The Newtown bee., 1907-02-22
LITTLE SERMONS.

LITTLE SERMONS.
 THE MINISTRY OF sCIENCE.-BY O. O.
 WRIGHT.
 Tim. 2:15, Give diligence to present thy self approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling arig ht the word of truth"
 Such was the Apostles advice to the yo unR minister, Timothy. The ex- hortatfon holds good for the young clergYmen in these days. The minis ter should be prepared for his work, in his day. Just as any one, in any trade or profession, or calling, should be trained to meet the wants Of mankind in any age, so as to be able to accom- plfsh the work that needs to be done. sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written upright ly, even words of truth"
 I am glad that Rev MT Danforth has the opportunity to study science, and that he plans to take a full, ex- tended course; and I am glad that he told us why he wished to do so in THE BEE Of February 8. If were younger, and could do so, would go and do likewise, for the same general reasons I believe that the Christian church, of all denominations, needs the ministry of science in all departments of it's great divine work of salvation, and that it will need it more and more in the near future.
 Physical science is not, of course, religion; and religion is not physical science. But the same scientific meth cd which deals with facts and princi- ples may be, and should be applied to our religion as the economic, social and of life.
 The scientific method tends to unify and harmonize all the complex inter- ests of mankind. True religion never put any discount upon this life, nor up on thes things of this present world. On the contrary it gives us the divine point of view from which we should behold and value this earthly estate. True religion sanctifies and enpobles life by teaching us how we are related to God and to the eternal world. On the other hand science dis covers to us what there is in this life, and how the things of this world should be applied to the interests of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is our best and highest estate, whether here on the earth on in the unseen realms of the spiritual world.
 And then, an accurate and extended knowledge of God through His works, and in His Word, cannot fail to enlarge and intensity our zeal for the righ- teousness of God and our love for Him, whose children we are. The more truly religious we are the more scien- titic we should be; and the more scien- tific we really become the more relig- ious we must be. For the more we love God the more we shall know of Him; and the more we know Him the more we shall love Him. And 1t is on- ly as we are able to combine the scien- tific, practical meaning and use, with the spiritual and poetical expression of our religious sentiments that we shall succeed in grasping the highest of the Holy Scriptures.
 Prof Drummond says: "No single fact in science has ever discredAted fact in religion. If the purifcation of religion come from science, the purlfi- cation of science, in a deeper sense, shall come from religionl The true ministry of nature must at last be honored, and science take it's place as the great expositor."
 Science has already done much to clear away the myths and moonshine of our religion; it has to a considerable extent rectified the traditions of the faith; it has relieve the human mind and heart of many terrors which were born of ignorance and superstition; it has helped nightly to establish the true idea of the refgn of law, as in the physical and social relations; and it has led us to walk more joyfully in the paths of wisdom and peace, in accord with reasonable and holy trust in the Father of the Spirits of all flesh. But the ministries of science in re- ligion, and of religion through science have but just begun. The service of God, and the service of man still wait for that unity of Spirit, and perfec- tion of system, and simplicity of forms which characterize every ap- proach to the divine ideal of the com pleted fellowship of Christ which must surely come.
 Rev Charles Fl. Smith of Barre, Mass has heen ouite seriously i'll with