The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-04-06
He PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON eT
TIE REV. L. L. TAYlCE.
Subject: square Deaf in Religion"


l.. Taylor. pastor Of the Puritan Con-
gresational Church.. spoke on The
Square Deal in Religion" lie took
two texts: Proverbs Xii. 80: They that
deal truly are His delight" and Psalm
Xii: The righteous Lord !oveth right
eousnesS." Mr.. Taylor said:
The kingdom of heaven is a square
deal on earth. From the night visions
Of the shepherds To the day dreams OF
ST. John il is peace and good Will on
earth, among men. which the hosts of
God are seen bestirring themselves 10
promote. And He who came from
heaven lived brother 10 all men. that
they might ever after dwell as hre,h-
rem here. But there can he no kingdom
of brotherly men on earth with any
other throne set up than that OF faith
erly God I'm heaven. The sQttrc deal
has its vertical lines rs we'll rs its hori-
Zontal. The horizon never limited
ChriSt's vision. He lived for the day
when men would treat God right In
that day no man will have anything
10 fear from any other man. The
thinking world is coming around more
and more TO ChriSt's estimate of relig-
ion ms the power that must set things
right among men. But in His day and
in ours the problem of the square deal
involves religion itself. II has always
been hard 10 get Il square deal for re-
ligion. 1t has always been hard To
maintain a square deal in presenting
the claims OF religion. IL has always
been hard To keep Il square deal at the
heart of religion. These things should
be borne in mind 10y us all rs we enter
upon the special religious activities anu
privileges of the Lenten season.
The square deal in religion involves
a square deal for religion. And this In
turn involves two things: first, fair
minded attitude toward religious phe-
nomena. institutions, doctrines and per
sons, and second, Il detcrminatiO to
deal fairly with our own religious ma
ture, n determination 10 give the soul a
square deal.
Men deal more fairly with the fact
Of religion than they used 20. They
are settling down 10 the conclusion that
the race Is "incorrigibly religious.
They are beginning 70 understand that
the worlds history could not have been
what It has been II men had no capac-
ity and need for religion. Religion
must be recognized aS legitimate hu-
man interest unless we want 10 throw
out of court the most persistent of all
classes OF facts. Religion must he rec.
ogniZed rs one OF the great human in
tprcStS if we are 10 maintain any sort
OF proportion i'm our view of human life
as whole. Religion must be rccog-
nized ms the supreme human interest II
we would be consistent with any rca-
sOnable definition Of religion. II rclig-
ion is an affair OF the soul in its re,a-
tionS with the in.initc nothing short OF
this is reasonable OF right. We should
expect 90 see men. aS we 90. striving
To make religion supreme, not content
with anything short Of the religious in
depreciation OF the universe and of hu-
MAJ life, determined 10 have some sort
OF religious system, spending and being
spent in the service Of religious institu-
tions. their churches. their missions.
We should deal as fairly with these
facts as we do with the facts which
convince us hat il is natural for men
10 have music that 1T is natural for
men to express themselves and TO find
pleasure in the varied forms of art
that it is natural for men 10 concern
themselves with the right and wrong
of things and Of their own lives.
But fair dealing with the fact Of re-
ligion requires that we should recOg
nize the limitations and the inevitable
imperfection OF all the forms in which
the religious aspirations of men find
expression. 1t is nothing TO the dis
credit OF religion if our best efforts 10
embody II fall short Of those visions Of
its glory with which our souls are
blessed. 1t is no less treasure be
hn, In apth
Religious systems are confessedly Inn
perfect. Religious persons are full OF
faults. But they exist. They are
facts. And they are as good evidence
Of mans religious nature as they are
OF the imperfection Of all things human.
But how about our own religious ma
ture. yours and mine? Have we been
treating IL fairly? In 1876 George Ro-
names, brilliant young British sclen-
tist, came 10 the conclusion that he
had no right to soul or God, ana
that ii was his "obviOus duty to stifle
all belief" and TO "dlsclpline his intel
lect with regard TO this matter into an
attitude Of the purest skepticism." Il
am not ashamed TO confess" he wrote
at the time. that with this virtual ne
cation Of God the universe 10 me has
lCSL l1S Soul Oh IONellHtSS. ANU IL wan
oppressed by "the appalling contrast
between the hallowed glory Of that
creed which was once mine. and the
lonely mystery Of existence as / now
find IT," a little less than twenty
years later George ROmanes became
convinced that in seeking to deal un-
flnchingly with the facts Of physical
science he had ignored the most signifi-
cant Of all facts, the most directly
known, the most completely attested OF
all facts, the facts OF his own religious
nature. He came 10 recognize that II
is reasonable 10 be Christian believ-
err" Before his untimcly death be had
returned "to that full. deliberate com
munion with the church Of Jesus Christ
which he had for 50 many years been
consclentiOusly compelled TO forcgo.'
In the multitude Of his thoughts with
in him he had secured square deal
for his soul.
our difficulties may not be his, but
we have them. The things which