The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-05-17
gsss8NssssSSSSsSsSSs11SSs
8 SUNDAY SERMON
y = y =
A Scholarly Discourse By
the Rev. Z. E 'Newbsrt.
esss@ses~see>~


Newbert, of this city, thrilled and de-
lighted large congregation last sun.
day with an eloquent sermon, entitled
Reality in Religion" He took Tor
his text: "The hour cometh, when
neither in this mountain, nor yet In
Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father.
The hour cometh and now Is, when the
true worshipers shall worship the
Father in spirit and truth" John W.,
81, %.
These are great words. l do not
come, however, to interpret them.
quote the text because Of the spirit 1t
breathes. quote 1t as protest
against the limitation of worship, as an
answer to the creeds of Christendom.
/ quote II because it denies formal re-
ligion, and places emphasis on truth
and life. 1t does us good to come upon
a thought like this, maybe half for
gotten. And to find II. after having
been made to believe III the little words
of a sectarian faith, is like coming out
of the fog of the lowlanc to the hills,
to find the sky clear and the sun shin
ing. Or it is like following q foul
stream to find its source IL a mountain
spring. Indeed, 1t is refreshing to
throw off our load of belief and fear
and doubt and think for an pour of
life as 1t is 1t is inspiring to think of
religion as without bounds or lame or
division, Just splendid ideal of life
and a daring thought of the eternlties.
In passing. think of n great picture
Ind its poor copy. | turn from the
sopy, badly done, to the original Its
yetting is the quaint life and quiet
scenes of Galilee. At once we think
5f the night prayer in the hills and the
teaching on the mount, the central
figure that of a man who speaks 20 the
people of the realities of life. But we
must not llnger with the picture. 1t is
enough to catch its spirit. Life is
swift, and its course is onward. Re
ligion Is n present reality. 1t is every
where abroad in the life of the modern
world. In worship? Yes. In good
living? Yes. Hunt for religion in the
beliefs of men, and you lose ii. Bind it
and bound it, and you have only husks.
Live it, and you know it for what it is.
Go where life goes, go where the great
worlds work is done, and you will find
real religion. Is the church its audible
voice? Then it should bear the live
coal upon its altars. 1t should be in
love with truth and in touch with life.
1t should be modern, with a message
to modern man. 1t should lead COM
mand, advance. 1t should worship the
living God, not learn ritual or humble
over relics in the sepulchre of the dead.
SO long poorly taught. we can hardly
think of religion apart from the church,
its rites and dogmas. Baptism, for in
stance, awaits us at the outer gate.
Shall it be the condition of our passing
through? Does the kingdom of God
wait for baptism? Is the rite vital
part of religion? Men have been bap-
tized; but what of humanity? What of
the round world? Are the unbaptized
outside the gate? Baptism? Oh, go
out some summer morning, and stand
uncovered in the fields. Wait reverent-
~ for the sunrise. Be tenderly affec-
toned toward the world. Be thankful
for life and not afraid of death. Let
nature be to you a sanctuary, the world
a holy place. Invite the dew of the
morning to wet your head; and in that
hour of stiffness, reverence and joy, you
will receive a baptism, the end of all
novitiate and probation.
Or what of the ordination of Il min
lister of religion? Does the candidate
stand in the apostolic line? Has he
had the hands of bishop on his head?
Has he been consecrated by rite
which separates him from his fellows?
Is his office holy? Are such questions
of grave importance? Or do they con-
Germ anybody in this busy world but
the eccleslastic? Indeed, what is n
minister of religion more than a man?
Or what can ceremony add to a man?
Not by any miracle can a priest be
made man If he be not first n man.
Fools and knayes have been ordained
IN fnn nrinctbnnd 1Nttf afk
hands nor the most sacred rite can
make fool learn wisdom. or teach a
clown to be serious, or put an honest
soul into knave.
And then there are the apostolic peo-
pie. These form an exclusive set in
the Kingdom of God, sort of chosen
people. They have gone through the
gate, and have shut the gate behind
them. Nothing of ceremonial or belief
has been left undone. They have taken
out insurance for eternity. But what
of humanity? What of the round
world? Where stand the majority of
men and women? In the winnowing of
souls, why so few grains of wheat? AS
l try to answer, even in part l think
OF those who are doing the worlds
work. L think of the men and women
who are fighting the worlds battles
anu winning its victories. / think of
the shoulders beneath the ponderous
wheel OF progress, now rolling on, now
down to the hub in the mlre. | think
or those who are lending hand in the
gigantic world struggle for the supren-
acy or righteousness. think of those
in the vanguard who light watch-fires
on the hills. who are educating, human
izing, liberating. Or | think of the
gentle hands, the swift feet. the tender
hearts, the angels of mercy and peace.
in whom dwell sweetness and light
Who are they? By what name are they
called? To what church. If any. do
they belong? Idle the question. i'm
possible the answer. Sufficient ia n
that they establish Christian ciyiliza.
tion. No, not an exclusive set not a
small division of humanity, but these
lovers and comrades and workers who
walk together, constitute the kingdom
OF God. II this be not so, woe unto the
world, hopeless our human lott
Humanity has made many expert
ments, and from failure learned wis
dom. All that the ecclesiastic would
to-day teach has been tried, and 1t has
failed. At least for 1000 years the re-
ligion OF dogma and ceremonial ruled
the world. These ten centuries are dis
tinguishable by the supremacy of a
blind faith. For 1000 years men knelt