The Penn's Grove record., 1904-07-01

are found these words; May | never feel
the anger and wrath of Cod" The ancient
MeNcans addressed God, "The God by
whom we live, Thou omniprejent, Who
EnoHeth all out thoughts, and giveth all
gifts" They baptized children with this
formula, Let these holy drops wash away
the sin that it received before the founda-
ton of the world, so that the child may be
new born" In the Catholic religions we
discover an element less conspicuous than
IN the Others. 1t Is pardon for past sins,
reco nciliation with God and growth in
grace. 1t would be interesting to trace
under this Ga7ision the practice Of Sacrifices,
hymnology and other forms that enter into
worship, but we pass on.
Inspiration implies that man must have
a capacity to be inspired, which makes it
a human faculty and therefore common
to all. Inspiration in its largest sense is
the sight of inward truth, a truth which is
seen within the mind. A thought will
com while bne is walking, conversing,
reading or neditating. 1t is a kind of
inspiration. Poets have been inspired to
write poetry. Scientists have been in
splred to formulate the sciences, musicians
to compose music, Columbus to discover,
Newton and Edison to both discover and
invent. Inspiration differs in quantity
and quality, religious being the highest.
The Vedas and Zend Avesta are considered
inspired by their cult. The Mohammedans
believe the Koran IS inspired of God and
therefore lnfallible, and Christians make
the same contentious for the Scriptures,
There is a low and crude form of inspira-
ton among the undeveloped races, which
Is not committed to writing. The Samoieds
OF Siberia have OWNERS who work them
selves into a frenzy before delivering ora
cles. The notion Of inspiration appeared
IN the insanity OF the Pythian priestess
aid the Greek OWNERS who fell into
frances. In the religion of Greece it ap-
peared as an alien element. The wild
dances of the Bacchantes, the shrieks and
selt-laceratlons OF the Corybtantes were
considered forms of inspiration. In the
hindu religion 1T appears In the Yoga,
that is one who seeks God BY withdrawing
from the things of sense. Painful posi-
toni are assumed, eontortions of the limbs,
suppression of breath and other incred-
ible notifications. The Greenlander has
his prophets, who abandon the converse Of
men and remain in fixed intensity Of
thought until they hear and see the spirits.
Balaam was compelled to utter an invol-
untary pro ,hecy, and the priests of Baal
cut themselves with lances. Sometimes in
or own country, at proUracted meetings,
men have the Jerks" The Shakers dance,
the M~ohammedans whirl. These seem abb
surd to us, but they disclose this, that all
molAhAhQ NO0A0 ascertain Tie Will OF Zoo.
From time i%mmemorial the human race
has had some intimation of an endless
life. The most degraded savages and the
most enlightened philosophers share the
conviction that death does not end all.
The Hottentot and the Fiji Islander agree
with Plato and Aristotle. The Esquimaux
IN the Arctic circle, the native of Siberia,
the Australians, the Patagonians believe
that the grave is the cradle of another
/ life All fhn vn1TnTAnn - 3 n-N.~.,sNv LA1.--
IN immortality, Egypt, China, India, Per-
s1a, Greece, Rome, Mexico, Peru, the Tar
tar tribes of Central Asia, the negroes Of
Central and Western africa and the ISL
ands OF the Pacific, all contend that while
the body returns to dust, the spirit goes
to God, Who gave it. The North Amer
lean Indian believes in duplicate souls,
one remaining with the body, the other
departing during sleep. 1t has been
claimed by some that 8uo uhism is an ex-
eeption, but it is not. The teaching of
Buddhism is to annihilatS by the destruc-
ton of desire. 1t is not claimed that this
is successful, but that the spirit becomes
lnearnate in one form or another until it
rests in Nirvana. The TRANSPORTATION of,
souls was taught by the religion of Egypt,
hence they embahned their dead. 1t is
found In BrahHanism, among the Greek
Observation-Disclosures Empedocles and
Plato. By the eo-Platonists, Jewish
Cabbala, Arab philosophers, by origin and
other church fathers. Also by the Gnos-
tics, Manicheans, Druids and in more re-,
cent times by Fourier. Christianity be-
lieves in eternal life, and that Jesus be-
came flesh, not only to disclose God, but
to bring life and immortality to light.
Man i a moral being, because he has .
moral nature. He has a moral sentiment,
moral ideas and a moral power. The
moral sentiment is the sense of right andi
wrong, which produces a feeling of duty
and obligation. Moral ideas consist in the
belief that certain acts are right, others
wrong. Moral power is the ability to do
the right and not the wrong. Feeling
thought and will cannot be elmin-
mated from any moral test. Even
the ehildlike races have some conception
much below the Christian standard;
enough, however, to be classed among
those who are not without God. But
few, if any, have been discovered without
enough moral ability to say yes to the
right and no to the wrong. 1t is not de-
MED that the moral standard is different
in each system, and that what may be
right in one may be wrong in another.
The temples of India and China encourage
vices which are too low to mention. The
underlying principle of Brahmanism is to
crafty every desire. The test of Chris.
tianity is the type of life it produces. The
liberal, consistent, devoted business man,
father, brother, son, the position OF
mother, sister, daughter, the Christian
home, school, hospital and the National
flag. They are the result of the code of
ethies-the Bible. One has only to read
any of the standard works on the life of
the nations in order to be convinced that
Christianity is capable of producing the
ideal life. That while every system con-
tains some truth, Christianity is the truth.
The religious world is passing through a
great change. To just what we are COM
ing no one is confident, though the indi-l
cations are that Christianity is destined:
to encirele the globe.
/. Christianity is the one system that
is making civilization. We lament the IN
difference and apathy on the part of Chris
tians, but 1t Is not to be compared with
the lethargy of heathenism.
2. Christianity is destined to spread,
because it has the Bible, church, Sabbath,
and has produced a type of civilization
that satisfies the enlightened mind and
renewed heart.
8. All the aggressive systems have the
inspiration of an inspired prophet. We
have the greatest of them all. Christ is
seeking the nations, End they are seeking
Him.
4. Christianity not only contains all
the truth of all other systems, but much
not possessed by others.
The Sermon That is After a Soul.
The sermon that is after a soul is, like
the Master, filled with compassion" 1t
will have in it what was IN Christi eyes
- {. l.11-01 -, DaN,r nth Aho crrrsunu