Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1908-08-13
THE PULPIT.
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. /. Il. MELlSH.

A BRILLlANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. /. Il. MELlSH.
Subject: Faith Once Delivered.
Brooklyn, N. Y.-The Rev. John
Howard Melish, rector Of the Church
Of the Holy Trinity, Clinton and Mon
tague streets, Sunday morning
preached on esThe Faith Once Deliv-
cred" The text was from jude 8:
1.-THE faith which was once for all de-
livered to the saints" Mr.. Melish
said:
A Pentecost seems to be taking
| place in Korea. Forces. no doubt In
large part political and commercial.
but also supremely religious and edu-
%cational, are bringing that Eastern
nation to a new birth. Men every
where are inquiring about the new
religion" Churches r crowded
many times a day. Teachers and
preachers cannot meet the need. We
seem to be witnessing what has not
been seen for centuries, a nation
turn Christian.
What is of great significance in the
religious awakening and conversion
Iof Korea is the kind of Christian re-
ltigion which is receiving this over
whelming response. If the reports
aro true. it is a religion with two
sides. Those who have received it
and who are extending it among their
fellow c~ountrymen know only "The
Father" and "!Our Elder Brother"
The names which have been and are
to multitudes Of us Western Chris
Itians of value have nc existence to
those Eastern followers Of Jesus. God
and Jesus they know. but Christ"
and the doctrines of the Trinity, the
Incarnation, the atonement, are not
even names. Their religion is with
out dogma.
Is this a sufficient statement of-the
Christian faith? I do not mean If 1t
Is the sum total of the Christian
truths. OF course, it is not. Neither
do I near if 1t is the "irreducfble
Minimum" without which a man
can hardly be called a Christian. But
Is this faith in God as Father, in
! Jesus as Elder Brother, sufficient
. Tor life and death? Can men live
by this? Are these the r%egulative
Ideas Of our religion, the fundamen-
> %tal propositions of which all other
truths are corollaries?
Such questions can be answered
only by the deep experiences of life
Life. the abundant life, is the test OF
truth. There are times which try
mems souls. Then it is that a mans
books are opened, his words are
weighed, his traditions are tested. Al
such moments the soul is concerned
!, not with words, but with realities
|, He demands real answers. for rea'
3 luestionings. Such was the expert
. ance of Job when disaster befelI him
. Under the fire and the whirlwind no.
only Jobs property, but Jobs the
! ology, was swept away. Orthodox.
proved too weak to lean UPON. Such
too, was the experience of Saul o
Tarsus, when he discovered that Law
tailed to make men righteous. He wa
driven b. new needs to revolutioniz'
his religion and morals. ST.. Angus
tine, Luther, Wesley. also, were mel
= who, face to face with new expert
snces, as few questions which ortho
doxy failed to nswer. They wer
1riven to the fundamentals of faitl
by the facts of life.
If faith in God as Father an,
Jesus as Elder Brother is suficien
It must answer the deep questioning
which spring from the deep exper.
ences OF fife. These questions ar
three in number. Behind all philose
phies you will find them. To answe
them all religions have set then
d selves.
The first question is: Is there
God, and If there is what is He like
.. 1t has its origin in man as a reason
ing and mora creature. What is til
origin of what we see and feel?
this universe self-evolved or is it tt
NJ expression of some power whie
moves through it and presides ov,
it? It there is such a Power, VIII;
Is it like? Has it any of the att1
he butes OF personality, Intelligent
re righteousness, love? Behind all h
ny man doubts and q~uestionings is th
mother of questions, Is there a God
-" The second question is: When
=. man sees upon his soul the blot
Id a sin can it be removed? What the
logians call sin is a universal {
per1ence. When Herbert Spenc
Tim came to America he was entertain
at a banquet by the most learn
0"H company which had probably
sembled here. At the end 6f t
program of speeches Henry W.
Beecher was called upon. He prais
= science and eulogized the debt VIII
religion owed the men who tot,
der 10 pa~ipstakingly to ascertain tru
SO, md then suddenly turning aside,
rug made an appeal to universal expe
ain ence. There vas not a man the
he said, who had not done someth,
... for which he was ashamed, who
not wish he had not done it. Y
nao would like to have men know It. y
would not if he could wash his S
(. clear Of it. Scientist, philosop1
alth theologian, statesman in that lear,
assembly rose to that appeal to uni,
8 in sal experience. So say all men. Tt
4 have been times when sin weig
.r. so heavily upon the consciences
men that they have sacrificed Il
children, thrown themselves un
the cal of Juggernaut, fed to
nastic penance. His as deep an
perience to-day as ever, but it is
con- pressed differently. Has my life b
mo OF any use to others? Is the nues