The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-01
Cannot Escape Doubt.

tion in either
 Cannot Escape Doubt.
 'It is my purpose to show you that by accepting these theories you don't escape doubt and mystery, and at the last, when a man begins thinking of them it is from an effort to get away from the miracle. When I come to con slider the miracle I have to answer two questions. Can God perform miracle, and does He want to? The first is easily settled, for the God who can make a world like this can do any thing He wants to with it. I dare not attempt to know what God might want to do until I have a more intimate knowledge of Him and conform more to His example. We should be kept so busy doing good and living up to the things we can understand that we will have no time to worry about the mys- teries of life.
 If we refuse to believe in miracles because we do not understand them why not refuse to live because we do not understand life?
 "How many of those who eat un- derStaDu Inc C1lcuiiStiy OA NHS 'No ble? Whoever waits to find out those mysteries will die of starvation, but mystery does not bother us in the din ing room--only at the church.
 Mir. Bryan took the example of the watermelon, the tiny seed taking off it's coat and gathering from somewhere the power to build 5000 times its own weight getting the coloring matter for the green and the red and the white, building a melon, and hundreds or more seeds all able to do the same work. Until you can explain the mir acle of the watermelon don't try to find the mysteries of God.
 "Take the egg, which, like touch of nature, joins the world, and is yet the most mysterious thing imagina- ble. I might spend an age telling you of these everyday mysteries which you don't care anything about and are yet so particular about not believing any mysteries in religion.
 ''Take miracle of everyday life and see if you can explain how the heart changes so that one comes in day to love the world and those whom 1t has hated.'
 Basis of Religion.
 Coming down to the basis Of religion MT. Bryan said he would not take up or trv to discuss the theories of atonement and such questions. Some have such sense of justice that they say 1t is not right that one should die for others. This occurs in everyday life. The mother from the child's birth, sacrifices herself and suffers pain all for her son. and thus each generation dies if need be that the bless ings denied to them might be enjoyed by their children's children. The man who saves his life shall lose it. It Is not by remembering ourselves but by forgetting ourselves that we gain immortality.
 "Now we know that Christ did live. It is a fact of history, and there is cord which stretches from that life to every soul vibrating with His purity. humility, forgiving spirit and wondrous love.
 We have one point of consolation-He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. There is test we can apply to ourselves. If in contemplating the purity of Christ we feel drawn to Him and feel anxious to emulate Him, then we can feel that we are His disci- ples, but If we are repened by the thought of the purity of Christ then we must be born again."
 Mr. Bryan gave several minutes to discusslon of the spirit of forgiveness as seen in "a love so far flung that even an enemy could not enter into its bounds. Love is the most potent influence in this world, and sacrifice Is the language of this love" In taking up the life of Christ