Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-03-08
THE PATHWAY TO TRUTH.

By Henry F. Cope
If any man will do his will he shall
know of the doctrine-John 8: II.
Practice always comes before phil
| losophy. A boy arrives at an underi
standing Of the laws of mathematics
by working out many examples. The
wise teacher gives the rule only as the
summing up of the experiences already
acquired by the pupil. Faith is not the
acceptance of dogmatic statements con.
corning unknown things; it is conf
dence acquired concerning some things
by reason of experience in them or In
other things.
The great mistake of most of the
preaching of religion is that it urges
men to accept philosophy of relig-
ion instead of inviting them to an ex-
perience; it places the symbol, the
rule, or the doctrine before the fact
But men do not accept other things
in that way. We learn by doing it,
it is the practice, not the philosophy,
that makes perfect
The only religion any man has is
that which he uses. Faith is not to
be measured by formulas Many a
man who is capable of plating out
the theological heaven in a manner
satisfactory to the theorists is utter
ly unfit to live in even an earthly
city because he has allowed his pbfa
losOphy Of the city of God to become
a substitute for the practice of the
duties Of the citizen Of God
The theory of eternal life will save
none from the grave; the acknowledge
ment of the historicity of the life Of
the Saviour of the world will not
save your life from sin and death
The only thing that can give you life
and make your life right is the learn
ing of his way of living; tie expert
encing the possibility, the beauty, the
glory of such life as his; no one
can believe on him except by follow
ing him.
Once in a while the world is shocked
by the uncovering of a life of hypo<>
risy in high places, the man who is
leader in the church, guide, and
teacher of others, and who at the same
time is robbing the fatherless and tBe
widow, or stealing from the state. That
man is in a measure typical of all who
| look on their bibles as tickets to heaY-
en-, their professions as passports tn
| glory, and forget that both these arc
empty and barren until translated intn
| living.
Emphasis on creed tends to neglecf
| of deed. It is easy to be holy When
orthodoxy is the thing demanded RigM
| opinions more easily are adopted thar
right practices. Yet many hope to ar.
rive at right practices by the blind are
ceptance of opinions properly labeled
and Endorsed as right. AS we'll mighE
one hope to acquire muscular vlgor by
memorizing the rules Of calisthenics.
The truth is that deed is a door to
doctrine. If you would learn the rules
Of the road you must travel in it. III
YOU are anxious to know the truth OF
religion you must begin to live its life
Here you know nothing except that
which you know experimentally. The
life Of the least child gives a larger
vision Of truth than the largest theW-
| logical libraries in the world.
Many of us will have to give an ac.
count of time wasted In foolish specuIa-
tons on the philosophy of religion
Men are judged not by their views buI
by their records. Do not think that
ability to unravel the mysteries of tha
| infinite as one might take toy puzzlG
to pieces will satisfy the law that de-
mands that every life shall give itself
| at it's best to the world, nor dare we
hope to present our petty solutions and
so satisfy infinite justice
Do you desire truth? Then live ths
best truth you know today and larger
light and greater truth shall be yours
tomorrow Do not wait to know all the
words or comprehend all the syntax
in the great language Of life befors
you begin to speak it In living. Thers
is only one way to the paradise of the
| Most High and that is to tread each
day in so much Of its pathway as we
| NAV see doing daily the deeds that
seem to us likest the divine finding
new truth by the full living of the best
| of old truth.