Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1908-09-16

Cairo, Jerusalem.
I offer no apology for speaking upon
a religious theme, for 1t is the most
universal of all themes. If addressed
you upon the subject of law l might
interest the lawyers. If | discussed
the science ofmedicine l might inter
est the physicians. In like manner
merchants might be interested in a
talk on commerce and farmers in q
discussion of agriculture. Pat none OF
these subjects appeals to all. Even the
science of government, though broader
than any profession or occupation,
does not embrace the whole sum of
life, and those who think upon it differ
so among themselves that l could not
speak upon the subject so as to please
a part without offending others. While
to me the science Of government is in
tensely absorbing, l recognize that the
most important things in life lie out
side of the realm of government and
that more depends upon what the in
dividual does for himself than upon
what the government does or can do
for him. Men can be miserable under
the best government, and they can be
happy under the worst government.
Government affects but part of the
life which we live here and does not
touch at all the life beyond, while reli-
gion touches the infinite circle Of ex-
istence as well as the small arc Of that
circle which we spend on earth. No
greater theme, therefore, can engage
our attention.
Man is a religious being. The heart
instinctively seeks for a God. Man Is
essentially devout.
There are honest doubters whose
sincerity we recognize and respect, but
occasionally l find young men who
think 1t smart to be skeptical. They
talk as If ii were an evidence Of larger
intelligence to scott at creeds and re-
fuse to connect themselves With
churches. They call themselves lib
eral," as II Christian were narrow
minded. To these young men ] desire
to address myself.
Religion the Basis Of Morality.
Even some older people profess to
regard religion as a superstition, par.
dOnable in the ignorant, but unworthy
of the educated, a mental state which
one can and should outgrow. Those
who hold this view look down with
mild contempt upon such as give to
religion a definite place in their
thoughts and lives. They assume an
intellectual superiority and often take
little pains to conceal the assumption.
Religion has been defined as the re,
latiOn which man fixes between him. |
self and his God and morality as the |
outward manifestation of this relation |
Every one by the time he reaches ma. !
turity has. fixed some relation between
himself and God, and no material
change in this relation can take place. |
without revolution in the man, for
this relation is the most potent ia1u- |
snce that acts upon human life,
Religion is the basis of morality in, |
the individual and in the groap of in
dividuals. Materialists have, attempted |
to build up a system of morality upon
the basis Of enlightened self interest.
They would have maR, figure out by /
mathematics that it pays him to alb
stain from wrongdoing; they would
even inject an element of selfishness
into altruism. But the moral system
elaborated by the materialists has sew
eral defects, First its Virtues are serr Il
rOwed from. moral systems bas5<f.tlya1,
religion, Second, as it rests upon argu.
ment Father than upon au&AOrity It
does not appeal to the youns, and by
the time the young are able to follow
their reason they have already become
set in their ways Our laws do not
permit young man 10 dispose of reaI
estate until he is twenty-one. Why
This restraint? Because his reason Is
not mature. And yet a mans life is
largely nodded by the environment 4
of his youth. Third. one never knows "
lust how much of his decision is due.
10 reason and how much is due t. \
passion or to selfish interest, We reg.
'gnfze the bias Of self interest whes
re exclude from the jury every mar
10 matter how reasonable or upriey #
he may be, who has pecuniary. isik or.
st In the result Of the trish , nd,
ourth, one whose mortality is. based
lpon a nice calculation Of 4heref Is to
'e secured spends time .figurin' that 4
le should spend in action
Morality is the power of or ,durance /
q man, and a religion whicl teaches
ersonal responsibility to { iod gives;
repsth to morality. There is pow
rIul restraining. influence in the be.
lief that 'qA an seeing eye. scrutinizes
very thought and word a nd act of the
There.. are difficulties to be encOup-
cred In religion. but there are diff |
,glties, to be encounter ed everywhere. |
passed through & period of skep-
lcism when IL was IN college, and l
have been glad ever since that I be-
came a member of the church before |
|, left home for coll eye, for it helped
"a during those trying days. The
college, days cover the dangerous
eeriod in the your mans life. 1t is
when, he is just ONE into possession
Of his powers, wien he feels stronger
than he ever feels afterward and
thinks he knows more than he ever
does know.