
spiritual life once eiectrihes the heart,
stimulating new loves, imparting new
ideals revealing Gods love and Chrlsts
mastership, all of which produce blessings
OF satisfaction and JOY unspeakable, all
external evidence to the contrary weighs
little with that mans belief. And that is
exactly what Christianity does. 1t i'm
parts life. As Harnack puts it, 1T Is
eternal life in the midst OF time, under the
very eye, and in the very strength OF
God" As Jesus puts it, Il am come that
We might have life" Lie is a difficult
thing to argue against, and even to prove
the fallacy of when men possess it and are
reaping manifold blessings from its pres
ence each day.
This is why we affirmed that God must
be discovered through internal revelation,
rather than. through external investigation.
The necessary approach, to be successful,
must come from Him to us, instead OF
from US to Him. God must grapple with
and subdue man before man can reason.
ably expect to grapple with and conquer
God. Mans attitude is Let me under
stand and | will reverence; let me know
and | will love. Gods attitude is, You
must reverence that you may understand;
you must love that you may know. Mans
attitude is as yet in prospect, only the
dim hope of the scientific few. Gods at
titude is daily being verified and proven 10
the worlds sin sick, sorrow filled multi
tudes. All valid external discovery OF the
future will, | think be along the line OF
and in harmony with revelation. Even
now there are scientific evidences IN tins
direction. Immortality is being sclentlh-
cally proven, not the fallacy OF it. Much
verifcation of Christianitys content and
assertions may be expected from scientific
research. Gods universe is one. His crea'
tion unified and harmonious throughout,
oil true discovery must confirm this, that
consistency result. Apostolic testimony is
good enough and preferable to all pro-
phetic scientific negation. We believe
Peter knew whereof he spoke when he
said God cares" So much does He care
that you can we'll afford to cast all your
care upon Him. for He Sareth for you.
Killed Trying to Drown Dog.
A curious but tragic story of an at