Arizona republican., 1908-06-29
RELIGION OF CHRIST
 COURTS IhW SII6ATI0N
The Sermon at the Presbyterian Church Yesterday morning.

Yesterday morning, Rev. Henry Martyr Campbell preached from the text: Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" 1 Thess., 5:21. The following is an abstract from the ser mon.
 Prove all things" What does it mean? It means a hundred things, but it means first of all that the re ligion of the Lord Jesus Christ is req sonable. I know there are men who say that religion is a sort of super stition, that it appeals to the heart and not to the reason. How is the heart reached, though, except through the intelligence. We are sorry or glad, happy or depressed because of what has come to our hearts through the intellect. The Apostle Paul made em- inent use of the intellect in approach ing men. Great men agree that the grandest example of logical reasoning we have is found in the writings of Paul-in fact it is claimed that one does not know logic till he knows Paul Again and again he uses words that mark the progress of his reason jag. 'I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say" direct appeal to the intellect. The Master in his words also appeals to reason. Faith" and "belief' were key words of his appeal to men. Arthur T. Pierson started out as a young man to prove for himself that the truths of the eternal God were not truths. Thus as an infidel he began and he investigated and req sOned through the years till he realiZ- ed at last that the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ appeals to reason and himself wrote that book of Many Infallible Proofs"
 Negatively, the religion of the Lord Jesus Christ is not begging it's way into the lives of men. It stands four square against the tide of opposition. The intelligence of the world is on the side of Christ and the bible It courts examination; it challeges proof on the part of any man howsoever strong he may be in intellect. The pride of Christianity today is let men reason" There is no possible advantage in asking men to do otherwise. If my faith is false, I want to know it now" Christianity stands the test of reason. There is no motive for keeping men from reasoning. Let no part of it be hidden. Let the test be the fullest and freest, let it be merciIess, neglect neither scalps, nor hammer, neither mortain nor electric coil, and, If the test is honest, and true, and active, there isn't any question as to the re- suit.
 Paul does not tell us how we are to prove all things" There are two tests that we can apply that ought to prove to us the truth of Christianity. One test is What has it done?" The Master himself had the disciples of John tell their master to apply that test, when they came to Jesus to know If he were truly the Christ. To test what Christianity has done, imagine, if you cap, what the world would be like without God. Nothing, nothing left to which to cling. The second test Is the test of experience. Try it. | Christ also approved of this test. for when Philip said to one whom he would have know Jesus, he said | Come and see," and Christ did not rebuke him. If you want a machine to do certain work, you test it. You try it. We beleive the things we have 1 proven by experience. Men say we deceive ourselves, that it is all a trick. l