The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1904-01-07

~ Gft n man or NATURE Idneu MI
and slmpieA in periIous times was
raised up 'ef minister. not only
OF no3!est ?o of high and sacred
truth
Before you see my further for the dis
sowing OF your assSts. ask yourself hon
estly the question:; Am l unalterably
gIven over to r'sht .SSSsg? Am ready to !
ooey .ne .as no'IS o,evsd ,aH me as steadfastiy
as Socrates opeyea & 'daemon,' even |
though LIS II shoua losses cross ny purposes aud
1t will be easy 20 beiiey.in Immortality
enough @,eS to last forever. Snas IL, II sOod t
doubt the fatherhood of Ga S wSen we
give ourselves to the practice 0she broth
erhood of man.
Our doubts trouble rs and therSA, nrovc
that doubt is not a state OF equiArium:
| we must move on toward the ligat. Sction
| is the nanacea for donht. lf any ma%will |
do Gods will he shall know His doctoe.
Do you doubt the power OF prayer 20
| whom do you think the reality OF Tn
matter is revealed? Certain" not the mar
| who never prays. Put yourself as best
YOU can in the attitude OF Drayer an. lis
| ten. You will then be abe to know wheth.
| er God talks back. You have sat in the
pew for years and you have heard sermons
| without number on the great Fundamentals
OF the Christian faith. 70 some OF them
you have given intellectual assent, and yet
YOU find yourself in doubt and uncertain
| tv. Why is it thus with Tou.! there can
be bat one answer. You have thrown
Yourself in hoy surrender at the ieet OF
| f q trnth YOU have known. 1t costs some;
thing to do that. I pity the man who had
! d. IL L NJ
has faced God and duty and said 81
| will" to the divine "you ought" Paul
had his Damascus. Luther his Erfurt: Wes-
| lev his Aldersgate, and B"shnell. lectur-
| ing to the students of Yale. said: There
i. a story lodged in the little bedroom. OF
eve of these dormitores which nr Hod
| Hi. recording angel may note, allowing y
| never to be lost" :,
DO rot be impatient with your doubt;
| only BE- sure that YOU are moving toward
the ligh you do see. No: what we are.
but what we are becon ng: not whera we
stand but whence we come and whittier
we 90 these are the great .hings about
which we should he concerned.
The fruit of the tree of faith may he
p,,,cked too soon and il is then valueIess:
II takes a full season to ripen the bes. OF
natures products and there ere, some
things in faith which only years and irost
and storm will bring to maturity. :,
1t has been said that one OF the greatest
talents in religious discovery is the ind
| in, how to hang up questions without be-
ing anxious about them. Look az them
now and then as they hang and by and ny.
when Won turn some corner ot Thought,
YOU will hc delighted and as:onished to see
how quietly and easilv they open their Sc
| cret and let Won in. ] know great teach-
or OF mathematics who always kept some
hard problems by him. He would work
on one awhile and put it Jack IN MS
pocket still incomplete. After weeks or
months the problem would be so.ved ana
another take it's place ir his thought.
There are mapv who s.r with easy assur-
| ance: Lord. I believe" but they, have
never thought enough TO have any douofs.
They have no sympathy with those ~ho
die f., a man or a cause. 1hev cou'd De-
lieve anything that seemed to be necessary
- n good position in society and com.
! fortab,e income The nan who Is honest
must adjourn some of his questions and
not be impatient I expect to carry some
Of nv questions with me into that larger
| III, toward which all men move. hut That
| fact does not trouble re. Some Things, J.
have settled and others can wait until the
dav when all mystery shall he made clear
| One of nv parishioners some years ago
taught me a great lesson. She was lady
OF culture and refinement. She had been
at the head of a great school lot many
wears. Her eyesight at last failed her ana
she became totally blind. | saw ner at tne
close of a service feeling her way up tne
shake hands with me. The thought OF her
Great great suffering and loss finally over
whelmed me and said with deep emotion
as cia.ped Ter hand: 1T will he light up
yonder and YOU will know why God has
! nermitted this great affection to enter
your life" She lifted a face transiigured
by inefable peace and said: III | am -
| happy as to get to heaven, [ shall let 6y-
gone. be bygones and shall not trouble the
Lord for anv explanations. IT one mas
spirit like that, whatever doubts he ha-
Remember finally that there are but a
sew things that are absolutely necessary to
| Christian faith. Be sure that you, have
| them. whatever the price demanded may
| be. Do not try to make bargain LOT
.sfe and pleasant course. That IS an aW-
! fni mocLing OF the truth. But having SET
fled tire great problems be assured tnae
you need not be greatly troubled aoout tne
| lesser ones. Men have set up standards
| which God never ordained. j.,
We have multiplied dogmas ana oocr
trines to the CONFUSION oi IhE unu
| fear to the loss Of the soul. Worse tnan
ali men have forgotten that right irvi1g
more important than right views. Ihey
| have burned heretics to get rid OF tneir
here.y. and have banished, good men Oe'
cause they disagreed with them. Have pa
tience with other men that they may nave
patience with you. Let your lite recon- 1i
mend YOUR creed. Right Opinions WI,
avail as no more than they avail the deTi.
and his angels unless We hold them IN m ;ne
Golden chalice of pure and honest NE.
The great truths of life are not SIMPLY IN
teIIectual truths and the method by Thieh
tney are revealed are not chiefly ln1teilect-
nal. with the heart man believeth unto
Doubt which is in moral earnest !;
servant of God to bring the truth. IL mas
preceded all great reforms in the inavlJ, lh;.i,
ral and in the community. A faith when
has been forged out through the awtui
heat ,e Of doubt is the only kind that BE-
comes an anchor to the soul. 1t IS worth
going through the fiery. furnace TO ma
.the form of the Fourth:
The conviction which honest doubt leaas
70 is the conviction which has shaken tne
world. Do not scorn any @an, and least
hn